Lubec Springs to Life

I just completed another set of columns based on factory ruins of Lubec. Creating different arrangements with the individual components has enlightened me to the difference between how the ruins "feel" vs. how they "look". The above example illustrates what I feel when I stand at the ruins of the old Columbian Factory.

 

 

 Columbian Factory ruins, Lubec, Maine

 

 

 

"Rubble"

This is how I "see" the ruins.

 

 

 "Guardians"

Surface texture translated from my "Water, Wind, and Time" drawing series that focuses on details from the factory ruins. To view some of the drawings, click here.

 

The image that inspired "Guardians".

The old pilings that emerge from the sand and seaweed look and feel like keepers of the ruins.

 

 

Bouli has a thing for the camera. As soon as the photo lights turn on she hops onto the staging and starts flashing those baby blues. I'm starting to think that she might have a career in product advertisement.

 

 I'm still working on the Bay of Fundy Marathon and 10k awards. These are the 10K awards, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, for men and women. I'm closing on the finish line....so to say. 

 

 

 The 10k and marathon medallions are now in production. I had thought I would work from a mold but decided that I prefer the handcarved look....so I am now handcarving each of the eighty-four medallions. I have my work "carved" out for me!

 

 

 

 Herring Collectors Series platter, fresh from the fire last week.

 

Spring has finally sprung in Lubec. Warm days with penetrating sun, green grass, leaf buds, and daffodils grace us. The critters are coming out en masse and our yard has been playing host to all kinds of species. The porcupine seems to have found a place in our family and the deer graze on the fresh greens awaiting the arrival of our garden. Eagles and osprey fly overhead while Blue Jays take to the tree tops. The pileated woodpecker has been drumming on one of the birches, a rhythm much deeper and louder than the downy which normally claims the decaying trunks.

 

Another signal of springtime in Lubec is the return of people who scattered to warmer climates during the winter. Those who dared to face the snow and wind here on the peninsula emerge from their dens to once again be social. The market is a bit busier and the downtown shops and restaurants show signs of opening. My dream a few nights ago of the big brown bear is sort of how I think of us here. There is a deep and rejuvenating sleep in this little town in preparation for the highly contrasted alertness of the warmer months. The segue is gradual at first with thick fog banks enveloping the shoreline, but eventually sun breaks through.

 

We moved here almost twelve years ago with the plan to stay only one year. Lubec was supposed to be a transition point for us, but instead, fate found us setting up house on a permanent basis. The journey has been trying at times, but hindsight is always 20/20 they say. I am thankful for the alignment of various events and people that brought us here and feel incredibly blessed to call this tiny seaside village "home".

 

Before we moved here, Chris' grandfather would say to us that Lubec was "the perfect place for an artist and a writer." When we arrived on that late August day in 2001 to what appeared to be a ghost town of sorts, I couldn't find the wisdom in Richard's words. But now, yes, I recognize just how very insightful, and prophetic, his words were.

 

We moved to a town that was in transition, suffering the loss of a factory industry that had allowed it to, at one time, prosper immensely.  Now, almost twelve years later, there is a renaissance occurring. The streets are again filling with people and businesses are opening. Lubec has become a tourist destination to people from all over. This once-sleepy little town has been "found-out" by musicians, artists, writers, and organic farmers who revel (in a sort of introverted way) in its humble beauty.

 

At one time I used to joke that our "big night out" was a ride around town to watch the sun set over the bay. Now there are so many things happening in this region that one cannot even begin to take it all in, from theater, to musical performances, to art openings, to community-hosted potlucks, movies, and hikes. There is no greater backdrop than the majestic bold coast where we live.

 

Lubec Market re-opens mid June, the marathon soon follows, and festival planning is in place. Lubec Arts Alive is in the thick of designing the early July event and for me personally, the prep has begun for "pottery season". I am juggling production for fairs and shops while trying to wrap up the awards for the marathon.

 

I am so excited to announce that it is official - Lubec is one of the sites selected for the 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS)! You'll be hearing lots more about that as time progresses toward the event. For the short term, when enjoying the marathon festivities downtown on June 23rd, be sure to visit the Strawberry Moon Shortcake booth to enjoy some yummy fresh eats while learning about the SISS project. This is our first fundraiser for the stone sculpture that will soon grace our town and put us "on the map." Be sure to stop by!
 

 

 

 

 

Awaiting the Threshold

 WATER, WIND, and TIME: Exposed

Series 2

(three of nine drawings)

Inspired by the Columbian Canning Plant ruins, Lubec, Maine

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 GUARDIANS

Interpretations of drawings from "Water, Wind, and Time" onto clay

(greenware forms - planning to kiln fire soon!)

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

 Awards for the Bay of Fundy Marathon (June 2013) are carved and drying - awaiting the first of two kiln firings. Next up: Creation of approximately 80 medallions.

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

Chris was a busy poet in April, as it was National Poetry month. He packed the house at UMM on the 9th, then scooted up to Bangor the next day to read at "Poet Speak" at the Bangor Public Library. He was one of three poets who represented a new journal "The Catch".

 

 Production pottery is back in full swing. Mugs, mugs, and more mugs. (and a few bowls, sake jugs, vases.....etc.)

 

 

This big spiky guy has been in the front yard the past two evenings. A few days ago, the deer. Wondering what critter will take to feasting on the fresh new greens next. Big hole dug on lawn as well. I think the culprit is the skunk that was scuttling about in our driveway. Last night a raccoon woke me while trying to steal our bagged garbage. Yep. Spring has arrived.

 

 

 

Yesterday I met with friends for an afternoon social. We sat in a cabin poised next to a large window overlooking the serene bay at low tide, sipping locally-crafted crimson berry tea and snacking on homemade nut-meal cookies. The conversation was, as usual, energetic and hopeful; a sharing of ideas and current creative endeavors.

 

Getting to the point of gathering the three of us in one spot for any length of time is quite the task. To coordinate this afternoon visit, we had met for five minutes in a parking lot two weeks previous with our datebooks in hand. While the organization for a visit is challenging, there is, on some sort of intuitive level, a knowing that these mini gatherings are important and that we should make every effort possible to make them happen.

 

Our conversation, at one point, turned to the recent Boston marathon bombing. The event has inundated the media this past week and less than 24 hours earlier, a nineteen year old was taken into custody after an intense overnight shootout and manhunt. Boston and surrounding towns had essentially been "shut-down", the streets void of people and transit lest for the hundreds of cops and other tactical teams. My mother recalled that she had not seen anything like this since she lived in Boston in the sixties when the "Boston Strangler" was at-large and there was an after-dark curfew for women. In a city that is normally active with pedestrians and the whir of vehicles, the silence was eerie.

 

In our round table discussion, we offered our feelings on the subject. The conversation was inevitably politically-tinged and we all did not have the same thoughts on how the country as a whole should proceed or prevent further violent acts of this nature. While our politics differed, one thing stood out: Despite deeply held individual beliefs, we gather in peace, compassion, and respect on a common ground of friendship, healing, and art.

 

This has had me thinking how very rare it is that people of opposing views can be in each others' presence in these turbulent, highly-divided political times and still find "the common ground" that links us. We hear politicians talk about "meeting in the middle" but seldom does that actually occur. Seldom can we even gather polar opposites without a real knock-down drag-out verbal boxing round. We are a country at odds, and in the bigger picture, that won't fare well for us or the young people that are growing up in these times.

 

We live surrounded by (an acceptance of) the culture of violence. While the recent bombing in Boston shook us at the core and stripped us of yet another layer of what little bit of security that we felt, we continue on with our lives and for me personally, I wonder, what really can, or will, be done to change this course of self-destruction.

 

Even after the Newtown shooting that claimed the lives of twenty-five young children and two adults, a slight majority of our political "leaders" would not budge to allow a simple background check before a person buys a gun. This was after a knowing that 90% of Americans favored such legislation. What will it take?  How many more heartbreaking acts of violence will finally put us over that threshold where EVERYONE says that "enough is enough".

 

When will we start looking to real solutions that begin to rebuild us a healthy, compassionate, peaceful society?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back from Heartwood Residency: Fired up and ready to roll!

Upcoming ART Workshops

with Shanna Wheelock in her Lubec studio

 

The Clay Goddess Workshop for Women

Images of females, animals, and nature that date back thousands of years empower today’s women along their own journey. Learn about ancient art, mythology, and feminine symbology while hand-sculpting with clay in a relaxing and inspirational studio environment. Participants will be guided to discover with which deities and symbols they most connect. Make figurines, wall plaques, pottery, and amulets, whatever your soul desires!

 

Wednesday April 17, 2013

5:30-8:30 p.m.

Tuition: $65 (includes materials and firing fee)

Pre-registration is required. Limited space available. To register or for more info, email me at:

shanna@shannawheelock.com

Click here to find a Downloadable PDF file on my website under "Upcoming Events and News"

 

 

 

 Introduction to Encaustic Painting

Encaustic, meaning "to burn in" is a method of painting with a mixture of beeswax, tree resin, and pigment that dates back thousands of years. Medium is applied in a molten liquid state to prepared substrate, painted in layers and heat-fused. This one day introductory workshop is perfect for beginners who want to learn the basics. We’ll cover history, safety, materials, tools, equipment, substrate preparation, color application, layering, fusing, scraping and buffing, mark-making, etching, transfers, and pigment sticks. No previous art experience necessary. Materials are provided. All you need to bring is lunch/snacks/drink and an apron or paint shirt.

 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $185 (includes materials)

Pre-registration is required. Limited space available. To register or for more info, email me at:

shanna@shannawheelock.com

Click here to find a Downloadable PDF file on my website under "Upcoming Events and News"

 

 

WATER, WIND, and TIME: Factory C Drawing series

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

12" x 15"

ink

 

This is the beginning stage for the drawing seen above....I am feeling kind of drawn to it's simplicity.

 

 

Guardian

One of a series in study of Factory C.

Greenware (in progress)

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

Our MFA pod during residency weekend at Heartwood College of Art.

 

 

 Sherry Ashby Cunningham explains symbolism in her painting during our "Spirituality in Women's Art" presentation at the Machias Women's Forum.

 

 

 Elizabeth Ostrander discusses her sculpture during our "Spirituality in Women's Art" presentation at the Machias Women's Forum.

 

 

 

 Bouli preens before the Machias presentation. She must have thought that she would be joining us at the talk. Maybe next time, Bouli.

 



 

I'm recently returned from MFA residency weekend in Kennebunk. Twice a semester I am on campus at Heartwood College of Art and ALWAYS it is an amazing event. Fourteen women artists gathered for camaraderie and creation during the intensive weekend. We began on Friday with potluck and critique. As usual, the food was fabulous and eclectic and the artwork was diverse and inspirational: nudes on fabric, stuffed pantyhose, seven-foot felted pillars, dogwood and feather arrows....drawing, printing, painting, and sculpture galore! The weekend was packed with an all-day Saturday hands-on workshop followed by a delicious evening out at Academe. It was a good thing that we filled our bellies (and minds!) with fuel because Sunday found us at the round table for a lively discussion of William James' writing. Let's just say that the book talks can get a wee bit fiery. (Or maybe that's just me?!) I didn't realize this at the time of our discussion, but James was a Swedenborgian theologian. One of my favorite Portland church-hopping memories in the early 90's was the Swedenborg church. Just an interesting connection.

 

I returned from residency weekend fired-up and ready to roll in the studio. That's the thing about being an artist. When the inspiration strikes one MUST act upon it lest one be quite miserable. (This I learned long ago). I am blessed to have the flexibility and time to act upon my creative impulses but have been through many years in the past where that was not always possible. I am truly grateful for this gift of time and freedom. Lately my urges have moved mostly toward drawing. I have always loved to draw but the pottery, weaving, and sculpture has consumed me. This current study of Factory C offered up so many seductive images that screamed for illustration. The drawing is grounding me and allowing meditative reflection and an in-depth look at the finer construction details in this massive dilapidated structure. I could seriously spend years studying this one ruin.

 

My typical day of late consists of nine to eleven hours of intense, obsessive studio time, hopping between the cave, the nook, and the drawing table. When not in the studio, I can be found at a community arts meeting or walking. March was particularly busy with appointments as well. The detailed drawings prompted me to finally get glasses! There is definitely an adjustment period, but so far, I am finding them helpful while drawing thousands of tiny lines.

 

In March I presented art talks at two venues. This past week I joined artists Sherry Ashby Cunningham and Elizabeth Ostrander to speak at the Machias Women's Forum on the topic of spirituality in women's art. The venue was quickly outgrown by the attendees but somehow we all squeezed-in. There were even a few men in the audience which I have a feeling might be a bit unusual for this forum. Nice to see!  I loved listening to both Sherry and Elizabeth realizing how much we have in common in our spiritual paths and creative inspirations. Estrogen and "girl-power" was flowing full force this evening and I found it to be truly empowering!

 

 

Creating Modern Day Artifacts

Visit Shanna Wheelock's website

 

 

Machias Women's Forum presents

Spirituality in Women's Art

 

 

Presenters: Sherry Ashby Cunningham, Elizabeth Ostrander, and Shanna Wheelock

Thursday, March 21, 2013

in the meeting room at Helen's Restaurant, Machias

Dinner from the menu at 5:30 p.m., presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Although this is the Women's Forum, men are encouraged to attend this special event!

Click here for more info.

 

 

 

 

Art Workshops

With Instructor Shanna Wheelock

Lubec, Maine

Clay Goddess: April 17

Introduction to Encaustic Painting: July 10

For more info, send an inquiry here.

 

 

 

 

 The corner of my drawing table.

Note the old Grumbacher box.

This is the same box that years ago held my mom's drawing charcoal.

 

 

"The Nook"

 I have been spending most of my time here lately

 working out ideas, sketching, reading, researching, and designing workshop fliers.

 

 

I completed nine ink drawings in the "Factory C"series and have now begun to transcribe them onto clay. 

 

 

Some things to keep in mind....

 

 

So many things happen in a week that it is hard to keep track of it all. I am in a mad flurry of art activity as the obsession with Factory C grows. I have felt an urgency to get the ideas down and this week that all began to make sense. I heard a tidbit of news that the dilapidated remains may, in part, be removed. Though I understand the safety issues with a building in such a state, I am saddened at the thought of anything changing by the hands of humans. Until now, the building's condition has been at the whim of the natural elements and the result has been one that exudes a silent and powerful sense of reverence. As my work unfolds over the next few months, I hope to capture some of that feeling in ink, clay, and wax, not only for my own creative self-indulgence, but also to serve as some sort of historical modern-day artifact.

 

This past week's agenda contained a sprinkling of business, health, spiritual, and art meetings along with a talk that Elizabeth Ostrander and I presented at The Eastport Arts Center.  I am always a bit  nervous before speaking in public. Even with more than thirteen years teaching under my belt this feeling has never gone away. I was comforted by the peaceful ambiance of the center and the presence of a few familiar and friendly faces in the crowd. For my portion of the presentation I had created a slide show of some of the key women in my life who have somehow contributed to my development as an artist. Though I focused on only a handful of women, there are in fact so many more who deserve mention. Listening to Elizabeth's account of her art experiences and journey that has sustained her through seventy years of art-making, I realized that my forty-three years on this planet has been eased and benefited by all the women who came before me, who fought for their place in what has traditionally been a "man's world." I am fortunate to have men in my life, as well, who have supported my journey, men who have broken through the traditional roles and stereotypes to value women's contributions to the art world and life in general.

 

The next few days I will prepare for my MFA seventh semester's residency, spend time with creative friends, and work on another "talk". Along with two other artists, Sherry Ashby Cunningham and Elizabeth Ostrander, I will present at the Machias Women's Forum on March 21. The topic is spirituality in women's art. I am still gathering my thoughts for this presentation as it will differ from last week's talk in Eastport. Right now the thought is that I will focus primarily on my fiber works. But we'll see. A lot can change in my mind over the course of four days.

 

No doubt some are singing Irish folk songs, eating boiled cabbage, and drinking green beer by the time they read this blog entry, being St. Patty's Day and all. My Celtic roots are strong but I will most likely be found in the studio with hands steeped in gritty mud. My internal clock, still adjusting to the time change, finds me in bed an hour longer than usual most days but burning the midnight oil to get the work done. Though the temps dipped again this week, there is a feeling of spring in the air. Foolish to think such thoughts perhaps. The calendar suggests that Spring Equinox arrives soon, but local meteorology threatens snow. Several inches. Plowable.

Back to the Drawing Table

 Sunday, March 10, 2013
Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock
3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center
36 Washington Street, Eastport, Maine
Click here for Shanna Wheelock's website.
Click here Elizabeth Ostrander's website
Click here for the Eastport Art Center website.

 

 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Machias Women's Forum

5:30-8:00 p.m.

Helen's Restaurant, Machias, ME

Presenters: Shanna Wheelock, Elizabeth Ostrander, and Sherry Ashby Cunningham

Topic: How Spirituality informs and inspires our artwork

Save the date and check back for more info.

 

 

Been drawing images of "Factory C" 

(Shanna Wheelock, Lubec, Maine)

 

 

Factory C

(Lubec, Maine)

 

 

Interior View of "Factory C"

(Shanna Wheelock, Lubec, Maine)

 

Photo of "Factory C"

(Lubec, Maine)

 

Back in early college years my ceramics professor told me that being able to draw is a critical skill, even for a potter. Though I enjoyed drawing I fumbled around quite a bit. The fine arts program leaned on the heavy side of drawing credits and for that I am thankful. From those years I developed a love of figure drawing and conte. Drawing for me, though, is one of those things that gets put to the side when there are dozens of mugs or a sculpture needing to be done. I do genuinely love to draw, and just as with weaving or clay work, I can get lost for hours in shading and line.

 

Soon after I visited the ruins at Factory C, I knew that I wanted to draw the images that were burned so deeply in my mind. What I didn't account for was that it had been at least three years since I had picked up a drawing tool to do a serious drawing.

 

I was a bit apprehensive as my logical self laid out ideas for matching paper sizes and a grouping of drawings all executed in one material. I soon realized that I was far more rusty with my drawing skills than previously thought. A few rough starts in pencil then grumblings with shading and tendencies toward detail even thought the material was not well suited for that, I forged onward. A mix of pleasure and pain, if you will. I eventually got into my groove and reminded myself that I don't need to have it all figured out before the first line is even drawn.

 

Four drawings later, I am starting to find my zone and zero in on what I'd like to do. The first few drawings are like getting back to the wheel after a few months away. At first it feels awkward but eventually the hands remember the right pressure and speed. Drawing is meditative in the same was as clay or fiber, and messy in its own right.

 

I plan to use the drawings as a means to an end. They will be studied, dissected, enlarged, then transferred in some fashion. Right now I just catch glimpses of a plan in mind's eye. As with most of my projects, I don't know the end result until I know the end.

 

Drawing can be addictive but right now I have quite a few things to juggle so that obsession will have to be squeezed into allotted blocks of time over the next few weeks. I just spent the past two weeks fully immersed in the factory study from clay work to drawing, ruin site visits, time at the library, and online research. I took a small hiatus from the bulk of meetings that I normally attend and other semi-social functions for that focus, but the roster is once again full and I am at that moment in the calendar year where I take a deep breath, hold up my feet, and move full steam ahead. The next few months until January 2014 are blocked with commissions, vending, stocking shops, speaking engagements, workshops, MFA classes, farmer's market, and community work with Lubec Arts Alive and (newly added) committee work for the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium project.  (YES! It looks like Lubec, in most high probability, will be one of the 2014 sites! I'll post updates as I know them.)

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

 

We just returned from the Samoset where we celebrated my mom's 70th birthday with a lovely evening out on the town. The visit was too short but ended on a fun note with mom and Chris singing all kinds of songs from the 50's. Let's just say that Elvis was one of the faves and when the first line of Hound Dog began the two of them were twisting across the room while belting out the lyrics. It sure was a sight! I hope that I am this energetic and free-spirited at seventy. Crossing my fingers those genes are well ingrained. Thanks, Mom, for forty three years of unconditional love and nurturing, and thank you for being such a wonderful guide and supporter of my artist self.

 

In the downeast area this coming weekend?

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock

3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center

 

While I was in Rockland and tooling around the streets, I came upon this lovely mermaid resting contently in a window box along Main Street. This is the work of Elizabeth Ostrander, an Eastport artist with whom I will share the stage this coming Sunday as we present a talk at the Eastport Arts Center.

 

Mermaid by Elizabeth Ostrander

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Water, Wind, and Time

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013
Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock
3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center
36 Washington Street, Eastport, Maine
Click here for Shanna Wheelock's website.
Click here Elizabeth Ostrander's website
Click here for the Eastport Art Center website.


Thursday, March 21, 2013
Machias Women's Forum
5:30-8:00 p.m.
Helen's Restaurant, Machias, ME
Presenters: Shanna Wheelock, Elizabeth Ostrander, and Sherry Ashby Cunningham
Topic: How Spirituality informs and inspires our artwork
Save the date and check back for more info.


 Click here for a recent article about the marathon and my artwork in the Bangor Daily News

Check out Maine artist Kenny Cole's blog about his current project "Parabellum".
Chris is collaborating on part of the project. Very cool!
 

 

Factory C (or Columbian Canning Plant?) Located behind the old Columbian Store , Lubec, Maine

I have been photographing these ruins for a current art project.

Click here to see photo of what it once looked like.

 

Another shot of the factory ruins.

 

 

I collected bricks from the American Can Factory site, North Lubec, and am experimenting with pulverizing the fragments and embedding the dust into clay.

 

 

Just a few days after winter storm NEMO, our big boy Bello Shroom was outside enjoying the sunny day melt-off.

 

 

I found a recipe that clued me in on how to fry tofu perfectly. No batter involved - just straight up tofu and sesame seeds in olive oil. It is so yummy that we have eaten a version of this three times in the past four or five days.

 

 

2013 Bay of Fundy Marathon

 

Click here for an Article about the marathon and my work in the Bangor Daily News

 

Awards are coming along for the Bay of Fundy Marathon. I am giving my wrists a break for a week before tackling the next group of pieces which will be the most intricate and complex of the bunch. These are the tumblers that will be awarded to the teams in the 10k and marathon.

 

If you are traveling to Lubec during the marathon be sure to book your accommodations sooner rather than later. I know that as of this morning, Away Downeast still has a couple awesome and affordable cottage available.

 

For a more comprehensive list of B&B's and motels, etc, check out the VisitLubecMaine website.

 

If you still need help finding accommodations, contact the Bay of Fundy Marathon organizers for suggestions.

 

 

Thinking maybe I should change my blog title to "Food, Cats and Art." That seems to sum up most days here in our little nook in the far reaches of the country. The past couple weeks have been fulfilling on all fronts. Chris and I have our super busy times where we find ourselves on the road to various readings, exhibits, meetings, or family events, but other times we are able to find these stretches where retreating to our respective work spaces is unfettered by outside distractions.

 

I set aside one week to (almost) fully dedicate to the beginning stages of a new art project. Most weeks I am juggling a little bit of "this" and little bit of "that" but this week I wanted to be able to solidify some ideas. For an artist to have that time without outside distractions is worth the weight of any hefty item in gold.

 

I had been waiting for the right conditions to visit the ruins of an old factory site here in Lubec. On Friday I finally had the opportunity. I needed compliant weather, tide, and Chris. I had never been to the site before and was unsure how approachable it would be. It is not a safe space by any stretch with the massive deterioration but was in better condition than I had expected. I snapped over a hundred photos that have been filed and later this morning I will begin printing them to use as inspiration in both clay, conte, and encaustic.

 

I am excited by my level of excitement. When I got to the ruins close-up, I swear my heart skipped a beat. Something resonated with me so strongly on such a deep level. With some things in our lives, we don't always understand our reactions, but over time, clarity begins to come forth presenting the bigger picture. For me, with this site visit, I started to understand some of the images that had been emerging in my work over the past couple years. At the time of creating those works, or even recently seeing images in my mind but not being able to translate, this one afternoon allowed all kinds of connections to be realized. The images, understandings, and connections is only in the most infantile stage but at the precipice of unfolding in a most profound way. I can feel it.

 

It is amazing to look at these ruins and to know that this is not a war-torn village and that these walls and ceilings are not collapsed because of bombs. Merely, it is water, wind, and time that has eroded the structure. Such awesome power in the elements.

 

Looking at these ruins, even though used for a period of time and when no longer profitable abandoned and left succumb to the elements, there is beauty and reverence. The energy is still. In some ways, a ghostly still. But also, a reverent stillness. Pier stubs emerge from the sand like gravestones. Columns, broken, and slanted, lean against one another like Stonehenge dolmens. Slabs of concrete hang from steel rods exposing an opening in the ceiling that is a gateway to infinite sky. Every square foot guards a memory or story.

 

At the moment, my mind is buzzing with ideas. This part of the process takes a while for me to decipher. Images snap through mind's eye and it is an art in snagging the right one that can carry and artist through from conception to artwork. My cave is warming up now, waiting me to begin this journey.

Back to Routines Post Nemo

 Trying out some new moves in the kitchen.

 

 

 Lottsa little pots are in the works.

So many, in fact, that my favorite clay carving tools have worn out.

Luckily I found a similar set that should arrive soon!

 

 

Some test slabs in the works.

Not sure what the end result will be but I'm hoping for something interesting to work with.

 

 

Nemo came and went and while much of southern Maine experienced record snowfall, Lubec was dowsed with a mere eighteen inches or less. Our back yard is notorious for high drifts and the wind did not let us down this time. The driveway was nearly bare but the backyard was a weighty three feet deep in most spots. Chris had been away and missed the last couple storms which fell upon me to shovel. I was relieved that he made it home, with only a day to spare, in time to enjoy the hype of a true Maine winter. His California blood, I can say, is now officially transfused to the good ol' "Mainah" type. He shoveled with a smile and didn't complain once about the frigid gusty winds. We also fared well in the electrical sense. Our power flickered off and on a few times but no real outage to speak of. I enjoyed the three days of being "snowbound". It's good to slow things down once in a while.

 

It's back to regular routines now. Chris spends much of the day in his office writing poetry, working on his novel, and teaching various ethics courses online. I have been focused on carving the herring ware and just began work for the Bay of Fundy Marathon awards. Those two things alone, awards and preparing inventory for summer sales, could keep me busy full time, but I also just tossed the semester work for my MFA program into the mix. I've been a wee bit neglectful on the office type stuff and keeping up with this blog, but I do enjoy the intense focus once in a while and that means letting go of a few things. While I am setting my own schedule for the most part, there are plenty of meetings and appointments that keep me on my toes. Last week I enjoyed an afternoon with some kids at school in the afterschool program. It was an interesting challenge to make paper mache masks with students that ranged in age from four to ten. I am accustomed to multi-age classes, but a span so wide does present its own set of challenges. Luckily I had a couple other sets of adult hands to assist.

 

February has turned out to so far feel a healthy work pace. January hit me like a tornado quite unexpectedly. I had been thinking that it would be my quiet month, but between jury duty, MFA presentations, the flu, my mom's visit, painting the living room, social engagements, and having a ceiling installed in my cave studio, I didn't have much time for anything art-related. This month has so far been about re-focusing, breathing, and getting back into my artistic groove. No delusions. The March schedule is packed and from what I can see, that will be the norm until after next December's holidays. I have already secured a few craft venues and am waiting on applications for a few others. This is my first full year as a full time artist. It's all a work in progress with much to be learned along the way.

 

It's a good life.