"Frühjahrsmüdigkeit."

This time of year I experience much fatigue, as well as a sort of anxious restlessness. We've finally had a couple of astoundingly bright, blue-skied, DRY days, and rather than joyfully playing outside all day, I have just felt very tired and blah.

Yesterday I learned there is a german word for such a form of spring fever, and my friend Christina Boy tells me it translates as "springtimesleepiness."

Perfect.

I haven't posted on my blog in a bloody long time. Spring was a long time coming, and here it is almost Summer. It is almost time to keep an eye out for fireflies.

No really. We had lots of snow through March, and gross rain and cold...it even sleeted a week or so ago, in the middle of an otherwise mild spring day.

March 26 at the Penland Gallery.

I had thought I would not be able to try out my new boots
'til next winter. Ah, Well.

Spring concentration at Penland came and went. It's a pretty blur. 

I have a new job. Well, I'm working at the Penland Gallery still, but now in the capacity of "bookkeeper" since my friend Bekah left for a new opportunity. I miss Bek, but the job is good and busy, and I am still settling in and learning.

So much learning.

When I'm not book-keeping I'm still book-binding.

Books Books Books.

And still doing other weird things that tiptoe amongst sculpture, installation, magic, and hoarding... 

Creepy things inside other things, inside.

 Speaking of creepy, Alfred is still complicated...

Creeper.

Oh, Alfred.

Fatigue aside, I am having a delightful week of house, dog, and chicken sitting for some friends. I love chickens, and I like to think these chicks have taken a liking to me as well. Particularly the big fluffy grey one, and a yellow-y one that I have taken to calling "Lemon-head."

Of course I hope to have some of my own chickens someday. Yes, yes, I'm one of those. I really don't know where it will be, but I like the day-dreamy big garden (but not-quite-a-farm) in my head with the chickens and the bees, and the perennials  and bulbs that can stay put and not have to be dug up with every move.

Today in North Carolina.

I have my real 2013 garden in progress, but have not taken many photos yet. I don't think things will be quite as dreamy this year, because I am dealing with a very shady back yard. I have garlic and onions planted in the ground, but almost everything else will be in containers on my huge deck. But I have suspicions that there may not be enough sun on the deck to pull off the rockin' tomato situation that I rejoiced in last year.

Ah, well. I have greens and kale and strawberries and radishes doing pretty well, and damnit, I have a bunch of types of tomatoes started, and more daydreams of making tomato jam and pickled radishes and pickled pickles, and the rest. I gotta try, right?

Speaking of preserves, I've made my way through most of a jar of strawberry-rhubarb jam since Saturday. That's okay, right?

"Frühjahrsmüdigkeit."

Heads Up Seven Up.

Rainy day schedule here in Spruce Pine, meaning I'm not working outside as I have been the past four days. This is springy rain, mind you. I have been listening to records, the windows are open, and I plan on doing lots of internet business this afternoon.

In my last post I visually gushed about crocuses and spring flowers. Later that day I noticed that while I was busy being enchanted by Penland's well-kept grounds, my own crocuses were struggling against all the weeds and leaves that I never cleared out from the fall.

Try harder, Michelle.

So I spent an afternoon clearing out dead weeds, ivy, and leaves while tip-toeing amongst the crocuses and on-the-way tulips.

I found this little guy while clearing out weeds. 

I wandered lonely, as a cloud...

The well-established daffodils in my back yard are fully blooming, and the ones that I planted in the fall are on their way. But good gracious, what about all that jagged brown stuff?

Japanese Knotweed is ruining everything.

I have been clearing and cutting up tons of huge, dry sticks, the remainder of the wall of Japanese Knotweed that has overtaken two edges of my backyard. I have given up hopes of clearing it completely. I do plan on keeping it under control this year, particularly in the part of the yard I am planning for a veggie garden.

...I can see it out there now, being blown over in all directions by the wind. Mocking me.

Although it was starting to rain a bit...I planted seeds today! What!? In February? I talked myself out of it yesterday, but my friend Courtney Martin said she planted some, so...

kale, lettuces, spinach, arugula, radishes

Henry and Alfred aren't sure about my spending so much time outside...

Exciting.

February.

Yesterday on a walk around Los Feliz, I spotted this little yellow crocus. Finding a crocus in February in Los Angeles, (while wearing flip-flops...) isn't quite the thrill of finding crocuses in the lawn of Oakhurst in Murray, Kentucky on March First, or up around the Evansdale Library in Morgantown, West Virginia in falling snow, but...

...but it's still good! One of my favorite flowers. Tiny, simple in structure, humble and under-foot.

They multiply like crazy and have the spunk to bloom in snow. Yeah.

I've had a good start to the Spring semester at CSUN. I've been printing a lot outside of class. This print started as a demo, but has taken on a colorful life of its own. Still in progress, but...




There will be a whole lot of printing in the coming months...

I've been going through old photos on my old laptop, and uploading some on my flickr account. Take a look, but be aware that the recent uploads jump around in time and space...

Spring 2010.

I have already been teaching for a couple of weeks, and they have been somewhat brutal weeks. That's why I haven't been blogging. (Or making art, or doing much laundry, or or or...) This semester is going to be a tough one.

I got an email a few days before classes started, asking me if I could teach Printmaking at Loyola Marymount University this semester. Of course I said yes, although the drive from Los Feliz to Westchester is not too fun. But so far my students are great, and it will be a welcome boost to my bank account.

Also I have unexpectedly reconnected with an old acquaintance from Frogman's who is a TA at LMU this semester. He's been cleaning out some cabinets in the studio there, and found this non-dairy creamer from the 1970s. Ew.....



I also love that the plastic container is a major selling point...

Two days a week at LMU, and two days at Cal State Northridge. At CSUN I have the most Printmaking students I have ever had, which is GREAT, and this is the first semester where there are more levels offered, which is making eveyone's life better!

So things are going well, but I am still adjusting to my schedule. I get up around 6am to go to LMU, and this past week I had one morning where...I swear to God...I put on two different shoes. No, not like black and brown:



Fortunately I did have time to stop at a shoe store before class.

Numbers

Trying to get the numbers up for my Introduction to Printmaking class in the spring...

It looks like this.

Some of the good things I've been up to:

Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak about my work at a meeting of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. A table full of my work looks like this:


My brother was in town this week. Our adventures included an afternoon at the best place ever, LA's Farmer's Market on Fairfax, which looks like this:


and this:


Yesterday I had an wonderful, intense day of bookbinding with Charlene Matthews at her amazing Bindery. What I made looks like this:


Nice, huh? I made a treasury on Etsy today. It looks somethin' like this:


Meanwhile, outside it looked like this:

Spring Break!

Woo!

I am having a very productive break from teaching. I got to do some printing on Monday at CSUN, took care of lots of computer business yesterday, and have been having long, full days of being a working artist. I'm also planning for my big brother's visit next week. So excited!

Lots of new work in my Etsy store. Lots of ferriswheels. Also the above drawing.

This afternoon I am going to start playing with my Gocco, which has been sitting untouched for the months since I found it. FINALLY!