When fall comes to the upper left hand corner, the mist dances on tippy toes betwixt the trees. Long fibers stretch between the weeds to hold mandala circles mirrored with jewels. They sparkle and glint in the slanting sun of early morn. 

The guardians witness this autumn transformation.

Oh, to know all of what the stones know.  

Pandemic Period Catch Up

 Time has passed... what with the pandemic and all. This catching up with life is long overdue. I am reminded I did have had some productive moments during the past three tumultuous years.  

In 2020/2021 I participated in Science Stories which was on display at the Collins Library at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. 

 Bound/ Unbounded

Here's a link to the project:

Science Stories: A Collaboration of Book Artists and Scientists | The University of Puget Sound

My work is listed under Mountains. 

You can also read about my science partner, Abir Biswas who provided the 

field research for my books. 

In 2021 I made a 3rd book to go along with my original set of two.

I called this one 

Mt. Saint Helens, The Living Laboratory.

The next stop for the exhibition show was Port Angeles Art Museum. 

Unfortunately the large overstuff Book of Knowledge and Mt Saint Helens, The Living Laboratory

 along with the Big Horn Sheep antlers were stolen. 

The smallest book - the leather bound girdle book with watercolor drawings 

of Mt St. Helens was spared. 

It is now part of the Science Stories exhibition currently at Whitman College. 

2022

This year's Puget Sound Book Artist Member Exhibition had a theme - Peaks and Valleys.

I call this book 

Escaping Flatland

It was serious study of The Four Treasures (sumi brush, stone, ink and paper) and 

The Three Perfections (poetry, painting, and calligraphy).

Workbook 1 focused on sumi brush painting, kanji character writing, haiku poetry.

 Workbook 2 utilized suminagashi paintings and responsive writing. 

Mountains and valleys, waves and troughs were the subject.

As the season shifts to Autumn it seems odd that the activity level is increasing. 

Perhaps it is the instinct to prepare for winter. 

My checklist

Plenty of paper 

Pencils

Inks

Paints

tools

Ideas

tea and coffee

Yup, I think I am ready to dig in. 

Puget Sound Book Artists has a new workshop going -

"A Study of Home" - taught by Shu-Ju Wang

and I am all signed up.

May the creativity flow. 

TRANSFORMING

On a Super Full Moon day... I venture out into the cyber world. The days are warmer and the air clearer. It feels possible to speak about the last few months since my last post. So much has happened. So much is still happening. The whole world is being rebooted, reset, and reassembled. In time I am sure we will see the drama, death and destruction will be transformed into a new way, a new life, painful as it maybe. Some will question Mother Nature's process, but I will not.

Fall was all about traveling the southern states. Let me just say some of our experiences lead me to believe some things have just not changed fast enough for ME. Perhaps this is why the days and weeks and months that followed were so fraught with frustration. I tried my best to view the national issues with balance. As my frustration grew I knew it was important to find creative ways to deal with the negative frustration. I will leave my point of view to just one picture. Prayer flags, peace cranes, quilting, flag making, cutting up recycled calendars to make trees, pin cushions, stitchery... did not completely transform my frustration, but no need to stir those past embers into flames.

Yet who knew. these habits of creativity would help so well now during this Corona virus pandemic.

I do believe we are in informational times. Sometimes we have to look back to see where we have been in order to determine our path forward.

The following work contains a folder printed with hand-carved stamps, embellished with embroidery on silk book cloth,  and a magnetized flap closure. The amate bark covered book is Coptic bound with hand-stitching on the hinges.  The pages are my own botanical prints on Arches cover paper. The contents on the pages are a small variety of fragments, bits and pieces and experiments from my bookmaking. The last pages, on Mi-Tientes paper are photos of the books I have created over the last ten years. In looking back I am so appreciative to the many Puget Sound Book Artist members, guests instructors, and lecturers, who in addition to Nature inspired my creative efforts.

May our creativity save us!

Joy of the season

The wheel of time has turned and autumn is on its way. The rains have started. I sit with tea cup in hand and look out. I think about this past summer. It was wonderful. I finally found out how to find peace with our property. I no longer can keep up the paid crew of gardeners working for owners of the NEW mega mansions that surround us. So, instead of changing MY ways I am simply calling our property a 'camp'. It was amazing how that changed my mood. Nobody expects a camp to be perfect. Really, the only thing missing is a lake. We have two craft lodges, a covered eating area, fire wood galore, and the old caretakers cabin. Ha ha - Smile. There it is - my zen. The things on my to-do list haven't changed they just have been given a new perspective.
Come see -

Ivy was removed, a new path to Raven Lodge and even an outdoor easel for messages to visitors or for painting or whatever one wants to do at 'camp'. 

Of course one thing lead to another... and Bell Garden and Labyrinth was created.

It is a meditation garden. 

You ring the bells to enter then straight on to the dukkha wall. 

This is the wall of dukkha - there is a rusty thing that represents most all types of suffering. Like the  shovel head - you know when you keep talking when you should have stopped. It's like digging your own hole and you regret it.. The  drill for those thoughts that drill into your head; the grater - thoughts that grate. You see how this goes. I quickly learned to leave any unsavory thoughts there at the wall. 

You hike past the stone elders and 

objects that remind one of faith...

or fairies 

or nature

and water

The table that holds gifts to the seasons, the spirit and reminds me to be grateful. 

I pass the tub of living things in a closed system. I am reminded as I try to encourage water plants and gold fish to survive that earth is a closed system. oh, how we humans have mucked it up.

 

By the time I make it to 

my open gamme (Sami for spiritual shelter)

sometimes I refer to it as my crannog

(a Scottish building over water)

there is time to light a candle and meditate. 

The making of the garden, the visiting it daily - all of it has helped me find peace. 

When you are at peace it is easier to create. 

I participated in Puget Sound Book Artist first book exchange. 

The theme was 'pocketbooks'.

Here's mine:

I used my printmaking designs for the envelopes. Each envelope had a little book.

Here's the book I received in exchange. 

It was made by Bonnie Julien. 

It is a Chinese sewing thread book. They are extremely difficult to make. 

What a treasure for me. 

The highlight of these past six months has been my collaboration with the 

Vérité WOWers. 

As with the calling our place a camp - 

one thing lead to another with this collaboration. 

We WOWers published a book 

so everyone had a record of their square and our project. 

Of course we needed a bookmark!

Do you know how hard it is to photograph a 100+ inch accordion book!

Well, sure, let's have a banner and bags and hats. 

Why not!

 Things came to sweet culmination for the WOWers this past Saturday.

There was a lovely Opening at Collins Library on the University of Puget Sound campus.  

We all celebrated. It was so much fun.

Don't tell them tho...

I already have a new project in mind 

just in case we have snow again and can't row. 

If you are interested in knowing more about 

Vérité WOWers here's a link:

https://veritetacoma.blogspot.com/