design – Page 5 – Ruth E. Hendricks

Such Expressive (and Unexpected) Taxidermy

Beware of Fox!

It’s been up on this porch roof for at least a couple of days.

I was driving to the zoo from school on Monday.

The story I heard from the guy out in front of the house next door?

The guy who lives there does demolition and probably got it from some home he was tearing down. It is the season of demolition around the city as you know.

A photographer has no choice but to pull to the curb and shoot the scene. Remember the days of women’s stoles with fox heads dangling and tiny paws with claws? Beady eyes? Ugh. Wonder if they take him in if it rains?

The last book we read in 2nd grade Intervention Group was the Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

May 23, 2012 by Ruth Categories: Photography, Pittsburgh Photos, vintageTags: architecture, arlington, art, city scene, decoration, demoliton, design, fashion, front porch, humor, lawn art, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, stuffed animal, style, taxidermy, travel, vintage 8 Comments

Tie-Dye With a New Generation

Eighth graders in the art room.

Rubber bands and string. Buckets of color. Vinyl gloves.

Bought more shirts tonight to take to school to try again.

They’ve got the hang of it. The practice.

I tell them – no design turns out exactly as planned.

Friday morning in the hallway a blur of t-shirts walked by.

I felt satisfied.

Did you ever tie-dye anything in your life?

May 16, 2012May 19, 2012 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: art, art room, artroom, craft, design, do it yourself, fabric, fashion, photography, Pittsburgh, postaday, school, t shirt, tie-dye 16 Comments

Dunkle’s Gulf Station-Bedford, PA

This Gulf Station has been photographed thousands of times, but I was a tourist in Bedford, PA this past weekend and I joined the throngs and snapped a picture even though there was no blue sky or inhabitants. What I would have liked to photograph is Mr. Dunkle if he is available, have a conversation. Next trip. If you want to see other photos of the same spot check out this site

April 24, 2012 by Ruth Categories: Photography, TravelTags: architecture, Art Deco, Bedford PA, design, Dunkle's Gulf, filling station, gas station, gasoline, Gulf Station, Heritage, Lincoln Highway, photography, polychrome tile, postaday, terra cotta, travel, vacation 5 Comments

Bedford, PA- Home of the National Museum of the American Coverlet

Laszlo Zongor explains the system of Jacquard Loom(see below) and the punched holed cards, each card a single line of weaving.

A two hour drive from Pittsburgh. My book club had a fun and memorable getaway weekend trip. We stayed at the Historic Bedford Resort.

Sunday, Joan and I went to see the National Museum of the American Coverlet– housed in a beautiful Historic Common School. A coverlet is a woven bed cover, although there were some floor coverings, too. The coverlets display changes every four months. We learned a lot about the history of the coverlets with our knowledgeable guide explaining the differences. The last photos are of the gift shop where you can purchase reproductions of the antique designs and fabric for quilters.

from the National Museum of the American Coverlet

The Museum and Museum Shop are open daily, year round.
Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Admission is $6 ($5 for age 60 and over). Kids under 12 are free. Group rates available.