"Lobster Trappings II"

 I finished this print a couple of weeks ago.  It's the second version of this subject.  I have always liked the whimsy in this scene.  It went to a good home right after it was completed.  Thought I would share it with everyone.

New work!

I wanted to share this little botanical illustration!  It found a new home during the art tour, but first I had to finish it!  I'm really happy with how it turned out, and how my watercolor illustration skills are progressing!

I found this leaf early in the spring, right in front of my studio door one windy morning.  I don't even know where there is a sycamore tree nearby so I have no idea where it came from.  It was such an odd contrast to the newly emerging plants in my garden, and a reminder that even a curled leaf can be beautiful.  It seemed to be asking to be painted.

 There's more new work to come soon!  I'm still working on a couple of large block prints, and have some new Maine inspired drawings!

 "Sycamore Leaf"  Watercolor on toned paper, 12 x 16

 

Lewes Artists Studio Tour

We've wrapped up the Tour for the year!  Thanks to everyone who attended and supported the art community in Lewes! We had more than 250 visitors to the studio!

Here are some photos of the tour.  We had a beautiful day for this!

A special thank you to John Overton (ESP estate sales) and Bill Roeder for helping set up and loaning the equipment I needed!  Thanks David for modeling my garden bag!  A big thank you to Ken who built the cabinets in the studio and the lattice display screen for the paintings, and who has always supported me.  Also thank you to Noni at Raas restaurant!  I heard you put brochures everywhere in Lewes!!!!

The raffle was won by Melanie Steinmetz!  Congratulations!

More New Work!

I've been getting lots of things finished in preparation for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour!  https://www.lewesartistsstudiotour.com/ 

If you are in the area, do come see the work of the artists on the tour.  Go to the link above to view websites and a map of the studio locations. 

Here are a few new paintings and woodcuts!

          Hope to see you on the 18th of September!

       Explore the links on the blog to see more of my work.  The Flicker photo sharing link and the Ravelry link (Designs By Theresa Kehrer) have photos of my textile work.  If you are a member of Ravelry (free), my project page has much of my new work.

 

Phalaenopsis "Fullers Mask-Smile" Watercolor on Arches 300# paper, 15 x 22 inches

"In for the Night" White Line Woodcut on Rives BFK paper, 18 x 24 inches

"Boothbay Waterlilies" Watercolor on Arches 300# paper, 15 x 22 inches

New Botanical Illustration!

 "Carolina Cones- Pinus Palustris" Graphite on handmade paper, 15" x 22"

 

I completed this drawing earlier this year, hoping to enter it into one of the ASBA (American Society of Botanical Artists:  http://www.asba-art.org/) competitions, which ended up being cancelled because of Covid.  I'll probably include it in my show for the Lewes Studio Art Tour.

My first artistic love is scientific illustration, and has been since I was as young as I can remember.  One of the earliest books I ever owned was a text called "The Sea Beach at Ebb Tide" written by Augusta Foote Arnold in 1901.  I wasn't even 12 years old, but I begged my father to buy a Dover reprint for me.  There are more than 600 illustrations in this very scientific text.  I poured over it for decades marveling at the amazing drawings it contained.  It's no wonder that later in life, as a geology major, I fell in love with paleontology!  The book is no longer in print, but can be viewed as Project Gutenberg scans here:  

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43946/43946-h/43946-h.htm

Scientific and botanical illustration is often not considered fine art, much to my chagrin.  A drawing like mine can take hundreds of hours (300 to be exact) to complete. There is a high level of botanical accuracy required.  The ASBA recognizes the work of botanical artists, and has helped elevate this deserving art form.  My first love is graphite and charcoal, but I also do work in watercolor, and am improving my technique.  Watercolor illustration is painstaking work, usually done in dry brush, and also can take hundreds of hours to complete.

I hope you enjoy this drawing as much as I did making it! 

If you are able, come see it in person at the Lewes Studio Artist Tour the 18th of September!  https://www.lewesartistsstudiotour.com/

 

Lewes Artists Studio Tour 2021

Hey everyone! I'm participating in the Lewes Artists Studio Tour this year!

https://www.lewesartistsstudiotour.com/

There are 16 artists whose studios are on the tour, and many kinds of art and craft represented. I will have botanical illustrations, nature inspired crochet pieces, white line woodcut prints and watercolor paintings on display. I've been branching out into some landscape work as well so there will be a few of those. 

The tour is the third Saturday of September, September 18th, 2021. Hope to see you at the studio!

"Retired" Watercolor on 300# Arches paper. 

Just for fun!

I've been doing prints and textiles, but haven't had enough time to get things photographed! Here are a few fun prints I did recently. I've not attempted lettering before, and I referenced an historic text from the Antique Pattern Library for the script. The turnip and the orchid were drawn from life, the roses were inspired by an antique text of arts and crafts embroidery patterns.

Maine Woods

This beautiful nature preserve is across the road from my brother's house. Such a calming lovely place! Happy Spring!

Spring Crochet designs!

I've been so busy creating I haven't had time to post! Here are a few crochet designs I completed this spring, many more in the works!  Woodcuts coming later, I have a few big ones nearing completion.

I love the idea of a market bag for spring!  This one is inspired by a vintage crochet piece I found in my Mother in Law's house.

 

A bohemian shawl with beads for spring!

 

This vest is something I've been playing with for a while.  I wanted it to have a collar, but couldn't make it with only one skein of the yarn.  The fabulous rayon metallic yarn is from Blue Heron Yarn which is local in Southern Delaware!  I'm making a second version with the intended collar in another fantastic Blue Heron Yarn.

 

 

This is another adaptation of a vintage lace design.  I have great plans for it!

 

This last piece is an adaptation of a vintage circular pattern which I had to rework to make it straight.  Counting and math are everything!  I also have plans for it in the future!!

New Studio Storage!

 Well done Ken!  Your German Cabinet making grandfather would be so proud!!!  

All the shelving and new black cabinets were made by Ken!  I'm so excited to FINALLY get the fabric and yarn out of tote bins from the move and into some beautiful cabinets! These shelves are in excess of 7 feet tall so this was a major undertaking.  The right black cabinet holds my ironing board, photo lamps and all the tall things like my easel and tripod.

When I get the place cleaned up I'll post a final photo!

 So Exciting! 

 It took me all week to unpack and clean up but it's pretty well finished!  Ken also built the cabinet next to the door for my paintings and paper and woodblocks.  We hit a great sale on organizers that were all on clearance, so that helped with the fabric and yarn organizing.  The little corner cabinet is a repurposed thrift store find that was a media cabinet.  It just needs a solid back, but we got the wire totes, also on clearance, and it works really well for tools!

Playing with String- Solving Puzzles- Making Vintage Lace from Antique French Pattern Books

 

Taking a printmaking break here!  The weather's been really cold and wet, and it seems a great time to stay indoors and enjoy a different activity. It's also a good time to go looking for inspiration.

I dove into my studio library, and my favorite online library, and found loads of ideas!  I have never made it through the entire alphabetical listing of the catalog for the Antique Pattern Library, there are so many wonderful titles:

http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/catalog.htm

It's a fun rainy day activity for anyone interested in old books and especially art books, design books or historical drawings and reference, there's even woodworking!  Different from Project Guttenberg in that everything in the antique pattern library relates to art somehow.

I went in search of alphabets for woodblock printing, antique Art Deco and Art Nouveau floral embroidery patterns (again for woodblocks), and to look again at my favorite vintage lace making books.  I got stuck on this one, (only got as far as the letter C this time):

 http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/pub/PDF/B-YS033Franges.pdf

Who wouldn't love lace that has flowers and leaves (at least, what botanical artist wouldn't?)!  I decided to figure out one of the patterns.  Yes they are written in French, and yes, Google translate made a mish-mosh of the translation, but I love a good puzzle. I am greatly indebted to my friends on Ravelry and my CGOA mentor, Susan Lowman for helping me in the places where I got stuck!

Here is the beginning, it's made in three stages, there are two of these:

 It looks so seamless in the pattern photo I didn't realize at first that it was made in parts.

 

 I tried to go here with it but it was wrong, so my friend Susan, who is a Bruges Lace expert helped out!

 

 

 

Looking better but still had a few errors.  I do know a (very) little about making Bruges lace, but not enough to have recognized this stitch pattern. 

 Finis!

I've included pattern notes on my Ravelry project page, and there is a discussion of this sample in the Cyber Crochet of CGOA group:

https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/cyber-crochet-chapter-of-cgoa/3992346/151-175 

Now I am anxious to find a use for this lace!  And to start another one from this book!!!  I've already chosen one!

Looking forward to the gardening season

 Spring can't be far away when the catalogs for seeds and bulbs start arriving.  It's still snowing and blowing on this early February day, so I thought it would be fun to reflect on the gardening year of 2020.  Since we were not able to travel, or basically leave the house, I went all in with growing food and flowers. The pictures are roughly in order from early April until September.  

We grew Russian Kale, arugula, two kinds of spinach, two kinds of eggplant, two kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of beans (green beans and scarlet runner beans), beets, okra, hot chili peppers, Genovese basil, cilantro, too many kinds of herbs to list, and tons of flowers.  I filled in with annuals when the perennial flowers faded.  Bees and butterflies abounded!!  We could only visit with friends on the outdoor porches, so we had loads of container plants to make them into outdoor rooms.  

My original goal had been to grow 50 pounds of produce.  At almost 250 pounds I stopped counting.  We had enough to give food away to friends, the food bank, and to put away for the winter.  It was a lot of work but so surprising to see how much food you can grow in a small space garden!  I should add that we worked together every day for at least 5 hours in the garden.  This was also our fitness plan!

Starting seeds-

We built new raised beds for the tomatoes.

The salad greens were grown in pots off the ground.

The garden walk in early spring.

Truly the best roses I've ever had because it was a cold wet spring!

Flowers and Herbs and vegetable plants grow together in shared beds.

Cut flowers from the garden!

Romas and Big boy tomatoes-

Japanese eggplant-

Tomatoes getting taller than I am!

 

 

Studio shade garden-

Green beans and Herbs, later I replaced the beans with beets.

Great season for Hollyhocks, I had them everywhere!

Produce!!!

Container gardens-

The beginning of the tomato harvest.  This was one day's worth.

Even in late summer the garden walk looked lovely.  At the end the okra is now taller than the fence!  Urns contain beet seedlings.

Studio garden-

Peppers and prickly pear fruit-

 

 

It took all summer but the begonia baskets on the front porch finally came through when the weather got cooler!