A stitching sampler...

...is something I never thought I'd do, never mind turn it into a painting, yet here it is:

In Your Absence: Mom  
12 x 12" on wood panel 2020 
© Win Dinn 

It all started with the need to practice embroidery stitches way back when I was working on dryer sheets, so I slip stitched some dryer sheets to a piece of spare lining and happily copied some stitches from a library book .  I wound up with a sampler about 14" x 11", wonky as all get out.  The process reminded me of my mother, so often with needle and embroidery thread in hand as she stitched away at pillow cases she donated to the church for fund-raising.  Wonky would not have been her style at all - she was a magician when it came to embroidery and quilting.  

I obviously needed to turn the piece into part of my series 'In Your Absence'.  I gessoed a wood panel, scribbled over it with Inktense Pencils, washed it down with some water and let it dry, knowing that some of the wash would show through the lining and dryer sheets.

Applying the sampler was relatively easy, and the addition of buttons, additional dryer sheets and embroidery threads even more so.

I'm very fond of the bits of thread hanging over the edges, and the heart in the bottom right corner is definitely for my mom.

Here are some detail shots.

Mom was a teacher, doing so for over 35 years.  She truly believed in life-long learning, and consistently took on new challenges.  While she would have smiled at the wobbly and crooked stitching, she most definitely would have applauded the practice and the intention.

I was amused when this all came together to realize the colours were a combination that perfectly matched one of her favourite outfits...synchronicity at its finest.

  

I'm doing a happy dance...

...because after a year and a half of  computer issues with a new computer, I've finally got it fixed (she says with bated breath).  Thank you Swift!  I can actually work on something while the backup is being done, photo editing is back to normal, and the keyboard can keep up with my fingers AND my brain!  Whoopee - it's been a great week altogether.

I've been playing in the studio, of course, while the computer was playing at Swift.  This is the second of the 'In Your Absence' series, a piece that commemorates my mother.  She was so good with embroidery, quilting, and all things hand-crafted, and this piece of stitchery as I practiced my own handiwork seemed to call her name.  It will be affixed to a wood panel; whether more will be added has yet to be determined.

The piece for my sister is being auditioned with some colourful holes, given that she was a vibrantly colourful person.

I'm working still, again, endlessly it seems, in the black and white journal as well.  And there are still some 20+ pages to go!  

And I've finally gotten the courage to chop two pieces of fabric into four.  I'm going to cover some small canvasses and proceed from there.  

Because we're at the very tail end of autumn, and (dare I say it?) the beginning of winter, I've taken some sayonara photos on our daily walks.

This time of year is so beautiful, and one almost holds the breath in the hope that winter is short, and spring will soon return.

It's time to tuck into a warm spot at home, grab a glass, and a few good books when studio time is over.

May your tuck-into-winter time be fruitful, safe, and happy.  Do catch me up on your doings in the comments, will you?  

I feel like I'm returning from a distant planet...

 ...and truly, perhaps I am!  I've been in New Grandson followed by a trip to Recovering Body and a return visit to Covid Bluesland.  I'm here to let you know that I'm on the way back, with some photos of things in progress.  I know - you're thinking 'when will she ever FINISH anything?'.   Well, I did finish an experiment with sloppy drywall compound on a piece of canvas and can see some possibilities there.  Does that count?

I'm in such a 'what-if?' mode right now that I'm recycling an incredible amount of painty test tube babies.

And I did finish a page in my black and white journal this week,

and I'm working on several others as well..

Some brainstorm had me wondering what house wrap would look like melted and gessoed, so I did a piece of that just to satisfy my curiosity.  I've always liked the threads in house wrap, and the way it melts is fascinating.  I do worry occasionally that I'm a bit of a pyromaniac.

Of course I had to paint it then, and watch the colours play on the warped surface.  The colours made me think of the American flag, so perhaps some stripes and stars will get added to this.  Is that blasphemy to my US friends?  I hope not!

I've got another piece on the go - a start to a series entitled 'In Your Absense'.  The colours in this piece remind me so much of my sister, lost to cancer nearly two decades ago.

This was another piece that was great fun to watch - all those streams of blue wandering into the Kroma Crackle crevices were delightful.  I'm going to have to do another piece just for the sheer pleasure of videoing the seepage.

Oh - I finished something else.  I wrapped a gift and mini/book card for our new grandson; his Covid-safe shower is this weekend. The wrapping paper is hand-painted in the colours chosen for his room.  I do feel somewhat hugely guilty that the mini book/card is not colour-coordinated to match.  😉 Luckily it's well hidden in the envelope I made.  

As for the contents of the package, the match is a pretty reasonable one - you'll get to see that in the coming weeks, I'm sure.  While you wait for that exciting show and tell, why not let me know what you've been up to in the last bit.  I'm in huge need of a catch-up on your lives, artistic or not!