Sunday, July 19, 2015

toad in the hole and other miracles

the shifu workshop
working with drop spindles
using totally new skill sets
comes down to twisting a spiral
controlling that spiral enough to make a thread
thread to hold together
but not tight enough to break apart or snap.
my students 
every one
got it.
emma, 
extraordinary assistant,
was always there when i needed her,
and one day she dressed
 to match our markmaking
or
the marks made their marks matching emma.
 we used some leaves of indigo 
and 
some spent day lily blossoms
thoughtfully 
provided by emma
 to make some marks, too
what happens in a five day workshop is that
you really get to know each other and
a level of trust and adventure overcomes all.
that happened with my other summer art institute teacher
who was the best housemate ever.
nancy and i went to bed early one night, 
and my students, int he studio under us,
heard us roaring with laughter a little later than the 8:30 to bed attempted time.
(grin)
 our indigo dipped lokta skeins
dried on the garden sculpture
the indigo vat prepped 
and left for us
as well as japanese indigo
planted for us to share
all prepped by chris petrone
who has worked at wsw
for 10 (or so) years.
  a clothesline in the papermill
held marks on kozo, lokta, and flax 
made with
 osage orange, madder, bengara, indigo
and black walnut
taken from the pail of aged brew in my mill
(called wake robin)
 kate searching her stash
 i climbed the outside porch stairs
and placed my hand on a little granite stone sitting on the railing...
which was surprisingly soft
disappearing quickly
into emptiness!
 there was a moment of weirdness
and then i looked closer.
there was a fantastic toad
who'd found a place to hunt
sunbathe
 and surprise the humans around the place
 and 
 looking up from ms. toad
i found the back of an ear
melissa has been here...
and ms. toad was photographed many times
 walking at wsw was always a treat (except for mosquitos)
the path had mountain bikers and an equestrian
trotting in shorts
(yikes)
 these were amazing relics from the days
when this whole area
made the cement for 
new york city
i drove home on friday afternoon
in order to beat a morning of thunderstorms
(big rain on busy roads is a bad combination)
and found myself plenty hydrated
and using public outhouses
called, in the proper old adirondack towns,
pit privy
 it was a bit later than this
and there really was no light show, 
only clouds and muzzle
but i felt like the joy here was appropriate.
oh, 
and here
at the place becoming home,
not connected to the plumbing yet,
we are nearing kitchen.
my cup is full
indeed!

13 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. What I meant to write was
    "That neon sky is rather gorgeous"
    (But autocorrect had other ideas the first time I tried)

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  3. india, i have a fondness for neon, mostly spotted at either end of the day. autocorrect is uber weird!

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  4. I remember the joy of having drainage finally attached after weeks of a bucket under the sink.

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  5. trace, waiting for the counter to be completed before plumbing is connected. then we can turn the faucets and see...

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  6. takes so long to do it yourself but feel great.

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  7. it will feel wonderful when my house sells!

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  8. ah this post is so full of "the muchness" as the Mad Hatter said to Alice! the colours of the threads and mark making, the magical jack in the box toad, the electric pink sunset all going into the dream of a new home coming together beautifully.

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  9. Wow V - looks like a lot of creative fun; and what a lovely surprise with the toad - looks a lot friendlier than the toads we have in Australia. And what a delight to getting close to the place becoming home. Go well, B

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  10. I have enjoyed watching your adventures at wsw - a special place indeed. And oh my, the toad. What a perfect little creature, doing its thing in its own place - so perfectly matched in colour. Happy home comings!

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  11. each and every little thing full of wonder, special in its own way. new shifu enthusiasts, the surprise toad and a kitchen almost finished.

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  12. it all looks and feels rather splendid

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  13. mo, you've got it perfectly!
    barry, are australian toads nasty? might be the only nasty oz thing besides a certain prime minister
    fiona, thank you, it was grand and i had an australian student!
    jean, yes, and many of them spinning for the first time and spinning WELL
    neki, it sure was

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