Beautiful but deadly

Cabin fever is setting in. It's much too cold and windy to be outside, so I have to content myself with daydreaming about a summer day and a spot like this.

On the banks of that stream is where I found this mushroom, Amanita muscaria, aka Fly Agaric. This one is definitely NOT edible, but it is beautiful: Here is another eponymous small quilt. I handpainted most of the fabrics, couched down yarn, and handbeaded around the image.

A Rosy Outlook

Another fantastic fungus--this one is Russula rosacea, a small specimen I found growing out of the leaf litter on the forest floor. The "rosacea" in the name is an obvious reference to the color, a pink verging on salmon.

Here's the eponymous quilt: I handpainted the fabrics on the left and top, there's couched yarn and threads, and some hand beading around the photo. Here's a detail:

The Fungus Among Us

I go hiking every chance I get, "hike" being defined as a day trip to a wooded area where I spend several hours tromping about and exploring. There's always something new to discover, especially if you look closely:

Isn't it gorgeous? It's a chicken of the woods mushroom, Laetiporus sulphureus, a real stunner that grows on hardwoods, often conveniently about at eye level. They are edible, as the name suggests, although I've never tried them. They get quite large, and change in color and appearance from day to day as they mature. I'm fascinated by them and have taken dozens of pictures of various specimens. I'm planning a large quilt at some point, but in the meantime have made this small one:

Here's a closeup of "Chicken of the Woods":

Snag at Grubb Lake

Sometimes inspiration is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I was making my way around Grubb Lake, an endeavor midway between a walk and a hike, shortly after some violent thunderstorms and came upon this scene. A large tree had fallen, leaving a spectacular stump, or snag, and providing me with a wonderful photo op.

I first used the image as a cover for a tree themed art book. It is printed on cotton, stitched, and surrounded by richly textured wools:

Ordinarily I only use an image once, but the art book was just for my personal pleasure, and the image was still intriguing me. I wanted to give it a richer treatment, and the result is this small quilt, Snag at Grubb Lake:

Here's a detail shot, showing some of the intricate stitching and the hand beading:

Collages in Progress

I'm continuing to work on the prints that will become my collages for the International Collage Exchange. Here they are with the first round of stitching done. This has served to further define the leaf shapes, and to calm and unify the background.



Here are some white mulberry leaves, the subject of the prints above and the quilt in a previous post.

Arpilleras

It is a day to try a gardener's soul, a balmy 60 degrees, but much too wet and windy to work outside, and too early as well--it will drop back into the 30's tomorrow. So I'm fending off cabin fever by daydreaming about the verdant summer days to come. Today I'm featuring a vintage aprillera where the size of the produce matches my imaginings.

Arpilleras are a type of textile folk art from Chile and Peru. You can read about the origins here. Today they provide income and a creative outlet for poor and displaced women. I found this example on eBay, so I'm not certain of its origins, but its maker was obviously very talented. The arrangement of the design elements and the use of color is skillfully done, as is the needlework. Check out these cabbages:

And the carrots:

And last but not least, the livestock:

Chicago IQA Acceptance

More good mail today--my "White Mulberry" has been accepted into the International Quilt Festival/Chicago, as part of the exhibit "Celebrate Spring". This is the first time out to a juried show for this quilt, after being part of my "River Visions" exhibit at PNQE in Harrisburg last fall. I am very pleased and honored!

Like a lot of my work, I was compelled to make this one not because of any grand plan or career goals, but because I found a sapling growing wild by the side of the road and was gobsmacked by the look of it. I get so enthused about leaves--these are not huge, but there are three differently shaped ones growing simultaneously, which strikes me as incredible. It's a small tree, an Asian native used to feed silkworms and originally imported with the hopes of establishing a silk industry in this country. It escaped from cultivation and is widely spread about because birds love the berries. Now that I've identified it, I notice it everywhere in neglected and weedy places.

The center is a heliographic print on cotton, and the borders are pieced from silks and cottons. The outer border is an Indian handwoven cotton from Handloom Batik. On its own it was an interesting but unremarkable fabric; when I added it to this top-in-progress it really made the whole thing sing. (I have no connection with Handloom Batik except as a happy customer--Usha stocks beautiful and unusual fabrics and is a lovely woman to talk with.)

Here's a detail from "White Mulberry":

Asian Pears

On a mild late winter day like today I like stroll about and inspect my trees with an eye as to how they should be pruned. It's a bit early do do the work, but the anticipation is half the fun. I have three Asian pears that grow quickly and ideally should be pruned and shaped each year. They are wonderful trees. They are beautiful and prolific in bloom, but not blowsy like some ornamental pears. Other than pruning, they require very little care, they are very resistant to disease and insect infestation, and they produce bumper crops of delicious pears.

I eat a lot and give a lot away, but there are still a fair number of drops, ones that fall to the ground and start to decay. This is not a bad thing, as it provides food for a variety of wildlife. They are particularly attractive to eastern comma butterflies, which are sociable and not very skittish. If you stand nearby when they are feeding on the pears, and are quiet and still, they will sometimes land on you and rest. It's good to be ready with camera in hand, to capture moments like this:

This is a page I made for a fiber art journal that was part of a cooperative project with other artists organized by Janet Ghio. The photo was digitally altered, printed on cotton, stitched, and enhanced with paint.