Lichen experiment on wool

February 16, 2016 | JP Dawes Artist

A local tree gave up dead limbs from a recent storm. I noticed they were covered with lichen so It was time for an experiment before they were carted off. I am always amazed at how nature continues to give to us.

The tiniest bit of lichen in boiling water immediately began giving color. The cup in the foreground is

the color within seconds of adding boiling water. You can see the color in the back cups after resting overnight. The left cup had a dash of bakng soda added, the right cup had a spash of ammonia added. The hanks are 1 yard of white homespun wool left overnight.

I can see that lichens are deserving of a dyer’s respect and further experimenting along with eco printing. However, a warning I keep reading about is to never remove these from a standing tree or rock. Only take windfall that might otherwise be headed for the burn pile. I don’t fully understand their part in our ecosystem but it is wise to be kind to nature.

My studio assistants hard at work

February 10, 2016 | JP Dawes Artist

A Little R & R

February 8, 2016 | JP Dawes Artist

Ron and I took a much needed weekend away. We hired a babysitter to spend the nights with our tiny pups and hit the road. We decided we needed to check out Springfield, MO a little more. They have a new boutique hotel Hotel Vandivort to explore. We used to take weekend trips like this quite often in our younger days but since we purchased a small motor home they became a thing of the past.

We made certain to plan our stay around a First Friday Art Walk. The weather has remained balmy so walking would be pleasant. We had no luck finding the kind of restaurant we wanted for dinner. Most of the offerings were the standard sandwiches and fried foods, maybe that’s what the hip people eat now and we were showing our age. We found a neat little place that looked upscale, nice interior, nice wait persons. Odd menu items but we decided to give it a try. Ugh! The best thing we ate was the salad so that should give you an idea.

A gallery was next door with mostly architectural offerings. They had many oriental rugs and we gravitated to them. Rather than show us, they said they had many in the basement and if we wanted to come back another time they would show them to us, but they were really tired from working all day ?????

We had a map of participating galleries. And found 2 open. Amazing, right? On our walk back to the hotel we stopped at a bistro market for ice cream. Next to the hotel the gallery we could see from our hotel window finally was open, all be it an hour and half too late. My arthritic joints were screaming by that time so a walk up 3 flights of stairs to see the art wasn’t going to happen.

Here are some photos I took that I think are more exciting than the non-existent art walk.

Do you ever just say, “gotta have it”?

February 5, 2016 | JP Dawes Artist

I saw this great light at a thrift and thought I wanted it. Ron usually trusts me but he turned up his nose. You know…the look! I walked away but couldn’t forget about it. I really really really wanted that light to hang in the gallery window. So a week later it was still there and I snagged it. Of course he had to hang it and guess what….he likes it! He really really likes it! And I do too!

Tunic top Completed

January 24, 2016 | JP Dawes Artist

Love how this looks completed. It is perfect paired with black leggings and black shirt. I finished off the rolled neckline with a simple chain stitch hand embroidery. The sleeves are cuffed and the front is split. I used Sew Tina Givens Bloom Dress pattern with modifications. Nice to have something that flows over the hips!