old skills

i was trained 

in the long ago and far away 1970's

as a fiberartist.

i could design a cloth wall piece and dress a loom,

weave and finish it.

i could dye with chemistries called procion and acid.

i could read and think about ART and art and CRAFT and craft.

i learned to make paper, too, 

and to work with clay and metal a little bit.

draw and paint some.

i left academia and

i learned next 

to spin and then to raise sheep and goats and rabbits and plants

for fiber which i then spun

sometimes dyed

or made paper with.

it is truly all connected by a thread.

stitching me to my mom

who taught me to sew with re-purposed cotton hem threads on kleenex.

i was weaving away on this recent folio, 

made of lokta shifu, a lovely 3 x 6, 4-selvedge cloth

using another stump loom, 

remembering my past, when therese sent me lovely bits of color.

around the folio fold mark another thing began to happen.

the cloth wanted a few stripes

(remember this cloth will be 3h x 6w equalling 3 x 3 inch folio size).

in today's mail came FIBER ART now

a visual scream (please please get another layout person)

inside was a pantheon of rich fiber art.

including my buffalo state college teacher, nancy belfer.

a good many months ago i warped up my smallest floor loom

with delicious cotton intended for shifu.

maybe it's time to weave a long cloth.

i can imagine

mrs. belfer looking

over my warp 

and making some little criticism, or,

if i'm lucky,

a word of praise.

in any case,

this journey with paper and books 

is exactly what i should be doing.

and this funny folio seems to be sprouting

some slits and wraps

reminiscent of my first experimental learning tapestries

from the 70's.

(i know someone will notice the needle: i did carve the bone one

from a found whitetail deer leg bone)

artist's book

i've admired jody alexander's book work for years

and i love the name of her business

wishi washi studio.

she is currently 

working on a  body of work

combining old book covers and old cloths
stitch and stamp and

motainai

boro

the japanese country frugality. 
here's her statement

and she has produced a wonderful artists' book

called KEEP.

 she uses today's technology to produce
this lovely to hold book
printed at her local printshop.

 and her photos and

photos of her own work
stitch and stacks.

 and drawing and not many words here

which make a marvelous book.

available from jody here.

while there, look around at jody's work. 

and be amazed.

on my walk...

someone made ice

a neighbor i never knew i had

and today's light show.

go see jody's work. 

now.

the week

in the trees

 flocks

 in the ottawa sky,

more flocks

 flocks at the national gallery of canada 

i went along with the art club and art classes

from my school

we saw the monet show,

the rideau center for lunch (good indian food)

and shopping (best forgotten)

an imax film at the museum of civilization

and got home late tuesday.

 guarded by mamon

 and another great one.

and wednesday i went to the tiny ogdensburg airport

and picked up hannah

 for thanksgiving

 a knitter is in the house

she brought wool to touch and smell...

she's knitting wool and having tea, 

i'm weaving paper and having tea,

 and she asked if i knew how to make bento bags.

i asked if they are the same as horn bags.

tsunobokuro.

 so using some old sheeting

i'd dyed with indigo and rust

we each made our own.

she was impressed by my stitching,

i by her enthusiasm.

an equal exchange.

 and i had my birthday. 

i am 59. 

wow, i've lasted a long time!

there was a small box with a huge surprise.

 another present

(the knitter queen brought me two knit garments!

and a woven shawl!)

 paper and indigo and walnut and silk and 

 a promise to hold on to

 a wave of shifu!

 glory!

 the setters and my partner and his daughter and her partner

 and hannah and me

all went walking at the new place

we call home.

 the beeches hold their leaves,

clinging to the last year.

 while these three 

 examine secrets in yesterday's overcast.

thanksgiving and my birthday

two days apart.

long view

 vertigo for me

i hate towers and bridges,

and this one here is totally see through steel mesh.

shudder.

yet i persevered.

  i could see for miles

 and miles

 and miles

 and miles

 and miles

 and miles

 and miles. here

from the road to the new place i call home

 where this big one

 greets me as the sun

goes down.

 inside i examine

a woodcock

 a strange bird

that i learned

 when i fist came to the north country.

his call is odd,

his eyes way up high

his body awkward

and yet he flies here in spring and was, until a couple of days ago

still found here.

this one will be a meal.

i must get used to having fresh fowl around

as well as fresh vegetables,

and my favorites, 

the wild berries.