This week in pictures

My latest quilt is getting near complete with a multicolored binding and bright orange-red hand quilting. I have been trying to get out and enjoy the flowers but our weather has fluctuated a lot this year. Cold one day like today with rain and blindingly bright sunshine and pollen levels through the roof the next. Crazy weather is the new normal. Still with my new camera in tow I took a walk around Brookland and went to National Gallery of Art to see Doug Kingsbury and the wisteria in bloom as well as some art. It's good to get out of the house this time of year not nearly as difficult as it was earlier during that snowy winter season but the pollen makes my eyes itch and water when I go outside. Here are a few things I have seen on my excursions recently. 

purple and orange quilt project 

 Brookland gardens seen from the curb on a weekend walk

Wisteria under gray skies and a little spring shower then a favorite painting at National Gallery of Art.

"Take Your Choice" still life of books by Peto an American art treasure. 

Rain today in Turkey Thicket and the play grounds are flooded the squirrel was on the branch by my second story window eating breakfast this morning. 

Finally a picture of some pretty flowers Keith gave me this week in my favorite color!

Sunday in DC

Brookland Metro station view changed dramatically when this new 5 story building with the name was built in what used to be a green field edged with white pine trees. 

 We decided to go downtown to the National Gallery of Art for an art history lecture at 2 PM and have lunch and see the installation of "one million bones" on the mall next to the gallery. I noticed the news of this anti genocide project via face book friend who works at the gallery and posted photos of the boxes of bones being unpacked last Thursday. He had this link describing the project which is traveling around to draw support to stop genocide. http://www.onemillionbones.org/

 I wanted to see it all spread out myself and get some photos. It was strangely unmoving for me and we quickly lost interest and went towards the Gay Pride street festival... and then decided that funnel cakes and rock music wasn't all that appealing and ducked into NGA's east wing to see what was happening before our lecture began.

Much to my delight and surprise the Washington Ballet was there performing in the atrium of the East wing for a free concert of dance to illuminate and complement the current exhibition of

Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music

We also ran into a friend who had ducked in to see the last day of Albrecht Dürer's prints watercolors and drawings. He scurried away commenting about the big crowds... and there was one gathered around the gallery watching the dancers. I rushed over to see what we could see of the dancing. There was a gathering of many standing guests behind a number of rows of seated people. We had to bob back and forth to see the dancers over tall and short heads. It was lovely anyway. I snapped a few photos of them dancing a piece to music by Philip Glass wrote for the film The Hours a 11 years ago in a 20 minute dance called Wonderland. 

The corps of men danced in nude colored costumes that showed off their amazing muscular development which is what brought my camera out. 

couples rolled over and under each other in near perfect unison The center couple was doing different movement not out of sync. 

Final tableau forming for the end of the dance. 

Once the dancers finished it was time to go to the Art history lecture. It turned out to be just as wonderful. Ross King was there to tell us all about his best selling book of stories that illuminate the painting of Leonardo Di Vinci's Last Supper the accidental master piece painted near Milan Italy in 1494-7 it was the painting that made him a famous artist and he was in his late life years for a  Renaissance era man he had just passed his 40th birthday! The fresco began to disintegrate before he died in 1519 because he didn't do it in the right way but painted on top of the raw plaster. Anyway it was a fun day that finished in the garden cafe for late lunch then a walk through the lovely Smithsonian butterfly garden near by. Days downtown at the National gallery and other museums of art are one of my very favorite things about living in Washington DC. 

Quilter's Tour at NGA

Today I met about 6 quilters and 5 children to take a tour of the modern wing of National Gallery of Art. The group was larger than just us quilters lead by a volunteer who knew a lot about the building and various works of art. Meeting up like this was a lot of fun and I wish I had lead my own tour, but hindsight is 20/20. We did a lot of floor changing up and down which was a bit challenging for the kids on wheels but it was all a lot of fun in the final analysis because we shared an art experience. Lunch in the sculpture garden was busy but we expected crowds this time of year. I didn't pose the group for a formal portrait. I just tried to get snapshots. Further down I have some images of the art I liked some of it wasn't on view today due to a leak down in the lower level that closed up several of the rooms.

Part of the gang on our tour... embedded quilters see any you know?

Guard son and Amy

Jamie and three daughters and Amy in the back with the guard and her son 

Paul Reed American, born 1919
COHERENCE 1966
acrylic on raw canvas

Henri Matisse Paper cutouts

The Ellsworth Kelly paper works exhibition is a temporary installation of works done with colored paper pulps editions in small sets of 10 or less for each design in 1977. Still looks very modern and interesting for quilting inspiration I believe. His painted canvas shapes are always so amazing to me and usually one or two colors on an exquisitely shaped canvas.

Ellsworth Kelly paper works

Ellsworth Kelly paper works

Ellsworth Kelly paper works

Ellsworth Kelly paper works

Alexander Calder small mobiles and sculptures

Alexander Calder huge mobile

Untitled Mark Rothko 

This great warm colored Rothko painting was switched out for a  blue and black one today. I knew something had changed! I took this picture last time I toured the modern collection thinking it would be a good place to go hunting for inspirations with my quilting friends.

Alexander Calder mobile and shadow

Cy Tombley 

Joan Mitchell
reminds me of a crazy quilt with so many triangles and interlocking strokes

Richard Pousette-Dart
American 1916-1992
White garden, sky 1951
graphite and oil on linen

Joseph Albers 

Andy Warhol self portrait x 4

QING Dynasty
1736/1795
Vase
Porcelain with overglase famille rose enamels 

This Qing Dynasty vase from the Asian ceramics in the west wing was one thing I found that looks very modern and would make a very nice quilt design using various star forms common to quilters. So I don't think we always need to look directly to modern art to find ideas for modern quilting. I believe everything we do is modern we can't help it being so but inspirations can come from any time or era. Updating past artist works in our own versions is one of the oldest tricks in the artists handbook. Ideas that are old always can be updated to find a new way that is informed by current culture and understanding.