Bird drawings

I particularly like the eyes on this one, each looking in a slightly different direction.

"My Quiet Book" -- a book written and made by my grandmother Catherine Hermes

This just turned up a couple of weeks ago after having been stored in the back of a closet for the past 40+ years.

It has so many things in common with some of my own recent work -- off-white cotton background, drawing with marker on cotton, felt shapes, applique, the use of black.  It amazed me to open it after so long and see so much of my own work in my grandmother's.

The book is all about being quiet and focusing on small tasks.
The brown pocket above held a pad and pencil.

The train cars can be unsnapped and rearranged.

 Love this big black shape of a shoe.

This Durer painting of St Jerome in his study perfectly captures the feeling of being quiet and looking at books.  I've spent many hours doing just that.



Thanks grandma.

                                                     


Mary Catherine Hermes.
1907-1979

Birds made from old clothes... in progress

I just started laying these out earlier in the week using old clothes, some of my mom's leftover fabric, and an old tea-dyed cotton canvas shower curtain for the background.  I'm already looking forward to working on a larger scale because it's hard to maintain the clarity of line and shape with such small scraps.
I do love the black.