Friday rocks

I am painting rocks each morning this week.    We are having a heat spell.   Days 100 degrees mostly with a few ups and downs.   So evenings the dogs and I spend in the garden. But mornings are for painting if I am home. 

This is really fun. You never know quite what to expect. 

Rocking it in purples

These were done by the acrylic paint pouring method, and dipping garden rocks into paints that had been manipulated to give interesting marbled effects. 

Theres no need for me to explain this as you can check youtube for lots of easy ideas for painting rocks.

Politics suck

After the ongoing furor over the children of immigrants being separated from their families and detained in goverment facilities ...I need to do an art piece that says.   I CARE.  DON`T YOU?  This in response to our first ladies' poor judgement (or her staff's.) by selecting her jacket to wear to visit these children.     I hope to share this here soon.     

Cottons and batiks.

I thought these colors and prints would make an interesting composition.      I needed to add the turquoise stitching to pull it together.    Thinking of this as a quick collage and not a well defined projectif very freeing.   Makes me happy.   In these trying times we really dont need to stress over our art. 

Vintage stitch meditation

This piece has vintage chenille, hankie, ball fringe, silk ribbons and a scanned image printed on scrap of old pillow case.  Its very soft and touchable.   In honor of my dear friend Pat who has been very ill and is now recuperating and hopefully on the road to recovery.   

Paint pouring on rocks

Stockton is one of the cities involved with painting rocks as good will ambassadors.    My son found one in a parking lot in Crescent City with the label on it saying Stockon Rocks.   There is a facebook group that tracks them. The finderscare asked to log in and post the location where it was found. The finder can keep it ir move it.  This one had traveled 300 miles. 

So since my paint pouring was not very good, I figured I would do better with something small. Some of the painters are painting portraits, cartoons, flowers, lots of graphic type images, etc.    But recently some people had posted oucs if their marbled rocks done by pouring paints. Its all over You Tube.   

This is y first batch.   First I wandered around outside and collected the rocks.   Then I set up a work station in my studio.  Craft paints, water, Flotrol the latex based product that dilutes the paints and allows it to pour smoothly.   Cups and a stirrer for mixing. A good apron, latex gloves and deli wrap to set the drippy messes on while the pain mixes and flows and ultimately dries.   What do you know....it worked.     I think they are quite pretty.  And after a quick spray of gloss sealer, they will be ready to go.   Think I will go spray them now. 

Two new stitched pieces

 Different days, different colors.
The first one was done with scraps from a friend with my own little cordouroy bits added.

 The lower image is one built of small strips of various green prints criss crossed with blue batik strips and a piece of green yarn.  And one of my signature dots of color.     I hope you like them.

Blue and green

These colors are so soothing.  Posted today in honor of my mothers birthday.   She loved to sew.  Sewed mostly useful things like clothing.  She had been a home economics teacher for many years, later went back to college in her mid life to get California teaching credentials, and took job teaching kindergarten.   That became her passion.   

As I entered junior high and took my first home ec class, she taught me to sew.  Shortcuts and tricks.    Soon I was making my own dresses and once in high school  I made a matching outfit for my steady beau.   A mod black and white pattern, geometric.  His was a shirt, mine a skirt.    That paid him back for dropping off a gunny sack full of grunion after a trip to the beach.   My mom had a fit.    We buried them instead of cooking them.   Lol.   Anyway he was game enough to wear his shirt to Sadie Hawkins day dance. 

I miss my mom, but know she is still with me in many ways. 

Stitch meditations today.

 This top one was done a few weeks ago. The bottom two are from yesterday and today.    Im cutting back on producing then sice i have passed the 50 SM goal.    But its fun and relaxing and something I may choose to continue.