SUMMER TIME: NEW YORK CITY STREET VENDORS

SUMMER TIME; NEW YOK CITY STREET VENDORS. Kaitha Het Heru. Pochade. Quick Sketch. Colored Pencils. Markers. Fine Art Print. The Master Peace Collection. A Woman's Work: My Art & My Textiles.

"MOMMIE! MOMMIE!"  The Siren with her seductive voice was calling me before I rounded the corner.

Dressed in her colorful, traditional, african dress, the Enchantress, so named by me, seller of delicious cool drinks, was situated at her usual street corner spot in my neighborhood.

"MOMMIE! HERE! I GOT GINGER AND SORREL DRINK JUST FOR YOU...."

Just for me was right. OMG!!! The Ginger drink always the perfect balance of ginger and sugar, spicy and sweet.  Sweet enough to rattle your teeth right down to the roots. Chilled to the exact temperature. Now, how do you suppose she keeps those drinks cold?

I drink her Ginger drink during hot summer days, and cold, blustery, snowy winter days. Yep, the Enchantress is out there at her usual spot in the winter.  There, just for me.

The Sorrel drink, a lovely intense, deep-red color is a painter and dyer-of-textiles delight.

Sorrel is a sour-juiced plant. Prepared correctly, meaning with the right amount of sugar and "ting", it is the exact blend of sweet and sour.

For me, it's a--"I can't wait to get home, take off my sneakers, curl up with my IPAD, and do pochade, quick sketches, of the days' sights and feeling-tones of my neighborhood," --kinda of thing.

By the way, the herbs, Ginger and Sorrel, have nutritional properties, err, um, hmm, without the sugar, that is.

A life-long NYC dweller, do you know what I find attractive about New York City neighborhoods during the summer time? Come to think of it, the street vendors are out there in the fall and winter.  It is the enthusiastic street vendors enticing you. The Sirens luring you to sample their wares with their seductive chants.

"MOMMIE! MOMMIE! HERE! I GOT GINGER AND SORREL DRINK JUST FOR YOU! MOMMIE!"

I am delighted to oblige them.

What is it about your city or town that inspires you to get to writing, drawing, singing in the shower, or just plan old humming and being grateful."

THE CARDINAL IN THE HOLLY

 Celebrating the Last Days of Summer...
Expressions in Fiber,
Inspired by The Beauty of Nature.

The Cardinal In The Holly
Project 365 HK Series, #1
Hand Knotted Cut Pile Textile Painting
 

"I totally agree with Virginia Woolf that the loveliest sight in the world is sunlight on leaves." ---Louise Williams
                                                                                                                

PROJECT 365HK: 365 Hand Knots.
ABOUT MY PROCESS

I use 3 or 4-ply pre-cut yarns, a loosely spun singles yarn, thick or if thin, doubled, in addition to fabric. I also cut yarn into the desired length.

Yarns selected for a cut pile textile should bloom when the knots are made, filling in the spaces in the canvas to create a velvet-like surface. I love that in my knotted cut pile textiles you are not looking at the sides of the yarns as in hand woven textiles but into the cut edges.  The finished cut pile yarn is darker and more intense in color. 

I use 100% Wool and Acrylic yarns, and occasionally cut and add colorful fabric as an additional element to the knotted cut pile textile paintings. The canvas provides a solid base for the knots. 

I may work freehand, knotting the cut yarn on the canvas. Or, I map out my design in my graph composition journal using colored pencils, markers, or crayons.

My designs determine the number of knots. The canvas determines the spacing of knots per inch.

I often work in a series where my themes are seeded, take root, grow, and expand.

IMPRESSIONS.  INSPIRATION.  EXPRESSION.

My inspiration is derived from the impressions or remembrance of images in nature: rock formations, flowers, water; the sights, sounds and smells of life.  I am aware of the healing power of colors which infuse the textiles. 

My MUSE, NTRT HET HERU, the SOURCES-ERESS, whispers. Or, if I'm not minding my business...shouts...look...over there!  See! Do This! How about this color?  Use this technique!

At times, when I begin working on a piece, nothing...something, the color, the design is not flowing...something is not ripe/right just yet.  I put it aside and let it percolate on "the backburner" in my mind's eye.

For the Knotted Cut Pile Series, 365 Hand Knots, PROJECT 365HK, the tools and lots of yarns in my stash are readily available. 

I thought: how do I translate the impressions of what I am seeing during my walks, into a knotted cut pile textile? How many knots would complete a small textile. I decided on 365 knots. 

Why only 365 knots for this project?  It's about Time, plus nimble fingers. To hand knot onto canvas takes time. Each knot a reminder to capture the moments of the passing days in the year. Time passes by us so quickly...the illusion of time...the choices we have in each day to slow down, to show up in our lives.  It's about making our every day beautiful, our every day sacred.   

Why use yarn? I love the feel of yarn, the vibrant colors. I think of yarn as paints. The cut pile knots as brush strokes. The textile as a tactile painting you can touch. An interactive meditation piece. You can feel the image. It is a counterpoint to the Museums you visit. "Do Not Touch" signs placed near the art on display.

The Cardinal and The Holly is a reminder to expect magical happenings every day. The Cardinal was such a delight to see.  A beautiful bird, it appeared out of the blue.     

THE CARDINAL IN THE HOLLY

"Light is a thing that cannot be reproduced,
but must be represented by something else--by color."
 --Paul Cezanne

Sunlight. Shade. Green. Yellow. Red.
Sitting quietly.  Camera ready.  
Watching the rhythmic 2-step
Dance of The Sunlight and Leaves.
A Lover's Dance.
Sunlight. Green. Yellow. 
Shade. Green. Yellow. Sunlight.
Now, Yellow. Now, Green. Sunlight. Shade.
I blinked.
A flash of Red caught my eye.
Cardinal had joined The Dance.
Sunlight. Shade. Greeen. Yellow. Red.
Red. Shade. Sunlight. Green. Yellow