March | 2013 | The Studio

Archive for March, 2013

What is a Museum?

Posted in Little Known Facts, Travel, Trivia, tagged Boston Museum of Fine Art, National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

Have you ever wondered just “What is a museum”? Museum gets its name from the Greek word mouseion, meaning “seat of the Muses”. The began as places to discuss math, philosophy, science and politics. In the 17th century museums developed into fancy houses devoted to collecting and categorizing curiosities that belonged to noblemen. Today many museums are free or cost little to enter.

They are more than just a huge places that hold artifacts, or in the case of the ones I prefer, art. They also provide classes, workshops, guided tours, interactive exhibits and gift shops.

Museum of Fine Art, Boston

I have been lucky to get to see many wonderful museums over the years in several countries and I still take every opportunity to go to one today when I can whether I have been to it before or not. I see something different every time. Here are a few posts from one of my favorite museums – the National Gallery of Art. Click here and here for more. So on my list of things each day that I am grateful for one toward the top is that I get to enjoy so much beauty at these wonderful places. Make sure you go enjoy them too!

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Second Crocheted Tablecloth

Posted in Crochet, tagged cotton tablecloth, Crochet, crocheted tablecloth, tablecloth pattern, Virginia Artist on March 10, 2013| 2 Comments »

I’ve been crocheting with cotton these last few weeks. I like the feel of it. This is the second tablecloth I have made. This one started with a doily pattern that I found on Ravelry.com. (You can see it here.) Once I started with that pattern I couldn’t stop so I kept adding on to it and this is what happened. Crocheting is a relaxing pastime for me. I almost always have a hook and yarn in my hand when I sit to watch tv. I credit my grandmothers for teaching me. Granny taught me to chain when I was about six years old and later she showed me more stitches. Then Big Mama taught me different patterns. I’m so glad they took the time to teach a curious little girl how to do something they knew. I think they would both have loved to see what I am doing with it today.

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Oreo Cows in Art Class

Posted in Art Class, Farm Animals, tagged acrylic, Art Class, art lessons, belted galloway, Blue Ridge Arts Council, daily painter, daily painting, farm animals, impressionism, Landscape, Oreo cow, Virginia Artist on March 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The kids painted a nice landscape this week with a Belted Galloway. It’s from a photo I took when in Newport a few years ago. I love these Oreo cows. They looks so cool. Good job kids with your paintings!

Here is my painting (right) along with the reference photo on the left. I swear these cows don’t even look real with their funny coloring!

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Yarn Wreath

Posted in Crochet, tagged Crochet, Virginia Artist, yarn project, Yarn wreath on March 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

What to do with all those little left over bits of yarn? That’s the question many of us who crochet or knit ask ourselves. Don’t you just have a huge box full of them? I did. So a few weeks ago I took them along with some little styrofoam balls and wrap them to make this little wreath. I added the knitting needles as a finishing touch. (Crochet hooks just didn’t look right.) And here it is. It turned out to be a cute little wreath.

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Hello Snow Dog!

Posted in Animals, Dogs, Pet Portaits, Small Town Life, tagged daily painter, Dogs, pet portrait, Shenandoah Valley, snow dog, snow sculpture, Virginia Artist on March 7, 2013| 1 Comment »

Snow Dog

Mamie with Snow Dog

Well, we got a total of 15 inches of snow at our house yesterday. They were calling for 12-24 inches so I consider us lucky! They were so certain it would be a great deal of snow that we had both The Weather Channel and The Today Show’s Al Roker broadcasting from our little town of Front Royal, VA.

Lincoln kissing Snow Dog’s nose

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Expecting More Snow

Posted in daily painter on March 6, 2013| 1 Comment »

We are expecting 12-18″ more snow today. Yikes. Good day to pull out some art books and read and stay warm.

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Mamie’s Tablecloth – A Free Pattern

Posted in Crochet, tagged Crochet, crochet tablecloth, free crochet tablecloth pattern, tablecloth pattern, Virginia Artist on March 5, 2013| 22 Comments »

A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon I picked up a crochet hook and some cotton yarn and started playing. This is what turned out. I like experimenting with stitches to see if I can make it work. I am not a professional pattern writer so this is very basic. You will need to join a round by slip stitching in the top of the first stitch. Adjust to make it work. I used Peaches and Crème 4-ply worsted cotton yarn. It took about 26 ounces.

And this is why it’s called Mamie’s Tablecloth!

Chain 5. Slip stitch to form a small ring.

Round 1: Ch 5. * DC in ring, ch 2. Repeat from * 5 times. Join with sl st in 3^rd chain of beginning ch 5.

Round 2: Ch 3, * 4 DC in ch 2 space. DC in next DC. Repeat around from *.

Round 3: Ch 4. * DC in next DC, ch 1. Repeat around from *.

Round 4: Ch 3. DC in next DC and in each DC around.

Round 5: Ch 5. Skip next DC. * DC in next DC, ch 2. Skip 1 DC. Repeat from * around.

Round 6: Ch 3. * 2 DC in ch 2 space. DC in next DC. Repeat around from *.

Round 7: Ch 4. * Skip next DC. DC in next DC, ch 1. Repeat around from *.

Round 8: Ch 3. * DC in ch 1 sp. Dc in next DC. Repeat around from *.

Round 9: Ch 5. * Skip next DC. DC in next DC, ch 2. Repeat around from * .

Round 10: Ch 3. * 2 DC in next ch 2 space, DC in next DC. Repeat around from * .

Round 11: Ch 4. * Skip next DC, DC in next DC. Ch 1. Repeat around from * .

Round 12: Ch 3. * DC in ch 1 sp. DC in next DC. Repeat around from * .

Round 13: Ch 5. Skip next DC. DC in next DC. * Ch 2, skip next DC. DC in next DC.

Repeat around from * .

Round 14: Ch 3. 2 DC in ch 2 sp. * Ch 1, 3 DC in next ch 2 space. Repeat around from *.

Round 15: Ch 3. 2 DC in same space, ch 1. * 3 DC in ch 1 space, Repeat around from * .

Round 16: Ch 3. DC in each DC around.

Round 17: Ch 4. Skip next DC. * DC in next DC, ch 1. Repeat around from * .

Round 18: Ch 3. DC in same space. * 2 DC in next ch 1 space. Repeat around from * .

Round 19: Ch 3. Dc in each DC around.

Round 20: Ch 5. Skip 1 DC. *DC in next DC, ch 2. DC in next DC. Skip 1 DC. Repeat around from * .

Round 21: Ch 3. 2 DC in next sp. 3 DC in each ch 2 space around.

Round 22: Ch 7. Skip 2 DC. * SC in next DC. Ch 7. Skip 2 DC. Repeat around from * .

Round 23: Sl St in next 3 chains. *Ch 7, SC in next ch 7 space. Repeat around from * .

Round 24: Sl St in next 3 chains. * 7 DC in next ch 7 space (shell made). SC in next ch 7 space. Repeat around from * .

Round 25: Sl St in top of next 3 DCs. * Ch 7. SC in 4^th DC of shell. Repeat around from * .

Round 26: Sl St in next 3 ch. * Ch 7, SC in next ch 7 space. Repeat around from * .

Round 27: Sl St in next 3 ch. Chain 4. * 5 DC, ch 1, 5 DC in next ch 7 space (10 DC shell made). Ch 1, DC in next ch 7 sp. Repeat around from * .

Round 28: * Ch 9. SC in ch 1 sp at top of 10 DC shell. Ch 9. DC in next DC between shells. Repeat around from * .

Round 29: Ch 3. 6 DC in next ch 9 space. * Ch 2, 7 DC in next ch 9 space. Repeat around from * .

Round 30: Ch 3. DC in each DC and 2 DC in each ch 2 sp around.

Round 31 – 32: Ch 3. Dc in each DC around.

Round 33: Ch 5. Skip 2 DC. SC in next DC. * Ch 5, skip 2 DC, SC in next DC. Repeat around from * .

Round 34: Ch 3. 3 DC, ch 2, sc in ch 2. 4 DC. * SC in next ch 5 sp. 4 DC, ch 2, 4 DC in next ch 5 space. Repeat around from * .

Finish off by working in loose ends.

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Boxcar Graffiti

Posted in Abstract, Travel, Trivia, tagged Boxcar graffiti, train graffiti, Virginia Inland Port on March 4, 2013| 1 Comment »

Most mornings while we are at the dog park we see a train come by. Jed loves to chase the trains along the fence so I usually try to wait for one before we leave. I have noticed that almost every boxcar is covered with graffiti. It made me curious. Graffiti is defined as writings or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed on walls or other public places. In most cases it is illegal.

I have learned that there is a specific culture of “Freight Train Graffiti” artists. It’s a vibrant art form that allows these anonymous artists to have their art seen by hundreds of people each day.

Usually painted using aerosol cans of paint, I can only imagine where it is being created and how. It’s almost a stealth art form. We get to see a lot of it as these trains head in and out of the Virginia Inland Port here in Front Royal. The port brings a great deal of boxcars and a great deal of “art” into the community for anyone who will look.

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Busy Beavers on the Shenandoah River

Posted in Animals, Small Town Life, tagged Beaver, beaver lodge, daily painter, Shenandoah River on March 3, 2013| 2 Comments »

Over the past few months while walking the dogs down the path at Eastham Park to get to the dog park we have noticed several trees along the river that were down. A month or so ago while Allen was walking with me he said it looked like a beaver had been working. So yesterday I took a couple of photos of their handiwork. Beavers are the second largest rodent in the world but they sure look a lot cuter than rats! They build lodges and apparently that is what they are doing at the river. Beavers are herbivores preferring the wood of cottonwood, alder, birch, maple, and also pondweed and waterlilies. There used to be many more beavers but having been trapped for their fur numbers are down from a high of some 60 million to around 12 million. (More on beavers here.) So far we haven’t actually seen a beaver but we look every day and maybe we will see one soon. In the meantime we have to be happy to just see their handiwork. This is one of the things I love about walking down to the dog park. You never know what you may see down by the river.

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The Ibis

Posted in Animals, daily painter, Travel, tagged acrylic, bird, birds, daily painter, Ibis, impressionism, Virginia Artist on March 1, 2013| 1 Comment »

Ibis in the Making 1

Ibis in the Making 2

Ibis in the Making 3

The Ibis is a long-legged wading bird with down curved bills often found in Florida. They are also known as the hurricane bird as they are generally the last to leave an area before a hurricane arrives and the first to return. I saw many of them on my recent visit to Florida but this reference photo comes from Cousin Linda who posted it recently on her Facebook page. Thanks Linda for the inspiration.

Ibis, acrylic on canvas, 36″x18″, $265.

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