Yesterday
August. Already. A critical month here this year. Personal things. Decisions.
Season has turned early. So much rain still, very cool temperatures. The trees seem tired. I guess we get that.
Today
I found this small sheer scrap. I like it because it seems like a drawn line, but also like a scribble, a confused line or one that was trying to get back home. I though that might be useful to make a point. Like almost anything could be.
Since I had already drawn that line, and stitched it as the thread that runs through, the thing that stands, I placed it as an interruption but not a change of direction for very long.
I removed one small scrap that was cluttering the line dividing earth and sky (the fire inside is enough) and added another to soften the edge of time. And I jotted a few things down, all the while reminding myself that one small note to self could grow into a life's work.
Even though it would be hard to explain.
Reading this, seeing this, has either stirred up a tornado of thoughts around me, or brought me to the eye of that already existing tornado. Maybe a little of both. It’s hard to catch/pin down those thoughts right now, except that I should write down ideas more often even if they are just tiny scraps. I so often forget to do that. IDEA and RESPONSE makes so much more sense than idea and execution.
Jude, your photos and your handwritten comments/ notes would make wonderful book-pages! Batsford ( english?) is a publisher who turn artists‘ work into beautiful books. A book from Jude Hill would complete my row of fine books (Alice Fox, Shelly Rhodes, Hannah Lamb and Claire Wellesley-Smith)
Such a joy to watch your art grow.
Kind wishes, eva
I’ve mentioned publishing the Loose Pages.
But you know me, loose words…
Hi Eva 🙂
grow into a life’s work
i watch you. All these years. I also watch my Self watching you
as stuff grows
for you
into a life’s work
Hi Grace, so good to see you here! Hope you are fine. Kind wishes from far away….eva
we watch ourselves watching others. how to capture that…
And I remind myself a lot that I feel I have not begun, which seems a big part of it.
I really connected to your sky/earth starting point. In fact, I remembered I have four of those blue and brown pairs just sitting waiting their turn. A revelation!
natural space. what can be more welcoming?
just listened to ruth gendler speak yesterday about rooting the imagination in the body as we work with the tools. a willingness to see with out eyes, hands ‘n hearts. drawing reminds us that we think outside of language. thru image we find words. the road is made by walking… true in patchwork ‘n life decisions, too… x
words and image are like a seesaw for me. and words and thoughts as forms.
The rain/fire patch is so powerful and I like the softening on the edge of time…kind of how aging feels in some moments. But that ‘sheer’ find!! What a treasure a tiny snipit can be! I like what Glennis said…”without the warp, there is no weft” – as I have weaving on the brain these days. As I read yours and others thoughts on planning and recording, I think how I too have often worked backwards, things just falling out of me, seeing the meaning as I go. Recently, I gave myself permission to completely revamp the way of a particular making and I’m having a ball. Can’t really find better words right now, but that is the general thought. Thank you for this wonderful post Jude. 🙂
I wonder who taught us permission. ? Ha.
I’m glad I am not the only one that does the “thing” and then the “explanation”…tho I really have no one to explain it to.
And that is ok.
Lots of conversations inside my head.
(besides, most of the time, I don’t know why I do the thing, the way I do it.) HAHA
Nice to hear your voice today <3
or not an explanation but a reaction, back and forth.
I like talking, but there is always something in my way lately. This summer the power company is trimming trees….
I found some magic in my own stitching yesterday. It was exciting and unexpected. What you share here has definitely kept me going…thank you 🌻
Going is all we can hope for… not being done
Spent a long time looking and thinking here. Thank you for that depth and sharing your process. Sort of a chicken and egg thing with pieces and story. And I love the suggestion of of seeds in the sunflower.
yeah , i stayed a while with the seeds….
I adore your work and your commentary. I wish I could meet you.
In “real” life I am very shy
Oh I like this process or reflection so much. Not the usual order is just fine. Your connections are more highly evolved or reflected on than most and I love the insight to them. 💙
We are such a tangle really….
that line reminds me that without the warp, there is no weft. the warp is like the timeline of out life, the weft is what we do with that gift of life.
*our life* …
❤
Yes, the thing that stands and then that which moves through. Tangled.
(((Jude))) love your strong sense of line
you always remind me about line, it is great that you see that in me…
Ditto to Marianne.
smiling
Reading your words and listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter sing The Blue Distance. The same thoughtful tone coming from them both to this cool day in Scotland. I feel peaceful.
we so long for that, don’t we?
“To see the potential in all…..” there lies creativity. A wise lesson.
sometimes they teach you that creativity is a sort of answer.
Always a pleasure to see and hear how your story cloth unfolds 🙏🏻
I guess i remain curious about that
As always, love seeing your process and your sharing helps refine my thinking. 🙂 I don’t think I plan much, but really that everything is response. And not really documentation about something but another form of expression. And everything is connected. And that would be the “big picture” thinker of me.
I suppose a plan is some sort of response to confusion. documentation is a kind of story too, you made me consider that. and the connections, they are so obvious sometimes when we let the picture change. funny how we hold certain forms in our minds as if they were permanent.
You remain a gift to us all. You are precious and wise and kind.
You too are very kind