Tuesday

At my parents house. The field was being mown. And to a little boy who loves tractors it's a happy afternoon...

And walk in the field in the evening sunshine after the mower has gone. Brings back happy childhood memories of haymaking time. Memories of my dad helping to rake the cut grass into long winding rows for the baler, me jumping the rows and collecting stray pieces to add to the piles. Of my older cousins riding way up on top of the hay wagon. Golden evenings and being tucked up in bed as the sun drops behind the hill, falling asleep with the sounds of work and laughter drifting in on the breeze through the open window...

It's all done by machine now of course. But the smell of hay that fills the air hasn't changed at all. And the kids went to bed like a dream :)

Sunday

So its been a while. And I never really meant to stop writing here. But in the small spaces between looking after children, feeding and cleaning children, tidying and washing and cooking and working, and trying to catch up on sleep, there's not much time for making. And even less time for writing. But I miss it.

And I've just handed in my notice to my main day job, the art college print workshop technician job that I've had for nearly ten years and has taught me so much but that I can no longer make fit with my life. G starts school in September. I want to be there to pick him up. So, hopefully there will be more time for all of the above. And some bookbinding...

This is Vinnie. Here's evidence he does occasionally sleep...

...

More prints, more cutting. And a wheelbarrow ride round the garden. Turbo blast off...

Album

I don't know why it's taken me so long to work this out. I've been trying on and off for years to make a photo album I'm happy with... one with pages sturdy enough to support the photos yet not too stiff; with spacers to pad out the pages and accommodate photos without looking unsightly or getting in the way; with a sturdy spine that will withstand the weight of added photos...

I've tried sewing a book with double the amount of pages then cutting alternate ones out but it's hard to get neat and wasteful of paper. I've tried sewing pages to a concertina spine which works as padding but just didn't feel quite stable enough. I've tried folding the edges of pages over and sewing, or gluing, with guards, without and it always came out wonky. To be brief I've tried a lot! And never been quite satisfied. 

But yesterday it came to me, just like that. I've been making concertinas from folded single sheets glued back to back for a while (like a line of alternating Vs), it's the Japanese method I think, and suddenly I realised if I pointed all the Vs the same way and put spacers at the spine edge I could glue it all together in the same way, and it would stay straight and square. Turns out it's sturdy with the sort of page thickness I want and the spacers are hidden too. 

So, this may be obvious, or just the way it's done, it's probably got a name but I'm just glad I've discovered it. :) 

Before the light fades...

Hand behind the tool. Don't slip. Practicing curves, wood chip in my eye. Soon I've got to walk across the park and it will be dark on our return, time for tea and pajamas and duplo and hopefully not tantrums. But for 20 minutes longer the (fading) light belongs to me. 

Wednesday

        

        

More woodblock printing today. Same blocks but after reading a few books and watching lots of YouTube videos I tried less water, better soaked paper and lots more ink. Gouach this time, not watered down and painted but straight from the tube and mixed on the plate with a little stubby brush (marubake). Getting there. Now I need to cut more wood...

More

More circles, more cutting. So hard to get anywhere at all in ten minute bursts days and days apart. Never getting to the feeling of loosing myself in what I'm doing, time is ticking not melting away like it sometimes can when things are good. Instead, getting stuck at worry, questions, doubts, is this right am I wasting the small bit of time I have, change it it. 

Anyway, just a note to myself; maybe don't worry so much. This is the way now. More circles.