I am loving working on this new series.  

Unfortunately, just as I started incorporating real leaves into my work, it's fall.  It's snowing.  And there are no more leaves to work with.

Timing is everything.

But, I'm now applying for an artist residency at the Denver Botanic Gardens to continue to explore incorporating nature into my work.  I heard last year they had 3,000 applications so I'm not getting my hopes up.  But if I don't try, I will never be successful.   

I might try printing  leaves and flowers from artificial ones I can buy from a craft store in the mean time.  There is always a way to get around issues when making art.  I think problem solving is 80% of making good art.  That, and having the skills of using all our tools and media ends up creating something meaningful and wonderful.
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First things first.  My friend Mary Williams is having a solo exhibit at Westward Gallery through the end of the month.  She is an amazing artist, moving from 3-D sculptures in wood to painting on wood panels.  Her work is exciting and wonderful so if you are in the Denver area, I encourage you to visit her exhibit.

Mary and I go back many years to the time she put together a group of 5 artists to exhibit their work in different mediums.  Our group named itself "To Expand" and consisted of Mary, Victoria Eubanks (encaustic), Ken Elliott (oil and pastel), Janice Mcdonald (collage) and me (fiber).  We didn't know each other at the beginning but from our first exhibit at the Madden Museum in Denver, we became good friends.

Today, we met for lunch for the first time in 2 years (thank you Covid) and walked across the street to see Mary's new exhibit.

Thanksgiving is next week and I will be being thankful of all the artist friends I have made over the past years.  And especially thanks to Mary, who opened up so many possibilities for me. 

I will be thankful for all my friends who support me and my art!
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Still working on this series.

I printed five panels with real leaves and acrylic paint but now that winter is coming, all the leaves will dry up and disappear so if I want to continue this series, I will have to wait until next summer when the leaves are at their height.

By then, I will probably be onto something else.

​I'll keep you posted!  Meanwhile, enjoy the change of seasons.

I am always amazed at the creativity of fiber artists.  

I visited this exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens this week and loved Sammy's work.  I've also been making some paper recently so this fit perfectly with my current interests.

Here's a description of her current exhibit "Taking Root" from the Botanic Garden's website.

A first-generation Korean immigrant, Sammy Seung-min Lee transforms Korean hanji paper into intimate artworks exploring how familiar traditions can become unfamiliar within the setting of a foreign culture. 
Lee’s works use mealtime customs to tell personal stories about the ways in which the strangeness of a new culture can make even the mundane comforts of food and home seem incongruous. These works are also an opportunity to take a seat at someone else’s table—a glimpse into what it means to take root and make a new home. 

To see a video of her, click here.