Friday, June 28, 2013

strawberries and lettuce

 one of the magical things
about being artist in residence 
here
 is how fine things are.
simple, thoughtful.
this place is thoughtful, even
it feels like it breathes easy.
 but more,
when i arrived,
discombobulated from 14+ 
 hours of traveling
i was greeted
 by susan's mindfulness
everywhere.
 in the refrigerator
were strawberries and lettuce.
berries sweeter than sweet
tiny, old fashioned ones,
and a head of lettuce.
susan told me the varieties,
 but i was so sleepy i forget their names.
she had picked, washed, and prepared them
for me. 
there were other good things to eat
including a very special honey yogurt.
 i met with the arts council here
and had a lovely dinner
good conversation,
and was gifted with a travel stipend
to my happy surprise.
tomorrow is the arts walk
and i'll set up a little table to greet my new neighbors.
 susan's husband richard cabe
who died from brain cancer over a year ago,
is a happy presence here

 richard and susan breathed life into this old building
a shop/studio that is pleasant to work in
 not pretty or perfect, 
but beautiful
in the everydayness of the place
which is why i love being here.
 i've only wandered off once so far
and found a pelican
who knew my only photo was so pathetic
this is a rock book
one of five i made a while back
that richard liked
this photo surfaced as i was thinking about him
and this legacy of terraphilia
and susan, my incredible host.
i'm liking the contrast of visiting the high desert,
but yesterday's 105 temperature
was, by susan's measure and mine,
a bit much.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

bluer

ian's evening sky
winds all day yesterday
smoke seems to have blown out for a bit
(or maybe not, i don't know this place much)
and i don't smell it now, anyway.
but the morning sky is bluer and the mountains
are black/deep green/tan
(is that snow on a ridge?)
smoke in the air, maybe
dust on my shoes
removed by the door.
the longing for water.
a creek cantering by
willows drought dead, now revive
hug the edges and hide.
different than home
so beautiful and i want to say
vital, tenacious, fragile and gifted to me
for a fortnight.
 proto paper!
 one of two big tables
portals 
 lokta
for india 





a benign face in the posts and beams
blogger won't let me upload todays pictures. 
no matter, yesterday's will do.
we're getting to know each other
this brick place and me.

Monday, June 24, 2013

here in colorado

i put this little book together 
on saturday night,
 to remind me that i do make things.
 the pages are my papers, 
all roughed up and sewn up, too
the cover comes from melissa
 and then,
suddenly, i'm in another place
where the landscape goes all sideways
 but at terraphilia
 there's just a jumble of good 
 stuff
 an early morning visitor
 stuff
 stuff
 on the mountain
 in the garden
this, THIS, i love.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

nerves and nose

lord peter whimsey was once described as nerves and nose
i wonder...
isn't that rather apt?
leaving the known
for the unknown
meeting expectations 
my own, for sure, but real nonetheless
and feeling, falling short.
but 
confusion and chaos
will sort themselves out.
i will be fine and happy and doing what i want to
two weeks to make my work
and a couple days to give something back to 
say thanks
and maybe see a niece or a friend
or both.
onward (at 3:30 a.m.)

Friday, June 21, 2013

wrapping things up to home

that's north country language
i'll be on my way to salida and susan
and terraphilia
 on 
sunday
 nigel peake has a new book
 there's a new story somewhere else, too
 with a funny, scary grin
 three men working
job boss in the middle
 building and unbuilding
 the view through my studio
american elm
grows here till it gets thigh thick
and dies
dutch elm disease
and it has a stringy tenacity that 
displeases loggers, but not us.
the woodshed is very full now,
we'll make it through 
winter.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

"everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are."
gretel ehrlich
i recently found a copy of a favorite book
the solace of open spaces
by gretel ehrlich
i'd given mine away
so was happy.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

habu love

i was grounded last night by a good, long 
phone conversation with aimee.
so
when i looked at the work out this morning (before i go to work)
 it didn't look as hopeless as i'd been feeling
 little eucalyptus pages
 and this, THIS amazing paper and silk
habu yarn.
i could tell you how much i love this yarn,
but you can see, perhaps what a quirky personality it has
but you have to touch it
to really understand.
 i'm not a knitter,
crochet is the technique i prefer
so this little odd elk bone hook
that i made with jim croft
is getting her test run.
i think this is a new book.

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *