Research and Stories
This is a place where I can share some of my research pertaining to early settlement and family histories intertwined with the story of Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been researching and writing for many years and want to make some of my work more widely available.
This blog was originally designed to share my artwork and creative activities during the years when I was exhibiting widely. My art has now taken second place to refining and publishing some of my research, but I have left the art posts available for perusal.
Whatever your interest might be, enjoy, and provide feedback if you can.
Diane
Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on November 21, 2012 in Featured Flag, Fibre Art & Quilts, Mixed Media, This And that! | 0 comments
Last fall I started to work on what I am calling my ‘Re’ series. You may ask, what is my ‘Re’ series. I’ve always been fascinated with trying to use things that might other wise be discarded and of course that opens the door to using processes that ‘Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, Reclaim, Reprocess, Restore, Rescue, Relove, Recondition, Remodel, Regenerate’. Of course if you are not a purist you could add words like ‘Salvage, Upcycle, Convert …’. The first of my babies left the nest...
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Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on November 20, 2012 in Featured Flag, Fibre Art & Quilts | 0 comments
For a change of pace I’m going to share some of the photos that I looked at when starting this project. The finished piece will be 18″x45″ so the shape of the piece will be a challenge in itself. This piece will be an entry into a FAN (Fibre Art Network) exhibition in 2013 entitled Abstracted. This show requires artists to work with a partner, one artist develops a representative art piece and the other develops an abstract/non-representative art piece using a common subject. The pieces will be developed collaboratively...
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Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on May 19, 2012 in Books & Art Journals, Books & Art Journals Portfolio, Featured Flag, Portfolio | 1 comment
‘H for Heart’ is part of a SAQA traveling exhibition in 2012-2014 – ‘Best of the West’ Inspiration For a long time now I have been thinking about committing to a monthly 12 x 12 piece of fibre art to journal my art and life – weekly or daily would be too much at this point! It’s a great way to try out new techniques without committing to a major piece. I have had a little prodding – the western Canada SAQA group is assembling a trunk show of 12x12s, ‘The Best of the West’, that will travel for the next two...
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Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on February 24, 2012 in Featured Flag, Jewelry & Beading | 0 comments
This afternoon we stopped in Quartzsite at one of my favorite bead shops for an introductory lesson in soldering settings for jewelry. Because it involved using ‘tools’ I was able to convince Don that he should join me. We had a great afternoon with John Zwickl. When I think back to my first impressions of this small desert community and now realize that it has become a regular stop as we travel through the area, I just shake my head. Although we won’t be here long enough to do more courses this winter, I think it would be...
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Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on February 22, 2012 in Featured Flag, Jewelry & Beading | 3 comments
In December 2010 we spent almost a month at the North Ranch Escapee Park between Congress and Wickenburg AZ. What a great bunch of people at that park! Not long after our arrival I was invited to join a very active beading group that meets twice a week. I was immediately put to work learning my first stitches and in a couple of days had completed my first bracelet. By Christmas I had completed about a dozen, and after setting aside one of each design, I gifted a bracelet of choice to each of the female family members who joined us...
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Posted by Diane Miller Duncan on January 11, 2012 in Crochet, Knitting and Knotting, Featured Flag | 0 comments
In January 2009 we headed out for a epic journey in our motor home and, knowing my inability to sit for long periods of time without something to do with my hands, I made a stop at the local yarn shop before our departure. At that point in time I hadn’t had knitting needles in my hands for at least 20 years and I had never tackled ‘socks’ – lots of sweater, hats, afghans – but no socks! That winter I completed my first pair and if you didn’t look closely the ‘different’ heels weren’t...
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