Celebrating the Green

Happy Saint Patrick's Day coming up!  

Its going to be in the 70's for the next few days...sunny and unusually warm for this time in Minnesota.  

My shamrock plant is blooming.  

Three predominantly green watercolors 

painted quite a few years ago, 

seemed to call out to find the light of day once again.

Patterns

The search for beautiful patterns in Nature continues as I enjoy the limited palette of the winter and what might be the last of the snow.  My long term projects of lichen illustration and weaving continue side by side with a wonderful burst of new spring sunshine.

Mississippi River scenic overlook from St Paul side

Northern White Pine cones in the snow

Botanical Lichen illustrations from the BioDiversity Heritage Library site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/collections/

Happily Weaving at Home

A great cure for my winter blahs is time spent weaving.  Thanks to the expert assistance of the folks at Color Crossing in Roberts, Wisconsin, my loom is now in my own place and I can adjust my time to fit the rest of my life.

I am working on a set of dishtowels that have to be the most labor intensive cotton towels ever.  There is something about making useful items with my own hands that feels satisfying.  I am grateful with each throw of the shuttle for the chance to do this kind of "work".  Since people of all cultures in all times have been making cloth, I can also feel connected to folks all over the planet.

Visit to New York City

Lichens Continued

My plan is to begin a class in late February at the 

Minnesota School of Botanical Art 

focusing on Lichens and Mosses. 

 I made a small portfolio book for some of the new work and have a collection of some mosses from the

 Northwest, near Olympic National Forest.  I'm looking forward to it.

Actually Weaving on New Loom

After many hours of counting, threading and assembling all the components, I was finally yesterday able to begin weaving.  It took quite awhile to accomplish this much because of the distance I needed to travel and various time constraints.  Also, I took my time and I am not exactly speedy at getting a long warp set up.   Nevertheless the process is fun and satisfying.

Chickadees and Mallards

a study based on Audubon painting

Its great to see old friends like the usual suspects in the woods.  My last trip a day or so ago was filled with the sights and sounds of chickadees and the familiar mallards enjoying the sunshine.  The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge continues to be home to a great many species, although in late January for a quick visit the "old friends" appear to be the most numerous.