A letter to you
I made a doll yesterday. I spent 5 hours, painting and sewing and decorating a little strange art doll because it felt good. Her name is Lexi the Hexipus. She was meant to be an octopus but i made a mistake, hence Hexipus, my new six legged best friend.
For the past 3 weeks I have been taking time to create with my family in an attempt to find creativity together and to get away from non stop screens, the never ending covid news and to just find some fun. I signed up for a year long Mixed Media Class with the artist Carla Sonheim who is known for creating creatures out of blobs. Every two weeks I get a lesson and a prompt, and it’s good. It’s like a perfect sweet peach in August that tastes like sun and you can’t ever have enough. Carla’s way is soft and generous and I wish that every art teacher was like this.
On March 12, 2020 I underwent a radical hysterectomy to remove my uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. One of the side effects of my cancer medication was endometrial cancer and upon finding some worrying symptoms, it was time to get the lady parts out of me. The surgeon said that she would never forget me. She said that we went into surgery with me making everyone laugh, and then 3 hours later they came out and the government had announced a lockdown for 2 weeks. It was surreal. I had been prepared for a long recovery and knew that I was going to stop doing a lot of the things that I love, but i really didn’t expect the world to join along with me.
Most days I would sit in my little library looking out at the window as dog walkers and joggers ran past. I didn’t have the focus to read or write or collage or clean. I was pretty stuck. So I just took care day by day by day.
It’s almost a year after my surgery and I am getting back to a good routine that includes homeschooling a reluctant reader, doing daily collage work, coaching creatives, writing a new one woman show and working at the local bookstore one day a week.
Four years ago, after I finished breast cancer treatment, we decided that we would renovate that falling down two car garage in our backyard into an art studio. It would be the place where art exhibits, workshops, classes, and performances would take place. And now, it’s the place where me and my family make art. All three of us are artists, Dave is a photographer, Max draws and creates beautiful watercolour portraits and me, well, i cut and paste and tell stories with old papers, photographs from long ago and handwritten letters. We call our little piece of heaven, Studio Beulah and hope you will come and visit one day.
I used to have a blog and I think it’s time to start another. As a storyteller and an artist, one of the things I like to do is share what inspires me, whether it’s an interview with a local artist, or some links to great music, or a list of some of my favourite kids books. Sometimes I might just muse about the world around us. And let’s be honest, right now, in February of 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic and lockdown, the world around us is pretty strange.
I think i will end each post with three things. A quote I like, the book I am currently reading and the latest film, music or podcast I love.
Quote: My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. - Maya Angelou
Book: Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Film: Soul