Photography

Hi Everyone!! A very fond welcome to all my new and old visitors. I have had quite an eventful winter break. On two occasions, my husband and I first drove down to Southern California and then also to the north. Apart from being outside and travelling, I have also been busy in my little atelier with sorting out projects, planning, painting, book binding, etc. I LOVE to bake, so I have been playing with recipes too. I have one to share with you today along with my other holiday happenings!

This year I swapped out my snowshoes and outdoor boots with my city boots. I was all set to go to the Eastern Sierra to play in the snow. Then I found out at the last minute that Bowers Museum in Anaheim is hosting an exhibit of an extensive collection of Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock prints from the British Museum. As a block printer myself, I could not pass up the chance to see these original prints up close. Needless to say, it was an incredible visit and it happened to be on my birthday weekend.

Afterwards we visited a few book shops and stationary stores there. I got several incredibly beautiful Japanese inks for my birthday from my husband. I love the simple joy of playing with these inks and writing Japanese with a brush. I am excited about using these inks for both writing with fountain pens and for drawing.

I recently got a new sewing machine. To familiarize myself with the new machine, I started making something that is nothing fancy but very special – blankets for my kitties who love to sleep on them. I “quilt” them with wavy lines.

I made this bobcat pattern for a school mascot as a custom order

I used to design paper piecing quilt patterns. For non quilters, it is a type of pattern that enables me to create almost any picture with fabric, like this bobcat. The challenge in writing these patterns is that every sewing line (seam) has to be a straight line. The curves are all made of straight lines. I start with drawing the picture and then start drawing lines where the seams will go. Figuring out the way each piece connects to another is like creating a puzzle.

You can see my currently available patterns in my shop. I took a break from designing patterns, but I am excited to say that during this break I started working on a new one. I will share as soon as it is ready.

During the holidays, Rebecca Magee shared photos with me of this beautiful quilt she made.

She used my Compass Needle pattern for the stars in the middle. Isn’t the quilt gorgeous?!!

Due to severe food allergies, I can’t have store-bought fruit cakes and I am not really very fond of alcohol-steeped desert. I recently happened on a recipe from the President Truman household that was posted by the National Park Service. I made a few modifications to fit our taste and we really love it.

I am sharing both the original and my modified version with my notes. I posted the recipe on this page all on its own so you can bookmark it directly. I hope you like it.

I usually make a “official” end to my winter break with a visit to the majestic Redwood forests along the California coast. It is a very contemplative time for me. I took this photo from the car one morning. Not the best photo technically, but I love the atmosphere.

Purchase handmade journals

At home, I finished a long-awaited drawing of the redwood cones collected from my own backyard in my nature journal which I made.

These are just a few things from my winter break. I have so much more to share with you, from both my atelier and my travels. Thank you so much for continuing to visit me. It is great to see familiar as well as new “faces” here.

Until next time,
-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please consider paying a visit to some of them.

Simple 365 – Set 10

Here is another set of Simple365 photos. This is what my summer usually looks like, playing and experimenting indoors. After a jaunt through the garden, I putter in the kitchen making both food and art concoctions. Aside from making paint from foraged things, this was my first time making mint jam and mint wine.

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I continue to add photos to that page as I share them here. That way I can relive the journey through the year via black and white photos like in an old album.

Monochromatic Paintings

Painting With Homemade Ink

We have a beautiful old towering black walnut tree. A couple of years ago, I happily collected a LOT of black walnuts. The huge mess I made was matched only by the amount the fun I had while making black walnut ink.

This was my first time painting with ink made from plant material. This bookmark picture is of that walnut tree, painted with the ink I made. The ink has a gorgeous golden hue to it and can also be used as a stain. I am going to convert some of that ink/stain to watercolor, but that’s a story for another day.

Exploring An Old Favourite

I probably don’t need to to tell you anymore how much I love trees. Whenever I am trying something new, I unintentionally start with a simple sketch of one or many trees, followed by marking the dark, medium and light areas. This value sketch is immensely helpful, especially when I am working with only one color.

It does look like a hot mess when I start. However, the composition takes shape over time as I continue to paint. “The rule” says to paint from light to dark. However, I sometimes paint the closest trees first. They are the darkest and have the most detail. Then I paint the further-out ones that are lighter in color with less detail. I do what works for the painting and me, which quite often does not follow convention.

Prussian Blue is one of my favourite colours. Depending on water usage, this granulating color deposits unevenly producing a mottled effect. There are places in this painting where I didn’t want that, so I had to pay extra attention. Exploring it without interference from another color gave me a chance to learn and understand this color to its fullest.

Trying A New Brand

Watercolors from different brands behave very differently. I was curious about Rembrandt watercolor. I love their less expensive Van Gogh line and use it often in my nature journals. When I want to try out a new expensive brand of watercolor, I only purchase one tube. While visiting an art supply store with my husband, I asked him to pick out a Rembrandt color for me. Here is a man who delights in creating little challenges for me. Knowing very well that I use red in my paintings only for accents, he chose that very color for a monochromatic painting.

Painting a red forest bookmark was daunting for me, but I accepted the challenge and loved it. Working with just one color, I was able to learn the behavior of the Rembrandt paint.

A few painting tools and a tube of paint, and I can stay busy for hours. I also keep a sketchbook with my line drawings, value sketches and additional notes.

Black and white photos create a simplified world with increased depth, perspective, and focus. Extending that monochromatic world of photography into the world of painting makes it easier for me to learn and play. Do you ever play with black and white / monochromatic colors or are you a full-time full-color person? I would love to know.

-Soma