11.75 x 36 inch paper cutting.
This morning I had breakfast on my deck (greek plain yogurt with blueberries, pecans, and honey.. the best) as the neighbor cat flung himself across my lap and pawed at my bowl when he wasn’t affectionately digging his claws into my knee. Two squirrels eyed him from my roof as they transported walnuts. Four yellowish leaves fell around me. It’s almost fall. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
September, 1918
by Amy Lowell
This afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight;
The trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves;
The sidewalks shone like alleys of dropped maple leaves,
And the houses ran along them laughing out of square, open windows.
Under a tree in the park,
Two little boys, lying flat on their faces,
Were carefully gathering red berries
To put in a pasteboard box.
Some day there will be no war,
Then I shall take out this afternoon
And turn it in my fingers,
And remark the sweet taste of it upon my palate,
And note the crisp variety of its flights of leaves.
To-day I can only gather it
And put it into my lunch-box,
For I have time for nothing
But the endeavour to balance myself
Upon a broken world.
This paper cutting will measure 11.75 x 36 inches. This is a new size for me.. kinda exciting. I’ve been doing lots of experimenting trying to get new techniques to present my paper cuttings in different ways. I’m going to be attempting some resin covered pieces. I bought extra gear to keep my lungs in check (fumes from resin can potentially be dangerous before it dries, but I’m using epoxy resin because it carries less risk for harm than polyester resin which I used several years ago to massive failure.. it melted the container I mixed it in), and I feel pretty neat wearing a respirator with a blowtorch in tow.. it’s really just a small torch used for creme brûlée and such, but it’s pretty neato. I’ve also been dying unfinished wood panels with fabric dye to see what kind of results I can get to ultimately mount paper cuttings on them and coat them in resin. Only time and experience will tell what will come out of this.
Today I received my copy of Maria The Mexican’s CD that I did the album artwork for, and it looks so great. I’ll post pictures when they release it. We’ll be doing a joint show/ CD release party (my art + their music) at The Love Garden in Lawrence on October 25, and my work will be hanging for a month following that. Looking forward to digging into some new work to hang there.
Happy Holiday on Monday. A new kayak has joined my family and I was hoping to get out on the water Monday, but alas, too much work to do for the upcoming Art Westport art fair next weekend. Til next time..
2.5 x 4 inch paper cutting.
“Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity.”
~Dalai Lama~
8 x 10 inch paper cutting.
Atchison State Lake, August, 2013.
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” -Dalai Lama
Unfortunately, my cabin stay for the Perseid Meteor Shower did not yield any meteor sightings because of a thunderstorm all night long. I did really enjoy being out there regardless – it was nice and quiet. It’s good to get away from time to time. I’ve also found new love in the Douglas County Fishing Lake – went last weekend with friends and my kayak and explored the water and parts of the shoreline. I also saw a green heron for the first time ever. I’m going back this weekend to float around and forget about every minute to come.. But first, lots of work to finish as I think of those minutes to come. Til next time.
11 x 14 inch paper cutting. Available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ruralpearl
11 x 14 inch paper cutting. Available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ruralpearl