Order, Service, Management

We received this advertisement in the mail this week. Laundry service, cleaning, outdoor maintainance--- lightbulb changing?--- and transportation to medical and other appointments and places. Shangrila? Nope. A retirement village. I'm starting to think this is a super fantastic idea for artistic types. No worries. Meals, clean undies and sheets, vacuumed floors, trash taken out, medication delivered. Sign me up!

Yesterday I went on an artistic adventure. Open studio and farm day (weekend) organized by Fiber Arts. My friend and I started out at 10 am and visited a well known fiber artist and were given five star treatment. Absolutely gorgeous studio, art quilts (one is being entered into Quilt National) and gardens. We learned about discharging with bleach, a seaweed additive that is not effected by bleach, lye shibori, and just had the best time. Our next visit was to a published and well known quilter down the road. She was teaching in Boston this weekend so the tour director duties went to her 8 year old son. "This is where we cut and glue the design fabrics: this is where we sew: and this is where we embellish". He has spent so much time in the studio with his mom--- it really is "we". And I had to admire his carefully made magnets and his artistic rocks. He went to art camp and made the rocks. Heated them in a toaster oven and then rubbed crayons over. The crayon wax melted and art was made.

Then on down the road to the next town and a lovely, new post and beam studio owned by an artist working in oil on linen and dyes on silk. I was enchanted by the paintings. And the artist. We had both led the corporate life of multiple moves including foreign lands. She begins each day with her journal, a few drawings (4") and a walk. Not in any specific order. We talked about how the writing, drawing and meditation of the walk prepares the "artist" within to work. There were lovely hand painted and sewn pillows and scarves for sale. I made a few sketches of a woven oil painting.

Next an in town studio of a friend of mine. She is a painter just beginning to work in fabric and it was wonderful to see her work space. She told us that this spring the roof of her studio had caved in and she had had to rescue all her work and supplies and carry them into the main house. She had just-- within a day-- finished painting the new roof (inside) and walls. We had had a wonderful time with her. And saw more discharged black fabric.

Our final stop was at Fiber Arts. Christine Macchi was the creator of this farm and studio day and made the wonderful maps etc. Delightful. Upstairs was an artist who works on paper and canvas. I spent a fascinating 30 minutes up in her studio where she shared her art with me. Especially the papered/painted boxes I had seen in a local restaurant. I mentioned to the artist that I had spent more time looking at and admiring her boxes than I had spent on my dinner.

If you are wondering about the lack of names and photos--well, it seemed impolite to ask to take pictures and blog them and well, it also seems impolite to mention a few and not all the very talented artists in the area and on the map.

I have emerged from my art adventure renewed and refreshed. Now that I have given up on politics (or politics has given up on me), I can devote myself to ART. First journal pages in the morning, then a walk and then a few drawings or small fabric collages. Operatic music (and Rolling Stones) on the CD player and watermelon chunks to sustain me. See you later! Oh, and I must get slides of my quilt work. Christine says I must have slides. Pronto!