Category — Appreciation

Again, along the line of a picture is worth a thousand words, here is the lovely Halyma spreading some silk wings that we created together. I dye and fret about details, construction and functionality; she’s an ingenious and nimble seamstress (who also frets about details) ; the relationship works!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer. It’s pretty steamy in the workshop!

… just one : stunning.

This great shot of Oklahoma dancer Arastya with her “Mythical” silk veil is brought to you by photographer Ryan Potter of Lrn2Go.Photo.

It has to be loved the way a laundress loves her linens,  
 the way she moves her hands caressing the fine muslins  
 knowing their warp and woof,  
 like a lover coaxing, or a mother praising.  
 It has to be loved as if it were embroidered 
 with flowers and birds and two joined hearts upon it.  
 It has to be stretched and stroked.  
 It has to be celebrated.  
 O this great beloved world and all the creatures in it. 
 It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet.

The trees must be washed, and the grasses and mosses.  
 They have to be polished as if made of green brass.  
 The rivers and little streams with their hidden cresses  
 and pale-coloured pebbles  
 and their fool’s gold  
 must be washed and starched or shined into brightness,  
 the sheets of lake water  
 smoothed with the hand  
 and the foam of the oceans pressed into neatness.  
 It has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness.

and pleated and goffered, the flower-blue sea  
 the protean, wine-dark, grey, green, sea  
 with its metres of satin and bolts of brocade.  
 And sky – such an 0! overhead – night and day  
 must be burnished and rubbed  
 by hands that are loving  
 so the blue blazons forth  
 and the stars keep on shining  
 within and above  
 and the hands keep on moving.

 It has to be made bright, the skin of this planet  
 till it shines in the sun like gold leaf.  
 Archangels then will attend to its metals  
 and polish the rods of its rain.  
 Seraphim will stop singing hosannas 
 to shower it with blessings and blisses and praises  
 and, newly in love,  
 we must draw it and paint it  
 our pencils and brushes and loving caresses  
 smoothing the holy surfaces.   – “The Planet” © 1994 P.K. Page

Celebrated poet P.K. Page died January 14th, 2010 at the age of 93 in Victoria, B.C.  She will be missed.

I’ve decided that if you simply ignore watching TV or listening to the radio that life isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. I swear letting your head being filled with so much negativity, doom and gloom ends up self perpetuating. It’s viral. It’s exponential. Anyhow, I’ve decided not to take part in spreading the virus.

In retrospect, 2008 was good to me and it’s going to be an even greater 2009! Spread that around if you must spread a fresh rumour.

The holidays are unfortunately, quickly coming to an end. I’ve had some time off to visit, to over-indulge and simply put my feet up. I haven’t had to drive at 7 am every morning in the sometimes rather nasty winter weather. I’ve avoided being on top of email at every given second. I have a new ipod that is now my newest best friend.

I’ve had some time to dye as well. There’s a new crop of pretties with more to come in the next few days. Here are my favourites:

These frothy, heavily detailed little beauties seem to be becoming my signature these days. As I was uploading pictures to the new ipod, I even surprised myself at how things have evolved; one technique merges into the other and becomes something else that I can’t even put a name to. That’s the wonder of hand dyeing that keeps me fascinated and eager to experiment with every piece to this day; there are as many variables as hands and souls creating it. I swear, there’s magic in your hands if you just set them free!

And for something completely different, I’m adding it to my faves, just because the results were unexpected:

This is also the traditional time to thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you that have fed my mind and supported me, made 2008 such an excellent year.

I lift my glass to you all! Cheers!

Enough with all the doom and gloom out there! Upon the eve of this holiday weekend Thanksgiving, I’d like to take this slight pause to give thanks. Yes, Thanksgiving comes earlier in Canada.

I give thanks to my friends and extended family who are supportive and loving to me everyday. They support me in ways they are not even aware of and that I cannot even put into words. I owe it to them that I was able to transform myself and my life in these late forties. I give special thanks to my son who doesn’t take things for granted and appreciates both his parents, quirks, creative madness, warts and all.

I also give special thanks to all of you who have supported my art, my craft.

How lovely to get this in my mail box this morning. It is people like Elise who create great beauty with their own art and allow me to do what I love over and over again.

How wonderful. It makes me want to take a little leap in the air too …

P.S. Canadians : don’t eat too much and on Tuesday, October 14th, get out and VOTE!