I've been sparse in part because of a big project at work and a lot of teaching and preparing to teach. Each time I approach a teaching situation (whether it is giving a talk about process and painting or teaching teachers to integrate art into their lessons or teaching art appreciation) I follow the same pattern: excitement, research, planning, over-the-top unneccessary research, anxiety, over-planning, more research, and then when I walk into the class, I wing it. Improvisation, my friends, is a lie. There's a lot of plotting and planning that goes into being able to be loose, talk on the spot, and meet the needs of the students in front of me.
More learning from plants then...
As I tromp through my garden (some of the seedlings got their little heads lopped off with the pouring down rain this weekend but others are coming along nicely. Resilence, even in the plant world, is an important trait.)
I'll leave you, then, with one of my paper clay products, a moody little guy who now sits by the window wondering. Wouldn't we all if we could...
I'll be resilient, searching for my true marks, and paying attention to the plants and the paper and the clay.
take care,
Rachael
