Thursday, May 1, 2014

learning with tim ely

in toronto
as in any city
weird things can stop you up short
 so on saturday morning i saw this
this was quite a surprise
 why would anyone take off these "shoes"?
leave them on the edge
of walk and ride?
nearby
a black squirrel was 
having a ridiculously delightful time
doing flips
  questioning MY motives
and then:
there's the japanese paper place.
sigh!
77 brock
were the workshop was held.
(tim's exemplar)
 working with master alchemist,
binder,
wonderer,
maker,
timothy ely.
 i love these marks,
 loved how he taught,
his use of language and respect for story,
felt challenged and heard.
the class was filled with very
very talented artists…
 i learned more about a passel of concepts
which seem to be 
knocking at my brain: 
"pay attention, knock knock"!
so then the ride home was
 an adventure
i just love union station
 as messed up as it is
(just try to find your way
after a blue jay's game and a 
city wide parade)
 home, in my kitchen i found this
 rock books
a drain strainer
empty jars
ink
so my sketchbook 
 taken out and examined
a few days later
after i'd gotten over the mistakes,
i had to forgive myself for those,
there are many.
but this little inlay is
a bit of paper decorated by tim
(it has sparkles in it) 
and i played with paste and color 
still unfinished, but i will slice the last
of the pages apart, paste up the corners,
endsheets,
and start using this thing.
the book WORKS so well,
it's a mechanical device for memory.
it opens flat and deliciously.
there are spare 
marks and bits for me to 
connect the day's notes drawings ideas paste-ins.
thank you tim.
amazing diving board for me.
and i like to swim.

16 comments:

  1. oh oh oh! now i wish i was in class with you rather than moving. can't wait for you to take the lead when we teach this summer.

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  2. Lucky, lucky you and what a beautiful book.

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  3. Flipping squirrel, they do have fun. A red one ran like lightening under the bench I was sitting on the other day... love the book!!

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  4. aimee, me, too. but clarissa was there, you need to meet her! and cheryl of the many books!
    alice, it was a great class, the book, a learning one.
    valerie, just learning, this black squirrel (a genetic variation on grey, i'm told) was a HOOT!

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  5. drooling... really (solidly salivating)

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  6. Wonderful journey - you took us on Velma thanks!!!

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  7. Lucky, lucky you, Velma! Tim Ely, such a wonder. I spent a week studying with him many years ago. Life changing.

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  8. ronnie, just don't drool on the keys…tim is just wonderful
    wyn, thanks fo going along.
    gwen, a week would have been wonderful. maybe i will do that someday.its dectob

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  9. Beautiful book. Beautiful marks.

    The Japanese Paper Place is at the top of my list of places to go when I get back to Toronto this Summer for a visit. Used to live just a short streetcar ride down Queen St. from it. I still have a few of their papers which I've been rationing for the past six years, not knowing when I'd have the chance to get back there...

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  10. lynn, i can understand your rationing, have a very fine time there.

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  11. looks like creative thoughts will swim easily in this book.

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  12. susan, that's the hope! once i finish off the last details and can use it.

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  13. I loved reading your adventure. And seeing your sketchbook. Thanks for writing about forgiving the mistakes, too. I have a really hard time with that.

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  14. genevieve, i'm really not a perfectionist, BUT i almost threw the book in the recylcle bin, until i heard tim's voice in my head questioning me...

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  15. I'd welcome that voice in my head. :)

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  16. g-you would love working with him. he's a gem.

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