The daze begins

Clyde sent me a CD full of images, wonderful pictures he had taken at Pyramid during my demo. I went through them and laughed, because I feel like I was using my hands more than the people who were interpreting my talk (one is beside me). I tried to take this weekend off, but wonder how much headway I'll make between now and next year. I feel so bombarded by the money- and guilt-driven "holiday spirit" that my eyes glaze over and I feel numb from the sheer loudness of all the artifice. Plus, food coma.

This made me realize that I have to schedule my next month very carefully if I want to get any work done. Book promo can easily take over my time, without any appreciable results, so I think mornings should be reserved for studio work. Even though I don't have one. I thought a lot this weekend about Julie Wagner, who is a remarkable artist that I met in El Rito while on my residency in Santa Fe in the summer. Her studio and artwork are beautiful and very real. She works in a way that I wish I could, that is rooted in place and discovery. She takes walks and notices things out in the world and then draws and writes and makes books about all of it. I hope I can visit her again someday, as hot and dusty as it is out there. The drive is stunning, kind of like this.

[I must have been telling the chamber pot story.] For today, I'll continue with book promo, and am grateful for those who support my book, like this blog post at Procured Design (the FB page is here). But first, I will cook up a batch of paste to coat four baskets. And if I'm very ambitious, a walk out into the world that is crunchy with leaves.