Birds' eye view? I'm not the first person to find crows fascinating. I'm not even the first quilter. (Check out these crow art quilts by Terry Grant, Jennie Johnson and Jill Kertulla.) I've seen and heard crows in our neighborhood over the years. Recently, I've tried to entice them to visit our back yard. Peanuts do the trick! I love watching them swoop into the yard, hop around, call their friends and cram as many unshelled peanuts as possible in their sleek black beaks. They inspire me to sit quietly and watch, imagine what they see as they fly around our neighborhood, and embrace the classic beauty of black. Here are three other crow items I've enjoyed recently. I hope you will too. Also included in this newsletter: a bit of my process on some new works, a shop update and a few other fun links. Cheers, |
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- City Crows Crows are super smart and full of personality. Several characteristics are illustrated by MJ Cullinane in the Urban Crow Oracle with 54 cards including anticipation, community and perspective. I gave a set to my daughter for Christmas and it's a really cool way to learn about city crows and think about how to focus on similar characteristic in our own lives.
- Manhattan Rooftop I loved listening to this story on NPR about how Rita J. King befriended a group of crows during the pandemic. She posts short videos of the visitors on Twitter. I especially love when she catches them making sounds other than their regular caws.
- Cookies! What a persistent creature with a wide open beak! I'm not sure where this video originated, but it's pretty amazing. (I think it's actually a raven and cookies probably aren't good for him, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.)
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I'm working on several small landscapes and loving it. (Check out my regular updates on Instagram.) Here are some of the steps I took with this blue, green and yellow 💙💚💛 palette that I'm calling the Plant and Place Series. |
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First I started with these six fused compositions. |
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Then I created a foam stamp of a house plant. |
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Next I stamped the image on top of the fabric compositions. |
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Then I added machine stitching and hand embroidery. |
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Finally I mounted them and gave them titles. |
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Notes on the title: I've been thinking about combining interiors and exteriors. Things you find in your home and things you see outside. Personal thoughts and public emotions. I also love that the words plant and place can be synonymous, meaning “to put in a specific spot." But they each have many other meanings. Sometimes I want to be in a specific spot. And sometimes I want wide open spaces. You too? |
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Newsletter subscribers (that's you!) get the first view of the Plant and Place Series in my Etsy shop. I'll announce them widely later this week. Visit the shop for all the details and pick one to add to your collection. |
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Thanks for scrolling all the way down! Here's a gif of the crows in my back yard during our brief snowfall last month. |
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Do you see crows regularly? Or have a favorite piece of crow art? I'd love to hear about it. Drop me an email.Thanks so much for reading! Have a fabulous day! |
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