Do the Work...

 Do the Work…

Philosopher and Statesman, Sir Francis Bacon reminds us, “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake.
That first sentence can be changed into almost any desired action - call your friend now, visit the gallery now, play with the grandkids now…

The third part of my Focus on Four list (after Just Show Up and It’s Not Precious) is Do the

Work. But not just that…..Do the Work You Love

I’ve just finished a month working with an amazing group of incredibly talented artists in the Artists Deep Dive Online Residency. These artists spent the month building focus and intention into their art practise with a plan leading to a body of work. We met twice weekly and discussed everything from ChatGPT, drawing apps, procrastination and our artist dreams. It was exhilarating!

It’s fun going into the studio wanting to play and experiment, try the new techniques found on YouTube or new colour combination of paint or dye…taking time to play is building on knowledge and leads to discovery and creativity. But here also comes the time to ignore the bright shiny objects (AKA - Shiny Object Syndrome) and get the work done.

I Need to Do the Work I Love

Having an art career involves many subtasks - mailing the orders, doing the accounts, submitting for exhibitions and on and on - but they would all disappear if I didn’t do the one thing that is essential - make the art! So if I Just Show Up and Use the Good Stuff, then Doing the Work flows naturally from those first two focuses. But that’s not quite enough, because I wouldn’t Do the Work if it didn’t excite, enrage, enliven and inspire me!

Sometimes I go into the studio and am horrified at my work from the day before, and other times it is an utter surprise - WOW, that is good! Doing the work again and again builds experience and experience leads to improvement. In any creative focus, there are a range of abilities and approaches; some want to explore, perhaps they are new to the medium and want to see what is possible, while others are more focused and productive. I lean towards the latter, but I know that I still have a lot to learn! Regardless of the level of experience, the art still needs to be done.

I have a piece that I consider a failure (actually there are two pieces right now..) and when I look at them I realize there are a couple choices…

I can try and hammer it into something better - do I clearly see ways to improve? Is it worth the effort? Or is my time better spent moving on?

Do I toss it into a corner and think I might change my feelings about it? Or perhaps cut it up into something else? A lot of my greeting cards are created that way!

Or does it go into the garbage and out of my life and mind?

Each failure I create might have a different answer. I know that one of them might get cut up into something smaller - I am undecided if the design is contrived or an idea worth letting mellow.

Most importantly both of those pieces are failures because they didn’t excite, enrage, enliven and inspire me. I look at them and feel “meh”!

Its vital that we embrace failure as part of the journey to creating something new. Accept that mistakes can happen and use them as an opportunity to learn and grow. I will probably journal my thoughts and consider that each failed piece is a successful lesson…in failure!

This leads me to another thought - is (making) art work? For me the answer is a definite yes! But it’s also very much MY choice and so I don’t criticize anyone who would rather consider it “play”…again choices are personal and not universal.

Finally, remember that art is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the process and don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes. Doing the work is part of the creative process and is essential for producing meaningful work.

This cartoon by Australian artist Megan Herbert, speaks volumes about the work that we do as artists. A visitor to my studio once exclaimed how amazing my art is (thank you, thank you) and my respose was the same as this cartoon - the visitor sees the finished work that excites, enrages, enlivens and inspires me, not the mountains of crap that went into the garbage!

“Making a living from your work in no way serves as an indicator of quality or substance or achievement. The real struggle is the same - how to be creative without being imitative, how to avoid apathy, confusion, complacency or self sabotage. How can a person with profoundly limited resources create something that is meaningful, long lasting and maybe transcendent? If you are really going to do something important..make real art, how do you do it and how can you keep doing it over time with the hope that it might get better.” – Lance Letscher

One more thing...did you notice the awesome Colour on Ice photos? You can buy those and more in my Etsy Shop

 

Three More Words

I learned to sew as a young girl - first with Barbie and doll clothes and then moving into my own wardrobe as a teenager and eventually sewing for my own little family. But in junior high school the first item I learned to make was an apron to use in the cooking part of the class.

For Chrismas that year I made my mother an apron, I was very proud of my accomplishment and thrilled by her response. A few years later she passed away and I found the apron in a drawer - still looking lovely and unused. I was crushed ... I understood that she wanted to keep it in good condition and perhaps it was a special treasure to her. But she totally missed the point of the gift - it was for her to use.

Perhaps you have had a similar experience, the quilt gifted to a friend that gets put away "to save it for good", a pretty vase that is put in the cupboard for special occasions and never seen again? How sad that is!

Another phrase on my studio wall illustrates my feelings about this - "it's not precious" As a dyer, printer and painter of fabrics that are used in my artwork, sometimes I make a fabric that is so beautiful  that I want to save it ... for what? Eventually I will use it, so why not use it now? It might be the same with an expensive paint brush or gorgeous hand spun yarn - the potential of the product has not been realized - it must become something in order to fulfill its purpose. The item was created for use - not to be stored away in a drawer!

A second part of "it's not precious" is "there will be more". It's not precious, there will be more. More fabric, more brushes, more paint, more yarn. And it will be waiting there for us to use, to make it real. 

A brush may be hand made, from the rare wood, special sable hairs, hand crafted with care and attention but it is a brush, designed with a purpose in mind. My brushes are not beautiful but they are used, over and over and over again...there will be more!

Then I start thinking about how I've lived my life - my life is precious and sacred, not doubt at all. But what happens when I say "no" to something because it might be too special, or I don't feel worthy? It becomes a road not taken, an experience not enjoyed. Isn't that rather selfish - the door is open and I can choose - close it or walk through.

I always want to walk through...and use the good stuff!

Just Two Words

I have a sheet of paper on the wall in my studio - its a sheet of newsprint that I tore out of the sketch pad because I was in a hurry to write something down before it left my aging, leaky brain.

I have meant to write it all out again on some 300 gsm Watercolour Arches paper with a fancy brush, rich calligraphy writing and make it all pretty. But somehow the scratchy scrawl with a felt tip marker seems more appropriate.

The first two words are “show up” … just that. No inspiring quote distilled from Socrates, no lyrical sonnet from Shakespeare and not even a pithy phrase from my favourite, TS Eliot. Just two words that ask very little from me. Nothing that says get busy, get painting or get stitching. No, just simply to be there - not thinking about what to make, not planning future art. No - just Show Up

With those two words I am asking myself to be, in my studio, present, in the moment and to simply show up.

At this time of year, we are busy with the holiday season, planning for the new year, writing out our art goals, figuring out social media posts and any manner of busy-ness. I admit that I am part of all of those tasks and goals and if I am completely honest, I like that stuff. But it’s not the making of my art, it’s the peripheral, fluffy, but necessary stuff.

I’ve been busy building my online residency workshop Artists Deep Dive and I’ve loved every minute of it…except for the computer/website glitches. But today I showed up in my studio and stood still for a few minutes and just looked around at the fabrics, sewing machine, paints, threads and the blooming Christmas cactus on the window sill. It caught me unawares, the feelings of love, passion, frustration, excitement and more that flowed through me and I realized that I am so fortunate to be there. And it all happens because I show up.

Just before Christmas I lost a dear friend very unexpectedly. Later that week I went into the studio and just showed up. I didn’t work, I sat, I puttered, I looked out the window and somehow I felt just a little bit healed.

Sometimes I enter the studio and am lost for choice - too much, too many. Sometimes I just can’t settle my mind. Sometimes I don’t want to work on that piece, especially if I know there’s still hours of stitching to be done.

When we are frozen by inertia - just show up

When we don’t know the next step - just show up

When it seems too hard - just show up

When our art is shit - just show up

Because sometimes it’s enough to just show up.

...when my feet aren't quite touching the bottom

Like me, you probably receive many email newsletters and material into your inbox every day. Sometimes I sign up for a newsletter and after a couple issues, hit the "unsubscribe" button. Or sometimes the businesses want to capture your email address to send "daily missives" about their sales. And every once in a while I receive newsletters that I look forward to reading thoroughly because I learn something new or exciting or stimulating or even challenging.

One such newsletter is The Marginalian by Maria Popova  - a newsletter of "the week's most mind-broadening and heart-lifting reflections spanning art, science, poetry, philosophy, and other tendrils of our search for truth, beauty, meaning, and creative vitality"  - from the website: https://www.themarginalian.org
Some articles challenge my thinking, give me pause or invite me to explore further. In particular, I enjoy articles about the wide expanse of creativity. Recently Maria wrote an article about David Bowie and interviews he gave in the year he turned fifty: 

"If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting." You can read a bit more HERE
I like that bit  ... when your feet aren't quite touching the bottom ... what a thrill that is! I think the potential to make my best art is ... when my feet aren't quite touching the bottom.
Last week I presented, via Zoom, a summary of my art explorations during my residency in Crete. I went there with an intention and a plan and then discovered an idea/theme/focus that is just beginning to bubble to the surface and reveal itself.
You can see the presentation here: https://youtu.be/mVElmmv6KKk
And I mentioned some of these nascent ideas a couple of posts back: http://susanpm.blogspot.com/2022/10/art-making-in-lakkos.html
And now I have some time to explore the idea of "vessels" even further. I began by painting some fabrics with Dye Na Flow paints, a fluid but highly pigmented paint. The surface was
wet in areas so the paint flowed over the surface. I used a plastic pipette to apply the paint.     

After the different colours dried I went back into the surface with black Sharpie Markers and Posca Markers to outline certain areas.

Next, I traced different "vessel" shapes onto sketch paper and cut them out, traced around them onto the fusible web that I had ironed onto back of the first fabric. Then I cut the shapes out, just the basic fused applique technique.

The photo below is an experiment of how the vessels might be placed. The background is part of a dyed linen tablecloth and I placed rectangles that might be parts of a brick wall...I stil have to figure out what the vessels might "sit" on and its possible that the piece might not be finished as shown. But I do think the vessel fabric works well, I think some patterning on the surface might be an option...perhaps made with Thermofax screens?

All of this is leading me towards exploring the "vessels" as a response to the feminine, considering the female as a vessel of life, fertile, holding the future...so much content that I can explore - masses of research but ideas flooding out in a torrent.

So I write down what I can, sketch a bit and jump up and down with excitement! I can see so many options, especially working in 3D with constructed vessels, big and bigger, maybe the size of the pots I saw in Greece!

Have you considered that an art residency might be for you?

The Artists Deep Dive is for those who: 

• want time for focus with guided tips and ideas
• explore that idea that’s been calling to them
• have just touched the surface of what is possible for that idea….
• want to engage with a community of other artists
• build a structure that they can repeat again on your own
• can commit to a month-long focus

Until December 15th - the price is just $145 CDN - you can find out more information and sign up HERE - if you have questions - just send me an email: susanpm@shaw.ca

I think the potential to make our best art is 

... when our feet aren't quite touching the bottom.

The Industrial Shoreline

A whirlwind couple of weeks and such a wonderful experience...all the work got finished on time and turned out so well. My husband, and friend, Monica helped to hang the show and it all fit in and looks much better than I expected.

It's one thing for the piece to hang in a studio or design wall, during the creating the artist develops a very close relationship...one would say, almost intimate. The creator knows every detail, every brush stroke or stitch..after all, their hands and heart are the creator! Sometimes, when the work isn't behaving we can get angry or frustrated and when it is going well they are like our favourite child, the favourite for just that moment in time when it is all just perfect!

But then, the artist lets the work go, into the public, other people see it, form opinions, ask questions, gasp or walk by indifferently. The art has ceased to be the sole custody of the maker, it is now out in the world, rather like the child leaving home to face their unknown future. The work is then owned by the world, will it be sold, taken away to someones' home or wrapped up to be put back into the studio? Either way, it will never be seen in the same way again, it has now become a separate entity from its creator...released.

Do you feel the same way about your art?

Retired to Rust and small collage pieces

When my large pieces were hung with good lighting and seen as a grouping I was entranced - a completely different experience. I had a small opening reception and very thankful for those who attended. I have been in the gallery several times and enjoyed speaking with visitors, explaining the techniques used or inspiration from photos or sketches - its like speaking prouding of ones children...

These three pieces are part of a group of four I have titled Sailing into Hope, a thought that we will, one day, have the desire and fortitude to make the changes we need for a cleaner, sustainable enviorment.

Showing No More Ships, Lost at Sea and Log Boom Near Ledge Point

Navigating the Salish Sea

This one is hanging in the window as it can be seen from both sides. Shipping containers, stacked on the freighter as never just one colour, they can be rusted, marked with graffitti and many colours. I think the shapes and the rigid edges fascinating. I used Thermfax screens and marked the doors on the end of each container.

This shows Waiting to Load on the left, from a photo I had taken while touring St John's Harbour in Newfoundland. I am always entranced by the lines created by the loading cranes and the wires, and often a challenge to recreate in stitch.

Three of my Salish Sea series, these pieces are fun to make with water colour paper and fabric collage. I have made many, many of them as they are popular sellers at the summer shows.

 

In a separate room of the Gallery are Along the Fraser, Loading on the North Shore and The Salmon are Gone. These three group well together as they are also taken from images that are located fairly close to one another in the Fraser River basin. Along the Fraser is seen as soon as visitors come through the door and look to the far end of the Gallery. Visitors are struck by the scale of the pieces, often exclaiming over their size. I find that rather humorous as I began as a traditional quilter, making bed size quilts, so large size isnt difficult for me. Although it terrifies me thinking about working large scale on a canvas!

My central piece in the Gallery was an "installation", a statement and was very much a focus to visitors. Marine Traffic focused on the volume of freighters and other ships crossing the oceans and the impact that our consumer driven society has on the marine environment.

My signage discussed - How Many Ships are on the Ocean?

The main transport mode for global trade is ocean shipping: around 80% of traded goods are carried over the waves. Some 11 billion tons of goods are transported by ship each year. This represents an impressive 1.5 tons per person based on the current global population. Shipping’s capacity to transfer goods and materials from where they are produced to where they will be ultimately consumed underpins modern life.

Did you know that you can track almost every vessel on the ocean in real time? Follow the link to www.marinetraffic.com and pick one small image. Click on it and it will give you surprising information....did you notice how crowded the oceans look with all those vessels? 

I spoke to several people about this part of my exhibition and reflected on our part of this volume of consumption. I like to think I am a wise and knowledgable consumer but would I be willing to give up my morning coffee?

I also made a short video of the exhibtion, you might like to see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5CyG8o4aqQ

Just a last short note...the exhibition came down this afternoon, took just 20 minutes, it's packing away but some will be hung in my studio. Wistful feelings and ready for new adventures. 

And so....

Did you see the information about the presentation I am offering about my art residency in Crete? You can register at this link: Register HERE

Week 34 - Home Again, Home Again

It might be week 34...I just picked a logical number! Now we are home, lighting the wood stove and making savoury soups in our home in the forest....what a change from last week. Its time to reflect on the residency and ... in a different reality (it seems) prepare for my upcoming exhibition!

When I returned from my Iceland residency almost four years ago, it was a happy homecoming in May to spring and new growth, little baby fawns and looking forward to a summer with family!

This time, winter is approaching, the leaves are falling, days are getting shorter and shorter and the temperature change is shocking!

Opposites it would seem, and yet so many parallels - opening the front door and walking into the familiar - hello tables, hello chairs, hello kitchen and....HELLO BED!

Part of me thinks that we can create our home wherever we are - we repeat our familiar habits each day: get up, make the coffee, get dressed - all of those are done no matter where we are, and yet, in the getting up... the floorboards are different, the view out the window is different, the coffee tastes different. Those habits and rituals serve to ground us and give the feeling that we are centered and rooted, right there, even just for that brief time. 

But for me, the coming-home rituals give me the more real and true centered-ness that I need in order to feel entirely whole. I will travel and roam again but will always welcome that time of coming through the door and greeting my furniture!

Here is all my art - packing up and ready for the flights...I am convinced, utterly convinced that a smaller palette or collection of art making supplies leads to increased creativity and encourages us to explore our subjects/topics and mediums in different and surprising ways. My residency evolved into an unexpected path partly because of the items in my box and pile of fabrics....

How would you approach your art if all the supplies were squeezed into a plastic box? Do you think your practise would change? If so, how would it change? Can you envision the art that you'd create? What would you put into the box? I was so surprised that the "vessels" pushed themselves into creation in my residency! I will be planning some research and then a new group of work very soon.

A couple people commented on the walls in the house, the plaster and layers of colour are quite intriguing....

Yesterday I spent the entire day back in the studio and how wonderful that felt! I am preparing for the upcoming Industrial Shoreline exhibition ... the large textile pieces have been completed for some time but I have the smaller items to work on, including a large scale installation piece for the centre of the gallery. This is all new for me and the logistics of working that way are challenging! More photos to come!

In the meantime, I have turned my work table into a "shipping container factory" as I screen print the doors of shipping containers onto stitched units!

Would you like to see this in person? You are invited to the exhibition of The Industrial Shoreline, the Artist Talk is Nov. 16th 1-3pm and I'd love to see you! If you are coming any other time (the Gallery is closed on Mondays) let me know and I can meet you there - the chocolate shop is next door....

Art Making in Lakkos

 Now that I am firmly into the residency here in Crete, I am beginning to look at the end next week..and lest you think I am just touring around and checking out the museums and ancient sites I thought I’d catch you up on some of the work I’ve been doing. And a bit more about the other artists…

But first let’s talk about food! I have been to a few Greek restaurants at home in Canada, usually have the “combo” platter or something and never realizing how amazing the real food can be…

Now that’s a shrimp!

First, its fresh….as in the “catch of the day” is brought around on a platter and you can choose the piece that gets cooked up for you. Or you see the little truck delivering the veggies from the farms…and I know that’s not uncommon in many countries, but less so at home where consumables are packaged and shipped across the continents or oceans…

Second, it’s healthy…lots of fresh, enormous salads with incredible variety of veggies. Last night (Greeks eat late so it was about 9pm) DH and I shared a salad which was probably the best I’ve ever had! Beetroot had been cooked gently so it was very tender, along with small carrots, roasted walnuts and some sautéed green spinach leaves and a light but sweet balsamic dressing and it was placed on a bed of Sumac Labneh, which is a strained Greek yoghurt to make it even thicker and powdered Sumac added….amazing!

Orange Pie! It looks like cake but made with phyllo…google it!

Third, its generous. Portions are larger than we are used to so we have learned to share dishes and apparently that’s a common thing to do here….order several appies and share it all.

Fourth, no one is in a rush…at home, we go out, we eat, we leave. Not here, take your time, food is not pushed quickly, no one is waiting for you to pay the bill and get out. Take your time, visit with your friends, eating together is a social event so enjoy!

The best potato salad with lemon and dill and lots of olive oil!

Lastly, if you don’t order dessert you always get a small plate of something at the end. Often it’s yogurt with Cretan honey (dark and thick) or some small pastries and a small bottle of raki with little glasses. Raki is a potent alcohol that is said to help with digestion…hhhmmm…it’s not my favourite but DH has my portion!

Baklava, like you’ve never experienced before! Tender phyllo with pistachio purée and honey drizzled over top…. 

So, have I convinced you to visit here?

Now, what have I been working on? I admit the first few days here were a bit of a struggle, trying bits and pieces, flitting between ideas and not really settling on anything. My subject area was too broad and not focused at all….

When I was at the residency in Iceland I worked out tons of samples, lots of small pieces that lead to larger ones at home…and that worked well, I had a whole month so I could afford to spend the time with a wider range.

But here I wanted to go deeper into a tighter focus…it took a while but working on a shape and then building the shape into a stencil gave me the subject I wanted to explore. I began with a simple vessel shape that I have seen in the residence courtyard, the shops, the museums …its sort of ubiquitous to the Mediterranean! And I tried different media, sizes and eventually developed it into a few different shapes.

This was the first ‘aha’ seeing the vessel shape appear and using the overlapping shadow

A small 6” x 8” collage with painted paper and fabric

This one is about 14” square and is just an arrangement of different elements of the vessel shapes. I will fine tune this a bit more and work into machine stitching at home.

Painted canvas background with more paper and fabric collage. Definitely like the  contrast of shapes!

In all of this exploring with the vessels…I’ve been thinking of the vessel as a female form, voluptuous, fertile, and then that brings me back to some images that DH took at the archeological museum:

And the vessels that contain, hold or store….back to the concept of the female as the receptacle of life. So much more to think about than just a nice vase!

Here are some more art making images, some just as fabrics and paper being painted, prior to being cut up and used…

Part of my practise here is keeping a daily journal, most times its just a couple pages, sometimes some thoughts or plans for the day or reflections on what Ive done the previous day. And it can also be “rejects” glued onto the page, maybe its just too nice to throw out but not good enough to use….

And finally a photo of my workspace…dusty walls and bits of plaster! 

Week One is Done!

 It’s been just over one week at the residency and looking back it has been such a wonderful experience of colour, art, images to excite the eye and so much more…I admit that its been challenging to focus and go deep into any one component of my ideas that I began with! My plan in the last post will continue…that is creating small vignettes of an idea or concept…

But first some eye candy of our travels over the weekend. We hired a car, small but mighty, and rented a room in Matala - remember Joni Mitchel and her song “Carey”? Yup, that’s the place of hippie caves…

It is now quite touristy with lots of restaurants and small hotels but a good base for exploring further! 

Have you ever had a day that was just perfect in every aspect and around each corner was a new experience and a visual feast? Our day to the Agiofarango Gorge was totally amazing!

First a stop at the Odigitria Monastery which is still an active site for services and visitors, of course I need to find the embroideries…

But a short walk up the hill behind showed us another, newer, chapel where the inside was still being painted..bright clear colours which was probably how the insides of the other places were…many years ago!

Further along the bumpy, twisty road we parked and walked a couple kms. Along the dry river bed with the walls of the gorge rising up on either side. There was the clang, bong of goat bells around us and I was amazed at how high up the cliffs those little critters could climb…and a few people!

But wait! More surprises around the bend…people…up in the air…walking….

And yes, we went in swimming, and no, we hadn’t taken our swim suits…but beach attire seemed quite optional…(yeah, not me!)

Our reward at the end of the day:

 Yesterday afternoon we visited the Arkadi Monastery near Rethymno, a beautiful location with a long and troubling history.

From their website: Today, the Sacred Monastery of Arkadi observes the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church, both as a fully operating monastery and as a pilgrimage destination of religious tourism.

Seven monks live, work and serve the Church in the monastic cells of Christ the Savior, St. Constantine and his mother St. Helen.

While it appears that the site may have been founded as early as the 11th century, it is in more recent times that the site became a unifying symbol of Greek nationalism. (Keep in mind these words are from their website)

Yet, the most glorious event that elevated the fame of the historic Monastery is its resistance to the Ottoman conquerors. In 1866, at the start of the Cretan Revolution against the Ottoman imperialism, 964 fighters and people from the nearby villages found themselves enclosed inside the Monastery, in an effort to save themselves and fight against the tyranny they had suffered during the Ottoman occupation.

In the two-day siege, the Cretans rightly fought against the Ottomans, and despite their sacrifice in the monastic cells, the yard or even the powder keg that ended their life, that siege has been a loud awakening for the peoples of Europe regarding the trials that the conquerors subjected the Cretans to. It defined and determined the spirit and courage of the Greeks against injustice and forcible occupation of their land.

An artistic depiction installed in the powder keg (copy of a painting by Vryzakis, exhibited in the National Gallery) fully attributes the meaning and the ideals the captivated Cretans fought for in the Monastery of Arkadi. As Hegumen Gabriel gives his blessing for the start of the fight for their belief and their ideals, the besieged people around him are in agony, they suffer, they hope, they struggle, they sacrifice themselves and anticipate, after their sacrifice, their own Resurrection in eternity, laurel-crowned, brought by angels from the sky.

More information about the history (including embroidery) can be found here: https://arkadimonastery.gr/home.html

As I spend more time in Greece, I realize that the struggles (on both sides and in particular, their experiences in the last century) are still very much part of their emotions, art, music and much more - there are still people alive who remember the privations of WWII, families with connections to the Greek-Turkish Population Exchange (I admit being oblivious to this forcible relocation) and even the financial crisis of 2008 which had huge impacts on businesses and families. It serves us all to be knowledable about places we visit and understand the people, even a small amount.

Lest you think this is all a tourist trip…I have been working, sketching a bit each day although in a very rudimentary fashion…definitely  need to work harder on this!

And some small pieces are showing promise..I love the variety of shapes of the pottery vessels in so many different sizes and configurations…both modern and those in museums. So I cut a couple small stencils and plan to work more on these today..

A rough, primitive and somewhat childish collage of a building on our travels this weekend:

And the wall in my workroom, with falling plaster and dusty rocks…

Some painted and marked fabric to tear up and mess around with! 

Now, to work!!!