October 26, 2024

Here I am again after six years.  I'm experiencing a strong need to express my thoughts about what is happening in this world.  Having just turned ninety I feel I have a lot of observations and ideas to share that might be helpful.  And I have a definitely more limited space of time to share them.  My health seems good but the life behind me is longer than what is ahead.  As birthdays go it's a big one and demands that I make good use of the time I have left.  

Which brings up that quote from Mary Oliver's poem Sometimes which has come to mind any number of times since I first read it years ago. 

'Instructions for living a life

Pay attention,

Be astonished,

Tell about it."

Those four lines have been nudging me for years and especially now.

I think I have learned a bit about how to pay attention more effectively.  And I certainly am astonished frequently, sometimes by beauty and goodness, sometimes by ugliness and evil. The problem is just how to go about 'telling about it' seems unclear.  

So that's why I'm back to my blog. I am exploring ways to 'tell about it'.  But since I'm exploring it may be I'll continue in this blog - or I may find some other venue.  I'll try to keep you posted either way.

June 19, 2018

It has been over a year since I posted anything, but I found myself writing a poem after reading about the 'family separations' that are taking place.  I hope it speaks for itself.

AT THE BORDER

I was instructed
not to touch them
except to change
or dress them,

the little ones,

not to touch them
when they wept
and called for mama
and sometimes papa,

cried over and over.

I followed orders
even though it was
hard not to hug
or stroke them

I know the damage

of comfort forbidden.
If and when they are
reunited with families
they will be broken,

I am broken also.

February 1, 2017

Here is a beaded hanging from 2005.  I did post this in 2007, but it seemed to have become appropriate for the situation of the many many refugees who are fleeing areas of conflict now.  I called the piece Child of War. 

January 31, 2017

Here is another of my unsolicited comments on what our country is going through.  It is based on a poster I made in 2014. 

I was also struck this morning by the coincidence that my blog (and business) is called Weeping Crow Studio.  I do feel like weeping with concern and alarm at what appear to be threats to a way of life which isn't perfect, but is something precious.

January 30, 2017

I've decided to use my blog to express my thoughts and feelings about what is happening to our country.  That includes some poetry I have written.  Mostly I haven't written political poetry, but it seems called for at this time.  This one was inspired by a news  clip about Aleppo.

As it rains on a street in syria

The people move slowly; in cold weather clothing.

They might be strolling except each adult carries a duffel bag;

Some balance sleeping bags on their heads; 

each child wears a back-pack except one very small child

who wears a pink hat with a pom-pom.

It’s clear they are together; but they spread out from one another. 

In the rubble that spreads to the horizon

shattered apartment buildings reveal their bones.

The images are on TV and computer screens,

many showing the violence as it happens

taken at grave danger for those who send them.

I witness these refugees and feel as helpless

as if they were fleeing centuries ago instead of now,

this very day toward America’s closing doors.

February 24, 2016

I'm adding the second and third of my Library Book series which I finished in January 2016.


Here are some views of #2.


I luckily was able to obtain an old dictionary which I cannibalized for the cover and can use in my next series.  The shelves this time were made by a kind fellow at Haystack who whipped it up for me in the Wood Studio.

And here is #3, finally!  The first three images are of the maquette I made to plan out the final product.  This piece was fun because I found I was moved to make a kind of pop-up to convey what I wanted.  To me it is an book in honor of the branch library in Cleveland where I spent time as a young child.  It was small and friendly.  The librarian was relatively kind - that is not judgmental - as I felt most adults were at that time.

As you can see it came out fairly close to what I had planned, for which I'm thankful. 

This whole project took about three years to complete. I was making the small books in early 2013 and finally finished the final book in January of 2016.  It was a process of making hundreds of small books without a clear idea of how I would use them.  I did have a tray for holding type that I wanted to use as it made me think of book shelves.  But otherwise I was just in love, obsessed, whatever you call it, with making the small books.




Then I was lucky enough to be part of the first Open Studio Residency at Haystack Mountain School of Craft which gave me the confidence to hang on to my blurry vision of incorporating the miniature books into a series of larger books that honored libraries. 

Memorial Day
May 25, 2015

Seems a good time to send out images of what I've been making over last year or so.    

This is the first completed of what I call my Library series.  

I have standing by at least one more library not yet completed.  It seems the most challenging part is chosing the presentation phase.  The inspiration/statement I was trying to embody has to do with the transitions libraries are going through and what I've experienced as a devaluing of libraries.

Making lots of little books for me is much easier, indeed is joyous and doesn't present that old issue of what is "the best way" to do something.  

For year 2015 I decided to follow the book by Franz Zeier called Books, Boxes and Portfolios.  I made one box and between the internet and some other inspiring books abandoned his book and went down the way of origami.  I've been exploring two of its paths:  making small boxes so that the accordion books inside will pop out - a book in a box and making rosaries.

I may need to explore video techniques to develop the popping books, so I've set that aside for now and have been making rosaries of paper orgami formed beads.  They are big and for some reason I get a great kick out them.  My friends in The Time Project also seemed to like them.

Here's the first.

It's hanging on the door to illustrate its size.  I have made a smaller one but that's not as much fun for some reason.


I'm not sure if anyone will read/see this, but it helps me to organize my thoughts--to look back and also plan ahead.

That's all for now.