The Big LeBoise

Today was a beautiful day.  The high was in the low 70's.  This morning we decided to ride downtown and check out a new event, The Big Le Boise, which is sponsored by the weekly alternative paper, The Boise Weekly.  After a few bike issues and having to go back home and start over, we finally made it downtown. 

It was a relatively small event with some craft booths and a few other things set up, a couple of food vendors and a stage for entertainment.

Anna by the Boise Weekly truck which had a cool design on it.

These were some interesting glass pendants.

These were some necklaces made with nuts and washers that both Anna and I liked.

I liked the Test Tube Kitty neon sign.

After we were finished looking, we rode over to the Basque block to get some lunch at Bar Gernika.

Anna was so happy to be getting some croquetas (me too).  Yummy!

After lunch we walked over to the Saturday market so Anna and Frank could get some cookies (none for me, but it is almost the end of the month). We had some more bike issues, but took care of it.

Today Anna rode her own bike downtown, instead of on the tandem with Frank.  And she rode all the way up Shaw Mountain road (with a few rest stops, but still impressive).

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school here.  It's a bit earlier than last year and was only a half day.  I hope that now I can get back into a more regular routine.  Maybe during the day, but after school will be filled with driving to and from volleyball practices and games for awhile.  After school starts, it seems like the rest of the year just starts rolling by faster and faster.

Anna ready for the eighth grade!  

Can you see the little white circle just on the edge of the lower branch (almost where the one above it ends)? That was the moon.  It was around 7 a.m. and the sun was not quite up all the way.  That means my day is starting earlier, too.

Tour de Fat

Today was a wonderful day that was cooler than usual.  We spent the afternoon cleaning up branches that were blown down in a storm last night and trimming other branches.  Not what I originally had in mind.

Yesterday morning, we went to the Tour de Fat event in Boise.  It is an event put on by the New Belgium Brewing Co. in celebration of biking, with beer (not the other way around, they say).  They make Fat Tire beer, among others. All the money raised goes to three non-profit local organizations (from what I hear). 

Anna was at a friend's house because she had spent the night.  So Frank and I rode downtown in the morning.  It was the first time we have ridden the tandem bike together.  (Frank and Anna have been riding together for a long time).  It was quite weird to me and will definitely take some getting use to.  I'm not sure I really like it, just yet, as the second person gives up some control. 

They had a bike parade in the morning, which Frank and I decided not to participate in. We really don't like riding in big groups.  But there were lots of people dressed up in crazy costumes (that's part of the event).  They also had a section of Ann Morrison park set up with tents and a stage.  They were serving beer and having entertainment throughout the day.  We did not get any beer as Frank didn't want to ride home on the bike after having some.

The Treasure Valley Artists' Alliance was lucky enough to be allowed to have a booth there.  There was a painting of a bike set up with a grid on top and people were asked to paint in a square where they like to ride their bike. 

The TVAA group might donate the bike painting to hang in the  Boise Bicycle Project. That group was also there.

They had made a tree out of bicycle parts. 

There was a "cooling" station.  Yes, those people in the picture are guys dressed up.

Two-headed me in the fun mirror.

Entertainment. Notice the gnome in the crowd (the tallest one I've ever seen).  I really don't have a good picture of all the people in crazy costumes.

Another sculpture.

We didn't do very much, or stay very long, but it was fun to see what the event was all about, and support bicycling in Boise.

Diet?

My daughter has declared that she does not like my "diet".  "Diet" being my attempt to give up dietCoke and desserts for the rest of the month, which I don't consider a diet.  (By the way, I'm still holding out and haven't had either.)  I did not say that anyone else in the family had to participate with me on this choice.  However, since I am the one doing the grocery shopping, I am not bringing dietCoke into the house.  I still buy ice cream for my husband and daughter, as well as Hanson's sodas.  I have even found a new drink we all like.  Have you seen this?

For some time now, every time I go to do weekly grocery shopping I see bottles of this and other flavors lined up in one of the refrigerated cases.  This particular one sounded good to me.  Finally several weeks ago, I decided I would get one and try it.  It is very, very good!  Anna and Frank like it, too.  It is kind of expensive, I think.  The ingredients say: chai tea, soy milk, vanilla and apple juice (among other things listed in the tea).  So I thought maybe I could try brewing my own chai tea, add some soy milk, apple juice and vanilla and see if it tastes anything like this.  I'll let you know how it goes if I try it.

The hardest thing as been not having chocolate and just remembering that I'm not suppose to have dessert.  We were at a party and there were some strawberries and some chocolate fondue.  I was about to get some chocolate for the strawberries and remembered that I wasn't suppose to.  Technically, does that count as dessert?  I enjoyed the strawberries plain.  Is it the end of the month yet?

Getting Ready

This past weekend I was able to get hanging rods cut for pieces for an exhibition my work will be in at the beginning of September.  It is a two person show at the Initial Point Gallery in Meridian, Idaho (Initial Point Gallery is located on the third floor of Meridian City Hall, located at 33 E. Broadway Avenue in downtown Meridian. The gallery is free to visit and open to the public each Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, excluding major holidays).  In this venue, the artist(s) are in charge of hanging their own art (with some volunteer help).  This is no problem for me since that is what my job as curatorial assistant at the art museum entails. Carlos Palacio and I will be installing our work on Sept. 10.

I have all the hanging rods cut.  I need to attach the d-rings.  Wall labels are made and ready to go.  I have a few labels to put on the backs of artwork and a couple of hanging sleeves to sew on.  I think I am in pretty good shape.  I'm planning on bringing lots of work, but will probably not use all of it since I have only half of the space in the gallery. I will do the layout when I get there and see what works.

There will be an artist reception on Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. I think we artists are also in charge of the refreshments for the reception.  I have some thoughts on that but will worry about that after installation.

Sketchbook Project: Page 2

Sketchbook Project: Page 1

The first page in the sketchbook is a welcome page.

Sketchbook Project: Cover

Today I finally got around to officially starting my Sketchbook Project sketchbook.  I painted the cover.

Stitchin'

I've been working on a larger piece this week.  Today I got quite a bit of the quilting done on it, but there is still more to do.  Hope to have the completed picture up soon.

Vices

I'm making a declaration here.  I am going cold turkey on drinking diet Coke and having desserts until the end of the month.  There, I said it and am now accountable to all of you.  Actually, I started this on Sunday and am doing o.k. so far.  Diet Coke is my "comfort" drink.  I think I am more emotionally addicted to it than physically addicted.  I do not drink coffee, or iced tea (sometimes I drink hot herbal tea when it's cold) so diet Coke is my go-to drink.  I've been getting the kind that has Splenda (not aspartame) in it since I saw it in the store.  But I think there are probably some other things in the drink that might not be so good for me.  It won't be too hard to give it up for a while because I've done it before and go in cycles of on again, off again.

Giving up the desserts is going to be a million times harder, especially where chocolate is concerned.  I do have a sweet tooth.  We'll see how long I make it with this one.

Why am I doing this?  To see if I can.  To become a little more healthy for a little while.  To exercise some will power of which I don't seem to have a lot.  I'll let you know how I do. 

Etsy Shop

I haven't had anything in my shop for a little while as I forget that the listings expire after some time.  Today I put in some "new" items.  They are actually works from 2007 in the Color Block Series.  You can check them out here.

 

 Spring Blocks #3

hand dyed fabrics, fused applique, machine quilting

8-1/2"h x 8-1/2"w

© 2007 Lisa Flowers Ross

Incidental Series #3

Here is another piece in this incidental series.  I still had some green fused fabric left, but was running out of variety.  I decided to add another color - yellow.  I also had the thought to stamp some polka dots on some of the green fabric before starting this piece.  I mixed paint to try to match the red-orange fabric.  I decided to fuse it to a regular piece of fabric this time.  There is hand stitching like the others and I did do quilting on this one, although it might be too much.  I liked it a little better before all the quilting.

While I was working on this, the word circus kept coming to mind.  I think it has something to do with the polka dots and red-orange color.  Although each of the three pieces started out with the same fabrics and method of assembly, they each have a different "feel" to them (in my opinion).

I would like to do more of these with a different color set of fused fabrics sometime.  Right now, even though I still have some of that green fused fabric left, I have moved on to a bigger piece.  I've just starting pulling out fabrics and they are laying on my floor.  So many ideas, so little time.

Polka Dot Circus

hand dyed and stamped fabrics,

fused applique,

hand stitching with hand dyed thread,

machine quilted

10-1/4"x6-1/2"

© 2010 Lisa Flowers Ross 

Incidental Series #2

The piece I showed you yesterday was fused to Warm and Natural batting which has a bit of a textured surface.  I wanted to do another piece with the leftover fused fabric, but I wanted to fuse it to a different background.  I thought about a piece of felt, but I only had acrylic felt and I didn't want to use that.  I thought a wool felt would be nice, but didn't have any.  I did have some wool sweaters that I fulled (or felted) for some kind of future project. 

I found a nice dark green in the pile and cut a rectangle out of the sweater.  I, once again, started cutting the fused green fabric and arranging it on the dark green.  I liked how it looked leaving space between the pieces to be able to see the background and create an outline around each section.  I still had some red-orange and added that again.  Hand stitching was added again, but I didn't really want to do any quilting on it.  I had to fuse another piece of fabric on the back because it was a little bit floppy.  It still is but I am intending for it to go into a frame.

Green Mosaic

fabric hand dyed by artist,

fulled wool sweater,

fused applique,

hand stitching with hand dyed thread

9-1/2"hx7-1/2"w

© 2010 Lisa Flowers Ross 

Incidental Series

Since I have finished work on the small mini garden series, I was thinking I need to get to work on something bigger: a big piece.  But as I was sitting at the computer doing something else, I was thinking that I really haven't been doing much "playing" at art.  I have been starting with an idea or sketch with the intention of making a finished piece.  So, one day last week I just decided to go into my sewing studio and play.

I started with nothing in mind.  I had some leftover fused pieces of fabric on the table which were mostly green.  I just started cutting them and laying them out in some pleasing arrangement.  I had a little bit of red orange and added some of that for contrast.  I fused it to some batting, did some hand stitching and then quilted it.  I'm not sure what to call it, but for now I will call it Red-orange Square.

Red-orange Square

fabrics hand dyed by artist,

fused applique,

hand stitching with hand dyed thread,

machine quilted

9"hx7"w

© 2010 Lisa Flowers Ross

In the end, I guess I wasn't "playing" too much as I ended up with a finished piece anyway.  And as you might guess by today's title, this isn't the only one I did. Will show you more tomorrow.

Sketchbook Project

I'm sure some of you have already read about the Sketchbook Project.  I know I have read about it several times on different blogs.  The first time was a couple of months ago and I went to the website to check it out.  I thought about doing it but wasn't sure and continued on with other computer business.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Then I saw it mentioned again on a couple of other blogs.  I eventually went back to the site and decided to participate.  The first time I went, they had different themes.  The one I was interested in was geometric shapes.  But they only allow so many people to sign up for one theme.  The next time I went, there were different themes.  I chose the theme "the view from up here."  I thought that tied into a lot of what I have been doing in my artwork lately and I can continue to explore that. I received the sketchbook last week.

I wish I could be in one of the towns the sketchbooks will go to and check them out, but maybe I will be able to see some online.

Now I can't decide if I want to take the book apart and put in different pages or just leave it as is. I'm not sure.  I think I am leaning toward leaving it as is and using colored pencils, markers or pastels inside (as I don't usually use those that much) and paint the outside cover.  I really just need to jump in and get started. 

It will be interesting how to approach this sketchbook as it will be a public document.  Usually my sketchbooks are just meant for me.  I think it will make each page more of a finished work than just a sketch as usual.  I will try to document as I go along as I did not pay for the option to have them digitize my sketchbook for me.

Weekend Happenings 2

On Sunday, I helped to hang the Leftovers print exchange at Woodriver Cellars winery in Eagle, Idaho.  Sue Latta, Odessa Leedy and I hung the 63 prints on one wall while Amy Nack and Maria Gambliel hung another print exhibit (solar plate prints) on another wall.  We managed to get everything up in a couple of hours and it looks really nice.  Go check it out or come to the artist reception which will be on Aug. 13th from 5-7 p.m.  Enjoy with some wine and food.

Sue and Odessa working.

All the pieces hung up.

Close up of some of the pieces.

Two examples

Weekend Happenings 1

Last week, Anna was at a Y resident camp outside of Cascade, all week.  Or so we thought?  I put her on the bus in town on Monday and they hauled them up to camp.  She could have taken a bus home as well, but I wanted to see the camp and take some pictures of Anna there.  Frank and I drove up on Saturday morning to pick her up.

The camp is new (they are still working on parts) and is located at Horsethief Reservoir just outside Cascade, Idaho.  When we arrived and signed out Anna, the guy said that that group should have had fun because they went all over Idaho.  What?  That was not what Anna and I had expected.  We did not know that for the Teen Adventure Series, she would not be staying in camp in a cabin, but going to a different place each night and setting up tents!

When I had paid for the camp at the downtown Y, I asked if I could get a list of things to pack.  The person gave me a general booklet for all the resident camps.  We packed according to that list and with the assumption that Anna would be in a cabin.  The camp description did not make any clear mention of tent camping.  So unfortunately, Anna was woefully unprepared (as well as the majority of other campers signed up for the same camp, except for one who had participated the previous year).  If I would have known it was tent camping, I would have packed very different things for her (like a camping sleeping bag instead one that is more for indoor sleepovers).  They did supply mess kits and some other gear but Anna said they were well used and not in good shape.  Despite having the wrong type of things, Anna did survive and said she did have some fun and made new friends.

They did a white water rafting trip on the north fork of the Payette river, which I think was the highlight for Anna.  They did the zip line at the regular camp, once.  She said they failed at fishing, watched some smoke jumper training, among other things, and spend a lot of time driving from location to location.

When we arrived to pick her up, her group was finishing up some things.  Frank and I walked around to see what the camp was like, even though Anna didn't stay there.  It was very nice.  Everything was new.  They had a short zip line and a rock climbing structure in the shape of Idaho.  There was also an archery range, a nine hole disc golf course and they had a swimming area on the reservoir. I took a few pictures even though it won't mean much to Anna this year.

View from Flag ceremony area (which was just completed last week).

View of Idaho shaped rock climbing structure.

Hopefully, next year Anna will be able to enjoy the facilities.

The Last . . .

of this little series, for now.  Did you guess what this one would be?  Yes, the Autumn Tree to round out the seasons. 

Autumn Tree

tea-dyed and commercial fabrics,

fused applique and machine piecing,

hand stitching and machine quilting

aprrox. 10"x6" unframed

© 2010 Lisa Flowers Ross

There have been several things going on this weekend that I will get you caught up on in the next couple of days.