…if the nose & claw of a big hammer could be hung from the ceiling of the space so that it seemed as though it was coming through the building to hit a giant nail embedded in the floor….. … if one section of the installation was a series of small paintings all connected by […]
The struggle for six hours daily to make fingers move at lightning speed, and in the balance of the day to re-shape one’s mind into a vast reservoir of history, style and technique, impress the right teachers and build the pedigrees that could make all the difference in earning potential – this felt, to my […]
Kol Nidrei (arranged for cello & piano) on the stand beside The Bach Suites. Above and to the right, a clock and the first viola John Newton made as a student (no bridge or strings – I’m honoured to keep it safe here). Then the big black hanging fish, then my sewing machine, then the […]
On January 10, 1983 Ken writes, Today is Mike’s birthday… and all the while the Benedictine monks chant “kyrie eleison” in the background and I can’t get Psalm 51 out of my brain nor the Spanish Civil war… Ken wrote pages and pages for years and years. In another letter he quotes bits from Ken Kuhl […]
I’m about to leave for a long-awaited trip to Lake Superior. We’ll take the kayaks, a lovely new tent & good camping gear (the best wedding presents ever); the bikes, some tomatoes from the garden since the plants are now overflowing, books, cameras, and my own cluttered mind, in hopes that the latter can be […]
I’ve seen it time and again, but it never fails to restore my faith in humanity: if you gather smart, hardworking teens together under a conductor every week with their chosen instruments and good music to play, magical things happen. Add 40 degree heat inside the church, a six-week hiatus from playing and a good […]
What a rich world we are in here. I’m surrounded by colour and flavour and scent, birdsong, squirrel screeching and leaves describing the breeze. Internally too – three new large creative projects on the go – fabric art, an installation/ performance art piece on the value, history and beauty of hand tools, and a new […]
…trees like green walls out every window, on every floor. This happened suddenly, when the ash leaves opened – about 3 weeks ago. Now the air tastes still and green and humid-heavy, builds in a dark blustering crash to thundering rain on our metal roof, then abates and burns with full sun again. Even the […]
six am & bright outside, as we approach midsummer. It is beautiful, yes. There are birds, yes. I will garden this morning, yes. But not now, damnit. I am distracted by a nagging, irritating thorn that will burrow in deeper unless I pluck it out. Immediately. As of this past Thursday when my job was […]
It’s as good a time as any for reflection. 6am, still dark outside in the northern hemisphere. I sit at the downstairs table beside a pinging wood stove. It’s beaming heat onto the cat, who’s a puddle of contentment. We began this house project in 2006 with the enthusiasm and energy of young saplings reaching […]