"Chilly. Cold" Hapi says as I reach in his cage to bring him out to the kitchen for our morning I-write-he-munches session. He's not kidding -- after finally putting away long sleeved wintery duds, I had to dig to retrieve one last night as it was so raw outside, and in. I stayed up til eleven cranking on the pot piece and it is getting dangerously close to being finished. The body of the pottery image is almost fully encrusted, leaving the rim and the handles, then the finishing. Then, done! Looking at one more week on it, if I work consistently. Then...on to new things!
New things might include a class at Mass Art, as I have a voucher for free tuition that I hate to waste. I have to pay something, but it won't be nearly as much as usual. If the school will accept the voucher for an undergrad class, there is one course that has piqued my interest and I might just do it. It will eat up my vacation for sure, as it is a full time commitment for three weeks, but it will help with recertification and even might push me in new artistic directions. Imagine that! I think I need to get out of the house a bit now. I love being home but need a change of scenery to not go mad (or madd-er, as the case may be.) Being home lets me see the domestic chaos I live with in bright light, every day, and the ever painful Bod can't always make it better. The pups are elderly now, and are really needy and attached to my every move. We move like a Monty Python cartoon huddle from room to room all day long. I love them to bits but don't love stepping on them when I try to walk. The worry about Hapi is a huge mental stressor and I am grateful to have been able to disappear into my art for a while and catch at least a mental break. Am thinking about taking a few days at the beach, but wonder if boarding Hapi is such a good idea right now. Would the stress of boarding induce Perdue-level plucking? Even if I don't get a true "vacation" I am happy to have the life I have, a tropical vacation of sorts every day because of the birds. Bless those gorgeous birdies. For an art link today, here is a new fave sculptor that recycles textiles so that they retain their integrity but also create new objects that have integrity of their own. Called Mr. Finch, his sinuous mushrooms and textural moths use discarded fabrics as skin. The embracing rabbits seem at once like discarded toys, and raw forms of dirty nature. Of course, I love the birds, even though they are posed as though they are in a naturalist's collection rather than sitting happily on a perch. Neat work, Mr. Finch! Cheers. If only London was a drive away instead of a long, expensive, international flight. Sigh. A Facebook post by the V&A Museum caught my eye yesterday -- an upcoming exhibit of the best of Medieval British embroidery coming next October. Called Opus Anglicanum, the exhibit will feature the finest examples of stitched art from the Dark Ages. To see the work is to have the people who held the needles come to life. As a stitcher, I can see their hands at work by looking at the examples on the website. Gorgeous work. Alas, I can not hop the pond any time soon, so followed up another link and found an online goldmine (pun intended.) Princeton University has a site for Christian Art, and there is a page dedicated to Opus Anglicanum - The Evelyn Thomas Database of Medieval English Embroidery. Apparently Evelyn had a penchant for art history slides too and had amassed over 1,000 images focusing on English Medieval Embroidery. (Dude -- only 1,000? Ha!) She donated them to Princeton to be scanned and here they are. Some are black and white (boo) but many are in full sumptuous color. OMG. I mean, Look at this: GORGEOUS! Getting closer to finishing the beading step on my current big project, and am loving it. Am still cranking with the Pomodoro app -- 25 minutes of uninterrupted work followed by a 5 minute break -- and am getting so much done. It is probably the most complex beading I've ever done. To think of the HOURS that has gone into this piece, and the hours still to come, makes my head spin. In a world of 24/7 business and rushing, this piece defies it all. The world seems to be getting crazier and crazier, and sitting quietly with my beads, audiobook, and sleeping pups at my feet is the antidote. I wonder if Medieval artists felt the same way? I am sure that they at least felt the same peace of mind as the needle worked its magic. Here is a link to an article about Medieval English embroidery that summarizes the art form. Yummy.
Hapi sits on the perch to my left and investigates his feathers in new places. Not pulling them, but he seems really interested in his lower belly and back today. He has mercifully left two budding feathers on his neck alone for two days. Is it the new food? The aloe spray? I don't know. Day by day. Per recommendation of the Harrison's website I am cutting back on the human food I give him and am giving him the Harrison's High Potency Coarse pellets. And mixed a tiny bit of red palm oil in with his veggies and rice last night. He doesn't like it on toast, which is fine, as he shouldn't be getting toast anyway. Will make a simple barley and veggie mix this morning for them and hope for the best. It is hard to see this beautiful animal go through the stress - whatever the cause might be -- and not know what to do to make it better, and to not know if what I am trying makes a difference. Ah, parronting. Off to clean the Quaker's cage and get the day rolling. Cheers! Great night last night in Wakefield! AnnMarie Gallivan of Create Artisan Studio paired up with local businesses Kidcasso and Fringe to create a wonderful exhibit of student and teacher work as part of the new First Thursdays events at the Albion Cultural Exchange. It was packed with people who came out to look at art, talk about art, and enjoy the fact that Albion Street is the place to be for art! Thanks to all who organized such a special night and exhibit -- collaboration like this is very inspiring! This morning is gray and overcast, but is good because...drumroll...Hapi didn't pull a feather last night! He has several new barbs coming in the bald patches that he left alone, and the few that are close to the main bald spot were left alone last night. As I write this morning, he is sitting on his perch munching away at Harrison's kibble. I feel a small bit of hope in this situation, but realize it might be temporary and am prepared for a backslide. But maybe it won't happen. Today's goal is to figure out how to get some red palm oil into his diet as it is something they eat all the time in the wild in Africa. The stuff looks gross - like thin barbecue sauce. I put it on toast but he didn't eat it. As I sit here worried about my parrot's feathers, all hell broke loose in Dallas last night. Police officers were doing crowd control to protesters who are antagonistic about yet another shooting by an officer. Oil and flame. Then something ignited, and we have even more death. What is a cop supposed to do in this day and age when approaching a suspect who may be armed? In the moment? There have been too many shootings for cops to feel safe at this point. I'm not saying the shooting was justified at all, as I wasn't there. I do believe police have their hearts in the right place, though, and become cops to help people, not kill them. I am sure there are a few bad apples in the profession that need rooting out. Lives are at risk because of them. Both sides need to calm the heck down right now, though, and remember that there is fear on both sides, all the time. Horrible situation for everyone, and the situation feeds into the general feeling of insecurity that I think everyone feels right now. All of our major institutions are "in trouble" and full of dissent. Scary world. Sad world. Sigh. It is hard to skip along and try to feel good every day when the greater world is full of so much pain. Today, here's a link to the TED talk by artist Phil Hansen who is known for turning a disability into a strength. Worth a watch! Cheers. A nice cool morning. The sweltering heat has broken, thankfully. Looking forward to a busy day catching up from things I just couldn't do yesterday because I was too busy being grossly hot. There are days where it feels like we can just about dissolve as humans into something that would sound like it came from a Mo Hayder book. Ick! On to Paul Cleave books for a bit. I like his humor and his characters always have interesting outlooks on life as they deal with mysterious situations in New Zealand. I've been using the Pomodoro app this summer to focus on my artwork, and it is definitely helping. The big pottery quilt I am working on is coming along pretty well, and should be done this summer. I can see a shift in what I am focusing on from image to narrative -- capturing a likeness of images isn't enough for me anymore, and I can tell that the new direction I've been painstakingly crawling towards, that involves text, is the way to go in the future. I hate and love getting bogged down in process, though, so productivity is destined to be limited. Sigh. As long as there IS progress, I should be satisfied. Ah, to be a Virgo... And, being a Virgo, it means as I rearrange the deck chairs on the creative Titanic, I find amazing resources that can help keep the seats in straight rows. Here's a link to a page of resources for creating hand-stitched text. I like my graffiti lettering style, too, though. It is a mix of split stitch and/or back stitch, depending on the location of the text and the word being written. Improvisational for sure. Here is a link to a neat artist, Laura Wait, I came across who uses calligraphic marks like text. Communicates as much as the unreadable text used by many collage artists. This work is encaustic but could be fiber. (Of course, if it was fiber, the artist would not be selling it for $3500 - $7500, as that is just the nature of the medium. Sad, really.) It is really good that today though, because we can print on fabric, a new door has opened to making multiples and exploring techniques using paper and mixed media, and then copying to cloth. Possibilities are endless. The ability to get a really free-form, gestural mark and then reproduce it perfectly is intriguing...hmmm...yet another idea, or chair on the creative Titanic! Onward to a creative day. Special opening tonight at the Albion Cultural Exchange in Wakefield, MA. Come on down to see the work made by fantastic Create peeps! 5-8 p.m. Cheers. July 6...omg! Teachers start to think...there's only 6 weeks before school starts! I know if you work full time you wish me a slow painful death for that comment, but it is true. There is sooooo much to do over the summer for the following year, that every minute counts. The more I do over the next few weeks, the less stressful and hurried the year is overall. Which is really important, as the kids should get the most attention, not me scrambling to get their lessons together. Miss my students already, though, which helps me do the work!
The day is off to an excellent start today. Even though there was a two plus hour break at 2:30 a.m. after Toby used the facilities and we took our nightly stretch, we slept well. Hapi greeted me with a commanding "All right!" and came out to his kitchen perch for an aloe mist spray bath. He bobbed up and down, so I think he likes it. While the food I've been giving the fids is an excellent quality with a good reputation (Roudybush California Blend) I've heard people have great experiences with Harrison's. I tried Harrison's when the birds were babies and it was a no-go. All wasted. As it is significantly more costly than Roudybush, it is hard to watch that happen. I offered it as treats over the years with no positive response. My vet recommended a diet change just in case it might help, so I got a small bag of Adult Coarse and gave Hapi a bowlful this morning as he keeps me company in the kitchen. He ate the whole thing! I have NEVER seen him eat kibble like this. He isn't wasting any, and I swear he is smiling. (His ability to "smile" is one of the reasons I named him "Hapi" -- he has a definite "happy" face he puts on when he feels good.) I just refilled the bowl a second time as he ate every bit. Back to Amazon.com we go for more! Yay! Might not help the feather issue, but at least he is HAPPY EATING, which if he wasn't, doesn't make for a very happy parrot. The Leg is calming down a bit thankfully but still is a nuisance. I have definite instability when putting weight on it to go upstairs and still fall when I try to do so. If I "lead with the left" and go one by one I can do it, though, so am grateful for that. I'm so glad I am a tough ol' broad like my Ma. I'm really getting into beading my current piece and can see how it will be when done. It will be physically heavy. I will have to build an internal armature for parts of it, or possibly have foam core pieces that velcro on to hold parts in place. Am grooving on the current Mo Hayder book, and I feel like a little kid challenging their bedtime, wanting to stay at beading at night for just a little longer instead of crying "uncle" and going to sleep. The power of a good book is unlimited. So good to have time to work on my art again, to "go deep" with it, as Eric Maisel says, to give it the time it needs to grow. Never mind fancy vacations -- taking time out from trying to catch up on the frenetic domestic battle is my happy place. Getting ready for Create's exhibit at the Albion Cultural Exchange. A co-exhibit of work by students and teachers at Create and Kidcasso, both located on Albion Street in Wakefield. Work to be hung this evening, with an opening tomorrow at 5. Cool, man, cool! For an art link today, here's Melody Johnson's page about writing words with freehand machine embroidery. Dale Ann Potter has a little demonstration video online, too. And, finally, a gorgeous collection of thread drawings of wild birds by Tara Badcock. Stunning texture combinations, here! I love the incomplete nature of the drawings - the partial rendering to create a mix of reality and interpretation. Just wonderful. Cheers. Enjoy this sweltering day! Hot and humid night last night. I put on my ac and flopped onto bed, laying as still as possible to avoid generating more heat. It took an eternity to cool the room. Ellie da Pug was panting to the point where she left and went downstairs (now that is a first!) Thankfully, sleep came quickly and when I awoke at the usual 2:30-3:00 am window, I crawled under a light blanket due to the chill. Ah, the wonders of technology. And Ellie had returned to her place at the foot of the bed. I learned last night that I really love my new sheets, and I must be getting old because I actually thought about it. As people who know me can verify, I am NOT a goddess of the home. I have an assortment of sheets in my collection that look like wounded survivors of the last ten years of domestic battle. I feel wasteful if I ditch old sheets that are not "too icky," and me and my bleach bottle are closer friends than most couples. After all, my mom had the same sheet sets for my entire childhood and even into adulthood. Carefully folded in the linen closet, with matching pillowcases. Now her linen closet is filled with art books (and her bedroom is my sewing room.) My strategy thus far has been to get sheets that all "kinda go" together because of color, and may the best man win. Out of the dryer, rolled into a ball, carried two flights up and put on the bed. OR shoved in a drawer, with the rolled up ball pressed down enough to kind of look folded. Yup, I confess. It ain't pretty. My new sheets are from JC Penney. A blend of cotton and microfiber that is really soft and not wrinkly. Last week I freshened up the bedding with new sheets, pillows, and pillowcases, and with last night being really hot, I truly appreciated how comfy it was. I love the print of the sheet sets, too. Usually I go for bright dorm-like colors. These are much simpler -- white flowers with tangerine centers on a gray background. Simple. I am getting soooo old. To confirm that I've reached a new level of old in the domestic department, I have ordered two more sets of these sheets online today, and am going to toss/recycle all my old ones. All. Of. Them. One last beloved bleach bombed bath, and they will go to animal shelters, or at least a new purpose (Pinterest, anyone?) I want one drawer with sheets in it that match, and that is it. Bye bye bachelor pad bedding. Does this mean I am finally growing up? As I write this I look around my kitchen and realize that I have nothing to fear with regards to that thought. But at least my bed is nice, and will be nice, continually. And, as a bonus, the sheets are a perfect background for Tilly, who also appears to love them. For an art link today, here is a site that has nothing to do with bedsheets. Nancy Eha's intricate beadwork is really beautiful, and she has a cool selection of beaded mandalas that are really clever on her website. Enjoy!! We are fortunate in the Boston area to have two zoos. One is in the town next door - the Stone Zoo in Stoneham! I grew up LOVING our after supper trips to the zoo to see the elephant, lions, giraffes, tigers, polar bears, ostriches, orangutans, fan tailed peacocks, and more. My dad and mom would pile us in the car after a quick dinner to go see them all. It was magic to me and I am sure influenced my love of animals to this day. Back then the enclosures were pretty plain and limited in terms of enrichment, which must have been really frustrating for the poor animals. I can think back to extremely vivid specific memories at that zoo -- the time my dad fed an ostrich a peanut and it bit his thumb, turning the nail black. The time I was given a carrot to feed the elephant and saw its long, hairy trunk up close in my face. The time dad fed a cigarette to the donkey (hey, it was the 70's.) The many times we sat looking at the super silly orangutan play with his big rubber tub, rolling in it, trying to wear it. The open enclosure where zebras lived. I can see it now as vividly as though it happened yesterday. It was a time to lock eyes and hearts with living creatures I'd otherwise never see in my life. And, of course, The Bird House. This was the closest the zoo came to providing a natural habitat for its creatures. It was a glass construction, loaded with plants and a multilevel pathway twining through it to allow visitors to see birds in trees, and flying. While a great concept, the humidity and vegetation produced an odor that will stay with me until I die. Like a rotten swamp smell. Those poor birds! I remember loving going in but holding my breath, too. Amazing memories - the sounds, the colors, a little "babbling brook." All the birds seemed to live peacefully, too. Good concept. But then again, I was little. Fast forward to yesterday when my friend and I went to the zoo. I'd been last year so had low expectations and was not disappointed. I am sure the staff cares immensely for their creatures and does the best they can, but it is definitely not the zoo of my youth anymore. It is like a South American rodent park with a few monkeys, flamingos, three big cats, a brown bear, a bald eagle, a couple meercats, and a pair of hyacinth macaws. The macaws are kept in a glass fronted room (the monkey house in my day.) We watched a mouse run around the floor of the enclosure and the two birds hang out, looking at recycled boxes put out for their foraging (which was a nice touch!) I wonder if they are loved like I love my babies. Lots of critters look like they could have been rescued from the illicit exotic pet trade. A highlight of the visit was seeing the Birds of Prey show that featured owls, hawks, vultures, an eagle, and more free-flight through the open theater area. Gorgeous. It is better that they don't have the bigger animals now as they shouldn't be confined to small, unnatural spaces. But it needs something...too many fenced areas without animals in them, or with a small brown rodent like creature (most likely nocturnal) hiding its face. Lots of "multi-culti" props embracing the animals original territories, which is nice, as well as a rustic cabin that can be peeked into. Still, I miss the feeling of seeing more animals in the space. I miss the peacocks walking around, though today people might not be able to handle it and would interact poorly with them and blame the zoo. Because it was more cost effective to get a membership, I now can go back and visit whenever I want over the next year, and see the Franklin Park Zoo, too. I am thinking about ways of doing a classroom project with the kids next year utilizing and benefiting this resource. Maybe the kids and I can do one little thing to make one tiny difference there. Even in its less than stellar state, it is a suburban gem that we all should appreciate and support. The struggle for its survival is clear -- it would be such a shame if it were to disappear. Mice in the macaw enclosure and all. Maybe they are friends. Cheers. Certainly were fireworks on this page yesterday - what a surprise for the July 4th weekend. This is my blog, an open journal of sorts, and it is my prerogative to write about how I feel about myself and the world I live in. I expect no one to read this -- it is not a "promote me as an artist" blog. It has evolved into a place for me to start my day, think, and get the creative engine running for the day by looking at textile art. I appreciate the kind words for dear friends and am happy if I highlight an artist that makes someone happy. I am happy if someone might gain an insight into what it means to live with a chronic pain condition like I do. Or might gain an understanding of what it means to be a freakish parrot lover. I am happy if anyone gets anything positive out of my morning drizzle. Bottom line, however, is that this is my place to write what I feel is appropriate about my own life. This paragraph is edited because my friend requested it. I have deleted recent inappropriate comments that were left on my site by someone who apologized and requested this page be edited. I am holding firm, though, about going to the police should I receive anymore nonsense from a grown person who should know better. The teenage drama and desperate behavior needs to stop. Unfortunately this is not the first time I have received unwanted contact from this person. All I can say to her is Been there, done that, move on and get your own life together, and stay out of mine, please. I have more important places to use my energy than on this drama. Hapi's bloodwork came back and has revealed a few inconclusive things. His cholesterol is off the charts -- 4x the normal levels. His muscle enzyme levels indicate muscular trauma of some sort. At first it was suggested that it was atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, and cardiac issues, as Greys are highly susceptible to them. Yesterday, in my bird momma panic, we perused the aisles of Market Basket looking for barley, lentils, and oatmeal to help reduce his cholesterol. I made a special supper concoction just for him, which he would not eat, but Kizzy thought was delicious. Figures! Late last night Carol called again to complete our conversation. She said that increased muscle enzymes can be caused by the trauma of plucking sometimes, too. It is really unclear what is going on with this bird. I'm glad to have the blood results as it at least revealed a huge dietary issue. I am faced with a million variables that could or could not be contributing to his plucking. I was up all night reading every article I could on the issue, again, and think I have to address this through diet, environment, and attention. A major point Carol stressed was that parrots are very tied in to their family's emotional state, and if I act stressed about his plucking, it is likely to get worse. I gotta take a chill pill about this, and do everything I can do, but not react to it in any way in front of him. This started in the spring, so could be "just" a hormonal issue, after all. Parronting is not an easy gig, I tell ya! A day of bliss fighting the domestic battle as soon as the legs say they are ready...c'mon guys there is a ton to do today! For an art link today, here's Jette Clover's page which includes an enticing new book called "Words and Walls." The cover alone is drool-worthy as is her exploration of the visual and meaningful content of written expression in textile art. I might have to break my "no more physical books" rule for this one as it isn't available in Kindle form. Visually yummy. Cheers. While I was sure as fire that things were done between me and my friend as I wrote my last post, that I'd told myself I'd leave the relationship if "x" happened, and that it did, it felt so horrible to us both that we are going to try, again, to work around the issue. The "x" issue is not infidelity, but a conflict that pushes each other's buttons in extremely painful ways. My immediate frustration and rejection of the relationship upon hearing of what had happened caused both of us serious discomfort and we both acknowledge that it is only this one issue that comes between us. Maybe a little less black and white vision on our parts, and a little more sensitivity to each other's feelings, and we can get beyond it. I truly hope so. I only write about it here as it is part of my life, and I often think the most personal is the most universal. When you feel like you've let someone go from your life, you truly understand what they mean to you. Growing pains, I hope, again. Like a true teacher (I was reminded of how intimidating it can be talking to a teacher as we talked last night) I made suggestions that might solve the problem and make it livable. We shall see. Day by day. At the end of July it will be only one year that we've been together. I hope things work out now and that this will be the first of many routine anniversaries. I am grateful that water-works have stopped, and I can again focus on important things and not yet another loss. Loss is a sadness trigger for me, like most people, but with my life experience it tends to cut deeper than with the average bear. Am awaiting news on Hapi's bloodwork. He is not doing well. He is so scared of being toweled for medication that he flies away from me, screaming, and is clearly upset when out of his cage, thinking I am going to come at him with meds to take. He is not talking much and has plucked even more feathers from his beautiful self. Last night there was blood on his neck where he either caught a blood feather or nipped his skin. He is not a happy bird right now and I am scared of losing him, too, Feather plucking is so serious with Greys. I wish there was a definitive way to handle this issue, but there isn't. Yesterday I took a trip to get some sunshine and feel productive despite feeling like a cloud was hanging over my head. I went to Extras for Creative Reuse in Lynn, MA. The place where The Slides came from. I became a member at that time to procure extra boxes of slides that were not in the metal cabinets I went there to purchase. Yesterday I figured I could stock up on cool recyclables and junk for parrot toys and the art room. During each visit, you can fill a shopping cart with any goodies you want. Really fun! I found felt, leather, ribbon, foam,corrugated cardboard and textured wood blocks for printing, fabric dye, envelopes and cool wallpapers for collage class, and more. And, gulp, seven more shoeboxes of glass art slides. I was tempted to leave them there, but the first one I pulled out was of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and the second was Manet (might there be "Young Lady with Parrot" in there?) It was a sign. In the trunk they went. Whats another thousand to go through? I want to put them into sets for teachers and art historians to use (they can scan them, print them, etc.) and hopefully will put them to good use. It is a life-long labor of love for art and history, I think. Through Our Hands posted art by Ro Bruhn yesterday. Her fabric and paper books are really lively and wonderful! So much art, so little time! Onward to a day of cleaning, art, and hopefully a happier and restored sense of well being. Cheers. |
AuthorAmy Ropple is an artist and art educator who believes engaging in visual art can make life happier and more meaningful. This blog is a daily journal of creative habits and interests, as well as reflections on living with chronic autoimmune disease. Archives
January 2017
CategoriesDisclaimer: Yes, there may be parrots on this site. I live with five of them and they tend to work their way into everything I do!
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