Monday, March 21, 2011

There is a poem with a line...

"I'm not waving but drowning...." by Steve Smith.  (title is for dramatic re-entry to blogging)


My art making focus is being interrupted by bronchitis, yet again.  I haven't even had the physical energy to take up another creative diversion this time which accounts for me not having much to yak about here.   You may know how much I dislike winter.  I've not been well through most of this season.  It was just at the end of January that I had "a bout" (throwback term there).    And sometime in late Dec./early Jan. my pulmonologist called in antibiotic and I was hospitalized in mid-December w/ pnuemonia.   Its been a very sequestered winter indeed!  My log book of ideas for quilts is jammed and I just wish I could have a long, I mean really long time frame to focus  not on ideas but making the ideas manifest.  


The unspoken threads that weave through the above are realizations that I'll capsulize: one, death is not something one "gets over"...instead it sifts through you sometime slowly and gently, other times with more weigh.  two, now that my mother is a widow, her need for support in many things is growing.  three, it is very difficult to watch young adult children get "seasoned" into adulthood.  (Deb, I really think this is what your neighbor, (was her name Mrs. Sweatt?) meant when she would say "watch a monkey bump his head").  A friend said our generation is the panini generation; slap it on, turn up the heat and we get it from both sides at the same time.  If you been there or are here now, then you know what is going unsaid; and it is possible that the frequencies of illness have not been solely due to winter (ya think?) 


On the good days I've managed to get my studio ready to continue on Crowbonics (languishing) but actual work has been going back in to re-do what I wanted to be finished pieces but in my heart knew better.  This isn't a diversion as my goal is to have 10-15 small pieces to hang in a coffee shop where I'm on schedule this Fall, so I'm calling this my coffee house period (insert low snickering chuckle).  I think I selected October.  Here are some recent desk top snaps:


DSCN1895


DSCN1876


both still pieces still advancing toward completion


*************************


Annnndddddddddd, my really great news is I have a studio mate!  I started out in '09 with a mate, a sista-friend of over 30 years.  She mostly made her items at home and used the space for display, but since last summer when she moved out of state, I've been flying solo.  I had one serious contender but our combined needs didn't fit the space.  I looked at sharing larger space with 3-4 other artists there but then decided against it, looked at cheaper spaces there but the water source is too convenient and I have 2 entry doors which is a rarity for the price I pay, (I think 2 doors is a psychological comfort for people strolling through).  I gave up on the idea of moving or finding a art mate and then bam!  My new mate is Aimee.  She does daily paintings that are small enough to do on a table and wants to return to doing them now that she is close to graduating with a degree in history.  I felt very comfortable with her and she endeared herself when I didn't have to explain "Chitlin' Circuit".  Grant it, she didn't fall over herself telling me how brilliant a name it was,  but none of us are perfect, eh?  (a light snarky on my part)


Seems like there was more news I wanted to share....ummmmm, oh, the next Artist Interview is coming around the first week in April.


And now to close with an indulgence of being a Nana :) Here is the recent birthday girl!


Anaya1stBirthday


 



12 comments:

  1. Oh no! i am so sorry that you have been ill, again. Winters are so hard for you. Sending some healing vibes and virtual ((((hugs))) your way,
    That birthday girl is quite the sight for sore eyes

    ReplyDelete
  2. Will pray for your continual healing, and strength to carry through the desires of your heart. Yes, stress can add to the physical trouble in our bodies. Remember "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusted in thee". Isa. 26:4
    Why don't you just pack up and move out to California?

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's odd, isn't it, these fleeting - or not so fleeting sometimes - thoughts of mortality that waft, unbidden, through our consciousness. I had a spate of these this past weekend as I sat in sun at a retreat. Didn't much care to have these thoughts but there they were front and center. It's been a season of 'ponderings' and 'getting through'. I keep you in my prayers. I love what's happening with crowbonics - it's going to be a rockin' series!
    Congrats on your new create-mate. Sounds like a good fit.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Marie, those piece above are not a part of Crowbonics...thats why I said it is languishing...everything is in place but it is very physical process to print the background and then prepare a sheer laminate to go over it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you Carol...I'm kinda trying to hold out until Peter is able to retire but don't think the we could handle the cost of living in Cali...further south I'm hoping and praying for :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gerrie she is just walking sunshine!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do hope that winter weather is leaving you, and you can gain the strength to get back to your heart's desire. I'm sending healing prayers your way-- and I do hope you get to move south soon!!
    Your birthday granddaughter is adorable!! You are so lucky to have her close.
    Congrats on gaining a studio roomie! One of these days I'd like to know more about your studio setup- I keep wondering if anything similar is available close to me. One day. . .

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so sorry you are sick again, and that is one gorgeous girl.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good to hear from you, but so sorry you aren't feeling well. Going through tough personal issues is hard both emotionally and physically. This past year has been a hard one for me...so I sure can relate. I'm sending good vibes your way and hope you are on he mend very soon. Oh...what a little sweetie you have there. If she is anything like my grandson, I'm sure she can certainly brighten a dreary day!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your granddaughter is way too adorable!
    Sorry to hear about your recent medical issues. Hope things get better as the spring takes fold....less winter to bother you. Great news about your art roommie....all success there. Keep on hanging on girl. Sending good thoughts your way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey there girl! Sorry it's been a rough one. There were a few times when I nearly lost my sense of humor especially following a major wipe-out on some black ice in our driveway. I think of Crowbonics a couple times a week as the black winged relatives swoop and vocalize around the place. Taking some time to find the right balance between blog-connection and strictly personal studio time ...

    ReplyDelete
  12. stitchworks-jackieApril 6, 2011 at 6:17 AM

    Thanks for visiting my blog, yes, I have worked into some of these pieces. Results soon to be posted. I hope the warmer weather is helping.

    ReplyDelete

Swatching it!

Well, well, well...look who is swatching!  The plan (here goes...) is to knit my grand daughter a sweater.  This will be my first knitted ...