Visual Splendor

This weekend was spectacular…

Most of you probably share my opinion about spiders: I don’t like them. However during the past year living in the country I have grown to appreciate and understand them. They must have had a convention over night because when I took the puppies out for their morning walk around the pond Friday there were the most beautiful spider webs all kissed with dew. Thankfully no spiders were in sight!

Saturday I was introduced to the Ghost River. It is part of the Wolf River basin. There you will find a beautiful boardwalk over a swamp. The diversity of plants; berries, leaves, lichen, bark were all visually intriguing. And the light – the light filtering onto the plant filled watery surface was spectacular – a few rocks, trees with knees and buttresses, a turtle and the occasional water lily.

Where have you gone that you were inspired by what you saw?

The portrait is finally finished or at least the embroidery part is finished. Now the question is what next... perhaps a layer of trapunto and then a painted layer under that to give more dimension like in "Icon". Here is a closer look at the 'back stitch'. In an earlier post there was another version of this image done in 'chain stitch'. I was not please with the ease of manipulating the stitch. Another embroidery artist, Michael Aaron McAllister (http://www.michaelaaronmcallister.com/) suggested the 'back stitch' was more suited and his preferred stitch. I love the ability to create lost and found edges with this stitch.
After a year in Tennessee I went to a Quilt Guild meeting. There I met a group of art quilters who have a bee. I so miss my bee in Florida, BeeArty. Now I have a new group to play and learn with. This is the tart of my version of the current challenge. The challenge, a cliche...
Can you guess what mine is?
Whether it is cliche or not the autumnal colours are breath taking. And best, they are just beginning. This year I promised myself I would not miss photographing the change. Here is one if the first bursts of colour.