THE GATES

Not Christo's Gates, Angelo GIordani's gates. First, excuse the blurry pics, i was recovering from a Thanksgiving turkey hangover so my hands weren't as steady as normal. These pics show the finished gates that my brother designed and created for a local homeowner in Kerhonkson, NY. He also installed them and hooked them up to an automatic opening mechanism. It was interesting to see how he had to time the closing so that one closed a few seconds before the other one. And he didn't stop there. The posts that had been there were out of sync with the new design so he made some more decorative moulding that fit over the posts.



These are pics of the gates in the shop. It took him about a year to make and hang them. He even created his own forge and curlie-cue forms to heat the steel and bend it. He then welded all the pieces together. He really enjoys working with metal.

WARP AND WEFT

Like I don't have enough to do, I started a new project last week. Well not so much a new project, since I have no idea what I am going to do with these little weavings that I made on my new WEAVETTE. But they sure are cute. I am working in ivory and tan alpaca and have 4 different pattens done so far. Stay tuned for the end result.

NATURE #111906

Polipoli Cows on the slopes of Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii

ART CARDS

Here are some art trading cards I made. They are meant to be self-portraits. I broke out the Xyron sticker maker to affix . I love that thing! After years of cursing the glue stick and the mess it left, this thing is the antidote. See, I like to get really good stick-factor on the edges. It's just let down when they bubble up. So trying to glue tiny pieces is not the futile pursuit it once was. But of course this convienience comes at a price. The replacement cartridges aren't cheap and they are a serious disposal concern. The idea behind these was to basically gather my favorites. The backgrounds are cut up pieces of an offset-printed Charlie Harper print. I chose them because he is my all time favorite artist. Green is my favorite color. Animals like bunnys, kittens, birds. Hawaii. And, as Conn will most assuredly attest, shiny, colorful things that have an interactive aspect.

ORCHIDACEAE

Here are 2 new stunning ORCHID paintings by Parnell O. Corder. They just keep getting better and better!

PLASTIC BY NATURE

I took this picture when we were on vacation this summmer with the intent of blogging about it as soon as we got home. Well here we are several month's later, and after my nature post for today I thought this would be fitting. NEWMAN'S OWN ORGANICS and NEWMAN'S OWN have always been responsible companies and I was excited to learn about the environmentally friendly packaging they are using.
They work with a company called NATURE WORKS for the packaging of their products which are derived from 100-percent annually renewable resources, such as corn. Along with producing biodegradable products like bottles, floral wrap, food / deli containers, bowls, plates and cutlery - they also have a new fiber called INGEO FIBER. The Fiber is the world's first man-made fiber derived from 100 percent annually renewable resources and is an environmentally preferable option to petroleum-based synthetic materials. Agian... I know it's hard to get all these changes to take hold in today's world, but it's a start.

NATURE 111206

A diverse collection of trash is displayed on Kahuku beach, Hawaii. Greenpeace are highlighting the threat that plastic poses to the world's oceans.



*all photo's from GREENPEACE.© Greenpeace / Alex Hofford

Today's nature post is a bit different. Instead of the pretty images normally seen here. , I have decided to post about the effects plastic has on our environment. This week I came across 2 articles that really disturbed me, one titled "Swirling plastic vortex menaces sea life" and the other "Only 50 years left for sea fish". Sea life can get caught in plastic bags and drown. They see small bits of plastic floating in the water like cigarette butts, lighters, bottle caps and mistake it for food. Since they cannot digest it, it sits in their stomach and they die of starvation. Birds can regurgitate these small plastic bits up to feed their young where the plastics may remain in the stomachs, blocking digestion and possibly causing starvation.

We all need to stop living as if everything is disposable. It is hard to do in the world we live in today to do without plastic..everything is made from it. When you go to the grocery store and buy veggies and fruit... think twice about putting your items in the produce bags. Do you really need that bag? Most likely it will end up in your trash can 15 minutes later when you get home, then in the ocean. Ask yourself if you really need the straw with your next soft drink? Every morning when I get my coffee and bagle, I say NO BAG. They look at me like I am crazy, but I am going 5 doors away to my desk. Keep a set of silverware, plate and glass at work and wash then to use again.
Ok...that's all I'm gonna say... But I could go on and on. Do some research - If we all make little changes, we can make a difference. BE RESPONSIBLE!

Here's how long it takes for some commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered about as litter:
Cotton rags 1-5 months
Paper 2-5 months
Rope 3-14 months
Orange peels 6 months
Wool socks 1 to 5 years
Cigarette butts 1 to 12 years
Plastic coated paper milk cartons 5 years
Leather shoes 25 to 40 years
Nylon fabric 30 to 40 years
Tin cans 50 to 100 years
Aluminum cans 80 to 100 years
Plastic 6-pack holder rings 450 years
Glass bottles 1 million years
Plastic bottles Forever


Click HERE to read the full article on the debris in the sea.

Click HERE to read the full article on the decline of sea fish.

LOST CAKE

Our wildly talented friend Agnieszka finally sent me a pic of her Lost premiere cake. I do believe it was worth the wait. I mean look at this thing! There are plane fragments, palm trees, numbers and all. Take a peek at her incredible work here.

TALES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ

What to say about this one. It's just cute. I love the the simple colors of the characters and the backgrounds. All courtesy of my personal faves Rankin + Bass from 1961.