Cosmos, dragonflies, and nests

I am  easily led astray when it comes to creative endeavours. My intention as i pondered my day this morning, was to make a dragonfly or two for my Cosmos piece which I finished binding yesterday. Something to scratch off my list of 'artwork to finish'.

Here's how my day went: -- met friends for coffee (tea for me) -- errands which included a few groceries ( I decided on tacos for supper) --watered the plants and picked rhubarb-- made a small stewed rhubarb to have over angel food cake at supper and froze some. I didn't add sugar, only a few cut up strawberries, cinnamon and about 2 tsps of maple syrup.

 

--lunch --some sketching to go with my tea The sketching turned into a mixed media conglomeration of ideas and a bit of a mess.  Instead of simply sketching the latest blooms from my garden or beach trip inspired seashells that is my norm,  I worked with symbols that evoke childhood memories. This is a bit of uncharted territory for me. It seems a good way for me right now to get some things that lurk in the back my consciousness out onto paper and eventually to fiber.

The gold frame was torn from the newspaper and has significance for me. It is collaged on so too late to remove. It takes over the page. The newspaper bits of a tv schedule symbolize just that, schedules and routine. The screened design represents wallpaper and are evocative of memories in my past as well as symbolizing nesting. There are tiny free motion stitched outlines of birds done on deli paper, torn and collaged onto the page with gel medium.

I've left it to dry but did take the time to run a Neocolor II crayon over the frame to fade it a bit.

This is a perfect example of why it's good practice to work out ideas, designs and colors in journals before doing it in fiber, something I am doing more often. Its not a great design. However, it was cathartic in smallways and it gives me ideas anout how I want to proceed with my fibre art pieces. Finally, I did make it into my studio (view through my window)

where I pulled out my ziplock of supplies from past dragonfly sessions.

I added a coat of gel medium to see if it would give the wings a bit of stability. Then I wrapped a small folded piece of wire with yarn. Once dry, i thread an embroidery needle with a long double strand of some shiny and sparkly thread and I wrap it tightly around the body and use the needle to afix the ends. I seem to be out of the preferred weight of wire. Even more annoying is that I can't find the organza based wings that I made a couple weeks ago!

During my search for the wings, I did find a lovely piece of lace embroidered with tiny white flowers, exactly what i was looking for to add to another piece of fiber art , (Queen's Lace with Ferns) that is nearing a finish. Notice the little white flowers on the bottom right. The lace is pinned at the moment. I think it looks like it was meant to be there.

That's my day up until now. Shortly I will go get supper started. This evening will be for some exercise and a bit of yoga.