Before the Skype session, I had a bit of time in the annex. Just me, my camera and Pam's wonderful water.
Pam - Envision an installation of sorts where you walk into a room to be greeted by wave after wave of water moving across the floor. Just a thought...
With Esmerelda and Cecil looking on, we'd arranged our work in a way that we hoped would give Julie a good idea of what we'd been up to all week.
Pam and I found ourselves standing back and being amazed at how her water and my rust compliment and, pardon the pun, flow together. Our previous work didn't. Could have been my very bright color palette. Now...well...now we can see the joint exhibition taking shape.
Then the computer rang and the show 'n tell began. Lap tops do come in handy.
It was great fun to stand back and watch Julie's reactions, listen to her questions, answer a few myself, etc. All too soon, it was time to stop. Pam and I were off to town to shop for my little urchins.
That night, I went back down for one last look, one last visit. Standing alone in the studio, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and offered thanks to the studio, the muses, the house and all in it for the week, the magic, the friendship, the haven, the heaven that was our 3rd Annual Artist Retreat.
Hi Jennifer, At last I've had a chance to have a good read of your blog and catch up on the past couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous time you've had with Pam - your work is great together - I love the rust and indigo together. I love the philosophy of 'just DO it' - so good to allow serendipitous things to happen.
I too am enjoying what happens with green tea and rust - sometimes I get amazing deep browns to purples. I have lots of dotty pages that I want to use in my next ALAW.
Good luck with your exhibition proposal,and well done you for being tuned into 2013 already!! XX
Hi Noela! How nice of you to stop by. You've been very busy lately and I've been enjoying reading about your trip to China and watching the painting process. Your Guilin paintings are my favorites...yes, all of them. Can't single out just one.
DeleteThe green tea and rust experiments were such a surprise. That indigo-ish color is scrumptious and prompting more rusting, just when I'd planned to give my rusty bits the summer off to rejuvenate fully from the winter's rusting reason.
Thank you for the good wishes re: the exhibition proposal. I'm in the studio ironing my large rust beauties right now. Phew! It's almost as hot and steamy in here as it is outside. Gotta love air conditioning.
I'll eagerly await seeing your next ALAW using the rust dotted pages. The artistry shown on that site and the Book Art Object is so wonderful and inspiring.
Time to get back to ironing... Enjoy!
Just fabulous! I really love the idea of the water installation...wouldn't that be a beautiful sight! Love that you caught my Skype tour of the studio...well worth waiting for this post. Off teaching today but hope to try some plein air weed printing tomorrow if I'm not overwhelmed by the extreme heat.
ReplyDeleteThe Skype tour was such fun! And the session itself was much as ours is at times. Keeps us sane and working. So...quick! Update your version so we can schedule some trios.
DeleteCan't wait to see more of your plein air weed printing. The first experiments were very intriguing. Just remember...keep it simple...or at least simple looking.
So many memories flooding back into my mind about the week...could it be just a week since we stood back and reviewed the retreat? Hmmmm...will have to consider the "sea floor" installation. Esmerelda and Cecil are still humming and spinning and your energy is still present in the studio. Of course, you made my eyes flood by the end of the post!
ReplyDelete"Sea floor" huh? OOOOhhhhhhh... You see it too, after all, you've already named it...sea floor. Small passages for one to quietly and slowly stroll through midst row after row of your waves. Nothing on the walls to distract except pinpoints of light randomly placed. A breeze teases your skin as you pass a section and the sea floor shifts a bit. Close your eyes and the scent, the texture, the softness, the power of water fills your soul.
DeleteOh! I know that feeling. I spent last week surrounded by it. And, yes, by the time I read my own words out loud in the last paragraph, my eyes were flooded too. To have not written them wouldn't have been right.
And thanks are owed to Anca Gray for her description of Haven. Heaven. in an earlier comment.
this is a beautifully moving piece of sharing... and your final paragraph grabbed me... all of that beauty, that making, that connecting with kindred spirits - what a wonderful life it is... thank you so much for sharing parts of yours...
ReplyDeleteMaire, thank you for reminding me that I do have a wonderful life! Truly, thank you. Seems I've been so caught up in the minutia lately that I've forgotten to step back and view the whole. And the whole...well, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
DeleteBy the way, we aren't that many states apart, are we? Be fun to meet in the middle sometime.
Oh my goodness. The visuals are stunning and I can dream how they can be...
ReplyDeleteA lovely finish to the post - stopping, being grateful and giving thanks. It was a special time, a special place. Thanks for letting us in on a part of it. And yes, for those moments of wonder, connection, exploration, support and beauty we are truly thankful. Go well, F
Glad you could join us, even if only via cyberspace. One day, we'll have a larger retreat and you'll come play with us. What fun we'll have!
DeleteGiving thanks for magical moments is important, don't you think? This year there was no disastrous first day as in the past. We unpacked my boxes, had our own show 'n tell and then just started. And marveled all week at how it all just fell into place.
As you said, for those moments of wonder, connection, exploration, support and beauty, we are truly thankful. That includes meeting friends in NYC too. Enjoy, J
So true...F
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