Abyssal Plain

Wishing you well

2012-01-03T22:02:00.000-05:00

All good things come to an end and so why not start at the beginning?
I am ending this blog as well as my art blog, Patricia Powell Kessler but will instead focus on Reform School Art, my blog about teaching and learning. I spend so much of my time teaching and my joy is learning with others about art methods and techniques. So at this time I invite you to come along and join me and I promise to reveal some this joyous mayhem. Just click on Reform School Art and we will take you there!

Transition time

2011-11-18T23:27:00.001-05:00

Autumn gold is now mostly gone with a lot of brilliant reds clinging to branches still.

Despite an early snowfall we have yet to have a hard freeze.

The greenhouse is always available if the air gets too chilly.

So why is this little shop window displaying spring green clothing and summer chapeau?

Ghastly hush

2011-10-31T18:55:00.000-04:00

We are ready! Giant pumpkin, basket of poison apples....

A devilish satyr aglow with welcoming light.

Ben's sculpture is here to hand out the candy to the brave.

So don't disappoint us and if candy is not your game then stop by for a drink.

This evening you can see the foliage is still on the trees and the colors are wonderful. The snow hit us briefly, melted and moved on. One thing to be thankful for. Happy Halloween!

Tangled up in blue

2011-09-17T14:11:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to experiment with indigo dye for a long time and Ann Graham of the Potomac Fiber Guild, shown here, made this wish come true.

There are a lot of steps to learn when using indigo so I needed guidance.
The members of the Dye Group 2 were generous teachers.

First the pre-prepared vat is opened up and the blueberry scum is scraped off revealing a lime green liquid. I now know how to stir it and to use care not to introduce any additional oxygen. Since it contains thiox I now know what type of respirator to wear.

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The fabrics went in using shibori techniques. They were wrapped, sewn, folded, clamped and otherwise prepared in such a way that a resist was created so that there would be contrast between the undyed areas and the indigo colored cloth.

When first removed from the dye vat the fabric appears lime green but quickly changes when exposed to air.

Floris Flam used stitching and folding to create a resist. In this image she is removing the threads and you can still see some of the green.

In this image you can see that the blue has darkened and created a rich contrast with the previously protected areas.

Cathy Berman used clamps and two picture frames to create an interesting resist.

fabric drying on the grass

Cathy used some clear discs borrowed from Floris to create a resist on some previously dyed fabric.

She then tossed a piece of luxurious silk into the vat to just soak up the rich indigo. What a glorious thing it has been transformed into.

Just Add Water

2011-09-13T23:51:00.001-04:00

A five-day workshop with India Flint, shown here at work processing fibers, is always an adventure.

This time we were in Pennsylvania participating in the Landskin workshop organized by Leslie Marsh.

The location could not have been better....large indoor structure with exterior rocks, metal and water. India is felting an amalgamation of prefelt, roving, silks and other fibers.

Fabric with a layer of leaves and flowers about to be bundled and tied.

One of the pots colored by black walnut liquor brewed from found materials. The bundles are boiled and then rest in the dye.

Processed bundles await. Some are bound on sticks, and others on metal.

Then they are hung up to dry.

Here are examples of other people's work.

But if you are India your work looks like this...or this!

Morning Stroll

2011-09-12T19:23:00.000-04:00

After having attended a five-day workshop we took time to "smell the roses".

Endings and beginnings

2011-08-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

Scenes from a sunny day earlier this month at Brookside Gardens. Now it is dark, rainy and windy.

Waiting for the hurricane to make its mark and move on, taking the power out with it is a useless way to spend time.

Waiting to hear from someone who decided to sleep out in a tent during a tropical storm/hurricane is also useless.

The fall semester begins next week so summer officially comes to a close.

Best wishes and good luck to everyone in the path of the storm.

Betwixt and between

2011-08-24T19:25:00.000-04:00

Morning visitors accompanied by a young buck.

Yesterday we experienced an earthquake and this weekend we may have a taste of a hurricane. Aside from a very loud noise and picking objects up off of the carpet, all was fine. Let's hope that the hurricane passes well to the east of us and goes out to sea.

Quick Get Away

2011-08-22T00:09:00.000-04:00

A last minute decision to get out of town and find some sand and surf took us somewhere we had not been in years, the barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague.

It is a birder's paradise especially in the fall as the birds migrate down the flyway.

Since Assateague Island is a national park, there are many protected nesting areas.

Humans and birds coexist....

Wild ponies and birds also coexist. Here egrets rest on the horses' rumps happily eating insects that come near.

While there are some camping areas on Assateague most humans stay on Chincoteague Island.

At this time of year the farms along the route offer a wide range of fresh produce both fruits and vegetables.

Skate, the catch of the day.

Land of Pleasant Living

2011-08-17T00:20:00.000-04:00

I spent much of my childhood, college and a few years in between living in Virginia. Since my marriage I have lived in Maryland. I have always felt like a Virginian. It seems like treason to live here as the two states, though adjacent, have a cutting rivalry. Today, I think I might have pledged allegiance to Maryland, the Land of Pleasant Living. This was the advertising hook for National Bohemian Beer, once produced by a local brewery in Maryland.

I started my day with a walk at Brookside Gardens, one of the more pleasant aspects of living in Montgomery County. Here you can see what I cannot have...in my yard...due to deer. This sweeping border of hosta and hydragea would never make it in my woodland garden.

This afternoon we drove to Clagett Farm to pick up our weekly CSA share and then some. Here is Ben. our gleaner, coaxing out veggies from areas that have already been picked.

We then drove northward towards Annapolis to eat crabs and oysters at Mike's Crab House on the South River in Riva, MD.

We sat outside and drank beer and slurped oysters. Many of the crabs came home with us bound for dinner tomorrow night.

A dozen large crabs steamed and bathed in Chesapeake Bay seasoning.

All of these beautiful heirloom tomatoes will become something wonderful for dinner as well!

Sharing

2011-08-12T00:55:00.001-04:00

Today was the last day of summer school. The students decorated papers and fabric and made books, quilts and batiks. We went on field trips. Everyone worked diligently. This lovely kalaga and painting on silk were amongst the trove of textiles brought in to be examined and discussed. Everyone now has a new sense of what remarkable treasures they live with.

Going places

2011-08-02T21:29:00.001-04:00

I enjoy teaching summer school at Montgomery College because we have not just our tried and true regulars but also a batch of "new blood". Students from other colleges attempting to fulfill requirements for their schools while they are at home, and also adult students who are "trying us out" for the first time. While I added many of my own interests to the crafts course we retained the batik unit. How fortunate we were to go on a field trip to see exceptional examples.

For a brief time the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesian played host to an exhibit of the rich heritage of batik. The trip was a quick Metro ride into the city and the setting could not be more enticing.

"Runaway" students on the stairwell with a Tiffany glass skylight above.

We were overwhelmed by the wealth of textiles and the setting. It is amazing to know that although we are on the edge of the city so many students have never visited an exhibition or a museum. Finding ways to combine these visits keyed to our work is important.

Some freshly ironed student examples of batik.

Getting warmer

2011-08-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

It is still hot. This evening brought a little rain but the sun set large and red.
The President has been negotiating with a House full of terrorists. It is hard to understand how we as a country could have sunk to this level. We are robbing the poor, working class and middle class and rewarding corporations and the wealthy. No one is putting a gun to our collective heads to do this so I am guessing that it is the result a strange brew of koolade being brewed in tea pots across the country.

Goodbye July

2011-07-29T23:26:00.002-04:00

Farewell, July. You go down on record as having the highest temperatures for Washington, DC. The only positive note is that Congress is in session. It too will be a record breaker of sorts...for the economy here and abroad.

Edible landscapes

2011-07-15T11:48:00.002-04:00

Walking in a public garden is a great way to get a little exercise even in the heat of the day. People fill the park but there are also park residents, such as this red winged black bird and the turtle below.

Through out the park there are new planting strategies. Here is a banana surrounded by basil. Whip those ingredients up together and add some sort of tasty liquid and ice and you have a new drink.

Click on the label above to read the concept of pairing edible with ornamentals. I don't have to worry, however. The deer eat just about everything...flowers, tomatoes, wonderful shrubs...you name it.

The only ones allowed to eat in the gardens are the residents.

On The Fringe

2011-07-09T23:50:00.001-04:00

Many sections of Washington, D.C. have suffered from economic blight.

In some neglected areas the buildings have been ripped down and this is what you get. Doesn't look like progress to me.

When the houses have been kept in reasonable repair it gives charm to the streetscapes.

When they tear down buildings the textural details disappear.

In some cases old buildings are rehabbed as the row on the left. The one on the right is without repair and the building behind it is the typical new Washington, DC. The only saving grace is that there is a cap on building heights.

Construction cranes dominate this particular neighborhood.

If you look closely you can see something very special happening on this corner.

This building at 607 New York Avenue, NW is the central hub of the Capital Fringe Festival and the location of the main box office.

The schedule today and the rules of the road. We are not the only city with a Fringe Festival but if you have never partaken of the diverse offerings of theatre, dance, puppetry, music and more with over 2,000 artists and 100 productions, you need to add this to your bucket list.

Just a taste of the designs displayed to entice participants. My favorite production of the three that we attended today is pictured in the center, The Bird, written and performed by John Feffer.

The festival is in its sixth year and is a boon to the city's cultural fabric.

Happy Hour in the Gypsy Tent Bar Baldacchino where people gather before, during and after performances.

Performances for this year's Fringe occur in eleven different venues. I had to photograph this poster in the lady's room of The Mountain, better known as the Mount Vernon Church. (Click to enlarge the image.)

From Sea to Shining Sea

2011-07-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

Summer Fun

2011-06-23T23:59:00.000-04:00


I dropped by the Mansion at Strathmore today in Rockville, MD to see the Creative Craft Council's 28th Biennial Exhibition which runs until July 9th.


The works that I would gladly "take with me" included the dyed and woven stoles by Janet Stollnitz and this quilt by Sarah Pavlik.

Two fiber works that I find exciting are Ann Graham's Birth of a Square and Ann Citron's New Pod, which were artfully exhibited together.

If you are looking for an artful way to spend five weeks this summer and earn 3 college credits come join me. The Crafts (AR123 CRN 11241) course that I am teaching at Montgomery College at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus begins July 11th. We will meet Monday through Thursdays from 1:30 until 5:30 pm and explore surface design on paper and fabric and also create book forms and artful textiles. Let me know if you can be part of the group!

It's just lunch

2011-06-19T22:47:00.001-04:00

Lunch today was at a friend's. She has lived all over the world with her diplomat husband, raised a large family, and now she is alone in her once country house where the suburbs and highways continue to encroach.

We dined on left overs from several dinners and luncheons that she had prepared that week for others. I am glad that I was there for remnants as it was a beggar's banquet. She is skilled in French cooking techniques and uses fresh produce, her own as well as locally grown fruits, vegetables and eggs.

Lunch was served on her porch which was comfortable despite the heat and it kept out the winged pests.

I wrote about the trees in a post last fall which you can read here.

She continues to do her own gardening but kneeling is starting to be a thing of the past. At age 90 what can you do with a poor knee replacement job?

I asked her who mowed the yards and she said that she did it herself!

The perennial beds still have a luscious splendor despite the deer and ground hogs.

Throughout the house, porch and yard there are remarkable vignettes of large and small treasures.

Today's topic of discussion was the wardrobe for her forthcoming trip to France. She is to be the surprise guest at her sister's 80th birthday party. I loaned her a long black sleeveless dress that she will wear with a divine peach silk jacket. Avignon, watch out, here she comes!

Seattle Times: Water

2011-06-14T01:35:00.001-04:00


Seattle is a city with water running through it and around it. Many feel that it is best experienced in it or on it. A week ago Saturday it was warm and sunny and you can just make out the paddle boater on Green Lake.

Some folks were even more ambitious such as these participants in a rowing and canoeing regatta held on the lake.

Along the canal boats pass back and forth.

The canal leads you to the locks and the boats of all sizes and shapes huddle together to make the passage going either up or down.

It is wonderful to get out into deeper water.

Not everyone was out on this first glorious day of sun, but the mountains were!

Many folks on the water were working.

We were on a joy ride that had a few complications. The first time one of the engines went out my brother asked, "Do you trust me?"

Despite a bit of trauma we managed to get to Edmunds for the classic yacht show.

We were greeted with this scene ...someone with worse luck then ours!

Unrelenting heat

2011-06-12T23:55:00.001-04:00

June should be fair not foul. Heat should be harsh in late July. Our sun beats down and the rain clouds never open up.

I had three opportunities to go to the country this past week. I went to pick up our CSA share and it was meager indeed due to lack of rain and extreme heat. This is not Clagett Farm but another spread located in the same area in Maryland.

Today we had our annual outing picking blueberries at a friend's family farm. The birds sang a chorus of protest in the surrounding trees as the humans invaded their territory. Not to worry, there were more than enough for birds, beasts and visitors.

On Saturday I had to take a quick trip down to Charlottesville. (They had rain, sniff!) I had a chance to run over to my favorite shop in Ivy, The Barn Swallow.

The gardens surrounding this barn turned shop and gallery are tended lovingly by partner, Mary Ann Burk.

I brought back a couple of her wonderful bouquets which contain a rich and diverse variety of flowers.

These little piggies have been sitting in their gallery for some time now and need to go to someone's home.

Serve mine chilled with a splash

2011-06-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

The temperature in Washington, DC has passed the 100 degree mark twice in a row and otherwise has settled into the high 90's...so our thoughts go back to barely a week ago when we were on the Oregon coast. The air was fine, not cold but brisk and the waves and clouds made remarkable forms.

David's shot of cormorants on the rocks with spray at sunset. For all the bartenders out there, what ingredients would you include for this drink?

Once upon a time in the North West

2011-06-09T21:29:00.000-04:00

In a the lush garden of a rustic house a wedding was held attended by friends and family from near and far. In the morning the sky was overcast and the air chilly but it blossomed into a beautiful day with a pair of eagles auspiciously flying over head.

Our neice, the bride, had beautiful attendants and there were also a crew of handsome gentlemen in attendance as well. The ceremony, written by the couple, was performed by a friend who was ordained for the occassion. It was personal and moving and ended with a kiss.

A pavilion housed the tables of guests, food, wine and good cheer including this dramatic array of cakes made by a local baker. Friends shipped down Copper River salmon from Alaska.

Dancing into the night with couples, kids, and groups, the music was a fitting end to the wedding feast.

We wish them much success in their life together.

Cheers!

At the fair

2011-05-08T16:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival isn't just about looking at sheep and critters that produce wool.

It is about celebrating the people who raise and love them.

It is about friendships that form as a result of a shared passion.

There are over 114 different breeds of sheep exhibited annually at this event which falls on the first full weekend of May in Friendship, Maryland.

Diverse forms and colors, profiles and qualities make sheep especially fascinating to me as an artist.

It is a joy to run into friends there such as Elaine Shirley from Colonial Williamsburg showing a Leicester Longwool.

Here is Gwen Handler, the director of the event with textile artist, Ellen Hartge. Gwen and her husband, Larry, have been coordinating the efforts of this event for years as well as raising rare breed animals. Gwen is also a gifted artist and teacher.

Here is a small selection of the wools that she spins and dyes from her sheep on Hill Farm in Westminster, MD.

A Day's Work

2011-05-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

Walking out of the house bright and early my eyes snag on tragic bits of beautiful blue. The nest and three eggs are crushed on the sidewalk having fallen or been pushed out the the cherry tree. I considered if it was an omen.

I accompanied a group of students to the National Gallery to see the exhibition, Gauguin: Maker of Myth.

Along the museum's facade facing Constitution Avenue men were tied to scaffolding renovating the building.


The guards stand on hard marble surfaces anchored to a spot all day long.

I have to remind myself how fortunate I am that we live near Washington, DC and that my job involves art.
Currently, in the East Wing there are four new exhibitions. Not only the Gauguin show, but also one on Venetian painting, Gabriel Metsu, and way up in the Tower, an installation of work by Nam June Paik that is like a chapel.

Almost every painting by Metsu had an image of a brown and white spaniel not unlike our dog who recently passed away. This gave new life and meaning to this 17th century world for me. Do we every get over losing something or someone that we love?

The Animal Fair

2011-05-03T15:37:00.000-04:00

Animal fairs are huge events in Paris and Buenos Aires. Far less fashionable, but more accessible are the county fairs that dot the countryside in late summer all across the U.S. I love the shapes, colors, and forms of domestic animals, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, poultry, you name it.

A few summers back when we vacationed in Quebec and New England we stopped at a county fair outside of Wells, Maine. David was my personal photographer on this day. Can you tell how hot it was?

One Man's Music

2011-04-16T13:23:00.000-04:00

Last night the Towson University Percussion Ensemble honored contemporary composer, Rich O'Meara with a program of his works. Above he is playing marimba for his, Impromptu, 2010.

This piece for solo marimba was commissioned by Chin Cheng Lin and the Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen Royal Conservatoire and was premiered this year in Belgium.


Having the opportunity to work directly with a composer had a great affect on these students. Working beautifully together the music transported the audience in the Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall at this college located north of Baltimore, Maryland. Above Michael Ohlinger, Kyle Flens, Katie Kilroy and Corie Hewitt perform jh variations, a piece commissioned by Jacob Hodges and The University of Denver Percussion Ensemble in 2006.

A bonus for the evening was guitarist, Dan Ryan and Rich performing Ralph Towner's Innocenti.

A modest man with a huge talent, listeners of National Public Radio may be familiar with his music. As a collaborator with composer/keyboardist, Carlos Garza, the two are members of Silent Orchestra. They develop and perform new scores for classic silent films.

The Language of Flowers

2011-04-13T02:37:00.000-04:00

Spring on the east coast is a wonderful time of year. Fruit trees burst into bloom as do shrubs, bulbs and perennials. The very tips of tree branches carry a green glow from emerging leaves. The colors are glorious.

We have a public garden nearby, Brookside Gardens. It is difficult to drive past it without stopping at this time of year. Each day something new is revealing itself.

Because we have so many deer it is impossible to garden without 12 foot high fences.

I understand that they do not eat hellebore. There are many plants that deer aren't supposed to like but they eat them when they are in our yard.

The temperatures keep shifting up and down the thermometer. This makes attendance in classes quite lean. I know that I, too, would rather be out of doors.

The Cherry Blossom Festival took place despite the threats to close up the government last week. I have a pet theory that it was the flowers that prevented the shut down. I think that the legislators were finally pressured into compromise by the thought all of those school children visiting Washington, DC. They are here to march in the parade or to visit the Nation's Capitol and they would have been crying in their offices. After spending so much time and effort raising the funds to travel here it would have been criminal to close up the city and cancel the festival, hence the last minute compromise.

The budget problems are not over yet but hopefully the newest legislators will learn to compromise and work together for the common good.

Playing the game

2011-03-29T01:16:00.003-04:00


Currently I am obsessed with the NCAA Tournament. My family is puzzled. You like basketball? I guess a little disclosure is necessary. I graduated from VCU, Virginia Commonwealth University, a million years ago. It was at the very beginning of its existence with this name...and it was a very different place. Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the south and of tobacco companies. I remember my aunt taking me down to look at it but first we stopped at the women's campus of the University of Richmond, Westhampton College. I did not satisfy her hopeful question, "Wouldn't you like to go to college here?" For a budding art student it was a no-brainer...manicured lawns and perfectly coiffed and manicured students...not a chance. Not a snow ball's chance in hell...I wanted the downtown grit. Besides the business school and the medical school, VCU had a big art school and it was so much fun in the early weeks to see this huge brood of kids who thought like me and were interested in what I thought was important. We believed that art was a profession and that it was worthy of not only our efforts, but our parents money. Four years later I would be able to tell a different story, more jaundiced and arch about this place. I did leave not feeling good about it...in fact I had a hard time even recommending it to my own students! But I always loved my fellow students. If we didn't stay in touch we are now finding one another on Facebook. But this is a story of basketball and why I am suddenly immersed in a game that held no interest for me and a team that meant nothing to me.... until last week. Those of you in the US know that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have the annual rite of spring called "March Madness". People across the country fill out their brackets and decide in advance who they think will win each step of the way to the final championship. The teams hold ranks called "seeds". Not everyone is allowed into the "club" to play and it is generally expected that the top seeds will win. College basketball is a curious sport. The common practice is for college teams to heavily recruit student athletes and award them full scholarships. These students arrive at their respective schools with the foreknowledge that they will serve as players first and, only secondarily, meet the academic requirements expected of students. They are athletes first and students as an after thought. Worse still, colleges are used as the recruiting fields for the NBA (National Basketball Association). Traditionally, the top basketball players spend one year playing on a college team and then get recruited by a professional team...students who can't play due to injuries or whatever, are at a disadvantage. Their scholarships are determined on an annual basis. The statistics for their graduation tend not to be on par with other students. So why am I entranced by the progress of VCU Rams into the Final Four? They are in the Colonial Conference...not a stellar division to begin with, and so far in the tournament they have defeated USC, Georgetown University, Purdue, Florida State, and number one seed, University of Kansas. A few years ago the NCAA expanded the field to allow a few wild cards to participate. This was not an equal situation...these teams had to play additional games in order to qualify. VCU or VCWho?...pulling itself up by its boot straps paid the price and meet derision every step of the way. There was abject scorn even as late as the game this past Sunday with Kansas. One of the monstrous Morris twins, the towering identical Tweedledee and Tweedledum of college basketball , warned VCU 5'9" Point Guard, Joey Rodriguez, that VCU's free ride was over. Rodriquez lightly responded, "We'll see". VCU scored 71 to the Jayhawks 61 and managed to dominate the game. In the end, one of the twins wore a towel on his face as he wept bitter tears. The VCU Rams have a winning streak supported by the confidence and competence of their young coach, Shaka Smart. In an interview today he said, "Our guys, no matter who we go out there against, they believe we can win, they believe we're going to win....The day before in the media session, people basically asked us why we were even showing up for the game because they had determined it was going to be Kansas that won the Southwest Regional. Fortunately our guys didn't agree with that sentiment and they're the ones that went out there on the court and played.” On Saturday evening they play their doppelganger, the other Cinderella team, Butler University. These are both well coached teams with students who span the age range from freshmen to seniors. They have their stars but each member of the teams is a versatile player. If VCU's last two games were highly watchable, the game against Butler should be heart attack material. But why have I become a convert? Yes, they are fun to watch on the court. Yes, the coach is admirable. Yes, it is my Alma mater. But they also have choreographed a funny victory dance, and they call themselves the Bugatti boys. Their teamwork on the court is impressive and their dogged athleticism is astonishing. Most of them are not really going anywhere but home at the end of their years at VCU and they will always have a story to tell. They made it to the Final Four, and who knows how far they will go in the coming week? For better or for worse they have bypassed the corporate American sports machine in the process and I think that is why I am entranced by their story. Not only can they play the game well, but they are in it for the joy of it all. After all, shouldn't that be what collegiate athletics are all about?

Moon Dance

2011-03-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

A big full moon, bigger than most, over on the hill near the house. David said that yesterday morning just prior to day break it hovered on the other side of the street hanging low but huge and golden.
Click the title of the post to get an overview of what constitutes a "Super Moon" and just listen to the music.

On the Fly

2011-03-15T00:26:00.001-04:00

Snow geese at rest.

One of the largest breeding populations of bald eagles in the US is at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, MD. Located on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay 250 different bird species channel through over the course of the year numbering in the hundreds of thousands. It is a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway.

Great Blue Heron

It opened in 1933 and at that time there were over 13,000 acres of marsh composed of sedge, grasses and forest. Now, because of climate change only 8,000 acres remain. The sea level is rising and the ground is sinking. While marshes can "move" this one cannot keep pace with the rising water. The forests are gone leaving behind stumps of trees in the shallow water. Nutria had been introduced decades ago and they contributed to the destruction of the root system of the grasses. Fish need the underwater plants to shelter and spawn. Fortunately, the nutria have almost all been eliminated.

Female peregrine falcon.

This past weekend was the 11th Annual Eagle Festival celebrating birds of prey including eagles, hawks, and owls. A number of presenters brought the raptors and spoke to a dedicated audience on the nature of raptors.

Falconer, Andrew J. Bullen, explained to the audience the near extinction of these peregrines and the concerted effort made to reestablish their populations. Raptors were especially hard hit by the effects of DDT earlier in the last century.
Sadly the outdoor demonstration
was canceled. Bullen, sensitive to both his audience and his falcons, due to the bird's lack of cooperation reconsidered the demonstration.

Bullen with gyrfalcon.

The only eagle that we saw atop a nest with a web cam. Go here for live feeds and for great stored footage of mother/chick interactions.

Screech Owl

A final note: Erecting wind farms along the Atlantic coastal waterways and down the spine of the Appalachian Mountain Range will seriously interfere with international bird populations. These are major north/south migratory throughways and need to be protected.

Duck, duck, goose

2011-03-13T23:05:00.000-04:00

A mallard drake, the ubiquitous duck breed of this region.

Sea gulls and mallards on the dock of the Chester River.

Feral Toulouse geese are being fed by locals in the same park.

Wet lands in front of buildings owned by Washington College in Chestertown, MD.

Throw me something, mister!

2011-03-08T16:12:00.000-05:00

Green is for friendship, gold for purity and purple for royalty

Lately I have had more run-ins with Brazilians than Louisiana folks....except for the little man who sneaked into the doctor's office today with a hand full of doubloons. He had to explain to her what they were. We are not a Mardi Gras literate town...Fat Tuesday has no real meaning here.

As serendipity would have it, I have just finished listening to a taped version of Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer". I was grateful to learn that the protagonist finds his soul on Mardi Gras day...I thought that people only lost them then.

As it goes

2011-03-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

We drove to Skyline Drive yesterday. It helped to go away.

We talked about what a great dog, Penny had been.

But when we got home, she was no longer there and this house seems very empty now.

World's Greatest Dog

2011-02-28T12:34:00.000-05:00


Penny has passed on after giving us more than fifteen years of pure pleasure.

Add caption

Close to home

2011-02-19T00:24:00.000-05:00

I have no classes on Thursday or Friday this semester. Yesterday and today the temperatures climbed into the late spring zone. Penny and I spent the morning clearing up some of the winter debris in the back of the house. What I need to do is to start cutting down the large bundles of grasses that are collapsing in the front, however.

There was a trip to Home Depot and the library for new books on tape. This sculpture of doves adorns the exterior wall of the library.

"Frieze of Doves" was commissioned in 1999 from New Mexico artist, Victoria Davila. I just discovered that she also produced the large bronze mastiff in a small park near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

At home we had the gift of a pineapple in winter, sent by my aunt. David heard me reminisce about how my mother would make a pineapple upside-down cake ...and the sweetheart not only made dinner, but this desert as well.

Making lite of winter

2011-02-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

There can't be too many flowers and somewhere on earth the orchids are blooming. All we have in our yard are the primitive buds of the Witch Hazel popping forth with winter blooming jasmine soon to follow.
This display can be seen at the National Museum of Natural History.

Haphazard Scribble

2011-02-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

Up the steps leading to the entrance of the Library of Congress.

'All hope abandon, ye who enter here! '
Dante Alighieri

"Consider your origins: you were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge."
Dante Alighieri

"Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground."
Dante Alighieri


The Reading Room "He listens well who takes notes." Dante Alighieri

"A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark."
Dante Alighieri

A charming nod to St. Valentine's Day: John Walsh's article printed in The Independent today, "Have we lost the art of writing love letters?".

Hyperbolic Wonders

2011-02-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hands-on learning meets science head-on in the Wertheim sisters' coral reef project (please reference the TED talk with science writer, Margaret Wertheim to the right to get the scope and sequence of this project).

The structure of organisms contained in coral reefs are considered to correspond to non-Euclidean geometric forms. The beauty of this vast construction of a coral reef is that the best and only method of reconstructing the shapes is through crochet!

The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History is currently hosting the traveling exhibition. Located on the first floor towards the back of the Ocean galleries, the massive construction was staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who explain the science, math and art of the matter.

The reef morphs from varied and diverse to toxic and deadened. Here you can see garbage embedded in the dying "corals". Eventually the forms turned to white and cream. My camera went dead as well.

Please take time to listen to the TED talk posted on the upper right side. It is well worth the time.

Tourists in our own town

2011-02-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Cold and misty, but not much snow left on the ground. Go into the city for the day to see some museum exhibits and to have lunch. David has the weekend off. More about the shows in my next post.

You know this landmark if you ever spent time on Capitol Hill. We didn't eat here today but tried Spike Mendelsohn's burgers at Good Stuff. Since Five Guys can cook one to order, I am afraid that they have him beat. And, why all the salt?

How do these shops survive?


The best part of the day was the visit to the Library of Congress.	...to be continued.

Age Matters

2011-02-01T20:14:00.000-05:00

Ben's painting on found wood.

Outside my kitchen window today.

Well the birthday plans were put on hold while the winter weather had its way. Although the US Postal Service and UPS decided not to make deliveries, the florists made there way up the snowy hill. I really can't feel badly with how things turned out. The beauty of the flowers makes me realize that the senders both near and far salute me on this great milestone.

Ushering in a New Era

2011-01-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

I appreciate the design of vintage vehicles. I take it from the license plate that this one came about in 1958. Once that sunk in I was taken aback because it means that I am a bit older than this vehicle. Hopefully the 1958 refers to the owner...not the year this one came off the line. Even so, I too am aged but I hope that I am as classy as this little truck when I am spruced up.

I "found" the truck in Old Town Alexandria when we drove over to Virginia last weekend. This raku satyr, a birthday gift from a previous year is by Lisa Schumaier whose studio we visited. To the right is a carnelian geode with its own little copper stand given to me by my sweet brother last year.

Yesterday a package arrived from my "little" sister. She sent me back my albums...a little the worse for wear but a wonderful symbol, none the less.

My "older" sister sent these photos. I am the one with the clueless expression. Some things never change. On the right is the armload of roses that my husband brought home as he marched in early from the snowy, icy day.

This snow is very wet and fluffy and it may cause tomorrow's celebration plans to be placed on hold. Chances are if the roads are coated others will be at home too. Everyone around here likes to cook so we will be flexible.

We have a lot of friends who are "winter" babies. Here is a gift made for Sara, the biologist at the Bird House. I made the flower and container but the fun part is the bulb. It contains many small prizes wrapped within its crepe paper layers. I first bought one at the Tale of the Yak in Berkeley for another friend and have attempted to recreate the fun for others. My flowers, however cannot compete with the beautiful creations that they offer.

Art for the heart

2011-01-12T17:52:00.000-05:00

This just in, "Arcadia" by Laura Ralls Duprey, an example of her movable fresco technique, now a part of our lives. Laura was a classmate from art school. We have reconnected and when we visited her studio in Hendersonville, NC this past summer we fell head over heels in love with her work.

On the opposite wall is a print by Richmond artist, David Freed who taught at VCU when we were students. The pieces work so well together.

This is "Idris" the companion painting to the one that we purchased. It was so difficult to decide which to select. I really am thinking that if the plumbers, electricians, and painters don't break us, I would love to have this one as well. The two are intoxicating together.

"Raven Brush Bouquet" by Idaho artist, Glenn Grishkoff was purchased a few summers ago in memory of our aunt Marce. A woman that warmed our hearts in so many ways. "Arcadia" is our way to celebrate our birthdays, Christmas and anniversary. These works give us such pleasure that it makes getting older just a little bit easier.

The Calm before....

2010-12-30T23:23:00.000-05:00

Now that the winds have abated and the temperatures have risen, I and a great friend toured a few museum exhibitions today. We started at the National Museum of American Art specifically to see Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow, and were impressed by the line of family visitors crowding into the Norman Rockwell show. We had the Rockman exhibition pretty much to ourselves, but I believe that it would have proven far more interesting to the young audience trawling about on the first floor. The title comes from Rachel Carson's introduction to Silent Spring, and Rockman illustrates his feelings about the changes that we may be due with natural and supernatural forms and saturated color. The painting above is "Aviary" painted in 1992. You can see more images on a related post.

This doorway serves as an entrance and exit. Prior to the arrival of this group of visitors there had been two young matrons with their tiny ones. One mother pointed out the flames of this image and politely explained to her very young children that the art work was about global climate change and how the temperatures are rising. I gulped remembering these words by Rachel Carson, "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." I do not feel that the under-five crowd needs to focus on despair at a world gone mad, but rather should just observe and respond to the rich visual prompts devised by an artist who loves the earth and wishes to provide a wake up call. I feel that there is a way to look, think and consider art no matter the age of the viewer.

I took the photographs in the Rockman exhibition before realizing that I should not have, but images from the permanent collection may be taken. I could not take photos at our next stop, at the other side of the building, the controversial show, Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. The galleries were full up with visitors viewing each work and reading text! Good for them. Too bad that the head of the Smithsonian Institution failed to grasp that editing an exhibition after the fact is just not the right thing to do.

We then dined on tapas and sherry at Jaleo and discussed the ways of the world and the nature of friendship. We have known one another for so many years, and we know the important stories of each others lives. It is a gift to have such great relationships.

We then hiked down to the National Gallery to catch the Arcimboldo: Nature and Fantasy exhibition before it closes on January 9th. Thinking that it would be in the West Wing we entered there but discovered that it was in the East Wing. We decided to take advantage of the situation to see the joint exhibitions of German drawings from the Ratjen Collection and also the National Gallery's permanent collection. Friedrich Olivier's drawings of Shriveled Leaves and Daniel Nickolaus Chodowiecki's Portrait of a Lady Sewing are works that I truly covet. Hence it was not a wasted trip through the hallways to get to the Mezzanine level of the East Wing where we were greeted by this monumental reproduction of an Arcimboldo portrait. Again, no photos are allowed in the galleries but click here for some images.

Of all the museums in Washington, D.C. the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art designed by I.M. Pei is the one that I would most wish to have as a home.

Even at the beginning of rush hour the city is quiet because people are on holiday break. Soon enough the hallways of Capitol Hill will see the new and old members as the 112th Session of the U.S. Congress convenes.

A thick layer of fluffy clouds fills the sky as the afternoon light causes this city to take on a magnificent glow. Warm best wishes to you for a very happy and prosperous new year. May we all find peace, repair what we have, and find value in our surroundings.

Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow

2010-12-30T22:28:00.001-05:00

Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow

Our Christmas Walk

2010-12-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Day we escaped from our house and instead drove into Washington to take a walk.

The National Christmas Tree was not to my taste.

It was cold, and still is, and the Tidal Basin and the Potomac River were frozen over.

We paid homage to my favorite memorial, Thomas Jefferson, our third president.

The Neo-classical memorial suits his architectural taste.

Our destination was the 7.5 acre memorial to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I am sorry to say that I had never visited it before and David was certain that this was one place that I needed to go. On Christmas Day I had no excuses!

His words are prescient and are as meaningful today as the day he uttered them.


The Memorial includes many water features and sculptures that depict the span of his Presidency.

I think that every legislator should have as a part of their orientation to Washington a tour of this memorial. It might help them put it all into perspective.

Another George Segal sculpture illustrating the "Fireside Chats" that Roosevelt delivered over the hot media of radio.

And now we wait for the big snowstorm to arrive.

The Best of All Possible Worlds?

2010-12-22T02:37:00.003-05:00

The seasonal celebration has begun. First with a performance of Candide by

Shakespeare Theatre Company here in Washington and Chicago's Goodman Theater. Creative Director, Mary Zimmerman has crafted her lively production based on Leonard Bernstein's operetta as well as the original book by Voltaire. When I was young no one got out of high school without reading his 18th century satire of an optimistic young man who slowly becomes disillusioned as he travels around the world witnessing war and oppression. The story lampoons philosophers, religion, social hierarchy, and those who callously destroy others by means of war and persecution.

We have just returned from a visit to Winterthur in Delaware and also Longwood Gardens in New Jersey. Both institutions are quite beautiful at this time of year and I have posted some photographs of Winterthur at the beginning. The du Pont family emigrated from France in the late 18th century escaping the throes of the French Revolution. Their company was founded to produce gunpowder and as a result their wealth and success was insured. Winterthur and Longwood Gardens are both du Pont legacies.

We began our visit to Longwood Gardens in the 4.5 acre Conservatory.

The newest installation is the Green Wall comprised of 46,000 plants.

Each section provides rich displays of plants gathered from around the world. Designers have also crafted holiday decorations from a wide range of specimens in novel and spectacular ways.

We had entered the Conservatory in the late afternoon and came out to find the world transformed. It was cold and the full moon can be seen in the image below. This was the winter solstice. I missed the lunar eclipse last night.

Pierre du Pont, former president of du Pont and also a former manager of General Motors, oversaw the design and development of the gardens. He also had a fondness for water features. You can see how popular the fountain displays are even on the first night of winter.

Seasonal Dilemma

2010-12-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

This will be our first Christmas celebrated without our son. Since this is a holiday best suited to children it is hard for me to think about it. The ceramic sculpture is by Rita Marlier.

David convinced me that a tree was in order so we bought a small one and the other night I opened the coffers and brought out some of the decorations. All of these hand blown bulbs are too big for this small tree but they are lovely to look at nonetheless. I am grateful to my brother and sister-in-law for sending one each year.

Every birthday we receive a lovely handmade ornament from Grace Lopez. I love the saturated color on this one.

Elizabeth Spencer fashioned this quirky angel for us years ago.

This bird fashioned from all manner of recycled goods was purchased from Anna Meyer Zachurski.

At the top is a paper silhouette cut by Valentine Zimmer and below is a glazed porcelain barn swallow by Janice Arone.


Another gift from years past came from Margaret McNaron.

We spent the afternoon and early evening celebrating the season with Renaissance Christmas music by The Tallis Scholars the the Folger Consort. If that doesn't put me into the spirit of the season, I am not certain what will...it was simply glorious.

What is on the menu?

2010-11-24T16:49:00.001-05:00


Painted with egg tempera, what else?

It is now that brief moment in the year when we as a country reflect on gratitude. I know that I am happy to have a wonderful husband, a son who is amazing, a great dog, a home and some awesome family and friends. I am especially happy that many of the aforementioned are creative and can do amazing things. I really like my students and I try to think about all of these people everyday.

A century ago, or so it seems, I spent many months living in very spare quarters on Crete. I moved from the ocean side to a small village when it became too cold to live without heat and found a communal kitchen within the new digs. There was a wood burning fireplace and a tiny gas stove, but I do not think that there was a fridge. It was wonderful to be able to cook, however, and when Thanksgiving rolled around, I made ready for a dinner party as it was also fitted out with a largish table.

The guest list included the French, the French Canadians, the Germans, and perhaps the girl from New Zealand and her Austrian boyfriend? Of course there were Greek people too, and oh yes, the two other American girls. I ran around several villages gathering ingredients for a "typical" Thanksgiving feast. Turkey was a no can-do...because one didn't say that word at the time...I found a few chickens that I did not have to pluck instead. Apples were easy to finds and so were nuts, so I thought that for desert we would have an apple cake. My landlady very generously brought a very high end chromed nutcracker to this kitchen and offered to help. I used this lovely device, sent to her from previous guests from Europe and she proceeded to crack the hard shells using her teeth!

Later as I mixed flour, sugar, spices, eggs and other ingredients she attempted to pour olive oil into the cake batter but I would not allow that. Now I know better. It is super in cakes and bread, but then, what did I know? Over dinner the French guests asked the two American girls to kindly explain the story of America's Thanksgiving tradition. They seriously described how the kindly Pilgrims, the Puritan settlers of New England, taught the local Native Americans how to grow corn! Oh well, our educational system was not so great then.

I thought that you might like a recipe that I use now and made in huge quantities this morning. It is a variation of sweet potatoes with a real southern attitude.

Tipsy Sweet Potatoes

from Louisiana Entertains, contributed by Sue Ellen G. Butler

8 sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and mashed

¼ lb. butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar

1 teasp. allspice

1 teasp. nutmeg

1 teasp. cinnamon

½ cup bourbon

½ cup flour

2 tablsp. butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine sweet potatoes with softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, spices, and bourbon; mix well. Pour into buttered 2-quart casserole.

Cut the 2 tablespoons butter into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add remaining cup of brown sugar and pecans and blend well. Sprinkle on top of potatoes and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rich Moments

2010-11-20T00:12:00.001-05:00

Along the Silk Road luxury fabrics are legend. The Textile Museum in Washington, DC opened a fabulous exhibition last month, Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats. Garments seem to whirl around the galleries with their curved and diagonal colorful shapes.

Intricate construction methods require skilled craftspeople working collaboratively. The earliest of these textiles are from the beginning of the 19th century from Bukhara.

There has been a revival in the weaving of these silks in Uzbekistan.


Without permission I took photos but I did not use a flash. I needed to capture their memory. David met me at the museum so that we could see them together. Sharing is the best way to view an exhibition this rich.

With my mind on student writing assignments for design class I was reading Sylvan Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing About Art as I rode Metro into the city. I was struck by his comments of a plausible social historian's analysis of "Orientalist" paintings created during this same era by painters such as Gerome and Delacroix. Pointing out the possible analysis of the paintings by European colonialists' that these regions were in need of their civilizing rule due to the depictions of their "barbarism" I could only shake my head. As if Napoleon's campaigns were civil and beauty was a mark of a lesser society.

Later we had dinner at Palena to celebrate David's birthday earlier this week. They would only give us a 6 pm reservation and the small dining room was empty when we arrived as the restaurant. The meal was rich and carefully crafted. Ever so slowly more patrons arrived. Suddenly Michelle Obama entered the room with two women. She is tall and graceful and stunningly beautiful but I did not take her picture. Some visions can be committed to memory.

Washington Field Trip

2010-10-31T01:30:00.000-04:00

I like the citation. There were lots of smart folks strolling through to the Mall this afternoon in the bright sunshine. The Jon Stewart show phenomenon came with a cast of merry makers and treated everyone to show, a tad less serious than his normal programming.

People traveled from near and far to attend the march to "take back sanity". We were fortunate to hop on the Metro and walk a few blocks, others came by the busloads but then could not get onto a subway because they were filled!

Neighbors, their friends, and everybody else were flooding the streets making the main programming space a very packed space in deed. Because it was such a crush I had to move away to the distant sideline in order to keep my own Sanity.

There were signs everywhere and even young people in Halloween costumes. I glimpsed only one Lady Gaga look alike bare except for strategically placed police tape. It was a little too chilly for that outfit.

Afterward we walked to the AFL-CIO Headquarters near the White House with our neighbor to meet with her husband who had been working that day attempting to get out the vote. The mural in the lobby is stunning.

We ended up in Mt. Pleasant at this aptly named cafe for dinner. The discussion over our meal was, of course, about the rally. We were all disappointed that Stewart and Colbert did not encourage people to get out and vote this Tuesday...what a missed opportunity! We are still not certain what that was all about.

Aged Friends

2010-10-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

I was invited to lunch at a friend's home today. It is located in Maryland, outside of Washington in a region that was once rich farmland. Developments of largish houses and high speed roads encroach at every corner.

Built in 1886 the house has a name and flanking what was once the main drive is a pair of tulip poplars (Liriodendron), a husband and wife pair, but not conjoined.

We dined in the living room next to a fire. Drinking vintage wine in the middle of the day we talked for hours about the lives of others, children, and the ways of the world. This house was once the site of the experimental use of steam heat and also one of the first to receive a phone line to a neighboring farm house. Today no computer exists here and it is too expensive to heat. Where will my friend go?

She and her husband had lived around the world because of his work in the foreign service...Baghdad, Egypt, South Africa. When they finally settled in Washington he found this house in the "country" for their children, three boys and a daughter. Two of the sons are twins. My friend was certain that in the end, the move to this house was not good for her children. All of the foreign postings and then commuting into the city for school, she feels, caused them to be without enough social peers. Today, fifty years after the fact she still frets that it was a wrong decision to raise them here and not in the city.

The twins had a bedroom overlooking these trees and the one on the right once contained a tree house. One night in the midst of a fierce storm she checked on the occupants of the house to make certain that all were well. She could not find the twins, instead they were riding out the storm high up in the boughs in their tree house.

The tulip poplar on the left has a huge crevice in which a small child can carefully secure themselves. Her two grandchildren meet up at her house and find the yard a heaven on earth. They can dig and hide and build forts. My friend planted trees brought from home in Boston and from the homes of others.

After lunch we strolled around the grounds now in decline, I helped myself to fallen leaves and twigs and boughs of plant materials for use in dye.

Each tree and shrub contains a story and strong associations for my friend. I cannot help but think that these trees made her childrens' lives here memorable and now it is a cherised place for the grandchildren. After all these years how could it have been a wrong decision?

Come and join us

2010-10-22T11:50:00.002-04:00

Ben Kessler is at work on new thoughts on permaculture and the local environment. The focus of the workshop is the mid-Atlantic suburban environment, and its intersection with the landscape-covering woodlands of the past, the marginal woodlands of the present, and the potential mosaic woodlands of the future. We’ll apply the tools of permaculture design to the circumstances of suburbia, a landscape with ample green-space and great potential for biodiversity, food production, and sustainable community. Under-girding all of this are the skills of nature observation that allow us to bridge the gulf between our lives and the wild land.

Please go to Laughing Crow Permaculture for more information.

October 23rd & October 31st
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
114 Claybrook Drive, Silver Spring, MD
Recommended donation: $10 – $30
No-one will be turned away for want of funds.
Note: This is one workshop, repeated twice. Both dates will feature the same workshop.
Drop a comment if you would like to come!

October....

2010-10-15T23:32:00.001-04:00

We are celebrating...anniversaries...birthdays...engagements...visits from family members...scary thoughts about health conditions dispelled (not about me)...harvest time...and cool weather. The evening falls quickly now and there is chill in the air especially at night.

A perfect golden apple pie from Heyser Farms in front of a ceramic sculptured panel by Alice Robrish.

Art with the power to move us

2010-10-14T00:35:00.001-04:00

For the 250th posting I am sharing a view of the King Street Gallery at Montgomery College where I teach. The exhibition that is ending this week, Myth and Transformation, includes installations, paper, prints and drawings by Leah H. Frankel, Johanna Mueller, Leslie Shellow, and F. Lennox Campello. Curated by Claudia Rousseau, the exhibit transports us through its themes of myth and transformation both literally and figuratively.


This mixed media installation by Leslie Shellow is mesmerizing. The entire gallery surface is utilized as her intricate biomorphic forms explore corners from floor to ceiling, and wrap themselves around panels.

Johanna Mueller's work with Kozo paper also gives reference directly to natural world.

You Can Get There From Here

2010-10-03T13:00:00.002-04:00

Forum Theatre’s production of Wajdi Mouawad’s Scorched is an epic, intimate, ultimately devastating Greek tragedy of a play currently on stage at Round House Theater’s Silver Spring black box. It is not to be missed.

A full year of The Philosophy of Aesthetics in college failed to secure in my adolescent brain a meaningful definition of that which I sought: What is Art? It wasn’t until years later when my sister suggested I read a certain novel and gave me the following recommendation, “It’s just like where we grew up. The streets, the restaurants, the people..” and I vowed never to read such a book, that I arrived at the wholly unoriginal conclusion that Art is that which transports. It’s all about taking us somewhere else, in space, in mind, in the heart.

Under Michael Dove’s inspired direction, Scorched, which begins benignly and humorously, inexorably wraps itself around you, draws you into its world, keeps you transfixed for an incredibly brisk three hours and change, and leaves you shaking, moved, awed, and prepared to tell everyone you know and everyone you don’t know to see this astonishing production. But this is no chore; it is an indelibly entertaining evening.

Janine and Simon are twins, embarking on a quest dictated by their mother, a quest which will take them to an unnamed but unmistakable Middle Eastern county, a quest which will take them to the past, a quest which will take them deep into their souls and the souls of others, a quest both personal and allegorical. And that is all that will be said of the plot.

Dove has wisely decided to stage this play in the round, no member of the audience is more than three rows from the stage, masterfully designed by Lisi Stoessel, a stippled beige rectangle with a dark grey perimeter adorned by six silver chairs, which constitute the majority of props. A large torn, frayed, cylinder with what appear to be burn marks hangs high above the stage, lit from within. Brian Engel’s lighting and Christopher Baine’s sound design create stirring and striking effects that serve to further draw you into Janine, Simon, and their mother’s world, a world both alien and recognizable, a world of both hope and despair.

The nine member cast, Scott McCormick, Alexander Strain, Rachel Beauregard, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Dana Levanovsky, Amy McWilliams, Rena Cherry Brown, Tina Ghandchilar, and Joseph Thornhill, expertly costumed by Deb Sivigny, create characters so rich that disbelief is genuinely suspended as we not only follow but travel with and within people, lands and hearts, ultimately arriving at understanding of both the political and personal, of others and ourselves. As the play ends, we the audience, our hearts pounding as one, pause before applause, stunned, overwhelmed, realizing we have just been transported and shared something special, something profound, something that is Art. Scorched runs through October 23^rd. Go. Don’t hesitate.

---David Kessler

Forum Theatre presents Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, translated by Linda Garoiau, directed by Michael Dove and produced in partnership with Round House Theatre September 30 through October 23, 2010 at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, MD.

David Kessler is a guest contributor to this blog (and he is also my husband). The monoprints included to illustrate the review are mine.

Choice and Seasonal Goods

2010-09-28T00:33:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I spent a weekend in Bucks County, Pennsylvania demonstrating some plant dying techniques. In return, I learned some interesting book binding methods from Leslie and also some bleach discharge techniques. At the end of our visit she graciously lead me out of town by way of Glen Mills where we stopped to explore Terrain at Styer's.

As I understand it, this eleven acre site was once a nursery operation founded and run by a local family that provided high end plants, trees, and shrubbery. Now it is owned and operated by the retail group that also owns Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.

Wandering through a maze of beautifully potted arrangements, garden structures and plants is a sensory delight.

Each variety of plant available is a temptation due to their aesthetic quality.

Objects culled from around the world are arranged in outdoor pavilions, porches and in interior shopping areas.

Textures and patina entice like a siren's song.

...so many nooks and crannies to explore, like any farm operation with many out buildings.

Unlike a farm or regular nursery operation, the objects for sale are styled and organized into beguiling patterns that provides each individual items with an an appeal interest that far exceeds what each could capture alone. Ah, the glory of styling.

New and used items, objects created in other countries, everything is carefully arranged a lighted.

Some newly designed items are just so whimsical.

Flowers also lend their charm in luring our attention to beautifully made objects.

We actually did quite well in resisting the items that beckoned us at every turn. However we did indulge at lunch at the cafe. They source local foods and serve up a creative menu in the beautiful green house.

A shared appetizer of artisanal cheeses.

A Special Brew

2010-09-15T00:06:00.000-04:00

On the "right side" of the tracks in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC you will find a watering hole for all kinds of folks.


The Wedge Brewing Company is housed in a warehouse complex shared by working artists, including a welder.


They make their beers with great pride and share them with the community who flock there.


People sit out of doors for fun and music. Above are members of a cross-dressing bicycle regatta.


One Sunday afternoon we sat in the shade and heard musicians playing on the patio. We ate peanuts and drank great beer and knew that it was a sublime moment.

A Fashionable House

2010-09-10T00:22:00.000-04:00

Cataloochee is a town located within the boundaries of the Smoky Mountain National Park.

Most of the buildings are gone now, and so are all of the descents of the families who settled there.

The lawns and outer surface of the remaining buildings are kept up well, but the interiors are rusting.


I doubt the anyone could achieve this "look" even if they wanted it. The surfaces, however, are wonderful.

The View From On High

2010-09-09T00:35:00.000-04:00

The first four photographs were taken by David on our recent trip to the Smokies on our way to the observation tower at Clingman's Dome.

The mountains get their name from the misty clouds.

A whitish haze frequently obscures the view. This is air pollution caused in part by coal-fired plants.

Bar None

2010-09-02T22:53:00.000-04:00

You have to love a place that welcomes old ladies and dogs into their premises. Root Bar, located on the outskirts of Asheville, is a pip. Not only do they serve up a wide menu of beer on tap, but they also host music, and more importantly games.

No food, just drink, music, fun.

The poster on the door announces the house game, Rootball. Played on a sandy "court" behind this low-key converted building the owner has invented not just a game but a community builder. Sort of like boccie and horseshoes it attracts a diverse crowd of players. There is also a pool table for the less sociable.

Music happens many nights of the week and can include wicked musicians from New Orleans playing with locals together in a pick up band....

...or a 22 year old harmonica player celebrating his birthday backed up by a steel guitar.

Sweet Surprises

2010-09-01T22:22:00.000-04:00

When you wander off the main highway looking for lunch you may not find it but you might find something even better. On NC89 near Interstate 77 in Mt. Airy, NC, just over the border from Virginia we found ice cream at Scoops.

This ice cream stand is a little different, however. Peer into the ordering window you discover that the operator of this stand has another passion, folk blues...then walk around the camper cum ice cream parlor and discover yet another aspect of his creativity...

Chazz Elstone is also a sculptor who utilizes metal...metal that I lust after...all those great shapes and rust...

He and his wife are from the north country but settled in this warmer world. He told us a little bit about his life and were not too surprised to hear that he started out working in a dairy in upper NY state...on a horse drawn wagon...way back when.

Another charming surprise.

Southern Cuisine

2010-08-31T23:39:00.002-04:00

Coke was invented in Atlanta but if you dine out or pull up to a convenience store today you will often find only Pepsi products on the menu. I realize that these drinks do not realistically fall into a category of food but I know as a child on a hot summer day there was nothing more delicious than an ice cold bottle pulled from the spring house.

Watermelons are ripe and juicy this time of year.

Farmers' markets bring produce to urban settings for everyone. But now there are new ideas about food including bakeries likes Ollie's in Winston-Salem with sophisticated fare, and restaurants that offer interpretations of regional themes complex enough to suit discriminating palettes, like Sweet Potatoes in that same city.

Barbecue is an important staple of the carnivore diet. In Lexington, NC there are at least twenty barbecue restaurants and Lexington Barbecue is considered by some to be the very best. David explained that the crust on the pork is exceptional due to their method of slow roasting the meat over cedar. Western NC holds its own against other regional barbeques due in part to its utter simplicity. It seems that everyone has an opinion about what sauce to apply to the meat, vinegar, mustard-based, or peppery, it is all great.

Note the kudzu vines enveloping the landscape at the Green River Bar-B-Que in Saluda, NC.

Taps on the heels of a clogger's shoes.

At the Fiddlin Pig in Asheville, "naked" barbeque is served up with a helping of house band Bluegrass music and often a troupe of cloggers performing traditional mountain dances. I think that everyone should take up this dance form if they plan on dining on such cholesterol rich foods!