"Home for the Holidays"

Starting a series of 6 pieces each beginning with a silk screened image on white linen as background. This is a huge shift in color sensibility as I've been working on natural linen for years, which has an absorbing toning down effect on color and adds a rich stabilizing contrast to brilliant sparkling beads. There will be some technical adjustments to working out the details of using a thinner linen, hopefully with some interesting surface results. Each of the six prints are different yet similar, leaving plenty of options for embroidery exploration.

Here I am peeping around a garden with my new to me red camera.



Pie on the fly, picked, baked and on the way to a party, rhubarb pie.

Some recent improvements

Ta da, the rock wall is finished. Jerry completed this side wall in about a week. All dry laid and beautifully puzzled together.


This was taken before I forgot to water on multiple hot days.


All the grass is gone from the front yard and a lot of food is growing amongst the shrubs and perennials.


The wine grapes are up on wires now and they even have their own yard art. Jerry made 6 bottles of wine from last years harvest, which didn't have such handsome surroundings.


The guest room/office has officially moved out of the living room, into it's own space.

Bicycle Rack Installation

Getting ready for the cement pour.




This is the first phase of Jerry's installation of these cool new bicycle racks near Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick MD. He had the railing made locally, made the retaining wall and set the racks. Next step is installing the gravel and slab.

March opening

Gardening has been taking all my time of late, which is good, so I am a little behind on this one. This is Jerry and I at the opening of my solo show last March. It was a phenomenal turn out for the opening and people were really buzzed about the work. Alas, no sales which is a first in 18 years of doing solo shows, hence all the gardening work.

Installation of oval mirror scavenged on bulk trash night.

Also found a working outdoor umbrella, which was very needed, a wool oriental rug amazingly as big as my dinning room and a great metal chair for my studio garden.

Many thanks to our wonderful friend Billy, who is letting us use space in her garden. This is more space than I’ve ever gotten to plant food in having always had tiny postage stamp lots crammed with French intensive raised beds. So far we’ve double dug two of the beds and tilled one, planting 2 kinds of potatoes, lots of garlic, corn, green beans, beets, carrots, winter squash and melons. At Jerry’s house we have wine grapes, strawberries, blueberries, rhubarb, shallots, lettuce, radish, peas, basil, peppers, beets, kale and tomatoes and at my studio are the raspberries, blackberries, asparagus and table grapes and lots of herbs at both places.

Yesterday we scooped out lots of wine berry on one of our most favorite walks that we’ll be back to pick when there ready. I am so excited to be growing so much food.

Untitled Night

This 8"x 14" embroidery is heading to Minneapolis for the SDA Conference silent auction fundraiser in June. Bidding starts at $700.

new start

Worked in two gardens this morning and did a walk around in a potential new garden. This afternoon started two new pieces, one destined for the SDA auction and one for the affordable market that I am inventing.

Clean Studio Day

How long?

People always want to know how long it takes me to make a piece. This little secton of beadwork is about an 8 hr day. I had a short lunch, no phone calls, though I did take a break to read the wonderful article about Sandra Brownlee in the current Surface Design. Other than that I was stitching. I am not really sure how I like it yet; I’ll tear it out if I have too , however I'd think it over carefully first.

Work In Progress

signs of improvement

The first two weeks of 2011 I have sold more art than in all of the last year and a half. Phew, maybe things are looking up.