Tuesday, November 14, 2017

november for certain

there's no reason this job isn't done
completely stripped and seed fiber separated.
(that milkweed again)

 the whole pile should be this
 but i have been otherwise occupied.
i've bruised my forearms on the beater at zone 4
after a long disentangling with pliers and my aforementioned arms
and fingers that escaped in rather good shape.
hemp sliver
beautiful stuff, it was hard to cut,
so i cut it into too long bits
and they ground around beautifully until
they
didn't anymore.
it may have taken me an hour to unscrew the keeper plates,
pull out a ton of hemp
haul out more,
and using pliers, haul out the rest
bruising up those forearms meanwhile.
 solace was available
 and some experiments are happening at home with the woven books

 and a simply lovely large and flat sketchbook
sometimes things go the right way.
students are busy, finishing up three projects.
one of our students is making a felted vovelle for her interpretive book.
she told me she knits (evidence: her scarf), crochets, sews, and felts,
so i suggested she might be interested in fiberarts and she said,
and i love this,
"oh, (pause) i didn't know that was a thing".
our students are loving learning, exploring and strengthening hand skills
as they make beautiful books and enclosures. 
~~~
i'm off to toronto tomorrow morning and back on sunday
(as long as my car issues keep working themselves out)
then it's thanksgiving week.
i won't see the class for almost 2 weeks. one of them said yesterday
this class needs to be another semester long.
so many of them love what we're doing!

13 comments:

  1. hemp is tough stuff! are you going to the TMC to see "Diligence and Elegance" when in Toronto? and see Hiroko's work, I'm jealous!

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  2. jean, i will check TMC to see if the show is still up, but if so, YES!

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  3. I have the catalogue which gives the dates as July 12, 2017 -- January 21, 2018. ENJOY!

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  4. (((Velma))) ouch! the cut milkweed looks so beautiful and the grasses in the water are sublime, your woven books are a wonder and that last one in process!

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  5. jean, great news! i will put it on my list!
    mo, hugs right back!

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  6. The colors in the land caused me to bring out "The Little Book about Shifu and Botanical Pressure Printing" to re-read ... you put so much beauty and teaching between its covers. Thank you all over again.

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  7. It's been awhile since I've checked in here with you. So glad to see you are doing well - creating beauty for the world and inspiring others to do so too. Blessings to you, my friend. I'll check in more frequently now.

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  8. liz, i am so happy that my photos prompted a re-read! my heart is happy to read that! thank you.
    bonnie, well, welcome back! and thank you for these words. they mean a lots to me. thanks.

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  9. Oh honey - send that fiber girl to meeee!!!

    I do hope your arms are comfortable, and thet you have epic bruises with a good story. I have treasured my bruises, mostly because I got them all in interesting ways.

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  10. lee, finally, someone who "gets" the pride of good bruising! ha! and by the way, i would love to send her to you or at least share...

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  11. Hi V - that hemp experience almost sounds dangerous. I hope it was with the effort and damage to yourself. Talk about suffering for one's art. Go well. B

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  12. Hope your arms are recovering Velma. I do love the grasses on the water - true solace indeed - and the experimental woven books are intriguing! Go well.

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  13. barry, so far the hemp sits, frozen in water, still in huge clumps...it will be great paper, eventually.fiona, they just got red, dark red and vanished! no purple. i'm very happy about the books.

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