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| "A Morning with Thrush Song" watercolor on paper, 15"x22", VClaff, 2016 |
Rainy, dark days have taken root for a week now, the forest is murky, holding tight to shadows gathered at the trunks of drooping conifer boughs. Fires burn in winter-worn hearths, the smoke settling low, unable to rise above
heavy mists.
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| "Swamp, Mists & Peeper Songs", 22" x30", VClaff, 2016 |
I startled a bit to see how long it has been since I've come to share here,
its been a long and somewhat challenging school year. Teaching is always
rewarding, but I'm doing more of it and was feeling rather worn-out. With
my commitments at school done this week, I am finding space again.
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| "A Scent of Ferns" watercolor on paper, 15"x22", VClaff, 2016 |
My winter schedule was Monday through Wednesday teaching,Thursday and
Friday in the studio. If I had to continue, Saturdays were spent in the studio as
well. It was fruitful. Seeds that were planted in some of the paintings in the previous
post have matured into work that feels close to capturing the deeply storied
places I wander.
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| "A Place for Dreaming" watercolor on paper, 15"x22", VClaff, 2016 |
Just today I gathered up the paintings here from the framer,
and tomorrow they will head off to a show at the NESTO Gallery at
Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. The show opens Friday, May 13, and
features a small group of alumni. If you are in the area, come by! For
information about the gallery and directions, follow the link here.
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| "Water's Edge" watercolor on paper, 15"x22", VClaff, 2016 |
Always at the meeting of a deadline, as work is collected from the framer,
a pause to gather myself is needed. It has been a week of endings as groups
gathered around the world to welcome in the spring, I said goodbye to a particularly inspiring group of students, and my new workheads off into the world for a time. A horribly neglected garden needs my attention, and some quiet dreaming
beside the unfurling ferns is planned.
In case you are wondering about Rhu Bear... he is doing well, monitoring
my movements in the studio when I am there, and greeting me at the door to the
house when I return from my travels, expecting belly rubs, of course.
