Chair-ity

Welcome back to the Art Kitchen! I got moved into my new space and celebrated by making a pillow to donate to a local group, Kansas Advocates for Better Care, in their Chair-ity silent auction. This pillow is 12" x 16".

"Elegant pillow in autumn colors created using an improvisational sewing/piecing method. One of a kind, bright and lovely, good to cozy up with in your favorite chair. Marion has been making art quilts and pillows for over 15 years and delights in looking for ways to play with color, pattern, and composition."

Grandmother Mabel with her grandmother Mary Ann Jones Eaton

Grandmother Mabel with her grandmother Mary Ann Jones Eaton
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

My Grandmother's Grandmother

I didn't even know I had this image. I found it in grandmother Mabel McNaughton Cain's Wedding Book from 1923 with no identification on it. At first galnce, I didn't know who it could be. I realized the younger woman was grandmother Mabel. So this must be one of her grandmothers. The older woman wasn't great great grandmother Phebe McNaughton...

I compared the younger picture of Mary Ann Eaton, I began to see the resemblance: small woman, smiling eyes, high cheekbones, even the way she wore her hair. Ah ha, it is Mary Ann!

I was "over the moon" as great aunt Alicia used to say. Here tucked away all these years, was this sweet picture of our Grandmother with her grandmother.

Mary Ann lived with her daughter, Annah, so grandmother Mabel would have know her well. If this picture was taken about 1912, Mary Ann would have been about 87, and Mable about 15. Mary Ann was born in Mass. and came to Kansas with her husband Nathaniel H. Eaton, as pioneers about 1873.

Was Mabel's older sister Lucy taking the picture? Mom said that Lucy was the picture taker of the family. If not Lucy, then probably great grandmother Annah.

As a side note, there is a chalk X on the front gate. A friend of mine was wondering if it was a hobo sign. Great aunt Alicia had some stories about hobos coming to the door and being given food in exchange for work. The hobo's would make markings, letting other hobos know if a house was friendly.

I believe that this is the little house great aunt Lucy lived in next door to the bigger house of the great grandparents in Tonganoxie. It doesn't look like the front or back door to the big house anyway.

I Spent the Day Feasting on Old Photos...

A poem of sorts
In honor of turning 50

I Spent the Day Feasting on Old Photos.
I created a portfolio of my sketches and art ideas.
I made a display of the best of the best of my photos for my digital album.

I arranged old family photographs and artifacts on my dresser.
I started a slideshow of my friends.

Lots of cropping and correcting.
Lots of memories.

Missing my dear ones that are not here.

If only we could crop and correct the past. Undo the things we wish hadn’t happened, and go for the life we wished we had.

What I wasn’t doing was cleaning my house….
Nor hacking away at my “to do’s,”
Although a considerable amount of dusting and

organizing was occurring.
Never mind the sink, the tub, the carpet, the LAUNDRY.

My friends can now look at the photos instead of the dirt.

Great great grandmother Phebe

Great great grandmother Phebe McDoual McNaughton
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

I had a great time at the KCGS genealogy conference. The highlight was meeting Maureen Taylor, the “Photo Detective” http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/photodetectiveblog/.
She was interested in my picture of great great grandmother Phebe McNaughton.

Maureen pointed out that Phebe has a wig on and that it looks like she had very thin hair underneath, almost bald. I have looked at this picture many times now and had not caught that. When I got home, I looked at the picture I have of Phebe’s sister Mary, and she has a wig too!

I did not know the McNaughton family history past my great grandparents until this year when I started scanning and researching these pictures. I am always hungry for any information about female ancestors since they are so elusive, and so this was a stellar discovery.

Here is Mary:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdyerstudio/4518833111/in/photostream/

Quick Photography Fun

Finally had a minute to play this afternoon with some photography....

Lansing House and Presbyterian Church

Lansing House and Presbyterian Church
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

I loaded old photos into Flickr today from my 2007 Artist in Residency at the Mendocino Art Center.

WabiSabi Fall

WabiSabi Fall
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

Fall is here and it's time for hot cider with cinnamon, and curling up with a good book. Unfortunately instead of getting to curl up, the outside world is demanding my attention. The US is on the verge of an historic vote to change the way health care is handled in this country. So I am attending to the process of humanitarian change instead of my artistic process for now.

This photograph was taken on a walk in the woods as I was crossing a bridge. The Chickadees were calling, and this pile of early fallen leaves caught my attention. I used a Creative Commons texture to accentuate.

It's nice to be able to do photography, even when I feel too busy to get other art done. FEEDS THE SOUL!

Lovely Wabi Sabi

Lovely Wabi Sabi
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

Have you tried Flickr yet? I just opened an account because I had photos from a political rally to put up for others from the group to enjoy. Then I moved onto family photos and finally got inspired by a photographer that also took some pictures at the rally. He was using free creative commons filters from Flickr. That was a blast to find and play with.

Then I discovered Flickr "Groups" -you can join groups and post your photos to the group. My favorites so far are "Girl Photographers," GhostWorks," and "Wabi-Sabi"

I found the Wabi-Sabi group and the Ghostworks group found me and asked me to join based on a couple of my family photos at the ocean. Ones that I had used the creative commons filters on.

Photoshop fun -my family at the ocean

family at the ocean
Originally uploaded by mdyerstudio

Image from this summer's family time. This is a fun free texture from creative commons. I'm missing my family and feeling nostalgic as fall advances.

Home town

The town where I grew up made the CBS evening news. The town hall they show was my grade shcool. You can see the woods I played in behind the building and also the road to my house in the beginning of this clip. The news story is about the post office's plan to remove the one and only mail box.
Watch CBS Videos Online

"Wallpaper - Works on Paper" juried show

I got accepted in the Lawrence Art Guild "Wallpaper - Works on Paper" show with a print of my pastel “First Apples.” The original was on toned pastel paper, and the print is on rag photo paper for inkjet printing. The texture of the pastel paper comes through in the print and looks great on the matt photo paper. Here is the Lawrence Art guild’s new website: www.lawrenceartguild.org

Summer Squash Love

Greetings! The Art Kitchen is open again after a busy spring away.

I'm having a love affair with summer squash; I can’t stop eating it. When I finally had some time to make art today, I decided to draw the lovely yellow squash before I ate it.

Below is my recipe for a simple but tasty way to prepare it. It’s particularly good from the farmer’s market.



Rinse 4 small yellow summer squash.
Gently pat dry.
Trim off ends and cut lengthwise in strips.
Preheat skillet to medium high.
Pour 2 teaspoons of olive oil in and bring up to temperature.
Cook till all sides are a luscious golden brown, turning as few times as possible, 3-5 minutes.
You want them to be cooked through (but not squishy).
Cook longer if needed.
Turn the heat down if oil starts to smoke.
Scoop onto plate, sprinkle with salt and eat right away.

Last Spring

8"x8" digital photo on rag paper.

When

8"x8" digitized photo on rag paper.

The Radish Was Waiting

8"x10" digital photographic image on rag paper.

A is for Artichoke

8"x10" digital image on rag paper.

Art is Food

Bread and Puppet’s began in the 60’s and is still an active and vibrant Theater Company in Vermont. I came across a book about them after I had left New England in a Midwestern public library. I felt a kinship right away with their politics and their humor.

I had forgotten about them until I had the idea for this blog. My friend Lori mentioned their Manifesto after she visted the cyber Art Kitchen Studio the first time.

Lori is now living and making art in Vermont; she said she came across their manifesto in Kansas and that it really inspired her: “I included it in artwork I was making at the time....weird how things intersect in our lives....kinda cool.” Now she gets to go to their performances on a regular basis.

Here is a part of their manifesto:

…PEOPLE have been THINKING too long that
ART is a PRIVILEGE of the MUSEUMS & the
RICH. ART IS NOT BUSINESS!
It does not belong to banks & fancy investors
ART IS FOOD.
You can’t EAT it
BUT it FEEDS you.
ART has to be CHEAP & available to EVERYBODY.
It needs to be EVERYWHERE because it is the
INSIDE of the WORLD.
ART SOOTHES PAIN!
Art wakes up sleepers!
Art fights against war & stupidity
ART SINGS HALLELUJA
Art is for kitchens
ART IS LIKE GOOD BREAD
Art is like green trees
Art is like white clouds in blue sky
ART IS CHEAP
HURRAH!!

-Bread & Puppet Glover, Vermont, 1984
www.breadandpuppet.org

Art Kitchen Guest Spot

Check out Lori Hinrichsen’s Etsy.com site: www.ChasingStillness.etsy.com She’s always been an inspiration here at the Art Kitchen, both for living well and for her art. She’s selling note card sets as well as her photography –great value and affordable gifts.

Here is her fine art website:
www.lorihinrichsen.com
Her intaglio page is new, these pieces are subtle and georgeous and also very affordable original artwork.

Digital Art Kitchen

"When I Was Sure"
8"x10" digital image on rag paper.

Thai Noodle Bowls

Every Art Kitchen needs tableware. These bowls are wheel thrown domestic porcelain. I am new to working with porcelain, it is more like cream cheese than stoneware clay. This shape of bowl was very pleasing to make and they have a nice deep foot. I love them for noodle dishes and Thai salads.

The glaze on the inside is Wert Trap Shino over Oatmeal and the outside is Michael Davis Shino over VC Celadon, with a little VC Celadon on the rim.

The whole combination makes the MD Shino colorize the cold wax brush strokes to orange on the outside. The VC celadon slides down inside and makes a crackle green celadon in the base possibly because of the WT Shino on the inside. The black is from the MD Shino/VC Celadon combination.