Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves

Christmas is over and the kids are gone.  I've been sick with a cold since the Friday before Christmas.  Must be from all those students sneezing and coughing, you think? Since it wasn't going away I  went to the doc in the box the Friday after Christmas to get something for my cough so I can al least get some sleep at night.  So I've been taking it easy, drinking lots of tea.

I love leaves.  I have been picking up all kinds of leaves for years.  When I can, I take them home and press them between book pages weighting them down until they are nice and flat.  And the ones I can't take home I photograph.

Here's a gorgeous coleus we saw on the way home after dropping off one of my sons at the airport yesterday.

The colors are so amazing as are the values and their repetition.

Here's one I may have shown before followed by a photo-shopped version of it as well.  It is a photo of one of my sunflowers about ready to bloom.

I think this one would make a great block print.

I will 'leave' you with that and wish you a Happy, healthy New Year!

Ethnic Ceramic Masks

How exciting to find out my blog has received over 10,000 views!! It's been challenging to keep it going week to week, even with posting weekly.  At the same time it keeps me creating and is my journal in many ways.  Thank you to all of you who have visited.  I hope you will continue to keep checking it out.  I'll try to keep it interesting.

Been busy with all things Christmas this last week, so today am going to show you some of the great ethnic ceramic masks my students have created over the last month.

Over Dyeing Ice Dyed Fabrics and Scarf

I had some time earlier in the week to add a little black to two pieces of ice dyed fabric and one scarf.  Here is fabric number 1 prior to dyeing.

Next I accordion folded the fabric, rolled it up, put it in a container and drizzled dye on top of the folded edges.

Below is the finished fabric.

I couldn't find a picture of this fabric prior to last week's overdyeing, but it was similar to the one above.  Below is a picture of how I swirled and crunched up the fabric into a plastic box. Then I drizzled dye on top and very strategically.

Here is the finished piece.

And last, but not least, a silk scarf that needed a little more black.

Sunday Sunrise Snapshot

School and life in general has been keeping me way too busy lately.  Haven't had a chance to work on my art fabric very much.  Been crocheting gift scarves, shopping, baking, grading papers, blah, blah, blah.  This last week we've had such beautiful views of the sunrise from our home.  The colors change so quickly, that I need to grab my camera and run out in my jammies to capture the beauty.  So this week I'll leave you with a picture of one to enjoy.