Spring????

Well I had intended to write about spring’s arrival several weeks ago but spring was tardy. I had taken photographs of the ice break-up showing how dramatic a change could happen over four hours. The ice started to split and within an hour it was all broken and in heaps and a couple of hours later it had totally moved out and was way down the river. Other than the fact that the water was travelling extremely swiftly it was as if it had never been frozen solid.
iceopen-water
But here it is weeks later - we are still waiting for the weather to warm up and the scilla have only just managed to show their blossoms above last years debris and the leaves on the trees are merely tiny bumps on the ends of the branches but at least the catkins are starting to hang down so it can’t be long now!
Scilla
As spring dragged its feet I got busy preparing my hangings for my presentation to the Manitoba Prairie Quilters about the Fibre Arts Network and my own design process. It was a nerve racking experience as there were over 200 women in the hall but they were wonderful and were very interested in FAN and my work - I had brought twenty four hangings. This presentation led to another the following week to a local guild - Institches - a smaller group but also very appreciative of seeing my work. This time I brought the twenty four mentioned before and some smaller pieces and also some of the work that I am working on right now. Its always nice to get feed back and it also started me up in a working mode and I have been extremely busy in the studio ever since!
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I now have one finished, six pieces on the go and one still in the design stage of scribbles on paper.
Studio-in-MayPhoenixTiger-Lilies-sm
I find that I can be struggling for a long time for an idea and yet once I start working on something the ideas start to flow and it isn’t ideas I need but more hours in the day.
starting-eagleEagle-readt-to-sew
In the last month I was also chosen to adjudicate, along with two other artists, the youth entries in the Juried Interlake Art Show. The work was very exciting and creative. Some of it showed exceptional talent and my hope is that those students will go on to further education in art.
I have several shows in the next few months but the closest one is in June and all the work for that show has to be delivered to the Wasagaming Community Art Centre on June 11th. So work must be finished, paintings have to be framed, method of hanging quilts found, labels sewn on etc.etc.etc. so the next three weeks will be very busy - panic, panic, panic!