Tea for Tuesdays....blackberry zinger for a zinger of a day

Yesterday was a gray and rainy here ...and I felt poopy so I stayed home and washed the next bolt of fabric and the three large pieces and than made an order to Dharma in California. Today was sunny and in the seventies...does Mother nature realize it is still March and winter?? I am not complaining because the daffodils are here and the warmth feels great on my skin ...but I still feel a bit anxious about this very unusual weather. Remember I was prepared to snow dye...and we never really got any snow. Today I worked on some pleating on wet into wet cotton and brushed the folds at intervals with a soft watercolor brush. I ironed the turquoise and deep red print and examined where I will paint in the next colors. I am really having a very difficult time adjusting to this time change...my sleep pattern is off and one hour can really make a difference in my body rhythms.

On Saturday I am sharing my belief that Art and Literacy walk hand in hand in my grand children's growth and development. It will be St. Patrick's day so I plan to have a little fun with the color green. In the afternoon I am working on a recycling and Art project. I know everyone is struggling with making ends meet so working with found objects and cereal boxes can answer the call for materials to paint and manipulate. Tomorrow I will return to the downtown studio and put together some necessary supplies.

I have found an old typewriter at St. Vincent's and I plan on using it to type words and messages onto soft metal sheets. It is a lot more difficult to type on this machine but I found it charming when I practiced on a sheet of erasable paper...there was even a special pink eraser inside the carrier for the typewriter. I had also found a a piece of a wasp nest...that I photographed and painted with the left over dyes and then I made prints of the honeycomb as evidence of the day.

I came home and made a comfort food for dinner...Spanish rice with black beans, tomatoes, and shredded sharp cheese melted on top. Ken and I had busy days so coming home to rest and find a quiet moment ...well that is what home is about. I am working on my bracket for the basketball tournament ...even if I do not know what the heck I am doing it is sort of fun to have this to share with Ken and my sister. I hope you are having a great week in the sunshine. Imagine and live in peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Sunny and almost 70 degrees in Newark, Ohio

Moonglow in a mesmerizing evening sky...
color parfaits...
Luscious zig zag scraps in a bright red for possibilities...
Kari Ann the new bride...
Chris Lang...the felting wizard...
Sarah and Laura playing peek a boo behind a cut out stencil....
Montessori visitors and future artists....
process needs time ...heat...and moisture....
and patience
Peter and Bobbie work on seed separation and sifting for replanting in the next few weeks...
Beautiful scraps cooking....curing
future possibilities
design elements.

The B 52's are in concert on PBS in their hometown of Athens, Georgia...25 years until today!!!! It does not get any better than this and sunshine!
Imagine and live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

The sun has arrived and blazes us into the moment....

It was raining yesterday and a cold, damp day where I felt kind of out of sorts. I did get some more research on wet into wet dye painting... appropriate for the day. I will be fixing the dyes on my processes and photograph them maybe tomorrow. With the cool temperatures...this can sometimes affect how well the covalent bond between Procion dyes and natural fibers can be intensified. I had several visitors including a Montessori group of children and their parents stop by and check out the studio. I invited them to contact the educational director to make arrangements to come back for a hands on visit maybe in April...so they could help in this community installation. One child had an obvious learning disability but Zach was thrilled that I had something he could help with...stamping with large and easy to hold sponge applicators. He squealed will glee!!!! Ain't Life grand!!!!

I should have gone out tonight to attend an art opening...but once I came home I just could not get back out. I am reserving my energies and time for this Dawes project 100% !!!! I am going to share a photographer's mono-prints from his photographic images and they are simply magical. I hope you will enjoy his depth and sensitivity to the beauty in Nature.

I had Chris Lang drop by and we discussed the use of Procion Dyes and natural dyes when applying colors and tints to natural wools. Chris always make me rethink an issue and together we can explore the possibilities of mordants and their individual properties. Karri Ann came in and I am working with her to make a personalized wedding invitation for her upcoming nuptials.
I am back to typing with one hand..Roxie is helping me write. Have a great weekend! Pea ce, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

I jumped into the rainbow...red orange yellows...

Well I did it..I mixed up a brilliant yellow and painted directly onto the heavy 100% cotton twill. Then I mixed a deep red and went in with a wet into wet approach employing a large floppy watercolor brush and I worked...no I played without concern and just enjoyed the blending magic where the two vivid colors married in a magical flow of energy. I then worked on the softest of orange with a dapple of yellow in the flows of colors. I placed fabric this in a shallow tub in an immersion approach and topped it off so this can have the opportunity to begin the covalent bonds with the dyes and fibers in the cotton. With a tiny bit of red and a touch of yellow dyes I placed strips of cotton edges and scraps inside a large zip lock bag...I may put this bag into a microwave to play with the heat set process. I have my Ann Johnston three books...they are my guide as I renew my memory. I will need to get a thickener ingredient so I can play with drawing with the dye paints. I hope you get an inkling of this process from the photos I am including.

The rains arrived last night and were steady for the length of the day. The grayness in the day was a heavy blanket so that is why I just had to jump in to create primary colors in a wet solution. I did take a rest on the floor with Roxie for about 10 minutes ... she seemed amused by this concept that I might need to stop and take a beak. After 10 minutes of so the electrician walked into the studio and was a bit frightened by the body on the floor. I explained my predicament of the shortage of my medications and fatigue is sometimes more prevalent towards the end of a busy week.

Another artist Priscilla dropped by after she got off work and we made plans to work together when the warm weather returns and we can work outside on a lunch hour. She has two other friends who may come and paint by the lake so we can all have quiet times to be still and renew. Roxie gave her a welcoming kiss and she describes her as a furry caterpillar in the fall with her fur...except she is faster than grease lightning!

I prepared chicken breasts with olive oil and sauteed mushrooms for a comfort fun dinner. I made a wild rice side dish and added fresh spinach for a vitamin punch. It felt good to just sit together and place our day's schedules out for this weekend...Ken has a educational conference in Cleveland and I will hold down our family fort until he comes back. At least he does not have to deal with a blizzard and this requirement will be off his duty plate. I need to go and put in another load of cottons...have a blessed week in the studio playing with your favorite colors. Blessings. Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart