Weatherdello: Time-Lapse Spring

Eeez Too Much?

Don't you just love the leisurely pace of this blog?  One post every six months or so. That's what I call blogging, people!

But seriously, I want to try something new, and I hope it won't drive you crazy. If it works, Everdello will become the hub for all my other blogs--that is, every time I post to one of them, the post will automatically appear here, as well. It'll be like one-stop shopping, and I hope it will be convenient and not annoying for you. As you can see, Charlie is beside himself with excitement.

When my friends and I get bogged down with too much detail, we quote from The Princess Bride: "No, eeze too much. I will sum up." If Everdello starts to feel like that, please tell me and I will find a way to sum up more efficiently. I promise. 

Meanwhile--before we go forward--here's a re-cap of the various projects that have been posted so far. More soon, I hope! My blogs are:

• Storydello – small handmade books
• Alphadello – alphabetical artwork
• Weatherdello – sky photos

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Alphadello - Garden ABC
26 images

Alphadello - Home ABC
26 images

Alphadello - Insect ABC
26 images

Quilt Alphabet (in progress)

Weatherdello - 2010
slideshow

Weatherdello - 2011
slideshow

Weatherdello - 2012
slideshow

Weatherdello - 2013
slideshow

Weatherdello - 2014 (in progress)

Storydello - Maggie and the Bishops (10 pages)

Storydello - Fred’s Early Memory (10 pages)

Storydello - Mr. Woodward’s Peacock (10 pages)

Storydello - Royal Visit 1919 (10 pages)

Storydello - Maggie and the Sheep (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta’s Tree Adventure (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta and the Forest Fire (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta in Ottawa (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta and the Storm (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta in New York City (10 pages)

Storydello - Lady Carlotta and the Devil’s Punch Bowl (10 pages)

Storydello - John Stanbridge Goes to Sea (10 pages)

Storydello - The School at Cuckfield (10 pages)

Storydello - Bonfire Boys 1 : Events of 1846 (10 pages)

Storydello - Bonfire Boys 2 : Special Constables (10 pages)

Storydello - Bonfire Boys 3 : Fifth of November (10 pages)

Storydello - Singable Nursery Rhymes (10 pages)

Storydello - Rhymes for Sleepy People (10 pages)

Storydello - Rhymes about Kings and Queens (10 pages)

Storydello - The Trebizond Partridge Seller (10 pages)

Storydello - The Oyster Girl (10 pages)

Work in Progress

Sometimes, when I look at the shelf next to my art tables, I think, "Ack! Ack! Too many unfinished projects!"

The horizontal binders on the bottom shelf in this photo contain the pencil sketches, line art, paintings and rejects from my finished smallbooks.

The vertical ones are stuffed with unfinished projects, and they outnumber the others at least two-to-one. Years and years of work lie ahead. Sometimes the sight of it sends me into a nice little anxiety attack. Other times, I feel like patting those binders and purring. They remind me of a well-stocked kitchen cupboard: full of possibilities.

The grey boxes are old tax files, necessary but boring. No need to talk about those!

Rough Stuff

They say you have to take the rough with the smooth. I've been working on this Bonfire Boys sequence (for my Storydello blog) for months, and parts of it are still pretty darn rough!  I hope it will come together soon. I'm looking forward to taking some "smooth with the rough."

Supervisory Cat

Happiness is a messy palette, a mug of tea, a supervisory cat, and a rowdy ancestor.

The smallbook in progress is for Storydello. It's about my great-great-great grandfather, John Stanbridge. He and his brother went to prison for "riot and tumult" after a Bonfire Night celebration that got out of hand. I could hardly wait to finish the research and start painting their exploits. Those guys were bad! 

The supervisory cat does not approve. But I suspect there are some dubious characters in her own family tree!

Bigger and Bigger

My "small books" are gradually getting bigger and bigger. Is this a subconscious reflection of my growing confidence? Or does it have more to do with my changing eyeglass prescription?

Whatever the reason, you can see the progression in this picture. From right-to-left: 1) tiny coil bound sketchbooks from the dollar store (I think they were sold as party favours), 2) "livretti"--which is my made-up name for the little 8-page books made from single sheets of letter-sized office paper, and 3) "small books," which are quarter-sheets of letter-sized paper, printed double-sided, sewn with dental floss and bound in cover stock.

Small books are my favourite, these days. But lately I've made a few "tall books" as well, from half-sheets of letter-sized paper. These were made as presents, and have been given away, so they aren't in this picture.

My Wonderful Mess

In my dayjob, if my work-space gets cluttered, my brain gets cluttered, too. I seem to have to file stuff and straighten things, or I can't think straight.

At home, my art-table creates the opposite effect. If I tidy it up, I can't work well. My brain starts trying to follow the rules, and my ideas get all tight and well-behaved, and it takes me a long time to realize that they've led me down the wrong path.

This jumble of odd-sized paper, weird brushes and crummy pens seems to say, "There's nothing to lose, and God knows there are plenty of us, so just get in here and play around." It's a good place for messing around and making a lot of mistakes. Once in a while, a good idea pops out.

And there's a big old bin underneath the table, for catching the clunkers.