Moving Colours

Enlightenment *significant*small* I use a dye technique that I like to call my signature style. It creates color movement in the final piece, hand dyed roving, handspun yarn, handwoven fabric, handmade garments. The first time I took a dye class and created color movement I knew a long journey of learning and playing and moving was ahead of me. I'm starting to see a deeper level of why dyeing for movement is so important to me. It nourishes my transient soul and brings chance and change to my everyday life. Kids, family, farming, weaving, dyeing, shearing, wwoofing, milking, cooking, separating...

Here, my transient soul has tried to form an existence, on a beautiful piece of property, my beloved farm, but my roots resist going deep and my heart yearns for change, and feet itch for adventure, and my lack of skills and resources have crippled my being, and I must search for a deep healing salve. I'm afraid of doing it together. I'm afraid of doing it alone.

Almost. The llamas are gone and the goats are gone and the chickens are gone and the rabbits are gone. And I loved them. And I wish I wasn't so impulsive, but that's how they all came to me, and that's how they all go.

And I'm packing up water heaters and electric fencing, and feed bins, and wwoofer clothes, and sheets, and all the bits and pieces and it's time to move on.

Change.

I will fulfill dreams of craft vending, coastal living, traveling, wwoofing, moving, rolling home living, wandering, camping, festival touring, adventures in parenting, and dreams waiting for awakening. Only Dreams, a small consolation to the pieces of my heart.

Chance.

I'm still in the stage of muddling about, and musing, crying, and sorting, while my mind takes its time solving the puzzle of my present, and my heart heals enough to look forward to the future.

And so closes this chapter of Natures Parkland.


To Morgan, Cairo, Everest, Marley, and Loretta,

My friends, you are gone, I must learn and move on:
Washing, washing, washing, washing,
washing, washing, washing, washing,
washing, washing, washing, washing,
washing, washing, washing, washing...

To Lisa, Champagne, Billy, Blueberry, Charming Jack and the Beanstalk, Tickle, Revel, Sambuca, Taz, Radar, Daisy, Lavalynn, Violet, Ebony, Mimsy, Rooster, and all my baby chickies,

I surrender you to your destiny:
Breathe and release, pray, believe,
Breathe, release, pray, believe,
Breathe, release, pray, believe,
Breathe, release, pray, believe,
Breathe, release, pray, believe,
Breathe, release, pray, believe,
Breath, breathe, breathe, breathe
release, pray, pray, hope, believe...

Studio Warning: May contain scenes of creative messiness.

Weeeeeell, as promised, I am posting the little blurb from the show I was in at the library that was a promotion of the Rocky Studio Tour. *sigh* yes, I wanted to do a little blog promo for the Studio Tour as well but it happened last weekend, sooooooo, I'll do a extended follow-up to make up for my bloglessness. :)


"The heart of my farm is the studio. My favourite symbol is that of an interlocking spiral, at the center for me is creative ambition, and from that, everything else radiates.

For example, if it wasn't for my obsession with fibre arts, we probably never would have become farmers. In turn, my fibre arts studio gives me the peace and energy I need when dealing with the adventures of farm life.

My artistic philosophy is that it is much better to create than to clean. A superficial sense of chaos and disarray continually surrounds me, however, underneath it all, there is a rhythm. Create!


I renovated an old, historical log cabin to become my studio. The cabin was the farm's original homestead, built by a man who wanted to escape the world and live in the wilderness. The quality of workmanship surrounding the cabin speaks for itself, the cabin has survived almost a century of use and abuse and stills stands strong and true.

I find the cabin is a source of inspiration for me, the quality, the history, the escape, and the wilderness are all aspects that reoccur in my artwork in various ways.

When I imagine an ideal studio, I think of great, big windows, wide open spaces, and maybe an indoor waterfall. Moving to such a space (if possible) would greatly redirect my creative flow, so I am in no rush to get there, yet. The fired-log cabin studio is my complex sanctuary and I am grateful for the opportunity to be it's tenant."

The photos above are of my studio tour outdoor hand-weaving display (can you see my chicken tractor in the background!) and the studio cabin with all the flowers in bloom. I also had to include my typical lunch/dinner plate, home-made naan bread made using freshly milled grains, salad greens from the garden, olive oil with herbs, and home-made goat cheese. So good!

I have taken a break for the last couple weeks from being a wwoof host and enjoyed messying up the house and having lots of ME time (my darling boys are also away with their grandma in Sweden and I am alone in the house and its so weird!) But now the goats are starting to get MY goat like only goats can and I am ready for more helpers/woofers/farm workers. And the wheel is turning and you can't slow down, can't get off and you can't stand still...

Articles

I've been so busy writing for everyone else, I haven't really had time to blog. The latest studio news is that I am part of an "Studio" exhibit at the Rocky Public Library. I'll try to post my little blurb from that later.

I also did my first "formal" interview for the local newspaper and I am so tickled to have an article in this weeks paper thats all about ME and my artwork. Small towns can be so awesome that way, everyone can feel like somebody.

Trying to find the link, this might be it here on page 4c:
https://canada.arcasearch.com/abc/nIgolresu/blank3.asp?stCode=ab&siteID=caabroc

Other than that, life has been busy with spring planting. Can't believe it SNOWED two days ago. My tomatoes had already been long gone from previous frosts so I wasn't too mad about the snow, but still??!! My new herbs that i special ordered from ontario are going to have to survive in planters outside the front door, with all this ridiculous weather, I don't dare put them out in the garden. I also managed to plan Grams deck building weekend to correspond with the Rocky Rodeo weekend. I swear, that rodeo puts a jinx on the town, some awful weather always happens for rodeo weekend. Good thing for being hard-core (and now sore because of it), pounding nails through the sleet and snow. It felt great to get muddy with a good work-out and learn some more carpentry skills.

May Long Weekend Campout

The May long weekend campout is a treasured tradition for many families that I grew up with. Soon we will be having our Reinstated, 3rd Annual campout at the Bone Tree and for the benefit of campers who do not use Facebook I am posting this blog with pics and mealtime info.

We hiked out to the campsite today and I think the trail into the campsite is relatively dry. There is still snow, as can be expected on the 3rd of May but the mud pits look passable.


We bumped into other campers who were also scoping out the site, they looked suspiciously at us, making me think that we may have some competition claiming the site this year. Anyone who wants to come early and spend Wed and Thurs night claiming the site, let me know!

The creek looks quite shallow, I don't know if floating on it will be an option. Upstream looked fairly clear, needs some work , but look at the size of the log jam down stream!

Food arrangements are as follows:

Gram Hazel is essentially providing and preparing the two main means for 4PM on Saturday and Sunday. We are to pick them up at the house and return CLEAN pots and dishes. Gram was very clear, she doesn’t want “people in the house/her kitchen.”

Anyone who wants to bring ‘something’ should bring a dessert cake or square for Sunday OR prepared veggies (washed, chopped before hand) for a veggie tray. If you have a preference and email/comment/facebook me, otherwise I will delegate a task to those who has already said they wish to help.

Everybody is to bring their own drinks, snacks and whatever they want for breakfast/brunch/lunch. Their own dishes and utensils. There is no dishwashing ‘service.’ Everyone is to clean up after themselves and do their own dishes. A dish washing station will be provided.

I need a volunteer to haul out the garbage this year. I need a volunteer to bring heavy duty garbage bags. I need at least 5 people to bring big water jugs to contribute to the communal water container. I need volunteers to chainsaw and chop firewood for the campfire and the wood-fired stove. I need two people to bring either a propane bottle for a campstove or both items to be set up for communal use (breakfast, coffee, tea, etc)

David will not be around to help me out this year so I need lots of VOLUNTEERS! If you are planning to help out, let me know by commenting on this blog, OR, facebooking me, OR call me! 403-845-3575

Summer Fun Article Ideas

I've been asked to write an article for Edmonton Child magazine, the theme for the issue is Summer Fun and they want an article that talks about farm life. Sooooo, I'm feeling around for some ideas. There are many topics I could expound upon and I'm not totally sure which would be the most interesting.

Some ideas:
-daily chores for my kids: collecting eggs, helping mom make bread
-international workers living and working with us
-baby goats, llamas, bunnies, and chicks
-wide open spaces to run, roll, and play
-campfires in our front yard
-local creek, lake, forest, tobogganning hill

If you have more ideas about what would make a really fun, interesting article involving summer fun, please comment!