Seeing Red...

I've had some extended time alone, and realize I haven't written a post since April.

A brief report.

I've been traveling, sewing and continue with my de-cluttering and organizing. 

I made myself a commitment
 to get my place settled and into my studio before the end of the summer. 

It's been a huge undertaking.

 Moving is hard.

 Disrupting.

It's often been difficult to maintain and re-establish equilibrium. 

And it seems to be the theme of my adult life. 

In my case, I believe it's greatest toll is felt on my creative pursuits.

 The giant glitches in my computer over the past two years have also taken their toll. 

For instance, as I attempt to post a photo from my phone, this is the new muck I must wade through before it happens….

iPhoto has detected inconsistencies in your library. Please click Repair to avoid any potential problems.

So today I have a dye pot on the stove filled with Avocado skins and pits.

 I'm hoping for the pinkish color that's claimed.

Sort of this color….

or a 'Wood Rose' shade would be nice.

In the mean time, as I photographed this zinnia, 

I became enamored with the quality of light shining on my stove top. 

In addition to the soft pink….

thanks to this morning's visit to our local grower's market...

I noticed some reds.

Raspberry

and

Tomato.

I was amazed to see what local growers produced in this year's searing heat and drought.

The pickings were slim at best, 

but SO appreciated.

Maybe...

maybe (I wonder) if I posted once a month that would be enough (or something).

And in July, this post would be an update of the past few months.

So… to recap

In MAY,

 I fitted out my garage studio, hemmed 6 ready made drapery panels in my bedroom
 (and learned it's probably just as easy to make them from scratch) 

 built a table from pipes,

then

 flew to Macon, Georgia

 to meet my Love and the newest member of our extended family,

Ruby 

and expand my historical reference

 by visiting Warm Springs

and then HERE

 for some of these.

After that I headed on to another week in Michigan to play

with three little butterflies, who are well into their 8th year. 

Then I flew home for a chilly Memorial Day & a girlfriend weekend at one of my all time favorite places in the world…

The Mabel Dodge Luhan House & Taos, New Mexico

In June,

I painted some walls &

turned these

into these

hung a few more light fixtures

 and then flew To meet my Guy in Cody, Wyoming before we stepped into the

Never Never Land of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone is where I began my life as I know it today almost 6 years ago to the month.
This time, which was my fourth visit to this amazing place, had me touch and see almost every magnificent site in the park, before heading on to

Grand Teton National Park

Jackson, Wyoming

which was quite civilized & one of our favorite stops…

and Ketchum, Idaho

and Sun Valley, where we watched Olympic skaters practice their spins...

visited Ernest Hemmingway's Memorial and grave...

and dipped our toes in a mountain lake….

before we headed to...

 Salt Lake City, Temple Square,

and Moab, Utah, Arches & Canyon Lands National Parks,

the Four Corners Monument, 

and then Shiprock, New Mexico the sacred Navajo birthplace,

and the Salmon Ruins, 

 before heading home to Albuquerque.

July
has me regrouping before heading out on another three week cross country driving trip back to Michigan to visit with friends and family with a return trek through the center of Colorado before we land back in our own beds in August.

After all this busy-ness and travel, I'm home today, still unpacking my former life into this little house, asking myself one question.

Am I still the person I used to be?

Release, release, release.

forcing mySelf....

to write!

Gosh......

I had wanted to report on my HUGE progress with my studio...

and although that is mostly true,

it has still come to a standstill.

Truth is, I lost my momentum in the heat...

and in the words of Dolly Parton's father....

I was trying to fit

"10 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound sack"

  

(you have no idea how much I love those words)

So, although I wanted to show you a beautiful picture of my perfectly organized studio....

I can't 

(yet)

However, what I've done to remedy this is to sign yet another lease.....

for additional space to store my overflow.  

More and steady sorting is set to be done...starting August 1st.

In the mean time I still don't have a clear table to work on.

And I've also been looking for a little place of my own, 

(so I don't have to rent so much storage space!)

all the while tying up the long loose ends of a lengthy ordeal...

AND I'm happy to say I'm

enjoying my 

Summer...

walking, swimming, bike riding, reading, contemplating, planning lots of travel

and

stitching....

getting closer to finishing the last panel of a long project...

I'm counting on LOTS of ends being tied up by the end of summer!

On becoming conscious...my process...

So over the years I have had flowing interests in all things fiber.....

weaving, quilting, stitching, printing, dying, paper making and book binding......

which required an assortment of twine and thread and beads and paper, book board and fabric and needles, dyes and wax....and the tools for all these techniques

you know how that goes....

and as I made the paper and had the opportunity to travel to far off lands, I began to collect it too

(as we do...)

and then with the paper in hand I began to study printmaking.....and having let go of my loom, 

to fill that void

I acquired a large etching press.

And with that not only did I collect ink and plates and burnishing tools,

I also collected an assortment of tools and materials to frame my prints

mat board, frames, point driver, mat cutters

And as anyone who is into printmaking and has an interest in fibers and wax knows....

 the next lure

 is

encaustics.

and I collected all the stuff to work with that medium....

Burning in tools, more waxes, pigments, heating pans, cradled boards & brushes....

In addition to all that, over the years I've also collected sewing machines.

I'm counting......perhaps 6?

don't ask...

and tables and cutting mats and scissors and fabric,

pins and needles.....

and 

with all those supplies, I made sure in the last several years to take care of them.....

so I also collected beautiful rolling restaurant shelves and lots and lots of storage boxes.

Today I'm deeply entrenched in working with metal...

And I've collected a source of materials and tools for working that way too.

And then there are the Books

and Journals.....

and with trips and travels

oodles of ephemera for assemblage and inspiration

not forgetting aged, forgotten and not completed artworks

It is a 'soup to nuts' evolutionary creative practice for sure.

that took a lifetime to amass

And now as I sort my stuff......I realize I can't do this again.

Move with so much stuff that is.

Yesterday my friend Martin said...."well then, it's time to settle down".

And as I become conscious of my track record

not to mention my

astrological orientation

I thought it might be more likely that I

don't.

(settle down

that is)

The Result............

Of a....

Pent Up.....

Boil Up......