transitions

 at longridge

everyone brought things to look at.

betsy brought two boro kimonos, simple, beautiful

 some of her marks 

become light windows

dancing 

 dorothy had kanthas for us

to see

my favorites were a wonderful

amalgam of old technique and modern story

this is a sampler

 and these are thread

and string

some mark place and time

others stitch books together

 in st albans i drove past white foam all over the curbs!

popples (as they say around here) just shedding 

their seeds

cottonwood relatives

 in just a few moments 

i gathered a bag.

cleaning up the community

while acquiring some quantity

of fiber to experiment with.

 a basket from

jamin uticone

at swamp road baskets

 holds one of my samplers from

human mark making

 can you see his heart?

i have a serious love of these

black ash baskets

beautifully made, 

meant for a lifetime

arbor vitae shingles

cut by local folks

is icing the cake

still more, but it's beginning to look

like a home.

after studying with 

a vibrant group of learners

under the thoughtful direction

of a master teacher

the stuff of home is rich.

one more half day of school.

then my summer work commences:

paper, fiber, book, textile

spirit.

 through the islands

 eagle? osprey?

i stayed in putney

where the local library

has words 

humans at it again

last day of high school classes

was monday.

afterwards, i got in the subaru

to drive to vermont to stay here

and go to long ridge farm.

 good eating and shopping here

 community art

 ~a community

at work~

 a wall in front of the coop

 and some humans came along

to longridge farm

where i return this year

as a student

 of dorothy caldwell

we made marks in many ways on the first day

 looks like starling flight

 roxanne is my amazing table partner

she (of the white coat 

which i did not touch

because i had india ink on my hands) pictured below

 some odd brushes were made

 which made interesting marks

ink on paper

(i remember the brushes i made 

out of turkey beards and sticks

in oz in february)

 i was compelled to pour water over my marks

 others were more reserved 

(but not really, look closely!)

here's roxanne's amazing coat

today we looked at yesterday's work

pages

 kantha

 today we made marks with thread 

after looking at kanthas

i like these fish

 one woman's marks

 this composition was

on betsy and nancy's table.

the contrast between working in black and white

and the riot of green and 

flowers

in the great northern woods

is huge!

it is very good to be away and here, 

working and learning.

stream to river to ocean

sometimes synchronicity or connection just occurs: 

i got an email

asking me for a sheet of printed paper,

warm colors and fairy wings

were what gabby was thinking about
(this IS my kind of order!)

and last night she sent me a little link.

you should go there.

gabby is finishing up the rigorous two year course at

north bennet street school, studying binding
and aiming to be a designer bookbinder.

 my first bookbinding teacher was a total surprise

someone i met in the tiny IGA in star lake

the late sally smith

 renown designer bookbinder

spent several hours with me

helping me make my first hardback book.

sally worked wonders in leather

and taught in london.

gabby is following a similar path.

meanwhile fiber has always lead me

to new and startling adventures

gabby took some of these and made her own work

as did jean
who knows all about the difference one small stitch
can make

my three melbourne books,

oz books, 1, 2 & 3

~~~

i am so hoping htat

this class with dorothy caldwell

at lovely longridge farm

will deepen my making into work that is richer

than i have dared go before.

why else do it?

to gabby and to jean,

thank you. 

this week i have been playing

with a few pieces of kozo graciously given to me

by nancy jacobi at the japanese paper place.

interesting results, and GOOD learning.
mixed in with tim ely's teaching.

seeing what these papers and plants and waters and pigments

will teach me

is enough to keep my brain dancing

as i sort it out and push myself forward.
this is good work for spring.
~~~
then there is a little rest
and then off i go to the morgan
to teach two classes, one a new one
four days with aimee lee and me, laughing and playing and working and making fiber/paper/textiles.

leaving new hampshire

 after the teaching

and the learning

i met some sheep

 they were hot, too

but handling it better than me!

 nancy and i had a little fun

sunday evening

 extending into monday morning

 nancy's patient hands

 long ridge 

maple

black locust

mint 

and a few others

 bundled with copper

 and off i tootled

first to

 returning after 30 years 

i first went there

when i went to putney

to meet carol brown 

 some winding was happening,

but the machines were being cleaned

 and i bought a little skein of sock wool for hannah

and saw a photo of carol.