The Time is Ripe

Currently presenting a quilt show, Ripe Art Gallery will host 'Nine' when they debut. Vamp, depicted here in the window of Ripe Art, is one of our one of kind, hand sculpted in clay, originals; one of our "girls". A.D. and I presented Vamp to the public last year as a collaborative effort. To catch up with A.D. visit: www.angeldevilland.com . Vamp was our last year's award-winning entry in the island's U.F.D.C. competition. Visit www.ufdc.org for more on America's largest doll organization.
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Three of us have teamed up to produce 'Nine' which will be an extremely limited artist edition in resin. 'Nine' is approximately the size of Vamp. All of the 'Nine' girls will be one of a kinds. This means that skin color, hair, eyes, clothing all will vary from figure to figure. We anticipate that each will be exquisitely adorable and we are planning on making them extremely unique. For more information on 'Nine' use email: info@cathycara.com .
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Stop by Ripe Art Gallery to see Vamp - who is wearing RipeArtGal's signature colors - in person, or to view the lovely quilts while they are still on display. The quilts at the gallery include two of my doll-sized ones which you may or may not have seen when they've been elsewhere on exhibit. To get a feel for the gallery visit: www.ripeartgal.com

Planting Time

is now.
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Fall bulbs get planted in the Fall, producing flowers in the Spring. Spring bulbs get planted in the Spring, producing flowers in the Summer.
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That's how it works on our island. For this, I didn't make the rules, I've just learned to follow them. I grew up in the magnificent formal garden maintained by my parents who were both ardent, passionate, and diligent in their gardening. Planting time for bulbs always confused me; I spent years asking, "But why do you plant them now if they don't grow until then?" The answers I received were less than scientific typically consisting of, "Because that's the way it's done." In much the same way that nickels are larger in size than dimes but have less value, planting time confuses new gardeners.
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Confusion results in staring at everyone else's beautiful tulips in the Spring and wondering, "How did they get them? Where did they come from?" Unlike the wild orange North Shore daylilies, you do not get Dutch tulip blooms unless you make the effort to plant them.
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In the Spring, our yard is a riotous profusion of color. While many tulips come back each year, and do prove to be hardy perennials, I treat tulips as annuals. I plant approximately one hundred new ones each year.
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So, this is a reminder for those on our island: planting time for happy tulips, sunny daffodils, and the like, is now.

Flower of Cauli

As opposed to: "Brain of Anybody".
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Neither Victorian novelist Mary Shelley, nor midnight host Zachary, had anything to do with this. I don't know where it was grown, but the thing is huge. It weighs as much as the cat.
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We purchased it at the King of all supermarkets in Halesite and we did so because these golden cauliflowers are the talk of the town. People on the island are literally walking around saying, "Have you seen the cauliflowers this year? They look like there's something wrong with them. They are huge."
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Frighteningly big and scary delicious; it's a good thing they don't have many calories.

Not for Dinner

"From Near to Far, and Here to There
Funny Things are Everywhere."
- Dr. Suess

In the next Township, by a well-frequented post office, is this: a flock of free ranging chickens. There are several males, a couple of females, and lots of scurrying babies.
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There is a dilapidated white chair to sit and watch them. There are trees and bushes for them to play under. There is a tiny little house for them to live in. People feed them all the time.
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Having enjoyed the companionship of two exotic Chinese Silkie males for several years, chickens are near and dear to our hearts. Silkies have fur instead of feathers. Because they have fur, they can be brushed. Because they have no feathers, they cannot fly. Petting a Silkie is like caressing a Persian kitten. Yes, they love to be brushed. Upon occasion, we allowed them in the house and, yes, they got along with the cat just fine. They would walk on a leash just fine, wearing very delicate string harnesses. Although I never did figure out where you would take a furry chicken who was on a leash.

Art and Ghosts

Across the Ocean, on an island not dissimilar from our own, there is a ReigningPaperDollQueen. Her realm is eerily similar to my own; if you enjoy being here, you will love being there. Spun from dreams, her work is haunting, mesmerising, unique.

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The photograph that you see, is not of her work, but of my own. Paper dolls literally litter my house. They are tucked between the pages of books, they live on the stages of cigar boxes, they are sheltered within jars, they are trapped between layers of glass. I cut them so often, they have become ubiquitous in my fairyland.

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The ReigningPaperDollQueen has reminded me that they are an art unto themselves.

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This particular paper doll figure was brought back from a tour of Italy in the early 1980's. She is proof that even while on vacation, I think about making paper dolls. At approximately two and a half feet tall, this is one of my larger pieces.
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Many people have told me she looks like a movie star. To me she is a paper doll, a fragment from fairyland, trapped for as long as I can keep her in a piece of crystal cave. On the top, which you can probably hardly see, is a well loved motheaten Victorian bird.

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People who have seen my exhibits know that I do similar pieces of glass with tiny figures encases in them as jewelry. These pieces are usually from one to three inches in size and are typically done as pendants. In perusing the blog, I am sure you can spot one or two.

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The figures are also used to create glass covers for my handmade books. The most elaborate one of these is "The Book in the Attic".

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My work goes three dimensional very rapidly. This is also true of my glass work. There is nothing flat about it for very long. Often, it's not possible to encase the dolls in glass. I'll be working on one, and they will have become so heavily embellished that they no longer lie flat enough to go under glass; they may be so active that they require an entire shoebox stage.

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I promise, Louise, I'll try to dig one of those out, too. :)

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After brewing a cup of tea, and settle in, and fall down the rabbit hole to: www.artandghosts.typepad.com

Proof of god

Earlier this year, the west coast DragonQueen's biggest east coast fan begged me to put a photograph of the dragon that I was wearing out on the blog. The supposedly French celluloid 'dragon' is technically not a dragon at all. It is not a dragon. It is not a griffin. It is a wyvern. Bought decades ago in an outdoor antique mall in Florida, I had never seen another one.

Until last week.

The DragonQueen was in New York. I just happened to be wearing the very unusual "antique dragon" to show her. As we shopped for 'dragon supplies', a fellow artist began calling for us. Lo and behold, stashed in a dusty bin on a metal shelf in Manhattan, was the same bone colored dragon. Labeled 'vintage plastic' and ready for adoption.

The DragonQueen paused not a moment. "I'm buying it for our friend!", she said. So, she did; to the utmost unfettered delight of her greatest fan.

Visit www.cforiginals.com to peruse the DragonQueen's originals as well as her books and t-shirts. Watch for the really great t-shirts that are now in the works. As I am sure her greatest fan would tell you: remember that you can purchase her book, Dragons, mix up some faux ivory polymer clay, and attempt to make your own 'antique dragon'.

French Flower Beadwork

The Guild's September meeting was a comfortable mix of interactive art, ubiquitous camaraderie, and new information. The 'new information' came from the presentation by experienced crafters in skills which many of us have never ever fathomed, much less diligently tried.

Invited to be one of the several demonstrators for the evening, I presented beaded 'French Flowers' to all comers. Fortunately, I was joined by the person who taught me; Jeanne. For over thirty years Jeanne has reigned as an east coast queen of French Flower Beadwork. Many people are very upset that I did not take photographs for the blog of the flowers which Jeanne had brought with her to the meeting. I apologize for the oversight: simple words cannot describe the glory of life-size seed beaded hydrangea or life-size seed beaded wisteria; they simply must be seen to be believed.

A myriad of doll-sized varieties of beaded flowers by Jeanne will be available for purchase at the 'Antique, Doll, Teddy Bear and Toy Show' in Massapequa on November 18th 2007. For more information use info@cathycara.com .

Guild members were treated to the first public sneak peak of our 2008 'show piece'. A.D. has finished her half and I have been hard at work at my portion. Feedback was very kind and extremely positive, so I know we are on the right track. A special thanks to all who attended the meeting and were generous with their comments; early criticism makes for a better piece.

To reach the Guild: www.licg.org Reminder: Orchid will most likely be participating in the November 2007 Fiber Exhibition sponsored by the Guild and taking place in Jericho.

Sweet Thyme

ScaryMary and I recently spent an entire day 'doing' Town. Orchid accompanied us. We popped in boutiques and out of boutiques, up the street down the street. Finally, we were all utterly exhausted and in need of a quiet respite and a delicious snack.

Jerry and Mike's place, the little French pastry shop, down the side street across from Value Drugs is an oasis and a delight. Wraps, salads, soups, desserts; all made fresh.

"Come as Strangers, Leave as Friends"
The cafe is closed on most evenings.
Phone: 631.423.8282

Lila

"Autumn winds will blow right through you.
Somewhere in the mists of time,
They'll ask me if I knew you.
I'll smile and say,
You were a friend of mine."
- Alan Parson's Project

In addition to oodles of innate talent, Laura Galbraith now sports a spiffy new Master's degree in Fine Art. 'Lila', a piece created expressly for Laura Galbraith's thesis project, has joined Orchid and theGirls here in Little Cow Harbor.

Unfortunately, I will not have Lila's sparkling new 'Cinderella type' gown ready for her in time for the LICG Jericho Fiber Exhibition. However, you can look forward to admiring Lila in person at Ripe Art Gallery this Christmas season.

To find out more about Laura Galbraith, visit Laura's blog at: www.lauragalbraith.com/blogger/blogger.php