Making Time

I promised myself that this year I would make more time for my blog, but yet again, I have not posted for a week- the intention was to try and post at least twice a week, as i did in my first enthusiastic years of blogging. I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm for blogging I have just lost the ability to make time for it as regularly as I would like. I may have to make myself a little timetable  like I had when I was a student.

I have been busy this last week, going to Colac nearly every day and teaching at CrossXpollination for three days. Classes were not full but I was very grateful they went ahead as bills need to paid and I need to put food on the table. We had a wonderful time making linocuts and printing and working with lutradur.I have made a collage of student work and apologise that I  have not mentioned names as I forgot to write them down on the day.

The charming little piece above is by Fiona  Jellie and was in the working  with lutradur class ( or disperse dyeing, or transfer dyeing, or transfer painting)

The exhibition has been going well  too- with visitors very enthusiastic about the work and the way it has been installed. Photos do not do it justice and you only have one day left to visit it if you are close by- that is today!

Above: Work by Catherine O'Leary and Carole Redlich

 Above: Work by Sue Ferrari.

Some of my own work- unfortunately the flash overrode the excellent lighting job done by Nick Moloney. Also many thanks to  Karen Patterson from COPACC and Carole Redlich for their hard work in getting CrossXpollinatioN off the ground and their hard work at making it the best it could be- many people have commented positively on the professionalism of the installation, the variety of fibre work and the ambience.

So of course  when finally I get to spend some time at home and I should be dyeing and printing new sentinelle panels  it rains and the sunroom where I do a lot of the printing and dyeing is  uncomfortably cold- and I have finally managed to get some time watching the Tour de France- but that requires that I sit and stitch- so I have been back working in my little khadi book that I worked in some time ago and have just been stitching lines of colour. It is a very soothing process somehow- and these lines of colour have got me thinking all sorts of things.

 During the week I passed many herons- as it had recently rained- but the heron below is one encountered on one of our morning walks- a great white who would not allow me to get to close and who  watched carefully...I love their stillness and careful deliberate movements.

 And last- Denise Levertov's eloquent words on a Sunday morning- when she says St Simon Heron I immediately think of  St Simeon that most famous Syrian stylite who perched atop a pillar for many years.

Heron I

St. Simon Heron,
standing, standing, standing
upon his offshore pillar,

suddenly, subtly
dips his head to drink,
Three, then a fourth,
and more times, that legato
arabesque of the neck,
the small head almost a serpent's,
smoothly one with its flexible stem.
Body and tall legs
move not an inch.

Hunger,
thirst, fulfillment
are ripples that lap his surface;
his patience absorbs them.
Time does not pass, for him;
it is the lake, and full, and still,
and he has all of it, and wades to strike
when he will upon his fish.