Saori Weaving - My Loom Arrives

Ah, in the midst of a turbulent time, the object of my grant application desire arrived! It arrived in the middle of the day we're having a college graduation celebration for our daughter Molly (along with a reception for her first photography exhibit followed by our monthly poetry reading.)

It arrived just minutes after I'd gone to my spiritual room, drew a Tarot card, designating it to be representative of "what will give me peace" and turned it over to see the XIII Major Arcana Death card.  I am happy to say that I laughed, that it first seemed like a smartass literal joke from the Universe and that I found it absolutely spot-on in the less-literal and most-usual reading of the Death card is that it is about change, loss, transformation, letting go.

All of which I am experiencing in abundance right now.  Molly's graduation and leaving for some travel and then the east coast is a huge crossroads moment in my life. One where I see her road is leading away from mine (though I've no doubt both wind and turn and cross again.)

And so, the loom arrived in the midst of all this sense of change, loss, and letting go. And it seems a symbol of my newest journey, and an artistic exploration that will lead me to transformation....and, maybe, moments of peace.

 The package.

The main frame of the loom, unfolded right out of the box. I was SO pleased that it fits right into the space I made for it, on the sad linoleum between the beat-up file cabinet I've had for more than three decades, and a dilapidated shelf rescued from the flood of '93. Obviously, I'm not waiting for an invitation from Somerset to profile my fine studio space.

This is the box of inner parts and accessories for the loom.  At this point, I was seriously worried there might be no directions.

Ah ha! A piece of paper!

Aahhhh.

This is the reed cap, and though everything from the shipping box to the directions had the word "SAORI" on it, it was the sight of this piece of wood that has "SAORI" front and center on the loom that brought tears to my eyes.

Blissful sigh.

Good Busy

Hello woefully neglected blog! I'm sure you'll understand that I'm once-again over-committed and trying to be brave and cheerful about it all, which isn't that hard when I get mindful and realize how good most of the busy-ness is.
A rundown:
I'm gathering work together for the ArtsIlliana Crossroads Arts Fest, where I'm going to share a booth with weaver John Salamone and my "Art Heals" display for The Maple Center for Integrative Health.

I'm working on pieces for that and for a fiber arts show in October at Gopalan Contemporary Art gallery - that would feature John, Cathie Laska and me.

rootbone series (2010), wool, dyed, tied, wet-felted

I'm chairing the planning committee for this year's Maple Center workshop on loss and art: Creating a Path Through Loss / The Arts as Healing Tools.

Those are the big things - in between I'm still co-hosting monthly poetry readings and will do an extra reading for the Arts Fest.  And I'm teaching a triangle loom class at RiverWools in October. Facilitating Lit Night at ArtReach twice a month. Hoping to have things ready to show at the annual fall arts festival we're inaugurating this year at First UU - Fruitridge Cider Fest.

What else....?  OH, I got the grant! The grant awarded by the Indiana Arts Commission. The Individual Artist Program grant!  I got it.  I'm still having a hard time believing it.    I don't think I wrote about this here, but I spent a good deal of time working on the application late last year and through January.

This grant is pretty cool, an award of up to $2,000 for a project that will further an artist's career - it's very open, the project could be travel for research and inspiration, time off from work to complete a work, money for supplies or equipment. 

At the time, I had just discovered Saori weaving and thought I'd apply to see if I could buy a Saori loom, which I thought was totally out of the question both for $$$ and space reasons.  I thought, though, that if I could get the money, I'd make the space!  In the last 3 weeks, I've gotten almost 30 boxes of books out of here and onto the shelves at BookNation (oh, yes, that's another thing I do, 3 days a week, I'm helping to keep BookNation open and selling a few books.)  So I made the space and then last week, got the great news.

Saori SX60, you will be mine in a matter of weeks:

I feel busy and blessed.
Namaste!