Saturday, October 11, 2014

First Week on Maui--2014

It's interesting coming back to Maui after a year. A few things have changed, but nothing drastic.

Photography themes emerge: vegetation, windows, art seen, & revisiting 3 of my past quilts. 

These are quilts that wound up in the home of Sal & Jobst, our Vancouver-now-Maui friends where we are staying.
This first was made with a paste-resist technique.


The one below I call Loving Hands.
I carved stampers of my hand & George's. The other stamps were made in India.

The next one is hung in a doorway so you can see front & back. This was made during my Stripes Period.

We went to a few galleries. Here are my favorites items.
The first is made with mostly vegetable fibers, echoing clothing.


Another shape to adore.

These are 3 nestling jars. They conform a bit to the neighborly shape.
                                                  Tapas paper.

An amazing necklace.
The jewelry was made of this fern that I had just noticed...& I've been coming to Maui for 10 years!

                                             Structures made from Maui plant life



 Rosamar & Sabina came for a visit. We went to see this sculpture two years ago. It's aged.

                                    Here's a very Maui version of plant opportunism.
Below, a schefflera tree, natives called the octopus tree because of this flower which does go soft after a bit, a bugged tree & banyon tree air roots.


...banana tree delightful & fashionable shagginess...

....windows... one morning from my bed...

                                                                A great Junk Shop

 

I must end with a new clothesline photo. I collect clotheslines: cloth, shape, & linearity.
Those are banyon tree roots in the foreground.
That's it for now.

Monday, October 6, 2014

VEGETATION in early September in the Canadian North

I knew vegetation needed a mention, big time. When we went north the 'big features' were land, vegetation, & animals.
 I want start with red. So eye-catching, so exciting, & rewarding. My eye goes right to it.



I know these berries are called bearberries. 
You can make jam with them, but they need lots of sugar.
Fireweed, I'd never seen it like this.


The look of fireweed with mature seeds. They weren't blowing away that much! I decided that the seeds drop after the snows & freezing ends. Safer distribution, I reasoned.

The birches were common. I was just reminded that they can be tapped like sugar maple trees, for syrup.




Lichen is a very important caribou food. It didn't seem plentiful to me, but the land IS vast.




                                   


Then, on the land, you can see lines of caribou migration trails. It's subtle. When we were there we weren't sure of it, but some photos seems to show scoring of the tundra.



It's like the land has a grain, a bit like low loft corduroy.

The willows were also everywhere there was water. Small & a lot larger.
In Tuktayuktk-- just a few inches high..
Out on the plains-- a foot or more...
...out on the river...much taller...

The spruce is prone to grotesqueries. I love them, black spruce, I think.



                                                                            
                                                                                             The cones are all near the top.




We saw a good number of forrest fire land. It was labeled: fire of 1967, 1991 fire, etc. Pretty interesting information, as you get an idea of how quickly the land heals.... three examples from a single fire....



The look of grasses was nice. My favorite was bearded barley.


...but there were others...



I had never seen tamarisk. It's a deciduous conifer. In the fall it turns bright yellow & looses it's needles. I only got one good picture of it, but I can't find it!



               These below are my almost favorite vegetation. 
                     Low bushes, mixed vegetation & super lush.





That's it for now.