bye for a while

bye for a while blog readers... I am in Wyoming at Jentel Artist Residency which is a bit of heaven. I'm here for 4 weeks which I know will zoom by. Residency... there are 6 of us, 3 men, 3 women. 2 writers, a film maker, me, a sculptor and drawer, and another painter. We share this huge, beautiful house on 1,000 acres of land. It is so beautiful here it boggles my mind. My studio is HUGE, and even has a bed to rest in. I'm scared as usual that I won't live up to such a wonderful gift, but I'm just ignoring those thoughts. The internet here is reallllly slow and i didn't bring a computer on purpose but I promise to regale you all in 4 weeks.
much love to all, Janice

one more thing...

I haven't gotten any comments in a LONG time on this blog and it makes me wonder if something is broken... (maybe it's me being boring?). I checked the preferences and it seems to be in order, but ???

What happened today...

This afternoon I vacuumed the floors at MECCA. It was fun, I got to look at everything and visit with the MECCA shoppers. And then something really good happened.

Two young men and a woman came into the store. They all looked like they were having a hard time, they were disheveled and not too clean and one was carrying a large backpack. The woman asked if there was yarn and a crochet hook and how much were they? She sounded angry and defensive. But little by little she softened. I got her a stool to sit on, the young men looked through the crochet hooks, and the amazing MECCA worker patiently answered her questions.

I told her the colors she chose were beautiful and the first smile appeared. She asked the worker if there was any material she could make a blanket with and the MECCA worker told her when she could come and use the sewing machine. By now she was beaming. 

As they were leaving they asked one more question, "do you have any sleeping bags or tarps?" The MECCA worker told them were to go to get help. 

That yarn gave that young woman a creative outlet and something to feel good about. It's why I love MECCA so much. Everyone gets to make things. It's about access. My guess is something like the story above happens most days there. 

What a magic place. 

Go visit!

MECCA

Waiting...

While waiting for G to get her hair cut I played with the photo app on her phone. I had so much fun making these photos... did you know I used to be a photographer? Long time ago. I quit because I got stuck when I started to work with personal material. I didn't realize that my photographs were telling me things I wasn't ready to listen to...

and then I became a painter. That was 25 years ago, more or less. 

I am so excited to go to Jentel I can't settle down. Tonight I realized what I was excited about was discovery. The percolation that takes place with few(er) distractions. I don't know what I'm going to make, but I know something will happen...

The best film I have seen lately....

Video from KarmaTube

This video moved me and answered all my silly questions about the why of making art. Art just is a part of life, like breathing or movement. One woman's life impacting so many through her story and her art...wonderful.

It really is about the process...

I was depressed and confused and pretty lost today which is not my usual state of mind. I started looking through my "Interview" magazines for photos i liked. I cut stuff out of this magazine a lot. I like that it's over sized and sometimes the photos are of real people, not just models. 

What happened next is such a reminder that when you don't know what to do, do something. So here I am cutting out pictures and I turn the page and a photo I had cut in the past created a hole where the next page could be viewed. Sort of like instant collage. 

A new world. I'm thinking about windows and disparate textures. I hope you can see in these  examples how excited i got... no? well, you had to be there. 

moral of the story, just keep working, something will happen.

Puttering Along

 I have needed to bring Monty my aging greyhound to the studio. He doesn't like it much here. There is not a couch, only the futon... He noses me fairly often, but luckily the list of needs is short: treat please, water please, out for a walk PLEASE. We are managing...

I had a major bad food attack all weekend so made this yummy item today: tofu quiche with oat/almond crust. Full of veggies, flax seeds. Really, it was really good. 

I am so distracted... I am going to Jentel in 5 weeks but I can't stop thinking about what will I make, what will I bring. I have about 3 weeks until I have to start packing up my studio... G says just go for it, and you can finish up what you make later. 

bye for now...