A TRIBUTE TO MOTHER NATURE

Here's the heron nest 2010, with a new basket of babies. You can hear them clacking away during their feeding time. Enjoy some pictures of my inspiration and the nest baskets that resulted.................

COMING HOME

I'm coming home to the place that feels right and familiar, and it's where I want to spend some time now. Returning to spend time weaving with basketry techniques, the vessel form, and merging craft with concept. Why I left for so long I have no idea. What's important is that I can recognize that the passage of time has seasoned me for being where I am today. I was explaining to a friend how weaving and basketry can teach patience (has taught me patience). All underwater basketweaving jokes aside, it is so true that the act of weaving can be very soothing to the soul, and I encourage you to try it. I've grown to be patient with the act of making: I am happiest working on the pieces like I am now - I have no place for rushing, or pleasing someone else, or selling. It's just about pleasing the desires of my heart. And that dear friends, is what gives the chase (of the creative process) its' sweet reward.

On the Road Again

Sometimes life just happens and we lose our focus. That happens to me alot, when it comes to my following my creative dreams. So the best I can do now is to shake off the dust and try to pick up from where I left off.
There are alot of new challenges for alot of people these days, including us. We are just trying to survive and at the same time trying to re-invent ourselves. This comes as a result of what is going on with our economy and our rapidly growing unemployment rate. (going on 6 months for us now) Then throw in all of your everyday life ingredients like family, sickness, special events, holidays... Suddenly you look up and the road you are on isn't the same one you started on. It split a ways back, and now the tricky part is to go back and find a place to merge in order to get back on track. That is where I am now. In the meantime, all of these ideas have been popping and exploding in my head and I can't seem to get past the everyday STUFF and get back to doing more artwork. It's like jiffy pop gone bad.
My blue herons still haunt me (see July/August 2009 blog post ) and I continue to work on one of my "nest" series. It's all about building on solid ground. It has been almost a year since that nest fell, and with it so much has changed here in my neighborhood. And yet everything returns to normal. Just two days ago the herons were back and scouting out a new nesting tree, but I haven't seen them since. Maybe they suddenly remembered what happened and decided to rebuild elsewhere. We'll see... When it comes down to it, some will always fly home and rebuild in the same way, no matter what they have learned or may know. Just look at New Orleans - now there's something to think about.

FAST FORWARD

Y I K E S !

It's 2.5 months later.......

WHAT ROAD

HAVE I

BEEN ON ??

Green Glass Birds and other Artful Thoughts

This will be a weekend full of ART DEMONSTRATIONS,
something I love to do. When I used to do craft shows, I would try to demo whenever I could. As a teacher, I think it's just a natural way to share my love for what I do, and to spark an interest in someone new. I can remember watching a glass blower in Sweden as a young girl, and coming home with a GREEN GLASS BIRD which I displayed in a prominent location wherever I lived.
It has been a subtle reminder of the artist and a hands on connection to an object that I've collected and loved...

GLASSY MEMORIES:
Once I tried to melt glass in a campfire (it didn't work)

BREAKING GLASS
The sounds of breaking glass from outside my basketry studio on a back street in Saratoga Springs. (Oh I love the sound of breaking glass, as the song goes) Sounds coming from a nearby recycling plant.

BEACH GLASS

Collected on many solo walks on the beaches of Maine,
hanging from a wire in my bathroom,
stored in jars,
displayed to catch the light
and capture a memory.

So, here my thoughts travel back to this coming weekend, and remind me that it's time to come back - to get some things together, figure out where to go from here, and hopefully to see you out there somewhere.

HANDMADE......................................................................... Think of the hands that have made you're favourite things. They come with that special ingredient that you can't seperate out: LOVE :-) Nancy

Back to Nature

GOD ROCK

MY ROCKI spent the last 8 days in New England, where cell phone coverage is spotty, and access to a computer or internet was not available to me. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the time away from electronics and getting back into the natural world that we belong to. I only wish I had more time there. The first day was spent on a favorite beach in Maine, where the rocks are polished and smooth, in various grey tones, and speckled in warm colours. I got to play while my crazy friend went swimming in the frigid ocean.

On the return home, the security attendant had to re-scan my bag, and asked, "do you have rocks in there?". To which I replied "YES! We have NO ROCKS in Florida!!! The last time I came home from Maine, I had to repack our bags at the airport since they were so heavy laden with rocks and over limit on weight restrictions. I sadly refrained from loading up on rocks on this trip, but I did manage to bring a few home to make some more of my "sewn rocks".
KNOTLESS NETTING OVER A MAINE BEACH ROCK

In art,

there needs to exist a place for the eye to rest, in addition to being engaged in the composition. My brain found a resting place in these images and the time spent away from home last week. The beauty & inspiration in this world never ceases to amaze me.

I hope you will be encouraged to find your own resting place, and to find the beauty - even if it's in your own backyard.

Nesting

Random Weave Nest: Round Reed and Palm