One step forward, two steps backward, one and half steps forward, and hold...

I really wanted to start this post by reciting Langston Hughes' poem, Mother to Son.  You know the one...Well, Son, I'll tell you, life for me ain't been no crystal stair...or his The Negro Speaks of Rivers...I've known rivers. I've known rivers ancient as the world...but, that would have been overly dramatic really...but the emotion in them could capture the holding patterns with the basement as well as provide some comic release. 

Did you play red light/green light as a child?  You run to get ahead only to be caught in motion and have to return to the starting line.  The Beginning Again photo album has been updated and as of today this is the progress we've made.

I did get to bask in the sunshine of Crystal Wilkinson, (Mud Man's partner) who received this year's Sallie Bingham Award from KFW.  The award recognizes a feminist artist's contributions to social change in Kentucky.  Its pretty damn awesome and the state is fortunate to have Kentucky Foundation for Women and unbelievably, since its inception, its sad to note that feminist philanthropy of this statute has not developed in other states.

Here is Crystal giving her words of acceptance followed by other photos from the event.

There were 4 quilts hanging in this room...please note the one in the next photo.  The first name of the artist is Terry (or Terrie) and the last name, if I'm recalling right begins with a D, but I don't remember it.  The man on the couch is Muddy, my brother.  Sallie Bingham is at the other end of the couch.

Crystal and her beautiful twin daughters.

Crystal conversing with the Wild Woman and long standing feminist artist Mary Craik.

This is not the house were the celebration was held...but this house is sooooooo out of place with the landscape and the older homes and land reminiscent of once prosperous farms.  Even the pockets of new subdivisions do not infringe on the landscape the way this home does.  On the few occasions I've been out this way this house always catches me off guard.  I'm driving along and the city begins to give way to acres and acres of prairie (or what feels like prairie to me) and I'm mellowing out and my imagination begins to soothe down and zen out and bam! this house rises out of nowhere and throws me for a loop!  It would be a beautiful home if surrounded by other homes of this kind of opulence, but as it stands now, its just a blight in the hood.

 

Oh, did I happen to mention my niece in the postcard contest here?  I think I did...anyways she did very very well receiving the most postcards and the furthest or is it farthest away and won a 20 dollar gift certificate to spend at the book fair.  She was on cloud 9 so I heard.  Unfortunately her whole class didn't do well enough to win the pizza party.  But 84,000 thanks to you if you mailed her a card.

It seems like there was something else I wanted to share but its not coming to me.  If I remember, I'll be back.

Peace,

Oh, yeah, Sonji Hunt is blogging again!  Yea! I've missed her chatterings.  And I've signed up for GUT ART, an online class taught by Mystele...I'm in need of a diversion but with some focus so I thought GUT ART sounded like it would be the prescription I need.  Mystele's art makes me think of favorite songs and stories and 2 other favorite artists, Jonathan Green and Brian Andreas. 

Moving right along....

The basement redo has been in a temporary stall pattern but will pick back up tomorrow.  My youngest son will get in on the act by painting the basement floor and my mother and I will make another big box store run.  My father is kinda eager to reclaim his garage space for his man-cave activities but not half as eager as I am to reclaim my basement space for my woman-underground art making!

I backed myself into a corner meeting a deadline for today but with the cooperation of friends it will be met.  Saving the information for what I hope to be a winter annoucement.

A gallery in Yellow Springs, Ohio will be hanging some of my pieces in October and Bev and I will be going up sometime that month to do a demonstrations (of something, I'm not sure what yet).  Although, I came late to knowing who David Chappell was, maybe we'll bump into him while in Yellow Springs and we can have coffee and he'll purchase one of my pieces.  Now wouldn't that be off the wall, on the hook, off the chain, over the speed bump, under the tree, fly the sky fantastic! 

Three things made my day yesterday!!! E. called to say she had takent her last radiation treatment and together we shouted and went ahead and claimed the victory over cancer.  This propelled me out of bed and I went out to mail the Iraqi Bundle of Love feeling good from my head to my toes.  I was imagining what the impressions of an Iraqi woman would have to the fabric selections...where they hip enough, too dull, too bright...would she be an urban woman, rural woman, young, old, etc.  I closed my day out with an email from the woman who will become my youngest son's piano teacher.  He has expressed an interest so we're going to let him get on the bus and see how far he rides. 

 gelatin plate printing