Pops

Bill and Matthew
1979

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dh with Matthew, our only child. Solid as a rock, he has remained strong through many crises our family has faced. He is our anchor - the man Matthew fondly calls "Pops."

Father's Day

Kermit vonOhlen
1932

I'll never stop missing my father, gone now for 26 years. Just before he died, seeing my anguish at his suffering, he said, "My journey's almost over. Yours is just beginning." After all this time, I understand more completely than ever what he meant. I'll never stop missing him.

Surprise Visit

My DH Bill and Matthew

Matthew with me.

Our son Matthew was off today so decided to spend it with us in Charlotte for an early Father's Day visit. As always, we had a great time eating Vietnamese food at Lang Van and then looking at old photos.

We'll be going to The Outer Banks with Matthew and Suzie, other family members and friends later this summer for Matthew's 30th birthday. I can't wait!

Our Garden

I've developed a condition known as trigger finger in both thumbs and the index finger on my left hand. It is aggravating and painful and keeps me from working on my art. So for now, I'm getting inspiration from the perennials in our garden. Here are a few of my favorites:

Raspberry Bee Balm
I love the red leaves just under the blossoms.

High Mallow
I had a hard time finding this plant which looks like a miniature hollyhock.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia - very airy and delicate

Chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine
I bought the little bug adornment several years ago.

Our hydrangea blossoms begin like this.....

before turning a beautiful blue.

We're hoping our coneflowers attract lots of honeybees.

All photos are clickable.

Distractions

I've been away from art for nearly two months and it doesn't feel good. I'm distracted. Not the kind of distraction we get by beginning to do one task and then finding ourselves doing another. I am in the midst of planned distraction - things I just have to get off my plate before I can move on. I liken it to doing prep work on a room before it can be painted. Unfortunately, I've had to give these things a higher priority than making art.

But all is not lost. As I work, I'm planning art in my mind. My work will go in a new direction, employing much more of my own hand-dyed and surface designed fabrics as well as digital imagery. I know what I want to do next but absolutely must get things in order before I begin.

In the meantime, I'll share a quilt or two you may not have seen.

Hurricane Warning
40" x 60" 2003
SOLD
Permanent Collection of The Concourse Gallery, Upper Arlington OH

Hurricane Warning was created for the juried show Vantage Point-South, The Art Quilt at the Page-Walker in Cary NC, where it was chosen as the publicity quilt for the poster and postcard. It was also in The Art of the Quilt, an invitational exhibition in Martinsville VA. It was purchased for the permanent collection of The Concourse Gallery while on exhibit with other members' work from The Art Quilt Network.

Very unlike my other work, Hurricane Warning is one of those quilts which just happened. It came together very quickly - just one week from conception to completion. The graphic beauty of hurricane warning flags really struck me the first time I saw them. The image stayed in my head for a long time and finally appeared in this piece.

My Love of Birds

This nest contains tiny strips from a torn blue tarp. It was found on the lawn at my sister's IL home.

It's a little thing to some, but I love birds. I love watching them, listening to them and especially finding a nest. When we were in IL last month, I desperately searched for red-winged blackbirds - most often seen sitting on metal fence posts along the fields. My dh saw several, but I couldn't see that far!

There were other sweet rewards tho. Like barn swallows seen swooping and flying all around my sister's porch. I managed to get one clear shot, but the beautiful swallowtail is barely visible.

This lovely barn swallow - seen here gathering nesting materials.

My sister and brother-in-law are blessed with five grandchildren who love coming out to the farm. On an afternoon of exploring, we discovered birds nesting in very unusual places!

The engine compartment of an old Ford tractor held five little black birds with bright yellow beaks. We had to climb up on the tire in order to see them snuggled together.

Photo credit: Olivia Powell, age 6

Lisa holds Addison for a quick look.

After my sister commented about finding a nest on top of their propane tank one year, we all had to investigate. And sure enough, the birds had chosen the same location once more.

I never realized robins nests were so big. This one is at least 12" across, filling the cover of the gas tank when closed. The robins have a safe, dry refuge.

Five robin's eggs.

On the homefront, we're really excited. Our bluebirds are back, having built a new nest in the bluebird box. They have been very, very busy. If we can get pictures this time, I'll be sure to post them. No eggs yet, but we're watching.

The 65th Anniversary of D Day

My Uncle Ed - WWII

My Mother had three brothers who served in World War II. My father-in-law did too. All were in my heart this morning as we watched President Obama in France.

Always eloquent, Mr. Obama's words today were especially so. "Friends and veterans, what we cannot forget — what we must not forget — is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century," he said.

During the ceremony at Omaha Beach, under an American flag flying high, he spoke from a platform and colonnade engraved with these words: "This embattled shore, portal of freedom, is forever hallowed by the ideals, the valor and the sacrifice."

I cannot imagine the emotion of standing in that place.

Twenty Years Ago Today

Twenty years ago today my husband was standing in Tiananmen Square when the tanks rolled in. He, the mayor pro-tem of Charlotte and another - all veterans, first felt the vibration in the concrete and then recognized the unmistakable sound. Thankfully, they were able to get to the safety of their hotel.

All were in China for a Sister Cities trip to Baoding when caught up in the Revolution. Referring to themselves later as "the gang of forty" the group witnessed history being made for the next eight days.

My DH shot many rolls of film which he was able to get out of the country by dividing it amongst a dozen others in the group. They were evacuated by the State Department on the American Ambassador's plane and flown to Tokyo. Theirs was the last tour group to escape China.

Note: An article in the June 5 Charlotte Observer (page 12A Nation/World) quotes my DH and the former mayor about the event. charlotteobserver.com

Is It Sumer Yet?

Last year's plants.

The black-eyed Susans are just beginning to bloom and tomorrow's forecast is for temperatures in the 90's. Can summer be far behind?

I took time this afternoon to work in our new perennial bed. Unlike our running theme of blue, purple, pink, fuchsia and white, this bed will be blue, white and pale yellow as a good transition to the black-eyed Susans and old-fashioned tiger lilies in back of the garage. As a kid, I saw this orange flower growing wild everywhere, especially along the RR tracks (thus the oft-heard southern reference to railroad lilies). BTW, my grandmother's most favorite bouquet was an arrangement of Queen Ann's lace and tiger lilies. I too love the combination.

Once I find the knock-out rose variety I want, I'll post photos of our finished beds.

Always on the Hunt

I've collected vintage textiles and sewing items since I began quilting. I continued my hunt for such treasures in two cool antique shops we found while in the midwest recently.

An amazing 1886 brick and mortar building in Veedersburg IN is home to The Tacky Apron and More. Inside - two of my most favorite items - great antiques and bread! The shop also offers old-timey bottled pop. I chose a classic Green River, a brand I hadn't seen since my childhood! Need I say more?

The Tacky Apron and More........ Antiques and Bakery
115 N. Main, Veedersburg IN

A glimpse of yummy baked offerings at 'The Tacky Apron and More'
We bought a cream-cheese streudel to take to my sister's. Divine!

We discovered the recently opened Mena's Mercantile, 151 N. Market St. in Paxton IL after lunch at The Tin Pan (home of the most amazing onion rings I've ever seen!). Debi Chapman Hermann, proprietor, gave my DH full run of the place for photos. Thanks, Debi!

This old Singer in its cabinet caught my eye.
I bought a vintage 1940's doll quilt, an old cross-stitched on linen sampler and a funky little thread and needle holder at Mena's.

Debi has an incredible collection of old kitchen containers -
the kind of stuff I love!


An overview of Mena's from Debi's office.

Mena's also has a basement. I love what Debi has done with the walls!

Everything, and I mean everything, in the basement is just 50 cents!

More of the stuff from the 'Mena's Mercantile' basement.

By the way, Paxton sponsors a town-wide garage sale June 5 and 6.
www.paxtonil.com

All Photos: Bill Guerrant

More Inspiration

508 - a train car in Paxton IL, the town of my great-grandmother's birth.
Note: A favorite photo my son Matthew took years ago on the Outer Banks was the inspiration for this shot.

This hen has been a fixture on my sister and BIL's farm for over 50 years.
The former owners left her, stating "This is where she belongs."

Great bark!

I loved the patina on this water meter cover - Veedersburg IN

The squares on this meter would be great for surface design.

My niece's husband spotted this on the University of Illinois campus.
Thanks, Matt!

Rusty old faucets really speak to me.

Past these grain bins, you can see forever.

More than 15 years ago I took a class at QSDS (Quilt Surface Design Symposium) with David Walker. It was life-changing, forever altering the way in which I work. He taught us the importance of listening to our hearts, of letting the work come from our souls. I'm in a listening phase right now, and sense the images which spoke to me in the midwest will greatly influence my future work.

Art Inspiration from Veedersburg

The older I get, the more I realize how much growing up on a farm in the heartland has, and continues to influence me. From dozens of photos shot last week in Indiana and my home state of Illinois, these are my favorites. I'm not into glitz or bling of any kind. What speaks to my heart are things which have stood the test of time; very old structures which still stand strong. Here are a few.

Grain elevators are iconic images in the midwest.

We found this one in Veedersburg, Indiana.

I was drawn to the old Veedersburg Cooperative Services, an old co-op feed mill where most of these photos were shot.

My favorite image.

Rust speaks to me.

I love the 'voice' of peeling paint.

The feed mill bricks were made in Veedersburg.

Many years of dripping rusty water resulted in the amazing colors on this wood.

I've been wanting to delve into more collage and photo imagery. Undoubtedly the time-worn feel of things just seen will influence my work.