The Skating Pond

Sprinter.  Have you heard of it?  It's winter but it really should be spring.  Last week I had no desire to stitch a winter scene.  However, after Sunday (my first real photo shoot of the year) I felt the spark return when I stood here by the ditch.

"on frozen pond" ?

The photo is quite dark.  The sky was very blue once the day cleared out.  There is something about the joy you can feel when the sun shines in winter.  You just can't contain it.  It fills you with life and you can't help but stretch out and breath deeper.  It's SO bright and beautiful on the prairies when winter shines.  So with this scene, I thought the photo was a nice composition.  And that frozen water!  I was flooded with memories of skating on iced-over ditches for hours and hours as a child.  I remember several times tripping over the grasses that shot through the surface (or tripping over my German Sheppard).  I remember how my cheeks burned with cold, how snowblind I was, and how I just wanted to keep on skating back and forth, back and forth.  : )

in the WE Edmonds floor frame embroider stand

I put together the background of a piece and set it into the frame for handstitching.

sidenote - I know a few of you asked about this frame.  I emailed you photos but I think the attachments jammed up my outbox and you likely never got them.  Sorry about that!  The name of the stand is under the photo above if you want to google it.  It's very versatile and inexpensive as far as wood frames go.  Also, the body of it is full of moveable joints so you can stitch anywhere - floor, chair, sofa, etc.  I'm not using it correctly here but this is how I do it.  I turned the bolts on top upside down because I keep catching my threads on them.  Now this way they can hold spools of thread for me too!  Smart hey?  I turned the top into a pincushion to keep my embroidery needles close at hand (not in the photo).  I always cover the art with a piece of cloth just to avoid the possibility that the wood could be too harsh when pressing directly onto the fibres.  (I hope that answers your questions.)

picking colors - laying them out...

I'm so sentimental over this frozen ditch.  I'm sure most of you shook your head at me after yesterday's photos.  Lots of people have had enough with this winter that won't go away.  Still... I'm glad I headed out with the camera.  I found so much inspiration.

i always sign my work in thread

Here's the finished piece!  TADA!  I love the depth in the water.  I think I'm getting pretty good at that.  I altered some of the composition to make it a little more appealing.  I didn't love the bushes in the foreground of the original photo.

The Skating Pond, 2013  6x8.5"

I hope you can find 'happy' in that piece like I can.  This one is also heading to Winnipeg but I'm sure I'll be making up more.  Incidentally - I have ONE WEEK now to finish everything for my last trip to the framer.  I am officially at 23 pieces of art!  I'm shaking my head and pinching myself - I can hardly believe I was able to complete enough in time.  Thank you everyone for all your encouragement.  ('you can do it!')  I really didn't believe it, especially working at home with three kids having ten days off of school.

* * * Thank you also to Nicki Ault - Saskatoon prairie painter mom-preneur extraordinaire - for featuring me on her  Sunday Spotlight.  That was mighty nice of her!  (Have you read it?  Goodness!)  Please pay her blog a visit.  She has a lovely gallery on her sidebar of work for sale as well.

all the best,

Linking later to The Needle & Thread Network for WIP Wednesday...