the chair... still roaming the internet (& other things)

It is now on shelterrific. Thanks to my fellow mad scientist of etsy, Polymath, for letting me know!

The other thing I learned from the MSOE, is rather depressing. Apparently, the US CPSIA bill means that some schools have decided that ROCKS (as in scientific displays thereof, to teach earth science) ARE DANGEROUS FOR KIDS. It was vaguely amusing when I was asked whether the old rock samples in the lab were dangerous... but when "safety" concerns become draconian, and education hindered, I cannot find it funny.

To leave on a more upbeat note, my fellow TCET member inkyspider or kootsac has a post on gifts for Geminis which includes my monkey print. Thanks Morgen!

giraffe & dinosaur

So I logged onto my laptop to upload some photos of my latest giraffe and a prototype Euoplocephalus pillow. I really like the fabric choices. I went out yesterday to get some more white kozo paper from the Paper Place (last trip I was lusting after coloured papers so I have this shortage of white paper). I stopped in Type, next door, and bought The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments even though I am probably familiar with a lot of them, certainly all the physics experiments, and despite the rave review by Roger Penrose (the only author I have ever encountered whose book I actually ceased reading due to pomposity). It is illustrated! Also, opening it at random, I was delighted to read a crazed fan letter from Lady Ada Lovelace to Michael Faraday. I walked home, stopping at the Workroom, where I bought some fat quarters, including this fab floral backing the Euoplocephalus pillow.*



The pattern though, needs simplification. Making sharp angles in a pillow is problematic. That's right, now I am doing R&D on pillows.

Anyway, I was delighted to see I had made two sales. So I need to pack up the custom giraffe as well as send a frog print to sparkle_debacle (Thank you!).

Also, I will see if I can meet K and D's friend (who is seeking housing in June so might babysit Minouette for me).

I have to think about what one wears to go to an international scientific meeting in the morning and then make giant dipoles in the lab in the evening, tomorrow. Steel-toes and a suit does not really work for me.

*This paragraph fails utterly to stick to a single topic, but that is the way it is.

Quail on the Town Pillow - Handprinted Patchwork

I made a new pillow. It combines the popular line drawing of city homes, and the Echino by Etsuko Furuya fabric, a nice stripey fabric along with my block printed quail on a cotton patterned with calligraphy. The reverse is a textured cream fabric with a grey stripe and green minouette block printed tentacle label, combined with a funky vintage game bird fabric.

It is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall and 13 inches (33 cm) wide.

My mother saw this print and said, "It`s a prairie chicken!"
I responded, "Right... uh.. it`s a quail. Q for quail."
My mother`s nostalgia for the prairie knows no bounds. I looked it up- a prairie chicken is related to, but not identical to a quail. Males have those nifty circular, orange unfeathered neck patches which can be inflated while displaying in the mating ritual called booming. They lack, however, the distinctive quail top-feather.

Enchantress of Numbers

This is the on-going saga of my block print of Ada Lovelace (previously mentioned here and here). So, after drawing her on paper, and deciding that the equations did not look right on the gears, I re-drew her on lino with the equations around the circumference of the gears. Yes. Carving three equations with super- and subscripts is a new level of insanity in my printmaking. Enjoy!


My first move was to print several proofs on sketchbook paper. Then I moved to Japanese kozo (mulberry) (11" x 14") paper. I printed the single block into two colours: silver and turquoise. I found that this was pretty, but not quite what I wanted; the colours were insufficiently saturated and the detail was not as visible as I wished.

So, I did a run on mauve Japanese gampi paper (10.5" x 15.25"). This time, I used gold for the gears and face with a mix of purple and turquoise for her dress.

The equations depicted around the gears relate how to calculate Bernouilli Numbers. This is not only because Ada published how to do this MECHANICALLY, but because she foresaw that machines would one day be able to work with SYMBOLS (like those used, for instance) and not just numbers!

Happy Victoria Day

Happy Victoria Day
Originally uploaded by the.minouette

I like this... with the skylights, I can watch the fireworks from the confort of my living room couch (or loveseat, or as F. insists the settee).

Have a great May Two-Four Canada.

Minouette weighs in

Look into my eyes.
You will not start carving the lino.
You will get up and get me some fresh food.



Go towards the kitchen ... follow my gaze.



Hey! Is that a bird?



I see. Push the button and it records. The human toy appears useful for bird and raccoon surveillance missions. Hmmm......

A Spring Handmade Market

And my view:


I most enjoyed meeting my fellow artisans. I enjoyed talking with table-neighbour Jesse of All Things Small. The elder of her two sons (at 2.5) bought (with the help of his grandmother) bought one of my magnets. He was very specific about wanting the tiger, which made me smile. Seated behind me was Pam of lurearts. She had been at the Etsy meeting at the Work Room, so I had met her before. We swapped my Urban Dodo pillow for a gorgeous green and blue ceramic ring and a pendant from her shop. I also got to meet Emily of nestingemily. She is a multimedia artist working in two of my favorite things: ceramics and textiles (especially felt). I know that she is a friend of my friend Tanis- so it feels like a community of craftspeople, even when it stretches thousands of kilometers across the country. (Though Emily and I are both former residents of B.C.) Emily has had a lot of well-earned attention across the blogosphere, so I have been a fan of her work for some time. She told me she has been a fan of my prints for some time, which is really gratifying. We swapped one of my rabbit prints for her polar bear with lace texture in ceramic, who is dreaming (shown on an embroidered felt inset) of snow. I can not wait to put it up. Pam sent me a lovely thank you note and I replied how much I enjoy swapping with other creators - especially those who create things in media in which I do not work. Also, since my work tends to be all about COLOUR and pattern, I love collecting art which might be about subtlety of texture and delicacy of colour.

Thanks to everyone who came by!

Also, a shout out to the Trans Canada Etsy Team who was encouraging people via twitter to come by while I was busy at the show! Thanks, I really appreciate that.