Sunday Snapshots

I am so refueled - captured so many beauties in just a short period of time.  I went out for a little visit to my friend Patti's.  It was the perfect day!  She lives on a very high point and you can see so far!

looks like we could sled down it in the winter, but it's really not that sloped

It didn't look like she was home, so we drove a little further and took the dog for a run.  LOVE this picture!  Look at that!  Yellow, Green, Blue!

Then back to Patti's.  My kids love to feed her horses.  Isn't this a lovely photo!  I have it blown up really huge on my monitor.  I love the focus on my daughter as she gathers hay, and then the blur of the fields down below.

The Saskatoon berries are ridiculously abundant and so, so blue!  I've never seen them like this.

Lucky for me - I took that photo while the wind was whipping, and I managed a clear shot from fairly far away.  Something was blowing in.  We were loosing steam and decided to head for home.

Above: I must threadpaint this.  The clouds - oh it looks so fake!  I love all the varieties of only green and blue.

Below: I must threadpaint that.  The purple blowing about is so darn pretty!  I love the windiness of that image.  It's so me.  If I stitch that, I just might have to keep it for myself.

Happy Sunday to you!

Shine On.

The week continues to shine on.  

First, the weather this December is like the end of April.  So warm, it's unbelievable.

Second, this blog... check it out!  The counter on the right sidebar has exceeded ONE MILLION views.  1,000,000 !?  Wow. 

Thirdly (because you know good things come in threes, right?) the most marvelous mail arrived!

I did it I did it I did!  I also did a lot of squealing and bouncing.  And then I did it again.  Squeal.  Jump.  Scream.  Bounce.  Woop it up.  Hop around.  lol

Wow.  I applied for a provincial arts board grant in September when I was between studios.  It was a good time to catch up on paperwork.  It's not the first time I've tried for this funding.  This particular grant is to create larger-scale fibre artwork from January to July that is more abstract / impressionistic, but still prairie inspired.  Oh - it was pproved!  Being financially supported in order to expand my creativity is such an honour.  THANK YOU SK ARTS BOARD.  I will continue to create and sell my threadpaintings of course.  But it will be terrific to work so open-ended like I dream about.  I want to create closer up, but larger scale.  I want to stitch by hand with all those gorgeous yarns again like I did with 'Where Sunlight Falls'.  I want to explore what I can do and really move forward.  This money is so timely as well.  Maybe you heard?  Maybe you didn't.  But it looks like we are moving house very soon -which means grieving my studio and preparing for much work starting all over again with a new space and trying to making it mine.  I'm not afraid that we can't do it again.  I am afraid of being studio-less and not able to create until things get packed and unpacked.  I suppose it's all for the best.  I'll have all this pent up energy that will get me all fired up to move an as soon as my feet hit the ground.  In the mean time, I will dream.  Well - I also have the curated show to set up in a matter of weeks.  It all works out.  It always does.  : )

Before I sign off, I should tell you that I have one small threadpainting left.  If anyone is interested in purchasing art before the holidays, please feel free to email me.  It's pictured below.

5x5" framed to 10x10" in dark brown, under glass with the double mat with lots of French Knots : ) 

Friday Finishes x 2

You might think I'm running out of titles after all these years, but no.  When I look at this, all I think is the word, "Prairie".  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

Inspired by Chief Whitecap Park in October, I really loved all the long stitches.  Much of it is my hand with 12 weight threads.

Oh!  And I've been back at the French Knots as well!  This next one has a fun title.  I was going to pick something pretty and sweet, but then I decided on The Road Trip.  If you've even had a summer vacation in Saskatchewan, or just head to the lakes now and then, you'll understand.

 

I'll frame these up and then I think I'm ready for the Saturday Sale at the Creative House Classroom.  If you dare to venture out in this snow for all the wonderful sales, please add this stop to your list.  There will be 7 artisans set up at the shop.  The venue has free parking, free snacks, and free admission.  129 Ave I South in Saskatoon, 10-5 (I'm there until 4).  I'll bring some postcards supplies & stash packs too.

Be well.  Drive safe.  Stay Warm.

Work in Progress (pass the mustard?)

I finished this one up.  It was rectangular, but do you think I have a frame to fit?  no.  It's a teeny edge shy of a 5x7" mat.  SO, 5x5" it is.  I have heard that square art has a more intimate feel than rectangular art.  I will make this one again though, because it was so enjoyable, and because I like the feel of the open horizon being longer.

If I'm wrong, I'll be corrected (go for it), but I'm pretty sure these are Mustard flowers.  Here's the original photo I took below.  My version is a little brighter, and simpler by intention.  I love the clean look of it so very much.  It has a very delicate feel.  It was a beautiful scene to begin with.  I loved how the background blended.

I will have this one for sale at my Studio Warming on Saturday.  Most of the art I have right now is small - both threadpaintings and chunkier yarn embroideries.  I'll also have some postcards, snow globes, and art-print greeting cards too.  Please stop by if you are looking to do some holiday gift shopping.  I'll likely deactivate my Etsy shop items for the weekend as I have the cards for sale here.

p.s.  this little sweetie needs a name

linking to TN&TN for WIP Wednesday

Back at 'er!

Well, hello!  Whew, that was a lot of travelling and teaching.  I was 8 days on the road.  Once we were all done, one by one each member of my family came down with bad colds.  I spent more time on facebook than blogging.  (My Sweet Prairie Studio has a FB page FYI).  This week, everyone is back at school and work, including me!  I'm thrilled to say that I am caught up on commissions with the exception of one.  I'll head to the framing shop later this week.  Here's what I have been working on...

Floral Road 2, 2013

This was a commission I picked up from the July show at my mother's home this summer.  It's different from Floral Road 1 in that it has less blonde grasses and I've added some blue flowers in the ditch.  I will post a straight-on shot of this once it's matted.

This next one wasn't a commission, but something I was longing to do after the beautiful fall field trips to Cranberry Flats.

This is a larger version of a little wee piece I sold last year.  I take great pride stitching out all those grasses by hand over the free machine work.  : )))  It brings me right back to that moment.  The grass indeed was soooo long and every stitch was done with pure joy. : )))

I also completely finished this one of the hills at Jackfish Lake.  It has hand stitched silk ribbons in the foreground.  It's off to frame this week.

detail, Hills at Jackfish, 2013

I know you've seen that one before.  That may be why I was reluctant to blog.  I don't want to bore anyone with the same old - same old.  Speaking of which, here's more canola!  haha  FINALLY.  It's from the photo I took this summer at Jackfish after a big storm.  It's STILL a work in progress, but I am happy to finally be finished all those French Knots.  I start this baby in early September.  You are looking at it pretty close to actual size (well, unless you are on your little phone). 

Treeline, 2013 work in progress

Fianlly, I have this little one that is for someone overseas, however, I think I will try one more autumn scene for the buyer to choose from.  I was going to frame this little wee one myself but it doesn't look quite right in the frame color I have on hand.  Isn't that always the way!?

Fields of Gold, 2013 (5x5")  very, very small

I do really like the fence wire and the curly dock in the ditches.  We'll see what else I can come up with before the end of the week!  : )  Linking up to Work-In-Progress Wednesday at The Needle & Thread Network. 


Well - that should make up for all the non-blogging!  lol  Hope that satisfies.

A Good Long Weekend (and new work)

I had a good long weekend.  Great things happened!  I was told that some of my work arrived in Scotland as a house warming (set of 3 landscapes) and the new owners are loving them!  Wow - that's exciting!  I shipped two pieces off to the other side of Canada also.  I started hooking a rug with some of wool Kari sliced up, and some of the silk I dyed with Patti.  I harvested lots of fruit from my lazy-prairie-woman-garden.  (All perennials and re-seeders.)  I did some baking.  Each morning, I did a little of this...

ah the sun.  ah the quiet.  thank god the mosquitoes are gone.

The weather was awesome.  It's been a very nice summer.  The dragonflies are out full force so we don't need mosquito spray anymore.  What else... oh!  The Fringe Festival is on!  We hung out there for a bit.  This weekend we are getting company from some very special friends.  My husband started renovating (many trips the hardware store).  During the weekend I managed some really good progress on my next-up commission.  It's been a long while since my last thread painting.  I've been up to my ears in postcards last month.  SO - take a look!  I am H A P P Y with this.  : )

(above) The upper left picture is the source photo I took from the highway.  The lower right piece is a bare bones thread painting.  I'm auditioning fabric for the red granaries.  You'd think it should be red-red.  But it's not.  This brick red and deep orange batik piece is perfect.

(below) I found the right rooftop fabric by flipping some over to show the backside.  Check it out!

Now I'll thread paint some more.  I'll do a bit by free machine, but the rest is all handwork.  I'll put in grasses, alfalfa, and then a shot of canola.  That will be French Knots of course.  By the way, I'm schedule to do a public stitching demo at Prairieland Park on Friday night!  Maybe I'll be finishing this while I'm there.  That will be fun.  Please say hello if you stop by the Saskatoon Exhibition.

Have a good week everyone!  Linking to WIP Wednesday at TN&TN.

Sunday Snapshots

I was told that there was a flax field blooming off of 'Old 27'.  (I had to look that up...)  It happens to be the road I go to a lot.  Thank you Bernie & Patti for the heads up!  When I got there, I think it was already starting to close for the day, but there was one low angle that got enough blue all in one shot.  VERY PRETTY!  With the evergreen, it reminds me of a sprinkle of snow except for the fact that it's blue.

you can click the image to view it larger

It was a BEAUTIFUL day.  20 degrees, which means the sun is warm on your face, and the shade is very cooling.  Well, I gave up on the flax and just kept driving, when all of a sudden I spied this.

Do you see that?  I see a heart, right in the middle above where the road meets the horizon.  So I got to thinking... haha!  Why not a bit of spray paint editing?  ; )

: )
I hope your Sunday was lovely.

A Perfect Summer Day

A Perfect Summer Day, 2012, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

I'm spending the entire four day weekend with my kids, trying to finish up a few things for the Little Gems group art show and sale. I need to deliver my work in a couple days even though the show is Fri (4-9), Sat (noon-4), and Sun (noon-4) of November 16, 17, and 18 only at the Mix Gallery. I found this blue barnwood frame and just fell in love with it! I think it's pretty with this canola field. Maybe I'll get lucky and my friend Rita will once again count the French Knots out for me. ; )

In other news: snow, snow, and more snow. It's falling softly and very pretty with no wind blowing... but it is piling and piling. It's cool enough that it's super-fluffy. Once my camera is charged up, I'll head out and snap some pics for you. : )

Have a great weekend!

~Monika via Flickr.

Did Someone Say 'French Knots'?

Yesterday afternoon during the show & tell portion of our quilt guild meeting, a member mentioned thousands of French Knots.   Several women looked straight at me and giggled a bit.  Yeah - I am obsessed too.  I love French Knots because they really are fabulous to work with.   Really - How can you just stop at one or two?  Here is a piece I am making for the "Little Gems" exhibition and sale.

'A Perfect Summer Day' 2012, work in progress

I know - you've seen me do Canola before, but I love this particular crop/composition.  I tend to work this one in a landscape horizontal.  The vertical orientation shows off the hugeness of the sky.  (Is hugeness a word??)  I love the simplicity of it even though it took hours and hours and hours over the course of a few days... oh my.  The horizon couched down perfectly.  It's such a common summer scene around here.  If you look close, there are shadows here and there in the field because of the scattered puffs of cloud. 

I hope some one falls in love with it.

Sunday Snapshots

Mmmmmmm - I couldn't resist.  I had to start another Canola field.  : )))  There's something so luscious and satisfying about stitching all those French Knots.

in progress for my December show

Frames, Photos, Threadpaintings (oh my!)

I have lots of news today!  I had a meeting with a local framing store to entertain the idea of passing that job on to someone who knows how to do it and has all the right supplies.  No more coupon trips to Michael's.  No more wiring frames.  No more 'making the art to fit the pre-cut mats'  !!!  Ooh I can't wait!  I'm hoping that I will have my December show all framed professionally by them.  If I'm a regular customer, I can likely get a good price.  Plus, I plan to still mount my own work which cuts down cost.  Sigh.  Oh it feels FANTASTIC to move forward this way.  It won't affect the current prices of my work.  I raised them back in the spring and I feel they are good where they are at. 

I have more good news!  One of my photos was selected for a provincial themed calendar.  I just got the email from SGI to announce that they are sending me a $500 honorarium for that.  WOW.  At the top of my lungs I hollered, "WOOHOO!" for a half hour and did (mental) back flips around my living room until I could calm down enough to phone my mom.  She gets that calendar every year and always encourages me to enter.  This is so awesome!  I haven't been this pumped up for a long time.  This prize will pay for a lot of framing too.  It just couldn't be better timing.  BIG SMILES all around. 

Good news comes in threes, right?  Well, here's my last bit.  I 'Finished it Friday'!  Apparently it's B's birthday soon and she sounds pretty darn excited about this commission.  ; )

"Prairie Summer" 2012  (sold)

Prairie Summer, 2012   4x6" Double matted & framed

Thank you once more to MeinkeToy for the $25 gift certificate and also for the goodies you sent my way.  And now, the winner is...  KIT LANG! : )  Congrats!  She was picked randomly by my six year old.  I'll pass Kit's email on to MeinkeToy and they will get in touch with you.  : )

Have a great fall weekend everyone!

Things I Love Thursdays

I love hand stitching French Knots!

I love how is adds to the piece!  

Things go from 2 dimensional to popping with texture and depth. 

commission in progress

 I hope she loves it too! ; )

 

Painted Thread, Painted Fabric

What a busy weekend!  My husband is away for four days, and the kids and I have been stuck indoors because of the rain.  This house is now one giant mess of toys and craft supplies!  The computers never went on at all. (hooray!)  Instead, we painted.  I attempted some more hand dyed sky fabric after being so inspired the last week.

There were lots of awful results, but you don't need to see all of those.  Here's one I did.

Ick. Not so great.

That might be useful.  * It might work better upside down actually!  Here's a sky that worked really well.  It's 2 big clouds and that will be great for 2 separate pieces of art.

Here is some canola fabric I dyed.  It's perfect.  I have yet to find the perfect thread.

I dyed some threads from a little batch of weaving supplies my friend gave me.  She's having a baby... like, right now!!  Waiting is so hard.

pale periwinkle and multi-yellow

Those are perfect for me to use as the flowers in the fields... flax or alfalfa and sweet clover.  It's interesting to see how the different colors work in different ways, even if the brand is the same.  I used some of the purple in my "signature color" challenge piece.  Here's a sneaky peaky so far...

My Signature Color (chartreuse)

Happy Monday!