Tag Archives: Parka Blogs

Partners

The series of shibori-dyed and embroidered pieces I’ve been making for the past year are all tightly connected. Ideas that crop up in the midst of working on one usually find their way to actualization in the next. As such, all the works are related and in many ways companions. Yet these two peonies, the first pieces I’ve completed in 2018, are more tightly paired than all the rest.

Crescendo

Crescendo      ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 14 x 11 in., Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk.                                                                                                   This piece is now framed and has been sold to a  collector who has very generously agreed to delay shipment until after my upcoming show is finished. Follow the progression of its creation

As interpretations of a couple of sketches made two days apart last July, (note the progression of the blossom opening), they will be viewed side-by-side in my upcoming exhibit Drawing Threads: Conversations Between Line & StitchVariations in tone and scale are slight enough to leave no question that they were conceived together, yet subtle differences allow each to carry its own voice.

Pesante

Pesante      ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 14 x 11 in., Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk.                                                                                                         Finding the right title is often challenging. I wanted to find names that would match the feeling of these pieces. The full opening of a peony is glorious, and the word Crescendo perfectly matched the anticipation and build-up to a peony at its peak. Pesante, also a musical term, means “in a heavy manner”. It seems to fit the nature of the flowerhead in this image perfectly.

I dyed the silk for both of them at the same time, but with attention to maintaining some differentiation. Crescendo’s background is deeper and more saturated, begging for the strength and pop of the bold magenta threads. Powerful color allows the stitching to maintain authority amid the surrounding intensity of dye, while also providing a means of grounding the more open and fluttery petals.

Crescendo, detail

Crescendo, detail     ©2018 Elizabeth Fram

The flowerhead of Pesante, heavier and more compact than that of Crescendo, works in tandem with its more muted background dye tones and the dustier colors of thread used to describe it. Its visual weight allows Pesante to hold its own against its showier sister.

Pesante, Detail

Pesante, detail     ©2018 Elizabeth Fram

Both images explore the same vase and table surface, yet it became apparent that each had to be approached differently…another fruitful learning experience.

These pieces are not a diptych, although they will be displayed together for the duration of the exhibit. They are independent of each other but they are still partners, which reminds me of a line from Kahlil Gibran’s poem On Marriage

“Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.”

On a different note:_________________________________________________________________________________________

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that this book by David Remfry looks absolutely charming.  Parka Blogs has more info.

Recipes for Learning

A by-product of getting ready to cozy-up for the cooler months is my anticipation of getting back to work in the kitchen. Aside from perhaps pie, summer just doesn’t seem to be a time to be excited about cooking. But as we slide into autumn, I look forward pulling down my purple Dutch oven. It’s a pleasure to make use of the garden’s harvest (both my own and that of local farmers) in soups and stews that will hopefully stretch across several meals, allowing me to work later in the studio another day or at least providing an easy future lunch. A friend recently gave us one of his home-raised chickens. It’s waiting in the freezer and is going to become something wonderful.

After Breakfast

After Breakfast     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram

The one treat I purchased and brought home from Montreal earlier in the month was My Paris Kitchen, Stories and Recipes by David Lebovitz. If you also enjoy reading cookbooks and trying recipes that highlight seasonal ingredients that are long on flavor, then this a book for you. Lebovitz is an engaging writer, the photographs are lovely, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that his stories are akin to a mini visit to Paris.

 

Lemon

Lemon     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram

I have been bringing my drawing tools into the kitchen recently, using the utensils and ingredients of whatever I am preparing for self-directed lessons of organizing a picture plane. Richard Diebenkorn’s sketchbooks, mentioned in this post, have been an inspiration in pushing my thoughts about composition.

 

Cabbage and Figs

Cabbage and Figs     ©Elizabeth Fram

If the idea of curling up with a cookbook isn’t exactly your style, try this: Parka Blogs reviews art books, all manner of creative materials / supplies, digital gadgets and also features interviews with a variety of artists…the perfect ingredients and a different kind of recipe for broadening your artistic curiosity.