Monday, April 23, 2007

Raven (2002)

















Last Friday, April 20, I drove six hours north to 100 Mile House, which is in a region of British Columbia called Cariboo Country. I had not been up that way since 1974 and was awed by the dramatic and varied landscape I passed through in those six hours. The trip began with farmland, followed by a climb up the Fraser River Canyon, from which one can see nearby mountain peaks with snow. Beyond that is high desert and Cariboo Country.

On Saturday, I drove another hour to Williams Lake for a gathering of kindred spirits, returning to 100 Mile House later in the day. It was good to visit with a friend who used to live in Bellingham, to meet her boyfriend and her new friends. Several of us took a long walk after dinner in grasslands near the lake at 108 Mile Ranch. That is far enough north that there is not much spring greening yet. There were Canada Geese walking in the short brown grass and buffleheads and scaups in the lake. The sky was that clear blue that comes with high altitude and distance from populated areas, and it seemed huge because there were no nearby mountains to block it. There were some clouds and rain in one part of the sky in the far distance to the north.

I imagine that this landscape I visited is somewhat like the landscape where the story I was trying to illustrate took place.

It was good to have a break from blogging, my first break since I started this blog on December 8, 2006.

I have been asked if I am doing any new work. April 16 was day #40 of a 40-day commitment to painting something every day. I have about 20 new pieces in gouache and watercolor, done on Arches watercolor blocks, but nothing so far seems to me to be as strong as my older work. Still, I am enjoying the process of painting again and am committing to ongoing daily painting. Last Monday, I took a class in inkle weaving and will be weaving on a daily basis, too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi

I have discovered your blog through searching for inkle weaving. Can you tell me where you found out about the course you took? I have an inkle loom and used to weave with it as a child, but have forgotten everything!

thanks

Louise

am said...

Louise -- The 2-hour workshop I took was at a local yarn store. You may be able to find a book called INKLE WEAVING, by Helene Bress, at your public library. The workshop teacher used that book as a resource for teaching the workshop. The book is out of print. Since I took the workshop, I have woven eight belts and am working on a ninth. I am enjoying experimenting with color and pattern. Another book you might be interested in is WEAVING INKLE BANDS, by Harriet Tidball.