Sue Schlabach – Artist, photographer and upcycler living in Vermont. Viewer of the world through eyes and lens.

©Sue Schlabach

129twigandvine

The layered wet world. Blanketed.

The layered wet world. Blanketed.

Last week’s bouquet from @debdimasi and @darylsh

Last week’s bouquet from @debdimasi and @darylshawnmusic is slowly and elegantly slipping toward becoming a Vanitas painter’s subject. Right @ksbrodis?
#artinthekitchen #thelittlebrickvt #vanitas

Nestled. Hay cut. Distant lights.

Nestled. Hay cut. Distant lights.

Neighborhood tonight: rain imminent, windows open

Neighborhood tonight: rain imminent, windows open and hint of music playing. Good cooking smells wafting about above the daylilies.

@govphilscott as you are sleeping comfortably, hun

@govphilscott as you are sleeping comfortably, hundreds of Vermonters are now out of the motels, many on the streets or in unstable shelters because of actions that you have taken. How can you be ok with that? Nobody should be homeless right now; not only is this a human rights crisis, the long term economic impact is terrible for our state. It is your responsibility to take these actions immediately to protect our state’s most vulnerable:

1. Extend the GA motel program for Vermonters experiencing homelessnes and housing insecurity until such time as those utilizing the program can be transitioned to permanent housing.
2. Continue the moratorium on evictions
3. Keep in place all increased food access including expanded Maximum Snap Benefits, Everyone Eats and all Food Resource programs.

It is unconscionable when our state is flush with resources that anyone goes without shelter, without needed support and without food. Take these actions immediately to show Vermont you care about homelessness and poverty even when we’re not ALL in a crisis. #vtpoli #endhomelessnessvt

Yes, I will sit in the corner. Don’t mind at all

Yes, I will sit in the corner. Don’t mind at all.

This corner has pretty sweet views! This is my third office move of the summer, and it may become permanent (if I don’t get too distracted by the action in the neighborhood).
#workathome #thelittlebrickvtstudio

No one does a vignette so well as Juliana @jlangdo

No one does a vignette so well as Juliana @jlangdonantiquesandart. Treasures abound at every turn. And what a treat to exchange ‘better than fiction’ tales with Juliana. Novelists looking for material? They should have been there to overhear.

Scenes from last night’s painting demo at Hanove

Scenes from last night’s painting demo at Hanover, NH, Farmer’s Market with @howelibrary. Thanks to all the visitors, young and old who stopped by and watched me paint, talked about art and observations, and took in the beautiful summer evening. Thanks too for the delicious smells of Caribbean food, fresh roasted coffee and other delights at the market!
#hanoverfarmersmarket #howelibrary #hanovernh #pleinairpainter #vtartist #paintingdemo #thelittlebrickstudiovt

Water. Color. Longest day of the year is rumbling

Water. Color.
Longest day of the year is rumbling, flashing and so so lush.
#summersolstice #vermont #raindrops #seasonspoetry #hellosummer #thunderstorm #eastbarnardvt

I’m having flashbacks to playing the Memory Game

I’m having flashbacks to playing the Memory Game. All because my gorgeous new business cards arrived today and while turning imaginary cartwheels I laid them all out in a grid on the kitchen table. Thanks to @moo for your superb quality. Looking at all my little baby paintings makes me feel a sense of accomplishment and excitement to keep embarking on this artistic journey. Which image do you like best?

If you ever question whether one person can make a

If you ever question whether one person can make a difference by their actions, this field of lupines is your answer. My Dad transformed this hillside from a field of grass to naturalized lupine field that expands and shifts every year. He started 15 years ago with a few transplanted volunteer seedlings from his garden. Then he cut and spread seed heads in the years after that. After the spires become dry seed husks he mows the field which further distributes the seed. Daffodils come first and then the lupine. He was inspired by our neighbor Charlotte’s natural field garden and thought he’d try it. What did he have to lose by trying? I love my dad’s optimistic act all those years ago.
#starttoday #thebesttimetoplantatreewastwentyyearsagothenextbesttimeisnow #lupines

In the midst of a desk full of clutter, the sun sh

In the midst of a desk full of clutter, the sun shone upon this little tableau and made me happy. Hope you find a little happiness in something mundane today.

I wish you could smell this because it smells so g

I wish you could smell this because it smells so good.

Green, I love you in all your shades. Usually the

Green, I love you in all your shades. Usually the yellow greens get me going, but I’m learning to mix these yummy blue greens and we’ll see what emerald-laced dreamscapes that could lead to.

Miss my mama so much, love my daughter so much. Gr

Miss my mama so much, love my daughter so much. Grateful to all the mother spirits in my life. You don’t have to be a mother to be a mother spirit.

Not sure where this is going yet, but trying to si

Not sure where this is going yet, but trying to sink in to the process. Working from real flowers from @rebelheartcollective and they smell heavenly.

As a kid I woke before dawn to wash my face in the

As a kid I woke before dawn to wash my face in the dew to wash off my freckles. That obviously didn’t work.

This May Day the neighbors showed us how to truly celebrate, wreathing our heads in flowers and gathering on a windy hillside. A little old world charm as we navigate how to be in the world with each other again. Thanks for making it happen on your hilltop @willlisak #lostarts

All week I talk with and encourage artists for my

All week I talk with and encourage artists for my job. It’s wonderful, and I learn a lot from all of the people I interact with. Then Friday comes and I can find it hard to get in front of a canvas or a board and put my own marks down. Easy to compare myself and not put in the time to push myself forward in my own practice. Today I picked up smalls I started last summer en plein air but never finished. It feels good to lay down some spring greens and follow instincts. Make mistakes and not be too worried about it. It’s not a race.

We got our first vaccines yesterday. Sore arms thi

We got our first vaccines yesterday. Sore arms this morning, but no other side effects so far. Woke up to April snow. Feeling grateful and hopeful this morning. Spring will get here, creeping along, as it likes to do. Wishing you all a great Friday.
#thelittlebrickvt #aprilsnow #springcanreallyhungyouupthemost #istilllovevermont #pfizervaccine #thanksvermontmedical

Abstracting valley fog, layering muted colors. Not

Abstracting valley fog, layering muted colors. Not my go to palette, but it’s working tonight as I think of a friend who’s lost her father recently, another who may need to move house, loved ones who are traveling far tonight, and the family in Minneapolis who is suffering the greatest tragic loss—one that no one should ever face—the murder of their beloved child, nephew, grandson, father: Daunte Wright.

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