I liked the bikes! I went with a friend to see the Bare Life exhibit by Ai Weiwei at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum here in St Louis and it was well worth a visit. There is so much to see and learn here, and all for free! If you are in the St Louis area, be sure to see this exhibit. Of course the other galleries of the art museum are worth a look too, I loved this mini hall of mirrors in it’s own tower. Happy Friday x
1. Fabulous texture and colour on a fire hydrant. 2. This guy was lost in the park, sitting on the bridge waiting for his owner to return. 3. Green tiles on the outside of a building in Dutchtown, St Louis, MO. 4. This used to be the Brentwood Historical Society building, it is certainly history now. Happy Monday x
Last Friday the library where I work was closed so I took myself on a creative day out. I jumped on the Metro Link and headed to my favorite magazine shop to start my day. I picked out a couple of mags and went on my way. Along with my magazines I also had the little sketchbook which I literally made right before I left along with a few pens and a water pen filled with ink (one of my favorite things to use). Back to the train and off to Forest Park and the St Louis Art Museum not forgetting to stop off and get a rosemary brown sugar latte (so good!) to walk across the park with. The sun was shining and the trees were in their fall colours as I walked across the park to the art museum. Once at the museum I made sure I kept my eyes and ears open. You never know what you might hear in the galleries! I made notes in my book and little sketches …
A couple of weeks ago I went to an estate sale in St Louis and found some great stuff. When I go to a sale I am usually looking for papers of all kinds to use in my art journaling, these can include old books, postcards, flash cards or recipe cards to name a few. I also look for books I can use to make a sketchbook from, so a cool cover might catch my eye. This book definitely caught my eye at this sale, it is pretty ancient and delicate but not to the extent that I can’t use it. What I love most about this book is that I can use it as it is and I don’t have to take any pages out or sew any new in. It used to house vinyl records and is basically a book of pockets made from fabulous brown paper with lots of character. There are only 12 ‘pages’ but so many options. Each pocket page is intact and secure and the hole through the book …
1. I found a teeny tiny wasp nest on a leaf. 2. Mushrooms spotted on a dog walk. 3. A heart in a nut shell. 4. Looking up at Lone Elk State Park 5. A mushroom growing out of a tree. 6. The little black dot in the lake is a turtle! 7. I thought this rock looked like a very old man who is a little grumpy. 8. Sign and sky. Happy Monday x
1. We went to Route 66 State Park this weekend and explored in the sunshine! 2. A naturally formed terrarium in an old bottle. 3. Yay for sunshine over the fields. 4. I climbed out of bed early on Saturday to go to a local estate sale and scored this ace tin of buttons and buckles. 5. I also bought a whole fabulous box of vintage travel ‘accordion’ postcards from the same sale. I bought them to draw and paint on, but I am not sure I can bring myself to! 6 & 7. Two sides of the same painting at the St Louis Art Museum, I love the two colour palettes. 8. One of my favourite paintings at the Art Museum, cakes by Wayne Thiebaud. Happy Monday x
The last collection of photos from 2016! 1. Gingerbread modernist architecture with the addition of Jolly Rancher pillars! 2. My filled art journals from 2016. 3. I have been playing with the gelli plate and dried seeds this week to make some patterns and images to use in journal pages. 4. Blue skies for our New Year’s Day hike at Route 66 State Park. 5. We were looking for old bottles and found all of these shovels. 6. Railway bridge over the Meramec river. 7. Shadow family. 8. Pond, trees and reflections. Well, that was 2016 and here is 2017. I hope it is a wonderful year for all of us, I am going to try and be regularly creative and record my journey here on the blog. Happy Monday x
Here are some snaps from the past Christmassy week. 1. The piccalilli (Jamie Oliver Magazine) recipe worked a treat and it is delicious! 2. We got a little bit of snow and some freezing cold. 3-5. Laumeier Sculpture Park. here in St Louis. 6. After three goes at honeycomb toffee, I finally hit success! 7. Grass and water at Forest Park. 8. Monkey bread for Christmas morning breakfast. I used a ‘from scratch’ recipe and it was very successful! I hope you all had a very happy Christmas! Happy Monday x
1-3. We visited Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Park on Monday last week as it was Labor Day here and everyone was off school and work in our house. It was an impressive bridge over a creek where kids can paddle and look for rocks and arrow heads. 4. Near the park was The Old Curiosity Shop which sadly was closed as it was a Monday. I wonder what treasure is in there! 5. We spotted this old sign in a field so of course I had to snap a photo. 6. Lunch at Fozzies, a local sandwich shop with a trailer along with the raised beds and vegetables and herbs. 7-12. On Saturday I was up with the lark (and the dog) to go to Mount Pleasant Winery for a fundraiser for Pedal the Cause hosted by Core 3 Fitness. I took photos for the event and I got to visit the wine cellars which were amazing. The cellars sounded like crickets and smelt like well, wine. I got to explore the winery and …
I am a day late with weekly photos this week because of the holiday here in the States, of course this means that I will have no clue what the day is for the rest of the week! 1. A look at my dining table when I have my stuff all over the place as I mess about in my art journals. 2.This giant caterpillar was on the hot pepper plant early this week, we decided to leave him even though he was munching away at the whole plant including the chilli peppers! 3. The very next day the plant was almost bare, by the end of the week he had gone (hopefully to spin his chrysalis and not into a bird’s belly). 4. I indulged in a maple latte before my trip to Forest Park on Wednesday. Fall is coming! 5. A replica of ‘The Spirit of St Louis’ hanging in the History Museum. 6. Saint Louis residing outside the St Louis Art Museum. 7. Art inside the St Louis Art Museum. 8. A …
Clare Davis Etheridge 