Orchid painting is beginning to gel

Just what you have been waiting for--an update on the orchid painting I started last week. Today I managed to start filling in the orchids and deepened a few of the background leaves. Doesn't seem like much progress for nearly four hours of painting! I also did a bit of painting in my journal, which is so far behind, I may never catch up. I have been sketching in it but not adding the color ALL YEAR.

Here is where I will be next week.

What the heck is it?

My son requested this item--he calls it "bug bait" and it's a weapon in the game, Half Life 2. I knitted the ball, using a pumpkin pattern I found on the web. Then we wrapped dark brown yarn around it, and glued on tiny brown felt triangles to make the spikes. The crowning touch was the blue pony beads. Looks lethal to me.

March Mystery Socks are finished

March Mystery Sock pattern in the Sock Knitters Anonymous Raveltry forum.

This was an insane sock pattern--she had us start in the middle of the leg, knit half the entrelac cuff, then knit the other half of the cuff and bind it off, pick up the leg stitches and make the entrelac heel. I was exhausted by the time I got to the foot! But I finished them both. I used smaller needles since others in the group said that the cuff was too big, but mine is still a bit too large. However, the rest of the sock fits great and it is a true "conversation piece."

Gardening weekend

Spring is really here! At least, it is warm and sunny and things are growing that weren't growing a few days ago. Here you can see a shot I took today of a wonderful nursery on highway 92 near my home. I love the shadows.

The second picture is the new painting I started today. The photo I am using as inspiration is in the foreground, behind it you can see how much I got done in three hours of hard work. I drew the shapes last week so all I did today was paint green areas. Some of them will be much darker in the finished painting, but I need to get them started so I can see them as shapes, not lines.

My new 3D art quilts

I finally took pictures of my new 3D art quilts today--they aren't really quilts, although I did print photos onto fabric and sew them together. Then I fused them onto 300 lb watercolor paper (which is made of cotton) and created these two shapes, a square and a circle. Or a cube and a cylinder. Or whatever. They are for the CFA "Dwellings" exhibit which does not have a venue yet. Not sure I will make more of them, I like making books better. But it was an interesting challenge. The photos were taken at Ft. Mason, except for the grey windows inside the square piece--those were taken at Oxbow school in Napa. Size: they are both about 10 inches in height, the square one is 7 inches wide and also 7 inches deep; the circular one is 9 inches in diameter.

More SF Garden show

I almost forgot to include two more fabulous shots of the garden show--a giant metal rabbit (this garden was all edible plants and vegies), and a mysterious fountain with glittering tiles.

San Francisco Garden Show

Last Sunday, I went to the San Francisco Garden Show at the Cow Palace. It's not as big as in years past, but still a ton of fun. I got new garden shoes, two huge white orchids ($10 each!) another garden clipper (never have enough of those) and of course, took photos of my favorite displays.

The first is Bikini Pool--no people, but two discarded bikinis, a postcard mentioning how this guy has met two terrific girls on his vacation, and a brand new Subaru packed with picnic gear. Very cute concept.

The second is an outdoor canopy bed and also a funky bathtub--they were in the same garden display.

The bonsai display was also fabulous. I always enjoy this show, which is held in the spring every year. Be sure to check it out if you can.

Winter Garden painting is finally finished!

I started this painting way last summer, but thanks to my new little painting group, I managed to finish it today. I invited some friends to come and paint at my house on Saturdays, and this forces me to paint, too. It took three more sessions to finish this one, which I called "Winter Garden." I also drew up my next painting--it's a photo that I had already chosen and even printed up large, but it has been waiting patiently for months. It feels so good to be painting again.

California Fiber Artists meeting

Another day, another California Fiber Artists meeting. Actually, we all get together only one day a year in person--at other times, we communicate by e-mail and we hang, on average, about four shows a year in various galleries and museums. Our next show is a display at the upcoming East Bay Heritage Quilters Show in Oakland, CA. in April.

These pictures show quilts by Karen Flamme (she pronounces it "Flame"). We met at her house in Oakland, just at the edge of where the Oakland fire burned so many homes about ten years ago. The views of the bay are spectacular. She has a very pretty back patio and a super-neat home studio. (is it always that tidy???)