Suminagashi Scape

 

 

I took a short hike to get warmed up to make some art in the woods.  Suminagashi is an ancient Japanese marbling  art that originated in the 12th century or perhaps earlier.  This art form has been used in bookmaking, official documents and is an art form that when done mindfully has a meditative quality.

I received this kit of supplies from Dawn Tevis. SuminagashiScape is the website that Dawn developed that includes upcoming events.

The path that I took.  And crossed a tiny spring.

The dappled light was wonderful to do forest bathing--a term for walking in the trees and taking in the energy of the land.

The picnic table is filled with supplies and papers and cloth that had been marbled.

A happy artist creating.

This is a piece of linen cloth.

I love how this looks like topography of the bluff lands of Southeast Minnesota.

This cloth I may have removed too quickly that no dye adhered to a portion of it.  Lots of experiments to do and play with.

 

 

I like how this one, above, became very dark.

 

 

This one is light.  The blue starred patch beside the table is a cloth of fabric that I mended my shorts.

One of these looks like part of a tree log.

This looks like there are swirls of smoke.

It's a fun process to play and enjoy the process. Maybe some of this will come into some of my artwork.  Hmmm, we'll see what unfolds.

Hiking Sugarloaf

 

MaryLee, Dawn and Jamie up on Sugarloaf

Having a bit of fun on a very windy day!

Jamie's curls look electric!  Fresh air, friendship and fun in Winona, Minnesota.

Spring Bird in the Summertime

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This artwork was created by an unknown artist from Sri Lanka--batik, wax applied to fabric and dyes applied.  The wax holds the dyes in sections.  This art was acquired by my friend, Kim Hammer on her travels to Southeast Asia.  My part of the art is to create an art quilt by adding batting and backing and texture through quilting.  I also added some of my own poetry to this piece as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this photo, the top of the art--leaves, the batting--the cream color layer and the back--turquoise and gold fabric that I'm cutting.  All three layers are pinned together and then stitched by free motion machine together. Free motion means that the stitches are guided by the stitcher--sometimes I call in stitch drawing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The bird sits at the edge of her nest,

She takes a moment to look at the five perfect eggs about to hack

She breathes in the spring air and settles down to sit, to warm the eggs

Her gaze becomes soft,

Her thoughts stay with the present moment

There is no where that she needs to go

She stays in this moment of stillness

Calm, relaxed, ready"

MaryLee Eischen 5/2022 

 

If you look closely, you'll see the stitching around the bird's feet and around the eggs.  In the nest of many lines of stitching to add lots of texture.  There was so much stitching on the lower portion of the art quilt that the dimensions were altered.  The lower portion was smaller than the upper one third of the quilt.  I was not sure how to fix this problem with the quilt.  It hung the quilt on my design wall for about two weeks as I worked on other art until an idea came to me.

I decided that I could stitch on the background in the upper portion and create the breeze blowing and add swirls around the words and the leaves and stems on the upper part of the quilt.  The color of the thread would be close to the background.

Here's an images of the stitching around the words, "in her eggs."  That heavy stitching made all the difference.  And the top and bottom of the quilt came into alignment.

 

 

 This is the hanging device that makes is easy to hang on the wall.

 

 

The completed Spring Bird Art Quilt measures 21" x 33".

Jenny Lind Bakery

 

 

 

Our friend, Ruth Raich runs Jenny Lind Bakery that you can find in cafes and locals around Redwing, Minnesota.  She also sells bakery on the first and third Saturday, 10am - 1pm at her peaceful farm.

 

 

Here's the amazing baker, Ruth Raich in her bakery.

Earlier in July, my friend, June and I made a trip to get some deliciousness before going to the Stockholm Art Fair.

 

 

MaryLee and June are laughing at a fun joke in the bakery of delights!

 

 

After the fun in the bakery, June got a photo of Ruth and Mary Lee near the silo.

 

 

The chickens know where the treats are located and came running up for a bit for themselves!

Come get the bread, scones, cardamon rolls, and more!  Don't let the chickens beat you to it.

 

 

 

 

Jenny Lind Bakery

W12304 Rundquist Lane

Stockholm, WI 54769

(651) 301-1095

jennylindcookbook@gmail.com

Music Around the River

 

Prairie Island Campground has live music on weekends, 6-9pm, Yoga on Sunday mornings 8:30am -9:30am and lots of camping options from tenting to RV to stay in a cabin.

There are often food trucks and many options for refreshment.

Bring a chair and hang out with friends: Jamie, Dawn and MaryLee

Community Gardens beside and behind the stage

Campfire

Victor, being good

Prairie Island Campground, 1120 Prairie Island Rd, Winona, MN 55987

Find out all the information for your next get away!  

 

 

 

 

 

Juneteenth in Winona

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LaShara Morgan, a.k.a Ms Kiesha founder of Our Voices leads students in the Black National Anthem.

Students danced.

Delicious food was shared in reds: watermelon, strawberries along with grilled chicken and brats, chips, macaroni and cheese.

MaryLee and Sarah Johnson, Winona Creative Laurette

Find out more on Instagram: OurVoicesWinona

                            Facebook: Our Voices

If you'd like to support this important work in the Winona community:

CashApp: $LaSharaMorgan

PayPal: OurVoicesWinona

Sugarloaf Hike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's green and lush in SE Minnesota these days.  We've had lots of rain and all the growing plants are drinking it in and loving all that delicious moisture.

 

Lust green ferns cover the under story.

 

Sunday, June 12 was mostly overcast.  

There is a bluish tint to all of our bluff lands created by the varieties of trees including the birches as seen in the foreground of this picture.

Seeing a bit of Winona, Minnesota and the bluffs.

Here's a picture looking down river with Winona on the left. The road in view is Highway 61 heading south toward La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Sky, bluffs and the Mississippi River in the distance.