The Art Of Jim Mayfield

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My husband,  Jim Mayfield, will be showing his photography the month of August at Obelisk Home.  Please join us Friday,  August 2nd, for the show opening!

Fall Wonders

A Thanksgiving greeting for you!  Photography by my talented husband, Jim Mayfield.  And music by lovely friend, Emily Higgins.

Happy Thanksgiving!
xo
dulcy

Gobs of Color!

Gosh.... I love the cool, crisp, colorful beginnings of fall.  I know it's not official yet, but I've got mums in pots and in the ground, pumpkins on the porch, and my hedge apple rug on the floor (which Willow immediately took up residence on).

I've been hooking and sewing a bit.  The results of my labors are these hooky cuff bracelets....

I used magnetic snaps for the fasteners.  Had fun playing with color while making these.  They're sewn onto wool attached to the linen.

I took a morning and trimmed out my last hooked hanging piece.  I felt that it needed something more colorwise.  There just seemed to be too much green, so I added this bright strip of wool and sewed on a few little beads.

I went to a hook-in a week ago with my gal pals Tammy and Sheri.
I picked up this luscious yarn.  Can't wait to make something wonderful with it.  I may save it for some hooking, but am tempted to knit a scarf (which I don't really need, but I think it's the best way to show off this homespun loveliness).

There's some pretty sparklies mixed in that don't show up in this shot.  Should have had  hubby shoot it for me.

I told you in my last post that I was having hand surgery.  Well, I did (actually it was on one finger) and it was a breeze (sort of).  So, I'm not hooking yet, but lots of knitting and other bits of this and that.  I went for coffee with bestie, Jessy,  a day after my surgery and she had this sweet little "get well" dolly waiting for me.

She's tied to a blue bottle to put on my bottle tree, but for now she's just resting on the mantle.  No, she won't go outside on the tree.... just the bottle.  Here's a link on the history of the bottle tree.  You may have never heard of bottle trees, but I find them quirky and beautiful.  I also love the folklore that goes along with this old form of garden folk art.  History of Bottle Trees.  One more time, here's my new little rebar bottle tree!

Hope your late summer/early fall is as lovely as it is here and you're enjoying every minute of it!

xo
dulcy

These photos are a series my husband, Jim Mayfield, put together documenting the arrival, nest building, and raising of the yellow crested night herons that visit our neighborhood each year.  This year we have been lucky enough to have a pair residing right above our garage with easy visual access.  You can watch the progression of nest building as the herons tediously fly back and forth one stick at a time........Turn up the sound... the awesome music is by our friend, musician Dean Billingsley.  Enjoy!

Jim's Back!

You may remember this video about my husband, Jim Mayfield, from sometime last year.  I had it posted for quite a bit, but then it disappeared.  This video was put together by Bob Linder, a fabulous photographer......  and .......... husband to my bestest of friends, Jessy!  I told Jessy that I couldn't find the video any longer so her hubby Bob came to the rescue.  I really, really love this piece.  Bob did such a nice job capturing the essence of Jim and his work.  Thought I'd share it again........

Bits of This n' That

Golly.... sorry to have taken so long between posts.  I guess seasonal activities and an annoying fluy kind of cold set me back a bit.  Hubby and I had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago.  Nothing says the holidays like being in downtown Chicago on the day after Thanksgiving.  Below is a shot of us in front of the Robie House, a Franky Lloyd Wright home that we toured.

Next is a photo of the reason we were up there, my lovely and talented step-daughter, Lily 
and our fabulous son-in-law, Jesse.

 

 Oh, and poochies, Joanie and Louie.

 A few glimpses of downtown Chicago...

Yes, it's wall to wall humanity, but when you're just there to soak up the people, art, culture, and.... when there's no car parks to deal with (we rode the train), it's simply fabulous!!

I don't know about you, but whenever I travel, I can't wait to get home and start creating and crafting!!  The stimulation of travel always gets my juices flowing and gives me an extra jolt of adrenaline, not unlike a trip to Starbucks.

I've been hooking quite a bit, and hedge apple rug traveled with me to the big city.  I love working with these colors, and am anxious to start the border.  I'm not completely sure how the border design is going to play out, but I'm envisioning it as a completely different design than the rug, using colors that compliment and pop.

If you read my previous post, you may remember my pitiful whine about knitting sock toes.  I mean, for someone who has knitted a dozen pairs of socks, you'd think I'd have it down cold.  Well.... bloggy friend Dag from Sheep On A Spring came to my rescue.  She emailed directions for a brand new way to do my sock toes.  No more pointy ends, or confusing kitchner stitches for me.  Since I was sick and slightly dopey at the time, this did take more than one email to get me straightened out.  But Dag was so patient with my drug induced confusion, and once the first toe was done I had it down to a socky toe art.  Now, I'm knitting yet another pair, because I got this wonderful self-striping yarn on sale and needed some socks in black and white.

Cute, cute, cute!

I found this nice variegated Noro wool from Japan.  I'm knitting this twirly scarf for a Christmas gift exchange that my book club is having.  Such pretty colors......

  Lastly..... thanks for staying with me...... I've been working on a seasonal pastel.  I copied a photo in an old British Country Living..... the absolute best magazine I know of for lovely photos and articles that make me happy.  It's American sister mag doesn't even begin to compete. The pastel's not quite finished, and has been a bit of a challenge, but I'm almost there.

I'm sorry if I haven't been by and left a comment at your blog.  Hopefully, this week I'll pop by at some point and check in.

OH....... one more picture of our new little sweetie, Violet.

 

xo

dulcy

Foxy Lady

Here's a peek at my new pastel that's still in progress.  I'm painting this from a photograph my husband, Jim Mayfield, took of a female that was raising a litter of five pups on our property last spring.  I'm completely enamored and just a touch obsessed with these beautiful and resilient creatures.....

 

Artist at work......

A sweet figurine given to me by my friend Claire.

A cup made by one of my very favorite potters, Julie Whitemore who makes the most lovely functional pottery with gobs of charm and sweet woodland creatures.

A hooked rug I did a few years back showing my feelings of connection to these orange beauties.

A print I purchased from another favorite painter and rug hooker, Ann Willey.  You should really drop by her website and check out her Etsy store.  The most marvelous art!

Another hooked rug I did several years ago.  I call this one "Nighttime Garden Fox" because we would hear their wild crazy screams all the time at night.  It sounds kind of creepy, but I love the sound, and knowing they're close by the house as we sleep.

Most recent issue..... very interesting article about some research and breeding of foxes in Siberia.  They have been bred for domesticity.  Good idea?..... not so sure about that, wonderful photos.

So.... just sharing a passion of mine.  I love all things wild, and feel privileged that these gorgeous creatures have let us share their space for a short time.
xo
dulcy