Heat Wave

It has been so hot the past couple of weeks. I'm adjusting to how the studio works with the humidity. I have a small ac unit that is really trying it's best!

I started a new, longer piece as a response to a call for art about "Community, movement and sports". I have never been an athletic person, but every year I go out to the trail behind Gervasi Vinyard to see if I can still run a decent mile. My mile time has not changed much since school. It was 10 minutes and is still about 9.5. There are two experiences I have when I'm running that are parallel, the actual physical effort of doing it, and then the experience of being outside in nature. Sometimes I try to forget that I'm running and think about it like I'm driving down the path and just observe what's going on around me. I tried to capture the change in landscape from the dense wooded area where the trail starts to the thick grassland swamp area at the end of the trail when I get close to the 1 mile mark. I think I like running this trail because I know how far I've gone by the different landmarks. Using different fibers for each of the different sections hopefully will give a sense of the changing landscape.

So there are two white lines in the weaving. One is the run down, and the other one is the walk back. The walk back is like my reward for completing the mile. I get to walk back through the trail and really connect with all the things I saw on the way there. Is that bird still there? What new plants are growing along the side? It's the fun part for me just observing and getting inspired by things that I see.

In other news, my piece "Don't Tell Me" will be in a show of fiber and textile works at the McDonough gallery at Youngstown State. The show, I Just Like You - New and Inspiring Fiber Work, will open with a reception on May 31st and stay on view until July 20th. This piece, woven with over 200 acrylic rods, was the first time I ventured into weaving with something such a rigid material in the whole piece. I love how the weave structure makes these deep diamond cells that are so 3D. This piece will also travel to Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland's east side for the 2nd iteration of "Waffle Weave Invitational" in October.

Please wish me luck as I finish out the year with my middle school students! I am excited for what is coming up this summer. First, I always try to make it to the Great Lakes Fiber Show at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, Ohio each memorial day weekend. I am hoping to score a big bag of odds and ends from a vendor so I have more materials to experiment with. In June, I am going on a short weaving "residency" at Berea College in KY to really get to work.

See you soon!