Sunday, January 17, 2016

accumulating

as i prepare myself
for the wonderful inevitability of teaching
in
australia
this march,
i'm spinning and weaving and dyeing and
writing
and getting this brain
(so often addled by teenaged emotional turmoil
 and the fallout
present in public school)
i return to my heart work
and of course, keep reading.
 how in photographs these things look like the skin
that paper makes
flax and milkweed, for example,
to work on,
to wear for protection.
 and walking slows this mind down
to consider these things
 to see
 up close how beautiful these skins are
here, the blue skin of atmosphere
the red skin of berry
the hidden sinews
of milkweed
twined into threads to weave 
weave a skin to keep warm and safe.

15 comments:

  1. So sad that suddenly I am unable to get to Halls Gap so will not be able to catch up. Hope you have a great time and the weather is kind.

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  2. today i see this and wish so badly that i could have walked with you! it has been a long time. last time we did that was with wendy. i miss her shadows. i also love the way you talk about teaching as a 'wonderful inevitability.' that's exactly how it feels! oz is so fortunate to have you flying there soon.

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  3. There is always something magical in your beautiful images. The red berries in the blue sky are breathtaking.

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  4. I see those berries and know they aren't the same as mine (Rowans or Mountain
    Ash) but still know they feed birds and our hearts. Blessings for your travels in March...it will be coming on fall in Australia even as it will be coming on spring here. Seasonal transitions: you do those beautifully. :-)

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  5. ooo stop teasing me with talk of you coming to aussieland --- if you tell me you are whizzing right by my place and I know nothing about it I think I will scream!

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  6. velma, i ♥the way you put weaving and paper together. yours is the best synthesis i've seen bcse neither lose character.

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  7. penny, i was hoping to see you there and i so hope you are well.
    jude, been making lots of them...wishing for fish skin, too!
    stephanie, aren't they gorgeous? and i almost missed them.
    margaret, i think they're high bush cranberries, and early fall will be lovely!
    ronnie, just staying in the melbourne area, unfortunately.
    neki, wow. you have made my day--my year! that's what i'm after exactly!

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  8. V - I just so love the way walking does slow the mind - especially if we can take a bit more time to see the detail around us. Wondering if we will see you on the mountain. Go well. B

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  9. Are yo sure you can't make a little detgour to Sydney for a few days?
    re Innerskins Outerskins, would love to see Pat Hickman's work in real life, have you seen the ethereal work of Elpida Hadzi- Vasileva?
    here's a link
    http://elpihv.co.uk/works/fragility

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  10. please excuse the typos above, it's 39 degrees here and my brain is frying!

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  11. Loving the way you are using milkweed. Shall watch to see more of your prep for Australia. Be well. x

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  12. barry, i'm thinking about it...
    mo, ugh, too hot. i wonder if that installation smells like gut???
    judy, thank you. prep is a bit anxiety producing when it's not terribly exciting!

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  13. here's a link to more info about Fragility with videos about Elpida's process -
    http://fabrica.org.uk/exhibitions/fragility/#lightbox/1/
    "Fragility, like much of the artist’s work over the past decade, re-appropriated animal viscera. In this instance caul fat, a membrane that holds the vital organs together, was transformed from a perishable waste product of the pork industry into a sublimely beautiful translucent material via a lengthy chemical process akin to embalming."

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