Yesterday was fantastic! I was able to embrace the goddess. In turn, as promised, she was generous.

I'm creating again today. I had the usual start with the "avoidance dance" but I have transcended. I continue on track with the same piece as yesterday. I hope to have it completed tomorrow.

Back to work!

"It is the function of creative men to perceive the relations between thoughts, or things, or forms of expression that may seem utterly different, and to be able to combine them into some new forms - the power to connect the seemingly unconnected." - William Plomer

O.K., A panic attack in the middle of the night is pretty distressing, but better to have one several days before a deadline when there is still time to do something about it, right? Right.

So, last night my "to do" list got a subset "to do" list. I am in the fine tuning mode of the count down. The list seems so logical, too. How can that be in the middle of the night?

I am sewing right now and I love what I'm doing, but it scares me. I am scared of how it is progressing. It looks so good! Yes! Wow! What do I do now?

Oh no, I feel like I'm in the beginning stages of hyperventilation. I am afraid of my inner hidden creativity. Oh baby....don't do that! Don't go there! If I succumb, it will be complete shut down and the lights go off. I'll end up spending the rest of the day doing laundry or something mundane like that.

No! Open up and let the goddess of creativity embrace you. She is gentle. She is kind and you deserve to feel the nurturing caress of the creative spirit. Push through this, you can do it! Steady....steady....

O.K. bye.

Ah Ha! Another sunny day, distracting in all its charm. The fall colors are teasing me by peeking through my studio window in all their vibrancy! It's Fall!

Today is a get down to business day.

With several deadlines looming, I am currently preparing for the Apples and Crafts Fair happening in Woodstock, VT over Columbus Day weekend. I also will have work in the upcoming local fibers show at Creare, Etna, NH, and the teachers exhibit at the Hanover Branch of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

Time to get to work. See ya!

"The greatest challenges facing both the arts and education are how to navigate the perilous course between adventure and discipline; how to respond to tradition without either rejecting it or becoming its slave." - Robert W. Corrigan

Monoprinting on Fabrics this weekend!

This photo is from SculptureFest. Taken by Valley News Photographer Jennifer Hauck

It's beautiful outside today. I love the fall weather. It's hard to be inside doing things when I'd rather be outside. Ah, well. Class prep takes a little time....

I'm teaching "Monoprinting on Fabrics" this weekend at the League of NH Craftsmen in the Hanover NH fibers studio. It's a two day workshop, with day one, learning and day two, open studio with the instructor. I love this kind of workshop because people really get pumped up learning the process and the second day is so focussed on getting work done.

As I teach, I "see" stuff happening in the work and try to encourage my students to take a new direction. I only make suggestions, but when taken, I love seeing the student take it beyond where I imagined it would go. That's what keeps me teaching, for sure!

Enjoy!

This is one of the first prayer flags I made over the summer. It is a monoprinted piece of sheer fabric, yellow, with a little Shiva oil stick added. The small white rectangle in the upper left corner is a poem that I printed on fabric through my ink jet printer. I sewed it on by hand. The main word painted on is "Away..."

Quote for the day:

"Remember, too much relaxation isn't a treat for you - it is self-abandonment"

- Mary Hayes-Grieco, the Kitchen Mystic

SculptureFest 2009

SculptureFest 2009 is going on now. The opening reception was September 5th. This photo shows the Tracy Penfield dancers moving through my installation with yardage that I monoprinted for them to dance with. It was awesome!