:: Dear friends. Thank you again for all the warm comments you have left me as I return to my blog. They are very meaningful.
:: Here you see a collage of many patterns (the lid of a vintage paper box, a small embroidery that an etsy seller from abroad tucked in my package when I ordered from her shop, and a clipping from a recent New York Times Weekend Arts section). I pair this photo with a "Bird in Flight" that I made this month. Hand-dyed wool, vintage silk flowers, and an old factory spool. I bought a handful of these spools at the Brimfiled Market last spring. I hope to get back to the show this year to find more of these. They allow me to portray and support animals in motion.
:: I read an interesting post on Bookhou this morning about the worth of handmade work. I recommend both makers and purchasers of handmade goods read this. Arounna is articulate in her argument. I also have to say that, as an owner of two Bookhou bags, her work is beautiful and worth the investment.
:: Finally, along the lines of work and worth, I read this in Mary Rose O'Rielly's spiritual memoir The Love of Impermanent Things:
"It was so hard for me to learn to value my own vocation - it's still my basic instinct to spill over for anyone who asks - and now, in midlife, I am not going to give up what I know."
Does that sound familiar to you?