Week Thirty-Two: At Home Art Retreat, Part 2

I feel very accomplished. My at home art retreat was exactly what I needed. I was disappointed not to be able to go on the trip I planned with my brother, but I think I more than made up for it with my at home retreat idea. Being able to spend time doing what I enjoy was refreshing and calming. I went back to work on Thursday feeling like I had actually taken a break. I'm going to have to do this again. 

I continued working on my art journal, trying out watercolor pencils I've had for probably a year but never used. I finished a kit from a cute sewing shop, Stitch Sew Shop. Some of their embroidery kits feature Sublime Stitching thread - very exciting. (I also bough a dinosaur kit, but haven't started it yet.). I worked on Spider Tree and found out some delightful facts about the Goliath birdeater, the spider featured in this piece. It got its name from the illustration naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian created in 1719. The plate, Plate 18, is from her book Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam. Merian was one of the first naturalists to study her subjects live in the environments where they lived. Plate 18 depicts the spider, a member of the tarantula family, eating a hummingbird. Merian also happens to be an artist in the collection of the museum where I'm a docent and Plate 18 had been in a few of my tours. I'm currently reading Kim Todd's biography of the artist. 

I also visited the Pope-Leighey House and Woodlawn. The Pope-Leighey House is one of three houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Virginia. It also happens to be very near to where I live. I've never visited the house, although I have been to Woodlawn, Woodlawn is part of George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon. The house was a gift to his nephew and his wife. The Pope-Leighey House was originally in Falls Church, but was moved to the grounds of Woodlawn after Fairfax County threatened to demolish it to expand Route 66. The house was moved and Mrs. Leighey lived in it until her death in 1983. It's a cool place to visit and an incredibly stark contrast to Woodlawn, a plantation home. I went on both tours and actually got to sit on the real furniture at Pope-Leighey. That never happens at historic homes. Anyway, if you get a chance to visit any of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses, do it.

Some photos from my visit:

I took other pictures at Woodlawn, but this is my favorite. It's upstairs in an area that get a lot of light. The docent told me it was created by Nelly Custis Lewis's brother and she hated, but felt like she had to display it, so she put it here where it wasn't really on display and was in direct sunlight. It's amazing any of the image is still visible.

One of my goals for this week's stitch journal was to stay under 10 minutes each day. I did it every day except today. Oddly enough, today's entry followed the exact same path as yesterday's but with more French knots, so it took twice as long to finish. One week I will meet this goal.

This week's recap:

August 7: stem stitch clouds

August 8: chain stitch

August 9: I haven't done the couching stitch in forever so I decided to have a little fun with it this week.

August 10: long back stitches.

August 11: split stitch with three strands of thread. I don't usually like embroidering split stitch with only three strands, but the cherry blossom kit I did on Sunday used the stitch and the instruction was great - one strand to the left, two strands to the right to make it look good.

August 12: French knot Friday (I guess). I love French knots and needed a calming stitch given all the wild news coming out this week. Y'all, espionage. I don't even know anymore.

August 13: I added more French knots today, but used a few pieces of thread with only two strands. I covered the same distance but it took me twice as long because I covered more area with these smaller knots.

WIPs and Other Projects

I made great progress on Spider Tree this week. I'm particularly excited about the web. Goliath birdeaters don't create traditional spun spiderwebs; they weave on the ground creating like a carpet of webs to trap prey. I was trying to figure out how to make and decided to try splitting embroidery thread. I started with a piece of thread (6 strands). I taped it in place and then used a strand of the same color, but with three strands to split the base thread and tack it in place. It's a neat effect. I've gotten one layer done; it'll probably take five or six to complete the webbing. I'm using DMC Etoile thread for the web (C415 and probably Blanc).

Pre-web - I used DMC Etoile threads to attach the ribbon tree limbs and tulle to the paper. 

Kevin, the Goliath birdeater. This is a stand-in for the actual sticker, which will be added last.

First layer of the web - I really love how this turned out. I wasn't sure it was going to work the way I wanted it to, but it did. 

Some close up views of the web.

Collage art journal page. I used some of my coffee paper for this one.

Cherry Blossom embroidery kit from Stitch Sew Shop.

I love drawing trees - this page includes white gesso, acrylic paint, and a graphite pencil.

Finally using my watercolor pencils.

This was my favorite part of my initial watercolor pencil page. I used white gesso to create some textures and then added the watercolor on top. It's really beautiful in person.

WIP journal page. I want to turn these into flowers. I also need to add a background color.

I also watched two docuseries, The Most Hated Man on the Internet and I'll Be Gone in the Dark. If you haven't watched or read the book by Michelle McNamara, I highly recommend both. I read and watch a lot of true crime and I'll Be Gone in the Dark is one of the best. She was so talented and it was great to learn more about her and what drove her passion for writing and solving mysteries.