Well Used Stencils

Stencils are easy to find and purchase. Now we can skip the daunting tasks of  drawing or tracing a design then cutting it out. The same design can be purchased in multiple sizes. Sometimes it all seems too easy, as if not creating the stencils from scratch is cheating. I’ve come to realize that a stencil is a tool and it’s all in how you use it. Layering blue checkerboards over green swirls then adding a few fragmented bits of gold metallic script--reversed so it’s more of a texture--is an exercise in how colors combine and how a composition can develop. Get out those stencils. Try tracing the shapes with colored pencils or markers. Apply paint with sponges or your fingers. Then you might want to go out and buy a few new stencils.

Late Summer Cosmos

Cosmos are easy to grow. Cast the seeds out onto a patch of soil and they will rise exuberantly. They turn their sunny heads in every possible direction, stretching their foliage out every which way. Roses, dahlias and boxwood hedges require work and watchfulness, which earns respect and admiration for both the plants and their caretakers. Cosmos seem to flourish as easily as weeds. Tidiness simply is not in their nature. I walk past a fence that barely contains them and am cheered not just by their colors, but their unbridled enthusiasm. 

Tiffany Glass

The Cincinnati Art Museum is hosting an exhibit of lamps and stained glass panels created by Tiffany Studios. Wisteria and laburnum blossoms drape across shades, Madonnas glow from within and sunrises reflect in streams of watery glass. The colors and textures are heart-stoppingly beautiful. A table was spread with shards of the glass used for lamps and windows, as well as the small jewel-like molded pieces that were used as decorative elements. They illustrate the huge range of colors and textures developed by the studio. This looks familiar to anyone who hand dyes fabric. We love gradations, striations, unexpected mottling. That table alone is a wealth of inspiration and an example of how art often cross-pollinates.

Big Mushroom

After several days of rain, a few small mushrooms appeared in the yard, followed by this one, large as a luncheon plate. At first glance, there is nothing remarkable about it. But the more I looked, the more there was to see, starting with the subtle shading from  taupe to creamy white. Then there were all the textures; a split like lightning, disrupting the mushroom’s attempts to achieve radial symmetry. Scales, like the tips of flower petals go round and round in circles. For some reason, those scales made me think of the gigantic banners that hang in front of the Metropolitan Museum, proclaiming the latest blockbuster exhibit. They always have small rounded flaps cut into them, allowing the wind to pass through. Look closely at an unremarkable mushroom and you never know where your mind will go.