Feast or Famine

I have not had the time to create any art since I got home from AF and was feeling the drought. I had the best time with all my family, my youngest daughter and her husband are going to have a baby at the end of June and was home for a visit and a baby shower.  They will be moving home in a few weeks but that is another store as I will be driving a U-haul from Alabama to Oregon. Hummm how many junk stores are in-between?

Breaking the drought- 12 hours of Art

For over a year my friend Dayna and I have wanted to create a Salem art group of women. We wanted to keep the group small so we could be mobile and visit all the interesting sites an artist might want to see. Yesterday was our first gathering, we met at Dayna’s studio jumped into a few cars and headed for Mt. Angel Abbey.

We had an appointment with Brother Cyril at 11:00 to visit the rare book room nestled in the basement of one of the brick buildings. The room is climate controlled at 30% humidity and 60 degrees.  As the lights were switched on rows of the most beautiful books were revealed.

This one is from the 1600s

Br Cyril takes time from his duties to also show us old hand written sheet music.

We had some time in another room to look at books on our own.

 Here are a few more photos from our day.

this is an image from one of the art books on icons.

Taken in the main chapel.

 We had our lunch in the old book binding building.

The grounds of the abbey.

The monks cemetery.

The abbey has the best view in the valley.

It was a rare feeling to hold these very very old books.

Our first outing was a success I know I enjoyed it.

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Then just a few hours later the Orange Dream Monkeys met.

 I started a board above and a two page spread below. They are not finished I was just having fun playing with paint and glue.

 Each month we have a theme this time it was " Lime green heavenly dream pants" Don't even ask. Its all fun. the drought has been broken and it feels good.