art quilts

Tree Bones Take 2

| JP Dawes Artist

Spring has sprung early here in north central Arkansas. The first thing I noticed was all the activity in my backyard around our birdhouses. It was like the snowbirds returning to Florida after a long winter up north. It was constant traffic looking for a new VRBO for the summer, or in this case a new BRBO. Then all the spring flowers are appearing way too early, the asparagus is popping up and the front yard needs a little trimming. With all this going on, I knew that the trees were soon going to be decked out in their green finery.

Time to search out trees that are still showing their bones. Here is one I found in a vacant lot. There used to be a ramshackle building there that camouflaged its outstanding bones. I’m so glad I was able to get some photos. I suspect that when the lot sells the tree will be cut down to make way for progress. If you are as enamored with tree bone structure as I am feel free to use these for your personal art reference.

Tree Bones

| JP Dawes Artist

Do you think of trees as having bones? Noun: the basic or essential framework of something. I love tree bones. It’s the time of year that they are visible before the warm weather decks them out in their green finery.

An early spring camping trip was an occasion to explore the bones. I normally would have set up my easel and oil paints for some plein air painting. It was too windy no matter how I placed the easel against the wind. So I broke out the ink and watercolor.

Ticky Tacky Little Boxes

| JP Dawes Artist

Little boxes saved for just the right projects. Mother of Pearl button waste, eco printed silk, antique book words and Knick Knacks in ticky tacky boxes. Each is 6×6 inches, some introverted and some extroverted. Here are 2 of the latest finishes on the studio work table.

It’s A Shoe In

| JP Dawes Artist

Assemblages don’t have to be cogs and wheels, nuts and bolts or heavy metal. Sometimes an assemblage can be sweet. Gosh I dislike that word since it makes me think of ‘chocolate boxy’ crafts work, full of crochet and flowers. I had purchased this pair of antique leather Mary Janes simply because I loved them. They evoked days gone by and sweet childhood memories. I hope I honored that feeling with these two assemblage pieces. And OOPS, there are flowers and bits of crochet edging. The tiny beaded flower is from a broken necklace of my mother’s. Funny how I keep finding uses for the bits of her life that are left. The yellow base is the lid of a luxury soap tin and the red bird base is the cover of an antique book. These will eventually be for sale in my Etsy Shop.

The Realism and Poetry of Assemblage

| JP Dawes Artist

The memory throws up high and dry A crowd of twisted things;
A twisted branch upon the beach Eaten smooth, and polished. As if the world gave up The secret of its skeleton, Stiff and white.
A broken spring in a factory yard,
Rust that clings to the form that the strength has left Hard and curled and ready to snap. ….. T. S. Eliott

If you are interested in finding out more about the art of assemblage, this is a link to MOMA for a book “The art of assemblage” By William C. Seitz. You might be surprised about the well known artists who did assemblage. https://www.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_1880_300062228.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1RLREt38cWBV44Wy99c4TOy6sd7pIOPKhzrx8HJ2pULNq6xfew_2FPaAk

New treasures yesterday waiting to become. They will be paired with other bits and pieces to tell a story in an assemblage.