Monthly Archives: February 2012

Another Assignment Done

     This one was by far my hardest assignment. I chose a few parameters for myself and then realized I had chose a silly construction method that just didn’t work for me. I spent hours on this one. It became a case of me against the piece and I truly felt like I had to win. Which really made me crazy and then I just really needed to get a grip on reality and know that the piece really had no vested interest in me succeeding. It really did not care. Oh boy. I didn’t want to give up on all the time I had invested in the project that involved a lot of lines.  I kept telling myself that this was a true learning experience. ( And  few friends reminded me of this too.)

     This was my reference composition and I wanted to work off from this piece.

Rooflines #4
Taking a look at values with my camera

I set my parameters for my assignment : change the thickness of the lines to less than 1/4 of an inch, use a color I don’t like (brown), add more colors within the motif, and try to vary the placement of the motif.
I also tried a different way of constructing the block or motif and that is what made me crazy and tripped me up. Last night when I went to write up my assignment after taking pictures, looked at it and sure enough, I had flipped one of the sections. This –

Ooops -bottom right section flipped the wrong way

Should have been: 

Rooflines #5, 37×37, Colleen Kole, 2012

This is done for the week. And I have never been so relieved. I finished assignment 4. One more lecture on Sunday night, and then one more assignment. I will really miss this class.

Something Different: Vermont Artisan Cheese

Mount Elmore

     Last week while we were on vacation, my neighbor asked me if I wanted to observe his artisan cheese making process. He started an artisan cheese making business last year, Mount Mansfield Creamery, using the milk from their Brown Swiss and Holstein cows. They have been very successful and now have award winning raw milk cheese which is being sold locally and on the East Coast.

     I observed for about a four hour time period and I know now that cheese making is as labor intensive as making a quilt. The milk is carried over from the farm in large steel mik cans-heavy milk cans. It is then poured into a large steel vat, heated slowly and enzymes added over time and at a specific temperature and pH. (? Don’t know exactly but I listened!) The vat is slowly stirred by the electric paddles and when a certain temperature and curd consistency, the curds are scooped out and placed in molds.

Stan, the cheese  man

Just after the stainless steel vat, curds in the molds

 The whey left behind slowly drains off over the next few hours as the cheese is flipped every thirty minutes which allows it to settle. The whey is collected for the pig farmers.

Flipping the cheeses in the molds

A proud cheesmaker

Beautiful cheese mold pattern

    I can’t believe I am showing you this picture but I did get to help.

making cheese:)

Over the next sixty days, the cheeses are placed in cold storage, their rinds washed  periodically and tended to. Then, after it is aged, you get to enjoy the most beautiful tasting cheese there is! 

I enjoyed watching and appreciate even more the cheeses that their farm produces and the labor it involves. 

A Few Updates

     I looked at my last post date (after a prompt from a friend) and couldn’t believe I hadn’t posted in over a week. So, I return and will give you a quick update.

Vacation: We returned home last Saturday to a houseful of furniture which needed to be moved back into place as we had our hardwood floors refinished while we were away.What a mess of dust to return to. And my college daughter was home on winter break and just left yesterday so I wanted to spend some time with her.  It also just takes me a good 48 hours to transition and get back up and running smoothly. No matter how efficient I try to be!

Vermont: Had a great vacation and I was a hermit working away and enjoying my time with family. I  made cheese one day and will share tomorrow. Very fun. Very little snow but they did ski with lots of snow made by the snow guns.

My class (Lisa Call Working in a Series): I am still in a lovefest with this class. I have had my moments of self doubt (why should I be taking this class? who do I think I am fitting in to this class?  why in the world would I think this piece of fabric would work or this color?  I don’t even like this piece so why would I show it to her, my classmates or you ? Why am I working so hard?) Ok maybe a few hours or  a day or two of self doubt. But in the end, I just want to create and be more focused in my creativity. Working in a series is putting everything I have previously learned into a framework. Have I made anything exceptional? No, that isn’t the point. Learning how to move forward is and to create more work is. You work hard and I am learning to be patient with myself and my work. Well worth every minute of work and money I have spent on this class.

    I see glimpses of hope in each piece as I move forward-an area of each piece that I like and can improve upon. In the next piece. And the next piece is what I am working on!

PS- I say all this even after I made one huge wrong cut in a piece last week-it wasn’t salvageable so I have no new pictures for you.  I have moved on.:)

Snowshoes and Sunshine

     I didn’t really know if I needed my snowshoes on but knew I would be deep in the woods so put them on anyway.

     No wonder I love coming to Vermont.  It was a  glorious day for a walk and I definitely didn’t need my snowshoes. I walked along the cross country ski trails on a neighboring property. Better go again today as it will soon turn bitter cold.

Assignments #1 and #2

     I thought I would finally take some time and show you what I have been doing in Lisa Call’s class  Working in a Series. I just needed a little breathing room to post on what I have been doing and realize that it may take me 10 or more pieces before I really find what I may want to work on in a series.

*** This is a long post but then I will be caught up. ***

     The class is structured with a 90 minute telephone lecture from Lisa on a specific topic each week, an assignment given ( seven total ) and follow up emails on the topic three times per week. She has many references for you within the emails so you can do as much or as little research as you would like on a given topic. Within each assignment you can choose from 6 different exercise to design your weekly piece. You set the parameters for your exercise before you begin. (Very good thing to learn for Miss “do it all here” and then never get anything done worthwhile. )

     The first week’s assignment is based on your original macquette which I posted previously. It was  inspired by the rooflines of the local botanical garden. I chose a motif that I wanted to explore and my base design was created.

Colleen Kole, Rooflines # 1 ,  First Series sketch

     The next week’s assignment focused on color and value. I thought I would be in trouble with all my bold and bright colors so after conferring with Lisa decided to change up my original design ( save this for more subtle colors I dye this summer) and use the fabric I have on a new design. I chose the assignment of using a color combination which I hadn’t used before-red and green.

Colleen Kole, Rooflines # 2, 47 x 37

     The proportions weren’t right with this piece and I feel the middle third needs to be re-done. I fell in love with the linework while doing this piece. And I am becoming less dyslexic with triangles.

     I got a little bolder and more comfortable and thought I would try to use my bold and brights on the original design.  The second week’s assignment was on space and scale so I modified the size of some of the elements.  Looking at how successful piece was as far as figure-ground composition was also part of the self critique.

Colleen Kole,  Rooflines #3 ,  37x 46

MMMM….the bold, bright colors worked but I really played it way too safe and worked in a grid rather than bringing any interest to the piece. Plus I ended up with a huge visible line dividing the piece  and little to no value change within the elements or background. Even though I like the piece, it wasn’t what I knew it could be.  The great thing about working in a series is that you critique your work and decide how the piece can be improved in the NEXT piece.  I also found you can enjoy a piece and like it but it can be improved upon.  I love the moving on part! But this piece frustrated me so I re-did the assignment. 🙂

Colleen Kole, Rooflines #4, 38 x78 

     This piece turned out really large.  I haven’t done a self critique yet on this piece.  I photographed it on the barn as we are in Vermont on vacation this week and the sunlight on it is kind of odd. But this feels better and now I will go write down why. Needs improvement but that’s ok too.

    This class has it all: working at home at your own pace, a kick in the seat three times a week with informational e-mails, establishing a good studio practice, and learning how to actually work in a series. I feel it is finally giving me the tools to move forward. Finally.

New Lights

     This may not be very exciting to you. But I am sooo excited as today an electrician came to install some new track lights for me in my studio. There is a huge long boring story behind this as the box of lights has been sitting in the studio for way too long but I won’t bore you. It has become a joke actually in the family but I have been patiently waiting for a friend to install them-for months.

      But today was the day. Look up at the ceiling-very exciting to have it done.

     I had to clean before they came as they warned me about drywall dust. Not much dust at all but  it is very nice to have a really clean studio.

     This is taken with just the recessed lights on and daylight. The colors when I photograph are really washed out in comparison to how I see them.

  This is a little better and brighter I think but I will have to angle the lights differently now that I see this. But definitely truer to the actual colors I see without really fussing with my camera settings.

    One more picture of clear clean tables.

    And now I will go deal with this. And not tell my family because the saga of the lights continues.

    I also need to quickly get to work on the piece you just saw on my design board which is due on Sunday. I feel remarkably relaxed since I have to travel to Vermont tomorrow.  The dog ate my homework or more likely the airlines lost my luggage would be a good excuse. I shouldn’t even say that as both have happened before.

    And I think I am just not so nervous about my class anymore. I am really accepting where I am and trying to not be impatient with moving forward. Challenged and working hard but not nervous. Nice to be back and realize how crazy I can make myself.