Regrouping

I was so excited to get to the post office today and mail away all the work that I have been doing for the past week, weeks, month, year. Then I came back and realized I wanted to get off campus and finally see some museums. We get free passes to a bunch, so I picked up a pass and went to Museum Hill. This was a drawing from the folk art of the Andes exhibit at the Museum of International Folk Art. It was the first thing I saw, and I was peering at the paper, so curious. Guess what it is? Pith paper made in Canton, China. The artwork was done in the mid-1800s by workshop artists in China but the drawings were by Francisco "Pancho" Fierro, a self-taught artist from Lima. His work was popular, so they would reproduce them in China and then ship them to Peru and sell them to tourists and seamen.

This was in the same museum's permanent collection. That's how I've felt this last week. Just that one gallery is PACKED with a ridiculous amount of work.

I loved this one but now that I am writing this close to dinnertime, it makes me even hungrier.

These amulets from Sri Lanka were out near the main entrance; I was entranced.

The lighting at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture was very dim but I was so pleased to walk into this gallery and see a show all about saddle blankets. My pics didn't come out but they had some blankets draped onto curved supports and they were all so beautiful. Of course, I saw the sign and all I could think of was Velma.

  

Back in the studio; I love milagros so I was very happy to see tons and tons of them today.

And indulged in some papel picado! Eight different colors and designs, all pertaining to spring. It brightens the studio. Strangely enough, I also am always curious to see how they fade. They will get LOTS of light so I'll get to observe the shift.

 

Of course, seeing all the baskets in the first two museums plus a few at the Wheelwright Museum got me all inspired to start working again on my chamber pot. The Indian Arts & Culture museum had an entire enormous gallery full of baskets and I was in heaven. I just wanted more lighting, and of course, no vitrines! It was good to get back to my practice violin/visit library weekday routine, but I failed at getting to the gym today. That's really the last place I wanted to go after the museum visits. The first place was my studio, and I'm staying here until I go to bed.