tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45731613857673428582024-03-14T01:46:50.636-04:00working wallMadalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-10888924597721220232019-03-29T08:44:00.000-04:002019-03-29T08:44:11.846-04:00An Extraordinary Opening for Outside the OrdinaryThe eight members of our small critique group, Joined by Stitch, were asked to put together an exhibit at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence. Housed in an old mill building, its high ceilings and brick walls create a beautiful background for fiber art. The Center staged a reception last Friday for our exhibit and for two smaller exhibits in their other galleries and so the fiber art was expected by some who attended and a complete surprise to others. The evening was a lively, well attended event--always an interesting time to talk at length about fiber art with people I just met, or people I know well, for that matter. I didn't get a photo of every piece but came close.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Sue Colozzi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Sc5BzQ5yVlCWQ30wL8At6gmuEeOp09cKm5-b5MTriR9Jv9dKOUi5mNBZS1PaUpi046hpUgdDirPvlcQSRVEiPOCJ_krhLR7B_Py96_-423WKGJA2vO9xSWFd9ZNA9yHlUnTSaqQXtHkg/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+Betsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Sc5BzQ5yVlCWQ30wL8At6gmuEeOp09cKm5-b5MTriR9Jv9dKOUi5mNBZS1PaUpi046hpUgdDirPvlcQSRVEiPOCJ_krhLR7B_Py96_-423WKGJA2vO9xSWFd9ZNA9yHlUnTSaqQXtHkg/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+Betsy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Betsy Abbott</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6wSaDYzuR8yZDpZgUWC8Gh5XpMKXbXzzL5w_i-lVJnT6dwD2WxJEd_xNRjSHJjzEhvtjRhlXHUzXRWRhVYPeRfFD-aIHM8WOLUCsCN07M-VsCxK9FMGOKbHUnQAE7nVSf7jv5d0WpZI-/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+Anne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6wSaDYzuR8yZDpZgUWC8Gh5XpMKXbXzzL5w_i-lVJnT6dwD2WxJEd_xNRjSHJjzEhvtjRhlXHUzXRWRhVYPeRfFD-aIHM8WOLUCsCN07M-VsCxK9FMGOKbHUnQAE7nVSf7jv5d0WpZI-/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+Anne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Anne Kimball</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Madalene Murphy (left) and Janis Doucette (right)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work by Tarja Cockell</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work by Alanna Nelson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBUiLHsfls0n0TNtLHwfRuAnXBnpuLFquPzmSOVrVyvNlS5h3t4en0dP8n5YE93BS7Lr_Up34R9BIHB2xUyS9ffFiMlzAy6AbQkR0dvu3AeIu9ob7WyFQ-JZrGWnu8Th5HcKVrZT_PpGh/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+Tarja2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBUiLHsfls0n0TNtLHwfRuAnXBnpuLFquPzmSOVrVyvNlS5h3t4en0dP8n5YE93BS7Lr_Up34R9BIHB2xUyS9ffFiMlzAy6AbQkR0dvu3AeIu9ob7WyFQ-JZrGWnu8Th5HcKVrZT_PpGh/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+Tarja2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Tarja Cockell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V_MWK1OFEKFxQUs2n3Er8-qQMUDgO6Lt-TzAOf5LHfnxAW-f-hefc3CktiT3arSzTN9Q81DZaIiWYbNfelRi6I91hYD73Kj3rSHkThP4ywYO5B5NkUIRE6Mm4csCCo3VGjCzaXMg4MdM/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+Alanna2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V_MWK1OFEKFxQUs2n3Er8-qQMUDgO6Lt-TzAOf5LHfnxAW-f-hefc3CktiT3arSzTN9Q81DZaIiWYbNfelRi6I91hYD73Kj3rSHkThP4ywYO5B5NkUIRE6Mm4csCCo3VGjCzaXMg4MdM/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+Alanna2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Alanna Nelson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vsZseAn63TnCoLlFsVmG_0eSQIG7cPYmgOFsrOeJe8FNEvak9u3eHR5pc78iznD07gVPc1YHBoDCTWGeBcpCZROKCJF2cy8l2tKZfYX_vMu9szEkhqgjMgUqkzgU24VB2SZXThG8QZYk/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+Agusta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vsZseAn63TnCoLlFsVmG_0eSQIG7cPYmgOFsrOeJe8FNEvak9u3eHR5pc78iznD07gVPc1YHBoDCTWGeBcpCZROKCJF2cy8l2tKZfYX_vMu9szEkhqgjMgUqkzgU24VB2SZXThG8QZYk/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+Agusta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works by Agusta Agustsson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc1CY44txMsPN762jFVFkAIodUb7U1Zw83HvbiV2CSVjFhA1D_1EBrde7PEB9tlSNWfo9gysdC1UMVGClOTW6u-GGl3SzOdoHDFX-Bt1SLgxe9_wQTI5VXun0zZpbvFxHPntaZH0JtQ3g/s1600/Outside+the+Ordinary+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc1CY44txMsPN762jFVFkAIodUb7U1Zw83HvbiV2CSVjFhA1D_1EBrde7PEB9tlSNWfo9gysdC1UMVGClOTW6u-GGl3SzOdoHDFX-Bt1SLgxe9_wQTI5VXun0zZpbvFxHPntaZH0JtQ3g/s320/Outside+the+Ordinary+people.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early crowd and view of gallery</td></tr>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/03/off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-35085955690519812222019-03-26T14:51:00.001-04:002019-03-26T14:51:18.048-04:00My Favorite ColorHaven't posted one of these in a while but couldn't resist sharing this discovery from my birthday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyche_yNcI50skUrIeC8bv-wDrrcTlyXMsApwU7rZK9LpvihBt-TGVrZ2OdzGKWAgzaczO_ZSxU8LYd1udRLrt8SHRTduqMXlezZ2dGRjjs-aSTBpSd4DbSs88_k81-y0MzAFd0DLD6cM/s1600/Crocus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="800" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyche_yNcI50skUrIeC8bv-wDrrcTlyXMsApwU7rZK9LpvihBt-TGVrZ2OdzGKWAgzaczO_ZSxU8LYd1udRLrt8SHRTduqMXlezZ2dGRjjs-aSTBpSd4DbSs88_k81-y0MzAFd0DLD6cM/s320/Crocus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-15665091603878788082019-02-15T10:37:00.002-05:002019-02-15T10:37:51.890-05:00Opening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I seem drawn to hidden things--tiny bugs camouflaged in bark, a shadow at the bottom of the pond, or those secret dark spaces surrounded by green on a far away hill or almost overgrown with grass on the edge of a field. As I neared the end of that very large Explorations project, I knew I should plan for another piece. I needed something that would entice me back into the studio and get those curiosity juices flowing again after I took the final stitches on "From the Stillness." I had another large piece in my heavily textured technique that I had begun many months ago but that would be no enticement. This must be a smallish piece so that the gratification of my curiosity would be much faster.</div>
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I played with sketches and liked the idea of an unfolding, an opening around a dark focal point. And I wanted to work with purple. And here is "Lotus," 13 x 13 inches, made from cottons and lots of silks that I dyed and finished with the glimmer of a small purple stone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVIU9s6H7K4nXvoxmVubeWAGZzBIa5QKilBogmXFYBMOwitlBYAUF7HHR59YLhJN8bBDvnbXskvYZ5Bj8SYa0VCyAyULpyJDslThRORawRC_ABkd8eJlx0Q6822qQudBhnPckbSqKdyEI/s1600/Lotus+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="683" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVIU9s6H7K4nXvoxmVubeWAGZzBIa5QKilBogmXFYBMOwitlBYAUF7HHR59YLhJN8bBDvnbXskvYZ5Bj8SYa0VCyAyULpyJDslThRORawRC_ABkd8eJlx0Q6822qQudBhnPckbSqKdyEI/s320/Lotus+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hope you are finding lots of things to be curious about this week!</div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/02/more-things-mentally-strong-women-dont.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-82245531820956749582019-02-08T09:28:00.001-05:002019-02-08T09:28:23.297-05:00DistractionsAfter the holidays I managed to cross paths with a cold bug that laid me low for what seemed like an endless session of coughing and nose blowing. Since I was not up to my usual elaborately plotted novel as bedtime reading, I tried a book I had bought on a recommendation I read somewhere, <i>The Secret Lives of Color</i> by Kassia St. Clair.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyW9nmw364bJvJFkMsEEo7KRM8Xr1HtoTs2Md9nrGEhHZOXyqN-iOVGbA28OPiXZZ5znryKE7_OnA3nkzPuyfmkWGhsfcKJNomIoMzySftSQUItJ1SGF2vN1sKhDsWy_8xlimv5FSYpEc/s1600/Book+on+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyW9nmw364bJvJFkMsEEo7KRM8Xr1HtoTs2Md9nrGEhHZOXyqN-iOVGbA28OPiXZZ5znryKE7_OnA3nkzPuyfmkWGhsfcKJNomIoMzySftSQUItJ1SGF2vN1sKhDsWy_8xlimv5FSYpEc/s320/Book+on+color.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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It was the perfect option, although I probably would have loved it whenever I got around to picking it up. But these brief two or three page snippets about a particular shade in a color family were the right length for my attention span between coughing spells. And it is full of actual colors as the edges of the pages subtly change from ultramarine to cobalt to indigo to Prussian blue.</div>
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The book looks at color from a variety of perspectives--from some descriptions of the actual chemical processes that produced a hue, with sometimes lethal side effects for those who created them or those who used them (lead seems to show up too often as a crucial element in color production) to how colors were named or used to attempts at capturing their essence (Kandinsky: "Orange is like a man, convinced of his own powers.") And all the human emotions are here as well, from delight to greed. One amusing story from the 13th century describes how the folks who sold madder, which produced a red dye, were feeling threatened by the rising popularity of woad, a plant in the indigo family that produced a blue color. The madder merchants somehow convinced the stained glass makers to help them undercut this upstart blue by making the devils in stained glass windows blue and hoped guilt by association would do the trick. Their ploy did not work. Woad kept gaining in popularity until another indigo plant that was processed more easily was discovered. </div>
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I highly recommend this book, particularly when you need a distraction from an annoying cold--or from annoying news you can't get out of your head.</div>
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And then there is the distraction of color itself. An order of perle cotton arrived and a pile of glorious color sat on my cutting table for a while, warming my soul every time I wandered into the studio with a box of tissues.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP_UEnknOR-p6TrAikcGFrNki6-c4hFmXcnigxPnj61qq_iDxOD4VIa1788wlS2RVahhbhU-9m6-U_nlHNt3CGY4aB-S0fVlD5Z1gBgetOOseY6Z3grONV43t0wH3hXrWeA9e84ArSTlZ/s1600/Thread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP_UEnknOR-p6TrAikcGFrNki6-c4hFmXcnigxPnj61qq_iDxOD4VIa1788wlS2RVahhbhU-9m6-U_nlHNt3CGY4aB-S0fVlD5Z1gBgetOOseY6Z3grONV43t0wH3hXrWeA9e84ArSTlZ/s320/Thread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/02/off-wall-friday.html#" target="_blank">Off the Wall Friday</a></div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-5863920778478714482019-02-01T11:59:00.001-05:002019-02-01T11:59:42.954-05:00Etude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Since I have embarked on a heavily textured piece that will involve months of work, it was time to explore some smaller pieces and add a few pieces to my raw edge applique series. A pile of red fabrics caught my eye for the background and I somewhat arbitrarily cut a rectangle about 8 x 11 inches and hung it up on the design wall to see what the next step would be. </div>
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Since I was feeling adventurous, I cut a rectangle from a nearby golden orange piece of fabric and liked the glow it created. My traditional stitching that echoes the outline of the piece seemed too tame for this and so I began looking for something unstructured. </div>
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And here is Etude 2, a warming presence in my studio:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxla-JokBUjw4PsRgl6DpKuwvPpX1d9YMUmUy-l5WlKCM8Qp7HZV9TAfD91Ay2xL4_Zh7xE8DaXqqJloeU1zBvTUqE0OAyXyeDp8_AW3o1_ShyTWauNhTbkTdepqVueQ1i4rabaIENZnn/s1600/Etude+2+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxla-JokBUjw4PsRgl6DpKuwvPpX1d9YMUmUy-l5WlKCM8Qp7HZV9TAfD91Ay2xL4_Zh7xE8DaXqqJloeU1zBvTUqE0OAyXyeDp8_AW3o1_ShyTWauNhTbkTdepqVueQ1i4rabaIENZnn/s320/Etude+2+web.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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It measures all of 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches and uses three different hand stitches as well as some machine stitching in the background.</div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/02/mentally-strong-women-on-off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-9110456779420659292019-01-25T09:05:00.001-05:002019-01-25T09:05:01.497-05:00Do Old Dyes Die?Our mild New England weather turned into a bully last weekend, threatening up to 18 inches of snow with some intervals of freezing rain, high winds, and temps in the single digits.<br />
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Meanwhile (skip to Paragraph 4 to get to the fiber art stuff) at our house I (snow shoveler #2) was nursing a pulled muscle, a final gift from a cold that would not leave, and Tom (snow shoveler #1) had just been diagnosed with pneumonia.<br />
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Monday morning dawned, and the mixture of snow and ice balls (nowhere near 18 inches but officially "a lot") was reasonably shoveled out, a little bit by me, a whole lot by our helpful son-in-law, and the tough stuff by a neighbor's friend with a plow.<br />
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The first snow of the season often becomes a snow-dye, a fun adventure but not unusual enough to write about, and I had doubts about this one--so dry it was almost like salt from the cold temps. Not worth spending a lot of time on but worth an experiment. My last dyeing sessions had been much earlier in 2018 for my Explorations project but stitching took all the studio time after April. I had a collection of already mixed dyes sitting on my cool basement floor that were mostly 9 to 13 months old and, even if refrigerated, these dyes were too old, no longer useful. "They should be discarded," the books would say. But I, who was feeling somewhat old and useless, wanted to prove that rule wrong.<br />
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I piled the grainy snow on the fabric, shook the bottles, and poured on the dyes. I held my breath as I rinsed them the next day. But the color did not completely wash away!<br />
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The first, which relied heavily on a sun yellow from April, was indeed pale. I had added a few spots of golden brown (Apr), nickel (Dec 2017), which showed up as that blue gray, and deep yellow (Jan 2018). This will be quite usable as a quiet background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvHPdAN6Q6ko5krU8vtSL_K2SCSmQSlG8djgyFnDNzv355-ebbp1yF1d04zZ4KzoZLz638cNUd0TzLkFPToxl6TpDH_LAwkzyO0n2YlyQuzLEouUxD4hr6BWIxlZOg0_R1RFVph8I7bf_/s1600/Snow+Dyeing+2+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="589" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvHPdAN6Q6ko5krU8vtSL_K2SCSmQSlG8djgyFnDNzv355-ebbp1yF1d04zZ4KzoZLz638cNUd0TzLkFPToxl6TpDH_LAwkzyO0n2YlyQuzLEouUxD4hr6BWIxlZOg0_R1RFVph8I7bf_/s320/Snow+Dyeing+2+2019.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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The second was a surprise: primarily from a deep yellow dye (undated but at least 6 months old), a little more deep yellow (Jan 2018), some nickel (Dec 2017), and charcoal gray (Jan 2018) that grayed things a bit, and finally some teal blue (Feb 2018), which I was sure was dead but obviously created a lovely green.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_fZcO6xSY4ynGGsS1PWk8xHQj6yiVrSVQe_Pooke5_Sl6Gu2DLt9dzJ8fiFId7KN3riE-Eha7AdppOcq257EM4olumS1hICOwBBlY3sro2EUlEfsMo8QT7FJ4BajVpG-T2vzENnK_j2k/s1600/Snow+Dyeing+1+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_fZcO6xSY4ynGGsS1PWk8xHQj6yiVrSVQe_Pooke5_Sl6Gu2DLt9dzJ8fiFId7KN3riE-Eha7AdppOcq257EM4olumS1hICOwBBlY3sro2EUlEfsMo8QT7FJ4BajVpG-T2vzENnK_j2k/s320/Snow+Dyeing+1+2019.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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And then there is the exciting piece, mainly from a golden brown dye (Apr 2018) and a lot of nickel (Dec 2017) with ultraviolet (Dec 2017) thrown in as an afterthought--no way was that dye still working. But you can see the brown breaking down into golds and greens with hints of the ultraviolet here and there against a beautiful blue gray background.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpJYsfLVRgok2-wPafMdheQyiaExMklhbIVKM9TIt1b_7-ULMcd9kPnw_9bLmDMMf2DDbMWYaAJV6FJhZ4L5ORWi2PuLauxer9I2nI3HZWYG2ryf6bTwP6_cd5_o2yBZGKFyw-aulFSW-/s1600/Snow+Dyeing+3+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="697" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpJYsfLVRgok2-wPafMdheQyiaExMklhbIVKM9TIt1b_7-ULMcd9kPnw_9bLmDMMf2DDbMWYaAJV6FJhZ4L5ORWi2PuLauxer9I2nI3HZWYG2ryf6bTwP6_cd5_o2yBZGKFyw-aulFSW-/s320/Snow+Dyeing+3+2019.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="259" /></a></div>
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Even the snow did its work, creating the characteristic little watery petal shapes. Probably the only one unhappy with this experiment are the Marie Kondos of the world because, unfortunately, I now have another reason not to throw something away.</div>
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Hope the winter (or summer) is treating you well!</div>
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Linking up with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/01/off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>. Check out some of the blogs that show up there!</div>
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-34404579784096840402019-01-11T10:51:00.001-05:002019-01-11T20:20:38.026-05:00ExperienceThe branching sketch caught my eye as I paged through one of my journals--simple but full of meaning. Perfect for the time of many decisions I found myself in last year.<br />
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Purple for the untextured part and then all those golds moving through yellows and browns for the layers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9UNModQ9wOxgBaWXuHs30Zm6tz0RH_Pt1u02WxOz-08vwakxJ9Ckii3DXxZweZy5qF8dynv4H17gO0ViprBCBf2gyZH4SNHAY16W_2PIG-qZoMuxTUvHaetOYyxIBAHfUjvOAgh1H5bN/s1600/Experience+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9UNModQ9wOxgBaWXuHs30Zm6tz0RH_Pt1u02WxOz-08vwakxJ9Ckii3DXxZweZy5qF8dynv4H17gO0ViprBCBf2gyZH4SNHAY16W_2PIG-qZoMuxTUvHaetOYyxIBAHfUjvOAgh1H5bN/s320/Experience+blog.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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But funny thing about a simple branching: in one direction it is separation--a decision made, a parting, an individualizing. From the other it is a joining, a strengthening, connection, unity.<br />
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And are all those layers of gold building up around the purple shape? Or has that moving shape cut through those layers revealing what was hidden, buried beneath our view?<br />
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The name of this small piece (18 x 25") is Experience--a word that holds its own contradictions since it means both a single, often memorable event as well as a slow accumulation of knowledge and life events.<br />
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And, of course, you may have come up with an entirely different interpretation--the reason I love abstract work.<br />
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2019/01/public-domain-day-off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays!</a><br />
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-15089770451703251862018-12-28T09:57:00.001-05:002018-12-28T09:57:38.617-05:00Tis The Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Almost every year I make Christmas ornaments and, since I am still recovering from the marathon stitching event this summer, I was looking for a design this year that wouldn't require a lot of handwork. As I was pondering this problem, there on my cutting table were some perle cotton leftover ends from my current project that had piled themselves into a pleasing entanglement. So I pulled out my bag of thread ends (yes, I save the ends) and began to experiment. And here is my first attempt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKFJzxvf4W5uzvAVesa_282w7uwh6LIF-RowxXiu8E5rmehc3yvHOhDGyovfTK9EpQYNYYPuwgh6GlwzrIfraDHWcNX4awnNT3FbFoYiuRZv96Tt71v_oYqoEA8OuKnSgWHHOptjaUzsx/s1600/Ornament+2018+purple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKFJzxvf4W5uzvAVesa_282w7uwh6LIF-RowxXiu8E5rmehc3yvHOhDGyovfTK9EpQYNYYPuwgh6GlwzrIfraDHWcNX4awnNT3FbFoYiuRZv96Tt71v_oYqoEA8OuKnSgWHHOptjaUzsx/s320/Ornament+2018+purple.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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I created a square from my hand-dyes and then piled thread onto a doubled piece of Mistyfuse and trimmed a bit of the excess off around the shape. Then I held the iron on it extra long, hoping the extra fusible would burn away and held my breath as I removed the parchment paper that protected my iron. Most of the extra fusible was gone and I was able to remove the few curled pieces left with tweezers. Then I peeled the shape off the backing and ironed it to the fabric square. I did tack the design down at a few points with invisible thread and, as a finish, added a bead as a focal point.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvu7vr8QGIZuQDqjUWcLCjVpZGO9zHbhx5hLh9d9BkRUf7xWirk7duSxP1hpTvNX5_f45_RvPGuAdMHjHVqJuZr1EZTLet6BTkVukLo73qzjdMFZk4rbRXMeg0cT2Nqb2gEyGNJl_rMuKI/s1600/Ornament+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="800" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvu7vr8QGIZuQDqjUWcLCjVpZGO9zHbhx5hLh9d9BkRUf7xWirk7duSxP1hpTvNX5_f45_RvPGuAdMHjHVqJuZr1EZTLet6BTkVukLo73qzjdMFZk4rbRXMeg0cT2Nqb2gEyGNJl_rMuKI/s320/Ornament+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a little bigger, more complicated design but I worried that the fusible on the back would not be enough to hold the layers. So I tried adding a layer of fusible on top as well but again ironing it enough so that it was not visible on the top threads. It took several attempts but the fusible haze was finally gone and the top threads still were held together. This one was double sided as well.</div>
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I made several more, some to sell at the Open Studio weekend and some to give as family gifts--the reason I could not post this until after Christmas day since at least one of the recipients looks at this blog sometimes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGYoUK5u9OVTHgjF_slaqsMRam-qwScQUlNJsMDMP5TGMDUlfgpcuk8ywWRmBtZJehfhJ5C8QEijmimMj1hyphenhyphenjbs7Xnt9is4NTZ_C47NwmGMujIn9VtWOyeiC9riH0dTTL8qX8uQui0gU-/s1600/Ornament+2018+gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGYoUK5u9OVTHgjF_slaqsMRam-qwScQUlNJsMDMP5TGMDUlfgpcuk8ywWRmBtZJehfhJ5C8QEijmimMj1hyphenhyphenjbs7Xnt9is4NTZ_C47NwmGMujIn9VtWOyeiC9riH0dTTL8qX8uQui0gU-/s320/Ornament+2018+gold.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaNXDXkbXv5WDK6Oxyk3t8EYG7zg6ryliiVYSc65UPd5u9olPphHfGghKPNh87GAu4SIX2tgdytZZ8LBIIyVL0MaDWtHtiIrwQctJqfU4mqGRzQWmhC5EtrwadSvXJbnTIuG_SsofUVEu/s1600/Ornament+2018+green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaNXDXkbXv5WDK6Oxyk3t8EYG7zg6ryliiVYSc65UPd5u9olPphHfGghKPNh87GAu4SIX2tgdytZZ8LBIIyVL0MaDWtHtiIrwQctJqfU4mqGRzQWmhC5EtrwadSvXJbnTIuG_SsofUVEu/s320/Ornament+2018+green.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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Merry Creative Christmas! And may we each find joy amid all the surprises the New Year will bring us!</div>
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Linking to <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/12/much-to-do-off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-65651759155464188362018-12-14T11:42:00.003-05:002018-12-14T11:42:35.221-05:00The Old and the NewDue to the hard work of Alanna Nelson, a historical signature quilt inscribed with many names from Melrose, MA, is on display at the Beebe Estate in Melrose:<br />
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<img alt="Image may contain: indoor" height="320" src="https://scontent.fbos1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/47482275_1297225680420489_133268806515556352_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent.fbos1-2.fna&oh=98fcc28019db234ed8ed8ab32c217548&oe=5C951AC6" width="320" /><br />
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Surrounding the quilt and the research that gives background to those names on the quilt and their connections with current Melrose residents, Alanna envisioned an exhibit of contemporary fiber art. She enlisted the help of five other fiber artists/friends to create "Stitched Connections." Five of my pieces are in the show and here are some glimpses.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7H9brZKT31TPt2B37Q1oGAZ0OMUrAyusCho_aiKznMBLUTj41pSd482kR5xH0Ph206wVN62DevmIllujoNg32mWGsv6G_AudLEyaQ2_Y9Gp1pSsPbrGa_3N3IGSmXTUqTIzJtN87eO1H/s1600/Sue+Colozzi+at+Beebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7H9brZKT31TPt2B37Q1oGAZ0OMUrAyusCho_aiKznMBLUTj41pSd482kR5xH0Ph206wVN62DevmIllujoNg32mWGsv6G_AudLEyaQ2_Y9Gp1pSsPbrGa_3N3IGSmXTUqTIzJtN87eO1H/s320/Sue+Colozzi+at+Beebe.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thread stitched by Sue Colozzi</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCVAaZrMqoiP4bOb27_BuO1kZuNwb4UXHQCKeAHR-zUsUdwduJ5fxYJO55lk-T5OeWKEaJdu5d3Yy6VvHS0LAQRcKcQW0hw3YQtlZA5woltZTMenPIl4_jygzZa45CuuC4F9qRL6CS3L/s1600/Agusta%2527s+at+Beebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCVAaZrMqoiP4bOb27_BuO1kZuNwb4UXHQCKeAHR-zUsUdwduJ5fxYJO55lk-T5OeWKEaJdu5d3Yy6VvHS0LAQRcKcQW0hw3YQtlZA5woltZTMenPIl4_jygzZa45CuuC4F9qRL6CS3L/s320/Agusta%2527s+at+Beebe.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
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Collage by Agusta Agustsson</div>
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Two of my pieces (Influence and Once) below two of Valerie Maser-Flanagan's</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My piece ('Tis a Gift) on left and piece by Sue Colozzi on right<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Historic homes with all their fireplaces and woodwork and wainscoting are wonderful places to hang fiber art. And this post is a clear example of the serendipity nature of this portion of my life. If I had taken time to plan ahead I would have realized I needed photos for a blog post and taken long shots of some of the rooms and I would certainly have made sure I included work by the other artists as well ( Janis Doucette and Alanna Nelson). But the reception came at the end of a long week and a busy day and I am left with snippets rather than a fully illustrated post. Ah, well. Next time. . .</div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/12/off-wall-friday.html" target="_blank">Off the Wall Fridays</a>. Check out some other fiber art posts!<br /><br /></div>
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Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-45041453353506489832018-12-07T10:38:00.003-05:002018-12-07T10:38:35.874-05:00Experiment 2The end of the summer found me playing with scrunching fabric without sewing it down to give my hands a bit of relief from the intense stitching of the Explorations piece. While I am happily back at work stitching two pieces I had begun early last year, I took some time to play with the new technique as well. The result is "Allusion,"<br />
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named for the joining of two seemingly unrelated things.<br />
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Originally I had planned to lay down a neutral gray background (I began with black on the <a href="https://workingwall.blogspot.com/2018/11/wandering-new-path.html">first two pieces</a>) and then add lots of color, but I liked the way the gray on the heavy texture was so evocative of rock, of stability, but weathered and changed by time that I decided to let that make its statement. I broke the textured background into two parts, which I also painted with several layers and the piece began to suggest the contrast of flow and connection that represents life. I added a circle for focus but also for the cycles of the seasons, the endless return. And to this piece I added stitching, not on the texture but to add texture to the open space--and to see how stitching and paint interact.<br />
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As I was figuring out how to wrap all this texture on a wrapped canvas, I began reading <i>The Dispossessed</i> by Ursula LeGuin, one of my favorite wise women. I had just declared the piece finished when I read these words LeGuin gives to the main character, Shevek: "So then time has two aspects. There is the arrow, the running river, without which there is no change, no progress, or direction, or creation. And there is the circle or the cycle, without which there is chaos, meaningless succession of instants, a world without clocks or season or promises."<br />
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Hope this early December week is going well for all of you!<br />
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Linking with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/12/7-more-christmas-gifts-quilters-want.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>!<br />
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-28850645681949609992018-11-16T12:29:00.002-05:002018-11-16T12:29:51.199-05:00Show and Tell--with a Bit of Selling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I got to try to make pieces that were not created to go together look like some kind of coherent whole in a small space. Since my studio is not exactly accessible to hordes of visitors, I participated in the annual Amesbury Open Studio Tour by setting up work on three panels in City Hall along with twelve other artists, always a challenge to those of us who don't work in tight series that produce closely related work.<br />
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The layout I worked out on the floor at home --<br />
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did not translate exactly when I put it up on the panels, but most of it worked:</div>
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Since I had done this before, I set off Saturday morning confident that I knew what to expect--always a bad sign when you think you know the future. The predicted sunny morning became cold, rainy, and windy and a problem with the heating system in City Hall made most of the day uncomfortable for those who braved the weather and downright unpleasant for those of us who had to stay there. By Saturday evening I was asking myself why I was doing this. But Sunday showed me why. The day was brisk but sunny and I ended up selling a few things and having a number of significant conversations about my art and about art and life in general.</div>
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Making art is often a solitary experience because, for me, quiet encourages creativity. But on Sunday I was seeing glimpses of threads of connection as people reacted to my work, I was strengthening the threads that form the community I now call home even though it still feels new sometimes, and I was creating new threads in the community of artists that inspires and encourages me. Like the spider I watched last summer who was diligently and accurately creating her web, I was working on those webs that connect us all in so many ways. It feels good to measure the success of the weekend in terms of making instead of selling.</div>
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And if you are still reading, thanks for the company!</div>
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Linking with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/11/off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Friday.</a></div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-82335414702281358052018-11-02T10:14:00.002-04:002018-11-02T10:14:35.348-04:00Wandering a New PathAfter a summer of intensive hand stitching I was ready for something new. As I caught up on my reading, I came across Sue Bleiweiss' article, "Faux Metal Fabric," in <i>Quilting Arts. </i>It involved lots of scrunching of fabric, something I love to do, and then lots of paint. Since I had two small wrapped canvasses sitting in my studio reminding me I needed to do something for the upcoming 8x8 show at the Newburyport Art Association, it would be a small investment in materials to see where this technique might lead me--and I would perhaps fulfill my commitment to have something to enter in the show.<br />
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Sue's instructions called for silk habotai, which I didn't have, but I did have some silk organza earmarked for some dyeing experiments but it might work for this. So I began scrunching and ironing the silk until it was pretty thoroughly wrinkled. I added Mistyfuse to two background cotton layers sufficiently large to wrap around the canvasses and then placed the scrunched silk on top and ironed once again. All that texture was looking good!<br />
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Sue then slathers lots of black paint on the surface. I found a bottle of black acrylic that I had "won" at the end of a Jane Dunnewold class and that I thought I would never use; it worked perfectly! Another round of ironing followed. Sue's next step covers the surface with several layers of metallic paint so that it flattens out and begins to look indeed like metal. I couldn't let go of all that haptic-ness so I left Sue's path entirely and struck out on my own. I began to envision the metallic paint not covering the surface but highlighting the texture. And all that black was leading me to a question about whether there was hope in all that darkness. So I began adding suggestions of colors here and there and highlighting it all with glints of gilt.<br />
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The finished two, now named Hope Regardless 2 & 3, referencing an earlier piece I made in 2016, are meant to hang together:<br />
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They also work as single pieces and were hung separately at the Newburyport Art Association. The lighting in these photos highlights the texture a bit more:</div>
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And not a single stitch on either of them! My hands thanked me.</div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/11/back-to-upstate-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>--check out what's happening there!</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-3444268128696590672018-10-27T15:31:00.002-04:002018-10-27T15:31:13.809-04:00ExploringOctober has been a celebration of a long journey. Last March I was juried into the regional SAQA exhibit <i>Explorations</i>, which required that I create a 50 x 30" piece in my hand-stitched heavily textured technique, the largest piece I had ever attempted in that technique. By the end of May, the date of my last blog post, I was completely immersing myself in stitching in order to finish the piece by the August 1 deadline. I made it! and then managed to put together a lightning talk (another first for me) for the opening reception in October.<br />
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<i>Explorations</i> is now hanging at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA, and I am honored that "From the Stillness" is part of this very strong show.<br />
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And I could sing the praises of the show for many a paragraph but I would like to spend my brief blog time praising the art behind the show. The main curators of the exhibit, Nancy Turbitt and Allison Wilbur of SAQA, along with Pam Weeks, the curator of the NEQM, were the masterminds and the master artists, designing and organizing and then encouraging and reminding all the artists as the months passed and enabling each artist's space on the wall and in the extensive catalog to be consistent so the exhibit became a coherent whole and yet allowing the information about each artist to reflect her own unique style and contribution.<br />
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A panel outlining the highlights of each artist's process accompanies each piece. Dixie Walker and Jeanne Holtzman volunteered hours of their time, as did several other SAQA members, to make this show the success it is. The exhibit is as much a product of their creativity as their own fiber art is.</div>
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Twelve fiber artists comprise the current show that runs until December 30 and the works of twelve more will be exhibited in April. If you can't make it to the show itself, the 150 page catalog is available from Amazon under <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Explorations-Journeys-Creativity-Inside-Artists/dp/1725938022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540668183&sr=8-1&keywords=explorations+journeys+in+creativity">Explorations: Journeys in Creativity</a></i></div>
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And now on with the rest of my life.<br />
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Linking with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/10/its-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Friday.</a>Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-55073531444701024382018-05-25T08:24:00.000-04:002018-05-25T11:35:53.630-04:00New WorkMy latest piece, titled Enigma, is done!<br />
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Another in my appreciating uncertainty series, it draws inspiration from the endless paths and nonpaths traceable in tree bark. The black silk is a commercial fabric but all the other cottons and silks are my own hand-dyes.<br />
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This is also another in my heavily textured series that is handstitched with perle cotton. It is 22 x 24".<br />
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Linked with <a href="https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/05/quilting-social-affair-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>!Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-70247352673820911972018-04-29T12:18:00.001-04:002018-04-29T12:18:55.801-04:00A DayI awoke yesterday morning feeling punky in the stomach and punkier in the spirit. I have felt that the days are slipping through my fingers with little of substance getting done. This day looked to be another scattered collection of moments, betraying the scattered aspects of my mind. And so I began to record:<br />
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Brief strength training<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rinsed silk that I had dyed yesterday and put it in wash<o:p></o:p></div>
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Grabbed breakfast as I read the local paper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rinsed silk final time and hung out to dry<o:p></o:p></div>
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Printed out a few Clarks Pond Watershed Association
flyers to hang from doorknobs of new home <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>owners<o:p></o:p></div>
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Went to Newburyport Literary Festival: lecture by Stephen
Greenblatt on newest book on the </div>
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Adam/Eve
story<o:p></o:p></div>
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Watched Tom take part in Tai chi saber demonstration on
waterfront<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ate less than spectacular lunch ( not good for the punky stomach) and spectacular scones
from </div>
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bakery in Tannery<o:p></o:p></div>
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Listened to Ramie Targoff talk at Newburyport Art
Association about her new biography of Vittoria <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Colonna, an unknown to us but influential Renaissance
woman, and saw <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lit</i>, a beautiful </div>
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exhibit by Sue Charles<o:p></o:p></div>
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Took silk off line and evaluated color<o:p></o:p></div>
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Discovered hostas coming up<o:p></o:p></div>
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Checked on peach tree with its first year of blossoms<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walked to town to sale at health food store<o:p></o:p></div>
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On way home met new owners of house around corner that we
had been wanting to invite to join our <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>pond
association<o:p></o:p></div>
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Talked to another neighbor who is going through a tough
time<o:p></o:p></div>
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Helped Tom carry kayak down to pond<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walked Terra and met and talked for a while with owner of
house around another corner who is</div>
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usually walking
unfriendly dogs so we don’t talk<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put out hummingbird feeder<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wished daughter and son-in-law a happy anniversary</div>
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Stitched on monster project while spaghetti cooked<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ate dinner</div>
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Answered emails while Tom did dishes<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stitched while watching <i>The Post</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Typed this list up<o:p></o:p></div>
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And the plan is to meditate, shower, read more of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ordinary Grace</i> and then to sleep. .
.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The list does not mention all the meaningful/meaningless exchanges that Tom and I shared nor does it mention the Great Heron on the pond that distracted me as I set up to do strength training and sent me searching for my camera so there are many unrecorded moments woven into this list. But perspective counts and laying out a day like this, observing this day changes perspective. Even though many things I planned to do did not happen, like raking the leaves off the bed in the side yard or clearing part of the pile of papers on my desk, the scattered aspects began to take on the look of a Christmas tree not filled with matching ornaments but full of a multiplicity of different ornaments each with its own story that made up a glittering, colorful whole. It was a day I lived not a day I wasted. My stomach and my spirit were much less punky at the end of it. And now let's see what this day brings.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-42367190324046491972018-04-13T07:39:00.001-04:002018-04-13T07:41:17.954-04:00Works of ArtOne of the highlights of the past couple of years for me was my joining a new fiber arts critique group. There are seven of us (Betsy Abbott, Tarja Cockell, Sue Colozzi, Janis Doucette, Anne Kimball, Alanna Nelson, and me), who all live north of Boston about a half hour at most from each other, allowing us to meet once a month to talk about work we have brought and generally cheer each other on in our endeavors.<br />
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This month we took our very different styles and techniques and put them into a group exhibit, Art of the Stitch, at the Memorial Hall Library in Andover, a beautiful old building that poses its own set of challenges for hanging artwork. Usually the artwork they hang is framed paintings by one artist, but after bringing in stacks of quilts and spending an afternoon trying to get the right balance and color flow we thought we had something that would work weaving between computer screens and exit signs--on a strong green wall. And after the library staff got the work up on the walls we were pleased. We had created another work of art from all our disparate pieces!<br />
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The photos I include require some imaginative connecting on the part of the viewer since there were few good vantage points to shoot from.<br />
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We also were able to fill a glass cabinet with smaller works and were surprised again with how well the works fit together:</div>
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On Tuesday we celebrate our work and our compatibility with an Artists Meet and Greet at the library. Seeing this exhibit in person (like seeing fiber art) is definitely preferable to seeing it in photos:<br />
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Linking with <a href="https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/04/rejoice-in-spring-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Friday</a>!Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-81068802989138374042018-03-17T14:47:00.000-04:002018-03-17T16:43:20.639-04:00Of Photos and Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I found myself in the midst of a number of art-filled events this week but, since I forgot to take pictures, did they really happen? I have never been good at recording memorable events with a camera and this seems to have carried over into my art life, where artists are expected to record (and post) details of their work and accomplishments. And I too often fail at this.</div>
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On Thursday the fiber art critique group I belong to got together to lay out a show we will be having in April at the Memorial Hall Library in Andover, MA. Trying to coordinate the work of seven very different artists and fit it the space we had was a challenge but we managed to come up with what looks like a great show in less than three hours. It won't actually be hung until Mar. 3 so we'll see how our vision transfers into real life. But I took no photos so you will just have to imagine the many, many quilted pieces that ranged from the quiet tones of eco prints to the bright purples and oranges on an octopus laid out at various points in the library as we shifted pieces and suggested changes and gradually reached consensus.</div>
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Thursday evening I saw many of the same people at the artists reception at a new gallery in Malden, MA, called appropriately The Gallery. The show, curated by Janice Doucette, was an invitational called Land & Nature Scapes that brought together the work of 12 fiber artists in a beautiful new space. I, of course, took no pictures. But here is a photo of the piece I entered in the show, Forest Geometry.</div>
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I did get some support for my lack of photo-taking from <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2520743/Want-remember-event-DONT-photos-Study-finds-using-camera-stops-brains-recalling-crucial-details.html">an article published recently</a> that suggests that we do not remember the events we take photos of as well as unphotographed events. So I can tell myself I was immersed in the experience and photos would have changed that. And I did indeed enjoy catching up with fellow artists I had not seen in many months, meeting some new people, and looking at the inspiring work on the gallery walls. And, since good art attracts more good art, we were treated to a surprise concert by Northbound, an a capella group who sing Scandinavian music in amazingly tight harmonies. Top that off with a memorable meal at a local Ethiopian restaurant and that was one good day!</div>
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Hope your week has been good whether you photograph it or not!</div>
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I am linking (a bit late) with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/03/off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-67708315850261321352018-03-09T14:08:00.000-05:002018-03-09T14:08:32.265-05:00Tree LoveYesterday morning I woke up to this scene outside my studio window:<br />
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After four years of living in New England, I now know what many of the varied weather events are that the term nor'easter covers. This one involved lots of very wet snow that broke tree branches and pulled down power lines. The branches of that elm tree in the middle of this picture are dangerously drooping but the fates were with us. We lost a good-sized magnolia in the front yard but no major limbs from our big trees and our power didn't even flicker. </div>
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All this tree focus is a good introduction to my <a href="https://workingwall.blogspot.com/2017/02/frog-or-prince.html">annual Valentine project</a>. This year Tom received a little 10 x 9" quilt from me, inspired by the crossing limbs of a Norway maple and a slippery elm in our backyard. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVlmrCMFVLERsf1dNrEilEh-048cJjpo9sJFLJCgRpxjOgtFBdQyf5wBmsZhHfpebnm2e9VH7lzDL266G64Xr18B8qt0IVxCkjxT8jiFDNQFzOt_je50-THABXIdWQwv7FU6z8Ef6HuJe/s1600/Self+%2526+Non-self.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVlmrCMFVLERsf1dNrEilEh-048cJjpo9sJFLJCgRpxjOgtFBdQyf5wBmsZhHfpebnm2e9VH7lzDL266G64Xr18B8qt0IVxCkjxT8jiFDNQFzOt_je50-THABXIdWQwv7FU6z8Ef6HuJe/s320/Self+%2526+Non-self.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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I have learned from experience that I need to plan these out so that they are small enough that I can get them done in a brief slice of time borrowed from the other projects I am working on but they have to be in a semi-finished state by Feb. 14. This one still does not have the facing sewed down in the back and needs a sleeve and label but I was pleased with myself for getting it as far along as it is this year.</div>
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If you are still reading, thanks for the company and I hope winter is dealing kindly with you.</div>
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I am linking with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/03/progress-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Friday.</a> Check it out!</div>
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Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-30920645273876203812018-02-09T13:16:00.001-05:002018-02-09T13:16:05.505-05:00Bugs Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As soon as I made a definite decision to put my insect project (<a href="https://workingwall.blogspot.com/2017/04/of-birthdays-and-butterflies.html">see this post for details</a>) on hold for a while, this critter walked across my windowsill.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgcLrTXYzPpQ-D7ps33xRWLdg-XkI7LVVZCih0PnwdKtlpNDpdAn9O3TwQsRzb0empkzm2KBqZr3aAS8DSozddyFE4wu32_orZE18LVJRWFJd3s7u-Qh9memAmNM6v2c4viNkGeGMU6L4/s1600/Western+Conifer+Seed+Bug+webb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgcLrTXYzPpQ-D7ps33xRWLdg-XkI7LVVZCih0PnwdKtlpNDpdAn9O3TwQsRzb0empkzm2KBqZr3aAS8DSozddyFE4wu32_orZE18LVJRWFJd3s7u-Qh9memAmNM6v2c4viNkGeGMU6L4/s320/Western+Conifer+Seed+Bug+webb.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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It's a Western Conifer Seed Bug and has become a common sight in our houses in the wintertime. As its name implies, its home should be in the western US but since the nineties it has been making itself at home in the eastern states, where I live. It is just looking for a warm place to be, as we all are doing, but this is a bug (and he is a true bug) I find very hard to like. Its revenge on anyone trying to crush it--or even move it outside--is an unforgettable smell. And it makes little difference that it didn't make it into the Stink Bug family but is classed with the Coreidae or leaf-footed bugs. </div>
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Because insects are few in number in February, I carefully moved this guy into a magnifying jar without setting off a stink bomb and for the first time really looked at it. And there on its back was a beautiful glyph-like marking on its brown wing covers. So I took some time out from my bigger project to capture it in fabric, a simple reminder of the value of looking closely. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3RxaniLJ2GIdOO4M5dZmUZC-pdLSDSX-0eJ_dQOdr5abyO2Ur7NzEc1HVMPnFtN9UfpS3EQ5l9QFJbGJO1hdy-2OcNQQBeqSkCs3AIwTjfSYVwkA-1MDBZckVNRdqAEYZEUwHRl6a0nG/s1600/Western+Conifer+Seed+Bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="521" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3RxaniLJ2GIdOO4M5dZmUZC-pdLSDSX-0eJ_dQOdr5abyO2Ur7NzEc1HVMPnFtN9UfpS3EQ5l9QFJbGJO1hdy-2OcNQQBeqSkCs3AIwTjfSYVwkA-1MDBZckVNRdqAEYZEUwHRl6a0nG/s320/Western+Conifer+Seed+Bug.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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And now back to this--</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsonO4dFlLz6QLgFa2yF51EfeAeollVGdDuZEVZcG6uMPHVhluYYg1i-DT0SOsRhrqjtRTnXzcEmIO5F9jEV-6B-On1KUjhu91Lmb8AtgtRhReoxxl-ybMozaurl6gTTxCeB0KjYQ-VzGT/s1600/Bark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="839" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsonO4dFlLz6QLgFa2yF51EfeAeollVGdDuZEVZcG6uMPHVhluYYg1i-DT0SOsRhrqjtRTnXzcEmIO5F9jEV-6B-On1KUjhu91Lmb8AtgtRhReoxxl-ybMozaurl6gTTxCeB0KjYQ-VzGT/s320/Bark.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Linked with <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/02/traditional-quilting-off-wall-friday.html#">Off the Wall Fridays</a>!</div>
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-39616695654134441942018-01-26T14:21:00.001-05:002018-01-26T14:21:55.782-05:00ExcusesI could blame it on the several snowfalls that changed the view outside my studio window into a world I have seen so many times before but yet always looks new, always brings out that little breath stop of surprise. Just as no two snowflakes are identical, no two snowfalls are ever quite the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjI0dfww1FB9Y7JD87ycLrg5aZsZtw_MkUBJ4P0GNgY0fPR0Lc3O_H67TeV_cwznznCyi_aCN9pVZlCtcnfvYNZBod-sz9bl02iQPHVfqI6wTg0Xedx6tBLxUZ8IsmZqSYPIn1oMm5F9y/s1600/Snow+studio+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjI0dfww1FB9Y7JD87ycLrg5aZsZtw_MkUBJ4P0GNgY0fPR0Lc3O_H67TeV_cwznznCyi_aCN9pVZlCtcnfvYNZBod-sz9bl02iQPHVfqI6wTg0Xedx6tBLxUZ8IsmZqSYPIn1oMm5F9y/s320/Snow+studio+window.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Or I could blame it on the ice that followed as I walked the dog with cleats on my boots and horror stories of falls friends or friends of friends have taken echoing in my mind.<br />
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But more of the blame for not writing a post rests on the nature of the series I am working on right now. I am well into three pieces using my heavily textured, hand-stitched technique. I am making progress but I do slow art and I'm not sure anyone wants to read: "Finished ten rows of stitching and added three gradations of gray and a medium turquoise to the piece," even though I thought the week a magnificent success.<br />
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In lieu of writing about what I am actually doing as I focus on getting something done for a deadline,<br />
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I will include a photo of something that I'm putting on hold for a while--one of my insect blocks (see <a href="https://workingwall.blogspot.com/2017/04/of-birthdays-and-butterflies-part-2.html">here </a>if you don't remember this project). This five-inch square, patterned on the compound eye of a butterfly, which is made up of 12,000 to 17,000 photoreceptors or "eyes," was one I began last spring. But I did add the final few French knots this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6RozoJPZVX9-T7iJY_MhAlI45z0DtPg02iysf2-NyF6d-KOARBnPIwErb7CBXe-_0fBA-Nd1Zu7DjpiUA_iA5EpLYXuvNjo5-gSAygu6_Ob-1CAdhzPxjavUteg6WmFSy1ylAKV9Cj5C/s1600/Butterfly+eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="521" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6RozoJPZVX9-T7iJY_MhAlI45z0DtPg02iysf2-NyF6d-KOARBnPIwErb7CBXe-_0fBA-Nd1Zu7DjpiUA_iA5EpLYXuvNjo5-gSAygu6_Ob-1CAdhzPxjavUteg6WmFSy1ylAKV9Cj5C/s320/Butterfly+eye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So welcome to 2018, and, if you are still reading, thanks for the company!</div>
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Linked with<a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2018/01/troubleshooting-free-motion-quilting.html"> Off the Wall Fridays</a>. </div>
<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-61621027841680854672017-12-25T08:17:00.000-05:002017-12-25T08:17:53.187-05:00Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhIAWPz1jL4JTMH9157yOZ9Q-OM9rbJsYF6yy9Id_e5nTkXU6LKN6-om0VAiKRSS2aF0hZklDFKrk0svK4WtA3n2hwDp0z7k2O4GYe52ERLSe4zcazwM_a9jVP-QtMJSfsbvzIRu4fbxE/s1600/Candle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhIAWPz1jL4JTMH9157yOZ9Q-OM9rbJsYF6yy9Id_e5nTkXU6LKN6-om0VAiKRSS2aF0hZklDFKrk0svK4WtA3n2hwDp0z7k2O4GYe52ERLSe4zcazwM_a9jVP-QtMJSfsbvzIRu4fbxE/s320/Candle.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Peace to everyone</span></div>
Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-49647282175751883942017-12-22T10:37:00.001-05:002017-12-22T10:37:49.027-05:00It Is What It IsMy choice of handstitching to create my pieces means that I am living with them in an unfinished state for a long time. And more often than not, there comes a time when I find I dislike or cease to believe in a piece. This could be an accurate evaluation of the work, but it happens so regularly that I have come to expect it and can usually find a way to work through it.<br />
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In early 2017 I launched into a new heavily textured piece that would use browns of varying hues-- a color that can easily become drab but I took that as a challenge. About a quarter of the way into the piece I decided it wasn't working. I shifted the colors a bit and it got interesting again. At half way through I was on the point of moving on to something else, moving it to some horizontal surface where it would quickly become covered with fabrics pulled out for a new project--when I changed the orientation to vertical and thought that worked. By the time I finished the top I hated it--until I realized that its orientation really was better the way I had originally envisioned it. But something was still wrong.<br />
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It sat on the design wall for a couple of weeks until I came up with the idea of beads. Ultimately, buttons were the perfect solution as well as some adjustments on the black outlines.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89gmP-a2ogZyxz6X265s0oqrE1OVb48aDqmQ-9EmHCRaIDFNwl8eb8KDW6LBvgJD1HRAC_U9wwKjNVPhmsZKN-kS9sGKclShV13Dr66zHG_YYKILbOksxrlt_oXsJMXSuKeTqabl8d7yi/s1600/It+Is+What+It+Is+copyright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="660" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89gmP-a2ogZyxz6X265s0oqrE1OVb48aDqmQ-9EmHCRaIDFNwl8eb8KDW6LBvgJD1HRAC_U9wwKjNVPhmsZKN-kS9sGKclShV13Dr66zHG_YYKILbOksxrlt_oXsJMXSuKeTqabl8d7yi/s320/It+Is+What+It+Is+copyright.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It Is What It Is 24" x 20"</td></tr>
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It was no longer the piece I had originally envisioned but something new--and I liked it again. But I had moved between being pleased and hating it so many times that I was not sure whether anyone else would find it interesting. I christened it "It Is What It Is" because it is a piece I had come to accept not for my vision of it but for what it is, and, with some trepidation hung it in the Abstract Artists Group of New England show. It was noticed. It was liked! </div>
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This piece, which kept moving from the dark to the light in my evaluation, seems appropriate for the solstice. </div>
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Happy Solstice everyone! The light will return!</div>
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Linked with Nina-Marie's <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2017/12/off-wall-friday_21.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-66552123615666243122017-12-08T10:17:00.002-05:002017-12-08T10:17:44.489-05:00QuestionsSome famous archaeologist, who discovered the skull of a major link in our evolutionary chain, once said that he only found what he was looking for and so, one day in October, I decided to look for a Wooly Bear, since we now live in an urban landscape where Wooly Bears are not an everyday occurrence. And there one was--right on the violets growing next to our front door.<br />
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In case you are one of the few people who has never seen one, here is a photo of one of the insects consistently described as "cute."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BBwP7TyRL_OPnGwjjKMuVFyQThxUu_XonzPTFoylGivp6p9CCZZgGPXZ2jsqjPkMpz6tg_LyTqGOC6I2FCH6PrHVco3Y55gJc3mxIZKkLR0XtrzSGByzrOwQvuzmt3QlkgnITqX0Sf1T/s1600/Wooly+Bear+Caterpillar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="722" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BBwP7TyRL_OPnGwjjKMuVFyQThxUu_XonzPTFoylGivp6p9CCZZgGPXZ2jsqjPkMpz6tg_LyTqGOC6I2FCH6PrHVco3Y55gJc3mxIZKkLR0XtrzSGByzrOwQvuzmt3QlkgnITqX0Sf1T/s320/Wooly+Bear+Caterpillar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My Wooly Bear block is more symbolic than abstract this time, suggesting the main association of Wooly Bears and questions about the winter weather, one of the many vain attempts we humans have made to try and peer into the future and see what's coming at us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uF_ZC4vJz9JWesXiBlUlKVEvSbuPejDc0_vMCaSezjz6J9NTx7RMje2a-EGnbbdOHp8yMgFUn9WTFFeyV8OWgBGgU_QWF4cXdEgZcCoo24w0mBbVibFEHdJu2axwu54SOoqNK0JC9A_D/s1600/Wooly+Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uF_ZC4vJz9JWesXiBlUlKVEvSbuPejDc0_vMCaSezjz6J9NTx7RMje2a-EGnbbdOHp8yMgFUn9WTFFeyV8OWgBGgU_QWF4cXdEgZcCoo24w0mBbVibFEHdJu2axwu54SOoqNK0JC9A_D/s320/Wooly+Bear.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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I do understand why this guy was labelled wooly, but "bear" leaves me with another unanswered question.</div>
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And one more question of the week: will these hand-dyed half-yards fresh out of the washing machine dry in 45 degree weather with rain predicted any minute?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vOp68gK8yZyHrVZOI0yC5ax92yCwx8CWKukRVHKJc5UjWywKSHWWJQxLMBbySjxmJV8V5ijk1dwJne8zbnWyPKKh0S1g32owOeHBmw-uRAhPa6atSAUN-mtE8UTBL12aGANM7MASwqFB/s1600/Dyeing+clothesline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="800" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vOp68gK8yZyHrVZOI0yC5ax92yCwx8CWKukRVHKJc5UjWywKSHWWJQxLMBbySjxmJV8V5ijk1dwJne8zbnWyPKKh0S1g32owOeHBmw-uRAhPa6atSAUN-mtE8UTBL12aGANM7MASwqFB/s320/Dyeing+clothesline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The answer to that was no.</div>
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Hope you are all contributing your light to this season of darkness!</div>
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Check out Nina's <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2017/12/off-wall-friday.html#">Off the Wall Fridays</a>.</div>
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<br />Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-46469725268120169522017-11-24T10:12:00.000-05:002017-11-24T10:12:01.425-05:00ElusiveThis year I began a new series partially in response to the rhetoric of certainty that seemed to surround me, partially in response to life. It is dedicated to uncertainty and "Live Frugally on Surprise," a line from one of my favorite poems of Alice Walker's, could easily be its mantra.<br />
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One of the fruits of this series is Elusive:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlecpwVv32xTNLMD_9JBufbtKt65YRWPJXmGwMlLp4MM2TWUHnMGKbISgytdJwWhrn-DY_jgystQU1LCjUHLIquSooPIxv_peHrZXnLpBjUQdyuDrUjNvAqXAHEwatKRqK3GpE4ebVfYN/s1600/Elusive2+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlecpwVv32xTNLMD_9JBufbtKt65YRWPJXmGwMlLp4MM2TWUHnMGKbISgytdJwWhrn-DY_jgystQU1LCjUHLIquSooPIxv_peHrZXnLpBjUQdyuDrUjNvAqXAHEwatKRqK3GpE4ebVfYN/s320/Elusive2+blog.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>
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The background is a product of a successful snow-dyeing session with some added silk screening and painting. The texture in the piece (the arcs or wing shapes) comes from another experiment this year--dyeing cheesecloth and hand stitching it to a background.</div>
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This piece is larger than I have been working, 43" x 25", and a judge liked it enough to put it into the Newburyport Art Association Fall Juried Members Show, where it was the only piece of fiber art. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievaf7atZSOmJxPhh8ntjm_mPMdhSR0l_V6mdBXNbBqeeQG8X7lnWNgCwRs9k6kCFUCLItvRMViRUtrfIF-oLrArrMmpdLQRaYC_QJpYMc5uw7Y0na0xiFDbbTE1XqSiNM9eZPr1iw4bfI/s1600/Elusive+in+Juried+NAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="614" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievaf7atZSOmJxPhh8ntjm_mPMdhSR0l_V6mdBXNbBqeeQG8X7lnWNgCwRs9k6kCFUCLItvRMViRUtrfIF-oLrArrMmpdLQRaYC_QJpYMc5uw7Y0na0xiFDbbTE1XqSiNM9eZPr1iw4bfI/s320/Elusive+in+Juried+NAA.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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Since it is abstract, it is open to interpretation and I usually try not to limit those interpretations to what inspired me to create a piece. But if I am asked about a particular meaning, sometimes I try to get the viewer to look a little more closely at the piece. "Those are obviously planets. Why did you make planets?" But the piece is green, not a typical planetary color, and if the piece is about space, it is also about spaces.</div>
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It is Thanksgiving weekend and I am writing this as I sit awaiting the arrival of voices and smiles and energy with reminders of all I am grateful for. I am also feeling gratitude for those quiet spaces in between, for all the multiplicity of this amazing, ever-changing life. </div>
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Hope your Thanksgiving gave you even more to be thankful for!</div>
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Check out <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2017/11/thankful-for-off-wall-friday.html">Off the Wall Friday</a>--another thing to be thankful for!</div>
Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573161385767342858.post-64717204035378706482017-11-17T18:03:00.001-05:002017-11-17T18:03:24.794-05:00Loving GoldenrodSince scientists have freed goldenrod from their reputation for causing allergy miseries (their pollen is so sticky that it does not float in the air easily), I am free to declare my love for the plant and to have beautiful bouquets of it in the house. And when it is in full glory in early fall, it also attracts a number of interesting insects, like the Locust Borer:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0LmHIJAUKTMMPiOtVqkI1gSN4mBYHP7k6yny0s-FkCt7Y5pncr25ZZL88my-lcmvKSVOZdBNrkMyqcnOi5ekjBtJy2Eo1iqDkI7bKUCucoCax1uL6FqlzKYvPl_3aKmLyXiNRQ9yAy5W/s1600/Locust+Borer+mating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0LmHIJAUKTMMPiOtVqkI1gSN4mBYHP7k6yny0s-FkCt7Y5pncr25ZZL88my-lcmvKSVOZdBNrkMyqcnOi5ekjBtJy2Eo1iqDkI7bKUCucoCax1uL6FqlzKYvPl_3aKmLyXiNRQ9yAy5W/s320/Locust+Borer+mating.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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This guy is in the long-horned beetle family (note the antennae), but the patterning is what you can't help but notice. And so it was an easy decision to capture that pattern that is a bit different on every individual yet easily recognizable.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ygUjuB_tN9ZKBHv3SC038iVuHmEgpTgvMITAmhj5J81FvoDsjT4LNNrb1udfXxAzJLBnTJN_9dRyTT1-vG1YilOCAFigzkR-S-d3GFM3s8METTs0opXsxvW5_SxR2R6rQf5gXtaY3f_4/s1600/Locust+Borera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="421" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ygUjuB_tN9ZKBHv3SC038iVuHmEgpTgvMITAmhj5J81FvoDsjT4LNNrb1udfXxAzJLBnTJN_9dRyTT1-vG1YilOCAFigzkR-S-d3GFM3s8METTs0opXsxvW5_SxR2R6rQf5gXtaY3f_4/s320/Locust+Borera.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This beetle is more than just a handsome face. It does serious damage to Black Locust trees when it lays its eggs, but Black Locusts have become invasive in some parts of the country. I pull up hundreds of little annoying Black Locust sprouts in our yard every summer that come from our neighbor's tree. So this little bug--particularly this mating pair--cannot be easily labelled, like so many things in life, as harmful or helpful. </div>
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And, if you are still reading, thanks for the company!</div>
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I am linking with Nina-Marie's <a href="http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2017/11/5-facts-you-didnt-know-about-sewing.html">Off the Wall Fridays</a>. Check out what some other fiber artists have been doing.</div>
Madalene Axford Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03235658024108740972noreply@blogger.com3