october 14?

and it has been nearly two months since my last post. What a busy time! The joys of late Summer with camping and gardening, some travel, the catastrophes of the Gulf Coast storms (still going on of course) and all the usual studio challenges. Work shipped out to various shows; Phase 1 of the fundraiser for Hurricane Relief is almost done (still a few pieces to ship); I had my first Canadian Thanksgiving and a wonderful wekend in N. VA.
Right now i am in a hotel room, heading North in a bit for a weekend retreat. Am looking forward to seeing a new landscape and meeting new people. Next week i leave for Houston for ten days. Then i am HOME for a good long while and most of my external committments for the year will be in the past. Perhaps i can get caught up with the blog, with uploading images of new work and sharing the bits and pieces of news.

august 16

two small pieces, ready to ship out tomorrow. they are monoprints on cotton with stitching, and other media. even though my camera angle is crooked, the pieces are not, and they are moounted on stretched canvas...
it is amazing how long the details take: selecting, documenting and presenting work that is to go out into the world. it is all part of the "job" of course, but wouldn't it benice if the elves showed up to handle these things?

august 10

updates
from the office: it's been busy and hectic and at times, overwhelming. sounds like real life, doesn't it? The computer has been recalcitrant. Apparently the anti-virus program ate something it didn't like and created some issues. That's all resolved now. The only casualty seems to be that i have lost access to the "Classic" operating system (this is a Mac) and along with that went my bookkeeping records from May 04 through today. Why that set of dates? it may have something to do with the "back-up folders". best case scenario: i take the machine back to the Tech, who may be able to recover the missing system stuff. Worst case: I re-enter all my numbers - an arduous bt not impossible task. [yes i have back-up but it's on paper, not inthe system and i really like being able to compare and project]

from the garden: now that the weather is cooling off a little, the plants are perking up. we still have raspberries and strawberries, are harvesting beans, carrots and cukes, the first red tomato came along earlier this week. There's nothing quite like the tastes of summer.
My perennials are doing well and the hibiscus will flower soon, as will the datura. There will be more color in another few weeks, once we are out of the real heat of summer and once the deadheaded plants get their next fush of bloom.

in the studio: both nebula II and shell game have been accepted to the Houston show and i have a few small pieces to ship off for consideration in NH. I have been focusing on digging out, reorganizing space, re-equipping myself and fiishing up odds and ends. It won't be long before I am ready to start a new piece.
i'm happy to be home for another 6 weeks or so and look forward to getting my hands in the stuff.

july 15

It's Friday night. Sarah and Bob are at rehearsal. Tomorrow is day two of the workshop, so I am having a quiet evening in, with the grandkitties. Today went very well. This group is great fun. Wonderful humor, good color sense, adventurous and responsive. And gift of all gifts: everyone knows their machines, every machine in class is well cared for and therefore, I get to do what I am there to do. Believe me, this makes a difference! Going into tomorrow (when we will be doing free motion work) I can be pretty confident that any technical problems can be easily addressed. I do have my new camera with me. If i remember I'll ask permission to photograph the work and post it here. [i do not usually think of documenting a class while in the middle of it, and will not post pix of students work without permission. so, two things to think about and remember]
Sarah , Bob and I are having a quiet and relaxed family visit in spare moments here and there. I'm here for almost a week and we all three have work to do, so there's not so much pressure to fit things into a tiny amount of time. After tomorrow's class session I'll be free to go to the rehearsals, will help with costume construction and alterations, some set building and general backstage support stuff. Tech theatre is not my forte' but I take instruction well and can follow directions, grin. Unfortunately I will not be here for the performances, but will see the show develop.
and now, a book, and an early bed time.
I've cruised through the ring and enjoyed catching up a little with people's blogs, have cruised through QA and avoided commenting on the current threads of "why blog" and "the list has changed".

july 12

...and flying South tomorrow. It will be in the triple digits here, not quite so hot where i am headed. The difference? Here, almost no humidity. South: "pea soup in a zip loc bag", as my daughter says. grin.
i am looking forward to seeing her and her sweetie. We'll have almost a week. I will do a two day workshop while there, help Sarah take down a show at the art center, watch multiple rehearsals for "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and just relax. Tuesday is Sarah's birthday, Bob's is a week later.
yes, I am packed and almost ready. Leaving home is always difficult though. I really do not like to fly any more. The Bose noise cancellation headphones help a lot! but still.....

What is new here? not much. Have been working on UFOs, finding some satisfaction in picking up unfinished, unresolved work and doing something with it.

The gardens are maintaining; it's that hot in-between phase of the Summer;.
The paperwork has won and i am not quite, but almost ready to declare it the victor.

When i get back i begin another round of Hyalgan/Synvisc for the knee and really need to look at when i can fit in the next surgery. I don't want to!!! Down time is NOT on my list of things to do any time soon. This one will be lengthy.

onward. y'all be good. i'll check in from points South.

format issues

Blogger has added a photo option. This saves a step but i do not have the formatting figured out yet. So, the text looks squeezed.
maybe i'll get better at this if i practice?

July 9

The last few days Michael has been out of town and Sam has stayed home with me, poor guy. (I'm boring. he has much more interesting adventures with Michael, the center of the Universe. I do take the dog to the river as early as possible. This morning we were out at 6. A light breeze kept the mosqitoes at bay. We saw deer on the far shore, pelikans upriver, herons and eagles scouting their breakfast.
The milkweed is blooming now, a feast for butterflies.

Since I'm not walking much these days we stayed at water's edge and worked on retrieves.

Someone has been rearranging the rocks.
I like the curve.

catching up

two weeks ago I drove down to Cody, WY for a benefit party. A woman in our extended circle had a serious head injury (she fell from a horse); the benefit was to raise money for her aftercare. She has no health insurance and needs constant care as she goes through a long rehabilitation. My friend, Mz. Vic, lives out on the South Fork about 22 miles from town and we stayed with her that night. Here are some views from Vic's house.



Mz. Vic has a passive solar house and a wonderful little garden. Since they put up a 6 foot fence to block the wind and keep the deer out, things are growing well. Here's a shot of Vic and Sam.
Later that evening we drove into town for the dance party. About 700 tickets were sold for the party; there were perhaps 300 people there when I left (9 ish, I turn into a pumpkin if I stay out too late ) It was a lot of fun and a major success. Great music, dancing, a benefit auction. Over $50,000 was raised for the cause. All the food, beverages and music were donated and folks were very generous with their donations and their purchases. The ability of community to come together to help is amazing.

nebula

nebula
Originally uploaded by lauracw.

this was last seen"under the needle" a few months ago. it too is ready for the photographer tomorrow. There are a few other pieces to shoot as well, but i'm having trouble with my brain. I've been up since the wee dark hours (well, not really. 4:30 a.m., it's getting light here now.,) but i am tired and done for the day. perhaps tomorrow afternoon i'll get the other digitals uploaded.

riverrock

riverrock
Originally uploaded by lauracw.

the final version. it's ready for the slide shoot tomorrow.

still the 18th

amazing, two posts in one day.
first, apologies? acknowledgements? to those readers who have posted comments here. I don't always respond. please forgive.
your interest is noted and appreciated.
my time is -shall we say, limited?- anyway, there are not enough hours in the day to keep up everywhere. YOU ARE GREAT!
thank you.

what i did today:
framed and packed two pieces to ship on Monday to a gallery far from here. After almost two years away from working with showing and galleries and juried shows etc. it is time to jump back in, i think. This invitation came out of the blue... we'll see how it goes.
In support of the above: found framing, assembled same, did the paperwork, purchased new mouse as the old one was being recalcitrant, tried the new camera.
blocked the new piece but have not bound it. need to do that tomorrow for slides Monday.
the day is GONE. and really, i do not feel there is much to show for it. sigh. everything takes such a long time to do. whine. moan. okay, back to work now.
more later.

June 18

detail
Originally uploaded by lauracw.

Here's a detail of the work on the wall. today this piece wil be finished, it has to be. Monday is the slide shoot and then i'll be able to post a photo of the whole piece - i have trouble with keystoning when i take shots of large work.

June 16

Well it happened again. i wrote a long post and did not save the thing before reviewing it. Where did it go? Can i get it back?
rhetorical questions.
The Rooted in Tradition Art Quilt Symposium sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum was incredible. I am pleased and honored to have participated and to have a piece in the collection. The weekend was great. A lot of organizations and many people worked together to create an event which ran smoothly and provided much food for thought. My brain is still tired. It will be a while before I process some of the provocative and interesting ideas.
Hospitality couldn't have been better (my hosts were wonderful and their other house guest was a person I had long admired.) Event details seemed carefully considered, from the shuttles between events and sites to the info and reminders about caring for oneself at high elevations. The primary speakers and panel discussions were well considered and very interesting. [the only drawback in my opinion was that there were concurrent sessions, making it necessary to choose. That's always a sacrifice of sorts.)
There were several wonderful exhibits on view in adition to the New RMQM Permanent Collection of Art Quilts (installed at at the Foothills Art Center). Lots of interesting work to see and think about. The RMQM exhibit is fantastic. It will travel, there are five venues booked already. The catalogue is beautifully designed, with good color, excellent writing and wonderful coverage of the art. [It is available through the RMQM. I'll try to remember to post details later.)
All in all, a fantastic time even though I stayed up too late, had too much fun, too many interesting conversations and am still trying to sort it all out. Meanwhile the paperwork is piling up (it multiplies when left alone), the studio is a wreck (work is getting done there= a good sign), the gardens are shaping up (i weed, deadhead and thin when a studio break is needed).
onward. enjoy the day.

June 1

Ft. Collins, Colorado.
today was a driving day, quiet, uneventful, totally alone. It felt so luxurious to pack my own pillow, extra shoes and things i know i won't need. Generally when i travel, i am so limited in what i can pack and must give precedence to workshop and lecture materials. not this time! I have extra stuff! and my own pillow! and lots of handwork and books! such indulgence.

I left home at 9 am, and arrived here at 5:15. two stops on the way in friendly but windy Wyoming towns. The country is as lush as it ever gets with lovely greens, especially in the northern part of the state. Watching the land unfold is such drama. There's new snow in the Bighorn Mountains,the stark white is in high contrast to the cerulean blue skies and deep green grasses. shadowed areas are almost black. Lots of antelope out and about, a few deer. Too many dead racoons. The animals don't deal well with the highway.
Ft. Collins is home to Colorado State University, and even though classes are out, the university presence is distinct. i ate supper in Old Town, (it was close to 80 degrees! summer weather) sat outside and watched people for an hour. mostly 40 something couples, hand in hand, lots of student age folks, some young families. Now i'm in my hotel room for the night, have correspondence to catch up with, some hand work to do, or escapist reading now, there's a thought. Tomorrow i have a leisurely morning, then down to the Boulder area where i am spending the weekend in conjunction with the Art Quilt Symposium at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

One notable aspect of the drive: When i got close to Casper WY, i was able to pick up NPR again, and that station had BBC news. Now, those of you living in metropolitan areas are accustomed to this perhaps, but i do not get BBC in my local NPR programming (at least, not in the hours when i listen.) It was so refreshing to hear IN DEPTH discussion of newsworthjy events instead of just bits and bites. And also today, the end of an era for those of us of a certain age: "Deep Throat" is no longer anonymous, Who would have thought...

may 26

Today is, unofficially, the beginning of a long weekend. At my house, this means that Michael and sam will head to our mountain acreage this afternoon, tomorrow morning or as soon as Michael is organized. This will be the first weekend up there since last Fall. It's still too early for me [i like to be warm at night. The place sits at 6200 feet elevation. Spring comes late in the high country.] I will have 3-4 days of uninterupted time.

Yesterday i finished planting the pots and containers, set the remaining seedlings out and put in sunflower seeds. Today the morning glories and nastursiums go in and that's all the planting until Fall. Still lots of grass to pull out of the flower beds, a few weeds here and there but it is shaping up. Well, I might need some new herbs... grin.
Beads, fabric, paper, threads, nice pens, plants, how many obsessions can one person have???
I have begun stitching on the new piece and will spend the morning in studio, then clean the house, ugh, and then the garden for a while. it's good to have a plan, we'll see what comes along.
enjoy your day, however you are spending it.

may 24

already??? i got home from Cedar Lakes Friday night. My luggage arrived Saturday. My brain is still in transit. Alas, no tracking number. If you want a quiet, affordable retreat, Cedar Lakes is great. They have a year round program with various offerings, everything from blacksmithing to felting to painting, quilting of course, and much more. It's a state owned facility, non-profit, in a lovely location. It was exactly what I needed last week. The people in my workshop were wonderful and did great work. No photographs though, either the camera got left in my room or I chose not to carry it due to the weather.
Since getting home I have been planting, weeding and slowly catching up. The remaining work from Dreaming the Garden shipped back to the artists Monday. Today I began selecting for the COLOR show I am curating for Mary McCrae's gallery. There's a piece in process on the work wall. It is at an awkward adolescent phase and isn't sure what it wants to be when it grows up.
Our snow on the 11th didn't do much damage. Some broken branches in the lilacs and that's about it. Michael has begun cutting those tall ancient bushes back by a third. It looks awful.
and that's all i can think of right now.
There's a new blog on the ring, I think the writer's name is Caitie and she lives down under. It is witty and intelligent writing. great fun.

may 15

Cedar Lakes Retreat Center, West Virginia
This is such a quiet peaceful place. It is a lush landscape, very different from where I live. The trees are in full leaf but I think I missed the flowering dogwood and other early bloomers. These are old hills, soft, rounded. The country has a closed-in feeling. When I was in grad school in SE Ohio, not far from here, really, this closed-in feeling was bothersome. I never knew quite where I was on the planet. Having grown up on tidewater and then living in the open West [Big Sky!] for the past 30+ years, I am most at home in a landscape that has a wide view.
Today the isolation these hills create is welcome.
This will be a retreat week for me, even though I am here to work. There's no internet access in my room (this is a borrowed office, how much access i will have this week is not known), no studio needing to be cleaned and organized, no paperwork i can possibly get done.
My job is to be here, now, in this moment and only that. My workshop begins tomorrow. It will be good. It always is a treat to meet new people and share days of working with color and cloth, sharing ideas, tools and information. People are wonderful. My "off time" however, will be dedicated to personal restoration. [Sorta sounds like a building in need of repair, eh? not a bad metaphor. In this case, it's the foundation that needs repair.] This is almost a summer camp environment. Although i cannot control the menu, i can walk a lot, watch birds and weather, relearn this landscape, soak up whatever there is for me to learn here. It's going to be a great week.
Next week i will be back in my own studio and office. there will be photos to share and whatever insights gained as well.
have a great week.

May 12

We did indeed have 6 inches of snow. It is still falling but is lighter and drier now. Today will be a good day for staying in and getting my "do list" handled. I am behind on a number of things, including writing, have come to a stalled point with the new piece on the work wall and must finish packing for the week at Cedar Lakes. I am looking forward to this trip.

enjoy the day.

may 11

may 11
Originally uploaded by lauracw.

may 11, billings MT.
what else is there to say?

allium

allium
Originally uploaded by lauracw.