When the Sunset Crowns Mt. Fuji: Mihoko Tanaka’s Vibrant Orange Quilt
Category: Orange Tuesdays
Chinese Coins Quilt Block in Mosaic
Celebrating Orange Friday
Usually, I post some orange goodness for Orange Tuesdays, but I felt moved to celebrate an Orange Friday.
Diwali: Glowing Orange Light in the Darkness
The folks at Painted Paisley were sharing some of their beautiful suits for Diwali, and I wanted to know more about this celebration. As I discovered, Diwali is a festival of lights celebrated in India and in other countries by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. Diwali is the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
Rangoli are part of the celebration, and the Sanskrit word means a creative expression in art using color. Women often create them on the floor, or at the doorway to welcome guests and the Goddess Lakshmi. Rangoli remind me of mandalas, and the vibrant color resonates with what inspires me in art.
Diyas, clay oil lamps, are lit as an expression of this triumph of light over darkness at Diwali.
The lamps made me think of Stratoz’s stained glass night light.
The color orange is woven throughout Diwali, from glowing orange lights, to rangoli composed of marigolds, to Diwali sweets like carrot halwa and jalebi, to deep orange sarees.
Taking Log Cabin Farther: Ann Beech’s Quilt of Thunder Across the Beaches
This quilt takes Log Cabin into Frank Gehry architecture. Contrast is like breathing room, with the grays and browns framing the bursts of orange and yellow.
Galaxy Art Show and Sale 2013: Benefit for Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) Bucks County
My work will be part of the 2013 Galaxy Art Show and Sale November 7-10, at the Bucks County Courthouse, Doylestown, PA. This annual fundraiser for the Network of Victim Assistance(NOVA) is has a devoted staff and volunteers who create bar codes for all our art, help the artists load in, and provide a central check0ut for people to make their purchases.
There is a gala reception with the artists on Thursday, November 7th from 5-8. Come meet the artists, and enjoy a wine and cheese reception.
Regular show hours are Friday, November 8th from 10-7, Saturday November 9th from 10-7 and Sunday November 10th from 10-4. Free Admission. The wonderful staff runs the show, and allows me to be in two places at once, since Nutmeg Designs is at the Transformations Art and Craft Show at the Hopewell Train Station in Hopewell, NJ the same weekend.
I am arranging my mosaics in rainbow order as a symbol of hope. NOVA provides counseling, advocacy and community education, which is a source of hope.
Midas and the Buddha in Honor of National Cat Day
Midas lives next door, but spends a lot of time in our backyard. This is the first time he has gotten into the Buddha’s personal space.
From Moravian Simplicity to Episcopal Exuberance with a Celtic Cross
I grew up in the Moravian Church, which is Protestant and often modest, plain and simple in church buildings. I suspect my home church, Edmonton Moravian, falls in the category of mid-century modern, which is the descriptor of much of my built world in the 1970’s.
The flat roof puzzles me, since surely it was a resting place for several feet of snow every winter. The font for the Moravian Church sign is san serif, and simple. Those 3 entry doors opened into a foyer lined with coat racks for all the winter garments. As a girl, I loved being surrounded by the friendly people of this church, as I looked for my coat after service.
I remember writing a poem, searching for imagery to describe the sanctuary: a bungalow rec room. Looking at a photo many years later, I see Danish Modern with the blonde wooden pews.
The first Catholic sanctuary I entered surprised me with the sheer quantity of decoration, color and sparkle. Stratoz attends an Episcopal church, more ornate than my childhood church, but not overwhelming. I discovered that the Celtic cross form, with the halo, is also referred to as an Episcopal cross, and Stratoz’s church has several of them.
I ponder my travels from the plain church into a love of liturgical art with color and iridescence, and my most recent Celtic cross in orange and shades of blue. The simple is beautiful in its own way, and I responded to that whole-heartedly. I also was surrounded by beautiful music, as Moravians cherish music, and yes, trombones.
For a musical treat check out Ritchie Trombone Choir’s mp3’s, including the graceful Handel and the swinging Green Dolphin Street.
Welcome Friends: Art and Friendship
We helped inaugurate our friend Kathy’s new kitchen, and one of our Nutmeg Designs’ welcome signs was there to greet us, as was Russell, the orange cat.
Stratoz made pizza, with an oven light years ahead of ours. I had made fridge magnets as a kitchen warming gift. We have known Kathy for 15 years, and she has been a fan of Nutmeg Designs from the beginning.
Russell, on the other hand, is a fan of being the center of attention.
Orange Cherry Tomatoes from Jett’s Produce: Delicious Color
