River Garden Studio

on paper wings

I have just received "On Paper Wings," Supria's altered book for our collaborative, "Innerworks."  With it's deep colors and timeless quality this book is such a joy to behold, and I am honored to be the first artist to contribute to it.

 

"On Paper Wings" has for it's theme, Helen Keller. I started to try to sketch her as a young child... and the beginnings of a collage are appearing.  

These are the pages I am to alter...

Because flowers are on my mind I got out my plant press... and these are the flowers I found inside.

This was a gift from my dear friend, Anna, who made it for me with her dad when I went away to college.  She is still a painter, and even then knew how much I loved nature...

A butterfly collection from the science lab at the school where I work...

and display shelves...

journal pages and still playing with pressed flowers...

 

And longing for summer.  

 I dream of the calmer, carefree days of summer...

disintegration

I am so excited to have become a part of Seth's Disintegration Collaboration!  You can read about it on his post, and see the links to many wonderful disintegration projects on his sidebar on The Altered Page.

Here is my woven "gift for nature" on my desk waiting for it's new home outside... Ingredients are: old chicken wire, sticks, copper wire, rice paper, old nail, rusty bolts, dried flower, feathers, yarn, papers sticks and silver wire.

and here it is in the maple tree out front, facing east to the sunrise.  This is the tree we have our bird feeders on... so while we watch the river and the sky we can watch the birds hopping from bare branch to branch...

a little closer view...

As I was searching for supplies for this project it my classroom closets I thought, why don't I let my students in my 3D class have a go at this!   

I told them about Seth, and how he inspires artists from around the world with his ideas, and how many artists have joined him on this venture.  

They were to make their own disintegration piece, or one with a partner, then take it home, hang it outside, take a photograph of it and in the spring, re-photograph it and see how it has changed. 

Each student had to write a wish or a dream on a piece of paper, and wrap it in wire and hang it on their project.

The excitement in the room was amazing... and an awesome teaching moment for me that spread into two days, and will be continued tomorrow!  

I brought these home to photograph... Here they are on a rusty outdoor table...

and hanging over the snow...

Then I packed them away to return to my students.......

and I wondered would the birds discover my woven tree art.... that now hangs alone...

and they did...

sending love

... and wishing you all a lovely day and huge thank you for sharing such beautiful words and creations with me over the last year...

The background paper for this still life is from my dear friend Lynne, who surprised me this week with a lovely package of St. Armand papers!

I received the next two valentines from the lovely Sarah Fishburn, who along with Angella Cartwright  publishes Pasticcio Quartz.  I am honored to have my artwork published in the winter issue of this amazing magazine.

 

Sarah befriended and believed in me from the beginning of my blog, and even read my children's book before it went out of print.

thank you Sarah, and Happy Valentines Day to all!