Grrrrrrrrr

If you were listening, you probably heard me screaming at the other side of the world. When the power failed for the fourth time, this time in the middle of saving an important document, you just know that I was less than impressed. Murderous, really. Grrrrrrrrrr. You don't know how much you rely on electricity until it isn't there...

I talked about the workshop I attended last weekend, but didn't supply the promised image, so here you are. The print on the left was the first I made, and the second, the last. In between, there was an interesting journey.

One of the tasks we had in the poetry writing session was to go look around and write down words that described ... something. The exhibit that was ongoing, how we felt, whatever. When we came back, we were tasked with writing a haiku using only a selection of those words. This is mine;

Unexpected dance
Imagine starfish texture
Remember delight.

We wrote all sorts of other poetry, too, most of it in Japanese forms. I really did write more that morning than I have done for the past five years, I think, poetry, at least. Then, we had to make a print based on one of the poems; I chose the one above, and worked with a human form, though it seemed to have nothing much to do with the poem, really. It did chime with 'unexpected dance', however, as you can see. By the time I'd made the last one, I was still playing in my head with the idea of image and text...but had left the poem somewhere behind, other than that theme of unexpected dance. Two figures, and the idea of drawing, both towards and away. Which is doing what? I don't really know. I'm not really sure how I got there, to be honest, but it was a good place to reach, and I could happily have continued making prints for hours.

Credit where credit is due; the workshop leaders were amazing. Lisa D'Onofrio and Annette Rolston work together as InPrint If you get the chance to work with them, run, don't walk, and prepare to be amazed!

Sometimes...

things just come together. Like this piece and the glass embellishment that is on it. I have had this piece lying about for a while, and picked it up last week to do a little more stitching on it. And then I remembered the pieces of glass that my etsy friend Mike made for me, and suddenly a lacklustre piece had found the extra something that it needed. Another piece finished; Lost Planet.

I went to a workshop on Saturday, too, and that brought wonders. I wrote more poetry in a morning than I've done in the past five years, which pleased me no end, and made art based on the poetry, and including some of the words, in the afternoon. But more about that tomorrow... in the meantime, the image shows 'Lost Planet'. There are more detailed images here, if you wish to see them.

Finishing Touches

Kate is back staying with me for a while, ostensibly to help me get organised, but also to play in the shed... Both of us were tired today, though, and so I decided to work in the cloth studio today. As well as working on a larger piece (lutradur and evolon combined) to hang in the SpunArt booth at Festival of Quilts this year, I finished off a couple of pieces that had been lying around almost finished, but somehow lacking something. I hope I've found the 'something' now. One of them needs beads attaching, another needs its edges trimming. This one, though, is all but finished. An Evolon piece, double postcard sized, it needed some stitch to finish it off. I'm fairly pleased; the colours in this one are subtle, and merge together nicely. It may well come with me to FOQ also.

In the next day or so, I'm going to make some more papers for dyeing; the last batch are nearly done, and I'm emerging from a reds and oranges period... or maybe I'm not! But I do want to work with some blues and pinks...so we'll see...

Childhood Memories...

are rare for me. I had the childhood from hell, and it's difficult to remember things about it, presumably because they have been edited out for very good reasons. One thing I do remember, though, and it is, unsurprisingly, an image. I was given a children's bible, and there was a striking image of the Virgin Mary, presumably just after the conversation she had with the angel who came to her. The subtitle was 'And Mary pondered those things, and held them close in her heart'. Or words to that effect.

I'm not a Christian, any more. I have spiritual beliefs, that I won't bore you with, some of which are not unlike a number of the beliefs held by believers of a variety of faith. But for some reason, probably the same reason that finds me in the car, belting out a traditional singers' version of 'I To The Hills Will Lift Mine Eyes', that image and quotation stayed with me. When I made the painting above, I didn't understand what it was saying. And then, one day, that quotation popped unbidden into my mind. And in my eyes, at least, there's Mary, trying to come to terms with some remarkable news, with an angel, or someone, in the background, looking on. For she must have done a lot of thinking, over a long period of time, before the birth; we all do.

I'm not trying to offend anyone, here... just taking that story, that thought, that memory, and making art with it. I rather like the piece (a small oil painting). If you are interested, there are more images here

Come In, No 50 000....

your time's up! My 50 000 viewer is in the US, in Mesquite, Nevada, to be precise. Whoever you are, you were looking at 'Dancers' on June 30 at around 6.10pm your time. Congratulations! Please email me with your ISP number, and let me know whether you'd prefer a textile or painting.

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun! I looked away for a day or so and the 50 000 visitor came, and went, and I wasn't around to blow a fanfare! I would, though, like to thank all of you who come to visit me here, regular or occasional; I really appreciate your visits, and though I can't always reply, I do read every comment, and think about them, too.

I've spent today in the shed, or most of it, anyway (the day, not the shed...). I photographed a piece that I intend to submit to a juried exhibit in Cambridge, made a few journal covers, and a couple of small painted pieces, as well as finishing off a piece that has been kicking around for a while. It was okay, but nothing special; I think, I hope, it looks much better now that I've spent a bit more time on it, throwing paint... I now have interesting walls inside and outside the shed, not to mention some patches of orange grass... hmm.

Meantime, the image is Summer, Somewhere, which I don't think I've shown you before. If I have, my apologies! It can be found here in more detail, if you are interested. It's a small acrylic painting, and looks like I feel today, hot, hot, hot.