Category Archives: Master Naturalist

Snow days

We are experiencing an extraordinary spell of weather in the PNW as are many areas of America this winter.Happily I have a new creative space at the top of the house which enable me to collage and write.

The weather is such that I don’t know when I will be able to send snail mail but participating in Februllage, hosted by Scandinavian collage museum and Edinburgh collage collective, a collage challenge with daily activity word prompts keeps me creatively stimulated.The range of techniques and skill of the artists is a great motivation.Posts on Instagram means I’m still learning new skills and connecting with people all over the global.

I am really pleased to have been invited to return to teaching Make Your Mark in the Spring term for Kirkland Art Center and to teach a workshop on making the small journal on the previous post by my mentor.

I’ll be traveling extensively over the next six months months between teaching commitments and hope to make art as I travel with new connections.I’ll also be hosting collaborative days at my home studio during May and early June as my husband will be traveling to Tibet with Art Wolfe on a photographic sabbatical.

For now here is the snowy view from my new spot.Pop on the sound to hear the birdsong.

How we learn ?

I undertook my Master Naturalist training and although I do not formally practice within this group I enjoy their FB group for my alternate FB page –  yes I like many have two or more pages.

This awesome link was shared by another member.Hilary this will work for all of my friends involved in teaching especially differently enabled students like myself.

Docent family  may also like to try this technique.It made me realize I should be keeping a Docent Journal to share with colleagues and keep my memories fresh ahead of my evaluation in May.

 

 

Driftwood sculpture

Driftwood sculpture featuring found fishing line

Driftwood sculpture featuring found fishing line

We have many hanging pieces around the house a memory from our previous rental that had great open beams.

This small hanging wooden piece features drift wood from a private beach ,glass beads from one of the many stores on Homer Spit road and found fishing line.

Abandoned fishing line is a huge problem in Alaska. Everywhere we went on beaches we found discarded lines.The beach in Homer also had the biggest number of dead birds I have come across.So I brought some home to make pieces to high-light this issue.

We recently went for an evening stroll at our local lake and found containers to encourage people to dispose of fishing line and hooks.A single but effective box seemed to solve the problem.

 

Winter Break

Sounds strange to some but winter can be a real challenge.

I’ve found since moving to the States that my winter blues are really helped by two things.The Kidsquest evening and helping to build a display garden for the Arboretum Foundation at the PNWGFS in downtown Seattle.Today I made contact with the new staff and will again be volunteering with the build and take-down.This years theme will be 100 years of the National Parks Service in the US- I’m promised moss will be involved.

I finally finished a sample piece for the Kidsquest event.These pieces seem so child like but actually enable me to talk about perspective,composition,the wildlife and landscape,as well as teaching sewing and in this case wiring techniques.

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Garden Changes

We just checked out a quiet area of the garden to find significant woodpecker activity.

We may need to make significant changes to the landscape so I’m checking out outside rooms.

I helped to build this garden last year one of many volunteer.

I helped to build this garden last year one of many volunteer.

Birding

I am a twitcher.For those of you that don’t understand I’ll explain.

I love birds because they survive and adapt to their environment.On rare occasions we may be privileged to share a moment in time with them.

This was my weekend sharing captured by my very talented hubby.

Seriously a whole month !

Oh my it’s been a month since my last post -must have been busy !
Fall has arrived with really high winds,big rain showers and I have enjoyed the last days of summer buzzing around with my old student and now friend Sponge.

Speedo car wash is over-had to do stand in photography for that one ! The salmon are back I have my watching spot, hoping the rain brings them in.Did see some at Issaquah on Thursday we have 5 species locally and the ones that may use the stream I watch arrive a little later in the season.

I’m planning a spring show and applying for inclusion in a show next fall. Things in Issaquah are going to be bubbling in 2012 and I’m considering whether to get involved.Uni starts next week.Hubby has just plugged in Nivara’s Smells like Teen Spirit-kinda sums up the day !

Think Pink !

Can’t share this yet as it goes in the mail tomorrow but I made a totally pink jewelery quilt on Friday.
Great fun but i learnt that Seam to fuse is tough to work through by hand not an experience I’ll repeat.
Saturday was spent watch hummingbirds fledging at Nisqually Nature Reserve.
More pictures can be found here on Hubby’s website http://wildoutdoors.smugmug.com
http://wildoutdoors.smugmug.com/Photography/Hummingbirds/17062117_Z5x7hs#1292154500_6bWCfVg

Birding by Ear

This morning there was anunusual bird song in our hedge.I’ve just spent 10 minutes trying to track it down.Eventually after being still and using my eyes I caught a movement.A baby Junco fledging on the back rail begging from it Father.Will post an image of a Junco as my UK lot will have no idea what it is-one more bird species I’ve learned.