it has been a productive and lovely summer this year and i will miss it like an old shoe.
the studio needed a new roof and has one.
the same for my parents’ house. i know way more than i want to about roofing now. please don’t ask me.

the chill of autumn is creeping in and the leaves are changing.
i am cutting wood and preparing.
my father’s wood cutting zeal is rubbing off on me and i am finding a little contentment gathering my winter heat.

the studio has been a great place for learning this summer. we had several classes covering a variety of topics. book making, jewelry, dolls, drawing to name a few. now that the roof is on, i look forward to classes running all year round.

i have focused on drawing: i needed to find a means of expression that didn’t take up a lot of room since i was often preparing my studio for classes. i also felt it was important to get back to basics. i have been thinking about color as well as new paint mediums. i may want to work with acrylics or at least water based oil paints.

mostly i want to think about line and story.

i have turned to children’s book illustration as an inspiration lately because it pares things down to pure poetry and touches you immediately. i have recently met children’s author and illustrator kevan atteberry. his work inspires me and now i have a whole new way of thinking. stay tuned.

so summer is over.
the days are shorter, the leaves turn gray brown (it’s the northwest). the rain falls and the grass turns green again. soon wood smoke will waft over our little enclave and the smell of hot soup and canned fruit will fill the air. the skies will get dramatic and the winds will blow as we all settle into our winter blankets and dream of the last best summer of 2013.