More Fabric Cards

I have decided these fabric cards will be a regular thing for me. I enjoy making them because they are a relief from conceptualizing...and I still feel productive.

Color and Shape Study of Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant-Finished!

In September I posted some water color studies I did of two Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants and my plans for those studies. I finished the piece today. Here is a link to the post with the studies.

I had finished all the eggplants and started sewing them onto a big navy blue fabric. I got pricked so many times that I was about to give up. It is still shocking and unsettling every time I get pricked. And even more frustrating when I get pricked three times in 30 seconds.

I laid out the eggplants on the fabric to see what larger shape they would make.

Here is the piece finished. It is 32 x 28 inches, all fabric and thread. I think the title is Color and Shape Study of Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant or just Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant. I like the first title because it gives a bit more of an explantation of what the viewer is seeing, but it makes the title long and calling something a study makes a piece seem like it is not a final piece. Then again, I could use a different word than study. Or maybe it is obvious enough what I am trying to do when I simply call it Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant. I have two more pieces similar to this and I go back and forth with the two sorts of titles.

And a close-up of an eggplant.

I am glad to be done with this one. Always near the end of a piece I get antsy to start another with completely different materials. I don't think I could ever do just one media over and over again. I need a break from fabric and sewing machine, so I am going back to sculpture to create a piece about the disappearance of our honey bees.

Apple Picking at Edward's Orchard

Jacob, my Mumah, and I went apple picking yesterday at Edward's Orchard in Poplar Grove, Illinois. We got three bushels of Golden Delicious apples so my mom can make a whole lot of apple pies for everyone.

These are some Golden Delicious apples on the tree before I picked the one on the right. We have been going here every year since I was in my Mumah's tummy...so 23 years.

There were larger apples way high up.

Coming down is always the scariest part.

I had to remind Jacob to be kind to the tree and not pull on her branches.

I am back home for a few days. I haven't been home since last summer. I'm home just in time for vegan apple pies.

Fall Foods!

mmm mmm fall!

This is an heirloom variety of an acorn squash. It is a Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Acorn Squash. Winter squash is amazing. There are many odd looking varieties. I cut this winter squash in half, took out the seeds, placed the cut side down on a pan with some water and put in the oven for 15-30 minutes at 350 degrees until I could put a fork through it. I like to fill the hole with butter. Some people do brown sugar and butter.

Look at these many different varieties of apples! 7 different kinds actually. Can't remember any of the names only the gala. I wanted to try a gala that wasn't from New Zealand and I swear it was crisper and sweeter because it was local. These apples were all so different and yummy. I got these from the market in front of the Contemporary Art Museum. It is open from 7am to 3pm on Tuesdays. They had about 20 varieties of apple to choose from, each with a tag to describe the taste. It is hard to choose.

Carnival Acorn Squash and green tomatoes! I never tried green tomatoes until I got them in my CSA a couple of weeks ago. They are so tasty when fried! I sliced them 1/4 inch thick, dipped them in a mixture of flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, and pepper, then dipped em in soymilk, then in a mixture of bread crumbs and panko bread crumbs and fried em up. Get yourself some green tomatoes.

Kale! I made "cheezy" kale chips. I discarded the stems and cut the leaves into bite size pieces then tossed them with some canola oil, salt, and nutritional yeast (has a cheesy flavor and very nutritious, hence the name) and put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees, flipping them around every 5 minutes until they were crunchy. They are really good.

Looks like I will be volunteering at the Glenwood Sunday Winter Market this year! I am really excited to be more involved with the market. Now I must get back to sewing.

Vanishing of the Bees

A couple of weeks ago I stopped by Ruby Garden to see what was growing. Many vegetables are done for the season so gardeners have planted a lot of flowers in place of the veggies. There were so many butterflies and bumble bees. I use to never pay attention to a butterfly or a bee. I thought the butterfly was boring and a bee would sting me. But having spent some of my summer on a farm, I started to really understand how beautiful every living thing is and how we all affect one another. A friend of mine just got back from a sustainable farm in Hawaii and he told me that he looks at plants in a different way now and he can identify them. I feel like I am beginning to understand the natural world more and appreciate everything about it. When only a few months ago a bee was an enemy, the sun was too hot, the wind was too windy and if I'd seen one tree, I'd seen em all. To not feel so detached from the world around me is an amazing feeling. My days are much more peaceful and inspiring. So much is beautiful and exciting to me now.

I had heard about bees dying or vanishing but had never taken the time to learn about it. But a couple nights ago I finally decided I should learn. I watched this documentary called"Vanishing Of The Bees" to get some information and I was horribly surprised. Bees are actually vanishing and people aren't too sure why. One week a colony of bees will be flourishing and two weeks later the farmer finds a bunch dead and the rest gone. This is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Many of the farmers believe it may be due to the pesticides in plants. When they go to collect the nectar the pesticide gets in their system and disorients them so that they aren't as sure of what to do and possibly how to get back home. This also makes them more susceptible to disease. It is yet again another example of how mass production and pesticides is ruining the order of the natural world.

Right now you can watch the documentary on Netflix in the instant section.

Butterflies let you get very close...I had about 20 pictures to choose from. They were all over the garden! And two weeks ago, when I was on the farm, there were a ton of caterpillars...so it must be butterfly season. I even found a fluffy brown caterpillar on Rachel's hat.

And the hard working Bee.

'The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others." -Saint John Chrysostom

Paintings From a Year Ago and the BFA Show

I have been doing a lot of cleaning now that things are slowing down a bit. While cleaning I came across some paintings I did in September last year. At the time, everything was still very unclear (not that everything is clear now) and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or say with my artwork. But during that confusion I continued to paint so Mr. Kennedy didn't think I was a bum. heh.

I had this idea that I would paint a bunch of tiny paintings and then make a collage out of them. But that idea, along with many others, turned into something else.

This is an image of my work at the BFA show last Thursday. I was very pleased with the look of my four pieces together. I really love talking to people about my artwork. I have trouble talking about all kinds of things but my artwork is one thing that is getting easier and easier to tell people about.

A close up of The Vegan Eats an Egg and in the back, on the left is Harvesting the Blue Potato, on the right is 80 Becomes 40.

A closeup of Harvesting the Blue Potato.

Diversity of the Tomato with it's 12 new tomatoes! It looks a lot better now that I added some more tomatoes.

A close up of 80 Becomes 40.

It's interesting to see where I started and where I am at now. I wonder how different my work will be next September.

Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants

In the middle of August I went to start an eggplant inspired piece when I received a phone call that made me realize I had two shows coming up and that I had so much to do. I put it aside and haven't had a chance to get back to it till now. The shows are done...and I am relieved. I can rest and make artwork again. I will post images from the BFA show in my next post.

These are two beautiful Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants I bought from the farmer's market back in early August. I was so surprised by their shapes and colors. Right after this picture was taken they were sliced and made into vegan eggplant parmesan.

I knew I only had a matter of time before they went bad so I did as many watercolor paintings I needed to do to make sure I captured everything I saw in the eggplants. I was interested in their silhouette and their creamy yellows, many purples and that great brown shape in the middle (not sure what that is called).

So this is what I was up to today. I am using the water color studies to make these abstract fabric eggplants. I will make many and then sew them to something...I am not sure yet. First I have to make many of these before I decide what to do next. It is a lot of fun to be free of copying an eggplant from life or photograph. Instead, I use my memory of what I enjoyed most when I looked at these eggplants and the result is something new that slightly resembles the eggplant but also creates a new perspective.

I am so happy to be using fabric completely for once instead of mixing it with other mediums. I was greatly inspired by Rebecca Ringquist when I saw her work at the Packer Schopf Gallery in May. It was a lovely way to start my internship.

These crazy eyes are the result of a hectic last few months. Maybe now I can pick up the apartment...

I have had a great summer and I am excited to be experiencing fall for the first time in 19 years before school got in the way.

Chickens and Turkeys at Midnight Sun Organics Farm!

Jacob and I had a great time at Midnight Sun Organics farm in Grayslake, Illinois. I got to know the Nick and Becky, the farmers and meet their turkeys and chickens.

When we first got off the truck to see the turkeys they ran to us, all together. It was hilarious. Then suddenly they decided they must all run away from us! They did this a few times. They are very curious and get more and more cute the longer you watch them. We got to go in their area and they really didn't mind. I guess these guys are still young. Nick had said they were only 4 inches tall three weeks ago...Jacob says he said six weeks ago...but I think he said three. Either way they got big fast.

I met some chickens! These are not Nick and Becky's chickens (those photos didn't come out very nice) but these ladies...and a few gentlemen were so beautiful. I am really inspired by their colors and hope to start a piece with their colors soon.

I saw a rooster crow. I can't wait to someday have some chickens of my own. They can be very nasty to each other though...

A chicken glowing in the sun. It was a great day.

New fabric postcards for BFA show!

I have made more postcards for the upcoming BFA show, this Thursday, September 15th, from 5-8pm. They are a bit more clean this time and much like a postcard with a front and back. The only image on these ones will be Diversity of the Tomato.

Front

Back

These are the many peppers I found in my CSA bag this week from Midnight Sun Organics. They were so beautiful.

I cooked them with potatoes, onions, and tomatoes from the farm. It's my favorite breakfast, Vegan Benedict. I simply saute the chopped potatoes, garlic and onions in canola oil until the potatoes get soft, then add in the peppers, including a jalepeno. After a few minutes of sauteing them I add a tomato and normally some cilantro or greens. Then the sauce is some nutritional yeast, whole wheat flour, chilli powder, onion, garlic powder and some soy milk. I heat that up in a pan until it gets thick. Throw the veggies on a toasted english muffin, add the sauce and dip in some hot sauce or salsa. It's really good and simple.

I bought some eggs from my local health food store. These eggs come from Stewardson, IL. at Triple S Farms. I normally get my eggs from Midnight Sun Organics but I get to the market too late and they are always gone.

And with leftovers from my benedict I added them to some egg and ate it with Tobasco sauce this morning.

I went to the farm last Tuesday and we had a vegan potluck. Keagan brought homemade spanish rice and ratatouille, rachel brought homemade beet and lentil salad, Adam brought homemade sauerkraut, I brought a blend of quinoa, orzo, israeli couscous with marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomato, and basil and Jami brought a very yummy homemade apple pie! It was the best lunch.

After lunch we picked the last few tomatoes of the season from the vines. Then we covered the tiny, recently planted arugula with Reemay. Reemay is a lightweight synthetic cover that is placed above a row of crops on a supporting framework (we used wire hoops) and left in place for several weeks until the crops are well-established. Sun and water can still get in and it protects the plants from insects, light frosts, strong winds, and hail. I found all of that on wikipedia...it looks like this..

I will be visiting Midnight Sun Organics tomorrow with Jacob and my sister and I hope I get some photographs to show you guys. I am really excited!