pulp joyous

when kids are motivated to do new things

to play with new media

and to take foreign ideas

and remake them into something for their own world

well....

that's what happened in our school last week.

drew matott 

whose name is synonymous with peace paper 

(and several other paper projects)

 volunteered to come and make paper

 with us for a day.

he worked flat out.

all

day

long.

 in ashley putney's art room.

 we made lots of paper

 from (mostly) cotton rag pulp

 our fingers all shared this amazing experience

creating

 haptic understanding

 for kids of many ages.

 smurf blue was a favorite pulp

made from a sweat shirt

(we also had united states currency pulp).

 but it wasn't the color so much as 

how these young people

 were introduced to the concepts of papermaking

 as a personal art form

transforming one's clothing

into art.

 ashley and drew

 and i, well, we all 

had the BEST time.

 drew promised the kids he'll be back.

and the kids

well they are holding him to that promise!

thank you drew and ashley

for the opportunity to make paper in school.

just have to show you this!

a review of November, A Map

"November, a Map" is so very beautiful.  I just finished spending some time with it.  

Aside from imagining a wandering through your autumn world, it brings to mind my life long love of Fall, memories of making similar "puzzle" books with students over the years, and how the honoring of the things we love is a poem.  I love that the words "book", "paper", "cloth", "stitch", and "thread" are in it, along with the ten tender stitches that follow the plant printed curve on the page.

It felt like a ceremony- 
first reading through it in book shape, 
opening it up on a quilt in the sunshine, to see the whole of it, and how the textures and patterns in each page connect, 
flipping it all over to see new designs and places to touch.  

It is now slipped back into its envelope (blue!), leaning near, on my desk, and shining its peaceful rich autumn moon.  

I feel enriched and grateful to have this to gaze at and hold.

wow!

cindy monte's words move me deeply.

i share them here with her permission.

and a few blushes.

this week mark takes the book, 

along with his other caliban press books

 to the oxford fine press book fair.

a couple copies of it are already in australia,

and with luck, soon in england!

images

these images have been haunting me

all fall.

every time i find them

hanging around on my desktop

i sigh and remember.

 some presences are beings.

if only material 

they stand strong.

two friends got in touch lately with wonders,

todd pattison made a tiny bookshelf for me.

called "martha's vineyard sunshine"

a whole shelf!

of contact printed bindings on wee books

living on their wee shelf.

exquisite!

 lee thompson made several of her stitched paintings

based on photos from my barn.

she sent me two barn pieces (!!!)

 the door latch

 and one that is her own winding river in a wintery contour map of a place.

wonderful.

astonishing, again.

 i took some quick, not very well done photos

to share with you

because i wanted to show you how special

you human makers are.

my friend wendy speaks of how important matteria is

matter

the stuff, the stuff i, we, make.

yes.

i am grateful and joyous to be a fiber, paper, book maker. 

and have friends who also make things,

useful and beautiful.

i added these last two 
indigo an stars from therese 

apology

i want to say

to all of you who read this blog

i apologize

for my sink into sadness

this autumn.

 my day job, 

teaching high school emotionally disturbed kids has become harder

 than ever before, 

and i've complained

about the 11 students, 

11 different schedules, 

7 with multiple mental illness diagnoses.

but this week two of them have gone to other programming

one with huge sadness,

and two disappeared off the radar

one returned.

this is how it is.

 i commute lately on very bumpy backroads.

they bring me closer to the comfort of earth mother

and sometimes i see things

like the wind harvesting milkweed seeds,

high hedges taking root,

brilliant sun splitting through clouds.

 what i am thinking about today is this stuff

milkweed.

i want to go out and harvest stalks and brew pulp.

and i may.

this week drew matott has volunteered to come to my school

to make pulp paintings with our kids

and i am so very grateful.

 as the october winds play with these seeds

i will try to be present to the beauty

of healing with pulp painting.

 i will try to remember that i have

a place in this landscape

and a purpose: to mother, to teach, to make art, to be a friend.

 i look at these miracles

milkweed and goldenrod

and yes, there is still a flower or two to be found,

and rose leaves i saw this morning,

and this changing, 

may i,

may you 

embrace it as right and good.

may we all find a still center

if only for a little while 

each

day.

falling

virginia creeper was here last weekend

but the frost changed all this

in fact all these pictures are changed now

that's ok.

a place called home is making me happy

with a stash of cordwood 

and off the grid power.

those juneberries are naked now.

fall danced all around

 but this is now tan and purple and deep gold

this too, 

moving to darker now

 in the sun the clydesdales (now only four of them) 

are beautiful

 i found some tansy

blossoms couldn't stand up to the cold

inside some kami-ito waits on my walnut niddy noddy.

 and the last two books that still need stitches

are waiting, too.

 some paper on glennis' beautiful dyeing

 and i had a bit of stuff still to peel off

flax paper

after the first pressing.

and i wish i had my very own groomer

i think it might be a friendly thing

those of us who don't like too much touching, or talking

may like a little scratchy tongue 

just behind the ears...

or maybe not.

it's been a long week, it's not over,

but i will say a huge thank you to 

all of you who have trusted me

and purchased the map book.

there are some left still,

should you feel so inclined. 

so far some have made it to their new homes

with feedback

that makes me blush

and smile.

i hope the rest make it through with the postal service's care

safe and sound.

me, i'm exhausted by the rigors of eleven students.

which sounds ridiculous, i know.

i know.

impossiblities and books

impossibilities:

spotted at elevation 825 (i think) at the new place i call home.

for you who have placed orders for November, A Map, i thank you. 

so.

much.

i did underestimate postage, but then that's my error, no worries, please. 

for you who asked, don't send more, please.

 do let me know if they arrive safe and sound.

or not.

that's letterpress!

yes, i was overwhelmed last week. 

modified a little, i wrote a list to a friend.
it was overwhelming.

~~~

i am a juggler and my assistant is, too.

but sometimes we are topsy turvy or just plain confused.

(a blurry barn photo from bottom to roof)

this week will be better.

and

drew matott is on his way to make peace paper 

(pulp paintings) 

with us at school!!!

upside down

 for all of my lovely friends

waiting for your books

things have been upsidedown.

like this bee in second growth goldenrod.

many of you know i teach emotionally disturbed high school kids

well, 

this week has been a doozie.

i'm a bit behind, but the books

are almost ready for the mail 

addresses

wrappers

envelopes

check check check

 just need to get put together and into the mail. 

this week is just plain stressful.

they're coming, promise.

xo, velma