July | 2014 | Beth Emmott

Archive for July, 2014

Alpacas

July 28th, 2014

While we were in Vermont I saw an ad for a yarn shop that sold alpaca fiber and after a number of fresh starts I found my self at The Green Mountain Fibers and Yarn Shop in Rutland. They did indeed sell alpaca fibers but they were already processed into rovings and I wanted unprocessed fibers that I can mix with some white wool that I already have. I spin as a meditative thing, not to necessarily produce a result (although that’s a nice byproduct) but it’s a process I enjoy. They have some beautiful shades of grey and tan but as I will mix this with white I wanted dark brown. Long story short, the very helpful woman in the shop gave me the name of their supplier, saying she didn’t know if they sold unprocessed fiber or not.

This was Maple View Farm, about 20 min down the road. So, down the road we went. I expected a small operation with a few alpacas and some fiber being hand carded… No, this was a major, if small, fiber mill specializing in alpaca, llama and wool. Thirty or so alpacas and a full fledged shop with all the professional wool processing equipment one could wish for. They process not only their own fibers but are booked up with orders from others.

I was graciously sold about 6 oz. of unprocessed dark alpaca fiber, enough to keep me happy with the small amount I need for the winter. I know I could purchase fiber from alpaca farms in PA, but this will also be a reminder of my time in VT as I spin this snowy winter.

After purchasing the fibers I photographed some of these wonderful creatures.
Very curious—nosy—they seemed to enjoy being photographed.

They had just been shorn.

Baby Alpaca

The gals and babies were seeking shade under a shed roof.

The guys were out in the field making faces.

Like This!

Handsom guy!

Nosy gal.

Vermont

July 23rd, 2014

Another Working Vacation. This time a long weekend to Vermont to work on our portfolios.
We stayed at the Maple Leaf Inn in Barnard, VT—a wonderful Inn run by Nancy and Mike Boyle about 10 miles or so from Woodstock, located at the end of a long drive into the woods. Very comfy, great breakfasts, Beckett the guard dog, and terrific hosts made busy days fly by.

Maple Leaf Inn

Very quiet and surrounded by flowers it was perfect for our plans to head in different directions each day.

The clematis was outside the breakfast room window. So pretty

Sunday we headed west and hiked up to photograph.

Looking past my shoes to the mountains from the top of our hike.

And Monday we headed north and hiked down.

Texas Falls in Hancock, VT
(This beautiful area was severely damaged by Hurricane Irene but is now open to hikers once more.)

Lots of good images, lots of sore muscles (the inn’s whirlpool bath was great), and lots to work on now that we are home.

My Grandfather’s Mother

July 16th, 2014

This is a rough sketch for a drawing of a Great Grandmother I never knew. My Grandfather’s Mother, Ellen Burton Shaw, lived in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and spun her own yarn – or so I was told. She had 10 children and at least 31 grandchildren. If she did spin her own yarn, I often wonder if she enjoyed it as I do or if it was just another chore? I only have one or two snapshots of her.

Ellen Burton Shaw with yarns

More sheep

July 14th, 2014

Always on the look out for sheep! Here are two I found in Finland.

I didn’t see live sheep but there was an island out in front of our cottage and there were sheep on it. We could hear them baa baaing in the evening.

Wooden sheep carved by Mikael Balt in the 17th century.
Raahe Museum, Raahe, Finland

Riding toy in an abandoned school playground.
Lapaluoto, Finland

Some said this wasn’t a sheep, perhaps a duck or a horse, BUT, I think he looks like a sheep, so a sheep he is!

Working/Day Off

July 12th, 2014

Have to get out of the studio from time to time… So, yesterday we packed a picnic and headed to the Poconos in PA for a working/Day off.

Our idea of a day off!

Went to Hickory Run State Park – I used to go there many, many years ago with my parents when we lived in a little house with no air conditioning. My dad would pack us all in the car on a hot Saturday with a picnic my mom made and we’d head north for a day of lazing about in the woods. I always wanted to go “down the shore” but my parents were “up the mountains” folk.

Park hasn’t changed much, wasn’t very crowed, esp. on the trails, We hiked “Shades of Death Trail” which was well blazed and we just followed the yellow marks deeper and deeper into the woods, stopping to catch our breath and take pictures. (Upon hearing the name of the trail, my friend, Sally, asked if I was hiking with Harry Potter!)

Deep in the forest.

There were several old dams which had been built many years ago by loggers. This was the highest.

Pocono Mountain Laurel

I was surprised that the Mountain Laurel were still in bloom but a ranger said they were late this year. PA has wonderful Laurel all through out the woods, usually in June but here they were in full glory. This trail while not too long was very rocky, up and down along cliffs above a creek. I later read in a brochure that it was “the most difficult”. How come I never stop and read these things before I leave my hiking stick in the car? This was a trip worthy of my cousin Stig! But it was so beautiful. At one point it opens out a bit and goes through tunnels of Laurel. There were iridescent dragon flies, birds and butterflies, moss looked like velvet and Indian pipes and mushrooms.

Rocky Heart

One the way back I saw this rusty color heart in the rock and it made me smile.

Printmaking Workshop in Finland

July 4th, 2014

Back from a most fantastic print workshop. It was in northern Finland, taught by Shelley Thorstensen of Printmakers Open Forum in PA and Juha Laasko and Raija Korppila of Grafiikanpaja Aava. I learned so much and am happy with the work I did in the time I had.

Quite a group —in front of the print shop

I met many great new friends and we were so welcomed by the townspeople—from bringing us special local meals to arranging a tour of the old part of the nearby town of Raahe and even a performance by The Georgies.

Our cottage on the Bay of Bothnia near the Arctic Circle

Most of us stayed in a little red cottage right on the Gulf of Bothnia. It had a sauna and Max made us wonderful meals. It was a short walk up a hill and across some train tracks, past an old boat named Miina, to the edge of the town of Lapaluoto and the magical print shop of Grafiikanpaja Aava—House of Printmaking.

Houses are painted the most wonderful colors.

Designed for two printmakers, Raija and Juha, it managed to accommodate 9 students and 3 instructors all working on different projects—preparing plates, exposing film, inking plates, and printing work. We worked from 9:00 in the morning to late at night (the sun doesn’t set in this part of Finland at this time of year).

This press was very busy this week!

We only had internet connection at the print shop so each morning we would arrive early and sit outside at our own internet cafe connecting with the world. Facebook friends were probably sick of hearing about our trip but we were on such a high we couldn’t help our selves.

I concentrated on learning photo etching using ImagOn, a non toxic method and feel I got 4 good prints, each with an small edition of 2 or 3. (They can be seen on this site on the works on paper page.)

It was a long way to travel for a week long workshop but I would do it again in a second! In addition to my print work I have files of photographs and thoughts and ideas to keep me busy for a very long time. I worked so hard, was so encouraged, and returned with my head spinning.

Trees and wildflowers across from the print shop

One of my favorite memories involved selecting the wet paper to print on. There is a long porch in front of the print shop and a table was set up to hold the paper which was weighted down and wrapped in plastic to keep it moist. I would be out side by myself, opening the pack and glance across the street where there were birch trees and wild flowers, lit by late afternoon sun—only it was late evening and realize, “OMG, I’m printing in Finland!”