Exquisite Garden

Helena Scheffer is hosting an exhibit at her art gallery (http://www.galerieouest.ca/)  of the Exquisite Corpse, or corps exquis.   Done way back in the '20s this was a game that the Dada-ists played, I'm sure while sitting in smokey cafés and drinking absinthe.  They folded a piece of paper in 3 or 4 and one would draw the head, fold it so it couldn't be seen, and then the next would draw the torso, the third the legs.  Any resemblance to a real human seemed to be accidental!

Below is the corpse made by myself, Rosie, and Hilary (the old TriThis gang).  Our only discussion involved using the colour green and a placement of the neck and legs.  

Rosie's head

My torso

An exhibit of Jean Paul Gaultier was in Montreal and I was very influenced by that.

Hilary's legs

11/11/11 Remember

As I write I am listening to the Last Post.  I am so grateful for those that are in the military and work and fight on my behalf to make life better somewhere else in the world.  As much as I would like the world to be disarmed I know how naive that it is.  So thank you.  My little effort, in conjunction with my friend Janet, is to make quilts for Quilts of Valour, an organization that makes quilts for soldiers who are wounded.  I hope they give some comfort and a sense of appreciation for their sacrifice.

If you look closely, there are a lot of maple leaves in this!

Retreat

The Quilliams Inn really does spoil us.  This is the cake that was made for us at our last lunch.  How wonderful is that!

November Quilt Retreat

Our Stitch 'n Bitch group has a retreat every November at the lovely Quilliams Inn on Lake Brome southeast of Montreal.  We are truly spoiled by the staff and the food is terrific.  We are there off-season which gives us a nice advantage, and the weather this year was terrific.  A friend and I walk every morning on the nearby golf course just after sunrise.  It's past all the season of bright fall colours, but vestiges remain, and I like all the grays and soft colours that remain.

 At the back of the hotel is a protected wetland.  Early morning is always good for reflections.  Unfortunately the ducks hear me coming and roil the water in their attempts to scoot away.

 Before the walk, sunrise over the wetlands.

The same area 12 hours later with a not so good shot of the moon!

12bythedozen

Here are some of the 12 by the Dozen group.  We had a wonderful Texan lunch brought in by Venetta, who most of us got to meet for the first time.  It was lovely to talk to her, and to the others about Houston, the show, our work......

Houston

The quilt show in Houston is so amazing.  It felt like sensory overload at times.  So many beautiful quilts all in one place.  The workmanship is wonderful.  I'm sorry I can't show them here.  

Houston itself, in the downtown office section that the Convention hall is in is sleek with all the high rises and a lovely little park and playground.  Lots of new restaurants and our hotel was only a 10 minute walk which gave me some exercise!  

I'm not quite sure if these were ordinary crows but a murder there was.  They were very musical and roosted in all the trees lining the streets around the convention centre, flying up every now and again in clouds.  Sort of Alfred Hitchcock.

 There squares were in the sidewalks around the area.  Just something to pause and think about as I was exploring.