Masked Ladies continue to appear

While on vacation, the masked ladies continued to develop. My vacations are actually periods of personal retreat, set aside from everyday responsibilities and distractions.

My retreats are time to read, write and draw to understand a developing sculpture, or draw for the sheer joy of it. Sometimes I paint. I take a drop cloth, gesso, filthy compressed charcoal, cool papers and an openness to surprising developments that can only occur in times of great peace.

SOme vacation photos

I have been home almost a week. It seems like forever already and I await my visit to the shore next year with ever so pleasant anticipation.

Twilight on "my" beach.

A female piece of driftwood on "my" beach.

A boy leaping off a 20-30 foot cliff at Temperance River State Park...as previously demonstrated by his father. The 2 of them started their leaping near the pedestrian bridge and sought ever higher promontories for leaping.

Birch crowns on "my" deck, compliments of my friend Dale.

I call this place "mine" because it touched me so...but, truly, I do not own it, except in my heart. I already made my reservations for next year.

An uncommon day on Lake Superior

Water so clear you can see the rocks...and so warm you can feel you feet! And a sky that is surreal in its beauty. The clouds line up in military rows yet are so soft, downy and low that they would caress you!

It's a matter of scale

I have been drawing hands for a logo I am helping develop. In response to the niggling smallness of computer work, I had to draw hands on 4 foot by 8 foot paper this afternoon...and somehow, bodies became attached to the outsized hands. And so it goes. I now have charcoal encrusted hands to start a 3 day technology workshop. So it goes.

When you wear a mask you can do anything?

These women have been dancing through my sketch books for several years. As I approach my 61st birthday they re-appear. There is something here about living a "juicy old age." Mary Oliver asks “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”....So I ask, if I wore a mask, would I then dance with utter abandon? The ladies in my sketch book certainly do.

I am cross posting with Sue's Luxury Fiber blog...the content crosses over. I am actively exploring, again, the ability of yarn to carry the "burden" of fine art. These yarns are spun unbelievably large..barely useful. Each strand of the largest are larger than my index finger. Perhaps I will pose them elsewhere...or maybe I'll continue this project at the Walker Art Center Open Field Spin-In on July 10.

Anemone-Yarn installation

I have been spinning on the Country Spinner HUGE hanks of yarn that , when plopped (that's a technical term), take on the character of Anemones. This first photo is a lighting anomaly...the yarn is NOT orange. I think my hand was partially blocking the flash! But it is a cool photo. I then arranged them across the floor. I like the difference in size of the strands...from super-bulky to Ginormous Bulky( another technical term).

Then I covered them with silk organza net. Then I placed a net of lights beneath them. I LOVE HOW THIS LOOKS! I think I will continue working with this.

Now I wonder how they would look in the garden?