Flattening the Curve, Day 48

Hello friends. Today is the forty-eighth day that I've been on mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Back in the beginning of March I had expressed an interest to Jim about having a new flower bed. Specifically I was thinking about dahlias, but I was feeling doubtful about where in our small garden such a bed could exist. Jim was enthusiastic about the idea and offered to not only dig out a space for a new dahlia bed but said it was a great excuse to get a long needed section of fence built as well. So the whole of it became one big project. 

Jim did manage to get the fence sections built and I purchased several dahlia bulbs, but then, due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic situation, we never got a chance to get the bulbs planted and the fence still needed to be stained.

Once our family situation was sorted though, Jim dug the bed intended for the bulbs. And as you can see from the newly sprouted dahlia bulb in the photo above, there has been some success! Here are a few photos of the process:

The first step was to relocate some yellow irises (in the wheelbarrow) to another area of the garden. Then Jim stained the new fence.

And finally, he framed the bed and planted the new bulbs for me. I was a bit worried that I had waited too long to get the bulbs into the ground, but it's looking hopeful right now. For good measure, I also sowed some old leftover flower seeds in the bed, just so I would have even more of a chance of getting something to grow in there. So now there are some English Daisies coming in, so we'll see!

I hope your week has been healthy and peaceful thus far.

Thanks for looking and see you again soon.

 
 

Flattening the Curve, Day 47

Emerging

Hello friends. This is 'Day 47' of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and today I have another collage to share with you, entitled Emerging.

This was a very tedious project! I have labored over this piece on and off for several months. One of my goals since being on a forced leave from my job has been to complete unfinished projects and this was one of them.

I started with the black and white image of the woman, which I cut from a vintage magazine. I've forgotten which magazine it was, but I do remember that it was an ad of some kind. My interest was piqued when I noticed that it was a skinny column ad where the woman's left side was cropped so that it would fit in the column. I thought it would be a fun visual challenge to see what I could do with it.

Then I paged through Flowers, A Guide For Your Garden (a public library book sale find) for all of the floral elements. There are two volumes in the guide, each about 700 pages, so plenty of images to choose from! It was a slow process - for me anyway. When I saw a flower that looked liked it would work, I cut it out to see how it looked. It requires a bit of imagination and sometimes I'll go through all the trouble of cutting out an image and then realize that I don't like it at all or that my imagination had something else in mind. Nevertheless, it is good for the brain to do these kinds of exercises.

Gluing it all down was also tedious. I was very reluctant to dismantle the whole thing. I was concerned that it wouldn't fit back together correctly (which was probably superstitious) so I used glue dots and worked slowly and carefully to adhere all the bits in situ!

I am happy with the result, and I hope 'Emerging' brings a little bit of joy to you today. Goodness knows we all need it during these long stay at home days.

Till next time.

Flattening the Curve, Day 46

The Oystercatcher Dreams

Hello everyone. Today it has been forty-six days since I was last at my work site. I've been out on mandatory leave due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and have been spending my time practicing the art of collage.

What I love about today's piece, The Oystercatcher Dreams, is that there are just three elements - the two large birds in the foreground and the one tiny Oystercatcher flying away in the background. Which Oystercatcher is the one dreaming, I don't know. I'm leaving that ambiguous. That way, the viewer can decide what the story is.

It all started with the floral headdress, which I found in a bridal magazine. I had it in my mind to use it to give some bird within my collection of vintage bird books a dignified status. So I cut it out and went through the bird books holding the cut image over many different bird heads until I found the right one. I never would have thought to buy a magazine about weddings, but it said 'the flower issue' and it was fifty cents at my favorite charity shop. That's what I call a lot of fun for fifty cents! All three of the American Oystercatchers used here are from those same vintage bird books.

American Oystercatchers are, not surprisingly, a recovering species. In the 19th century they were hunted for their eggs and feathers and nearly became extinct. Recovery only came about after the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918 and yet they are still considered a 'species of concern' because of low and declining populations. They remain on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List due to loss of habitat, sea level rise, pollution, disease, and invasive species competing for food.

So I would say that American Oystercatchers are worthy of our respect and attention.

Thanks for reading and I hope you are having a peaceful Sunday.

 

Flattening the Curve, Day 45

Hello lovlies! Today is the forty-fifth day that I have been on mandated leave from my government work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

With Mother's Day just around the corner, this is a little reminder that there are many nice vintage tea ware items in my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures that are perfect gifts for your tea loving mother, grandmother, or perhaps mother-in-law.

For example, above is a Royal Vale Mother teacup and saucer set that features a lovely scripted 'Mother' in gold on the front of the teacup. There are pink, yellow and purple flowers with greenery on the front and back of the teacup and also on the saucer. There is gold gilding on the inside rim, upper rim, foot and handle of the teacup and on the perimeter of the saucer.

This violets vintage teacup and saucer set, above, is a Tuscan brand and has a 'Mother' scripted on the inside of the teacup near the top rim. There are lots of pretty lavender and purple violets with greenery on the front and back of the teacup and on the saucer, with gold gilding on the top rim, handle and foot of the teacup and around the perimeter of the saucer.

There are also some 'vintage gifts' in my shop and this pair of Ucago Ceramics branded pedestal candlestick holders is a fine example. Green seashells are the candlestick holders and each is embellished with a green parakeet and a smaller green seashell. Each half shell is mounted on a pedestal stand, or base, and is decorated with realistic barnacles. Lovely gold embellishment throughout.

And lastly, for anyone shopping for a month of May birthday gift, this beautiful Tuscan brand 'Birthday Flowers' teacup and saucer set featuring May's Lily of the Valley is perfect!

  

The set has a pedestal egg-like cup shape decorated with a medium sized bouquet of Lily of the Valley on the front of the teacup, a smaller bouquet on the back, and a sprig on the inside of the teacup. The same floral pattern is repeated on the slightly scalloped saucer and there is gold gilding on the foot, top rim and handle of the teacup and around the perimeter of the saucer.

Just click the link on any of the above descriptions and you'll find more photos and pricing information.

And of course, I always offers readers of this blog a discount, so just use the code PLUMBLOSSOM10 for ten percent off your order. And don't forget that I offer free shipping in the USA!

Thank you for looking and I hope you are having a peaceful and safe weekend.

See you again soon.

  

Flattening the Curve, Day 44

Hello friends. Today is the forty-fourth day that I have been on mandated leave from my government job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and today, Friday, I am here to feature another of my favorite art and creativity podcasts.

When I first heard Brooklyn, New York collage artist Luis Martin of the Studio Confessions podcast say that one of his goals with his podcast is to share how to activate your creativity to live an inspired and beautiful life, I was hooked.

For as an aspiring artist, armchair anthropologist and lover of philosophy, making something - initiating, setting ideas into motion, developing concepts - all require, for me anyway, the ability to connect with the world aesthetically.

But I digress...

On the podcast, Luis conducts interesting conversations with collagists, painters, authors and writers about the creative process and what inspires them, and culture makers such as arts administrators and curators about the business side of art.

Luis also gives museum tours via live podcasting, sending a virtual educational postcard to your ears. Some of the museums featured have been The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (his hometown), New York's El Museo Del Barrio and The Metropolitan Museum. With his extensive knowledge of art and culture, and as an arts educator, Luis brings the museum experience alive and offers practical tips for potential museum goers.

But I would say that it's his poetic monologues that get to the heart of what, as a professional artist and culture maker himself, Luis thinks and feels about art and culture, especially in this time of quarantine. For example, in his most recent expression, Sketches of the Future and a door to meditation, Luis acknowledges the grief, anger and sadness that we all feel about our current world pandemic. And yet, out of our processing of this predicament, it is a call to action. A summons for artists to fully embrace this moment in time to articulate those issues which our society seriously needs to confront - to hold up a mirror, to question. And ultimately, to utilize artistic expression to help society realize its potential for the good of all.

You can find Luis Martin on Instagram as artengineer and visit his website to see the full scope of his talents and offerings at Luis Martin The Art Engineer. And you must read Ava Darling and the bubble, an Existential Fairytale About the Wonder of Being.

Thank you for reading and I hope you are able to stay home, stay safe.

Till next time.

Flattening the Curve, Day 43

Sanctuary of the Esquiline Venus

Hello friends. Today is my forty-third day of mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As I wait for an end to this world health crisis I continue on with a collage practice almost daily.

With this collage, titled Sanctuary of the Esquiline Venus, I was attempting to keep myself confined to working with the Esquiline figure and the pink and blue sheet music, adding just a bit more embellishment. What I ended up with though, is quite a bit more decoration than I had envisioned.

The piece began with the sheet music. Once I cut the section I wanted to use from the sheet music book, I was initially drawn to the idea of juxtaposing it with a figure of some kind, so I paged through a copy of The Horizon Book of Ancient Greece. I chose the Esquiline Venus because of its simplicity.

Once I had those two main pieces sitting next to each other, I knew I wanted to place a large floral element behind the figure and keep that area on the left side open. Then I had the idea to add the climbing vine to the figure. Once I did that it seemed like the sheet music needed some detail.

So much for trying to confine myself to just a few elements! I've discovered that I rather like tiny details and the painstaking process of cutting the thinnest of lines and the curviest of curves. But I do like the idea of the modern sheet music and the ancient marble sculpture placed side by side. It feels new and exciting - like in this sanctuary there is a 'good vibration', if you will. Maybe it's a refuge for kingfisher birds, which no doubt need such a place in the real world.

Thank you for looking and I do hope you have a creative practice that you are able to work on while you stay home and stay safe.

Take care and see you again soon.

 

Flattening the Curve, Day 41

Hello friends. Today is the forty-first day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic here in the state of Oregon.

Last week Governor Kate Brown released Reopening Oregon: A Public Health Framework for Restarting Public Life and Business with the goal being to keep the curve flattened. It has been known since early March that putting in place protective measures to flatten the curve would guard against an unprecedented number of coronavirus cases, keep vital health care services from becoming overwhelmed with patients, and allow the state to properly address testing and readiness needs.

The lifting of restrictions will not take place until certain criteria are met. For example, there must be a downward trajectory of illnesses and cases for at least 14 days and hospitals must be able to treat all patients without crisis care. Of course, testing and contact tracing, along with ensuring hospitals have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are prepared for a surge of patients are also part of that criteria.

The plan will then shift to protecting the health and safety of workers, with an emphasis on keeping social distancing and face coverings rules in place. Continual monitoring to mitigate rebounds or outbreaks will determine whether any of the three phases (lifting of restrictions) will be restarted or if there will be a return to an earlier phase. (The details of the three phases are in the above link.)

What this means is that we Oregonians will still be in this quarantine for awhile. We must await the Governor's direction before any of the reopening phases can begin.

Which, for me, means I will continue to be out on mandatory leave and I won't be able to see my mom, who lives in a care facility, for several more weeks.

And so, we continue to wait.

Thank you for reading and I hope you and your family are able to stay safe.