On becoming conscious...my process...

So over the years I have had flowing interests in all things fiber.....

weaving, quilting, stitching, printing, dying, paper making and book binding......

which required an assortment of twine and thread and beads and paper, book board and fabric and needles, dyes and wax....and the tools for all these techniques

you know how that goes....

and as I made the paper and had the opportunity to travel to far off lands, I began to collect it too

(as we do...)

and then with the paper in hand I began to study printmaking.....and having let go of my loom, 

to fill that void

I acquired a large etching press.

And with that not only did I collect ink and plates and burnishing tools,

I also collected an assortment of tools and materials to frame my prints

mat board, frames, point driver, mat cutters

And as anyone who is into printmaking and has an interest in fibers and wax knows....

 the next lure

 is

encaustics.

and I collected all the stuff to work with that medium....

Burning in tools, more waxes, pigments, heating pans, cradled boards & brushes....

In addition to all that, over the years I've also collected sewing machines.

I'm counting......perhaps 6?

don't ask...

and tables and cutting mats and scissors and fabric,

pins and needles.....

and 

with all those supplies, I made sure in the last several years to take care of them.....

so I also collected beautiful rolling restaurant shelves and lots and lots of storage boxes.

Today I'm deeply entrenched in working with metal...

And I've collected a source of materials and tools for working that way too.

And then there are the Books

and Journals.....

and with trips and travels

oodles of ephemera for assemblage and inspiration

not forgetting aged, forgotten and not completed artworks

It is a 'soup to nuts' evolutionary creative practice for sure.

that took a lifetime to amass

And now as I sort my stuff......I realize I can't do this again.

Move with so much stuff that is.

Yesterday my friend Martin said...."well then, it's time to settle down".

And as I become conscious of my track record

not to mention my

astrological orientation

I thought it might be more likely that I

don't.

(settle down

that is)

Lightening up........

At 9:00 AM on Tuesday morning the moving pod was dropped off in the parking lot of my studio space in Albuquerque....

7 hours later, at 4:00 PM in the afternoon I was finished unloading it.

It was 90 degrees. 

I did this by myself.

Very carefully and very slowly.

"One more thing and one more thing....."

I kept telling myself in private conversation to keep myself from keeling over....

And as I was looking at what I was moving for the second time in a week.....

(and I think the 6th time in 12 years)

I was making some rules for unpacking.....

Rule #1:  

If I don't Love it or find it Beautiful or Useful....out it goes

and after that 

for the final cut

Rule #2: 

 If I don't think I'll use it in the next year...out it goes

I am also giving myself permission to be inspired, yet not distracted

 by what I re-discover in these boxes.

Let's see how that plan works.

Be careful when opening the overhead bins...

as some items

may have

shifted.

Goldilocks........

I've been looking...

High

and

Low

for a new place to be.

To fill you in, I recently gave myself a 'gap' year.

That is normally the significant year after ending one school before entering another......and although mine did not correlate with formal 'schooling'.....but a significant change in life circumstance....

a 'timeout' seemed appropriate.

A friend or two suggested mine could be as long as I wanted.....gap 'YEARS'.....they suggested might be in order.

And that may be true, as this time in the high desert punctuated with many trips, 

is growing into a gap 'Year and a Half' come December.....

 actually more if you start from the beginning of this blog story...

In July of 2011 I took the leap.......put all my 'stuff' in storage in Michigan.......and drove to a dusty little  town in the middle of New Mexico........to rest........and drink in sunshine and heat.......and the deep sense of history and Spirit that permeates this landscape.  

The biggest struggle I have encountered is this concept of 'where' do I belong?  I've been spending a lot of time between the little town and the bigger one more than an hour's + drive away.  I have not put roots down in the little town as I had expected.  

So with the winds of winter.......I'm expecting to be blown in another direction. 

When one is not laden with their 'stuff' (OK, belongings)......

I suppose one can more easily move around.

(although my bags are getting heavier, as I'm prone to collecting things along the way)

One of the biggest challenges I've encountered is with the way I work.  I am process oriented ....and unlike some of my friends who seem to be able to work on the 'go'.......I need a place to sit.....a table and lots of supplies and tools to busy my hands.   And although I have been able to find a place to sit in my little casita.......and the shared 'shed' I call my studio......I feel like Goldilocks.......the place has been too hot, or too cold.......or too small.......and I have not found anything yet that is 

"JUST RIGHT"........

But now I am looking...........and for the months of November and December........I have decided to land here.......it is a bit far from my little town........but I am working out the logistics......

and for now.....

it seems......

JUST RIGHT