Sunday Snapshots

While I was out delivering art on Friday, I had my camera with me!  I found some really great patterns.  We have a bit more snow now... but check it out!  Someone's confused.

nah.  don't feel like it.

This next image had some great patterns.  The snow really helped show off the directions of the branches.  It looks amazing LARGE but this size is blog size.  Sorry!

This is terrific, isn't it!?  There's lots of yellow out there with the snow so thin.  I adore the patterns in there.

The next photo is set in black and white.  I really love it.  With the snow, all that's left resembles ink drawings, don't you think?

You might find this boring, but I got pretty thrilled over these kinds of scenes as well.

The palette is so soft and the lines are so fine.  The last four images are amazing to view large.  They don't do nearly as much when they are small, but that's how they fit the blog.  You'll just have to trust me on that. : )

One last image... I thought this was a cool angle.

Then the wind started to bite and I headed home, very happy.

xo

Happy Sunday!

Commission Complete

This week I was finally able to work on commissioned art.  This one will be joining it's 'sister'.  It's a scene of done a few times in varying sizes.  The first and largest was in 2012 and I only recently had the heart to let it go.  It was real turning point in my work, where i felt like I was painting and not just colouring in or making things up.  It's like my work matured.  Maybe it's because I used a sketch book with this one.  And so, here's the newest version at 5x5".

It's 2 pieces of cotton fused onto a stabilizer, a bit of penciled in guide marks, and I begin free motion work on this blank slate.  Pretty bare bones so far!!

I stabilize pretty well so I don't have to hoop a square in a circular frame.  I teach with a hoop but when I do my art, I feel hoops get in my way.

95% of the time, I spend at least a half a day hand stitching.  I just do not feel it's complete until I have the handwork done.  Some things just cannot be the way I want with a machine.  Some of my canola fields might be an entire week just stitching the French Knots.  But for the most part, the machine work really doesn't take much time at all - usually not more that a day depending on size.  I probably spend as much time selecting blendable colours and changing thread as I do machine stitching.

Here it is... complete.  I hope you like it T.!  : )  I'll have it framed for the weekend.

another fall day at Cranberry Flats : )

Love it!

*** NOW ***  I have to clear our my studio mess and set up some tables and chairs.  I'm having company!!!  I'm having a sewing bee at my place with _________________ !!!  : )  I'll post about it Saturday.  

haha can you tell I'm excited!??

Have a great week,

Things I Love Thursday

I love what happens to the prairie after a good hard rain, some sunshine, and a little bit of heat. It goes POP!

POP!

POP!

POP!

pop - pop - POP!

Yeah.  Bring it on!  : )

Have a stunningly beautiful Thursday.  xo

Sunday Snapshots

My SWEET, SWEET prairie.  Summer is such payback for an unusually cold winter and a way too long spring. We took a quick trip out to Cranberry Flats just before a major downpour hit!  FUN.  Oh it was FUN!  : )

A wind came up and the sky grew dark.

The prairie drama began!

The wolf willow is so darn pretty.  I noticed flowers everywhere - orange, purple, yellow, white, pink.  : )))  On the race back to the parking lot, I stopped at a gorgeous rose bush and snapped this as my kids yelled back, "Come on Mama!!  Hurry!!"

The thunder rumbled.  The wind slowed right down.  It got creepy-quiet.  I got into my van, shut the door, and WOOSH - it rained so hard!  Lucky timing Monika!! We couldn't stop laughing.  I couldn't even drive as the wipers weren't able to go fast enough.  We laughed and laughed and panted from running and cheered our good fortune.

It was the most exhilerating 10 minutes.  lol

Happy Sunday! 

(Sorry to those of you who are seeing this in your inbox on Monday.  I honestly don't know how to reset that feature on Blogger.  Will google it...)

Finished It Friday : )

Wow.  Do I ever feel like I've accomplished things this week.  I feel ahead of the game regarding deadlines (knock on wood!).  I did not love the 'Fields of Gold' that I made for a commission, so I started up another simple autumn scene.  The colors are much more subtle, based on a photo I took on the way to Beaver Creek.

auditioning fibres

It was the end of summer and there were Prairie Coneflowers growing by the roadside.  I stayed up all night adding the hand stitching to it.  I loved every stitch.

It looks quite stunning in the frame I have at home.  That was the problem with the other one.  I didn't love the color scheme.  This one was an after-thought and I really love it.  It makes me happy.

Roadside, 2013  (actual size)

I matted all my other work and dropped it all off to be framed.  (!!!)  We picked some really pretty frames!  I can't wait to see them all once they are back.  Before I headed out, I was sure to take high res photos of each one.  SO... since you told me this is not boring, here they all are once again.  : )

September Grasses, 2013

Fields at Floral Road 2, 2013

Autumn Blonde, 2013

Hills at Jackfish, 2013

Yay!  Now off to the Quilt Show I go!  I'll be the woman with the red shopping cart.  hehe

Things I Love Thursdays

I love exploring the prairies.  There is so much to learn, even though I have lived here pretty much all my life (away for first job in my 20's).  Looking closer - and closer still... I learn so much about native plants.  I really enjoy that.  Plant identification is so broad when you take seasons into account.  On Sunday I went for another trip to Cranberry Flats.  This time I went with my whole family.  (bear with me ...)  I joked to them that I have yet to find the Cranberries.  It is called 'Cranberry Flats' for that reason of course, right?  When I grew up, cranberries came from a can.  When I was older, they were a really cool band.  : )   I don't know that I have ever seen a real, live cranberry though!  lol

The first thing I noticed  was this.  It's a HUGE mass of roses near the parking lot... now big plump & juicy rosehips.  These are not cranberries.

photo 1

The grasses are all blonde, and those deeper greens are junipers.  We walked a little further and came across this.  It's a funny little shrub.  It was bare with the exception of red, red berries.  I don't know what they are or how I'd identify it without the leaves present.  It was growing right in a bed of juniper.

photo 2

I can only assume they are not cranberries since it's the only little thing there like it.  How could they name a whole area after a 2 ft tall branch?  We moved on...  We passed the rasperries.  No cranberries here.

photo 3

I saw a lot of these little white berry clusters along the boardwalk that heads to the lookout point.  I am pretty sure these are not cranberries either.

photo 4

Please id if you like!  We walked around up on the cliffs and we found these berries high above our heads.  They are in tall trees and the fruit was deep purple/black.  These are likely not cranberries either.

photo 5

We walked on.  We came to these next bushes, red in color and only about a metre high.  They were full of berries the same colour as the last photo.  I am sure these are not cranberries.  sigh.  Where are the cranberries!?  ARE there cranberries!?

photo 6

Here are a close up of berries in the junipers.  They are quite pale.  They are certainly not cranberries.

photo 7

We stopped to look around.  I had never realized that the entire hillside is carpeted in juniper!

photo 8

I went to snap some closer photos for you and HOLY COW look what I spied!

photo 9

No way!  Are these cranberries!?  They are EVERYWHERE if you look underfoot... if you look really, really close.  Millions of them are out there growing on the ground, under and within the juniper.  I know you aren't supposed to take from nature, but I took one.  I did.  And I ate it.  It was not bitter though.  It was apple-like on the inside and quite flavorless.  Are they just not ripe yet!?  Are they not cranberries?

photo 10

Wow.  I need an interpreter to take me around out there are do some explaining. : )  I googled 'cranberries' when I got home and I swear it's them.  I also looked at the flowers for cranberries when they bloom, and they look just like little shooting stars.  I can't wait to see that next year.

So - let this post serve as Sunday Snapshots as well.  I'm off to drive 5 hrs east for a weekend of teaching.  I will see you next Tuesday. : )  Take care!

Sunday Snapshots

Here it is.  The real thing: Cranberry Flats.  This place is just south of Saskatoon along the river.  I took these photos on Tuesday just before our big long rain.  It was SO hot on that day.  The trail lead down to the water.  Oh did I ever want to jump in!  There were in fact quite a few people in the water.  There are so many giant sandbars right in that part of the river.  Very cool.  Enjoy the photos...

rosehips and the leaves are still quite green.  (click to view larger)

There was this huge slope by the parking lot that was just loaded with wild rose bushes.  Much of the rosehips were filled with tall sage.  I need to go out in the summer and see the roses in bloom - this 'patch' was ENORMOUS.  It must have been buzzing with bees!

close up of a large thicket- rosehips & sage

The colors were amazing.  Once I got up to the lookout point, here was the view!

I believe that these yellow trees are in fact an 'island' in the South Saskatchewan River.  Am I right?  I'm pretty sure there is water running behind it out there.  The foreground shows the trees on my side of the bank (see the green tips?).  So there is a lot of river between where I am standing and the yellow trees below.  On the way back, I changed lenses and took this one.  The sign out there refered to them as blue grama grass?  I thought I heard the Grasslands interpreter say they were nicknamed, 'grandma's eyelashes'.  lol  That's pretty cute.

(click to view larger)

Below... what are these?  They sure look like my raspberry bushes.  hmmm.  I am curious.



I personally adore the photo below.  The colors are so soft and 'antique'.

gone to seed

Happy Sunday!  Enjoy your autumn. : )

First Finish of 2013

Took me long enough!  : )  I actually have six new pieces started.  I'm feeling extremely accomplished about that!  My first two priorities are commissions that were requested during the December show.  This one is heading off to New Zealand!  Awesome.  It's Cranberry Flats 2.  I added some super-fine French Knots and even managed to sign it with silver thread.

Cranberry Flats mini # 2 (actual size)

Since we didn't discuss frame color, I have these options for her.  *p.s.  It's not for you to decide. : )  It all depends on what she likes, the color of her walls, and her current decor.

White

or 

Black

Sweet!  This is my third piece going off to the other side of the earth.  That is so incredible to wrap my head around.  Off to finish more handstitching.  See you soon!