hippo birdy 2 velma!

this is most incredible. it is called shifu. it is a japanese technique taking paper that has been cut in a special way and then spun. then it was woven into paper/cloth. notice please that there seems to be no beginning or end. i had the great good luck to win this in a drawing from velma who is so talented as a weaver, spinner and maker of books... among many other talents. please go look at her blog http://velmabolyard.blogspot.com/ where she confesses today that she is younger than wm blake. it is her birthday! happy birthday velma!!!

look what came!

thank you heike! i love the subtle tones of blue to purple to grey.

i love the assortment of textures, the feel of old cloth, the beautiful packaging.

i am dreaming of what they will become.

japanese gardens part 2

here is part two(or three) if you count the last post... i am trying to see how i can post more than one image and have the layout look right.. i am not very satisfied... if anyone has any advice on how to upload photos i would appreciate it.

well to the point... these are a few of the detail shots from our beautiful japanese gardens. it was an overcast day which was just perfect for the atmosphere here. on a sunny day its almost another place altogether...you can see mt hood from the pavillion. and everything glows. but fall is really my favorite. we always have an intern gardener from japan... imagine a japanese gardener coming here to learn. that speaks magnitudes. i will more than likely use these photos in a collage for a quilt design inspiration further down the line... i hope you enjoy!

japanese gardens, part one

yesterday, my son, my husband and i went to the japanese gardens to see an exhibit of shikoko fukumoto we really enjoyed it but i couldn't figure out what her process was. one of the guides thought she had sewn around the circle and another thought she used paste resist. neither of those methods seemed right though. the edges weren't crisp and even as if she had used paste and if she had sewn, i'm not sure how the center would have stayed white. so it remains a mystery unless one of you can tell by looking at the photos... it was delightful to see this sheer fabric ...old mosquito netting, originally a natural color... that she had brushed while the fiber was wet with the dye to get these striations in the weft. the play of light was truly magical.

you can see more info on her and on the gardens

here www.bellasartesgallery.com/fukumoto.html

and here japanesegarden.com/events/indigo/

the exhibit

i finally had time to go to the exhibit... here is the window in which my piece was displayed. it was a thrill to see it there. i feel grateful to the portland museum of contemporary craft for forging this relationship with our city's guilds. the next opportunity to exhibit will be in a year and a half more than likely. every guild that is a member has a chance to have a show related to something else that is showing in the museum. i've been out and about lately so i will have more pictures for you soon!