January in Indiana

 Winter sunsets are pretty spectacular.

Here at Cedar Ridge  we get the best ones.

 Old houses and old barns along the road

make for great quilt ideas.

 A pile of wood along the neighbors fence.

A frosted Century plant in the back yard,

 The pattern of a pile of wood by the garden.

Beauty is everywhere.

I am finally making some headway on my

 first quilt of 2016. I find it hard to get started each

year than I go like crazy.

Autumn

 My favorite time of the year.

Cool nights and warm days,

Plenty of sunshine.

Whats not to like. 

 Here at Cedar Ridge the sunsets are awesome.

Watching the sunset in the west from the deck

is our favorite time of the day.

Trees, wooded hillside and a couple of ponds makes

this an ideal place to live.

My son is having his last chemo treatment this Friday.

Than another week of radiation.

4 weeks of building some strength.

Than the big surgery.

Keep us and him in your thoughts and prayers.

Closing in on the finish.

I am finally getting close to being finished.

I may be able to wrap things up by the 29th.

Working on my cushions for the chairs.

Today I will make the cover for the rustic bench.

 



 I may even have some time to make some more

flowers for the FibR show which is happening the

same time as Chairs.

Leslie took this awesome photo of the sun setting

on Lake Michigan. We all love that lake.

My son proposed to his wife at the lake shore.

Have a great day and I will retreat to the studio for the day.



Life is a beach.

 These two small art quilts are going to be

repeated in a larger size. 

Just looking at them is relaxing

I need 5 larger pieces for my Chair show

and these 2  will do.

It was so nice I opened the windows today.

Makes the house smell so fresh.

 I have been thinking lately that I really

enjoy myself more now that I am retired.

No pressure to be nice to everyone.

I can dress down and leave off the make up

What freedom.

Why does it take so long to realize this.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

I love sunsets.

Life is good.

I have spent a quiet weekend just relaxing.

My husband took me out for brunch this morning

to the Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso, In.

They are noted for their turkey dinners.

Brunch has everything though.

Cold boiled  shrimp, a whole cold salmon to

pick meat off of, roast turkey, mashed potatoes,

biscuits and gravy, omelets, bacon, sausage and

too much to mention.

Also an awesome dessert table- fresh cherry pie.

That was my choice.

We are in a food coma. It is nice not to cook.

Just enjoy the food and they do the clean up.

Sunset at the Ridge



Sunsets  in Indiana are sometimes quiet peaceful things.

I almost finished the Northern lights quilt.

I am doing the binding now.

Took time out to put some fresh strawberries in the freezer.

Time seems to fly by each day.

I need to start the sprinklers in the garden

before I go to the studio.

It is getting dry and it is hotter each day.

The corn and potatoes need a drink.

Yesterday I turned on the soakers on the tomatoes.

I had the local lumber yard print me some

larger prints of my next quilt.

A tranquil water scene I hope to enter in the Q Nationals.

I am surrounded by water ideas here on the Ridge.

I know I am very inexperienced yet  but you never know.

Beginner's luck.

Maybe.

Doesn't hurt to try.

Studio time.

 I started my planning for Under Indiana Skies.

These colors are luscious.

The subject of my first art quilt will be

this sunrise photograph taken out my kitchen window.

 The second  quilt will be the sunset  photograph

taken out on the deck looking west.

I started today by choosing my fabrics for the quilts.

I need some good blues yet I will pick those up this week.

Looking forward to creating something beautiful.

Back to the studio in the morning.

Special Labor Day visitors.

Labor Day at sunset as I was down by the big pond

a mother Dove and her chick were getting one

last drink before roosting for the night.

I love the soft colors of this bird and their cooing

song I hear during the day at Cedar Ridge.

Their colors were as soft as the pastel sky in the

eastern sky as the day came to an end.

Have a peaceful day. 

Sunset on Labor Day

                              The sky was on fire last night in the west.
  But to the east it was a pastel study.

                                 Yesterday I finished the 53 pots.
                                  Now to clean the studio,
                                  Fire and glaze them.
                                  Than make 35 dried flower arrangements.
                                  Last night  I relaxed long enough to
                                  take  some inspiration time.
                                  Have a good day.

Winners at the Fair

This succulent basket was the Grand Champion and

Best of Show in Horticulture .

                         The winter scene art quilt received Reserved Champion.

         The sunset photograph recieved Grand Champion.

                     Quite a nice bunch of ribbons.
                     When I was 10 years old in 4-H
                      I only got red, yellow and green.
                      Sort of fun to grow up and do better.

                       Off to the Studio to paint today.

July heat wave, Show opening and County fair.

What a week-end.

Friday's night opening.

Saturday 5 am getting my flower entries  ready for the fair.

Gathering my flowers, paintings, photography and art quilts

Getting to the fairgrounds by 8:30.

Whew .

Thank goodness for my son and grandsons

They helped me carry everything inside.

At Friday's opening of Hoosiers Roads & Rivers

This is what caught the crowds eyes.

I am so glad they like my art quilts.

I enjoy making quilts from my paintings. 

Sunday afternoon I went to the Fair.

My Grandsons did great.

Grand Champion's and Reserve Champion's.

Great  kids.

I work hard to keep up with them.

5 am Saturday I thought maybe just skipping it this year.

Not an option though.

My Art Quilt received Reserved Champion.

A Sunset Photograph Grand Champion.

In the floral Department.

The succulent planter Grand Champion

plus best of show.

I forgot to mention it is a small fair.

I love giving my county something good to look at.

Plus it gets me some time with the red heads.

They get to camp out at the fair all week.

Saturday at close they were heading

back to the camper at 10 pm.

 The food strands gave them free food.

They did not want to throw it away.

Being 6 'plus they are always hungry.

Happy boys.

Sunset on the pond.

We are fortunate to have such wonderful sunsets.

Sitting on the deck watching the day slip away

is the end to perfect days.

A busy day ahead. Some yard work.
Gesso the  2  4 foot by 6 foot canvases.
Make snacks for tonight's opening.
Hoosier Rivers and Roads opens tonight.
6pm to 10pm at the Wells Center in Lafayette.
Hope to see you there.

Back after a busy week.

What has been keeping me busy for the past 3 months.

Last nights opening.

happily lots of red dots.

To fund another few months in art experimentation.

A view of the gallery as you enter the show. 

 One of my art quilts , the Kankakee River Marsh painting
and a few sunsets taken at Cedar Ridge .

 More small art quilts.

This grouping of fall features paintings

small art quilts and a art quilt of a painting. 

The pond as depicted in a art quilt painting.

The Kankakee River Marsh on a Jasper red gesso background.

Note the glow of red through the water.

Check out Caroline Jasper on line.

A great artist. 

Jasper red gesso is named after her.

A small grouping of winter.

Art quilt, watercolor, acrylic painting and small quilted dreamscapes 

My sculptures of Adam and Eve.

I rolled a slab then went outside for a Canadian Hemlock branch.

I love how the branch wraps around Eve at the waist.

No one would ever know I love the woods, trees, water and birds.

Nine Squares

The beginning of a new work.

I took 9- 12 inch square canvases.

Applied brown & magenta background.

Layered burnt sienna, ocher, barn red and turquoise over.

With a palette knife.

Added the start of trees.

Monday I will see where this takes me.

                         Have a blessed Easter week end.

Shadows of Fall completed

I completed the series Shadow of Fall.

Now to move onto another style  of painting.

I will work on the red gesso background next.

Tuesday I speak to the Friends of the Library as part of completing my Grant.
That will leave two more speaking engagements to go.
I am speaking on the grant process, types of grants available,
and offer to mentor someone else in the grant process.
I am not to comfortable in front of groups. It is always a challenge.
WIsh me steady nerves and remambering my talk in proper order.

Wordless Wednesday

The chapel at Camp Mack in Milford has beautiful stain glass windows.

I spent the week-end at a retreat with The Midwest Collage Society at Camp Alexander-Mack and had a really nice time.

Learned some new techniques, took lots of pictures and made some new friends. These artist are so talented.

The upcoming Holiday shows will keep me busy until December.

Sunsets are one of my favorites. At Camp Mack last weekend the sun setting over the lake was special.