AUCLATDOTW : 11 : Snapper

Look who was also hiking the trail at Killens Pond State Park. Isn't he sweet? Olivia was not deceived by his petite stature, he will grow up and be able to chomp off your arm, she said. I think that's an exaggeration.

AUCLATDOTW : 10 : Bark

AUCLATDOTW : 9 : Work

AUCLATDOTW : 8 : Chopping Grapes

Olivia took this photo of the grapes she chopped for my favorite food these days, chicken curry salad. It would be even better if I made some pita to go with it but I never quite get that far. I did manage to get Matt to buy the yeast. I've been thinking a lot about art lately. I had sort of a revelation about my work. Whatever is strong about it is not usually readily apparent. Instead it grows (like fungus maybe-ha) on one in much the same way that people come to appreciate me personally. People do not see me and assume that I am a serious and interesting artist. Luckily I was inspired by Alice Neel's work in college so I have a role model for matronly looking people who are actually not. It does really affect my work since so much is decided based on impulse (how the work looks not how I look). I'd like to understand more about how it all works so I am tossing that thought about in my mind. I'm also listening to Steven King's "On Writing" in the car. He talks a bit about the creative process. Or maybe he just encountered some of the same problems that all artists encounter.

AUCLATDOTW : 7 : A Beautiful Day

Today was the most beautiful day. I spent quite a lot of it in a chair soaking up the sunshine. I did not, however, take pictures of the beautiful day. For once I just sat back and enjoyed it. This photo is from our Lums Pond hike last weekend. I saw so many magnificent varieties of fungus. They have been inspiring my canvas structures back in the studio. I’ve been calling them structures because they are drawn from walls, roof, fungus, but they are actually pretty flat. Earlier this week I sewed breast shaped “fungus” onto a tree form. I’m torn between letting it be loose and pasting it all down with matte medium. I’ll post a photo later this week.

AUCLATDOTW : 6 : Web

AUCLATDOTW: 5 : Bark

AUCLATDOTW : 4 : What is that?

If anyone knows that that bug is I'd love to know. That's what I love about hiking- you just never know when you'll see something new. We hiked 7 miles around Lums Pond in Delaware yesterday. The most we'd done before was 4- maybe. All summer the plan had been to build up our stamina for the big hike. But instead of that sensible plan we took a month off. During our last attempted hike the mosquitos chased us back to the car. So we sat around like lumps for a month and then idiotically decided to get back into it by walking almost twice as far as we ever had. We made it. Barely. But even when we'd only gone three miles and were already exhausted I never really considered turning around. Mentally three familiar miles seems longer than four unfamiliar ones. I am absolutely driven on by the possibility of seeing something new, unexpected or unusual. I love the treasure hunt aspect of hiking.

AUCLATDOTW : 3: Connections

I've been working on an artist statement and proposal all day today. That means that I've cleaned the house, visited the neighbor, made phone calls, and gotten some knitting done. Well... I always need a little procrastination when writing. In cooking they call that stewing. Anyway I thought I'd share my first paragraph with this image because knitting also creates connections to a shared human history.

The stories I loved as a child were stories of extreme circumstances and heroic fortitude. Girls, like myself, were thrust into painful, solitary adventures where they persevered by relying upon their own abilities. The only common denominator was their determination. These girls did not give up. They knit shirts from stinging nettles, shoveled sidewalks in paper dresses, and withstood a myriad of heartless abuses. The memory of these stories mingled with all that I have experienced as I made these paintings. I feel rootless but these stories connect me to a history not dependent upon location or time. They connect me to myself and to my own fascination, even as a child, with the extreme hardships in life. They remind me that my impulse to understand these experiences existed before I was fully socialized. Before I was capable of moderating myself. Most importantly, they allow for a mental space where moderation is unnecessary, even unwanted.

AUCLATDOTW : 2 : Tattoos

When Olivia was little she got a glitter tattoo set from her uncle. She was entranced, of course, (these were the “fashion girl” days) and immediately ripped into it. I didn’t have time to help her so I took it away and put it on a high shelf. Not high enough as it turns out. In her attempt to retrieve it she pulled it down dumping glitter onto her upturned face, especially her eyes. The whites of her eyes were completely covered with glitter! It was an incredible sight.

Photo detail: title: Octopus, media: Pen on Leg.

AUCLATDOTW

I really want the word "macrocosm" to mean the world up close- as in looked at through a macro lens. But it doesn't. Dictionary.com and I are at an impasse. Since I can't have what I want and I can't find another equally cool word that does refer to "an up close look at the details of the world" I have no title for this blog. But in the spirit of our times I'll use the title "AUCLATDOTW." Those of you who think that this is ridiculous should know that my husband told the dog to “GLD” instead of "go lay down." "Go lay down" is a command I taught Sam years ago that basically means leave me alone. (As opposed to "Kennel" which means he should go lay down in his cage.) Sam doesn't actually follow commands any more. We seem to have lost that ground when he stopped being able to sit. The command "sit", it would seem, was the cornerstone of our control over Sam. But we are just happy our 13 year old, 3-foot tall black lab mix is still with us. Anyway the command “lay there and ignore me” still works so what more can we ask for?

Oh right. And this is my introduction to the macro photo series now known as “AUCLATDOTW.”

photo details: painting in progress from today's studio session.