Really looking forward to summer this year, I mean, really. Usually I don't care that much. I am happy to have a bit more free time, but health stuff has kept me from being as productive as I'd like in the past few years, and I've felt guilty for not doing enough in the summertime. I feel different this year -- I think it has been because of the back surgery. I can do more, feel less creative;y "stuck." I'm looking forward to studio time and catching up on endless audiobook titles, parrots in tow. To have Kizzy on his perch and Hapi in his little cage while I stitch away, with the pups snoring on their beds, is a peaceful place to be. I've learned since surgery that I can't stay in the same place for too long, though, so lots of dog walks and little chores can be interspersed as needed.
I know I don't have much "real work" this summer, in terms of raising money, but hopefully I can get by and concentrate on getting my artistic self back in shape instead. Hoping for a small art show in the fall somewhere. Was contacted by Crossroads Quilt Guild in Beverly about speaking in November, too. Art takes time. I am grateful to have it. My students laugh when they ask me what I am doing this summer and I say "ART!" They say "That's it?" and I reply "That is more than enough." Really, it is!
Last week I ordered Julia Cameron's new book, It's Never Too Late to Begin Again, as her way of providing guidance through the creative process is always wonderful. It seems geared more towards people who are not yet artists/creatives, and are newly retired or facing a mid-life change. Still worth reading, as her wisdom comes out in little gems and reflective thoughts that are interspersed throughout.
One of today's art links is to a resource that I came across on Pinterest that I find really interesting. Part of my brain is developing some paintings, believe it or not. Painting has never been my "thing." Ever. Too flat and smooth for me, even with mediums. I'm starting to think about being more experimental on canvas, too, as this could add to the surfaces I make on my quilts. This pinterest page caught my eye as it is based on textures -- photographs of decaying, rough surfaces that are beautiful. The colors are intense. I liked looking at these and just absorbing. Sounds silly, but that is part of the process for me.
And finally, an art image to start the day. This is from Donya Coward whose work includes numerous fabric and mixed media sculptures of animals. She identifies herself as a "textile taxidermist," using existing embroidered and beaded fabrics in her work. She recently created a group of magpies for the John Lewis store in the UK. They are beautiful! I wish one like this would land on my porch railing. Enjoy!