Popham Beach '09

The beach suffered severe erosion since we were here September ‘08, and this year’s dominant flotsam and jetsam were great tangles of roots (from beach roses, bayberry, pine, sea grass) and sea weed. One of the first things I saw when I greeted the breach was a semi-circle of root tangle embedded in the sand at the high tide mark. It looked like the beginning of a huge nest. Viola! This year’s art installation idea was revealed.

It didn’t take long to find other root tangles to add to the semi-circle, and a full nest quickly formed.

As the week progressed, I watched the tide meet the nest and then recede, over and over again.

With the changing phase of the moon, the high tide decreased, leaving the Big Nest on drier sand.

Later in the week, David and I created a second nest coming out of the dune.

Our final morning (which also happened to be my birthday) I went down to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful, still morning and for a while I was the only human within sight.

Then a person with a black lab appeared for a walk. The dog came right over to inspect the Big Nest (and of course leave his mark) and then jumped into the center of the circle. What a gift!

Old Frog Pond Farm Sculpture Walk

I'm honored to have the opportunity to be part of the Sculpture Walk at Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard, Massachusetts this autumn. Artist Linda Hoffman is a farmer of organic apples and raspberries. During the "pick-your-own" season, Linda has curated and displayed art around her beautiful land. For "Honey Locust Veils" I collected and strung honey locust pods, mixed with strips of fabric that I printed with the honey locust leaves. I tied them onto pussywillow branches, then attached those to the branches of two oak trees at Old Frog Pond Farm.

Safe Havens on the Edge of Wilderness

My two-person show with artist Amy Ragus is now open at the gallery at Moose Hill Audubon Sanctuary in Sharon, Massachusetts. Curator Jan Goba did a magnificent job exhibiting my Empty Nests and Great Blue pieces with Amy's plein air paintings. Plus the added attraction of several "real" nests from my collection, and a few birds from the Audubon collection! The gallery is open daily from 10-4. Safe Havens is displayed now until November 2, 2009. http://www.massaudubon.org

Women's Weekend at Western Avenue Studios

As part of Lowell's citywide Women's Week, we're hosting lots of events this weekend (beginning Friday evening, through Sunday afternoon) at Western Avenue Studios. Full event descriptions and directions at www.westernavenuestudios.com. Art demonstrations, workshops and exhibits. And my personal favorite, "Celebrating Ourselves As We Age". Anne Mulvey and I will be leading a crone celebration for women of ALL ages, to celebrate ourselves and those we love as we grow in age and wisdom! From 3-5 pm on Sunday in Studio 513. Bring yourselves, your mothers, daughters, sisters and friends to share ritual, stories and lots of laughter.

Those chairs to sit on

Keep your eye out -- the chairs will be displayed in public locations in Acton and surrounding towns this spring, with an online auction scheduled for April. Then on May first, there will be an on-site auction and reception at Powers Gallery in Acton.

First I unscrewed and re-upholstered the chair seat. Then I spray-painted all the wood black (removing the new seat, of course!)

Next I created the wings from fabric, inserting wire along the edges and stiffening the cloth with a hardener and some glue. Then I attached the wings and viola!

Wing Back Chair: Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes

A Chair to Sit On

I've been participating in "A Chair to Sit On" -- a project of Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts http://www.hgrm.org/. This wonderful non-profit organization provides household goods free of charge to individuals and families in need. They wound up with a warehouse full of single chairs (since most people look for sets of furniture) so decided to ask artists to choose a chair and do whatever we wanted with it. I found the perfect chair for my idea...

Into January

A new year, highlighted by a beautiful new moon! New beginnings... Its bitter cold here in New England, creating ice patterns throughout the land. Even on the windows of our warm home. Wishing many many blessings on our world as we enter 2009.