News From the Studio

Short Stop Bobby

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 20:13:00 +0000

Not mine - I'm only crate training! He's a cutie alright.

Home Again

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 20:18:00 +0000

Wow! We got home last night and it was such a long journey that I’m in shell shock. We started the trek home the morning of Feb 4. We took a bus tour of Ushuaia on our way to the airport- the weather was so nice and it was fun to explore some of the local flora. Then we waited in the airport for about 3 hrs. Took a 4 hr flight to Montevideo and had to get off and go through another security clearance then reboard and fly to Miami (9hrs). From there we went through customs etc and flew to Atlanta- another flight to Charleston then a drive to SC. From there a 4 hr drive home.

A highlight of the trip was our seat companion Henry. Such a cutie little dog.

Today in Argentina

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 08:59:00 +0000

This evening we made it back to Ushuaia - the southernmost city in the
world. It's tucked between the Beagle Channel and the southernmost slopes of the Andes.
Ushuaia is the capital of and gateway to
the celebrated Tierra del Fuego, the "Land
of Fire," named by Spaniards upon seeing
the constant flames burned by the
indigenous Yámana to keep warm. This
largely unspoiled region comprises the
large island of Tierra del Fuego and
countless Chilean and Argentinean islands.

Today in Antarctica

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 19:42:00 +0000

Today's expedition excursion was a zodiac trip through Hidden Bay, which is between Cape Renaud and Aguda Point on the northeast coast of Kiev Peninsula. The bay was named Hidden Bay by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place - Names committee in 1959 because the entrance is hidden by the Screen Islands. We did see a few birds and a couple of seals chilling out on the ice.

Another plus was watching a documentary called Amundsen, the Greatest Expedition. It covers the life of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first man to arrive at the South Pole.

Antarctica update

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:05:00 +0000

Antarctica update: ok wow! I'm exhausted. Covid has made everything much more uncomfortable and difficult for travel. I have had more covid tests on this trip than I care to mention. A LOT of waiting around for next steps in the journey. So we made it to Miami then the next day we flew overnight to Uraguay to stop and refuel (did not get off plane). Then flew on to Argentina (Ushuaia). We went through customs then loaded up on a bus and boarded the Viking Octantis. More covid tests and now we are all quarantined in our rooms awaiting results. Personally I'm thrilled to be isolated away from people for 6 hrs.

Antarctica

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 20:49:00 +0000

I'm headed to Antarctica! I'll be seeing more whales and penguins than plant life but this is an something I read by Caitlyn Bishop so I hope to see and identify these: The Flowering Plants of Antarctica:
Although Antarctica is a cold, dry, and desolate place, life always finds a way. Currently, there are only two known species of flowering plants found on the continent:

Antarctic hair grass (Deschamsia antarctica) grows primarily in the Antarctic Peninsula in small, concentrated tufts throughout rocky areas. These plants are most commonly seen amongst penguin colonies, and can withstand high amounts of disturbance without withering away. During their short growing period in summer, they must endure quite a bit of abuse from, the incautious nature of elephant seals, high wind speeds, and the many tonnes of penguin manure that are produced from the breeding colonies. Still, they stand strong at less than a foot in diameter. Their complex and deep root system keeps them well anchored within their habitats, and allows them to easily absorb water and nutrients from their environment. In the wintertime, the hair grass looses its long, slender, green leaves, and can withstand freezing temperatures without completely dying.

Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis) has a more cushion-like appearance and can grow up to a whopping five centimeters in height! Unlike the hairgrass, the pearlwort has small, yellow flowers that it very proudly displays. The pearlwort can be most commonly found in rocky areas in the coastal regions of the continent.

Since there aren't any flies, bees, or birds to help out with the pollination process, both plants rely on the wind to help them pollinate. There's no shortage of wind during the summer time, making their reproductive processes extremely simple. Additionally, both plants are self-pollinators, meaning that they don't rely on other plants to help them reproduce. All they need is the wind to bring pollen from one small flower to the next flower on the same plant. This is an adaptation that has most likely evolved in response to a harsh climate, where plants are often widely spaced.

Loquat Chutney

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 20:45:00 +0000

Today's cold weather kept us inside so we decided to make some yummy loquat onion chutney from the loquat fruit we picked this summer. I can't wait to spread it on some buttered naan!
You can modify any chutney recipe with loquats but this is what we did:
Sauté a whole onion, a whole head of garlic, some peppers, and one chili pepper in a little olive oil. Add in 3 tbsp curry powder, 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp garam masala, 2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp mustard seed and mix well to coat onion mix. Add in 3.5 lbs chopped loquats (remove seeds). Add in 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and some water if needed (depending on how juicy your fruit is). Stir in a handful of raisins and a handful of crasins. Simmer this for awhile then can via water bath method.

Herbal Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 12:20:00 +0000

Super excited to set out on this new adventure to becoming a certified herbalist.

Camellia Forest Tea Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 22:50:00 +0000

Had a wonderful time today learning more about growing and processing tea at the Camellia Forest Tea Gardens in Raleigh.

https://www.teaflowergardens.com/

Eco Printing retreat TN

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:01:00 +0000

Beautiful fall weather for our weekend eco printing retreat in TN.

Pursing Fearless

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:11:00 +0000

🎙✨Pursuing Fearless through Visionary Leadership

In this episode, Jessi talks with multi-business owner and artist Leslie Stucker Pearson. Leslie's winding path helped transform her many passions into profit. By identifying her need to remove herself from the center of every business, Leslie was able to become the visionary leader her team and companies needed to be able to grow.

Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursuing-fearless/id1554131170

Outtakes

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 17:13:00 +0000

Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 17:05:00 +0000

So much fun spending time with my friend Pat and her family of pets. I stopped in on them after my Arrowmont classes. Obviously we decided to make good use of some leftover gut.

Last Day at Arrowmont

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 22:35:00 +0000

Well today was our last day of work at Arrowmont. I'm sad to leave and so very proud of all of the hard work my students put in to their projects.

Wednesday at Arrowmont

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 21:41:00 +0000

We are having a blast in our mixed media sculpture class. I love my students! Wire, gut and wax - a perfect trifecta!

Update on my new piece

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:16:00 +0000

Starting adding gut today!

In the studio today

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 22:19:00 +0000

Since I have a solid week to work at Arrowmont I decided to do a pretty large piece…then I decided that I need to make three large pieces lol. So the first one is coming along nicely. Luckily I have some permanent calluses on my hands already so no blisters are forming.

Tuesday at Arrowmont

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 21:44:00 +0000

Another exciting day in the Fibers studio!

Monday at Arrowmont

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 00:38:00 +0000

Monday at Arrowmont was full of creativity. Students are building their structures and starting to add gut. I got a little crazy and decided to make a massive piece. Stay tuned.

Arrowmont Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 19:43:00 +0000

Excited to be teaching at Arrowmont this week! Wire and gut and stuff! So inspiring to be with other artists and makers.

Eco Printing in VA

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 12:03:00 +0000

After our opening night at Piedmont Arts Center we spent the next day Eco Printing. We tried a variety of different papers - some worked well, others didn't. But overall we got some great prints to work with. Plus puppy cuddles!

Narrative by Nature Reception

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:33:00 +0000

A great turn out last night for our opening reception at Piedmont Arts!

Piedmont Arts Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:38:00 +0000

Opening reception of Narrative by Nature is TOMORROW (Friday) from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Piedmont Arts - come see us!

Day 4 Eco Printing Retreat in the UP

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 17:15:00 +0000

Today I slowed down a bit and became more adventurous. I decided to try printing some waterlilies. I used copper sulfate as the modifier and was pleasantly surprised to find that it made a good print of greens and some purples from the tendrils.

Day 3 Eco Printing Retreat in the UP

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Pearson) — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 17:04:00 +0000

I decided to double down on the Tickseed today because I get consistently good prints from them. I used a different brand of watercolor paper and the results were the same. I sandwiched the botanical between two pieces of paper to get a print of both sides. I also tried some purple Balloon Flowers aka Japanese Bell Flowers, which yielded some interesting blues. Used copper sulfate as modifier. I tried printing a variety of roses and the China Rose made a very successful image.