The Innocents and the Card Sharpers

Although I liked this show I did not LOVE it.  It had some paintings in it that were familiar, some by Cezanne which made me quite happy and a couple other decent paintings.  This tiny painting by Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier, impressed me tremendously and if you go to see just this it will be worth it.  It is small, maybe 8.5 x 11 inches.  I stood and looked at it, stepped in closer, and then again closer.  It has a meticulous attention to detail, and I especially loved the details on the clothing, the lace was absolutely intricately done.  The wrinkles in the boots fascinating, the texture of the clothing just gorgeous.

crow

Today I am born again….today i am a blank slate.  I wait here in this room for inspiration to come to me.  a black on black palette waiting to be filled.

A new doll, that has been in the making for a while, at least I drew it a few months ago.  I have finished it this week.  I cannot comfortably speak about it because I have an anger and bitterness that go with the sadness of this doll.  It is ultimately a sarcastic thank you to whatever happened with my ex-husband last year in Venezuela, whatever it was that happened he came back here a changed man, and then devastated me by leaving….and continues to damage me by making me tell all his friends and random females that he has left, and adds to the damage by refusing to speak to me….and whatever….thus the tears thus the anger thus the bitterness, i feel i shall never recover.

detail

Pool of Tears or What hast thou wrought?

This giraffe seems to be a big hit with elementary age kids.  Both my friend’s neice and my neice have expressed interest in taking Gilbert (pronounced Zheel Behr) home.  He is made of cotton fabric, metallic thread and buttons, is stuffed with polyfil and has aluminum armature wire inside his legs.  I am still working on an armadillo and a wonderful new doll whose name has not been whispered in my ear yet.  While I was working on this new doll today, Gilbert was standing on my sewing table looking out the window into the back yard.  He really enjoyed watching the squirrels chasing each other around the maple tree.  He also reminded me to fill the bird feeders and that the lawn needs mowing. 

Stuffed Giraffe

Gilbert Giraffe detail

During the week I was at a workshop and while there came up with an idea for a series of dolls which will also become a painting.  I am going to begin working on it before I have to get back to teaching.  Look for them to appear on here in the near future.

I haven’t painted a blessed thing in AGES!  This afternoon while I was sitting on the front steps trying rather unsuccessfully to read, I decided to try and fix the last painting I had started.  So I did.  It was actually really difficult.  I am used to being really certain with painting, having it come out right without much thought.  I had to paint over several areas and am still unsure.  I have an idea of some other stuff I want to add….fiber stuff.  I signed it but now I am not so sure.  Anyway here it is.

Tree of Life

Here are some dolls I have created.

Goth Doll Dolores

Sugaree My first doll

Thing 1 and Thing 2

I have the rest of a sock to knit and that purple silk and cotton blend skirt and I am done.  I finished the baby sweater, all it needs are buttons, four to be exact, unfortunately I only have three of each of all the good ones in my button box. 

Acrylic baby sweater Baby Softee

I also completed and wore the linen or more accurately flax sweater.

Embroidered Flax T-shirt handknit

I also have a very small glittery gold evening bag to finish knitting.  Then Oh yes the finish line is so very very close, then I will be done with my summer project of knitting off all of my needles.

Madame La Farge Knitting Bag

I left out a most important part the bag says “so much yarn so little time” and then “knit 2 purl 2″ twice around the bottom.

I designed this purse myself.  I finally finished it and lined it two days ago.  On the good side of this day I have completed the linen sweater, and am on the short tiny sleeves of a baby sweater for the Plowshares show in December.  The purse above, named after a character in a Charles Dickens novel who sat and knit the names of everyone who stepped up to meet their maker at the guillotine.  It sounds grotesque in this context, but the lovely gentleman who first brought it to my attention left a warm place in my heart.  He tried desperately to get his wife to buy one of our bags and she just wouldn’t.  I used Cascade yarns,  a wonderful array of colors and you could make this bag in any colors.  I choose a whimsical skull and cross bones fabric, where the crossbones are knitting needles and the eyes, nose and mouth look sort of like balls of yarn.  I think this bag is for me, but I haven’t decided yet.