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Shell dwgs Florida 2010
Before we headed out on our road trip, I found this blank book of Strathmore Watercolor paper postcards in the discount bin at an art supply store. Next time maybe i’ll take some watercolors too! Here is one of the drawings I did of shells from Sanibel Island.
I have been making noise in our garage this week doing 24 pins for our community radio station KFAI, which has been really fun. The weather was great and I got a pile of very cool small stuff to incorporate into them from the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting. They were kind enough to let me dig through the drawers in their repair shop for stuff to use. More photos are on my Flickr stream!
Way out in the country, well off the beaten path in Alabama is a (geographically) secluded area called Gee’s Bend. A few years back my friend Anna and I went to Milwaukee to see an exhibit of the quilts made by the women from that area. We were blown away, as were many others by the exhibit which traveled the country for years. Ted and I saw the show a few years later in Philadelphia and he loved it too. Ted contacted the quilt collective that has been set up there and we went for a visit. It is really beautiful country and was a great day for a drive so off we went. Miss Mary Ann Pettaway opened the shop for us and we chatted and looked at the quilts and other items the ladies make. It was an amazing afternoon. Ted was talking to one of the women and I heard her say, “heck, we wasn’t thinkin’ about no art, we was makin’ blankets to keep the children warm!” These ladies are the most unassuming, down to earth folks you could meet. I will post the pictures I took along the way. Afterwards, we went down to the river and sat on the dock listening to the water lapping the shore and enjoyed the quiet. A great day.
We had a great 10 days in the Lakes region of central Florida with my Uncle and Aunt, lots of laughs, great meals, biking every evening and a bit of laying around the pool too. While there we cleaned and separated all our shells from Sanibel and the Keys, I did a little drawing as well which was a challenge since I LOST MY GLASSES. Yesterday we drove west along the panhandle and stopped a half dozen or so times when ever we saw something interesting. My favorite stop was a little town called Sopchoppy, FL. Who wouldn’t love a town that has a Worm Gruntin’ Festival? It is next weekend so we are going to miss it but I will be putting it on the calendar for next year!
Spent today shelling on Mexico Beach which was beautiful, going back again tomorrow. Baked oysters for lunch and a drive out to Cape San Blas. This might be the nicest part of Florida. Lots of old homes, not overdeveloped, really beautiful…don’t tell anyone!
So when we were in Fort Myers prior to the Keys, we found this great thrift shop that had only building materials!?! A little odd, but I hit the mother lode there, found some great rusty saw blades, odd metal bits and a large wooden box full of square head nails…CHEAP! I can hardly wait to get home an work now!
Annie Singer's Artist Blog 