Manitoulin Memory

Looking towards Killarney from Manitoulin Island

Spirit Island

Judy Martin's home

Judy's inspiration

Photo by Miranda Bouchard

For years and years Judy and have visited each other

stitching

sharing

supporting

dreaming

discussing

critiquing

sometimes friends joined us too

This time Miranda Bouchard joined us.

We are happy Miranda is curating our next show

I believe we are all finding this intergenerational collaboration very rewarding.

Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council for funding Miranda in this curatorial project.

Top Judy's work in progress Bottom Penny's Whispering Cairn

 We viewed pieces together

sharing thoughts and insights

It is a special friendship

when you feel comfortable

giving honest critique and receiving it.

Thank you for that gift

Left Penny's Stone Islands  Right Judy's Dark Side of the Sun

Sometimes we turned things around

Sometimes we turned things upside down

Sometimes we got the scissors out and took things apart

Left Penny's Work in Progress Right Judy's Work in Progress

Judy and I are very similar but oh so different too.

For this show...

Judy aims at inspiring people to gaze skyward

at it's enormity 

but also to find that immensity in ourselves too.

My goal is to inspire us to observe the places we live in

to recognize how we are in nature

and how nature can fill the immensity that is us.

Judy's Work in Progress

We reach out

We touch

We are textile artists after all

Touch is everything

Family Summertime at the Lake

Fishing from Kayaks and paddle boards

Relaxation on an air-filled yellow ducky

Three girls cooking in the kitchen

with Owen the puppy keeping an eye on all.

Grand baby Ashley couldn't wait to use her

new fishing rod

and paddle off with her dad in the canoe.

And so they disappeared down the lake

hoping to contribute to supper.

 Fishing off the dock turned out to be more successful!

Mommy and Stevie Ray relaxed in the shade.

Mommy and Ashley floated with noodles galore.

The youngsters.....even baby Stevie...scampered

up and down the stairs.

Gramps and I tried to keep going up to a minimum!

Ashley learnt all about paddle boarding.

A joy filled time.

Thank you my loves.

(Not a speck of stitching got done!)

Summertime Drive Through Eastern Canada

We relaxed on the ferry....

to cross a fogbound Bay of Fundy

We shared the ferry trip with Judy and Ned

Judy and I stitched and debriefed

on our Cloth of Time show

and planned our next.

Precious time with a dear friend who lives way too far away!

Then we parted ways until the next time.

Everywhere you go in this part
of the country....

....you know there are lakes at every turn.

Even travelling on forest edged road

you know a lake is out of sight hiding behind the trees.

Once you hit the flat St Laurence valley

you pass farm after farm

and clusters of silos waiting for this year's harvest.

I Stitched

We shared the road 

with trucks and trucks and more trucks

With bikes and campers

With boats and kayaks

 With canoes and paddle boards

Driving through Algonquin

a tall imposing

totem pole

appeared on our right.

Summertime in Canada

means plenty of this.

We drove under bridges and under rivers.

And I stitched.

 Finally after two days of driving

we reached our destination.

 Aaaaaah!

On the Shores of Georgian Bay

The shores of Georgian Bay were crowded....

....Geese were everywhere.

Swans, geese, mallards and seagulls

floated and soared....

Brett and Amber and I had a lovely afternoon walk

people watching and bird watching.

Deep in the Tobiatic Wilderness

Diane and I took a trip to her and Harold's cabin deep in the Tobiatic.

We drove over logging backroads roads..more rock than road

then walked a woodland trail

then came to Sixth Lake where we canoed

across to get to their lovely remote cabin.

first things first...We took tannin water from the lake

and got some fabric soaking.

Next we went exploring the forest floor

for leaves and flowers

such as Cornus Canadensis or Bunchberries

Monotropa Uniflora or Indian Pipe

Coptis or Golden Thread

named for the threads of gold yellow roots

that lead from one plant to another.

And we found so many more.

That evening we canoed to the marshy end of the lake

and watched three rare night hawks

and some not so rare (in these parts) beaver at play.

 The lake was like a mirror

and covered in pollen

which of course is making it a fun year of allergies for moi!

In the morning we woke to a beautiful stream of mist

travelling along the lake.

Despite the temptation of taking another canoe trip

we got straight to work

wrapping bundles

steaming some

and dyeing others.

A great two days of discovery.