Projects!

In the last couple of years, I've started to reframe my concept of home. I'm starting to think of it as a production center--rather than a consumption center. This is slow going, because I grew up like so many of us out there, in a suburban wonderland where milk and meat and cheese magically came into the world encased in cellophane. The ironic thing is this: my parents and extended family come from a strong farming background. My mom is an expert gardener and my dad the consummate repair man and carpenter, who by his own admission, "can fix anything but a broken heart." I think as kids, my brother and I were far more interested in Scooby Doo and riding banana-seat bikes than hoeing weeds, and our parents just didn't seem to be bothered by that. After all, we were children of the 60s and 70s. We watched movies about starships and figured the cars we would drive would look a lot like George Jetson's. And weren't they going to build us Rosie the Robot Maids, ready to serve at our beck and call? It hardly seemed like churning butter was very compatible with being part of the Brady Bunch.

So...here are some of my projects in action. Right now, I'm harvesting  tomatoes. Yes, those misshapen things ARE tomatoes, and tasty ones at that. But I have no idea, why they look like pears with these long peaked tails...I have been reading about ripening green tomatoes in the house. It sounds like one effective method is putting them in a single layer in a darker area of a room, covered with a couple of sheets of newspaper. Fingers crossed, I plan to do that in a week or so, once I gather all the green ones.





We are thrilled to announce that hubby and I are going to be grandparents for the first time!! I had my boys as a teenage mom, and although I wouldn't trade a moment, it was a rather bumpy road. Blessedly, my son and his lovely bride are not following my example. I've been working on this quilt, the image based on a childhood toy of my son's. Imagine my surprise when that same son called with the news that it isn't one grandbaby, but two! TWINS! So, needless to say, I'm hustling to get this puppy done and start right away on another one. There's just something so sweet about thinking about these lovely children and stitching, one stitch at a time.



It's not finished, not by a long shot. But this is my first adventure into trompe l'oeil, a form of painting that focuses on illusion and still life. You literally can create any fantasy environment on your walls, using some of these techniques. I hope to get this piece completed within the next couple of weeks. The little figures on the top shelf will be the little figures on a wedding cake, and a china cup and saucer will be added. I don't care for the salt and pepper shakers behind the apron, and will be changing them. Also there will be either some fresh flowers or some vegetables draping from the bottom level of the glass platter. The color balance will also be refined and changed. My paintings go through so much in process that I'm always hesitant to show them before they're finished--because this work will look very different once it's done. But it's been so fun--I just couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek.