Whoa! How can it be Thursday already?

This probably hasn't been the best week of my life, but then I guess it hasn't been the worst either. I had a little meltdown last night--well, maybe something between a meltdown and a hissy fit. I think it was brought on by a combination of several things, but was largely a delayed reentry reaction. It's hard to go from being completely immersed in something that you love--something that's fulfilling and spiritually renewing--back into your normal routine. It's never really fun to come back from vacation, but I find that coming back from a workshop is significantly harder. My little fit had a lot to do with my not having found any time this week to sketch, paint, print, etc. The height of my creative activity was when I threw a piece of cloth into the washer that still had residue of batik wax on it. That just wasn't really as satisfying as actually making that piece of cloth. Perhaps this weekend will be a little better. Even if I just draw for an hour I think things will be a little better.

Here's a picture I snapped on holiday a couple of years ago. I love the look of weathered painted wood--boats, barns, fences. I think it speaks of weather, experience, and survival, not unlike the lines and gray (or missing) hairs we all accumulate over time.

I love what happens to it when you sample small rectangular shapes out of it. Maybe I'll use some of these for some abstract sketching exercises. The more I look at these strips the more it's making me think about strip quilting with not just a combination of commercial and hand-dyes, but also incorporating photographic elements. I'll have to come back to that idea.