A Little of This, A Little of That

Sitting in my friend Linda's kitchen today I drew her lovely bunch of onions that are hanging from a post.  Later we went for a walk and found some persimmons.  I have never seen these growing here.  First, a leaf.

Then some persimmons!  These didn't look edible, at least not by us.  They have interesting leafy tops, and a few were split open showing large white seeds.

Late this afternoon I went to my grandson Jacob's first marching band concert.  He had been at band camp for the past week and a half.  He'll start high school in a few weeks, and he plays the trombone, just like his Dad and his uncle did in high school.  This high school band, which his Dad played in about 25 years ago, is truly amazing.  I thought how exciting it must be for Jacob to  be a part of that wonderful sound that they made.  He played trombone in middle school, but never before has he been part of such a large, well-coordinated and energetic band.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from yesterday's back pack are two tiny mini-wallets that I made for a friend today.  Michelle is headed off to Penland for two weeks and wanted something very small to carry in her pocket to hold her ATM card and a few bills.  I made these out of a bird seed bag and a rabbit food bag.  One has a gusset to make it hold a bit more change or a greater number of bills.  The other is smaller and flatter but still has good pouchiness even without a gusset.  These are new designs for us and not on our site yet.  We're going to make some 5 x 6" for a shop in  Black Mountain to sell as make-up bags.  I tested one out as a toiletries case when we were in New Jersey recently, and found it very convenient.  (I lost it to Nate, who wanted to keep it to carry toy trains and lip balm tubes and beads.)

Meeting Drawings

All of today's drawings came from a meeting that I went to tonight.  Page 1-- people around the table

Page 2 -- handbags, the one on the left soft and floppy;  the one on the right very plaid and upright

And page 3-- a couple of water bottles/cups from the table top.  I was going to draw a full collection, but I got involved in talking, and then the meeting ended, and so the bottle and cup have to stand alone.

Hard-Working Drawings

I spent many hours today working on a backpack for a customer.  I've never made one before, so I was working out processes as I went, and I like to draw as I go in order to figure things out.  This backpack needs to hold a very large journal, around 13 x 10 x 1", along with many heavy art supplies and sometimes a laptop.  It will also hold keys, wallet, an array pf pens and pencils-- sometimes lunch probably.  I incorporated some parts of the customer's beloved old backpack, such as the straps and the flap closing.  This page shows notes and drawings as I began to assemble all the pieces, moving toward finishing.

The backpack needed to be sewn inside out and then turned.  The placing of panels and hooks and flaps inside out was very confusing at first, so I rehearsed it using binder clips to hold the pieces together.  Then I drew each step to cement the images in my mind (and also for future reference).

Sewing was pretty awkward due to the bulk of the backpack.  My treadle machine seems to be able to handle anything I give it though, as long as I can pass it under the machine head without unthreading the machine or sewing my hand to the material.  After sewing, I had to turn the entire thing right side out, usually kind of a scary step, all that crumpling of material and stressing of seams.  No problems today, though, and the drawings helped me stay focused.  I did the sewing right on the first try and didn't have to rip or re-sew anything.  So on the left is the finished backpack.  The material is a really cute Lotus brand dog food bag combined with a chicken feed bag or two.  It's funky and useful I think.  And on the right is a map of the inside showing its two full width and length flat pockets as well as its cavernous middle section.

If you'd like us to make one for you, let me know!  Check out our blog at www.weRpiecework.blogspot.com.  We really enjoy special orders and new designs.

Getting Smart

I've had a tomato soup orange VW since 2003.  The drawing on the right shows her parked by the ivy and the forsythia bush and under the pine tree that constantly drips needles and pine goo onto her roof and hood.  She's been a trouble-free car, has never actually broken down and has needed only occasional repairs.  But lately her nearly 100,000 miles have been showing up:  for one thing, her irritating check engine light has been on steadily for three years for no reason that anyone can discern.  For another, her window seals have been drying and cracking and separating a bit in places from the window glass, leading to flooded foot wells and soggy seats after the rains of this summer.  And then there's the business with the trunk, which has quit opening when I press the trunk latch, and it takes a tag team to get the trunk lid up-- one person to press and the other to stand in the back and pry the lid up before the buzzing noise stops.

And then there's the dead key, shown on the left above.  A few years ago the buttons on it stopped working, and VW doesn't replace batteries in these keys;  you have to buy a whole new key to the tune of around $115.  So I decided to just use a manual key, which I've been doing for several years, but there's no way to unlock the trunk without the push button key or the dashboard button, and now the dashboard button isn't working.  So when I learned earlier today that the reason the check engine light came on 22 miles after I had it turned off yesterday in preparation for the state inspection on Wednesday is that the car actually needs a new catalytic converter, something whispered to me, "This does not bode well for a trouble-free car future."

So that was the state I was in, reluctant and sad, when my friend Fran said to me "I saw a Smart car for sale at my mechanic's yesterday.  Isn't that what you've wanted for a long time?"  I almost didn't go by there, thinking I should just trade in the orange car for another VW, but I decided to swing by, just to check out the color.  As I turned onto Coxe Avenue I spotted the yellow and black  car two blocks away.  It was perfect in every way!  And after talking to the owner, a mechanic who took great care of her, I was sold.  So the drawing on the right shows my new little lemon drop Smart car.! 

Purslane and Protest

Scroll on down if you've had your fill of purslane;  but if you want to know more, here are some details of the seed pod and its parts and surroundings, and on the right, a great recipe that can absorb some of your mighty purslane crop.  My friend Sue gave it to me years ago.  She called it a macrobiotic meal because it is perfectly balanced.  All I know is that I always feel good after I eat it, and I eat it for lunch at least once a week.  She used lettuce as the bed of greens on which the rice and beans sit, but I use whatever is in the garden or fridge.  My favorites are kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and purslane.

Tonight Phil and I headed downtown around 5:00 and went to the Moral Monday demonstration being held in response to our always-progressive legislature's latest round of weasily moves.  We stood in the crowd that was gathered in front of the courthouse, and I drew a tiny portion of the action as well as one of the many signs.  Because this is Asheville, a drumming circle played in the background while speakers spoke and the crowd cheered.  It had a great turnout, and the sun shone until just before the ending at 7:00, when the rain came pouring down.  An article about the demonstration is at the bottom of this post.

Sitting in our favorite Thai restaurant afterwards, I drew the odd napkin bouquets that are placed on every table as well as a large painted and spangly carved wooden statue that stands near the cash register.

 'Moral Monday' protests head to Asheville

By Travis Fain travis.fain@news-record.com

Posted: Monday, August 5, 2013 9:10 pm

Associated Press |

ASHEVILLE — With the North Carolina General Assembly finished for the year, protesters brought their Moral Monday demonstration to Asheville.
The rally at the Buncombe County Courthouse was the first away from Raleigh. The NAACP and other liberal groups hosting the protests promise to go to all 13 of North Carolina's congressional districts for the protests of what they said is the Republican-majority Legislature and governor rolling back progress in education, social and economic equality and assuring all qualified people have the right to vote.
"You can't do wrong in Raleigh and then hide back home," said the Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Several dozen of the more than 930 people arrested during the 13 weeks of protests in Raleigh were brought on the stage in Asheville as the crowd chanted "Thank you." Protesters filled the one-block square in front of the courthouse and spilled back into the next block.
"This group of jailbirds and I believe in the Golden Rule. That we should treat people the way we would want to be treated. And politicians should live by the Golden rule too," said Heather Rayburn, who was arrested as part of the protests on July 15.
Barber talked about how brave North Carolinians fought back when the state instituted segregation and laws designed to keep blacks from voting after the Civil War and also supported the civil rights movement. He said those people from history are calling for the protesters to not give up the rights and progress they fought for.
"This legacy is calling us once again today. We have seen a regressive and immoral Legislature in 180 days turn public policy 180 degrees," Barber said.
Barber said taking the protests out of Raleigh will prove there is support for what the protesters want. He told the crowd they must get more people registered to vote and let their elected officials know they are angry with the direction the state is moving.
"This is no momentary hyperventilation and liberal screaming match," Barber said. "This is a movement."

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Purslane

On the left, three views of the same apple, drawn with my new favorite pen, a Uniball Vision (fine, waterproof).  This apple was on a tree in a very old orchard in the woods near my house.  Students at the college have been trying to bring the orchard (which dates from very early in the 20th century) back for the past couple of years.  This year the trees are full of small apples, and they don't look wormy.  I found this one under a tree, drew it, and ate it.  Delicious!

On the right, drawings of three wonderful little ceramic tea cups in my kitchen.  I have a soft spot for wonky ceramics, preferably made by beginners and purchased at student art sales.

The teapot is another student piece, but this one was left behind in a studio at the end of the year.  It has lovely celandine glaze, a lid that doesn't exactly fit, a spout that shoots the tea out toward the teapot instead of the cup, and an upside down handle.  Perfect for my collection.  Oh, and the whole pot seems to have been sat on by a very light person or a small animal before it was dried.

On the right is a drawing as well as a tutorial on purslane (portulaca oleracea).  I discovered purslane a few years ago at a very good restaurant in Asheville.  It was part of a salad.  The owner of the restaurant, a friend, told me that it was very good for you as well as good-tasting, and that most people around here  have it growing as a weed in their gardens.  I had never noticed it in our yard or garden;  but when I checked the next day I found it everywhere!  You can recognize it from a related but poisonous plant by its clear sap (the poisonous plant has milky sap) and its red stem and light green, somewhat succulent leaves.  It's great mixed into a salad and also goes well in pasta, stir frys, and sautes.  Purslane can substitute for okra as a thickener in gumbos.   You'll probably have to weed out some of it even if you like it because it's tremendously prolific, sending out millions of tiny black seeds from boxy little seed pods, and it self-seeds every year.  The seeds are comparable to poppy seeds and caraway seeds and can be used in breads and pastas for flavoring.

Not only is purslane tasty, but it's very good for you.  Culpepper suggests it for coughs, vomiting, skin conditions, sleeplessness, and shortness of breath.  It's higher in vitamin C than leaf lettuces and was used to treat scurvy in early times.  It's also high in vitamin A and E, Omega 3 fatty acids,  iron, calcium, coenzyme Q, potassium, silicone, phosphorus, copper, and pectin.  Herbalists today use it to treat UTIs (it is mildly diuretic), elevated cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, boils, cuts, psoriasis, and dermatitis.  All this, and it has no known side effects, costs nothing, and you can get it without a costly visit to a prescription-writer. 

At C.B. and Then Some Studio Things

Yesterday afternoon at City Bakery: a couple having an intense conversation at lunch, and on the right, my all-time favorite sandwich there-- a turkey/avocado/bacon without mayo on a baguette.

While at the bakery yesterday, my friend Bruce explained to me how to make a besom, which is a kind of a broom that people made when they didn't have access to broom plants.  I know this is high on your list of things you've always wanted to know, so listen up:  You begin with a stout stick, which you shave in thin strips down from somewhere near the center toward the bottom, stopping short a foot or so from the bottom.  Then you turn the stick around and shave from the bottom up to near the termination point of the first group of shavings (as in the middle drawing).  Finally, you fold down the top shavings and tie them in a bunch around the top parts of the bottom shavings.  Then to finish it off, you shape the top of the handle so that it's smooth and as thin as the middle part where you shaved for the top shavings. 

On the right are three fish that hang in my studio.  The top is carved from stone, purchased in Rousillon, France, many years ago.  The middle one os carved ivory from I don't know where, and the bottom one is silvery metal from the bead shop on Lexington Ave. in Asheville.

On the left, my oldest pair of scissors;  and on the right my little Challenge proof press that I use for relief prints and monotypes and that I bought  from the print studio at Indiana University in South Bend. It was my favorite press while I was studying there. No one else ever used it, since the others were mostly intaglio and lithography people.  So when I graduated, my printmaking teacher, Alan Larkin, let me buy it, and I've used it ever since.