A box of t-shirts arrives from the printer.

Design detail.

When something new arrives in the house, the dog has to check it out.  Recently it was a large box of newly screen-printed shirts. After several months of work, this motorcycle event t-shirt project is a wrap. The two-color detailed design, front and back, was a fun one to do. 

My original concept had the front graphic larger and centered on the chest.  When pocket tees were requested, the front image had to be shifted and the size reduced.  Sometimes you have to roll with changes. 

Hint: When you are responsible for artwork, pay attention to the proof your printer provides. Even though artwork and instructions were furnished, mistakes showed up on the proof.  I caught them, the printer made their corrections, and the shirts were printed successfully.  Careful proofing is essential prior to any print job. 

Over the years I have created a lot of t-shirt art and a gallery will be added to this blog to share some of these designs.  Many clients request black shirts.  The shirt being sniffed by the quality control inspector in the photo above was mine to keep.  Great care was taken to insure no dog or cat hair hit any of those black tees.  With my fluffy crew, that was a job in itself.   Ride safe.

Printer's comp with corrections marked up.

Sunset in Bar Harbor, Maine

Where did the summer go?  My last post was in June and now we are over half way through August.  I must have been having fun because time flew.
 
This summer has been HOT.  Globally, this is shaping up to be the fourth-hottest year on record. Only the three previous years were hotter. 17 of the 18 warmest years since modern record-keeping began have occurred since 2001. 

Trail marker in Acadia NP

Acadia trail

In an attempt to escape the heat, the Mr. and I headed to Maine but temperatures near 100 followed us.  The Mainers we met said they were not complaining for they had had a particularly cold winter. Hiking in Acadia National Park was still enjoyable, as were the sunsets in Bar Harbor.

The carriage roads, precarious trails and giant granite boulders of Acadia all lend to its step-back-in-time feel. Even in Bar Harbor, walking among the old homes transports you to a bygone era.  Tall masted ships sail around the nearby islands.

Fourth of July, Camden, ME

We celebrated Independence Day with a sail followed by fireworks over the bay in charming seaside Camden.  Driving further south we checked out one of Mr.'s childhood homes in Cape Elizabeth.  Not much had changed, he said, but it was hotter than he remembered.

Continuing down the coast we checked out Portsmouth, NH, Mystic Seaport, CT and Providence, RI.  (All hot, by the way.)  Each gave a us a chance to explore the history of this country from its founding to the Gilded Age. We gained a sweat stain in every state, too.

Historical architecture and art abound on the east coast and we only scratched the surface.  So many times we passed a place worth stopping but there was no time.  Where we did stop, we left much unexplored.  We must and will return, but perhaps, in a different season.

Stay cool.

  

Rosecliff Mansion, Providence, RI

Heart shaped staircase in Rosecliff Mansion

Amy Sherald exhibit CAM St. Louis

Pulitzer Arts Foundation

There is plenty to do this summer in St. Louis and a lot of it free.  Check out the Amy Sherald art exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis on Washington Ave.  Before going, get to know the artist—a heart transplant recipient and Michelle Obama portraitist—by viewing her talk at the museum here.  Next door to CAM is the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, also free.  This museum presents art as an experience.  Even the building architecture is celebrated.  You will not walk out unchanged.

Sunken Cities exhibit

SLAM collection

Currently the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park has a special exhibit of Egyptian treasures.  The Sunken Cities exhibit (free on Fridays) features over 200 artifacts, including three 16-foot sculptures. Some items have deteriorated from centuries under water so I suggest visiting the SLAM third floor gallery first to appreciate the artistry and intricacy in their Egyptian collection. In addition to underwater finds, there are stunning items from museums in Cairo and Alexandria that make the special exhibit worthwhile. The museum is always free and the colossal statues can be seen in the Sculpture Hall without entering the fee area.

Car shows, concerts in the park, public art, historical neighborhoods and cemeteries are all free to the seeker. Explore and find the treasures your city offers.

Car show, park concert, and Lafayette Square home

The Awakening, Chesterfield, Missouri

                                      Images are copyrighted.  Click to enlarge.

Summer is not quite upon us officially, however, the clover is in bloom so it is summer to me. Running barefoot across blooming lawns while dodging bees is a childhood memory I associate with those carefree days.  Neighborhood friends would gather in the grass and fashion jewelry from the clover flowers.  The stems are long, strong and pliable making it easy to knot one to another.  I mentioned that it was jewelry making time to a neighbor/friend and she was unfamiliar with the craft.  Well, no more.  She and her kids are schooled now.  Start knotting before the clover, and summer, fade away.

 

Heading West

Once again the desert called for us.  Despite only being an extended weekend trip, after attending to some business, we were able to enjoy a few of the gifts the area has to offer.  Number one being the sun.  We almost did not recognize it after the long Winter the Midwest has been experiencing.

Flying in and out of Phoenix allowed us to visit the Desert Botanical Garden where many cactus were in bloom.  Temps were unseasonably warm and the city hit 100 degrees the day we departed.  Even in the heat, the colors vibrated.

 

"The desert,

to those who do listen, is more likely to provoke awe than to invite conquest."

--Joseph Wood Krutch

              Naturalist

"My paintings honor the earth.  Their emotional and intellectual content conveys the experience of a place, not just a picture of it."

--Joella Jean Mahoney

                Artist

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona

Farther North, they, too, were experiencing a warmer than normal April but no one was complaining. Sedona had good crowds but the Spring Break glut had dispersed.  Lucky us.  While in the area we revisited Montezuma Well National Monument and walked among the quiet ruins.  No crowds here.

Montezuma's Well National Monument, Rimrock, AZ

A quick trip to Flagstaff allowed me to finally visit the Museum of Northern Arizona.  It houses a beautiful collection of Native American art including stunning pottery and jewelry.  The museum also owns a collection of works by artist and friend Joella Jean Mahoney.   I wrote of her passing last year and it was good to see her spirit shine among the treasures.

All good things must come to an end, or, must they?  We will return to the desert, and Joella's art continues to enchant museum goers every day.  Not, so long, Arizona, but, until we meet again.

Sometimes things do not go as planned and you just have to roll with it.  Mother Nature decided we needed more snow.  Forsythia and daffodils are blooming but they can take it. Surely Spring temps are right around the corner.  Hope there was a little sunshine in your basket.

You are not seeing things.  This is a GIF for your enjoyment.