8 Hour Projects

I'll be in Meadville, PA this weekend participating in Allegheny College's 8 Hour Projects. This is a first for me so I'm both excited and nervous. I have a plan. I have the stuff. I have no idea if the plan will work! (By which I mean look good or at least not be embarrassing!) Oh yeah, and I’ll also be stopping by to try and see some elk. Apparently they roam the woods up in that part of Pennsylvania.

8-Hour Projects
Allegheny College's Bowman, Penelec & Megahan Galleries
Meadville, PA

See the works in progress on Saturday August 30
Opening Tuesday September 2, 7-9pm (I won’t be at the opening)

"Nature" Walk

Changes

We had orientation last week for Middle School. Big changes. Olivia wore the top and skirt I knit for her. In the works now is a sweater. Only a week left until school starts. That also marks the intensified return to the studio that I am very much looking forward to. Those shoes used to be mine!

Amanda Hoss

Amanda Hoss just sent me this new image of her work. It's so beautiful I had to share!

Chalk Drawings

And then the girls reminded me, the really important question is: How much of what I want to do can I get done before someone says it's time to stop!

When I read Doris Lessing's Children of Violence series I was shocked by how connected I felt to the main character. Martha Quest suffers a discord between her private and public or internal and external self. The external, public version is all fabrication- a defense or blind. Discarding "Matty" (the external) is traumatizing and requires a concentrated and focused decision to do so. I think that probably everyone experiences this to some extent. It seems like all the important questions in art revolve around this process of disbanding the false and supporting the genuine. The biggest question in my work these days revolves around decision making. When the external has been in place for so long how do you even know which decisions are guided by the genuine? Aesthetic decisions, to me, seem very connected to the false, external. But then when working with a visual medium what does it mean to disregard aesthetic decisions?

Fort Delaware State Park

Looking for Rainbows

Good thing we went to the beach yesterday! The neighbor's dog would really like to know what I'm doing running around in the rain. It was pouring although it looks sunny in the window refection. That was, in fact, why I was running around outside. Shouldn't there be a rainbow when it rains in the sun?? Oh well, I couldn't find it.

And then three hours later TWO rainbows.

Life Lessons

I love people watching on the beach. Here's what I saw this weekend:

Deciding to feed the seagulls

Realizing it's a bad idea

The osprey were out hunting in force again and the dolphins spent quite a lot of time playing within our view. A perfect day.

Delaware Seashore State Park

Dress & Hawk

This is my best hawk photo. If anyone recognizes it let me know. The best I can come up with is that it might be a Northern Harrier. We found her flying out of her nest north of Boston.


Seems like I've gotten the knitting bug again. I'm on a mission to use all of my materials (lack of storage). I made this one up myself so I'm pleased it fits!!