New birdwings, says Velma

Rich sewing bark thread on bark lace wrapped around a container.

We had visitors yesterday, and Priscilla, a student who took my class years ago in Asheville, showed us her drop spindle skills (mine are not worth mentioning).

One of my FAVORITE studio props.

Hellen's mobius strip now coated with persimmon dye.

Francesca's first bead!

Deb with her lovely joomchi flower drawings.

Patricia's woodblock prints on Morgan hanji; she says it works great! Looks wonderful. So gratifying to start to see the process through the full cycle of making and use. This is from the printmaking class, adjacent to the paper sculpture class. I really like those instructors and they have sent both of their classes to me for paper talks.

Metal sculpture outside the print studio.

More metal sculpture, but I'm fed so well here that I no longer snack between meals, and haven't even eaten potato chips when they're served!

In the meantime, I finally overcame the head of my duck.

And then I kept going (with the lovely indigo shirt that Velma mailed to me here!).

But then I realized that ducks don't have very long necks at all, so I had to rush and start the body already! On some suminagashi-ed paper. We found out yesterday that my last grandparent passed. I haven't had time to process, and was thinking this morning about how insane it is that these days, this kind of news can arrive via text (as a function of the poor phone reception here). She went quickly and peacefully, so for that we are all grateful. My mother left for Korea immediately, and I'm wondering if I'll get to the wings of this duck by the time I leave Penland. But it's the perfect time and place to be quiet, at least.