We’ve had a variety of animal/bird/reptile visitors in our home over the years. I typically don’t freak out too much and approach the situation as calmly as possible once the dogs/cats are out of the space. I’ve removed snakes, baby rabbits, voles, field mice, flying squirrels, numerous birds, frogs… but today’s visitor was new. We’ve never had a hawk come in. The hounds from hell alerted me to something different upstairs…. Look who was hanging in the skylight screen….
This is an immature Sharp Shinned Hawk. Once I had the dogs removed from the house I could asses the situation. My big worry was his claws getting totally caught in the screen, but that didn’t happen. I gently removed the pole that helps open the window and pushed against the screen near his body to encourage him to move. He did! Of course he couldn’t quite figure out that there was a wide open front door just below a small window. Eventually he came to rest on the stairwell handrail.
Such a beautiful bird! Somewhere in my collection I do have a small falcon/hawk hood. It was from a bird who was injured at our coast house, rehabilitated and released back into the same neighborhood. It too was a Sharp Shinned Hawk.
This one decided to visit the dining room which has a nice large accessible window (and removable screen). He rested on the curtain rod for a bit while I wrangled the screen and window open. I used a large bin to keep him safe against the window and gently ushered him to freedom. He sat at the opening for a moment and took off. Whew!!! Success!!!
Our normal feathered friends (the cockatoo and 2 ancient cockatiels) were less than impressed with the visitor. It was like having a murder come to visit… They were happy to see him go!
Along our coastline one will sometimes encounter little spherical jelly balls on the beach. I always loved running into these guys because I understand how beautiful they once were out in the ocean. In a past life, prior to the animal & art world, I wanted to be a marine biologist and Ctenophores were one of my favorites in the floating ocean zone. Also known as comb jellies, they are little eating machines consuming zooplankton in the ocean and estuary waters. They propel themselves using cilia and have dangling long comb- like strands to capture food. They are bioluminescent! In other words, they generate a glow if disturbed (think of a boat at night passing through water and watching the wake behind. Sometimes it will glow green from these or other water critters). It’s a chemical thing. 🙂
Over the past several days I have been wondering what to do with the recent paper experiment. It was starting to take on an onion sort of feeling and I wanted to move far away from this notion. This morning I was reading through blogs I follow and I saw the Draw and Shoot posting. Karen is an amazing photographer and artist and I was quite taken by the jellyfish she had photographed. Please check out her blog here. The her images reminded me of Ctenophores. The parts came together in my brain enough to follow a path.
It still has more to go. I’ve just started laying down the copper tape and I ran out of my 20g copper wire. That will be resolved in time. This is all an experiment that has become more interesting as it progresses. I would have loved this idea to pop up last year for the plankton show. Oh well, sometimes the brain takes a while to catch up with things. The Ctenophore will become a lighted wall piece. Maybe it needs some friends too.
Life has been rather full of dogs over the past several weeks leaving little time for other things. However, there have been a few art related items coming to the surface of the slobbery dog bowl. Last week I received an email from a gal in Montana requesting the use of one of my prints as her letterhead image. Wow! First, I was impressed she didn’t just swipe it from the web. Secondly, she was a legitimate business! I bet some of you have received emails from people interested in purchasing your work but not in a regular fashion. As you start checking further, you learn the “person” is actually (according to the IP address) from Africa or Asia and has no connection to who they say they are. One to toss into the spam pile. Anyway,the camas block print image will soon be used by a business out of state and I’m happy for it. We’re still negotiating price. I might end up with some lovely dried peaches!
Last Friday, I was supposed to have a clay play date with my pal Cynthia Spencer( check out her work @ Work in Clay). I wanted to learn more about her stacked totem sculptures and was sooo looking forward to a brain break. However Mr Moby, Zeek and Maggie all put a stop to it. Mainly Moby with his more invasive surgery. Since I was banished to watching the hounds from hell, I took the opportunity to experiment.
Earlier in the week I helped hang a nice show at the Albany City Hall. I had only been in the building once for jury duty and hadn’t noticed the sculptures and paintings in their permanent collection. One wall sculpture really grabbed my attention since it looked an awful lot like paper and flat wicker strips. It intrigued my brain just enough to head into the studio and experiment with scraps of wicker and paper.
The two sections will now be joined together to create something… I’m not certain what at this point.
Both dogs made it through their surgeries and are home. The vet and crew experienced how stubborn Mr Moby can be. He went into “freak out” mode which involves a high level of adrenaline running through his body. This made it more difficult to put him under than expected. In the end, he set a new record for the most tranquilizers needed to bring him down. And here I was so hopeful on leaving him behind…. If he ever requires any additional surgeries, I’ll be staying with him through the whole process. No need to put the dog and vet crew through that much stress again!
He now gets to wear the “cone of shame” but seems to be adjusting quite well. The sutures run along his throat for about 2″. It’s a challenge to keep him from scratching the incision.
We had some major weather Thursday. Over 1.25″ of rain with thunder and lightening extending over 4 hours. Unusual for our area. It certainly brought in a feeling of fall! Below is the view off our deck of drooping plants and so much rain you can’t see very far up the hillside.
The wooden bird feeder provided a nice shelter for a chickadee just visible on the left side. It was a great day to stay indoors! Maybe I’ll get a little creative juices flowing today as I dog sit the recovering. 🙂
Reggie and Zeek have been bugging me to start their own blog, so I did. Hopefully this will help their mom feel better as she adjusts to life in a new country.
You can keep track of their worldly views on balls, food and cats at…
I’ve been a giant slacker with blog posting due to our crazy household and lack of art creation. We just passed the Week 2 mark with the new dogs. They’re acclimating but I’ve never experienced such horrible dog breath in my life!! These two enjoy giving smooches and breathing right in your face. Blech! Was the odor due to the inexpensive dog food or bad dental hygiene? During the big holiday weekend, I started rooting around in Zeeks mouth to see what might be up with his teeth. The inspection said it all. One of his really big molars was not right and his gums were receding. Yes, a definite trip to the vet was about to happen.
So today, Wednesday, we ALL ventured into the vet for Zeek & Moby. I wrangled them into the Isuzu and met Dave there. At the vet, we noticed a HUGE positive change in Moby’s demeanor. He was much more agreeable and actually greeted the receptionist Pam without a menacing bark/growl. Zeek & Reggie were happy to meet everyone there, ready to kiss and rub up against any welcoming person. Apparently Moby needs extra dogs in his life to relieve stress. What a huge relief to know this could help change the negative personality problems we’ve been experiencing. Granted, he still had to be muzzled for the inspection, but once Dave took hold of Moby’s head and I had his body our vet Steve could actually palpate the growth. Zeek had absolutely no issues with these strange people opening his mouth and looking around. I had almost forgotten how wonderful it can be. So Zeek and Moby are both in for surgery and Reggie and I are at home.
The cats have boycotted the house. MeMe unfortunately experienced how quickly Zeek can run after her fuzzy kitty ass. Not the best thing for a cat with heart problems. She went missing for a full 24 hrs and I’ve seen her twice since then. Not certain where she has been hanging out, but the rain will probably force her to come home tonight. Nigel also remains unimpressed with the situation.
On Monday we went walking out towards Buena Vista and the Luckimute river. Our neighbor Gail has been game for tagging along with our crazy walks and suggested this particular location. It seems to be managed for waterfowl and native species. Dogs are not allowed off leash during nesting season. Since we’re in September the dogs got a good romp and swim. I had a not so lovely encounter with a Yellow Jacket Wasp (stung my back). The dogs had a great time. We will have to go check out a couple of other sites on that road.
Dave, neighbor Gail and the pooches
Looking across some of the fields. Moby loved romping through this one. He’s out there… but I couldn’t get a shot with his head above the grasses.
This morning I woke to chainsaws at 6:45 am. Our property backs up to BPA land (Bonneville Power Admin) with large electrical towers. About 8 years ago, and we’ve been here for the past 17, they started coming through clearing the land every fall & spring. All trees and brush are whacked down. Initially it was a very shocking change, especially when they came on to our land and cleared out several trees in their easement zone. Today, it sounds like a crew of 3 or 4 guys working through the blackberry stands, willows and other small shrubby stuff. They will complete the job by 5pm. I feel like that’s how life has been over the past 3 weeks. Something you know will be coming but don’t know when. After my husband returned from his week of relative isolation (from electronic devices) at a fish camp along the Alaskan coastline, he spent one day home and then was off to Texas to see his father before he died. He arrived on Tuesday night to Austin and by Wednesday afternoon Leonard was gone. My life shifted quickly to find accommodations for Moby, get the cats and birds cared for and fly out on Thursday morning. Getting together due to a death really isn’t an ideal vacation plan. I did have a great time visiting family especially since I hadn’t been down for over 4 years. Nieces and nephews are growing like crazy, one grand nephew (22 months) who I finally had the opportunity to meet and entertain. We took part of an afternoon to visit with my sister-in-laws parents who had recently moved to an assisted living facility and a full evening with a group of friends. There was the open casket viewing Sunday night and burial on Monday after a church service. We stayed until the workers had placed the cement liner lid over the coffin and 2 loads of gravel had been filled and tamped down. Once home, we shifted gears rapidly to accept 2 dogs into our life for the next 18 months.
The Labradoodle boys belong to my brother’s ex who remains part of the family. She will be working as a physicians assistant in Tokoroa, New Zealand for 18 months (north island). I’ve known the boys since they were both pretty young and I’ve always had a great fondness towards them. Reggie is 7 and ended up with more lab than poodle (aka “ball freak”). Zeek is 6 and is more poodle than lab. You’ve seen their images in my prints. Moby has learned he doesn’t hold top dog status, taking the middle position over Reggie. Yes, Zeek is alpha. The poor cats have lost out on this deal. They now reside in the garage with cat posts and heated beds. The boys would like to eat them. They think attacking the front door (all glass) and barking like psychos as the cats pass is an acceptable response. We’re working on the bad behavior by keeping spray bottles of water around for quick squirts to the face. They don’t seem to like it so it might actually sink in over time. Our fence is also almost complete along the dangerous side and only requires a few thinner boards and shaping of the gate. Nice to know that they are all safe in the back yard. Until a cat or deer appear… I’m also concerned for the skunks and other critters. It will be a wild 18 months to come!
7″x 10 7/8″ (18cm x 27.5cm) Poly plate litho method
Pulling out an old print got me thinking about creating a new image. It’s been 11 years since I did any work using Polyester Plate Lithography. The above image Rosehips was created by photocopying (toner not ink) a charcoal drawing onto the plate. I won’t go into history and background of this process because you can learn it yourself by clicking on the link here. There is also a great YouTube out there for the visual type folks (just google polyester plate litho and it will show up.) For my experiment, I used permanent markers directly on the plate surface. The first thing to accomplish even before I could get started: cleaning up the studio and remove the cat bed and hair from the press and inking area! Nigel has now lost his sleeping station. Poor cat!
Poly plates look like sheets of frosted mylar and can be directly drawn on or photocopied to transfer an image. You can place a drawing under it and transfer your lines quite easily, especially over a light table which is what I did. I scanned, enlarged and reversed one of my Moby eye sketches and drew it on the plate. Below is the completed plate. One can use Sharpies (which I did a bit) or any other permanent waterproof marker (Pigma Micron pens were used quite a bit for this test). I think Sharpies grab the ink more quickly than the Micron pens. There are a wide variety of other techniques one can use to produce interesting lines and texture.
The plate surface is textured and the pens basically fill in the pores. To keep ink from sticking to the entire plate, one has to wet the surface to repel the ink. Oil and water don’t mix (hint: I used an oil based ink). The ink grabs to the sharpie lines and doesn’t attach to wet unmarked areas. 11 years ago, I used what was called a fountain solution to help wipe the plate in between inking. This time I tried a gum arabic and citric acid combination. My friend Carol swears you can just use straight water. I’ll have to try that next time. Less chemicals the better.
Next, I created a post of paper, mixed ink and got myself ready to print. The wipe solution was a shot of gum arabic with 1/2 tsp citric acid powder plus water. I chose to mix it in a glass bowl. In a separate bowl, I mixed a stronger solution of water and gum arabic to wipe away any smudges. Smudges do happen when the plate isn’t damp enough. It’s an interesting balancing act between wet and dry. A clean cellulose sponge was added into each bowl for wiping the plate.
I couldn’t take photos of the wipe and ink method since my hands were rather occupied with sponge and brayer. Basically I wiped my glass counter with the solution. Next, I placed the plate on top, wetted and wiped the image with a damp sponge then rolled on a pass of ink. Wipe again and ink, wipe again and ink until plate is loaded (but not too full!) Trial and error. I used damp Rives BFK white (and a couple of tan) paper. When ready to press, I placed the paper down first then placed the plate over top as seen below.
I used one sheet of newsprint and a cover sheet and one thin felt. Roll it through the press and voila! Not quite there! It takes several inking and printing to load the plate sufficiently to get a good image. Below are the first two attempts.
At some point things started having more issues. I was using a fairly runny etching ink that wasn’t stiff enough. It kept smearing around the surface as I wiped. I added some magnesium carb (well, I think that is what it was. It was in my “stash” unlabeled) and it seemed to help. When I purchased the used press, I received loads of extras , some of which I still don’t know what they are. Below are two of the finished prints for this starting round.
I discovered my thin lines became thicker and fuzzier as things went along, but that was ok. I’ll give this a try on another day with a different ink and see where things go. This was a great start to figuring things out again and loads of fun to use the press.
This morning I sit sipping coffee with my spotted companion curled up on the couch next to me and a heating pad on my back. Life has been full of, well, life stuff I guess. We had a giant push to get Dave off to Alaska and as far as I know, he’s really there in Kotzebue. Last I heard was from Anchorage. Not certain he has cell coverage and if he does, it probably will cost some astronomical amount! Kotzebue is a small coastal city just 33 miles north of the arctic circle. It’s considered sub-arctic tundra with oodles of little lakes and lots of ocean. He’s staying at LaVonne’s Fish Camp where he is helping bring in a harvest of salmon, some of which will go to help the Jensen Arctic Museum annual fundraiser.
Moby decided to cause problems of his own. Saturday I discovered a giant lump had formed in his throat area. I wasn’t certain what it was or what could have caused it, but it made me very concerned. He’s been doing some coughing for the past couple of weeks (I thought it was due to all the grass seed or maybe a touch of kennel cough). Monday morning we had a traumatic trip into the vet. Fearful situations cause him to flip out. I pretty much have to stay with him the entire time, putting on the muzzle and attempting to restrain him. Thank goodness for the muzzle or numerous folks would have been badly bitten. I ended up with giant bruises on my legs and by the next day my back muscles had flipped out (hence the heating pad). Between what I could describe and the vet’s attempts to finger the lump, it’s most likely an abscess caused by a perforated trachea. He ate something about 2 weeks ago that caused the problem. Antibiotics seem to be doing the trick for now and we’ll reassess in 2 weeks.
I’m also waiting to see what happens with Dave’s dad. He’s been in hospital for the past week plus and this mornings report wasn’t good. Things had been improving… cancer and pneumonia are a tricky balance at the end. From my perspective, I think back to the last week of my dad’s life. Watching the mental decline as well as the physical was so difficult. He remained at home until his body was really shutting down. I felt like we honored his wishes as best as we could. Once in the hospital he didn’t speak to us coherently again and slipped away after about 4 or 5 days.
I did manage to drop off an entry into a juried show and pull together an artist statement and photos for the Philomath Open Studio Tour website. Please click on the link and check out the group. It certainly will be chocked full of artists! 29 total this year!
Is there art getting produced??? Not much, in fact nada for the moment. Between battling clearing out the Eugene house and everything else going on, I’ve not done a sketch one. So here is an older print image that’s not ever been shown on the blog before.
Hurray! Today was really about art. Not sorting, dumping, recycling items from my parents home. No emails (well, as of yet) or phone calls to tree cutters (ok, it was only texting… no phone call) siblings or other folks related to the family stuff. Today I went and helped hang work by members of this years Philomath Open Studio Tour at the Albany Civic Theater. What fun! Plus Sharron has offered me wall space during one of the plays. I just have to figure out what play would pair with my work. Some figuring to do.
The Guistina gallery is about ready to end their community open show. I hadn’t been able to get in to see it so I took the opportunity to do so. It was a nice outpouring of creativity.
Next it was a photo shoot in Salem with my photography friend Harold Wood. I love his lighting choices for many of my more sculptural works. Below are the end products of today’s endeavors.
Rivers II: mixed media: kozo paper, burned, stitched, waxed. Gale Everett 2013detail of Rivers II, gale everett 2013Rivers III Detail Mixed Media: hand colored kozo paper, burned, stitched, waxed. Gale Everett 2013Rivers III: Mixed Media: hand colored kozo paper, burned, stitched, waxed. Gale Everett 2013Brain Conversation #201, Mixed Media: kozo paper, wire, wax, hemlock. Gale Everett 2012
These images will eventually migrate into the sculptural page… when I get around to it. 🙂
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 