Update...

Radiation has ended!  I had 3 intense weeks of and was left with severe burns.  A wound care specialist was called in.  I guess it goes without saying, but my studio time was delayed. But like I said, IT HAS ENDED and I'm moving on!  I marked my time of returning to "artist" by setting up a booth at the Good Folk Festival the weekend of November 20-22.

I shared the booth with 2 other artists.  I wasn't prepared but I displayed what I had and enjoyed the responses I received and the variety of art work from across the region by other artists.   Also, I met face to face with some local art buds that I'm connected with on Facebook.

I am back in the studio but not creating art...Moriah, my daughter, wanted to make bird ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree.  I pulled out the baby Janome and turned it on and sewed!  She gave me the incentive (or shove) and we are having a good time.  She doesn't really sew so she needed some help.

going around those curves is tricky

She selected all the fabrics and going through them with her had me giddy.  

These two pieces above where dropped off for an exhibit coming up in January at The Kentucky African American Heritage Center.  The day I dropped these off I also picked up 3 other pieces from A Day of the Dead Art Exhibit.  So, "slow but sure" is and has been my motto for a long while.

Once Again with Joy!

YES! YES! YES!  The new studio setup is functional!

I'm not even sure what to say here...life...life...shaking my head.  We began moving into this house back in January.  Life hasn't been typical, but what is typical really?  Living is process and this year has been devoted to the process of healing fro cancer; two rounds of chemo, at least 5 hospital stays for lung inections, lumpectomy, and now I'm winding it to a close with radiation.

I encircled myself with a few close friends on and off line and family.  I had some mighty prayer warriors and continue to have on both sides of the ocean.  My focus has solely been keeping my joy and my concentration has been limited, unable to read for long or process deeply beyond what was immediately before me.  Here is my  reading lists:  Butterfly Blessings by E. Conwill-Majozo; Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell by J. Whiteley Hawkes; Holy Bible; God Bless the Child by T. Morrison; and a scattering of poems.  My hands go up in surrender and praise to God.

Creating anything has only come to me in dreams.  I've done NOTHING all year until a few days ago.  I started methodically working through Mixed Media Potraits by P. Carriker

Today I got as far as turning on Yahnome (a new nickname for my sewing machine, Yah Know Me which is also a Janome.)  Working on my nerves to actually get started.  In closing, (imagine Don Cornelius as me)  Peace, Love, and Joy (Soul is a given, winking at ya!)

Home based studio

It took a long while for the water proofing and walls to be restored on the basement but last week it was finished. Now all that is left is for me to get the studio out of storage. The first available I can rent a truck and get someone to help Ade to move it all is the first Saturday in May....I live in Louisville and that is a major party weekend (week) due to Derby, so if that is not possible, I'm looking at mid-May. So we shall see, we shall see.  Oh, the name change to my blog represents the new arrangement and set-up.  Hopefully Facebook will cooperate and eventually let me change the name to my page.