Marc Chagall Exhibition in the Botanical Gardens

We had a great pre-Fourth of July weekend at with my brother's family in Ft. Myers, including dinner on the water at Dixie Fish Camp and a pontoon boat fishing trip up the Caloosahatchee River to Sword Point.  We had to come back to Sarasota Monday morning for Charlie's afternoon radiation treatment, but had the day off on Tuesday for the holiday.  We decided to check out the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, only about a mile from where we are staying.  They are having a Marc Chagall exhibition through July 31 called Flowers, and the French Riviera:  The Color of Dreams.



 

Three of Chagall's floral oil paintings are on display in the museum, featuring the masterwork painting The Lovers.  There are also ceramic vases owned by Chagall and featured in his art, archival photos, and outdoor garden scenes reminiscent of the French Riviera where Chagall spent the later part of his life.  Several large digital reproductions of his cathedral window are resplendent in the conservatory.

The gardens extend right up to the edge of Sarasota Bay, offering great views of the Sarasota skyline.  Throughout the garden walks are signs with Chagall quotes regarding art and flowers.

The regular signage at the gardens all have lovely watercolor illustrations.

I took over one hundred photos in this beautiful setting.  Inspiration for my own art?

This one of the koi pond in the Conservatory almost looks like an abstract painting.

 It was a nice way to spend time on our nation's birthday.

New Sunset Quilt and Mothers' Day Weekend

Unto These Hills 9" x 10" 2009

It appears I am on a roll creating art quilts with sunset views. Here is a little one that I made for my sister Katy, whose birthday was on Friday, May 8.

One of our favorite things to do is ride to the top of the mountain and view the sunset from the Christmas tree farms. The trees are just shapes cut freehand from green cotton fabric and pieces from a shiny, gauzy green wine bottle wrapper.

Below the mountains, I added a little shine with Angelina fibers.

The sky is the crowning glory. I started with a hand-dyed orange fabric that I needle-punched to a piece of batting. Then I kept building up color with sheer organzas and silk tops until I achieved the effect I desired.

This one has some scripture that I hand-lettered on a piece of sheer fabric and stitched on with silver thread and pink floss. It is from Psalm 121, Verse 1: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

The back is also a hand-dyed orange. I used monofilament thread in the bobbin for all areas except the trees, and you can see the trees outlined on the back.

We celebrated Katy's birthday in the mountains for a wonderful family weekend. Her daughter Melinda was there with new baby Ragen, who slept all night after enjoying the fresh mountain air.

We went to West Jefferson Saturday morning to pick up our groceries. Welch's Produce Stand has re-opened for the season, and we stopped for fresh strawberries, tomatoes, and homemade sourdough bread. Don't the hanging baskets look inviting? When we got home, we all sat by the creek and watched Ricky and Mary's grandkids playing in the creek below our cabin. They braved the cold water for quite awhile, enjoying the slide they brought down to the creek to play with.
Ashe County is several weeks behind the Raleigh area as seasons go, due to the higher elevation. The dogwood was blooming along the creek and all over the mountain.



Also, the wild azalea, wild irises,

fiddle-head ferns, and lots of other flowers were springing up. I went hunting for the elusive lady's slipper orchid, and found quite a few in the natural areas along our driveway.


Also, the lovely wildflower trillium was in bloom.

On Sunday, Charlie fixed me a beautiful breakfast since it was Mother's Day. We dined alfresco.

While we ate, Mama and Papa Bluebird were busy flying in and out of the birdhouse to feed the new family.

Did you notice the roses on the picnic table? They were a wonderful surprise from my son Bryson for Mother's Day.

Minutes after I took this picture, Charlie opened the front and back windows to allow a nice breeze. He propped the stained glass on the window sill. A big breeze came along and picked it up and crashed it to the floor. Now there is a hole in the shiny green area at the bottom, and quite a few cracks in the glass. :(

We did a little gardening after breakfast. I asked for some of the fertile black soil that my brother-in-law heaped along a spring head when he was digging it out with the backhoe. Good old Charlie brought me two Gator-loads to add to my little flower bed behind the back steps and under the bird feeder.

Our old doggy, Maggy, is still enjoying the mountains, although she has gotten very stiff and the back legs just don't have much power any more. She still did not want to be left behind on any trips.

We hated to leave, but are going back next weekend, when all our kids and grandkids will join us. When we got back to Raleigh, we went right to Dave and Emily's house to enjoy a delightful Mothers' Day dinner.

I have a very good life, and am a very happy mother.