We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, our ravages. Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform them in ourselves and others, — Albert Camus Joseph in The Well and the Camus quotation have existed in my repertoire for years but were just put together … Continue reading Call / Respond Week 9
Category: Thoughts
Summer Solstice: Three Simple Stools
Three handcrafted wooden stools work in our home. Today they tell me to choose a summer that is a mix of work and rest. I struggle to overcome pandemic inertia; canceled events cleared the calendar of interaction but I have commissions to complete. The white stool was made by my grandfather when I was a … Continue reading Summer Solstice: Three Simple Stools
Dancing on the Rim of Nothingness
A brain flicker from 2009: I will never know full joy until I learn to dance on the rim of nothingness. A year or so later, as I was completing this piece, I knew it was an illustration of that idea. This month, the piece hangs in the member's show of the Shenandoah Arts … Continue reading Dancing on the Rim of Nothingness
Art to Touch
What is good art? Let me rephrase that: what is effectual art? I am filled with joy when one of my works evokes touch. Of course, I am filled with horror if the viewer is reaching out with hands that have just touched chocolate. I had lunch with a friend last week at The Village at Orchard … Continue reading Art to Touch
An Economy Lesson from my Mother
I stacked up 3 buttons and then repeated the action 7 more times. The little buttons were embellishments for gingerbread men, a new design for journal covers. I threaded up the machine, successfully sewed on two buttons, then cracked the third and broke a needle. I took the thread out of the machine and found … Continue reading An Economy Lesson from my Mother
A Bowl of Providence
Providence. Not Rhode Island. Divine Providence. I had not intellectually encountered the concept until my friend Susan shared ideas from her seminary training about 15 years ago. And I periodically ruminate on them. This week I heard them in my pastor's sermon. I am preparing food for a church council supper this evening. I could … Continue reading A Bowl of Providence
Repeat
The fun part of selling do-its in person is asking folks what verb they would choose to put on one. A few weeks ago I watched a gentleman carefully pick out dance, begin, create. "What would you like to see on a do-it?" I asked. "Repeat," he responded quickly. "Repeat? May I ask what you … Continue reading Repeat
Affirmation: A little Salt
Recently I had three craftsmen in my home installing a new heating / air conditioning unit. Their comments on the amount of visible fabric generated conversation about craftsmanship, the joy of problem solving with mind and hands working in concert. In a few moments we affirmed each others' vocations. Many years ago, an employer told … Continue reading Affirmation: A little Salt
Evaluate
I am not running and I am not hiding. Those words just popped into my head yesterday morning (June 27). They were distinct, memorable, and puzzling. I began this year with my three well-chosen words: prepare, practice, and evaluate. (More details are in my blog entry, Three Words 2013.) However, they have been out of my … Continue reading Evaluate
Prepare: making a new tool to add ease to my work
Step 1: Assemble 2" insulation sheet cut to size, batting, mid weight cotton fabric, poster board, utility tape Step 2: Glue poster board to one flat side of the insulation and let dry. Layer fabric, batting, and insulation with poster board up. Wrap fabric around the sheet of insulation and tape into place. Step 3: … Continue reading Prepare: making a new tool to add ease to my work