toadstools in the shop tonight

May 31, 2013
by annwood

I’ve made some new toadstools from a wonderful collection of  Sri threads textiles – mostly antique garment fragments. They will be available in my shop at 7:30 pm tonight (May 31st New York time).  You will also find a spider and a rutabaga made from the same group of Japanese textiles.

PS -If you are in France or traveling there this summer you can visit an exhibition of Sri’s  magnificent boro collection at Domaine de Boisbuchet: “Boro–The Fabric of Life,” Summer 2013 – opening June 7th. Pretty fancy.

thermometer

May 29, 2013
by annwood

week 22 in my “this is where i am from” year long project: My father was not great at occasions- birthdays anniversaries etc. But one year for my Mother’s birthday in January he surprised her with a number of small improvements – little conveniences and pleasures. A reading light over the bed and lots of others I don’t remember. I do remember the thermometer – installed outside the kitchen window. Placed, I’m sure, to factor in light and shadow to offer the most accurate reading. I watched the thermometer carefully in the last weeks of winter hoping for 55 F – when it got to 55 spring was a real possibility.

little thing magazine

May 5, 2013
by annwood

I’m so pleased to be featured in “Little Thing”  (China) magazine .  It’s a beautiful issue – all about mushrooms!

The article features some of  my early things – when I was just beginning and it’s nice to visit those ideas again. You can see the interview here.

And right next door to my interview is another with The Fabulous Mister Finch!

The magazine  is beautifully put together – there is even a pop up.

And  in keeping with the fungi  theme I’ll leave you with a little preview  of  a Sri Threads mushroom I’m working on.

ginger and the apple tree

May 1, 2013
by annwood

week 18 in my  “this is where i am from” year long project:

A look at my progress wall – the things I don’t completely  despise:

And a little painting inspired by this email from my much older sister :

” Remember just outside the fence at the corner by the little dump there was a very fragrant (in the spring ) apple tree. It was a good place to sit on the fence and Ginger ate the wormy apples in the fall”

on my work table

April 30, 2013
by annwood

I worked up-state this weekend – warm days and freezing nights – perfect.

A rat with a very ratty back made from mrs. brown’s skirt. The remains of that skirt have been languishing in deep storage  but it occurred to me last week  that  the strange weave would make a fabulous rat.  It’s difficult stuff to sew but  that difficulty inspired this new back detail/ texture I like, especially in profile.

And a delicate songbird – I began about a year ago.

She made a lot of progress over the weekend and this may finally be her week.

I also spent some time wondering around and looking at stuff like this down on it’s luck house.

There are a few more weekend photos on instagram.  And even so early in the season there were a couple great yard sales and a friend with a glorious old farmhouse was down sizing before a move  and gave me some marvelous things, so I hauled back a toyota full of treasures I’ll show you later.

the brook

April 24, 2013
by annwood

week 17 in my  “this is where i am from” year long project:

click the image for a larger view

I  meant to show you something else this week, I’ve been working on a little painting of  Ginger and the wormy apple tree,  but on Monday night I dreamed of another place – the brook. The dream left me with such a particular sensation I wanted to try to express it. The brook had a distinctive feature, what seemed to be a magic ability that I’d like to show you another time but  Monday’s dream was of  a grey and stormy day and the water surging and tumbling and  swirling through the tunnel under our street  and rising terrifyingly up  the steep grassy banks.