at table - an engagement

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our favorite people

somewhere in the Berkshires

July 12, 2014

the day before their engagement

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It is actually quite fitting that Tyler proposed to Amy after making her breakfast on Sunday morning. I don't know what he served but I'm sure it was delicious and was made with special care - especially that morning.

Everyone gets comfortable and relaxes when there is good food to share.  

Good Food + Love = Lasting Memories

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We could not have asked for a better son and are so happy that he found the perfect complement in Amy. (whom we just happen to adore as well!!)

Here's to all the wonderful memories they will create over a lifetime! 

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in the studio - calm before the storm

Fireworks

India Point Park

Providence, RI

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There is a lull between when you hear a firework being set off and it actually exploding. A brief stillness connecting the ground with the trajectory and then, finally, it reaches the right altitude 

and

 BANG.  

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I am currently in that kind of lull, that quiet moment when everything has been put into motion and one waits for it to actually begin. Two weeks till we start building the costumes, 3 weeks till rehearsals start.

Sketches are done, all copies have been made for the costume

shop, the fabric is bought, lists are made.......

And now I worry. 

A lot.

Second guessing; will it work? is it too bold? is it not bold enough? is the palette too tight? 

is my vision clear? does it need to be clear?

Ugh!!!

Obviously, I need to let it go for the next few weeks and focus elsewhere.

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Having cleaned my studio of everything to do with the play (at least until Aug 4th) 

I am now trying to immerse myself again in my art work. Feed the mind. 

Looking thru my sketchbooks for ideas and pulling out and re-connecting 

with unfinished experiments. 

It's a puzzle to unlock.

Then it will be a puzzle to create.

I also worked on my Gallery page. 

I grouped the art work into categories - Past Work, Portraits, Stitched - with each 

having their own page. 

I also added the start of an artist's statement ...... or maybe it's the whole thing.

Don't know.

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in the garden - just flowers and more

Ahhh - a welcome to summer and all that it brings.

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Florida Sunflowers

grown by my good friend Janet! 

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more of those amazing Sunflowers!

You are a sunflower, my friend!

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Iris and Peonies from my garden.

Finally the sun came out and the iris and the peonies were the first to show up! 

Both are so fleeting in their bloom that I always cut a lot of them to have in the house to enjoy.

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Pink Peonies

Had an amazing crop of peonies this season - both deep pink and a very pale pink. 

For 3 weeks straight I had vases in every room filled with them.

They are so beautiful and their scent is sweet and filled with summer.

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Blue Hydrangea

Nothing says New England, and Cape Cod, more than a hydrangea to me. 

I planted this one last year after we moved in and it is coming along beautifully. I added 2 more this spring and hope for 

more blooms next year. 

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White Speedwell

These are so delicate and pretty and, along with the purple Salvia, they are magnets for bees!

I think next year I am going to put some of these in right next to the vegetables .......

a little extra help with pollination would not be a bad thing!

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White Hydrangea

I inherited a large one of these with the house last year and I divided it into 3 - all of which have almost doubled in size.

I also added another late in the summer. Hydrangeas are so continually prolific adding color and texture to the garden all summer long. 

And I still have some of last years' blooms dried and sitting in a vase on top of the refrigerator.

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The lilies - both the Daylily and Lilium varieties - have just begun to bloom along with the Shasta Daisies, Cone Flowers, and Astilbe. 

All of these will continue blooming throughout the season.

By July they should all be joined by the rest of the players; the flowering Hostas, Lianthus, Sedum, Coreopsis, Butterfly Bush, and Rose of Sharon.

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And lest we forget the veggies!

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Cipollini  Onions

This is my first time with onions and I am trying both Cipollini and one called South Carolina Sweets.

So far... so good.

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Pumpkins to be

Yes, ever since my "accidental" pumpkin patch (in Columbus, OH) I have been a fan and wanting to try it again.

So here we go...... Dried the seeds from my Halloween pumpkins last year and we currently have @ 10 healthy plants and lots of blossoms (hoping those bees find those blossoms)! I also planted Long Pie Pumpkin (also from seeds I had dried) which are currently looking just as good. 

I may have another urban pumpkin patch on my hands.

If so - we luckily have lots of children in the neighborhood and they can come pick their own Jack-O-Lantern.

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Also growing well in the garden is patty pan squash, cucumbers, tomatoes (in pots on the deck), Japanese eggplant, 

and lots of herbs.

and, of course, the gardener.

Providence, RI

June, 2014

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within the familiar - back in the saddle

Prop at Trinity Rep warehouse

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No turning back. 
I'm really doing it again! 
And - it actually feels GREAT!!

Six weeks until rehearsals begin for "Ivanov" and I am deep into my research, pulling costumes from the warehouse and theatre, fabric shopping, thrift store hunting, sketching and re-sketching. 
Repeat. 
Some characters seem very well defined in my mind while others are still searching for the "hook" I need in order to allow them to dwell in the world I am creating.  
And it needs to be consistent and have the right balance so that they can all share the space.
It is a world/time that is of it's own making- The male and female silhouettes are based in the early 1890's, definitely European, vaguely Russian, but ....... 
there is a real contemporary edge to all of it. 

"let it incubate
sprawl
be ungainly, misshapen ...
then it will emerge."


It feels so good to be back working with the words of a text. I LOVE delving into characters - listening for the character's voice, trying to understand what makes them tick. The playwright is telling us a story and the characters create that story. My job is to give the audience the visual clues that help them understand each character, how they relate to each other and all the nuance in between. 
I'm having such a good time!!!!!

Not to say that I am not having moments of indecision, fear, inadequacy, etc, etc.  But that usually accompanies any new project - no matter how many have preceded it. So all the sleepless nights and over-thinking seem quite normal at this point.
The sketches (for costumes that will need to be built from scratch) need to be ready in 4 weeks so that the shop can begin all patterns. 

Once rehearsals start we can then begin fittings and, of course, there will be changes and adjustments. There are still open questions that will not be resolved until rehearsals commence - such as the new prologue being added and what that will need in terms of costuming, how the contemporary music being written for the piece will be incorporated, and some other staging issues that we foresee.

Truthfully, that is the beauty and joy of working on the stage -
in the moment, as a community, for a purpose.

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Costumes at Trinity Rep warehouse

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in the studio - a first and a first!

Look Out

antique maps, thread, pencil on paper

8” x 10”

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I finally bit the bullet and entered a juried art show.......

Thrilled to have had both pieces accepted and overjoyed that "Look Out" has sold !!!!

Working on the nerve, and more art pieces, to enter more shows. 

One step at a time.

Hoping that I can get to Cape Cod at some point in June to see the show  -  and maybe add in a visit to see friends, eat oysters, visit the outer cape, eat oysters......

“Call Me Ishmael”

Cotuit Center for the Arts

May 21 - June 29

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Among Islands

antique maps, tracing paper, thread, pencil on paper

13” x 16”

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at table - somethin' is brewin'

Bucket Brewery

Pawtucket, RI

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So many new developments this past month!  

I want to give a big shout out to my husband, Tim, for both his drive and creativity. He is now the "official" blogger for BUCKET'S KITCHEN, the food and pairings blog for Bucket Brewery located in Pawtucket, RI. Basically, he creates and shares food recipes that use Bucket's amazing brews as well as talk about food pairings and such. 

There has been such positive reaction from the brewmasters at Bucket that Tim is now looking at rent ing local kitchen space and working to get his food license, all while perfecting some very special treats that the brewery wants to sell. 

(I don't think I should give away what these are just yet.....)

And.... while trying to incorporate local food and businesses into his writing .... Tim has connected with our neighborhood olive oil store and they are currently intrigued with his infamous crackers!! And they would like him to pursue that as well as some other specialty items.

Tim has also established his own web site, 

the KITCHEN DRUDGE

where he will link all of the Bucket recipes as well as others he is working on

He has also been forced to set up a Facebook page 

(oh, how he hated doing that!!)

But - one way or another .... please follow him and you will get to hear about all those new treats coming!

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on the street - a different perspective

Garden at the Mount Hope Community Baptist Church

Providence, RI

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Warm winds from the west and flowers blooming everywhere. 

A new season has truly begun.

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I finally finished and uploaded the last work for my online class today and although I am saddened to see it end.... it is time to move on. The class has consumed me for the last 8 weeks and I have some new and exciting challenges ahead of me. 

I am designing the costumes for "Ivanov" - the opening production for the 2013-14 season at 

Trinity Square Repertory Company 

here in Providence, RI !!!!

I am both thrilled and nervous by the prospect! And although we do not begin rehearsals until August, there is a lot for me to accomplish before then. 

Like actually designing the play ...... based on the director's wishes, the production will not be a Chekovian 'period piece' and will include a contemporary rock band on stage along with the cast. 

A mash up of looks and time periods - but one that must blend together seamlessly so that the audience believes in the world we are creating. 

A challenge indeed.

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So here's to hoping that designing a show is like riding a bicycle ......