Musings – Page 10 – Summerhouse Art

Inspiration, Pique Assiette Mosaics and A Quote by Picasso

Posted on April 5, 2010June 14, 2015 by Helen

Picasso quote on studio door, summerhouseart.com

I found this quote the other day in my internet wanderings and immediately copied it and attached it to my studio door. A little reminder to find some time, no let me rephrase that, make some time to let inspiration find me working. My time is so precious, there is just not enough of it and sometimes I feel like I squander it. Oh, I really do need, somehow, to find a way to do it all, all the things I need and want to do.

Right now I’ve got all my bits of ocean tumbled pottery spread out on what little space is left on my studio work table. I’m creating a new mosaic with them. The first mirror I made with them is in a previous post, The Beach Shard Pottery Experiment. The plants are crowding out the work space because I had to move them to the table, so I could put the starter seeds in the window instead, but that’s another story and another place I’ve spent my time.

in progress, Pattern Beach Pottery mosaic Helen Bushell, summerhouseart.com

But I have made some time, put some music on and started to move the bits around to find the right composition. At first, I looked for the odd bits with pattern on them and made them the focus.
in progress, Pattern Beach Pottery mosaic Helen Bushell, summerhouseart.com Later I realized that I was enjoying the off white bits, the bits that had curves of the plate rims on them and started to see that I could use them as the focus and create an interesting surface with those.

I’m trying to create a sense of movement with these curves.

in progress, Pattern Beach Pottery mosaic Helen Bushell, summerhouseart.com

So there it is, that’s as far as I got. Only a little time and then I went off to help with Easter dinner and make a Rhubarb Cobbler with fresh spring rhubarb from the garden. Delicious, by the way. My mosaic will have to wait for me, but I will get back to it, now that inspiration has found me working.

If you find mosaics intriguing I hope you’ll spend a little time yourself on my posts about my pique assiette mosaics.

Of Bunny Ornaments and a Painted Russian Egg

Posted on April 3, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

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Because I sometimes use ornaments in my mosaics, I have rather a good collection. And of course I had some lovely lovely bunnies.

Plus I also have a rather gorgeous painted Russian egg, which my beautiful Russian daughter-in-law, Olya, brought back all the way from Russia. Then another painted egg from Chinatown completed the idea forming in my minds eye, of creating a little Easter composition.

So after happily traipsing all over the garden collecting flowers for the bouquet, then setting up Easter bunny vignettes, Will and I had a little fun creating today’s post.

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Hope you enjoy the holiday and eat lots and lots of chocolate eggs!

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Blossoms, Blossoms and the Accidental Gift

Posted on March 31, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

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Realizing that I’ve been stuck in front of the computer for far too long, I pushed my chair away yesterday and grabbed my little camera and set out for a walk. I was looking for photos for a photo essay I’m working on, but that is for another day. I didn’t go far. Just a block or two from my home. But there was much to see and savour. Blossoms, blossoms everywhere. The gorgeous ones above were on some trees on the boulevard by the Medical Clinic.

In a front garden, a heather’s fuchsia color was set off so well by the bright green of the leaves of the bush next to it.

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A magnolia in full bloom outside an apartment building.

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Grape hyacinths in another front yard, periwinkle-purple color so saturated and full.

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And as I wandered by, my eye was caught by a little vignette not planted lovingly by anyone at all, just a lucky scattering of seeds that grew where they were cast, maybe by the birds or a breeze. Clustered around a hydro meter, of all places. A little gift of accidental color, complimentary on the color wheel. Orange and purple, calendula and bluebells.

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Then turning back, these cheery pale yellow tulips in my own flower bed welcomed me home.

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First Day of Spring Resolutions

Posted on March 20, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

It occurred to me today, as I went out to do some garden clean up, that in some ways, the first day of spring can be much like New Years Day. Both days can be full of resolutions. Granted, for some, there is still snow on the first day of spring, so for those who still waiting, replace first day of Spring with First-day-of-Real-gardening-after-the-snow-is-gone.

So what are the similarities? Well,on New Years Day, I sometimes think I really must change my ways, have a fresh start. I decide I must get more exercise, really must get into shape, must stop eating all those lovely chocolate goodies. Or I decide I really should try to have a really tidy house, all the time, not just before company comes. Or I decide that this year I will be calm, contemplative, meditative and stress free. Of course, more exercise just becomes more walks and I don’t stop eating goodies but do try to eat less of them. Having a tidy house all the time lasts for about a week. But I have stuck with trying to meditate more. So, what about my first day of Spring resolutions?

Well, come the first day of Spring, I tell myself that this year when it comes to gardening, I will not over do it and will instead pace myself, take lots of breaks and for once, avoid giving myself a nasty case of muscle spasms. I even thought maybe this year I would only allow myself one hour of weeding per day. I always hope to have a much nicer garden, maintained, weeded, not such a hodge podge. But instead of trying to do it all right away, I will remind myself that I have all spring and summer and I can take my time.

Of course, all that goes out the window on the first day of Spring. Gone is the plan to go slow, not spend the whole day bent over, not to try to do too much. Of course, more than one bed got weeded, more than one area got cleaned up. The little green wagon filled with weeds and also 2 big garbage buckets filled with garden waste to take to the garden recycle. We just couldn’t STOP!

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But on a positive note, I did take care of my knees. You may laugh at my little stool with the old pillow wrapped in plastic bags but me “sitting and weeding my way around the garden”, instead of kneeling my way around the garden really saved my knees.

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But oddly enough, I was reminded of one of my New Year’s resolutions to try to be calm and more contemplative while I was slowly and methodically weeding the paths in the herb garden. It came to me as I worked that I needed to think about the mood I’m in when I garden. Am I combative, ready to wage war with the weeds, a control freak who needs everything in its place, every bed edged? Or am I calm and accepting, ready to just enjoy the day and the feeling of accomplishment as I slowly get something done, ready to accept the little surprises that grow where I didn’t plant them? One way is stressful, full of anger sometimes, and often disappointment. The other contemplative, meditative, generally happier and stressfree. I think this will be one thought and perhaps a new resolution, that I will try to carry with me from now on, when I venture out to tend to the garden.

An in the end, resolutions kept or not, as Will put it, after a day out in the garden you always do feel great mentally, although the physical part, the sore muscles, the aching back don’t always feel quite so good as we pop an anti-inflammatory and finally relax by vegging on the couch for the evening.

Something Silly and Fun – Weather Rocks

Posted on March 15, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

Oh I know it’s an old joke. Weather rocks to tell you the weather, if they’re wet, it’s raining, If they’re dry and hot, well then, it’s sunny. Today the rocks are very very wet. Luckily, since I live on the Wet Coast, I happen to like rain.

And I also like rocks, collect them sometimes. So for fun, here are my “Weather Rocks” in context, with part of the rain-washed garden in the background.

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My Morning Walk

Posted on March 9, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

I find I rarely leave the house for a walk without my camera. And today, although suddenly the weather has turned colder, I was determined to get some photos of the trees. This is, after all one of the reasons I moved here… trees in bloom in February and March.

My artist eyes like to see abstract compositions and this juxtaposition of the red new leaves in the hedge against the fine pink blossoms just caught me.

red-hedge

Only a few houses away I couldn’t resist the twisting black branches of this tree full of blossoms.

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The one thing about Victoria is that we are a garden city and even the traffic circles have landscaping! Don’t you just love it?

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I know that when I decide to turn to the right on my walk, I’m going to end up visiting the chickens. There is just no way I’ll miss them. The people here have such a collection of pretty chickens and I’m sure they have pretty eggs too.

chickens

The park next door on the way home presented a chance to get a close up of the blossoms, which I couldn’t resist.

blossom-cls-up

And finally, home again, to be reminded of my flea market find of last weekend. OK consider this the “before” photo. Eric thinks it’s ugly, but Bill and I sat on it in the church parking lot, where the sale was held. The swing has a great swinging movement and hey, it didn’t break. I’ve always wanted a garden swing. Plus the price was right…$8! Now I just have to decide what color to paint it. Oh decisions, decisions.

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A Perfect Birthday on a Perfect Spring Day

Posted on March 4, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

orchid-flwrs1

Yesterday I celebrated another year on this beautiful world with just a very few of my most special people. Yesterday was a perfect spring day and somehow my presents confirmed it. Well, at least here it’s Spring already, and looking around, I’m pretty sure about this.

First a gift of Orchids called Cymbidium, pale mauve pink and spotted peaking out from an abundant set of leaves. Love the name, the way it sounds. Sometimes I just love saying the names of flowers and plants, just for the way they sound, like cymbidium, alstromeria, phalaenopsis or pachysandra.

And it just so happened that I had the perfect pot for them, made years ago by mosaicing an old crock pot of all things.

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Then, a beautiful arrangement of spring flowers which, after spending time being admired as my table centerpiece, will be planted out in the garden. Almost like a double present. The wire hearts will I think become part of some chime arrangement later.

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And then last but not least, a Hart’s Tongue Fern. This is for some reason my most favourite fern. I’ve been wanting one for years. There is something about the curl of the leaves that I love. I may have to draw it first, before it takes its place in the garden.

harts-tongue

So yesterday was a perfect day. And my birthday celebrations are not over yet! Friday, I’ll have more of my very special people over to make all kinds of pizzas and drink lots of wine. Ah, can’t wait!

10 Things To Do To Get Over The It’s-Almost-Spring-Time-but-Not-Yet Blues

Posted on February 18, 2010January 16, 2015 by Helen

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Today in Victoria, it’s sunny and beautiful and that’s good. It feels like spring and later I’ll be out there taking photos of all my flowers in the garden. Today, at the Olympics, just across the strait from me, the snow is melting and that is not good.

But today I’m thinking of other people who are still waiting for spring to come. Friends who are stuck in snow, cold and sometimes depending on where they live, rain and fog. I remember when we lived in Calgary and the wait for spring could sometimes last till June! Now I’m in Victoria where spring comes in February. I know when I’m lucky.

So it’s that time of year, not quite spring, not quite enough light out, and depending on where you live, maybe gray skies, maybe cold weather. It’s enough to get anyone down. Of course, a person can get the blues anytime, no reason. And then there are those days when you want to create something but nada, zip, can’t get in the mood, no inspiration.

What to do? Well, over the years I’ve made up a few tricks to get me going. Some have to do with beating the blues and some have to do with getting creative, which for me is sort of the same thing.

So I’ve decided to make a list of 10 Things I’ve been known to do to conquer the “Winter Blues”. Some of these are good for the “Anytime Blues”. I’ve got more, but hey, 10 is a good number to start with. So here we go, 10 things in no particular order, to get over the “Winter, not yet Spring Blues” according to yours truly.

1. I put on some good dancing music! I personally like ABBA, since even their sad songs sound happy and you can dance to them. I dance all over the house, no one to see me and I get pretty wild. When I’m all out of breath, and feeling pretty hot (literally), I notice that somehow I just feel happier.

2. I turn on the lights! OK this may sound odd, in these days of conserving energy and all, but if it’s the long days of darkness getting me down, a bit of light helps. Especially on those long gray days when it’s dark enough to need light to read by and it’s still daytime!

3. I go for a walk and take my camera. I give myself an assignment to find one beautiful thing and photograph it. Oddly enough I usually find lots of things once I really start looking.

4. I check my biorhythm. If it turns out that the reason I’m so blue is because of a crisis day, well, I decide to slide through it. Get out a book, make a pot of tea and if I can, read the day away. No guilt. Did I mention, have some chocolate?

5. I go shopping. OK, I know, I know. But then I shop in thrift stores and I just never know what I might find. Maybe I’ll find some new beads for a bracelet, some great dishes to break for mosaic, or an odd ornament that catches my eye. It’s all cheap so no guilt and bonus, I got out of the house too.

6. I go to the library. Now this is free and a great place to find inspiration. I might even find a book on how to be less depressed! Or about gardening, or art or color or well, the list goes on. I’m a great reader of Self-help. There are always a few pearls worth finding. And if all else fails, a good murder mystery will always cheer me up. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but I like mysteries.

7. I organize something, even a kitchen drawer will do. If I can’t get inspired to create, sometimes I just use the time to clean out the studio and organize it for my next project. Sometimes just finding things I’d forgotten about in the mess is enough to get me started on a new idea.

8. I clean something. One way for me to work off negative energy is to clean. There is something about having a clean stove, tidy cupboards, newly lined shelves or kitchen drawers that just is cheering. Maybe it’s some sort of Dutch gene or something. So here’s the up side to being down – if I didn’t get down now and then, the house would never get cleaned.

9. I go out in the garden and weed. Is it making order out of chaos? Is it just the exercise? Or is it that feeling of accomplishment after I’ve filled up a wheelbarrow with weeds for the compost that makes me feel good? Or is it the look of a freshly weeded flower bed? Could be all or any of the above. And if it’s covered in snow where you live, or raining sideways, well, sorting through last years photos of the garden is always a good pick me up in my book.

9.5 – Better yet, I go out and treat myself to some flowers.

alstromeria

10. I make soup or bake something. There is something meditative and relaxing about cooking and baking. All that chopping and mixing and checking the recipes. And the smell of soup or baking, well, can’t beat that. And then, while the soup is simmering or the cake is baking…..

11. I call a friend. And if my friend is feeling blue, hey, even better because there is nothing more apt to get you out of a blue mood than talking about it and getting happier with a friend. Oh I suppose technically that’s 11 Ways to get out of a blue mood. Well, there you go, a bonus.

What’s your favourite way to beat the winter blues? Please leave a comment and share.

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