Blog

I took these from my backyard in central, NJ at different times throughout the night (on September 16th into the wee hours of the 17th).  What a lovely night it was!

These are some of the many photos I took of a juvenile bald eagle at the Forsythe Preserve.  The lighting changed a lot from the very early morning sunrise to mid-morning, and the bird kept returning to his post (to the delight of me and several others patiently waiting with their cameras).

I spotted a heron at the Davidson Mill Pond Park in central, NJ walking along the edge with something in its mouth.  As I focused my camera on it, it flew across the pond.  I realized the heron had speared a bullfrog through its back rear thigh!  As I walked closer, the heron noticed me and began to walk into the grass.  As he looked over his shoulder towards me, the bullfrog slid off its beak and got away!  The heron was none too happy and was unable to find it.  I returned several days since, thinking I’d find that bullfrog, maybe morphed into a prince with a limp.  Alas, I haven’t found him yet!

Although this show has been going on since June, I recently received the show catalog for Duex: Two Ideas, Inspirations, Two Complementary Quilts in the mail.  This is a Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)  traveling exhibition that was juried by Katie Pasquini Masopust (Kim LaPolla, managing curator).  The full color catalog is 106 pages, and I’m honored to be among the selected work.

“Deux, is a visual conversation that expresses the questions and ideas important to each artist.  Two works show side by side, inviting the viewer to find the connections between them, and see how the artists handle the challenges of composition and technique.”  Kim quotes Martha graham in her catalog essay, “It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, omr jow it compares to other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, stating “I believe she was talking about being true to your voice and your instinct, filtering out the xternal advice of the voices around you.” Katie had the difficult task of selecting just 25 artists and 50 pieces from the many submitted to the exhibit.  Katie states she was looking for “two great works from each artist … I hope that the pieces that I chose will show the world that our art quilts can compete side-by-side with paintings for the eye of art collectors and art admirers everywhere.”

The selected artists

“The Journey”

“Another Journey”

The catalog is available for purchase directly from SAQA here.

Full exhibit: IQF-Chicago, Rosemont, IL, June 2013
Quilts selected for Deux-Europe:
Carrefour Européen du Patchwork, Alsace, France, September 2013
Vicenza Festival, Vicenza, Italy, October 2013
The show will also be at a variety of location throughout the US through 2014.

For our final day in London, we decided to take it easy and stroll around the City. We did some shopping (mom enjoyed the food court in Harrods), and we went to some museums. We started at the Natural History Museum, then to the Science Museum, and finally my favorite, The Victoria & Albert. Afterwards, we walked through Hyde Park as mom wanted to see the Princess Diana memorial foundations.

Harrods Department Store

Mom discovers the food court!

Shopping on Carnaby.

Inside the Natural History Museum.

In front of Apollo 10.

There was a hands on demo going on.

I tried knitting with plastic bags. The pieces everyone makes will eventually cover a large globe in the museum.

Inside the V&A

This is from a few years back, but it's one of my favorite pictures of me in front of the V&A.

Hyde Park.

Princeton Diana Memorial Walk.

The Memorial Fountain.

Happy and tired!

After Powis Castle, we continued on, driving through part of the Snowdonia Mountains.  The views were breathtaking, and we went from sun to rain clouds to sun again.  It all made for dramatic skies.

Eventually we came to Barmouth which is on the west coast of Wales near the Irish Sea. We ate at a pub called The Last Inn.  I had one of the best steaks that I’ve ever had in my life at that place, and fabulous chips (fries) too!

Yes, it was very windy on the beach.

Great food at this pub!

On the drive back.

I love those sheep!

According to ABC News, “Thousands of people from Arkansas to Tennessee are fleeing their homes ahead of recording-breaking flooding. The Mississippi River’s record crest was 48.7 feet in 1937 and the Army Corp of Engineers expects the river to rise to 48 feet by early Tuesday morning.”

Here is information on how to help and donate:

Call  1-800-RED-CROSS or text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross (which will be added to your cell phone bill).

Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and/or text “GIVE” to 80888 to make a $10 donation to the Salvation Army (which will be added to your cell phone bill). Checks can be made out to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 100339, Atlanta, Ga., 30384-0339. Or visit www.salvationarmyusa.org, click on their donation page, and designate “May Floods.”

The United Way is collecting donations to support local nonprofit programs that are working to provide immediate and long-term recovery in the Memphis and Mid-South area

The Memphis ASPCA is accepting animals affected by flood and tornadoes who need a place to keep them safe. They will likely need more volunteers and supplies in the coming days and weeks. Contact them for more information or to donate to their efforts.

For updates on the flood, including a list of needed donation items being collected by the Hope Presbyterian Church (acting as a hub and donation center, to supply shelters), needed visit The Great Memphis Flood of 2011 page.

Carol Schepps, a West Windsor, NJ artist, curated the “Uncommon Threads” show held at Trenton Art Works in Trenton, New Jersey which features the work of several NJ artists, including Rayna Gillman, Joan Dryer, Judy Langille, Kevan Lunney, and others. I was pleased to sell one of my art concentrated pieces.

I was pleased to see my quilt, "Witley Decay 1" near the opening.

A view looking at one main room.

Another view.

"Es-tu comme moi," by Donna Ruff

A hallway showing some of the Art Concentrated pieces for sale.

My art concentrated piece on the left and one by Carol Schepps on the right.

Another room; on the back wall is work by Virginia Abrams and Joan Dryer.

"Earth Matters," by Hollie Heller - dyed and stiffened silk.

"Fragment 15," by Kevan Lunney. I love this piece!