Hot Cross Buns

 I am not talking about a trip to Fire Island. It is about the magic of being where you are, and seeing icing on the cake.

Film crew from the Trevor Zoo interviewing Pa for YouTube

As the season of hibernation wanes, I feel hunger and desire. Last month we had the full "wolf moon" which traditionally references the depletion of our pantries and symbolizes bill collectors at the door. This month's full moon is the "worm moon", and... have you noticed how many earth worms are in the road? They are waking up and plowing through the thawing the soil. Perhaps it is time to go fishing?

I started the month painting pancakes. They serve as vehicles for the sweet maple syrup our farm has been producing. The sugar season was a little bumpy, with temperatures swinging from 60 to 20 degrees in the last days. We barely made 195 gallons of syrup before the trees finally started budding. The best part of the process, besides being outside in the sugar bush, is being with my dad. I get to witness how he moves from project to project, taking a moment in the sun, sawing wood with headphones, daydreaming into the steam of the evaporator pans... there is a grace and sense of solidity. When you get into a conversation, it can be really deep.

My hot cross bun, 7 x 5 inches, acrylic on paper

 I end the month with a painting of a hot cross bun, bought on impulse at the register of our local grocer. A little research online reveals the indented top and icing cross are for Jesus and the spices inside reference the embalming ingredients. These buns were common in England until 1592 when Queen Elizabeth I decreed they could ONLY be made on Good Friday, Christmas or for burials! She reasoned that they were "too delicious to be eaten any other day". Somehow I wonder if we are getting the full story. But digging further I find that the buns have protective (embalming?) powers. They can save you from shipwrecks, so were commonly taken on long sea voyages. They can also cement a friendship. There is Irish lore: "half for you and half for me, between us two, good luck shall be".  This little painting would make a good gift paired with that sentiment, don't you think?

It's easy- just be the first to email me (tillystudio@aol.com) for for directions to send $55 USA

First real test of the Maple syrup Season

 We started tapping this week (a week later than last year) and it took five of us over three days to get 1100 taps into the sugar maples. I loved being in the woods even though it was barely over 25 degrees.

On the third day there was a snowstorm, but the trees effectively sheltered us from the rage out on the roads. I joke that I am dad's apprentice...

But seriously, it means the most to me out of this experience, to be able to learn from my dad and spend days at a time helping him on this passion project. At nearly 85 years old, he is full of stories explaining remnants of old fence lines and rutted fire lanes. He moves with grace through the depths of the snow and over the limbo lines in a way I only aspire to. (Thank goodness for my Swiss semester training last fall!)

Of course there are the hardware glitches, the batteries run dead, and the leaking lines thwart a steady vacuum. But I have returned to the studio to paint the bark, branches, wind and snow along with the glimpse of hawks, ravens, foxes and deer. It's a wonderful life. And it is getting sweeter, literally, by the moment! 

We are selling bottles of pure Maple syrup though my website store in single 8oz bottle or bundles of 5 and 10. Domestic shipping included in the flat rate. Email me and let me know how it tastes. 

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                                FEATURED PAINTING- 9" oval, acrylic on wood panel

On my easel today as I recall, kind of abstractedly, two days ago, when we were tapping trees in the maple forest during the snow storm! Could call it the "Sugar Bush Snowstorm". I am still wondering if I should add a third figure, Michael, in the lower left. Feel free to let me know what you think.

I'm Becoming a Sugar Master

 Between teaching jobs, I am helping my pa with his maple syrup business. Last year was the first year I was around for it and I illustrated a small zine about the process. This year I am way more hands on! In fact I can see it annoys my pa and Dennis for me to have the camera or my pens in my hand when I am in the sugar shack. There is lots to do and I need both hands to do it well.

 We have been cleaning. Doing inventory. Sorting. We have been pulling the lines up from under the snow and moving limbs and branches from on top of them.

 It's been pretty cold with temperatures in the teens so the tress have had at least 2 weeks of deep sleep. (Last year was much warmer and more stressful for both the sugar masters and the trees). The forecast is calling for warmer temperatures by next week and we plan to be ready to tap the trees right away. If we are late, the season is shorter... once the sap runs, the trees start to bud, and when that happens, the sap turns bitter and the window is closed. 

 

Right now I am sorting parts. It seems an endless job, but a needed one, to be an efficient "sugar master".

#syrupseason #homefarmmaple #maplesyrup #familyfarm #sweetness

Calendar 2021

 I've been able to print a limited edition of 2021 calendars for purchase this year. Called "Better Late than Never" the thirteen art images are those of mine that transport me to different places. It seemed an obsession with the current lack of our ability to travel freely or make plans. The last year, with the Covid-19 virus, the fiery mean-spirited politics and the intense global weather, was one we all would like to see behind us. There were many silver linings to be sure, but I think it fair to say that it was hard for all of us. So let us start anew together!

The calendar sells for $25 (shipping USA included) and is easily purchased thru Venmo, PayPal or checks in the USPS. Email me directly for yours (tillystudio@aol.com) and be sure to include an address for shipment. 

They are shipped in hand printed envelopes carrying the inspiring images of flight.

January features an acrylic painting done on site, plein aire. It is a snow covered creek at the edge of our property. In civil war times, (1870's), the creek fed a saw and gristmill, upon whose crumbling foundations I sat when I painted this. I love the way the water eats at the snow bank, and in the spring and summer we watch for red efts and listen for frogs. It must have been a lot busier 150 years ago. Hard to imagine but great to try!

February features images from my dad's sugar shack- another place that for three weeks of the year, transports you to an alchemists den. He stokes the fire under the evaporator and after the sap boils we pour the sweet syrup into bottles!

These are just two of the 13 works of art included in this year's calendar. Supplies limited. Hoping to sell out by the month's end.

 

Storms and blessings as Tree stories continue

We had a terrible storm. 

The trees were thrashing about, their limbs flying through the air. Leaves and acorns and twigs covered the ground. I heard cracks and soft heavy thuds. Every tree around me completely defined the wind.

 After the storm passed, the next day was sunny and the air filled with sounds of chainsaws and generators. My Pa was out there removing huge trees off the fence lines and feeling gleeful about the winter fuel. 

Living on a farm in the country means you live in the company of trees. I continue investigating into my insecurities, by painting 100 trees....

I am tapping into my youthful artist within and reflecting on the models and memories of my artistic path.

This is an early memory of the first art club I belonged to. My dad started the Home Farm Artist's Association by placing his daughters and nieces on the hay wagon, with a can of crayons, while he worked the fields. We drew all day, side by side, eeking out our own interpretations of the landscape, and mounted shows in the evening for our grandparents and their cocktail party friends to enjoy.

Such is the life and the good foundations of an artist's family. I feel blessed.

Spring Arrived Anyway

(continuing the Daily Drawing During a Quarantine)

Predator Paranoia/ April 29

Spring arrived anyway...which seemed a little weird, as if it had not gotten the memo that the world had changed.
Our chicks arrived in the mail and we raised them first in the tub and then in a new coop we built at the edge of the yard. (click on link to see video of their arrival!)

Chicks in the Tub/ April 16

I feel like the May snow storm was especially cruel. On May 10th I drew an inventory of every article I wore on my body. It was a far cry from the last 9 years in Miami, broiling under the sun!

The weather tried to keep us indoors and I found moments of gloom taking over me.

Wistful/ May 6

The bed seemed the safest place to be, even though my heart was done with hibernating.

Bed day/ April 15

The Trixi Strauss Annual Christmas Bird Count

Trixi and my Grandpa, Bill Strauss

Since returning to the farm 6 months ago, I have become aware of slight memories and remnants of my grandparents in almost everything I do. Perhaps I am closer to their age, but for whatever reason, I think of them both a lot more than usual when walking around the farm, prepping food in the kitchen, or hanging with my dad. Their spirit infuses the land. One of my favorite sweaters to wear when I write is a green one knitted and worn by Trixi. It has a slip of paper in the pocket like she always had. So I was excited to do more this year with keeping the Trixi Strauss Audobon Annual Christmas Bird Count alive. It is organized by the Sharon Audobon Center, a few miles away.

I set up my post just inside the bedroom windows, looking towards the back yard, two full birdseed holders and a suet cage.

Then I watched the sun come up. The high winds must have kept the birds away... until the first little Slate grey Junco arrived. Then pairs of Tufted Titmice came. We had a finch, and a couple small cowbirds.

I think these are cowbirds.

One of three aggressive Blue Jays

I am an amateur armed with bird books, binoculars and paint. The overall abundance of birdseed visitors this morning have been the woodpeckers. I am so pleased. We have them in all sizes, from the Downy to the Red Headed, and even a noble Pileated was seen landing on the backyard trees.

#dailypainting #birdwatcher #woodpecker
And now- at 5pm, the feeders are abandoned as the light of day turns to the dark of night.

Topiary Time Lapse

Our Giant Rooster brings us so much joy and wonder.

Photos are from July 24th to December 3rd. #timelapse #seasons #treeseasons #tree

The spirit of Jo Renbeck

I have just armed this Goddess created by Jo Renbeck, ( 1942-2013), with a braided vine scepter. It is so good to have her out in the forest, watching the house, trapping the sunshine and sending fierce love back to us. I miss my friend Jo Renbeck, the fabulous poet, book artist sculptor and painter who died in 2013 while I was living and working in Miami. For 9 years the sculpture of this Goddess was in storage in our basement corner. Putting her back out into the world, especially into the forest, was one of my first acts moving back.
At Jo's funeral I am told she requested this song be sung to the melody of Amazing Grace:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the earth,
the dirt between my toes,
the sun pours down upon my crown,
the mighty river flows.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
of bird song in the trees,
the air is dense with fragrant scents
soft floating on the breeze.
Amazing Grace the ocean swells,
the waves break on the shore,
the moonlight rides upon the tides,
oh, who could ask for more.
Now we’ve been here four million years
sustained at her sweet breast,
let’s sing her praise for all our days,
then in her womb we’ll rest.
 -copyright by Elizabeth Cunningham, 1995. (Feel free to sing at any occasion. For permission to reprint, contact Elizabeth through her website.)

 Elizabeth also shared that, "Jo was a seer. She saw keenly the visible, natural world around her, and she also saw the invisible world, the spirit at the heart all things". ... "She was someone who could go between the worlds, inner and outer, visible and invisible, waking and dreaming, the world of deep human connections and the intricate connections of the natural world, of all life."

Looking out into the woods, I would welcome a visit from my friend Jo. This time of year so much is shed, and we are distilled down to our bones. The spirit world seems palpable.

Jo Renbeck (1942-2013)

Painting plein aire at the Diner

The weather was lousy or I just hadn't developed the skin to feel comfortable in this northern hemisphere. So I tucked my art supplies into the warmth of my jacket and ordered a booth at the Millbrook diner, out of the wind.  Luckily, I work small and clean. A little bit of paint, water, paper towel and some acrylic paint pens, and I am all set to go. Sketching it in light sage green, I layered the colors until I felt the perspective to work.

Needless to say I could have been overwhelmed with the chrome and reflections...and at times I was. I took breaks and painted my coffee mug and the table settings instead. It always helps to work on more than one painting at a time.

The effort was to support the local free library with an art sale to celebrate the arts in and around Millbrook (NY), that evening. I thought I could not be more satisfied when I placed the picture in a fresh frame and up on the display easel in the library lobby.
BUT! Guess what?
I got even more happy when the art collectors snapped it up within the first couple of minutes of the opening. Stunned, I asked them what it was about the work that made them so eager. The husband replied that he was a local and he practically grew up in the diner. This is going to a good home!!!

All three works sold that weekend. I am so happy. Love it when I get to paint and the work goes home with other people.

#sold #artcollectors #pleinaire #painting #millbrookny #dutchesscountyny