Marking Virgin Snow

It might not look like it but the RP's and I are the first ones here!

It has always astonished me how much one car, one human

and two Rusty Pups can disturb the ground they move upon.

One of the joys of early morning walks on virgin snow

is the visual proof of who has been there before me.

The Rusty Pups know all year long

with their noses to the ground.

rabbits live here

squirrels live here

A tiny jumper of some sort?

Bobcats live here

Mice headed for shelter before we got here.

If one takes too long to get a shot of new footprints

Rusty Pups come rushing over to help

and of course destroy any chance of a photo!

Wherever one goes....

 ....the other is bound to follow.

And finally remembering

the Beaver footprints from last year.

Huge aren't they!

Knowing that these creatures share this land with us

fills my soul with joy.

I hope you have a joy filled day.

Cloth of Time Opening

Cloth of Time Opening

Judy looks beautiful

I am shocked at how I look like my mother!

We each talked....

....about our work and how we approach it.

Oh, boy did we have fun picking a stone and trying to find it.

Thank you to everyone who came out.

A Penny talking to a Penny!

Margi and Jamie

And then the gallery started emptying out

We could walk through and under
Not to Know But To Carry On

So many thanks to Diane and to Valerie too
who took many photographs of the evening for us.

And now onto new work for new shows!
I hope Summer hangs around now that I can relax.

Cloth of Time Before the Opening

Judy's Ned and the gallery's Nick had oh, so much fun

climbing up ladders and stretching up to ceilings!

Handy Hubby made an easy job of hanging my work

and then drove the 2 1/2 hours back to the Rusty Pups.

Me, I stayed in Halifax to spend time with

Judy

Diane

Valerie

Margi

All such dear friends.

I know there is not much to see in this picture

I just like the drama of it!

It took 12 strong bags to bring the rocks here.

I have to say Handy Hubby did not approve!

He thought I was crazy!

but me....I think it was worth it.

I did enjoy having the opportunity again to really

look at Daily Scratchings

Once the show was hung Judy and I

had the opportunity to spend some time alone

in the gallery.

A special time for us to celebrate and enjoy

bringing our journals together.

Criss Cross had to be arranged differently this time.

Not To Know But To Go On

Hangs in wonderful loops

through the centre of the Mary E Black gallery

I did enjoy looking through those loops....

.....and seeing the rest of our beautiful show!

Congratulations Judy!

Touching Life

Touch

for me

is most important.

It connects me to my work

more so than seeing it displayed on a wall.

Touch is memory.

Touch is healing.

In preparing for a show I have to

think of the visual too.

Remind myself that presentation is important.

So, for that reason I am stitching galvanized nails

to the bottom of my long narrow paths.

I am thinking the weight will keep them hanging nicely.

As I stitch I spy a precious rock that I have carried with me for years.

A talisman of sorts

A tactile memory of a difficult time in my life.

Strangely enough I hadn't thought of including it 

as one of my stones for 'Stone Pathways'.

As I stitch I am also musing on what

the next daily stitching journal will be.

Perhaps

drawing outlines of important things

like my tiny piece of whittling

done on the shores of Georgian Bay

when my three boys were oh so young.

Perhaps these would be a part of a project like that.

Small bits and pieces from my life

that are always with me

kept safely in a pouch.

We shall see.

I hope you have a collection of talismans from your life

that might inspire.

Sometimes we ignore the things we see or touch every day.

Butterflies

Daily Scratchings

was a large part of my life for four years.

Recording time passing

Stitching every day.

It will be shown it in it's entirety for the first time this summer,

all 200 feet of it.

I am working on it at the moment

checking it out and adding tabs for the first day of each month.

Sometimes adding to the writing on the back

where I had written about special days and thoughts.

I hope you can visualize the

difficulty I am having in controlling a 200 foot 'snake' on the tables in my studio!

But that is the least of my worries.

Which photos to use for promotions

 invitations

catalogues

cards

and

Which words to use in Bios

artist statements

backs of cards

are decisions that are simply freaking me out!

I have to say that the blue section above

is a favourite of mine.

It includes the day that we received news from our insurance

that my car was a write-off

killed by chewing mice! 

Back when it was a more manageable size

It was easily rolled around a stick

and taken hither and thither.

Another favourite

when I spied a crow flying overhead

with the biggest twig he could manage.

At this moment I might be quietly freaking out

but

I am so looking forward to having this show with my dear friend

Judy Martin

 the Mary E Black gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Where The Stones Are

Stones come in every shape and size don't they.

Every day for a year I have picked up a stone

Carried it home in a pocket

Felt it's weight and texture in the palm of my hand and....

....I have wondered what each stone has seen in it's lifetime

for it has lived thousands of years longer than I ever will.

I have wondered who, through the centuries, could have walked upon each stone.

 Did any small boy, or man for that matter,

Use my chosen rock as a weapon?

I have wondered why some of my stones

have bits and pieces missing....

....and have they travelled to this place for afar?

This past week I needled the last stitches into the twelfth pathway.

I will miss the daily ritual of hunting for a new stone.

However, as I stitched around each stone,

I was inspired once again by their markings

so

perhaps another piece will come out of just the marks.

One thing leads to another.

May you be led down a new stone path of creativity on this day.