I carved this stamp of Squirtley Dirtley today. Mama Kitty’s will be along soon. I think it will look good with dark brown ink on gold paper. Today I was playing with the Lumiere metallic gold paints and the alphabet stamps that Ricë gave me, and some that I carved.

I’m right pleased with this stamp.

I spent a good few hours in the studio tonight, so I feel like I’m back on track. Especially because I began my artist’s journal - FINALLY. This is a smallish spiral-bound handbook that came from work and is now out-of-date, so instead of sending it to the landfill (I try not to say “throw away” anymore), I’m reusing it as a journal. I paint over the pages with gesso as I go. Because it is nothing special, I’m not tempted to hang on to it for that “perfect” time to use it. And I’m not showing it to anybody, so I’m free to screw up and experiment all I want without fear. In fact, I’m going to TRY to screw up.

Because I’ve discovered something - artist’s block is fear, plain and simple. And there’s one more thing - you’re an artist too. That’s right, YOU. You may have had the desire or the courage for art criticized out of you, but you could make art. You really could. And here’s the last thing that I’ll say on the subject today - don’t limit art. That’s how you kill it. I believe that gardening and painting and cooking and weaving and decorating and ceramics and dancing and knitting and music and raising children and writing is art. As well as anything else that requires you to put some of your soul into it.

I also wove about a foot on the fabulously ugly scarf III, but I found that my upper back hurt after about 10 minutes of weaving. So it was fortunate that I’ve got so many projects and ideas in motion. This was part of my strategy. Since I tend to have a lot of little aches and pains, if one thing bothers me, I can switch off to another.

Also this week, other than carving stamps, I finished backing and photographing the ATCs. I took a heavy watercolor sketchpad that I wasn’t using and made signatures for a 48 page book, cutting the heavy cardboard back in two pieces to use for covers. When I showed it to my co-worker who is getting married in August, musing over what I might make out of it, she said that she needed a guest book. So I’ll do a test run on this one, since it’s my first book not made from a kit, and then I’ll take her to a local art supply store that has some wonderful handmade papers and I’ll make her a nice wedding present. I’m thrilled about this. It’s good to have a focus. For me, anyway!

The only real problem that I’m having at the moment with my art is that I’m fantasizing a little too much about if only I could attend this school or make art full time or go to this retreat or conference. I’m much happier in the present moment, but not having much to do at work right time is a blessing and a curse sometimes.

Oh yeah - there will be much of this kind of talk this summer. Apparently I can’t cook and do housework and garden and do art at the same time. So the cooking and housework obviously have to go.

Through the incredible generosity of Ricë Freeman-Zachery, I am now the owner of all these stamps. Wow. What a kickstart to my new venture in book arts.

My first carved alphabet stamps. I’m filling in the missing stamps from the vintage collection Ricë gave me.

Do you see why I’m totally in love with this woman now? She has become my new mentor. I’ve been learning from her blog and her YouTube videos. And she’s funky and cool and unabashedly human and funny as hell.

I was thinking about my problems with finding a new mentor and teacher, and while I certainly don’t believe that the universe caused harm to John and Suzanne in order to steer me in the right direction, sometimes it seems that when you’re frustrated and impatient that you’re blocked, maybe you just need to chill out and wait. That somebody or something to rev you up may be a minute away. Maybe if I had gone to Italy, I wouldn’t have headed in this direction. Who knows?

Maybe I am destined to go to Italy another time, with another teacher. God knows some interesting coincidences have come to my attention in that area. Such as a pamphlet given to me in an art quilt class at Art & Soul offering classes in journaling and collage and such, which happened to be about an Italy tourism business run by the same couple who have been sending me emails about Slow Food related trips. Well, I didn’t know that the teacher of the class I was taking was going to be teaching in Orvieto next year with these folks.

So today, since it’s good for me to always have some exciting art venture to look forward to, I registered for a week-long class with Daniel Essig at John C. Campbell Folk School to make wooden books. I justify it this way - I don’t have to stinking justify it, man. It’s the way it is. I am an artist, and this is energy coming in. Last fall, a professor counseled me that all my energy was going out, and I needed to find the way to let it in. Or something like that. It was not being replenished, and I was deflating. I really think that she was right.

On her throne

Stalking a very unlucky rabbit

Helping me mulch the paths in the Back Forty

“Mama Kitty” Georgia O’Neill
1996-May 18, 2008

She was a free spirit who lived a near perfect life, with humans that cared for her, freedom to roam, and a daughter who loved her. She was a mighty huntress. She had an insatiable curiosity which overcame her fear, and incredible luck to live for twelve years as a peaceful feral cat in a busy neighborhood among other roaming animals. Her spirit is a integral part of the Back Forty.

She gave me the gift of her son, Squirt.

Near the end of her life, she enchanted mine by finally giving me what I needed and craved the most, her love and friendship.

She will be missed. I loved her very much.

Wow, what a difference the new set-up of my studio makes. I think that I’ll be able to get some great work done this summer. I pinned my fabric swatches up to the curtain hanging in front of the shelves, and a cork bulletin board has bags and strands of beads tacked to it. My Lyle Lovett poster and a cheap Diego Rivera print of a weaver are on the walls. My little window air conditioner is cranking so it was very comfortable. I re-listened to one of the Oprah/Eckhart Tolle podcasts and enjoyed it. I don’t write about it, but I’m deep into navel-gazing about my artistness.

I wove on the scarf for an hour and switched to a straight twill in the middle which will make it go much faster. When I get to the last 15 inches I’ll switch back to the striped rosepath. I painted over some pages in a spiral book that I’m altering for a journal. This one will be my wild child journal that I’m promising myself will remain private, so that I feel very free to experiment and screw up a lot!

This weekend I will be playing a lot of catch-up with grocery and basic house supply shopping and mulching and weeding and housework, but I’m planning to spend at least 3-4 hours each day in the studio.

Another device to help me focus: a list of my works in progress. I’ll post about these and photograph as I actually progress. From the oldest to newest might be the best way to go, although I doubt I’ll proceed in this order.

1. Fabulously ugly scarf III - still on the floor loom in the studio. Weave it off and fold up the loom. I want the floor space for summer.
2. “Labyrinth” tapestry - looking forward to this one, actually.
3. Skirt and clean Bev’s fleeces, send off to be carded and spun.
4. Tobacco ATCs
5. Woven ATCs - back them and photograph. Soon, especially since this awesome ATC is waiting for my trade.
6. Second tapestry box bag - will probably be put on the back burner, quite honestly.
7. “Elements” tapestries - finish backs, make a quilted block to mount them on. Photograph.
8. “Mindful presence” collage, stitch, embellish, quilt.
9. Add beads to the “dingleberry” on the closure for the book I made for Dan Essig’s class. You gotta love his warped sense of humor.
10. Begin adding content to this book - a nature journal.
11. Begin putting together second coptic stitch book before I forget how to do it (kit from his class).
12. “Writing” collage - for lack of a better title right now
13. Embellished cut-off shorts (a creative hit from Ricë’s blog)
14. Begin a fabric art journal about my trip to Italy.
15. Carve stamps to fill in the missing ones from my “new” alphabet collection (given to me by Ricë!)

Lord. You can tell that I don’t have children. I do have a full time job, a vegetable garden, and five needy cats and a husband, though.

I’m particulary energized this weekend, because I won the alphabet stamp giveaway from Ricë! Am I lucky or what? I may have to erect an altar to this woman.

I realized that I’m never going to get started again on my artwork until I clean up and reorganize the giganto mess I made in the studio and the happy room before I went to Art and Soul. It’s like a maniac went through everything and tossed it around. Well.

I set up a folding table for my painting and stamping, and arranged a workspace and storage space for my supplies. I had the absolute perfect display and storage space for the stamps that Ricë sent to me, and I have more space for the ones I’ll be making. So I’ll be able to see them all, reach up, and pluck just the right one for my journal.

I made a list of works-in-progress and works-in-head and I had eleven items on the list! Whew!

I moved my floor loom over so that I’ll have some space at my work tables to get up and move around. One of the things on my list is to finish the scarf that has been on it since last summer and then I’ll be able to fold it up for a while.

I ordered a Japanese screw punch with five bits from EBay for less than $30 with shipping. Assuming that it is the same kind I used in my workshop (it looked the same), I saved about half the price. I distrust this luck. EBay is not my playground, and normally I avoid it like the plague. We’ll see.

I am ready to play in the studio this weekend. Woo hoo!