Checking In

Here is my latest cage doll Santo (is a girl saint a santa? that's weird!!). Anyhoo, she's consigned to necklace duty in the bedroom and John says she is scary. He says when we fall asleep her head twirls around like Linda Blair's. I sorta hope so.

Journal pages. I'm going to start showing some in process as requested. I like to start them not having any idea where they are going and then watch them morph. I wrote about improv this morning and how much I love reacting to the moment in teaching; being willing to change course and responding to surprise. The journal pages are like that too.

I've uncharacteristically cooked supper 2 nights in a row. John just announced that he is cooking supper tonight. hmmmm. Is my cooking that bad?  hee hee. (we know it is)

At the last garage party I noticed Nikki stored all her craft paints upside down so I came home and flipped mine over too (I keep them corralled in a box). Now i can see the color at a glance and the paint is ready to come out the tip when I need it. I feel like the 100th monkey.

And who's got the messiest studio? I can't seem to get it under control no matter what I do but I won't give up. I still have that recurrent dream of finding an extra room on our house. Actually we need about three.

Random studio shots. 

Raku doll from about 20 years ago. I am still partial to her guardian spirit. Monoprint in the background.

Oh yeah. I need professional help.

This is a collage made by a friend of a friend. I thought it was really fun and so Portland.

Here is a little personal story if you have time. Over 30 years ago, when I was a broke young mother, I had a flat tire on a lonely country road. Both my young daughters were in the car with me and we were driving home after a school day. So there I was, without resources and stuck. Soon I see an old man driving from his farmhouse to help me. He fixes my tire and it takes about an hour. I wring my hands and thank him and tell him I wish I had money to give him as it has taken precious time out of his work day. I am so grateful. 

And he says, "if we aren't here to help each other, what are we here for?"

I will never forget that day, that incident, those words. He is surely gone now but here is his action, his words, living on and rippling out in a hundred directions. xo