Usually I dine alone, but the past two nights have been shared with these bookmakers from Australia, Scotland, Canada, England...
Apparently I missed the memo for tonight's meeting--that we were all supposed to wear pajamas.
There we were, laughing along together as if we were in the same room. Luci picked up that this wasn't the usual fare--the news or a movie. She wagged her tail with great joy and brought me a toy to throw, then she skidded all over the floor and brought it back, chased it again, brought it back.
It was like having dinner company, many of whom seem to know each other from shared retreats, some of us newbies. I haven't posted anything yet. I've spent the day trying to copy their techniques and make watercolor work the way theirs do. My books are all folded and ready to go, I just need to get my colors to roll better.
One woman said, "This is the best ten dollars I have spent in my life. I feel like I've been to an art university I've learned so much."
Tomorrow I'll join the Handmade Book Club which offers guest teachers each month and an entire library of videos on bookmaking techniques. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll send you the link.
Life is hard this summer. Too hot, too wet, too dry. Too mean, too stubborn. But a day of watching colors roll, kiss, bleed, blend and bloom--that's a meditation I can't recommend highly enough.
I was about to give up and go back to my trusty acrylic paints when suddenly I realized it didn't matter yet if nothing was pretty. These pigments in water are almost as entertaining as a happy dog with a ball or a frog in her mouth.
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