processing

I turn to the gentler of handworks when I'm really processing some things and need to think and feel and just be. 

This time, I started with very old lace and linen given to me by friends and family.

 I add bits and pieces of things.

Scraps from the past - like words from a storybook and an old anonymous photo.

 Pieces of the present - like last summer's carnival ticket and yesterday's tea bag paper.

I begin to build a story separate from myself, yet somehow it still feels connected.

Some times creating art is just another form of story telling.

It can be a quiet and peaceful way to bring forth a story.

Someone I once knew died last week. 

We haven't spoken in years which was painful. 

But that's how it ended. 

That's how that particular story was written. 

In the end the words were brought forth silently.

modern naturalist

We are in a new epoch (like the dinosaurs)

- Anthropocene -

it refers to the impact of humans on our natural world.

I realized that my art reflects that.

I have gathered a still life of found objects.

Some of it is natural.

Some of it is human detritus.

Pictured above:

chair spindles; birch bark; clam shell; dried seed pods; thread spool; beach stone; flash card; brass tray; bottle cap 

All of these things will be used in my art at some point. They're things I have picked up in my natural world. Walking the dog, combing the beach,  parking the car, rescued from the trash, gifted from a friend.

A modern nature walk.

A modern naturalist. 

spelling

I've become a terrible speller

"tomorrow" is with 1 M, not 2

but even if my spelling is getting worse

I make up for it with a little OCD

I decided to completely re-do that part before popping it in the mail to someone - and they were probably oblivious

It was on Etsy like this:

No biggie 

- but seriously -

good spelling is a lost art!

how I spent my summer vacation

In between doing other things like:

camping in the rain (bracing!)

working as shop girl full time (not fun!)

sleep study for my youngest (adventure!)

a baseball game (love!)

first one leaving home for college  (wow!)

I made lots of crowns

(There are 9 in this picture, but 3 sold, so 11 crowns!)

Yesterday I posted about Rest.

Nothing is as restful to me as creating something ... and for whatever reason, it's crowns these days.

I start with a can that sparks my imagination  and from there the crown reveals itself. I've learned not to over think it and just create. Bending, hammering, piercing, soldering. It's like going for a walk and turning down this road and then that road until you arrive back home.

(The 2 crowns above are what I made  yesterday)

rest

welcome to a news free zone

that's what you'll find when you visit an art blog

no words to say about standing vs sitting or legal vs illegal or black vs white or red vs blue

I'm tired

today is a swim in the pool, a fresh tablecloth and flowers,  a cup of sharp strong tea ... thoughts of charcoal and paint and board and metal ... Gregory Alan Isakov on Pandora ... I know, I like sad music ... but I'm tired and nothing perks me up like a sad song about bootlegging.