Portrait of a dinner party with very close friends

The hostess.

The conversation. 

                                                                       The kitchen.

                                                                            The light.

                                                                       More light.

                                                                  The tired gardener.

                                                                         The poet.

                                                                    The boyfriend.

                                                            The place.

Homemade Desserts this spring

 Milk Chocolate Mouse with Port Ganache and Whipped Creme Fraiche for 6. Made by Jerry with table setting by Jan..

 Strawberry Custard Pie for a pot luck. Made by Jerry, with strawberry layout by Karin.

 Home grown Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for two as it turns out over several days. Made by Karin.

Every few days lately we've been harvesting one or two colanders of strawberries from the front yard.  They are sweet and ambrosic.

Dessert at a dinner party

This is most likely Jerry's most magnificent dessert to date.

2 of 6 in progress #4

I love how this area come out. Very simple, strong and solid. All rights reserved Karin Birch 2012

2 of 6 in progress # 3

Working the edge. Just had a rare relaxing and productive weekend and I am loving all the craziness going on in the garden with this supper early warm spring weather. This piece is going to be billowy, wrinkly and puckery in areas and though that was not intentional, I am really looking forward to working with that aspect of it. All rights reserved Karin Birch 2012.

2 of 6 in progress #2

The stitching started with these pale blue line, which was the immediate intuitive impulse to start with and it was a full day later before I recognized the lines as trees, which is fitting as I am intending to emphasize the cathedral like quality of the right panel. Many years ago hiking up a mountain stream in Dolly Sods Wilderness I experienced and recognized the tree canopy flanking the stream, soaring up and filtering the light as the inspiration for imagining and building cathedrals. Lately it seams I have traded in exploring the wilderness for exploring the garden, I feel incredibly fortunate for both experiences. All rights reserved, Karin Birch 2012.

2 of 6 in progress # 1

Started working on this piece, 2 of 6, last night. Looking at the photo this morning, I’d like to reshoot, but it no longer exists as I jumped right in and got quiet a bit of direction defining stitching done last night. I had had a few ideas in my head about the direction of where this might go and how it might relate to 1 of 6 in the progression of the series, but as soon as I got it stretched and mounted I saw something very different with a very strong sense of mood (cloaked in subtly) and where the action/ subject was and spent zero time second quessing. Action stitching. Haha. I love fearlessly hurling into the unknown on canvas it makes me so happy.