Spring into Summer

     Summer hopefully means time to try new things. One thing startled me, however, and makes all time more precious. My new museum badge is good through 2020 and guess how old I will be. OLD! How to spend such precious moments!

     I’m working on a few new paintings. After rereading the Town Musicians of Bremen, a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm about animals past their prime, as well as thinking of a trip back to Texas, I thought I would quickly paint Home on the Range with a longhorn, pig, coyote and roadrunner, buffalo in the fields beyond. I totally forgot the horse! I need to work on the painting a lot more, but I am tempted to do another, bigger. I also have an edgy family portrait to do, based on masks from another culture. I have the sketch, but will save for the moment. I also have continued to attend life drawing classes. But those are nudes and probably not appreciated online.

     We have just returned from NYC and visiting the museums. I came back with a desire to make some prints and layers, inspired by Degas at MOMA. I also saw two necklaces at a museum I was crazy over, so I got Joe to walk 6th Avenue and the bead stores with me. The bead stores run between the NYC Public Library and Macy’s. I had to get out my tools and a beginner stringing necklace book to remind how, but it went fast and I am wearing tonight. I LOVE my Senior Metro Card, I may paint it as I did the dollar bill when we lived in Dallas.

In the Beginning...a Journal quilt

     When the Journal Quilt Connection met, they decided to let each member choose a theme for a month of the year for members to quilt. We decided to start in July, and members pointed at me to choose a theme. I said, "That is my birthday month." "We'll do 'birthdays' then...birthdays apply to lots of things: people, nations." Later I suggested "beginnings" to avoid cliche.

       Although the "Beginnings" theme starts in July, this is my third in June. I seem to compulsively enjoy making one a week. This too will pass, I feel certain.

In the Beginning...

        Joe and I went to New York City this weekend where I always get so many ideas, I hardly know where to start. We get our Metro Card and hop on and off the buses and trains at museums, book and crafting areas. This weekend we hit the Morgan, the Folk Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Met and MOMA, and Montclair Art Museum on the way home. I also got to The City Quilter 3 times and the beading area on 6th Avenue near the New York Public Library. The Strand and the book store in Grand Central were not missed either. Plus, I discovered near Rein's Deli, on the drive down, another fabulous quilting store where I got the pencils. It is Quilting by the Yard on the Hartford Turnpike, in Vernon CT.
        I think this pinwheel journal quilt with no area to rest the eye shows the exhaustion, chaos and excitement of searching out new ideas from books, places and art before I finally get to work in many new directions! In the beginning is chaos, stitched in the ditch, bordered and backed by the wrapped yellow brick road. The dots are my brain and the subway lines you see as well if you click to enlarge.