hand made life

Nicole gave me another box of lace last month. I find the handwork breath taking and touching the pieces puts me into a mood. I think about how strong the lace is. It's still here, a record of a hand made life. Time
Family
Solitude It's been such a beautiful summer.
Time is so precious.
It's slipping away. (Van Morrison) We've been living very simply this summer. Ned's family cottage is a dreamworld, an island cut off from TV news, the nine to five, those social expectations. From real life.
I've slowed right down. I'm afraid to go back on track. It's hard to make the decision to stop teaching piano, but I think I'm in the midst of making that. I look at the lace. We make our lives with our own hands.

The lace was washed with ivory soap, then soaked in a 50-50 solution of lemon juice and water. It was put out in the sun for two days, and then I rinsed the lemon juice out and dried the pieces in the sun again. Thanks to my friend, Basje for the recipe.

it was a dream world

I look back fondly at our time in the car. teaching piano today

by heart

I tell my piano students to learn their repertoire by heart. What I mean is that they should memorize their music. that the music should go into their body, because under the stress of performance, we rely on the body to take over when one thinks too much, everything gets wrecked. The blue colours from our Exuma visit are held in my heart.

ancient faces, ordinary thoughts

weathered saint, from Rouen cathedral, photographed last spring

I live on an island, blessed with splendid isolation from urban life. When I drive to town I see wide expanses of water and sky. When I walk the dead end road we live on, I meet with deer as often as humans. I do thank the instant communication that the internet provides me. However, while what I write here is always true and relates to something real that has happened to me recently, so much is left out. another weathered saint, Rouen

Today I will spend the day stitching, it is my community circle day, yesterday I taught piano from 8 am to 6 pm , the day before I struggled with balancing skill development with encouraging personal imagery in the painting class I'm teaching. I'm so busy and involved with real people on very personal levels and I like it, but my inner place is losing focus. The nativity set is still up, the amarylis and the poinsetta just caved, and baskets of clean laundry stack up in the bedroom.

Just thought I'd write that down.

Recital

Today was my piano recital. I rarely talk about my piano teaching on this blog even though it is and has been a huge part of my life since I was 16 years old.
It was a very short recital today, only half an hour. I am stepping away from music teaching and although past recitals have had over thirty performers, today there were only eleven. Sweet children and hard working pianists every one.

I only teach one day a week now. My art making has taken precedent. Here is a list of what was performed. You would have enjoyed it.

Up on the Housetop (duet with teacher)
Jingle Bells (duet with teacher)
Angels We Have Heard on High
Frosty the Snowman
O Come, All Ye faithful (duet with teacher)
Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer (duet with teacher)
The Little Drummer Boy
Santa Claus is Coming To Town
Winter Wind
Joy to the world
Astroids ( a jazz piece)
Silent Night (duet with her mother)
Must be Santa
Frosty the Snowman
The Night Before Christmas
Deck the Hall
Jolly Old St Nicholas (duet with his mother)
Jingle Bells (duet with his mother)
God Bless All
Up On the Housetop
Rockin' Around the Chirstmas Tree (duet with teacher)
We Wish You as Merry Chirstmas (duet with teacher)

snow day

I was able to do a little work on this piece after months of neglect. It was a snow day, piano lessons were cancelled.

Self talk in August

It's August and local guilds and arts organizations are planning the fall and winter ahead. I've been asked to consider teaching art quilting again yet I'm wondering how many piano students will return after the summer break.
If I teach, I'm afraid that I won't have any creative energy left to do the research I love, never mind my slow labour intensive work. However, I am coming around to it and recently gave myself a lecture.
"Do not say NO to opportunities in your visual pratice.
When people ask you to speak, teach, or exhibit do not say NO.
Take those opportunities to raise your own bar and explore things in more depth while still doing what you love. These poeople are the converted. They WANT to be impressed. Knock their socks off and at the same time, improve your own practice.Go deeper. Get better. Work harder."

absence, memory

Poco a poco little by little

community

Yesterday a mother told me why she sends her children to piano lessons. She wants them to be able to contribute something of value to their community. This is a very valid reason and I'm still thinking about what she said.

By teaching classical and jazz piano, I hope to be able to give young people a way to connect with their own selves. Music gives us permission to be emotional and solitary. I've downplayed its social aspects.

self hug

"O" magazine images on paper.
I've been busy setting up my piano lesson schedule. I'll begin next week. I am teaching just two days a week this year instead of three and hope to be able to spend that extra day in my studio.

Gone Artin'

Ned has gone fishin' for a week.

Yesterday I gave one of my students a sheet of twenty one little stickers and told her to reward herself with one each time she managed to play the last line of her sonatina with NO mistakes before Sunday's recital.
On Tuesday, the president of the local quilt guild dropped off the eleven president's challenges for me to judge.
When the dog and I walked past some neighbours last night, we discussed their current kitchen renovations However, all of these things seem to come at me as if from a far off place. I have been so immersed in creating new work at my studio that I've left this real world, this so-called real world.

I've gone artin'

Gone to Costa Rica (not)

I'm taking a week off from teaching. It's bitter cold. Two fire places are going. Purple and gold finches are brave at the feeder. Maybe a rest will be as good as a change. I feel better already.

Jolly Old St Nicholas

My students are preparing a recital.
















Jolly Old St Nicholas We Three Kings Oh Christmas Tree Jingle Bells Up on the Housetop Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer Silent Night Away in A Manger When Santa Claus gets your letter O Come All Ye Faithful Joy to the World Good King Wenceslas We Wish You a Merry Christmas

one day at a time

Important to classical style is the small slur. Performers are expected to start these little slurs with a slight accent. This adds interest, because sometimes these little accents fall on weak beats.

Music

We held a spring piano recital last night and I was extremely proud of my twenty three students.
Teaching music gives me an opportunity to connect with children and to share, for a while, their fresh outlook on life.
I believe that the act of playing a musical instrument is one of the most nourishing things one can do for the spirit.

Chopin

I have been enjoying the long weekend Monday. It has been such a beautiful spring day. I raked mounds of leaves to expose that brief fresh green, sewed tiny red silk and cotton squares into small nine patches for a new quilt, and practiced Chopin waltzes on the piano. Perfect.