tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26348948806889648612024-03-19T04:16:25.695-05:00My Sweet Prairie Studio / Art by Monika KinnerThe Fibre Art & Photography of Monika Kinner Threadpaintermonika@mysweetprairie.cahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00655544650615742749noreply@blogger.comBlogger1471125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-9248579619313648292023-11-10T20:17:00.004-06:002023-11-10T20:17:54.955-06:00And Into November<p>I am thoroughly enjoying the shift that is the end of Autumn, as it transitions to a time of inner creativity. The garden is long put to bed. The yard is cleaned up. The summer screens are out and the windows are washed clean to let the low winter sunshine flood into the rooms. Literally putting away summer and bringing out winter preparations like warmer clothing, extra bedding, scented oils and candles, feels like settling down to stay in and write, cook, brew, bake, paint, and SEW AGAIN! Summer is just way to hot in my sewing room. For a while, it felt like I was never going to sew again.</p><p>It has begun! The CREATION portion of my Research and Creation grant is in full swing. Here are some samplings of works in progress.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYIL6K8mKxXQXtNRE5JvJy4HRnosULDTD5y2EDo-8v5Z7M72eTmWqMslSdJ7C2bnZUNTx0m1CC2b6y-WfGPhpPZVieF3cnnYXH-cQ_uLFE34GqILRx6JDWEO7PvZRDqVQo1aJ62M6yu26Fpz0QaWPeyyHJczEKXYiMlCbWzxWsurZY2VaUE-XaosHZu2u/s5152/DSCN2265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYIL6K8mKxXQXtNRE5JvJy4HRnosULDTD5y2EDo-8v5Z7M72eTmWqMslSdJ7C2bnZUNTx0m1CC2b6y-WfGPhpPZVieF3cnnYXH-cQ_uLFE34GqILRx6JDWEO7PvZRDqVQo1aJ62M6yu26Fpz0QaWPeyyHJczEKXYiMlCbWzxWsurZY2VaUE-XaosHZu2u/w640-h480/DSCN2265.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Bedstraw almost complete</td></tr></tbody></table><br />To the Bedstraw piece, I'm adding wild roses and buds within it that were a pale soft pink. I have *beautiful* plans for this that I hope I can pull off in terms of how I dream of this being displayed. At the moment, it's a combination of free motion and hand stitching. It has taken 4 weeks (I don't work on it every day, and I don't sit for 8 hrs when I do stitch, but it has been worked on nearly 7 days a week for a month.)<div><br /></div><div>The next pieces were gessoed woven cotton canvas that I painted a background onto. No, I am not left handed. But - here I am, doing it. So many artists I admire are left handed. I felt left out. So, I began sketching with my left hand this summer to 'conjure the talents of my mentors.' Oddly, I decided that my left hand art looked more natural than my right handed work, and so I just keep with it. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2JtlZOLd6mOrzIYsisITCKE99JP5x1Kv8cqtS2z9p2nBHvkXvWBNxf4bGfqSIgWEPs6hb-F-_eEQEicpH26om3-gLBAlnbXWyFg5lwRCQ0C1x9B2Xx4oH4hKzINQFBBt2MQ0l28Qb4s0PyYlvhv8z8Lm7KP0cq2ZWdWZa9GCzim9zk5GALmMPYYiDOhL/s5152/DSCN2228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2JtlZOLd6mOrzIYsisITCKE99JP5x1Kv8cqtS2z9p2nBHvkXvWBNxf4bGfqSIgWEPs6hb-F-_eEQEicpH26om3-gLBAlnbXWyFg5lwRCQ0C1x9B2Xx4oH4hKzINQFBBt2MQ0l28Qb4s0PyYlvhv8z8Lm7KP0cq2ZWdWZa9GCzim9zk5GALmMPYYiDOhL/w480-h640/DSCN2228.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All my sketches, drawings and paintings during this grant<br />are done with my non-dominant hand.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>If you go back one blog post, you will see the source photo of this Creeping Juniper crescent I found. I'll be adding threads soon to embellish this and bring a three dimensional texture quality to the plants. My plan is to wrap the completed canvas onto stretcher bars.</div><div><br /></div><div>Below is a triptych background I painted. Each panel is approximately 12x14 inches. Now I'm stitching the Prairie Sage and Blue Grama Grasses onto it with 12 weight thread.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnjBEwuf22mBOMEeYSS4ZsZoHsM5mYGocRoobj4EahAOlrw0pj5kYJSm-wBMgA6LCKdMHkGaU42OVJFboqeqqJ8jHLK0S3qKEqjNRXdc-BqhYweR5WLeWhXGDkxBYqfP_Kf2Tyx6hXkQfs4qaVNBpW7_HlXSGUfHQ-2Ashgbu0Gam1KaqqdBRqyBtbeGB/s5152/DSCN2242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnjBEwuf22mBOMEeYSS4ZsZoHsM5mYGocRoobj4EahAOlrw0pj5kYJSm-wBMgA6LCKdMHkGaU42OVJFboqeqqJ8jHLK0S3qKEqjNRXdc-BqhYweR5WLeWhXGDkxBYqfP_Kf2Tyx6hXkQfs4qaVNBpW7_HlXSGUfHQ-2Ashgbu0Gam1KaqqdBRqyBtbeGB/w480-h640/DSCN2242.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">three backgrounds ready to embellish</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I'm so grateful to Wonderfil Thread in Canada for shipping these thick 12 weight threads to me SO quickly. Look how gorgeous they are, sitting on top of the canvas!</div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyu8D8E5r4SxuLocLUsD4F44NRCo_oOLExMAhhDuUXDbpv2gTUWqKuDp98dyBkrqjrFADUoMAdMyY0kOFFo171Dnu-UOXnBapmHFQu-UOztz3caJz67hOvXIAcAGvWI9WYbyZxY4y3yc4yICEOVvceEqW8oYCLFUdNJkIql8_XMAfwPOEZVN4df-WI80d/s5152/DSCN2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyu8D8E5r4SxuLocLUsD4F44NRCo_oOLExMAhhDuUXDbpv2gTUWqKuDp98dyBkrqjrFADUoMAdMyY0kOFFo171Dnu-UOXnBapmHFQu-UOztz3caJz67hOvXIAcAGvWI9WYbyZxY4y3yc4yICEOVvceEqW8oYCLFUdNJkIql8_XMAfwPOEZVN4df-WI80d/w400-h300/DSCN2241.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawing Sage with thread, just the beginning...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>All the practicing and sketching and continuous line drawing through the summer of the plants over and over was such a good plan. It made this part of the process so much smoother because drawing them out under the needle was already a memory. I could recognize the plants because I grew up with them and have been photographing them for much of my adult life. However, I didn't know how to draw them. I had never inspected them like that before. I hadn't followed all the stages of their life cycles in such detail. </div><div><br /></div><div>I knew many, but not all the names, and I knew nothing about the Cree names. I've already made a firm decision not to bother with Latin names at all for the plants that are indigenous to this area.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aU8bk9dq9syLMpXm5hmAYl5TRGA6LESAT6Pmf5tPdsXD96d06-blyts23rQ8hprKTLMpb7E1KE4LtRUf09K_UUcIM1CtInfxpVpw2d6mdVlkr0BORevTstC7K8M-GUW_MM1fv-KhiGtIDIacYtEn8Tk_3Lt9UmQbueSq32CK_Ik79Ts3nZH_vv5Qu12J/s577/CCA_RGB_colour_e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="106" data-original-width="577" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aU8bk9dq9syLMpXm5hmAYl5TRGA6LESAT6Pmf5tPdsXD96d06-blyts23rQ8hprKTLMpb7E1KE4LtRUf09K_UUcIM1CtInfxpVpw2d6mdVlkr0BORevTstC7K8M-GUW_MM1fv-KhiGtIDIacYtEn8Tk_3Lt9UmQbueSq32CK_Ik79Ts3nZH_vv5Qu12J/s320/CCA_RGB_colour_e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> again, THANK YOU so much CCA</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I haven't taken photos in *forever* but I hear the geese in droves above. It's mid November. The ground is clean still, and the temperatures are so mild: single digits above zero Celcius. I think I will venture out to visit the creeping Juniper one more time. Maybe I will be able to bid farewell to the Sandhill Cranes as they leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good weekend,</div><div>xo</div><div>Monika<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFO0I6gCpQorxcefeZwF-ZToJFlyW-Au-PZ9gAZh-6Tuca0RK13RokeOutA3QWunE5pJ8aad1XkiR1BfxSWPM1ivxSQOnpuV2MeE8gAyD6aEagNlDP4Dzc-ZKf9iQS_GtahOWhEH8HJVYrQQa1rQmirPpxgpsJnzl0OABT_z3zG9_M7X-vo92-YdfxDno/s533/smallsquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFO0I6gCpQorxcefeZwF-ZToJFlyW-Au-PZ9gAZh-6Tuca0RK13RokeOutA3QWunE5pJ8aad1XkiR1BfxSWPM1ivxSQOnpuV2MeE8gAyD6aEagNlDP4Dzc-ZKf9iQS_GtahOWhEH8HJVYrQQa1rQmirPpxgpsJnzl0OABT_z3zG9_M7X-vo92-YdfxDno/s320/smallsquare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-52604726448255747532023-09-11T14:24:00.002-05:002023-09-11T14:24:52.406-05:00Third Season Spectacular!<p>September! It's been a ride lately, settling people and gardens. The colours are changing and I've been out enjoying fieldwork all over again. This third season provides a whole new pallet and brand new experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9pYCa2bWtjl7-i7tADBQprXZkuLT4wySREfVnWXvLOj7Bd1yV5Go02yoD-Ie4GvqGLGy0wPjD-DM7MY-u68y4cYSCH1vQBtMd_zk-p3m5UxebNI5qN0IPgjeMPW6gzakqmKtChf2oRwv_NKaFykseWQMzWu8T8chNbFK45uhlJ26I4-G9wX50xCRCaTM/s4624/20230907_095748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9pYCa2bWtjl7-i7tADBQprXZkuLT4wySREfVnWXvLOj7Bd1yV5Go02yoD-Ie4GvqGLGy0wPjD-DM7MY-u68y4cYSCH1vQBtMd_zk-p3m5UxebNI5qN0IPgjeMPW6gzakqmKtChf2oRwv_NKaFykseWQMzWu8T8chNbFK45uhlJ26I4-G9wX50xCRCaTM/w360-h640/20230907_095748.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse Tail and Creeping Juniper</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I don't think we've had frost, but while the days are warm, the nights are cooling. Reds are popping up!<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqy3V_ZZsQrFmMoJ7F_P1Q3Wk2N-oznnoXVWmQ-q_0NtttE2q4yLrveJYyRtDanGb-fBjbseItKeqfbkle5t1kbRLdw6uF04hnC-YLS6alLoQP7LE-0rXg_29g6DuCtmTS4xNWFCh0Gm6RELXITT3hBe185RP5fXwVlfUceBZX587Cy4El19pEFWqjXo0/s4624/Sept%20reds%20CF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqy3V_ZZsQrFmMoJ7F_P1Q3Wk2N-oznnoXVWmQ-q_0NtttE2q4yLrveJYyRtDanGb-fBjbseItKeqfbkle5t1kbRLdw6uF04hnC-YLS6alLoQP7LE-0rXg_29g6DuCtmTS4xNWFCh0Gm6RELXITT3hBe185RP5fXwVlfUceBZX587Cy4El19pEFWqjXo0/w400-h300/Sept%20reds%20CF.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosehips and Raspberry Leaves</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I love finding nature growing in circles. I'm working on a whole series of them for a solo show in March 2024! (Saskatoon)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85d2Exj7i99uUMjFJJOPxfh6j-D7kFJ-iRxswQYYJgpIumIjI7WbWXNqPdEKO3BykwpgUkB9x-jyPoiK7MCoeXZ75VEPt6V6_fPeTZZsi3LYcLrcNn4pj-k9YQ_sD4Lp1DgXLKqf1XTy_a2QalxSqtHJDcgszxt5krx6GMmBIw4sZ7Ge1tUriqoHBPxMM/s3472/20230907_103702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85d2Exj7i99uUMjFJJOPxfh6j-D7kFJ-iRxswQYYJgpIumIjI7WbWXNqPdEKO3BykwpgUkB9x-jyPoiK7MCoeXZ75VEPt6V6_fPeTZZsi3LYcLrcNn4pj-k9YQ_sD4Lp1DgXLKqf1XTy_a2QalxSqtHJDcgszxt5krx6GMmBIw4sZ7Ge1tUriqoHBPxMM/s320/20230907_103702.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural Crescent of Juniper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Isn't that BEAUTIFUL!? I adore it so much. And then as I walk and walk over hills of juniper, more red appeared!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5I4xOYItrTHnLPB1RBZteTimjNTl6JWPP7Oz2bVyDPC2NtkdW7EmRblV87lmJemxPEgszJGkt1Z7PDJlgYvIoQqQI6TT1Yq_IZYK1BMwovI3KvX0TI8LSJwOkAUGDyUp8yxg6suAI6nPI_iFBeETix7Z08Et4eGe0lkDdpogO7ox8xUwvDJVfAyFH2Np/s578/IMG_20230910_122933_446%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="578" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5I4xOYItrTHnLPB1RBZteTimjNTl6JWPP7Oz2bVyDPC2NtkdW7EmRblV87lmJemxPEgszJGkt1Z7PDJlgYvIoQqQI6TT1Yq_IZYK1BMwovI3KvX0TI8LSJwOkAUGDyUp8yxg6suAI6nPI_iFBeETix7Z08Et4eGe0lkDdpogO7ox8xUwvDJVfAyFH2Np/w400-h300/IMG_20230910_122933_446%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bearberry</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I saw the BIGGEST coyote! I'm used to them being medium sized, thin dogs, but sheesh! This one was well fed and large! (sorry, no photo.) I've come across two large porcupines by the side of the road over the course of a couple days but cannot find anyone interested in the quills. I might just collect some anyway for some Indigenous relatives or colleagues.<br /><div><br /></div><div>And lately, with loads of rain after a spring and summer of drought conditions, we have mushrooms popping up!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyFrx30Air6CLoJitwgxZiyG8S8hf8JQ2nhj7694faVH8xbo0qQhdQtEtEG9CBt05QJe8wawc4nXdYY4XBYAy3J6O73T7-LoRRyBRlo1S73Ki4JU8_m-Em8F5C-26jM5ChqLiMbVIrWiKsRTYkQOVmvAhcnfMp2YMV1gYqQFiFuNqpyjesKOjSeY26DKD/s3472/20230910_141232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyFrx30Air6CLoJitwgxZiyG8S8hf8JQ2nhj7694faVH8xbo0qQhdQtEtEG9CBt05QJe8wawc4nXdYY4XBYAy3J6O73T7-LoRRyBRlo1S73Ki4JU8_m-Em8F5C-26jM5ChqLiMbVIrWiKsRTYkQOVmvAhcnfMp2YMV1gYqQFiFuNqpyjesKOjSeY26DKD/s320/20230910_141232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inky Caps </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Look what my son and I did with them!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOezIyuLTnyzsJR9pkzLjOiVfJo_UtR6ZYQxl33Wx7JNt43eUn6hFr-DeQyL3jie7m7B2xpcBHloAtstXL9KbFK1wRTJQWxZmb9FPIsSO5h-Qh3aR2OKWrDRP21iQaViTk81M1md5ZcrR4E7C9pDVCRlchYbpLFxvkHqEohemmnx0o0v4JhWPHXxXiUNx/s3472/20230909_220822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOezIyuLTnyzsJR9pkzLjOiVfJo_UtR6ZYQxl33Wx7JNt43eUn6hFr-DeQyL3jie7m7B2xpcBHloAtstXL9KbFK1wRTJQWxZmb9FPIsSO5h-Qh3aR2OKWrDRP21iQaViTk81M1md5ZcrR4E7C9pDVCRlchYbpLFxvkHqEohemmnx0o0v4JhWPHXxXiUNx/s320/20230909_220822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>It's been an artful summer indeed, and the beautiful changes that September and October bring are just beginning. I'm so very grateful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a great day. Enjoy the sunshine and the glorious colours.</div><div><br /></div><div>~Monika.</div><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-14665579501972722942023-08-21T11:44:00.001-05:002023-08-21T11:44:19.874-05:00The Prairie Continues<p>Still, when you drive down the highway, things look done and dry. The crops are being harvested. Season is over. It's so early though! But when you inspect the flora... it's thriving.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDgzjya7Paw5Z534A_RKVATloEaRzF95qArorKqJzZZYWFctcrkIdhuU4s0c7vllz2P5mcX5R6VPbF8LaSmJcYY90uxLKlhS2TzUegXoJkYqpBESj-Zs07IqdRuLC3H1TQ54vkLcs3X9UP4Jr_zA_TTRotIyAcMbuofrOkcFF8lZx2Dda4nuxdYvUWOm6/s5152/DSCN1966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDgzjya7Paw5Z534A_RKVATloEaRzF95qArorKqJzZZYWFctcrkIdhuU4s0c7vllz2P5mcX5R6VPbF8LaSmJcYY90uxLKlhS2TzUegXoJkYqpBESj-Zs07IqdRuLC3H1TQ54vkLcs3X9UP4Jr_zA_TTRotIyAcMbuofrOkcFF8lZx2Dda4nuxdYvUWOm6/w640-h480/DSCN1966.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumblebees all over the Goldenrod</td></tr></tbody></table><br />They were swarming!! They didn't care I was right in their midst.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSlZmH9ggzUy3BHdCIwlWpH0mvlOQhWtLeJxzkawPYv1GMuI9bnw9qQRVEVNYofpq8SDwT-ewGwjxAlFik539YfaJduwGJEm6WdRqwSmCEHJ23Ehfn7Gip6jYsbbSEYxGSYzl0fhxA6MGVl8H76cV4NWdSMdAlURh1p2gEzm2CjzF1e-OgMAQ2skmq79b/s5152/DSCN1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSlZmH9ggzUy3BHdCIwlWpH0mvlOQhWtLeJxzkawPYv1GMuI9bnw9qQRVEVNYofpq8SDwT-ewGwjxAlFik539YfaJduwGJEm6WdRqwSmCEHJ23Ehfn7Gip6jYsbbSEYxGSYzl0fhxA6MGVl8H76cV4NWdSMdAlURh1p2gEzm2CjzF1e-OgMAQ2skmq79b/w640-h480/DSCN1967.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This next photo (ok, cheating here) was in my neighbor's yard. Echinacea is a native plant. I'm not sure if this one in particular is a common species, however it was planted into their yard. The bees were swarming it too.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuTBvU6n9RZCG0JyjSrb5Gs9zxXgajyKZ6Cu1UZ-crs5RrXElF5IMUseLW7Fl6_pUPC8b1NpHfXgp85QpyQUMdEQhttsexIsTOwhcL5Z8K2zG5UXDVFix1xYxJs-Q02lYx75JoUl7QtJetrTTbw7jMfiRIuXxH4MJiyRKXfH6RxPZASs3VHKFyaLr0Qyi/s5152/DSCN1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuTBvU6n9RZCG0JyjSrb5Gs9zxXgajyKZ6Cu1UZ-crs5RrXElF5IMUseLW7Fl6_pUPC8b1NpHfXgp85QpyQUMdEQhttsexIsTOwhcL5Z8K2zG5UXDVFix1xYxJs-Q02lYx75JoUl7QtJetrTTbw7jMfiRIuXxH4MJiyRKXfH6RxPZASs3VHKFyaLr0Qyi/w480-h640/DSCN1963.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>A lot of friends of mine have been posting images of bees just loading up on the flowers, sometimes a half dozen per flower! It's incredible to see.</div><div><br /></div><div>I headed to the lake and took this photo, which I adore.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6B6jpvAPp_SwyE7RACwbQGDYpvEzc5ES5EWgrRd9VUDQZDmtFSkQ-lRGTribFsPrY77FQ38IgglOjRfFCnVPlfVv02kLwGWZbz0SWpvh-3fUBxTUrt55qRUPhXswkfht8B1fXPgykb5po3BPNgoQj8zYURVMWNiNdTDsDw-CdBgJ0iv7BwE_FLvuYo0-/s5152/DSCN1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6B6jpvAPp_SwyE7RACwbQGDYpvEzc5ES5EWgrRd9VUDQZDmtFSkQ-lRGTribFsPrY77FQ38IgglOjRfFCnVPlfVv02kLwGWZbz0SWpvh-3fUBxTUrt55qRUPhXswkfht8B1fXPgykb5po3BPNgoQj8zYURVMWNiNdTDsDw-CdBgJ0iv7BwE_FLvuYo0-/w480-h640/DSCN1978.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I photographed this huge rock earlier to show the new lichen that's developing on it. Now this bouquet is laid across. How perfectly lovely!! We spend some time in the water at the lake and working on the future studio out there.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNf7DaJsonx0lGWoHS4Ev_6Zfmsby6ORAVvM2gN5rSXY5utx3Pk-658mAEA_KNBpf418KacF23csMWzoL5Ng7MCk32M1Kti7J_FD3aij4vHGfK1DCQT2r59-CUVbjbVBWekhLCR1nUUGlxszrOaIWOoF3byP-sDWva8vYDC-_aYJt5z_N77JeSgFHPEa1/s5152/DSCN1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNf7DaJsonx0lGWoHS4Ev_6Zfmsby6ORAVvM2gN5rSXY5utx3Pk-658mAEA_KNBpf418KacF23csMWzoL5Ng7MCk32M1Kti7J_FD3aij4vHGfK1DCQT2r59-CUVbjbVBWekhLCR1nUUGlxszrOaIWOoF3byP-sDWva8vYDC-_aYJt5z_N77JeSgFHPEa1/s320/DSCN1962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanket Flower</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>My research is winding down and my creation is gearing up. I have a couple commissions to do and I've been decluttering all my creative spaces in preparation for fall/winter studio time. It's like nesting, or building a cocoon for winter. I'm totally spring cleaning in preparation for hibernating into my studio time. I feel so good about it. The hot days we will continue to get will provide day trips to jump in the lake and play. They tend to be my favourite lake days. Sometimes I find summer a little too grueling and sluggish. My energy picks up in the fall. The colours change. The air changes. The smells change. The meals change too.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EY8ILbF0cVUqPbo75IBlcUl-9yRxugdHE6L0jcRpBVx5P3oK43DFCAr6UfpYbfYZVZ4t6N_uG4FbgTNg5dwwJkEs555p3dCntmnvq1SuCOvr-DatEXOPdniAMk4oGuks2573oBnPybxhtSpBE4VyxxnuUs8ZK7DNNxrgwKjw6j7rq924opPsYbgA5kY1/s5152/DSCN1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EY8ILbF0cVUqPbo75IBlcUl-9yRxugdHE6L0jcRpBVx5P3oK43DFCAr6UfpYbfYZVZ4t6N_uG4FbgTNg5dwwJkEs555p3dCntmnvq1SuCOvr-DatEXOPdniAMk4oGuks2573oBnPybxhtSpBE4VyxxnuUs8ZK7DNNxrgwKjw6j7rq924opPsYbgA5kY1/w640-h480/DSCN1981.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Have a beautiful August, </p><p>~Monika K.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLhrXp3gw464qiFtp6V_M_c2kJ2wbcEvUhYVR1kF0fCM5TDRBIvLoL_EZXtbtU0L0Cl-yFh2QgmzEZXWH_OGpCKaZY096FxGy_8a6WLJXsLSk80IQS9g_ZW97Q0Cps4r-I6rf_C3pl9rekWPPUKuTN8pIyfyBeC0EMARGZNvK8PJA3B2bLEHHDBTTsple/s5152/DSCN2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLhrXp3gw464qiFtp6V_M_c2kJ2wbcEvUhYVR1kF0fCM5TDRBIvLoL_EZXtbtU0L0Cl-yFh2QgmzEZXWH_OGpCKaZY096FxGy_8a6WLJXsLSk80IQS9g_ZW97Q0Cps4r-I6rf_C3pl9rekWPPUKuTN8pIyfyBeC0EMARGZNvK8PJA3B2bLEHHDBTTsple/w300-h400/DSCN2001.JPG" width="300" /></a><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-13283649754066082302023-08-10T11:45:00.002-05:002023-08-10T11:54:14.669-05:00Creating Creeping Juniper<p>On my first official Fieldwork venture out for this Canada Council project, I snapped a photo of the ground in my favourite colours: orange and green. It was a scene where the orange and the green blend so well together that I sometimes say, "I need that orangy-green colour of thread." If you look on any colour wheel, I suppose it makes no sense. If you look at the prairie in late summer or autumn, you know what I'm talking about.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaPHmo5ZGvwaSd4c024078SXxUxj9zVaE8ZzKLQBwguihk57skLwG_yG7VlZCq2Hooq1CPfq3nvi0qG40J2BK2MnPtQnIpyYxy0v44jtuzlJIwPc8W4isTUPub4ArQYCJCjCPAJVUGTY1ZLBJ43CEnJXvOvTPC06IUQh5PagTctnq6yWwyW33rdpHaJC2/s4474/20230511_133737.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4474" data-original-width="3355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaPHmo5ZGvwaSd4c024078SXxUxj9zVaE8ZzKLQBwguihk57skLwG_yG7VlZCq2Hooq1CPfq3nvi0qG40J2BK2MnPtQnIpyYxy0v44jtuzlJIwPc8W4isTUPub4ArQYCJCjCPAJVUGTY1ZLBJ43CEnJXvOvTPC06IUQh5PagTctnq6yWwyW33rdpHaJC2/w480-h640/20230511_133737.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creeping Juniper in May, 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I snapped that picture, my first impression was that the bed of Juniper was perhaps sick or dried up. It was spring, so shouldn't it be popping with green? Nonetheless, I adored the composition because of the way it poured forward that the roots were all up on the ground. The vantage point was from lower down a sandy slope with the river behind me, far below.</p><p>The second time I went back, I took more intimate photos of the plant. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ttqpClUf7eR36LDC54UqGHmzi9Q3ovtuMTO7Co06ncegWpgh4mpeeJNnLWw0zyOinmJId60KnbTscrScM_OnIUmxiIXboqugn6gMHtYC0AM431eppKDMT8s9nm1oFn0vQfhLvT6GfE7b6bKBM0Aokeb5zeh0LPZjZEDUZ37LkER0J05T_5T3_BCBEIbc/s4624/20230511_105726.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ttqpClUf7eR36LDC54UqGHmzi9Q3ovtuMTO7Co06ncegWpgh4mpeeJNnLWw0zyOinmJId60KnbTscrScM_OnIUmxiIXboqugn6gMHtYC0AM431eppKDMT8s9nm1oFn0vQfhLvT6GfE7b6bKBM0Aokeb5zeh0LPZjZEDUZ37LkER0J05T_5T3_BCBEIbc/w480-h640/20230511_105726.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey there, Bud!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>WOW! The young new growth is in fact orange! How beautiful. I had not expected young Juniper to be orange. That changed my mind about the scene, knowing it was a fresh new start, new growth, and fully vibrant.</p><p>Up went the new art supplies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoY9rFF96rMW_VMMJQZmlQRMFkmsaYyyR8ozPlu24Yr1tzdhVyWgdiRebfuuhY-1yO1IPcNnhVe-coV8B9NkQ68mBtO3TqgG5VajwDYp4nslKmAZWhb3qR9g7ugyhA3eDAKYAXqoIiXCfzSTpdBp5_xIptDzIklL_cVj5_R5kjyTsva_0lflD694W1d95U/s5152/DSCN1502.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoY9rFF96rMW_VMMJQZmlQRMFkmsaYyyR8ozPlu24Yr1tzdhVyWgdiRebfuuhY-1yO1IPcNnhVe-coV8B9NkQ68mBtO3TqgG5VajwDYp4nslKmAZWhb3qR9g7ugyhA3eDAKYAXqoIiXCfzSTpdBp5_xIptDzIklL_cVj5_R5kjyTsva_0lflD694W1d95U/w480-h640/DSCN1502.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p>I'm sure I'm not doing this right, but I felt SUPER creative at the time and this was an experiment. Thank you to my friend Suzanne for gifting the paper to my friend Jean who then gifted it to me. 5 ft wide, likely 8 ft up... a few push pins and a bench to stand on. I figured I would draw this out in the way I prepare for my yarn embroideries - with oil pastel on paper. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCeSQ0Od3PjpqSWOgSmfyMxqtmXePMda4QtlrqeX2WqtfkcLuaqhj-2txMKacZgP1_cvkALYrUmfl0aJhyeInTLDC03UT2o1jCqoDd_Jw6LRNCP0Ej5nXISKmacOp6c1SuczBk1ltUvgk3xJvJrr5ZTk9ihduDwqG62Q8Ca0p3thxBGwu-0bZhTVmIC90/s3264/20230609_135421.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCeSQ0Od3PjpqSWOgSmfyMxqtmXePMda4QtlrqeX2WqtfkcLuaqhj-2txMKacZgP1_cvkALYrUmfl0aJhyeInTLDC03UT2o1jCqoDd_Jw6LRNCP0Ej5nXISKmacOp6c1SuczBk1ltUvgk3xJvJrr5ZTk9ihduDwqG62Q8Ca0p3thxBGwu-0bZhTVmIC90/w225-h400/20230609_135421.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie. A moment of joy.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>I don't do selfies, but I was excited to show of the sheer scale of this. There, you can see the first few marks I put on the paper. I think that was the point where I was realizing I need BIGGER pastels. I didn't get very far and the traditional sticks were disappearing fast. Since I have a budget for supplies, and have good paper already, I figured I'd get some good pastels.</p><p>I purchased (locally from a brick and mortar shop, 40% off!) some delicious Sennelier Grand "real" oil pastels. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsWYedbLL_1wHDbhRGARy2uRdnDG09rWt4B9T1JM87HIi2s8fDJWmstCYIBtI1Pj1Er64bRD_e10NZxww1kEzdHO5LcrfiNp850dppPEBtWtG7KpzxRo0UxYZuSLbftZ_vU_cWSkXBOzLOGdDzldi8fq5j_c37rHjANOPY2XBVLNdPWANfiq2ADMANJmi/s3472/20230610_131337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsWYedbLL_1wHDbhRGARy2uRdnDG09rWt4B9T1JM87HIi2s8fDJWmstCYIBtI1Pj1Er64bRD_e10NZxww1kEzdHO5LcrfiNp850dppPEBtWtG7KpzxRo0UxYZuSLbftZ_vU_cWSkXBOzLOGdDzldi8fq5j_c37rHjANOPY2XBVLNdPWANfiq2ADMANJmi/w400-h400/20230610_131337.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so GRAND</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>I bought some singles to top up the colours I felt were missing for me. Let me tell ya!! These work like lipstick. Classroom oil pastels are like colouring with birthday candles. OMG That is literally the difference between artist grade and student grade. They are different materials altogether. You pay for pure pigment and not cheap binder & wax.</p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRhIrxDfjr100b6irRq5DYe1Q5RWeiIIUfn623pL5yDvJjJ2V83SzHUdivZcega8IxcP81Q_o1xgT0vRTqpZooLHoifGsfuAA0KtVyDMCo7dewet23mwxZ4wbIg_nSE7knNEpL-qsg1532ahtOceQuIEofbggSQEPg6HtOHe965VyFYW0MmiBkqatcqAx/s5152/DSCN1936.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRhIrxDfjr100b6irRq5DYe1Q5RWeiIIUfn623pL5yDvJjJ2V83SzHUdivZcega8IxcP81Q_o1xgT0vRTqpZooLHoifGsfuAA0KtVyDMCo7dewet23mwxZ4wbIg_nSE7knNEpL-qsg1532ahtOceQuIEofbggSQEPg6HtOHe965VyFYW0MmiBkqatcqAx/w480-h640/DSCN1936.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a little white I'm using.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Oh! I should tell you, I've done most of this with my non dominant hand. In fact, I've done most of my plein air sketches that way as well.</p><p></p><p>When the muse calls, and when my house is empty and the light is good, I put on a meditative song on loop and draw out the land. There's some Sinead in here more recently (<i>I don't want what I haven't got</i>). I don't remember what I started with, but it's usually a woman's voice.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgy34CZgadURR6OLJtE9Y8X-mwRCJIVL2xhTDHZm4PhWtEeLL_ufj6d8YiHOLqte2z9t5-5mNEequqeavIVaZr98TVQiai8GognKU-_IMg3LSy1VFaLa024NIEOmoWphJr79n58aEQlEL5oTq52wHQXQTvlMbrn4KO8wB3tgZ1SRQL2Hu8YQtPTgd-9Ni/s4160/DSCN1951%20cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgy34CZgadURR6OLJtE9Y8X-mwRCJIVL2xhTDHZm4PhWtEeLL_ufj6d8YiHOLqte2z9t5-5mNEequqeavIVaZr98TVQiai8GognKU-_IMg3LSy1VFaLa024NIEOmoWphJr79n58aEQlEL5oTq52wHQXQTvlMbrn4KO8wB3tgZ1SRQL2Hu8YQtPTgd-9Ni/w640-h480/DSCN1951%20cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm crouching, working on the Juniper roots now.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Photo of me by my son, Florian. </p><p>I started this months ago. It's done now. The sky in the art turned out perfect in the end! It looks just like my yarn embroideries. However, today is a grey day. I'll get a photo for you as soon as the sun shines. </p><p>~Monika K.</p><p>p.s. I thank the women who sang while I worked.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-4431696207529807662023-08-07T12:17:00.009-05:002023-08-07T15:25:48.779-05:00Research Day - WP Fraser Herbarium<p>Last month, when I met with Ken Van Rees, he told me about OUR herbarium he uses at the University of Saskatchewan. (I mean, of course we would have one. Why hadn't I thought of searching for that?) So I found it online: The W P Fraser Herbarium. There is a virtual visual catalogue of endangered, at risk, and extirpated plants in my province. That's all that's available for online viewing. That's awesome. But I wanted to see more, so I emailed them with questions.</p><p>The response I got back was so wonderful. Hugo, the head of the Herbarium invited me to visit. In his absence (summer travels), his assistant Denver graciously set up a time for me to come in with my son to see the space, the plants, the library and collect specific lists.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xcycOGlvxu31KrfKIRPxY0grNsYTtgiECqCwyD8p7O_ejVYuUPagdvI5iYBNgLgoGlCOLKKFSci4fUe1xB05dCNgS6tbd7BHWYKL4PJCb4oFtTNhb7MhcQNmaNQkNkPYAIqVKag1XGOD90DEVc-kznIN7V_ujxWtK0dAGHSDC-amvNRZL3YUVmen-t2U/s5152/DSCN1908.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xcycOGlvxu31KrfKIRPxY0grNsYTtgiECqCwyD8p7O_ejVYuUPagdvI5iYBNgLgoGlCOLKKFSci4fUe1xB05dCNgS6tbd7BHWYKL4PJCb4oFtTNhb7MhcQNmaNQkNkPYAIqVKag1XGOD90DEVc-kznIN7V_ujxWtK0dAGHSDC-amvNRZL3YUVmen-t2U/w400-h300/DSCN1908.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The library is absolutely massive and global.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Oh! The library. SWOON. There are three shelves the run the entire length of the Herbarium and they are LOADED with all types of reference books imaginable: Water plants. Poisons. Medicines. A series of what looked like 'ancient' encyclopedias entitled Vascular Plants of USSR. Fungi of Boreal Forests. Food Plants. Flora of the Great Plains. Catalogue of New World Grasses. Out of print books in languages from around the world. Brand new publications. A thesis with Cree names for plants in Canada. </p><p>And then there's the specimens. 170,000 I think I was told?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOOL6fU0qskfjE_Ix9NM4oghYq2WHfr-qwR5NUnJW3AOzmGVqS8hStUNEE1_6rUKFUGGfcZwyL289LV7BOU9-OEILO6JNtj6hwtCPmJ31EtSL5ba08S-RslT9N-RH77hLE72iXWu22YHfoYiXuPe13OtudZc0_3a1Z0pNOLN3KIdG2Z2TDq_VQzk7Wfsu/s5152/DSCN1901.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOOL6fU0qskfjE_Ix9NM4oghYq2WHfr-qwR5NUnJW3AOzmGVqS8hStUNEE1_6rUKFUGGfcZwyL289LV7BOU9-OEILO6JNtj6hwtCPmJ31EtSL5ba08S-RslT9N-RH77hLE72iXWu22YHfoYiXuPe13OtudZc0_3a1Z0pNOLN3KIdG2Z2TDq_VQzk7Wfsu/w480-h640/DSCN1901.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is before you enter the Herbarium collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure, but I think those were waiting to be catalogued. I could be wrong. Here I am with Denver as he shows me Herbarium samples in the storage facilities.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYF0U8_FiNoUQeEbIbt5pu6rDgg2RyWyhJCUJAlRdLVDiK-RMpt8POnf9OOoVqJr7VC2i8IlDGkplxJhy1G5QtZDXs1LLphZWoWrm52H5dfX15gLz6MsmRRns0V0AIGnKmQuuvEqbC3HA6BlZS48cjIY-qrYb7us-iYywd9SQ_p1wiZK3ZeJKpjbdx0ow/s1440/IMG_20230804_125527_632%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYF0U8_FiNoUQeEbIbt5pu6rDgg2RyWyhJCUJAlRdLVDiK-RMpt8POnf9OOoVqJr7VC2i8IlDGkplxJhy1G5QtZDXs1LLphZWoWrm52H5dfX15gLz6MsmRRns0V0AIGnKmQuuvEqbC3HA6BlZS48cjIY-qrYb7us-iYywd9SQ_p1wiZK3ZeJKpjbdx0ow/w400-h400/IMG_20230804_125527_632%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>I had so many questions. He was so generous with his time and information. He took out some samples for me and explained how they were mounted. He instructed me as to how to handle them properly (always face up, do not flip over like pages of a book).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCbRWFNP5paQla2ogOQpB4qErQ4IFUBqAuuxyD_B8g2_sDzOjlBT1YB8iNEWjZRYtwn_wJKOlUzuNHFCICgRM-U-KMB0iGxZFec3RBpBGi4Hh_nX2ptSbM8EC44vUSiZ0l6ZaCxJY0s5P2QC3P4Nc55dPzqjwmtwdaVyLCcBgbZdJlOg_c__2Q5t7DmLk/s1440/IMG_20230804_125526_917.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCbRWFNP5paQla2ogOQpB4qErQ4IFUBqAuuxyD_B8g2_sDzOjlBT1YB8iNEWjZRYtwn_wJKOlUzuNHFCICgRM-U-KMB0iGxZFec3RBpBGi4Hh_nX2ptSbM8EC44vUSiZ0l6ZaCxJY0s5P2QC3P4Nc55dPzqjwmtwdaVyLCcBgbZdJlOg_c__2Q5t7DmLk/w400-h400/IMG_20230804_125526_917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photographing samples (my boy photographing me)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Isn't this beautiful!? I love the pattern. Some specimens had three leaves. Some had five. This one had four. They were all the same plant. One was dated from far enough back that it said it was collected from the town of Sutherland, Saskatchewan which is now an area within Saskatoon, east of the University.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzu2DWXPXq8C9t9YjXgwu2UIh5MqVoYKhfhmxBXuFiAS0R4TLuSI2vKujityMCV8rUEnlJFaRyYg0xSTkqo6gDKaWXiz2VUOklCKkang_hC5_YqhcMDDlltIPl6JfyvYtkh_Ybgz0UOxuddjFfe9UbPz7EjEMdiCwbbCjHihn3lAWgn7ETxua8hRIRD3ay/s1920/IMG_20230804_125913_495.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzu2DWXPXq8C9t9YjXgwu2UIh5MqVoYKhfhmxBXuFiAS0R4TLuSI2vKujityMCV8rUEnlJFaRyYg0xSTkqo6gDKaWXiz2VUOklCKkang_hC5_YqhcMDDlltIPl6JfyvYtkh_Ybgz0UOxuddjFfe9UbPz7EjEMdiCwbbCjHihn3lAWgn7ETxua8hRIRD3ay/w360-h640/IMG_20230804_125913_495.webp" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W P Fraser Herbarium collection</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I asked if I could sit and sketch. "Go right ahead!" (yay!!) So I did. I sketched a few blind contour drawings of this lovely plant with my non-dominant hand. I feel like it's committed to memory now.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK38PtFAoK2l1DHMJRTtGgpA_gMqlX2okuQgMZHOY7m6fk8OTQf3dKF88JWwhA2F-mJ1L_sYsnrMdMACN38nUovxqR6zFLTzS47pfccBIlgEETf80vPIhiaiuVLzfjimPBNuwknJm7J0UTL3bRx5g5TDoPhiJJFdPIRrii0XNE6PqfpaCUyhI6XR9-YrY/s624/IMG_20230804_125527_737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="624" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK38PtFAoK2l1DHMJRTtGgpA_gMqlX2okuQgMZHOY7m6fk8OTQf3dKF88JWwhA2F-mJ1L_sYsnrMdMACN38nUovxqR6zFLTzS47pfccBIlgEETf80vPIhiaiuVLzfjimPBNuwknJm7J0UTL3bRx5g5TDoPhiJJFdPIRrii0XNE6PqfpaCUyhI6XR9-YrY/w400-h400/IMG_20230804_125527_737.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Back at home, I checked my email and there was a thank you message from the Herbarium with loads of links to useful PDFs that were specific to my questions. I feel like I hit the jackpot! Denver also let me know of a really amazing website I want to share with you.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://iNaturalist.org" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">iNaturalist.org</span></b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>WOW - it's amazing. Thank you Denver! As for the Fraser Herbarium, it is not open to the public per se. You simply need to contact them to request a tour or visit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy August Long!</div><div>xo Monika K.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-31216862775831232392023-08-04T10:07:00.003-05:002023-08-04T10:08:17.107-05:00Fieldwork - Beach Day!<p>A friend texted me, "So are you enjoying your summer?"</p><p>There was a long pause. </p><p>I had to step back in my mind. Summers are a time for work. Yardwork. Gardening. Production. The children are out of school. We could never afford to travel and I still have never taken a vacation or 'summer holidays'. I'd run my kids to the river or a nearby lake but with three little ones, it was work: packing food and water and juggling a child with aspergers and one kid loves to be in the top of a tree while another loves the water while the other is terrified of bugs. Add to that, I simply cannot tolerate heat.</p><p>What was the question? Am I enjoying my summer.</p><p>Do I ever, really? I enjoy fall and winter. She was still waiting for my answer. "Have you been taking off to the your cabin? So lucky!" If you know me, I don't answer with small talk. I answer with honest responses. So I replied, "When I work enough to be able to take days off to get out there, we go out there to work on the building." There's still no power, no running water, no walls... lol. A shit tonne of yard work.</p><p>It was Thusday. The forecast was 35C. It ended up being 37C. I was booked to work the Youth Drop in at the Art Museum in the afternoon, which was perfect since my rental has only the little air conditioner I bought.</p><p>I asked myself, "So Monika? Am I enjoying my summer?" So far, I'm navigating around research and making sure I have clean black socks for my next shift. Let the dog out. Let the dog in. Water the garden. Scoop poop. Weed the garden. What day is it? Did I miss the garbage truck? Pick the beans. Is there enough dirty clothes to do a load of laundry? What will I cook tonight to make sure everyone is fed? I mean, I don't hate my summer. But I'm navigating through. I'm not enjoying. It's just same old, same old. The mail carrier came. Is that a bill or a payment?</p><p><i>Fuck it. I can't wait around for someone to come ask me to play.</i> So I know that my favourite way to enjoy summer is to swim in the river, I did just that. I packed up my camera, blanket, water for me and the dog, put sunscreen on my nose and by 10 am I WAS ENJOYING SUMMER.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-YsHnUfvBpytdtXzgdLXMTe28hr-2qy-gNr5-5QR5gSolG6zDBpRGPW7pvNcYy3JSHmJmveOIj8vlEtAwjNDyijTbBtQxwRpbnv-eBdfsb0p47fD2Ln59039fWE8LxgD76j2hNVYTbG-nj1EVP72zIaMCLEB1lY3XElyc9CEdAWhiHExCSYJX-pAIhMZ/s960/enjoying%20summer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-YsHnUfvBpytdtXzgdLXMTe28hr-2qy-gNr5-5QR5gSolG6zDBpRGPW7pvNcYy3JSHmJmveOIj8vlEtAwjNDyijTbBtQxwRpbnv-eBdfsb0p47fD2Ln59039fWE8LxgD76j2hNVYTbG-nj1EVP72zIaMCLEB1lY3XElyc9CEdAWhiHExCSYJX-pAIhMZ/w640-h640/enjoying%20summer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Saskatchewan River, me, summer.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>There were other people out there (you can see someone on the island there) and a family back in the other direction. In a few spots, you can walk across at only knee deep. Basically, if you can't see the bottom, you don't go there. The current is fast. Here in this part, there are so many sand bars / islands and contained pools of water, it's really quite a lovely spot. Buddy and I played and swam for a good hour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdljsFLM-lkcOyQ2ud454SbSnCTqZC5JLwLMcxLWyQkstdtInrAcMs0IyIARidlU_UVVZ1M_399Ak5QRVUeaTvsN5A2U2svUH5ba6X6_BI7zYtImyreVD5PFOVOycvmLMckhu2miuVYa1aF1UdLQ6vXdiXtRm7nnVBWtO1It7I5ExiPM3dn9wjhecOEy3/s1440/doggie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdljsFLM-lkcOyQ2ud454SbSnCTqZC5JLwLMcxLWyQkstdtInrAcMs0IyIARidlU_UVVZ1M_399Ak5QRVUeaTvsN5A2U2svUH5ba6X6_BI7zYtImyreVD5PFOVOycvmLMckhu2miuVYa1aF1UdLQ6vXdiXtRm7nnVBWtO1It7I5ExiPM3dn9wjhecOEy3/w400-h400/doggie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I remember taking my kids to the river one evening in the city to cool off. The sun was setting and I was trying to convince my kids it was time to leave. An older woman came to the spot where we were, said hello, and got in. She swam back and forth very slowly a couple times and then got out again. I asked her, "do you come here often?" She told me she gets into the river every day she can. I'll never forget her. I wonder what was holding me back from enjoying a swim all by myself.<div><br /><div>Well. I've had enough of that. I'm swimming whenever I can.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not used to having time for me. This is a new thing. Instead of work to be able to play, I'm going to start playing to be able to work. Be curious so I can work. Relax so I can work. Rejuvenate so I can work. Not the other way around. It doesn't work the other way around. </div><div><br /></div><div>After some sun, wind, sand, and water, my head was clear, my heart was beating and my spirit was enjoying. Here's some lovelies I captured while out there. More roots!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE_tRfQ7qykKpHGGBtFb_4liK5-glvBhZ0rJm9RjUaORo7GAj-VfxYFiwI3OU_a6M4h2Gi6g22mYYgxvhqs5PurpjejuvqaRE3QaCmsOhfSJvlPf752AcTV3gB4jSlTE_AUoaiNtAQGQIPnwCmwHG-g91ZMhCa2ux0yl78H_1inrjiq2OLRxjFvwSrH0Z/s5152/DSCN1873.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE_tRfQ7qykKpHGGBtFb_4liK5-glvBhZ0rJm9RjUaORo7GAj-VfxYFiwI3OU_a6M4h2Gi6g22mYYgxvhqs5PurpjejuvqaRE3QaCmsOhfSJvlPf752AcTV3gB4jSlTE_AUoaiNtAQGQIPnwCmwHG-g91ZMhCa2ux0yl78H_1inrjiq2OLRxjFvwSrH0Z/w640-h480/DSCN1873.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm standing at the low river's edge, facing the first bank.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />If you look behind, you can see a row of trees in the distance in the photo above. Those trees are sitting up on a higher cliff with the face also exposed like this one.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNCDXVUHUvVqsX9LdJp6Iamy2kJMntR7F5rt8NULdAoPAW9uhsCUbEK30l1f2c-NaagusOAfm_gUbK5irnk46Dq6lEduMfWHlKi3FwU1s9p0BZHHZctYH2x3imFAQ1Jsb7r7prdBrszyrO9a2Jp1njmDonAudKTOT9LTsTmlz_w094xjkpov1HWREvgS6/s5152/DSCN1880.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNCDXVUHUvVqsX9LdJp6Iamy2kJMntR7F5rt8NULdAoPAW9uhsCUbEK30l1f2c-NaagusOAfm_gUbK5irnk46Dq6lEduMfWHlKi3FwU1s9p0BZHHZctYH2x3imFAQ1Jsb7r7prdBrszyrO9a2Jp1njmDonAudKTOT9LTsTmlz_w094xjkpov1HWREvgS6/w400-h300/DSCN1880.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view upstream</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The roots from the plants above run all the way down and are exposed at the water level. It's so amazing to see!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpd48LDO92i1_1ElVMhKXlan4auO4D-LDYkH96E7LTBim7xlW0GItRhJZqyBbXs_BebsFAzQf-Ao19x24BQbLqS7j0Ixond2BFIuBPUTwn1sA2c3A6uFvyswY5N1R9g1gEhJJtr_LtPWyeskdOJeB4fPS-ltiV8VxQbkF6AzlsFcitBwlpNudmYdE1nLRl/s5152/DSCN1883.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpd48LDO92i1_1ElVMhKXlan4auO4D-LDYkH96E7LTBim7xlW0GItRhJZqyBbXs_BebsFAzQf-Ao19x24BQbLqS7j0Ixond2BFIuBPUTwn1sA2c3A6uFvyswY5N1R9g1gEhJJtr_LtPWyeskdOJeB4fPS-ltiV8VxQbkF6AzlsFcitBwlpNudmYdE1nLRl/w640-h480/DSCN1883.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Then walking around up on top, I took more photos.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxzXFvRlqOXUHGDZ3mswOCaOBvQr3uFS2fV8rb5zpEuQK3HaRgtOqzHesUZnRlYxZVOuLGIi6ifYUZBtMvXOmWf43Kdetk_1lbyiqv2kphlN5pYmi9x6tELG3HL9-N06ZWtDpbqyYB1dhDkeGwnw3N5Yc40IYhM6sTxpErAdv-R9Oc4dMnN8vl9nmZ53r/s5152/DSCN1897.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxzXFvRlqOXUHGDZ3mswOCaOBvQr3uFS2fV8rb5zpEuQK3HaRgtOqzHesUZnRlYxZVOuLGIi6ifYUZBtMvXOmWf43Kdetk_1lbyiqv2kphlN5pYmi9x6tELG3HL9-N06ZWtDpbqyYB1dhDkeGwnw3N5Yc40IYhM6sTxpErAdv-R9Oc4dMnN8vl9nmZ53r/w400-h300/DSCN1897.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>I'm so glad I looked or I would have never noticed these. Blooms? I'll have to go back in a few days to see what becomes of these.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzGUw3qduSGZ0NDmQbSGanrYZvbURI5nUkDSO3WRbCi0QZiXKlHschXg0O0BZe-86lmXZRapGeo0NCqf18pbaF2JVl6qYcc3BbJ77-AkxRiqTmSvzQH_yR0b-kl5X5moL75HB_4nYouAk80jugQ_3SiRBr0vIYartVfJpudKmqlQT8I5ySWSEKyiWqByf/s5152/DSCN1894.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzGUw3qduSGZ0NDmQbSGanrYZvbURI5nUkDSO3WRbCi0QZiXKlHschXg0O0BZe-86lmXZRapGeo0NCqf18pbaF2JVl6qYcc3BbJ77-AkxRiqTmSvzQH_yR0b-kl5X5moL75HB_4nYouAk80jugQ_3SiRBr0vIYartVfJpudKmqlQT8I5ySWSEKyiWqByf/w480-h640/DSCN1894.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>And there were these little wee things also. I thought they were pretty.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWrJBdA3vx5LOAspFdmSNOUCmSXVQRSTVOehr5xKzIeNqrnZXtRA8MJ9N4frzbyYmh7gX44TPigG-6EMb7H2hYcLPbkKfvlzJICxcI36lbURkWnKVwr5idG0gp-fwrZnC74N8tczLRDjwEPU3micu1B3-CSsf2HGgPmksCnV9hfHu-5t3iPFrVGi4AMjF/s5152/DSCN1888.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWrJBdA3vx5LOAspFdmSNOUCmSXVQRSTVOehr5xKzIeNqrnZXtRA8MJ9N4frzbyYmh7gX44TPigG-6EMb7H2hYcLPbkKfvlzJICxcI36lbURkWnKVwr5idG0gp-fwrZnC74N8tczLRDjwEPU3micu1B3-CSsf2HGgPmksCnV9hfHu-5t3iPFrVGi4AMjF/w480-h640/DSCN1888.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a cluster of something (?)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />OH! PSA In Canada, there's a program right now that's time sensitive. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is asking for your photos of plant, animal, bird and insect species. You can sign up and upload so that they can get a literal snapshot of the species across the country. Brilliant really. <br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://secure.natureconservancy.ca/site/SPageNavigator/BioBlitz_2023/BB_2023_landing.html?&s_locale=en_CA&s_src=NAT_BIOBLITZ&s_subsrc=Homepage_Carousel&utm_campaign=NAT_BIOBLITZ&utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=organic&_ga=2.124867650.937886921.1691160591-50821802.1687398412" target="_blank"><b>BACKYARD BIO BLITZ</b></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm doin' it! xo</div><div>~Monika K.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-10548518400005866042023-08-02T22:32:00.007-05:002023-08-02T22:40:01.103-05:00Mid Summer<p>August 1st marks the midpoint between Summer and Fall. In some cultures, it was celebrated at 'First Harvest'. If you ask my beans and zucchini, they'll tell you it's the 4th harvest. Despite the devastating drought, some things are growing and blooming and the bees don't mind at all.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVj9dhUMqEyAcSPpXG0CHMbtUqUUqOVNNnHcvOpOtsxhPRD2ryVWBNIWBX6tsPf43Dltv3A0cmXguonzI4jaSP6NAOnOu4XQ78ZJPUuHOOho7y0dao60Fpuuw3CRrx7PeAFG3Y8E_Ew8DXKJBBtE3gcABMYrc1btTK1WbJD8zZaUqNsMX-lKjs8_JCL82/s1978/New%20Image%20beeeee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1963" data-original-width="1978" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVj9dhUMqEyAcSPpXG0CHMbtUqUUqOVNNnHcvOpOtsxhPRD2ryVWBNIWBX6tsPf43Dltv3A0cmXguonzI4jaSP6NAOnOu4XQ78ZJPUuHOOho7y0dao60Fpuuw3CRrx7PeAFG3Y8E_Ew8DXKJBBtE3gcABMYrc1btTK1WbJD8zZaUqNsMX-lKjs8_JCL82/w400-h398/New%20Image%20beeeee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dandelion in my yard.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My son and I took a drive down Valley Road and the crops looked so dry. I stopped for some roadside pictures and it was unreal how filthy the flowers were from lack of rain as they sit by the dusty grid road. I did manage to photograph over the ditch and into a past-bloom flax field for this shot.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnm6n7o8MFofC5z7nrg1iZfl2uva66wJcwR-GSvYcS2bOCVMDQjvQeKbkS1QOh_c4UiDcqOrv_Eqc0Ev5ZMNWdt855tEaMlJOxzcdJL8FEmo-uf3iZe38KHOYdhHUB_0vSl4T5AKF9zX976PBDsHgfLqu6LOzoIgg6X3MfIFaUdKinGEMRpUii0mQWbA4/s4928/New%20Image%20Flax%20and%20Coneflowers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3219" data-original-width="4928" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnm6n7o8MFofC5z7nrg1iZfl2uva66wJcwR-GSvYcS2bOCVMDQjvQeKbkS1QOh_c4UiDcqOrv_Eqc0Ev5ZMNWdt855tEaMlJOxzcdJL8FEmo-uf3iZe38KHOYdhHUB_0vSl4T5AKF9zX976PBDsHgfLqu6LOzoIgg6X3MfIFaUdKinGEMRpUii0mQWbA4/w640-h418/New%20Image%20Flax%20and%20Coneflowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy in the dust without much of a drink.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was so nice to cool off in the river. It was hot out and we jumped right in. The water was nice, and some folks were walking across. It's moving fast but it's shallow. It comes from the Rocky Mountains and runs all the way to the Atlantic via the Hudson Bay in Manitoba. We met some tourists from Berlin, and one asked how far he would go. I joked that it would at least carry him home. lol</p><p>Looking back at the river bank, this was an interesting vantage point.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6TDrcg33vk243OrHBZMZtunPqQS9ws7ZCW9zecLheQcKr7iiw3MQxDNOyBlH8QjlJ3gXRgGFuJANLFp1I-tfbGHkG9njEVvdy43Dap7boiarxqQsw7-qMkxP4wX66iQW5X1iy7EhvfvPOycXaYYkOnFc0g5k6C--R75tsNrMw9Kvg5RgxxzJ6vflO_ph/s4002/New%20Image%20River%20Cliff%20cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3551" data-original-width="4002" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6TDrcg33vk243OrHBZMZtunPqQS9ws7ZCW9zecLheQcKr7iiw3MQxDNOyBlH8QjlJ3gXRgGFuJANLFp1I-tfbGHkG9njEVvdy43Dap7boiarxqQsw7-qMkxP4wX66iQW5X1iy7EhvfvPOycXaYYkOnFc0g5k6C--R75tsNrMw9Kvg5RgxxzJ6vflO_ph/w640-h568/New%20Image%20River%20Cliff%20cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolf Willow at the top, layers of earth exposed (mostly sand).</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's interesting how the land wears away in the shape of bricks that are stacked. How does that happen? </p><p>As we walked along in the water, we could see holes where birds lived inside the cliff face.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQgDA3bU_5lGuyTLD_LQ-hKwAWqqNJEnsUeWNwfQoR4mCuRyBGWk6i9t2Cl4REANDoxr4qO-h7cbU3BPLXO8Ert6MxmTZ6J2xYw3eL32kiiu1DrSaChRH_2W7QGgs_Oq9YnK7KiwOLntLaxwD_0FgMbPujMnBt7tO7fbFmxKFplLxckX1HZNVsbs0jFM3/s5152/DSCN1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQgDA3bU_5lGuyTLD_LQ-hKwAWqqNJEnsUeWNwfQoR4mCuRyBGWk6i9t2Cl4REANDoxr4qO-h7cbU3BPLXO8Ert6MxmTZ6J2xYw3eL32kiiu1DrSaChRH_2W7QGgs_Oq9YnK7KiwOLntLaxwD_0FgMbPujMnBt7tO7fbFmxKFplLxckX1HZNVsbs0jFM3/s320/DSCN1847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Look here, this was a great find! This is a new plant I had not seen before, but then again, I haven't gone searching around the water before.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Sr7qxfGug2PnIpYq24OIECAx2PCiMPhKlsuEdjVP_uELTKS3HdPFHxX7TyM_HD0aYD0ZjUcH9NvE8d4_NdOwhhGc4JgmvY1oWYnf8ZuuYRUtZ2uUm2dAkiuvhuBPcGoIlfi_xBVL9PKhPCGhjtjngV3knqMhFa1DyVMkeF10vjg5QMLjEA9cM7_nqRL4/s4524/DSCN1841%20Arrowhead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3482" data-original-width="4524" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Sr7qxfGug2PnIpYq24OIECAx2PCiMPhKlsuEdjVP_uELTKS3HdPFHxX7TyM_HD0aYD0ZjUcH9NvE8d4_NdOwhhGc4JgmvY1oWYnf8ZuuYRUtZ2uUm2dAkiuvhuBPcGoIlfi_xBVL9PKhPCGhjtjngV3knqMhFa1DyVMkeF10vjg5QMLjEA9cM7_nqRL4/w640-h493/DSCN1841%20Arrowhead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrowhead at the edge of the South Saskatchewan River</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We didn't see any wild life, but back in the city, we have huge jack rabbits everywhere. Three massive pelicans were sailing in circles over my yard the other day, and our entire neighborhood has Peregrine Falcons training up their young. If you are in Saskatoon, yes, that's the noisy 'screaming' you're hearing all the time. Apparently these birds were once on a watch list for being at risk. Now they have found new life on city rooftops. They hunt pigeons, smaller birds and dragonflies, if you can fathom that one!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMMNAeU8rTzssygygiMUvzAMBbpYZub9tQJXvYmRE9AO8UkCDAgRuOmenQ1O-Kys2uGJ4F2CytI1-8YUZ6cdIU1tHnypPXA4TO-nUccqgDhDL1NeXVK2cTyhNsk8iQ4J2zHfdvPMuKuKRdf29WQTIoOO5F7R4dJXJSuhcy92i5-Q6CxRayI2zyDn8Esp7/s5152/New%20Image%20Peregrine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3757" data-original-width="5152" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMMNAeU8rTzssygygiMUvzAMBbpYZub9tQJXvYmRE9AO8UkCDAgRuOmenQ1O-Kys2uGJ4F2CytI1-8YUZ6cdIU1tHnypPXA4TO-nUccqgDhDL1NeXVK2cTyhNsk8iQ4J2zHfdvPMuKuKRdf29WQTIoOO5F7R4dJXJSuhcy92i5-Q6CxRayI2zyDn8Esp7/w640-h466/New%20Image%20Peregrine.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fastest recorded species on the planet when they dive-bomb.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the end of the day, there was a full moon. That moon was a Super Moon! And as night set in, the lightning began. The thunder rumbled for a long time and then finally, the sky let go and WOW did it ever RAIN.</p><p>I guess the flowers got a good rinse after all.</p><p>xo</p><p>Monika K.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-38647206932427869602023-07-24T11:18:00.005-05:002023-08-02T21:35:12.976-05:00Perennial Parallels pt 2<p>I haven't come to a decision about my grant project on whether I'll include any plant I come across, or only native plants. I do know that if I chose both, I will identify which are original to prairie and which are not.</p><p>Part of me finds the current snapshot of what is growing here to be a good story, and in ways, a good parallel to us. Some plants have always been here. Their roots run deep. They are just made for this place. Some were introduced from other parts of the world. Some are simply not cut out for this climate and can't thrive. There are particular non-native plants which are invasive, destructive, and choke out indigenous plants. Consider that today, we are pulling Indigenous bodies out of the ground from the 'destructive invaders'. The parallels are undeniable to me. And then there are perennials that come from other lands that flourish in this ecoregion and are able to coexist. They now feed the birds, bees and wildlife side by side. Plants and people. Same, same.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBEXoTqZPSP6edAsu4lgAbr-z1L_mFEY2jAb_Pd4_Tk4np9_lG-5BO3QUQ2174DxnjApoEzzazejRyxVz9Cf02MMtmi-Szivo0oiN99-aLWBuJWvnkXdJSzEY1RP-d0ebSg9ntZA2Zapq50iWOmr29lbVasm8OamgatzATOWS2-1JcFE0TxBBum_vxLHJ/s5152/DSCN1774.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBEXoTqZPSP6edAsu4lgAbr-z1L_mFEY2jAb_Pd4_Tk4np9_lG-5BO3QUQ2174DxnjApoEzzazejRyxVz9Cf02MMtmi-Szivo0oiN99-aLWBuJWvnkXdJSzEY1RP-d0ebSg9ntZA2Zapq50iWOmr29lbVasm8OamgatzATOWS2-1JcFE0TxBBum_vxLHJ/w400-h300/DSCN1774.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tansy in the Ditch. Naturalized, "Invasive weed"<br />You see how nothing else can grow with it?</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Honestly, the source images I have taken in the past 15 years have been unedited in my landscape art. I have simply been drawn to the general compositions or plays of colours in the foreground (which are the sprays of flora in the ditches).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nhXTFdGcqmNelsYQH8OPIsGkjWK43rLyRUAAjVUVtcY2L_xCtoZEIZOvTpuQZds-KMgXu49Fi5XidFM-2kE-X002vGetIJJw-TiSLgwOkhpyy0cv2BGZXQSVhcOG2AKI5JqJPqEr_WhwhiK-iW8tnHpdhOCANfjM4d_3blqYciARmtiR99wFfvR_KbDS/s812/monika4%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="812" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nhXTFdGcqmNelsYQH8OPIsGkjWK43rLyRUAAjVUVtcY2L_xCtoZEIZOvTpuQZds-KMgXu49Fi5XidFM-2kE-X002vGetIJJw-TiSLgwOkhpyy0cv2BGZXQSVhcOG2AKI5JqJPqEr_WhwhiK-iW8tnHpdhOCANfjM4d_3blqYciARmtiR99wFfvR_KbDS/w400-h400/monika4%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me 5 yrs ago, Sweet Clover (naturalized from Europe)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I recall one very key solo exhibition I had in 2018, where someone stopped me twice to scold me for including invasive species. I listened. I let her speak and educate me. She was very passionate. I stood there like a dummy and all I could say was, "I just liked the colours and I wanted to stitch it." lol It's truly the only explanation I had. (I saw it. It was pretty.) I thanked her for the information. I took her pamphlet. I went to speak to other guests at the reception, and she came back again to start it all over. (THAT was difficult.) I didn't want to argue but I did have other guests who wanted to speak with me.</p><p>It's a passionate topic. I get it now.</p><p>Coincidentally, the plant she was referring to was the thistle currently being pulled at Meewasin. The ironic part is that I misidentified it! It was Purple Prairie Clover en mass, which is an original prairie plant. Remember this one?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsFf8Rh06yfleo-TX4D35AiAY6zIEkfnfKxsNqFt4l9Uq9SXv8aQgPsL9fUU1S_tflFL1Z2tqVqq6v3cDCTwkiHMBzsYoYVyRD1S6TLZ4vO55rdRqR64Kco0TlxoR-gNlO2gWIRoT7aHce-0FAeHGn0DJVdyLVrf3BwmVHDJEluX_W4_7IQszMT1qWmEX/s3264/20190119_101405.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsFf8Rh06yfleo-TX4D35AiAY6zIEkfnfKxsNqFt4l9Uq9SXv8aQgPsL9fUU1S_tflFL1Z2tqVqq6v3cDCTwkiHMBzsYoYVyRD1S6TLZ4vO55rdRqR64Kco0TlxoR-gNlO2gWIRoT7aHce-0FAeHGn0DJVdyLVrf3BwmVHDJEluX_W4_7IQszMT1qWmEX/w480-h640/20190119_101405.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large threadpainting, now a small greeting card</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In my ignorance, I stand by my word. <i>I just thought it was pretty</i>. : ) So I made art.</p><p>Hmmm. Perhaps THAT is a good parallel there. I caused trouble by not doing my research, and mislabeling something. We all know how social media works around that! I learned my lesson. I'll cross reference everything.</p><p>I think in this next body of work, however, I will acknowledge the Parallels. They present important questions, and maybe the parallels will present clues to solutions. How do we stop destroying, how do we protect, and how do we rebuild?</p><p>We can learn a lot from the plants.</p><p>~Monika K.</p><p>(always learning!)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-3186068886871945642023-07-20T10:53:00.004-05:002023-07-21T09:40:32.833-05:00The Power of Prairie<p>Perennials are magic. I'm learning that more and more. I read about how they are 'built to last'. For this particular region, I see the phrase, 'drought-tolerant' over and over in the descriptions of prairie flora. We have years of wonderful rain and always have our sunshine year round. However, the last two years have definitely been drought years. It is evident by the way the elm trees are overproducing seeds. That yard at the cabin has a couple inches of caked elm seed layered over it.</p><p>The prairie grasses in mid July here are not green. They are crunchy and yellow when you walk through it. It LOOKS just like late September. Doesn't it?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasXKWC9AralUFwqrq_quRztm8rAUuyFw-X7NyytDnks5jVIRDb7DESukF3-e4AHjFNIwvyS0FOmLh31ZMbI6B-m2KTT79WzhaaBaAX4JEUOpJxFN5P0iHWn5p_qV9557mFw4bCo1PkU4PZGvqNbABpjE8PBONTqkJmq7wUYeYoQwHLqIUEsaWEgjYdj3b/s5152/DSCN1759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasXKWC9AralUFwqrq_quRztm8rAUuyFw-X7NyytDnks5jVIRDb7DESukF3-e4AHjFNIwvyS0FOmLh31ZMbI6B-m2KTT79WzhaaBaAX4JEUOpJxFN5P0iHWn5p_qV9557mFw4bCo1PkU4PZGvqNbABpjE8PBONTqkJmq7wUYeYoQwHLqIUEsaWEgjYdj3b/w400-h300/DSCN1759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The grasses are fine. They aren't near-death like a lawn. They have massive root systems below that are alive and well, living all winter long. I assume, like the Elm, the plants are over-producing as well? It sure looks abundant, even though it is not green.</p><p>Will you look at this! In this drought, there is colour! Perennial flora xo</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uQrm8Au02qpFQwGCpXT84iGRHtvTrUBNgA6FzF_Yas0i7VKyFBcWpuFCQ1yIRKBgLz8-97LusArlZYcpTaQC5ihr8DNGnl3-BtjrimqLUiRqt0THG9YykOPyDufEDwGac5ahYHJKPsMNpQaycBL1SjMxpS-hPYgW3fXKCiYVfh5Ssd_2tZTIbOhRNgqN/s5152/DSCN1675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uQrm8Au02qpFQwGCpXT84iGRHtvTrUBNgA6FzF_Yas0i7VKyFBcWpuFCQ1yIRKBgLz8-97LusArlZYcpTaQC5ihr8DNGnl3-BtjrimqLUiRqt0THG9YykOPyDufEDwGac5ahYHJKPsMNpQaycBL1SjMxpS-hPYgW3fXKCiYVfh5Ssd_2tZTIbOhRNgqN/w400-h300/DSCN1675.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dotted Blazing Star. They were EVERYWHERE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5XZDyFZkiGgiKzTbYbThWL8hruuQdysQczFUBQ6XJO6pppA4yN8Mzq8KpGwIzKgKhiBgKcdfmghheKVKFtS-id_7zIH0IFaJBD6x0Ek4G3USl7J5I-IHKzV2U70H1gFqGGlbU_f29nqtFFhYIxIRfwwDm5A5yEodwm67xSEz5VCKjIhET65rBKkXeyM_/s5152/DSCN1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5XZDyFZkiGgiKzTbYbThWL8hruuQdysQczFUBQ6XJO6pppA4yN8Mzq8KpGwIzKgKhiBgKcdfmghheKVKFtS-id_7zIH0IFaJBD6x0Ek4G3USl7J5I-IHKzV2U70H1gFqGGlbU_f29nqtFFhYIxIRfwwDm5A5yEodwm67xSEz5VCKjIhET65rBKkXeyM_/w300-h400/DSCN1683.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry July, Blazing Stars don't mind.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the bees were happy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLefhkio1rLrapSYsggBx0lIPW68WLDqTQYiFgdcmGExZrX3g9No_PNRU-SdB_kZjb8YYS8vIu5jSED2Gn247yJfwfl4wC34RhIZtAUKmdHiyqlSi7Vptp3GcxYnEliNN3XElbpfor3mWWuG_bCM4EmYdF0TfgzuAiXmqsvID_nVuX08WmYyM8DWeu1Ml/s5152/DSCN1689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLefhkio1rLrapSYsggBx0lIPW68WLDqTQYiFgdcmGExZrX3g9No_PNRU-SdB_kZjb8YYS8vIu5jSED2Gn247yJfwfl4wC34RhIZtAUKmdHiyqlSi7Vptp3GcxYnEliNN3XElbpfor3mWWuG_bCM4EmYdF0TfgzuAiXmqsvID_nVuX08WmYyM8DWeu1Ml/w300-h400/DSCN1689.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next, we (my boy Florian and me) spied red. Once you spot red, you see it everywhere. It was like a spray of bright beads across a long dip in the land. WOW - it was ripe wild Raspberries!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSp9uLiKzdjJiJDTQPC5rKQ1m5dzEd_-3rm9sezy3tGRzNgNvK4jQXy6atMoyzEX-BWVmC79gZ8F7WAkLTvx_xv5wTplVPQo1oi6NhT0Q_XzjNrA51A5uD001lFW6soruZCCBd9YDUziChUipz8fHQAX_8AFIri1_Pw2uCvsX8c8H66feJ7K1iG0hsTmK/s5152/DSCN1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSp9uLiKzdjJiJDTQPC5rKQ1m5dzEd_-3rm9sezy3tGRzNgNvK4jQXy6atMoyzEX-BWVmC79gZ8F7WAkLTvx_xv5wTplVPQo1oi6NhT0Q_XzjNrA51A5uD001lFW6soruZCCBd9YDUziChUipz8fHQAX_8AFIri1_Pw2uCvsX8c8H66feJ7K1iG0hsTmK/w480-h640/DSCN1701.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Raspberries, low to the ground. Ripe!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As dry as it was, there were loads of berries on hundreds and hundreds of foot high bushes like this, but only in the low lying parts. Perhaps that's how they get their moisture, even from morning dew. There was so much fruit, it was unbelievable. The wildlife must love it. (I picked one for my son to taste. He's my wildlife.) xo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWqK46o48uuCufWW68pFGdz3ldubWwkymM_ebBKzjMIhzTZp1SOnY1hAy4wl7Kfk4ixJ6SPncj31WRH2W2SOTKquNGS5MGfP5NCVYMaA88a8lAdZjZnFoKgG4X3bhJJhmkVOs8yxcYR53eg5OjkCNr-XQwiJ1wkLmaFRcWnloEYhQqnoWzh93r-NwGmCn/s5152/DSCN1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWqK46o48uuCufWW68pFGdz3ldubWwkymM_ebBKzjMIhzTZp1SOnY1hAy4wl7Kfk4ixJ6SPncj31WRH2W2SOTKquNGS5MGfP5NCVYMaA88a8lAdZjZnFoKgG4X3bhJJhmkVOs8yxcYR53eg5OjkCNr-XQwiJ1wkLmaFRcWnloEYhQqnoWzh93r-NwGmCn/w400-h300/DSCN1693.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harebells in the breeze</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL_asFfozNiaty8F1ZLR6NtbsFcxAGSDY8KrW2PaF5chbJJ1v0wF4zeY3M9rEGXNuory8L1P8tJnDs4gyQyI07Q91jbpAYd4TYl8uJe84X8dcowzFhW2xTvxoHGKGL-Z8pkhU2wwBTCK8SrHXOOVd-740oupCsrJsEs6bmDaIJnf0Eh7Hn7MaFdM_At05/s5152/DSCN1697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL_asFfozNiaty8F1ZLR6NtbsFcxAGSDY8KrW2PaF5chbJJ1v0wF4zeY3M9rEGXNuory8L1P8tJnDs4gyQyI07Q91jbpAYd4TYl8uJe84X8dcowzFhW2xTvxoHGKGL-Z8pkhU2wwBTCK8SrHXOOVd-740oupCsrJsEs6bmDaIJnf0Eh7Hn7MaFdM_At05/w300-h400/DSCN1697.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skeleton Weed in the Wolf Willow</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The Wild Roses have been absolutely prolific this year. This isn't a representational picture. We had a very hard downpour lastnight with thunder and lightning (finally!!) and so most of the big beautiful petals were likely pulled off by the raindrops.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCQI7rTM8R-caQbi3xtzJbNKULHmnRz9guWkDC-YGaS3tDmehmLOMCOHJRl3Q-nn1JzwocI5fNRAo7rJEm_fWq6O74sZZIUcdrHkuu8mlTjydHbaJ7YubG-FYNfmYazZKxYQHXopNct4Yfz7HP2ZQMIH30PEcnvXaYFatiIny0K0eve-XEjHeSwjO0cmB/s5152/DSCN1723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCQI7rTM8R-caQbi3xtzJbNKULHmnRz9guWkDC-YGaS3tDmehmLOMCOHJRl3Q-nn1JzwocI5fNRAo7rJEm_fWq6O74sZZIUcdrHkuu8mlTjydHbaJ7YubG-FYNfmYazZKxYQHXopNct4Yfz7HP2ZQMIH30PEcnvXaYFatiIny0K0eve-XEjHeSwjO0cmB/w300-h400/DSCN1723.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More buds blooming in a moment of sun.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There are still so many young plants out on the prairie, just full of little rose buds. We'll have many more coming.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4aMzWIfnN5Pw9DyJ1crTAW_OdkzFOrpzU4wxJZoONwBsDIvPCII2OgYq_JUPpxCqc-S0dtAvogEeeELK2XrqVsgfir3HMcBEGKy8feKqMBU7ZCdXK933lAWAC-vcb7vmE9ZpDhHLE5C_KkvGN20gJ72pMhGRVZBpWfcSwKvcjdUVnOKkVJwDEAInzuoJ/s5152/DSCN1747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4aMzWIfnN5Pw9DyJ1crTAW_OdkzFOrpzU4wxJZoONwBsDIvPCII2OgYq_JUPpxCqc-S0dtAvogEeeELK2XrqVsgfir3HMcBEGKy8feKqMBU7ZCdXK933lAWAC-vcb7vmE9ZpDhHLE5C_KkvGN20gJ72pMhGRVZBpWfcSwKvcjdUVnOKkVJwDEAInzuoJ/w300-h400/DSCN1747.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New growth during a drought.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>And at the same time, the ones that have already bloomed this year have transformed into beautiful, big fruits!! Look at this!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBiEJXceR3b4vvRPAztHc-M1IFO_zB7N2hh2GL7mZGNKViZ2F24gOHm-zbryIoCqpn6luazvK4y6y6nvjisJwhbF--xCf2ScmE9dKV4bvV5RnIbz9Bb1bv9Lh-sO3mIapBfzDeqnhmOOC91-eW32oracJFFHFnrRfX3IJJv93LbyCMB1CaRABhqNFgeY4/s5152/DSCN1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBiEJXceR3b4vvRPAztHc-M1IFO_zB7N2hh2GL7mZGNKViZ2F24gOHm-zbryIoCqpn6luazvK4y6y6nvjisJwhbF--xCf2ScmE9dKV4bvV5RnIbz9Bb1bv9Lh-sO3mIapBfzDeqnhmOOC91-eW32oracJFFHFnrRfX3IJJv93LbyCMB1CaRABhqNFgeY4/w300-h400/DSCN1714.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosehips in hand, Licorice in back.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There were so many more flowers: Alfalfa, Blue Lettuce, Goldenrod, and blues and yellows that I can't identify yet. And then we waited for this little dude to land for a photo op.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4iwzYwmRrdE46kAW116l3iXPLkW8ncm0upRmHIfYAzA3XN6LzBr8O_qqOkwH7kqk2MWUKCMx3N8221wptpzf2GcMKQT62-mATOD8hnI8oVUuqdO57YZCnYsGrmv98bGNbgkG9mBT2vEP7dcM1Ow7R2BECpG88USoFW6PcwvDbyvZJUqfpJifQ_l3GW84/s2320/butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="2112" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4iwzYwmRrdE46kAW116l3iXPLkW8ncm0upRmHIfYAzA3XN6LzBr8O_qqOkwH7kqk2MWUKCMx3N8221wptpzf2GcMKQT62-mATOD8hnI8oVUuqdO57YZCnYsGrmv98bGNbgkG9mBT2vEP7dcM1Ow7R2BECpG88USoFW6PcwvDbyvZJUqfpJifQ_l3GW84/w364-h400/butterfly.jpg" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">? Male Celastrina ?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So there you go. This was a good Field Work day. If you were to drive down the grid road, and had glanced to the side and this is what you saw...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPt4QxFQ4ijMW8wXh8V2yEWRKS4jStQTfoVyUl6f1wkEs_5Lh_Uih-nnNaR8zZUL9P4HZffzXp1uo_XUQ0o-m2N3ljMjmx-O4F_t4fPSK6oPkzr-_Fl9IKBghWo2v5ymfVqt34_p0vdLYo9HHR05lXYTzWK_EJDRKO-pg1oKzMJ73qCjkGbT--U_uVfT/s5152/DSCN1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPt4QxFQ4ijMW8wXh8V2yEWRKS4jStQTfoVyUl6f1wkEs_5Lh_Uih-nnNaR8zZUL9P4HZffzXp1uo_XUQ0o-m2N3ljMjmx-O4F_t4fPSK6oPkzr-_Fl9IKBghWo2v5ymfVqt34_p0vdLYo9HHR05lXYTzWK_EJDRKO-pg1oKzMJ73qCjkGbT--U_uVfT/w400-h300/DSCN1685.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>... you wouldn't know if was full of all sorts of flowers, raspberries, butterflies, roses and bumblebees. </p><p> The Prairie is not empty. She is abundant.</p><p> The Prairie is beautiful. If not, then you likely haven't seen her. Like my mom used to say, "If you can't see the beauty, then you're not looking."</p><p> The Prairie is alive. She's thriving. She is perennial.</p><p> The Prairie is vital. She is essential to life on this planet. (This last point is all new to me. I'm learning.)</p><p>~Monika</p><p>additional point - hey, this is an early morning blog post. It reads like my private journal to myself and if it comes across as preachy, that's not my intention. It's my private poetry at the end, like a heartsong that is sacred to me, and not meant for any other purpose. I am by no means a perfect steward of this planet. Far from it! As a woman, I find parallels. As an artist, I can share portraits of the Prairie's beauty.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-40370516381640246432023-07-20T09:01:00.004-05:002023-07-20T09:01:32.339-05:00The People Who Love The Prairie<p>This just keeps getting better. The timing of everything that could possibly be connected with my research portion of the Canada Council for the Arts grant opportunity is outstanding. Like, knockin' it out of the park!</p><p>Oftentimes as I head to my part time job at the museum, I have CBC radio playing in my van. There's no commercials. It's mostly art, music, literature, science, news stories, interviews, comedy. Last week, as I was driving, I think I was floating! There was an announcement about a highly detailed collection of around 70,000 specimens of plants at the University of Regina (that's where I graduated from!). Not everyone knows it's there. The man who created the collection in 1954 was George F. Ledingham. He retired last century but never stopped collecting specimens from the Prairie Grasslands. After his passing in 2006, this collection, named the Ledingham Herbarium, started to be digitized by current students and faculty. BRILLIANT, because honestly, without it being digitized, it remains a private collection and not a public one.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFdRUzGKbKgK1fS1MGonlegi0M5r1EZ2UckUmmnUeIPHZ6hKnxkbkunMrJ-nIlPHB0sGyXAsWLZ56VGI7UEPucycYfyggoKAOi4TOTTAR_YsSH_NHsLsDo_ATDUtpNb-_rZjpotFrf76cXgn6ao91K7kkvyuzpHI8L3CR96epx6vW1cXqM1Yn8UZFIxoK/s1536/DSC_6085-1024x1536.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFdRUzGKbKgK1fS1MGonlegi0M5r1EZ2UckUmmnUeIPHZ6hKnxkbkunMrJ-nIlPHB0sGyXAsWLZ56VGI7UEPucycYfyggoKAOi4TOTTAR_YsSH_NHsLsDo_ATDUtpNb-_rZjpotFrf76cXgn6ao91K7kkvyuzpHI8L3CR96epx6vW1cXqM1Yn8UZFIxoK/w426-h640/DSC_6085-1024x1536.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">You can see more examples of the collection </span><a href="https://www.degreesmagazine.ca/7396-2/2023/06/14/" style="background-color: #04ff00; text-align: left;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>20,000 of these plants are directly from the Saskatchewan landscape. Some extend in to the grasslands of neighboring privinces and states, but the collection is housed here in my province. </p><p>Fun fact: approximately 20,000 of these specimens are mosses and lichens! Wow. Who knew? 50,000 of the 70,000 are vascular plants. </p><p>The announcement went public because the Saskatchewan-specific collection is done being scanned and should be publicly available for viewing by the end of the year. (yesssssssssssss!)</p><p><a href="https://www.uregina.ca/science/biology/research-facilities/herbarium/index.html" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: #04ff00;">George F. Ledingham Herbarium</b></a><br /></p><p>Remember my dear friend and mentor Margot Lindsay? I was so excited to pass this news on to her. I don't thing k she gets out to see the prairie in person as often as she did when she was younger, but I know it warms her heart to hear that people still care about the plants and the preservation of the land.</p><p>Here is a lovely interview with one of the women overseeing the project. Enjoy!</p><p>Brief Interview with Dr. Mel Hart: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-66-the-morning-edition-sask/clip/15996423-a-little-known-u-r-collection-saskatchewan-flora-going?share=true" style="background-color: #ff00fe;">Saskatchewan Flora Goes Digital</a></p><p>~Monika</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-55189281026107475802023-07-19T00:48:00.002-05:002023-07-19T00:48:54.308-05:00July Fieldwork<p>Summer is in full swing. It feels more like August. Things are ahead of themselves. The berries are dry and the tops of the European Poplars that turn yellow after the August long weekend did so on July 7th. ! Here are some advances of the landscape as of lately.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9dCN9TwBbMHczhHahf3lnaLcR_JuBHo7x_Feuz9Zyam1fDO50gP9PRbvjbB9P1P8iXHCQnzFZyvSCuQ_XdCCgRn7_zd8ubeQn8FfvM4lfMZ4UFw3cucRI0_gyq7KoZBmrfyhGOFwbBi7kyQIWaFiQf3fYWPhnHCuKxbd-e7mJZYo-xTdA5jUI5vP2x7a/s5152/DSCN1538.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9dCN9TwBbMHczhHahf3lnaLcR_JuBHo7x_Feuz9Zyam1fDO50gP9PRbvjbB9P1P8iXHCQnzFZyvSCuQ_XdCCgRn7_zd8ubeQn8FfvM4lfMZ4UFw3cucRI0_gyq7KoZBmrfyhGOFwbBi7kyQIWaFiQf3fYWPhnHCuKxbd-e7mJZYo-xTdA5jUI5vP2x7a/w300-h400/DSCN1538.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fireweed, Treaty 6 Territory<br />(Cochin Hills in the distance)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_ohxsyX-8hq0VxTBicHpWDh2f3Ox5AiwWHcWpdJ2Bu1U56T5VZG5d6rJ1oKHHhw9vulyvHSnq8keb-Rk4YDM1uZFKDo-eDfK8cDaJYZMI-pO6kTy2aFs5Re_66BpZOt2M_szjH71A8R1mwwuB_VUmq2EOtXyLejNUa5ofSEhN3s3FeuAm50n_6DrTnh2/s5152/DSCN1599.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_ohxsyX-8hq0VxTBicHpWDh2f3Ox5AiwWHcWpdJ2Bu1U56T5VZG5d6rJ1oKHHhw9vulyvHSnq8keb-Rk4YDM1uZFKDo-eDfK8cDaJYZMI-pO6kTy2aFs5Re_66BpZOt2M_szjH71A8R1mwwuB_VUmq2EOtXyLejNUa5ofSEhN3s3FeuAm50n_6DrTnh2/w400-h300/DSCN1599.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chokecherries</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>It is odd to see so many golden leaves in mid July. This is on the way down to the water from my cabin studio.</div><div><br /></div><div>And look at this next image of the big rocks along the shore. When I was a girl, I used to know these rocks like the back of my hand and could run across them without missing a beat. Now as a women with progressive glasses? No way! : ) </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBhKApSFNhBG9JgxM8e7DP-ZpQgrXz81aeYJL1yxhjgpYUISz21ThNM7qFo42uDAImBVsjUGqlZEHx8dGfgtude209u9MTxwHc5rlm38JMgPKefGii0mycNpq3u5r5GaguJ2khm2G52a-iqaanDwzmrC6aaxG_uItOZqb6IoNnIeol8aBkNcSEm274rg3/s5152/DSCN1575.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBhKApSFNhBG9JgxM8e7DP-ZpQgrXz81aeYJL1yxhjgpYUISz21ThNM7qFo42uDAImBVsjUGqlZEHx8dGfgtude209u9MTxwHc5rlm38JMgPKefGii0mycNpq3u5r5GaguJ2khm2G52a-iqaanDwzmrC6aaxG_uItOZqb6IoNnIeol8aBkNcSEm274rg3/w480-h640/DSCN1575.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>The thing about the rocks though, is that they never had the spots on them. So this is some kind of lichen I assume? And then, I'm curious why now and will it continue and what colours will it become and why? How interesting to see this change.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSmuab2GXgZVEJuTE4cK6S7rWNS6W8-D0ewsjEMeubfpQUX-dEstrozstZo4VP1aOCyOUJxSkPEwTAp4hpHTgNygcRDmpOdAQdY_AwbVqBy_RZEfKA531hH8oSwecmzU3WfVNzWFGNImRXsGS_2mNf400-b3diBYy3crewEordNF6U3ltzUMu3PegDGRK/s5152/DSCN1587.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSmuab2GXgZVEJuTE4cK6S7rWNS6W8-D0ewsjEMeubfpQUX-dEstrozstZo4VP1aOCyOUJxSkPEwTAp4hpHTgNygcRDmpOdAQdY_AwbVqBy_RZEfKA531hH8oSwecmzU3WfVNzWFGNImRXsGS_2mNf400-b3diBYy3crewEordNF6U3ltzUMu3PegDGRK/w300-h400/DSCN1587.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I get lost in the shadows</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It's so beautiful out here. Even the bugs are gorgeous.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUHKCGNGSzshgtYEpcwNWBt_4At3fJCdmfFGOeQPpjAB1eC3JrRJPZ3U7ln3Y7vxeDIMoNnM9WfBF8TT4mn3dARXTot9JG11Cy47tGi3PtLfgI4e2DHhNgF9y-hvuWp1flrQFplRChES6Aa_8MqwIyB25dz1mXb9Lv6HTLXi_z77deo1IdyNCNR6whgl9/s4208/DSCN1580.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="4208" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUHKCGNGSzshgtYEpcwNWBt_4At3fJCdmfFGOeQPpjAB1eC3JrRJPZ3U7ln3Y7vxeDIMoNnM9WfBF8TT4mn3dARXTot9JG11Cy47tGi3PtLfgI4e2DHhNgF9y-hvuWp1flrQFplRChES6Aa_8MqwIyB25dz1mXb9Lv6HTLXi_z77deo1IdyNCNR6whgl9/w400-h155/DSCN1580.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shiny turquoise stripes on crimson</td></tr></tbody></table><div><p>Everything is changing even if you think it's not. The spike is decomposing while the moss is reaching and expanding.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXpAUhbXvQkO-qWMLBmTxJouE_OOhev6AedOTHYRBdx8ldJpPulYzTKCELKRLRyHp6XHWDhZFj1GUpQVB2QETisxsmBBHbLCj0VdfI_o9-6sTU_AH3Vs1Oz2DDb3K1lMA8qpL5HjdQmbXPWaqHowxf83KWU-Frf_BR6-pmc0iudJUUHtWkcDuJh4zU6_J/s5152/DSCN1612.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXpAUhbXvQkO-qWMLBmTxJouE_OOhev6AedOTHYRBdx8ldJpPulYzTKCELKRLRyHp6XHWDhZFj1GUpQVB2QETisxsmBBHbLCj0VdfI_o9-6sTU_AH3Vs1Oz2DDb3K1lMA8qpL5HjdQmbXPWaqHowxf83KWU-Frf_BR6-pmc0iudJUUHtWkcDuJh4zU6_J/w400-h300/DSCN1612.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I love snooping around quietly with my camera. This old rotting wood deck is fully alive again. Green and breathing. Soft and squishy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLRU0xJYqAUQXAq6yD-FKsasGpy3wfeNl84aGSfDkoLqSohLQTQiKBAOBV7bjKOLlfiuIQD0-8KBGNaYTa6CUVfJovPiMJTi5Qo-iVKf8rOYZGakQR0ls07tDc7op2ML2h1aHt3CMj-V8VlD7hALa6HNaC3HOZIdgEapSUMUVhSbnGhruq9wXRWZldDxv/s5152/DSCN1619.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLRU0xJYqAUQXAq6yD-FKsasGpy3wfeNl84aGSfDkoLqSohLQTQiKBAOBV7bjKOLlfiuIQD0-8KBGNaYTa6CUVfJovPiMJTi5Qo-iVKf8rOYZGakQR0ls07tDc7op2ML2h1aHt3CMj-V8VlD7hALa6HNaC3HOZIdgEapSUMUVhSbnGhruq9wXRWZldDxv/w480-h640/DSCN1619.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And from that photo, I spied flowers. : ) One last photo...</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7JLEmp1UBLSsgK2QuaK_RfX1QKhvI4OJ6pGpHWzCUPh0pxgZPfuTTl1bS64YCVdD7Vm2DGialctG2hasJNBlv8fABVFbOEfyM5Q9nDDojjW_-Sl-jfg4JiOApxQ0yueabCkQzG_PrtDspXGZPipqIwnLz2trZA0nLvsXS5zI2K6ND_fAygeQgEdGQ2qQ/s5152/DSCN1574.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7JLEmp1UBLSsgK2QuaK_RfX1QKhvI4OJ6pGpHWzCUPh0pxgZPfuTTl1bS64YCVdD7Vm2DGialctG2hasJNBlv8fABVFbOEfyM5Q9nDDojjW_-Sl-jfg4JiOApxQ0yueabCkQzG_PrtDspXGZPipqIwnLz2trZA0nLvsXS5zI2K6ND_fAygeQgEdGQ2qQ/w400-h300/DSCN1574.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Have a beautiful day,</div><div>~ Monika</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-38874723993701892172023-07-18T11:47:00.007-05:002023-07-18T12:13:38.369-05:00The Hill & Hearth Studio Update<p>With camera, sketchbook, and flower press in hand, I headed to mom's old cabin to join my Carpenter midweek. It's been three years since mom passed and I still can't call this place mine. It was hers and I'm reclaiming it. I grew up here and even went to highschool from this place. It had electricity and that is all. We hauled water from town in jugs and washed our hair in the lake long before there were jetskis and motorboats zooming day and night. </p><p>I was often teased that I smelled like woodsmoke. Honestly, we all smelled like our parents' cigarette smoke back in the 70's and 80's! Why would the smell of a good campfire would bother anyone?</p><p>Who needs boys anyway. lol</p><p>I just liked the flowers and birds and music and a good sunset.</p><p>So here I am now, in my 50s. I lost my studio in 2018 and then my mother in 2020. Slowly, ever so slowly, through my grief, my dreams are still coming true. <b>I am so incredibly grateful.</b> I can't describe the depth of it, but I believe that when things grow this slowly, they will (like a perennial) outlast. They will (like a perennial) be a permanent fixture in the next portion of my life. I can understand that now: the value of patience and the resulting gift of longevity.</p><p>It's like good art, slow craft, waiting for baby, growing a garden, cultivating a relationship... even healing a wound. Permanence takes time. And there's a bonus! Effort and hard work can be spread out over time. Little by little, we can do anything if we take out time with it.</p><p>First of all, I never thought I'd be able to tackle my mother's potato garden. It slowly became weeds. Then it was higher and thicker weeds. The year she passed away, grass took over. The next year, grass again. And again. Finally, last week, I filled a **screaming loud** gas-powered whipper snipper thing (twice with fuel), and spent and hour+ taking down thigh-high grass over a 75ft x 25ft garden plot. I DID IT. Then I covered it with sheets of tarp and pinned those down with old fence posts I hauled out of the bush. I'm doing it! </p><p>I hope mom is happy. She's probably doing her happy dance (she has one).</p><p>That didn't stop me. I raked half the yard - there were 2 drought years worth of elm seed caked over the lawn. I counted. The small yard is surrounded by 24 elm trees. IMAGINE the amount of seeds.</p><p>I'm the groundskeeper out here while he builds. I cleared the path 2 stories down the cliff to the water. There's bush growing here I've never seen grow here before. And then I take breaks to cook meals over the fire so he can keep working.</p><p>And here it is! Before:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZjCxgFnY0fyKYROKSRnFIf-WlrQk6VZLbQotrKdf6tUlZ5dHL-2MQ7xVdCS8HNhXBUYkMuT8Zi7-89iejlM62GoEhXhcGZTKb_3MxqgSL6HBYSTBHGIjbQo3slXeqoEh42I7wkjPG9wrVYJCJnTKSXsd8ywbo3kmq8JiayuPrgyGVg0ranhfQCMF4QV3/s960/76722719_10156209420671511_4533596761297518592_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZjCxgFnY0fyKYROKSRnFIf-WlrQk6VZLbQotrKdf6tUlZ5dHL-2MQ7xVdCS8HNhXBUYkMuT8Zi7-89iejlM62GoEhXhcGZTKb_3MxqgSL6HBYSTBHGIjbQo3slXeqoEh42I7wkjPG9wrVYJCJnTKSXsd8ywbo3kmq8JiayuPrgyGVg0ranhfQCMF4QV3/w400-h300/76722719_10156209420671511_4533596761297518592_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1958 family property, building circa 1962<br />Late winter view over the potato garden.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In progress from last fall:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nLtyxnaeoEgu3TEZtPojKHNWJbIVl_Ab_g2xctcvVtyVvyW0H6S-7Lpok5Tqq5UvT283PJ9vk_iW6LZUQmmzjYTaMBhTfHmbrkNNJ52p-uVMuejzwDlbrQXfeAi9kAc-HoT80vz0s0wzB53hIdXYgOCBpld_U4__3hjh4TFE-eSFjsygopzOG62b1dMD/s4608/DSCN0153.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nLtyxnaeoEgu3TEZtPojKHNWJbIVl_Ab_g2xctcvVtyVvyW0H6S-7Lpok5Tqq5UvT283PJ9vk_iW6LZUQmmzjYTaMBhTfHmbrkNNJ52p-uVMuejzwDlbrQXfeAi9kAc-HoT80vz0s0wzB53hIdXYgOCBpld_U4__3hjh4TFE-eSFjsygopzOG62b1dMD/w400-h300/DSCN0153.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loft & new roof added, old addition removed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I took this photo from the garden. See the beautiful lake behind? The cabin was one big room to the left and two bedrooms to the right. My mom removed all the inside walls and had an addition added to the right, like a bunk house (literally full of bunk beds). You can see in the top picture that the cabin looked wider there. That addition had so much water damage and rot, so it was removed and my vision is for that end to be a big shady, cool porch (north east wall). I can imagine really enjoying that as an extra work and living space. I'd like a lake-facing porch door from there as well. That would be prefect!<div><br /></div><div>Where the 2 little bedrooms were will now be a kitchenette. The main open area will be Studio. Above the kitchen is a dropped loft floor. The upstairs walls are only 5ft high. The kitchen will be 7 ft from floor to ceiling. It LOOKS massive, but it's condensed. Above the porch and at the end of the bedroom loft then, can be storage space, because this little place has zero storage. What a great solution! The way the wind and rain comes off the lake from the west corner, that porch will be pretty protected from the elements. I'd like the kitchen to have and entry door from that side so we can go back and forth from there without letting rain or wind or snow in. So we'll come in and out from the wood pile through the kitchen, not my art space.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cabin floor is the same, 20ft x 24ft for the entire building. The upstairs bedroom is then 10x12ft or less with the stair way.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvis9CDtrnLQx6NMhiwQwNFHbBZzs0Py2ahimNWg21Kb9TNvdqBaGw9dw3fVOHbdceWjfb3ZPtNfA1p-ED5H5rrl425y_3X2congFRn8TvsYl7JYkFGVb1nCDRb5Tql9OSqFIbBpVYpVe-t6QaF-epo-Q4QYm-ZAqWYQ9P8OHyAQxcyBy8zkqcTk6wBvP/s4187/KITICHEN%20bEDROOM%20bATHROOM%20rOBINS%20july%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4187" data-original-width="2847" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvis9CDtrnLQx6NMhiwQwNFHbBZzs0Py2ahimNWg21Kb9TNvdqBaGw9dw3fVOHbdceWjfb3ZPtNfA1p-ED5H5rrl425y_3X2congFRn8TvsYl7JYkFGVb1nCDRb5Tql9OSqFIbBpVYpVe-t6QaF-epo-Q4QYm-ZAqWYQ9P8OHyAQxcyBy8zkqcTk6wBvP/w437-h640/KITICHEN%20bEDROOM%20bATHROOM%20rOBINS%20july%202023.jpg" width="437" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping loft up, kitchen door out back, wood cookstove central</td></tr></tbody></table><div><p>And LOOK!!!!</p><p>Up above the bedroom window xoxoxox</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI99Hh6XV375yTjTjbLh2Et1ozoIgwi87BXFZp8B2OHvpDZ-KsOl6ZzcWedgYd8ix5OaVczJPjT_Cl6r9VhgwDdpAacA1B5jIs4faM2pXIL8hkxmSAPTkPWdlYa3qU4TfZ6cUoPsFzCHF1KEJ-wuDoIArRMIPNBBHNhD-jxi5AQu3dpXIzFnLoncdc4WEM/s3626/Robins%20july%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3308" data-original-width="3626" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI99Hh6XV375yTjTjbLh2Et1ozoIgwi87BXFZp8B2OHvpDZ-KsOl6ZzcWedgYd8ix5OaVczJPjT_Cl6r9VhgwDdpAacA1B5jIs4faM2pXIL8hkxmSAPTkPWdlYa3qU4TfZ6cUoPsFzCHF1KEJ-wuDoIArRMIPNBBHNhD-jxi5AQu3dpXIzFnLoncdc4WEM/w400-h365/Robins%20july%202023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baby robins</td></tr></tbody></table><p>How beautiful is that?</p><p>I'm really proud of all this. There were times where I felt like it wasn't happening. But wow... it really is. It all started with a very clear goal. I NEED A STUDIO. Paul the Carpenter said, I CAN BUILD THIS. I knew what I wanted. I designed this and Paul helped by letting me know what would work and what wouldn't. The BEST part for me personally is that slowly as we went along, I bought every piece of 2x4 and Plywood. Last time I brought out as many sheets of OSB as I could fit in my mom-van. I'm super frugal. I don't buy shoes or go to hair salons. Every spare dollar went to lumber or shingles or windows from the Re-store. </p><p>As for Paul the Carpenter. ***This man***. He built this on his own and without scaffolding. The ladder doesn't even reach the roof's edge. He carried everything up by himself, often through the loft. All the beams, all the joists, all the sheets of wood.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqAuk6pqZKC3T9O1o1vtxYAVr3-rWNEZSUjqVLYcH3Dmyc1cZmnxCy7zS-x5SBn7nGJ4NxVCSjX6YJFNTpEwwBdGlmMYzPRGRXRh6k1mKXDceQ4fz8AT6MRVty_c2_Cd3ERPnzGx9yM3E3kW5zMGjEGMjWltlLfaLmpes6PtNynmWoNp7qlT8KF77-fdA/s4147/Hill%20&%20Hearth%20Studio%20July%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4147" data-original-width="3439" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqAuk6pqZKC3T9O1o1vtxYAVr3-rWNEZSUjqVLYcH3Dmyc1cZmnxCy7zS-x5SBn7nGJ4NxVCSjX6YJFNTpEwwBdGlmMYzPRGRXRh6k1mKXDceQ4fz8AT6MRVty_c2_Cd3ERPnzGx9yM3E3kW5zMGjEGMjWltlLfaLmpes6PtNynmWoNp7qlT8KF77-fdA/w530-h640/Hill%20&%20Hearth%20Studio%20July%202023.jpg" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Corner. 13ft Studio walls, double doors, windows, Elms</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I love that my cabin corners point to the 4 directions, and that the center will be stationed the hearth. I took this picture above on the last morning I slept there. I can't wait to go back. Paul stayed a few more days and now the roof is done. He just sent me a photo on my phone. Nearly all the shingles are on. All of the sheathing I purchased is on the exterior! How exciting. </p><p>I'll post my Fieldwork photos in the next post.</p><p>xo</p><p>~Monika K.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-43883488659515962342023-07-03T20:58:00.001-05:002023-07-03T20:58:42.217-05:00Visiting and Revisiting<p>Here's a fun story.</p><p>I have never forgotten this root sample I stood in front of at the University of Saskatchewan when I went back to school in the early 90's. I thought I would try to see it again in person because I knew it would be key to my research. Sadly, I couldn't locate it. I remembered it being near the elevators in the Agriculture building on campus. I distinctly remember staring at it while I waiting for the elevator on a regular basis.</p><p>At the Artists' Workshop Spring Show and Sale where I sell my work, one of the guests overheard my lament and said, "Oh! That's still there." He told me exactly where to find it. Apparently, I was looking in the right place but on the wrong floor. I was SO relieved, I could hardly wait to get back in person. (Thank you Alvin!)</p><p>That week, my teenager and I toured around the Ag building. The amount of soil samples, plant samples, and artwork was incredible. And then, (gasp!) THERE IT WAS.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7D7UDUGFKWcOq8F_CMvzWptIgvBshNlh0KO0ZTri4Q2SFtPKx94fk0Gzp3hx9dwDHriJkxSar4dmNRK1rP1A63Uc5PbsSYg1z4qohemag-7aFsnJy6uA2Q-mekbsFi36g3XBSWcVHekI8pZImAoo2HG6ktX8-szRvJDXo7b6bvGinB3DSO4dK9ggAzJ/s4624/20230513_182912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7D7UDUGFKWcOq8F_CMvzWptIgvBshNlh0KO0ZTri4Q2SFtPKx94fk0Gzp3hx9dwDHriJkxSar4dmNRK1rP1A63Uc5PbsSYg1z4qohemag-7aFsnJy6uA2Q-mekbsFi36g3XBSWcVHekI8pZImAoo2HG6ktX8-szRvJDXo7b6bvGinB3DSO4dK9ggAzJ/w360-h640/20230513_182912.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are inches, not centimetres.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>"Root system of a single two year old plant of Crested Wheat Grass grown in an area 3ft x 3ft - 1936 Weed Research Laboratory University of Saskatchewan" and the measurements down the side are in inches. Wow. I did not realize this was a sample from 1936.</p><p>I had tears in my eyes and my hear was fluttering! Thirty years ago, this mezmorised me. I was there to become a Social Worker, worked in the human services field of helping victims of gender based violence, became a mother of three, and now here I am. Full circle, and yet still spellbound no less. My role now is to make art to speak for Her. This is wild. How did this happen? </p><p>It doesn't matter. This is path I'm on. Keep going...</p><p>I walked down several hallways, enjoying samples and displays on the wall. One caught my eye. It appeared to be a watercolor abstract, with strips of vertical browns and earth tones of varying widths. The artist's name was "Dr. Ken Van Rees" and it said it was a watercolour of actual soil samples.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDrS7KVabOFqCIEexHR4-aDQ4iOKs3W3af3RGcZkdIr-jUONFVVgdtcpT5107srD8jSQ3M7Pc9OwYNNGIgbzq82Xk1AerGy28EADBG9fqU1yWhKuREYyDD45qnDGTwH0lzh1WN-Fo5PJW7IXvvv8CfRZkO7O_z8LmRXvzQHZ1LDunBjY7RRneMhOZMHxI/s3904/DSCN1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3112" data-original-width="3904" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDrS7KVabOFqCIEexHR4-aDQ4iOKs3W3af3RGcZkdIr-jUONFVVgdtcpT5107srD8jSQ3M7Pc9OwYNNGIgbzq82Xk1AerGy28EADBG9fqU1yWhKuREYyDD45qnDGTwH0lzh1WN-Fo5PJW7IXvvv8CfRZkO7O_z8LmRXvzQHZ1LDunBjY7RRneMhOZMHxI/w400-h319/DSCN1265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Dr. Ken Van Rees</td></tr></tbody></table><p>WAIT A MINUTE. I just met this guy at my opening reception for my solo show at Hues, "Road Well Travelled". He's a painter named Ken with Men Who Paint. !? Dr?? So I went home and googled him, only to find that he's a Soil Scientist, retired after 30 yrs, who became a painter more recently. I watched a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ken+van+rees+university+saskatchewan+youtube&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjuopvS9PP_AhUTjYkEHXvfBgwQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1280&bih=609&dpr=1.5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b9683f99,vid:G9PKYacLEEs" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">brief video (please enjoy!)</span></a> and thought it was so amazing that he was a scientist learning about art. Here I am, an artist learning about science. I said out loud to myself, "I HAVE TO MEET THIS GUY!"</p><p>So I did. I contacted him. He remembered me. He invited me over to his home studio. He showed me nature art, paintings, powdered soil & other samples ready for pigment use, AND the original black and white video footage of the Crested Wheat Grass and other samples being excavated at the University here, washed & displayed from nearly 100 years ago. He showed this film regularly as part of his lectures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKYPgJtw-hI0DatCO_u_yHifjprIczEPbtHKLO1moe6hAOicXzSpvbh3OtPLH2OPQrdaj8DE3Z8tcK5PwjcAztCy3fu6YU3J_3saN2oRmY_jFDA3XVGQQUpvlw1f7VKWqhRhZxeTFSxhf7sX-ZkEIkyuUBXZqaf3TsPxSBAmwa8Kv2lCOHaJAiH23Zjke/s4624/20230622_112625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKYPgJtw-hI0DatCO_u_yHifjprIczEPbtHKLO1moe6hAOicXzSpvbh3OtPLH2OPQrdaj8DE3Z8tcK5PwjcAztCy3fu6YU3J_3saN2oRmY_jFDA3XVGQQUpvlw1f7VKWqhRhZxeTFSxhf7sX-ZkEIkyuUBXZqaf3TsPxSBAmwa8Kv2lCOHaJAiH23Zjke/w300-h400/20230622_112625.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>What an amazing connection. He gave me some names to go forward with more of my research. (Thank you Ken!) I've since found wonderful and complete information in online archives.</p><p>Still, I laugh, "How did this happen?" It doesn't matter. Keep going...</p><p>I can't say it enough. I am thoroughly grateful to Canada Council for the Arts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnYCzekjzvZm2_slfzzj03dIeMxmy7ruzfV3BeHPXRKQPcZwgNdNiTNHiHLZCJ8zXkfO3MqrYhmu-X4VH-xgpgfyEh9La--LMvQhtI2MA6CdRdXhOtRE59YK9JHuFjI1A3dU3OBHvIn9Z7I4doHD695iS75lIzL4A2bKFzjsva87vx5Ipt4GE0HJNdJT-/s604/CCA_RGB_colour_e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="604" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnYCzekjzvZm2_slfzzj03dIeMxmy7ruzfV3BeHPXRKQPcZwgNdNiTNHiHLZCJ8zXkfO3MqrYhmu-X4VH-xgpgfyEh9La--LMvQhtI2MA6CdRdXhOtRE59YK9JHuFjI1A3dU3OBHvIn9Z7I4doHD695iS75lIzL4A2bKFzjsva87vx5Ipt4GE0HJNdJT-/w400-h95/CCA_RGB_colour_e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>xo</p><p>Monika K</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-51074473028934613692023-06-29T23:27:00.000-05:002023-06-29T23:27:56.570-05:00Parallels<p>At the beginning of this project, I posed a question. Actually, it was a two-part question. "What do the flowers (plants) do for us, and what do we do for them?" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTTwByDfMWUNjp_97t5JHN_4tRukOK1erC_h3Oasp388a_06JkP5_Thl0ShIxyas-n69oQLGtzAMsjKUHPjCX1ZNfW3jgbXv32zv2VerT75Va7oW_VgBXOd0vQ7eALrNifzKYJt33gB8vPCXkcr7r--r9p5Oi7eHo9rpnUvLnNUHSkE48wML_0enxAz6c/s3472/20230628_210710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTTwByDfMWUNjp_97t5JHN_4tRukOK1erC_h3Oasp388a_06JkP5_Thl0ShIxyas-n69oQLGtzAMsjKUHPjCX1ZNfW3jgbXv32zv2VerT75Va7oW_VgBXOd0vQ7eALrNifzKYJt33gB8vPCXkcr7r--r9p5Oi7eHo9rpnUvLnNUHSkE48wML_0enxAz6c/w400-h400/20230628_210710.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>It seemed like a simple little thing to ask at the time. I think, through a series of unfortunate events (I am not even kidding with this one here) I have found a very simple answer.</p><p>Before I share my answer, I want to share a bit of my journey.</p><p>I am a woman. I am a creator. I am a mother. Through my life transitions, and especially in trying to make sense of some really hard losses in the last 5 years, I have been able to see parallels between mother humans and mother earth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_IsQ7I25jlfrH1lrBe9-38UlwIcmbNpGFtpp7OUN2lOfIlX4p6RFDkEMqKLMqFZL7HMLPPGxxBN767JkOsppnhq41QKiE8sTjFho-pe0KXRFuU1wkkcZfcy_7Gnl1lqnwr8EtF2VTdDVQQaweBIzJlmSUd9jJi9ZmZn14HtU3sH-uj6bVqla9F7u4kNp/s3472/20230628_210801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_IsQ7I25jlfrH1lrBe9-38UlwIcmbNpGFtpp7OUN2lOfIlX4p6RFDkEMqKLMqFZL7HMLPPGxxBN767JkOsppnhq41QKiE8sTjFho-pe0KXRFuU1wkkcZfcy_7Gnl1lqnwr8EtF2VTdDVQQaweBIzJlmSUd9jJi9ZmZn14HtU3sH-uj6bVqla9F7u4kNp/w400-h400/20230628_210801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I'm not going to lie. Empty nest is a strange place to be. I suddenly found myself without a mother (she passed in 2020), without children in the home (they are adults now), and when my life partner left, a twenty year long relationship built with a large extended family ended as well. I have no sisters.</p><p>After twenty five years of giving, serving, considering other's wellbeing 24/7, I'm left wondering, "who takes care of me?" There's no one. I don't even know what I like to eat for me. I've never truly fed myself. that's a new venture. I've eaten on the side, or put together what's left after everyone else is nourished. I've never shopped in a grocery store with only me in mind, ever. I think of the years of asking for help with household chores and getting, "why should I?" or, "maybe, when I feel like it." I've had every member of my immediate household inside of my body. Three were sliced out of my body so that they could live. They fed off of me for years. In retrospect, I have no regrets. I would change nothing. I might not have enjoyed marriage, but I absolutely enjoyed mothering.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f_qqyd4xNCAxQWGc6Rgq9EGH_mEbtMMS4rGr-X2bTu9rFbl7wmKrhzE0tGXIgNPrFmxRDwqylIGF-4Epyi-JJJIJsrNMP2FmJnVt6pmlR-rFdJYgYSM8_q_CaEml7wMAxSo8x0SRyhLi6Uo9ijM1QsQB9r3rxbC7BM2NP4qwsJ9VatvCMuPXmzkEp1rb/s4624/20230620_212903%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f_qqyd4xNCAxQWGc6Rgq9EGH_mEbtMMS4rGr-X2bTu9rFbl7wmKrhzE0tGXIgNPrFmxRDwqylIGF-4Epyi-JJJIJsrNMP2FmJnVt6pmlR-rFdJYgYSM8_q_CaEml7wMAxSo8x0SRyhLi6Uo9ijM1QsQB9r3rxbC7BM2NP4qwsJ9VatvCMuPXmzkEp1rb/w360-h640/20230620_212903%20(1).jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>It's interesting though. No one asked me to do this. I didn't plan to be a mother. I just became one, and did it, 100%. And if one of my children came in to view right now, I would light up and exclaim I LOVE YOU! OH YOU MADE MY DAY! and I would ask, "is there anything I can get you!? What do you need? I'm so happy to see you!"</p><p>And then I think of how I exist on Mother Earth.</p><p>You get it, right? The parallel? Don't you think she's the same way? She nourishes us. We take. We dig. We drink. We dump. She serves. We fill up. We enjoy. Does she get tired like human Mothers?</p><p>I started a journal of parallels. One side says: Mother Earth / The Prairie / Plants & Flowers. The Opposite page says: Women / Mothers / Me. One example of a parallel I wrote was this:</p><p>Mother's Day. One day a year where you get acknowledged for an hour or two. Or maybe a 10 minute phone call.</p><p>Earth Day. One day a year where you turn off the lights for an hour or two. Or maybe a 10 minute blog post.</p><p>After a very, very painful personal couple of weeks, lots of nourishing time spent with Her (mother nature), I can tell you that for me, the answer is Love. What do the flowers give us and what do we / could we / should we give the flowers? Love. She heals us all the time. She doesn't ask for anything in return. She just wants to love us. </p><p>Let's support her. Let's take care of her.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tgcIqpJs72i24c9m8cxIsbZwVxxu8LMfuZj8LLe3rgAAZJrySFZi2E9KkpudfY05FyJt85q39oKWwi82cEkipltOKjRcdgzcEw352-uVs4OjjzimlJr7u_6UIXp9o-5yJOQCQnk2JvspO2kCZknm_MBtjTBz2YUQ9GmAw__1v2WpYECeY9wDcMwneMrg/s4624/20230629_103002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tgcIqpJs72i24c9m8cxIsbZwVxxu8LMfuZj8LLe3rgAAZJrySFZi2E9KkpudfY05FyJt85q39oKWwi82cEkipltOKjRcdgzcEw352-uVs4OjjzimlJr7u_6UIXp9o-5yJOQCQnk2JvspO2kCZknm_MBtjTBz2YUQ9GmAw__1v2WpYECeY9wDcMwneMrg/w480-h640/20230629_103002.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>*** ADDITION - as I wrote this blog post, one of the Scarlet Runners next to me slowly began reaching out. By the time I wrote about helping Mother earth to love us because it's all a mother really wants, the tendril touched my shoulder and rested there. It was the most wholesome moment ever!!</p><p>I hope you have a beautiful day.</p><p>xo Monika</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-81586338215573752502023-05-28T23:43:00.001-05:002023-05-28T23:45:15.121-05:00Fieldwork 3 & 4, How Things Change!<p>How quickly the land changes! I took more photos and notes mid May with still no rain. It was cooling down on this particular day. I knew rain was coming, so I headed out to see how things had transformed.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaJeseYUO4JrulIrc2CQspvNuCeTqiJrihJAhFr2d1aq7-9zi4CFQHu-PF0uQv8vNO9Uslu55RUQeAu4xCt7Xh30eFb1ZW6JK9bx6oET7ynKk827TRbyrLsSRWKpIdi6CIgyyC4SM4q8hUS2TmqdOuHBSf8jZrKuYX86DtmsPu9zm8e6vn8OGLtmc4Q/s5152/DSCN1286.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaJeseYUO4JrulIrc2CQspvNuCeTqiJrihJAhFr2d1aq7-9zi4CFQHu-PF0uQv8vNO9Uslu55RUQeAu4xCt7Xh30eFb1ZW6JK9bx6oET7ynKk827TRbyrLsSRWKpIdi6CIgyyC4SM4q8hUS2TmqdOuHBSf8jZrKuYX86DtmsPu9zm8e6vn8OGLtmc4Q/w400-h300/DSCN1286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crocuses / Pulsatilla post bloom</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yes, those were the fuzzy little purple flowers. They stretch right up and turn into puffs that are prettier than a wishing dandelion. Looking across this patch, I can't imagine how incredible it must have been to see it all in bloom. And then it strikes me, how rare this is. Plough it, and it's gone forever.</p><p>I spied Three Flowered Avens, just waking up. Ooooh! I've never seen these while growing up on the prairie. It's the one plant that I discovered only after moving to Saskatoon. Let me tell you, it was INSTANT adoration. If you haven't seen these before, hold tight. I'm taking more images as they change.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAMGEVnYE1bos-h2oQjS4eeQoRCeBgYsGMtxHW-v2nGpzKBPWIk_uCHGoGGO08XXjPHIyG2O9AUY523N9dbac8o5wHUgKJt3FgnskeNXvYO1OdRg6n1ERylggU5CXf1CCNH7-BstHN-iYKtTNMxpjAKHgxwVPx3XjsMOGM5IpqAgpYIVsf36gPHpIwA/s4528/DSCN1283.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="4528" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAMGEVnYE1bos-h2oQjS4eeQoRCeBgYsGMtxHW-v2nGpzKBPWIk_uCHGoGGO08XXjPHIyG2O9AUY523N9dbac8o5wHUgKJt3FgnskeNXvYO1OdRg6n1ERylggU5CXf1CCNH7-BstHN-iYKtTNMxpjAKHgxwVPx3XjsMOGM5IpqAgpYIVsf36gPHpIwA/w400-h341/DSCN1283.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Flowered Avens</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are also violets. I headed north about 2 hours for the long weekend to the area where I grew up. Look at the violets in my yard!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJX38MFKXSBw8EW9QiY11ChMiUUPjU43c2IrqqKZc9Vs2p0P3JhE3h9Wa7nsAnZFqMDfWNjS-Ct2CER8MEy0MdwveFiWPHltlSMbUHGOUaeY5f7wJHKo_Tb6Je_GZStUhLEovhLdZxVlCCG5kHrHPfACk5DQE00Oui9jmVJt3K9EoXTaGEJiIFv5tjw/s5152/DSCN1316.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJX38MFKXSBw8EW9QiY11ChMiUUPjU43c2IrqqKZc9Vs2p0P3JhE3h9Wa7nsAnZFqMDfWNjS-Ct2CER8MEy0MdwveFiWPHltlSMbUHGOUaeY5f7wJHKo_Tb6Je_GZStUhLEovhLdZxVlCCG5kHrHPfACk5DQE00Oui9jmVJt3K9EoXTaGEJiIFv5tjw/w400-h300/DSCN1316.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The landscape is a little different here. It's right beside a lake. It's rocky and wooded a little more. The Saskatoon bushes are done blooming and the chokecherries are about to start. On the cliff down to the water, I saw a flower I had never seen before. This was taken on my friend's camera.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bEpBljLQ9LtkdADQNPTRC6JfDppIX4_LUxaWDVb0CPgvC16bUNzH3J0_bm17RAUYY1WY8JQ5jfd7-r2zIDx5MSGJTgmK4H141p8ANzGsenb4UbdhEcRs5xcgEktCqjitlY8kCABi-LzIs0WhnTGq-v5rU4cKhbrfF6wMaOX_GNZ8ZO6oq0pUvJdORw/s4920/DSCN1361.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="4920" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bEpBljLQ9LtkdADQNPTRC6JfDppIX4_LUxaWDVb0CPgvC16bUNzH3J0_bm17RAUYY1WY8JQ5jfd7-r2zIDx5MSGJTgmK4H141p8ANzGsenb4UbdhEcRs5xcgEktCqjitlY8kCABi-LzIs0WhnTGq-v5rU4cKhbrfF6wMaOX_GNZ8ZO6oq0pUvJdORw/w400-h314/DSCN1361.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THESE turn into red berries, and those I have seen</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Thanks to the help of the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, I got a quick identification online from them. Fairybells! (!?!?!?) Well... my goodness. I couldn't think of a better flower's name to find growing along the steps at the future lake studio. I googled more about it and discovered the red velvety berried this plant will produce. Ah yes! Those I recognize. This would make sense because at this time of year, we weren't racing up and down those steps to be swimming like we would be in the summer once the blooms were gone and the berries were out.</p><p>At the end of the May long weekend, it finally happened! It rained on the Prairie. It rained and it rained. Then it rained some more. Eventually, on May 27th I went out with my 17 yr old back to the first location in this post to revisit those avens. Here's what we photographed.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSF0viv-7lEGgOHSwmuDtDKxLgsjgKui3Pr8VhjbzRyHnnIE5onbnE9s3BcDD8tLMjSSFLnNEpohsPEkk6vSLxARjR7O1hSMOyY3JZxjVdTIaZu035npHvvTm_CMDa6lt5wsyFNo9ra4OsJFFChoOvm15BMlZZZlMbfitput88gIeRfuIhneTjdUXMLQ/s4624/20230527_121150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSF0viv-7lEGgOHSwmuDtDKxLgsjgKui3Pr8VhjbzRyHnnIE5onbnE9s3BcDD8tLMjSSFLnNEpohsPEkk6vSLxARjR7O1hSMOyY3JZxjVdTIaZu035npHvvTm_CMDa6lt5wsyFNo9ra4OsJFFChoOvm15BMlZZZlMbfitput88gIeRfuIhneTjdUXMLQ/w300-h400/20230527_121150.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prairie Onion blooming</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKLO2JJhwEatSlddyKgtCO9Yu836aiSgvGE6egnFh8LTTnsLojWTqVOtHIYlTxLhfWS_GdY1qABpz-0JICcnXTSx6kQt_N7KuaJ6wND6HmM2XhbSncKtIoHlKjVRwI5P9M01gl7KArqnBM6A4XByqb5ZmrVAZU_mu2r-wNItCSUwF-rhHcD1YWglk5Q/s3837/20230527_115407.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="3837" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKLO2JJhwEatSlddyKgtCO9Yu836aiSgvGE6egnFh8LTTnsLojWTqVOtHIYlTxLhfWS_GdY1qABpz-0JICcnXTSx6kQt_N7KuaJ6wND6HmM2XhbSncKtIoHlKjVRwI5P9M01gl7KArqnBM6A4XByqb5ZmrVAZU_mu2r-wNItCSUwF-rhHcD1YWglk5Q/w400-h361/20230527_115407.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Yellow Locoweed, teenager, dog.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibf_SKCbegkxEPjLqFWx27w7jevVOLTyWYgxaF4cmg10nCP4NLvYLDEMk0ujD7thRDGUvbxqkXteX5sqt6DONCyl7fUnnzTqeku57NzslAPMUTAWoCamgm-yMJ9NKrb9Zh3k44DKZ2L_obWPhguGtl4u1gP8IM2hzHm8sR5ec4bFqEqbfUjrbveHptyA/s4304/IMG_20230527_183728_957.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3182" data-original-width="4304" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibf_SKCbegkxEPjLqFWx27w7jevVOLTyWYgxaF4cmg10nCP4NLvYLDEMk0ujD7thRDGUvbxqkXteX5sqt6DONCyl7fUnnzTqeku57NzslAPMUTAWoCamgm-yMJ9NKrb9Zh3k44DKZ2L_obWPhguGtl4u1gP8IM2hzHm8sR5ec4bFqEqbfUjrbveHptyA/w640-h474/IMG_20230527_183728_957.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Flowered Avens and green prairie grasses</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>If you look close, a bunch of the tallest ones are standing straight up and have puffy hairdos like those little trolls. They make me laugh. They look like something Jim Henson created. They are tough, strong, have a fabric feel to them, and that wonderful rich colour runs through the flowers and the stems. That's my favourite part.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last photo here - these were so tiny. They were the size of my little fingernail. I have yet to ID them, but go ahead and leave your comment if you like.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0tXpHTP4j2S0W7rb9uoyD3YiSo6aF0UBgSC2kADIS4_c7_1yHGWfD-drzYk1nl7IWpmQrRO5IW6eERcuyngw1KKR_VVbJqPwZHkGOPlauIt35ff2jxFxdx7It8TUnM1c5G3Zw01SCEqIhpnxIAGWpYkaFjTOjN17k20lR3VNssj7GZauMYUTELsdHQ/s2800/DSCN1420%20edit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="2304" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0tXpHTP4j2S0W7rb9uoyD3YiSo6aF0UBgSC2kADIS4_c7_1yHGWfD-drzYk1nl7IWpmQrRO5IW6eERcuyngw1KKR_VVbJqPwZHkGOPlauIt35ff2jxFxdx7It8TUnM1c5G3Zw01SCEqIhpnxIAGWpYkaFjTOjN17k20lR3VNssj7GZauMYUTELsdHQ/w329-h400/DSCN1420%20edit.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>What a difference throughout the month of May. I'm glad I stayed on top of things and kept up with photographing. It's truly incredible how fast things changed.</div><div><br /></div><div>On our way home through the farmland, we got to see a fox bringing lunch home to her kit. I wonder where she lives?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUrDIBPdbXfXEPFuHRKdR6swIcXAueVZM_isCxyS1psghs4RVz-tNZd5O-0zuVVMs_eArnJbS4EhsF2aDBrNYXHzk21f6eVLDjSyH5H3arja3TyPNGy8nKW7B9jDKxgHZkd6L-npW0jmfj5DcS0Gn1QB0z4XHvN4MagSuWMKL8lf0ilH3z-F8LpJ6GQ/s3772/DSCN1430%20edit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2232" data-original-width="3772" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUrDIBPdbXfXEPFuHRKdR6swIcXAueVZM_isCxyS1psghs4RVz-tNZd5O-0zuVVMs_eArnJbS4EhsF2aDBrNYXHzk21f6eVLDjSyH5H3arja3TyPNGy8nKW7B9jDKxgHZkd6L-npW0jmfj5DcS0Gn1QB0z4XHvN4MagSuWMKL8lf0ilH3z-F8LpJ6GQ/w400-h236/DSCN1430%20edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>There's some of my photo expeditions. We have more days of rain coming. I rounded up some art supplies and will be playing around with some new ideas in the next while as I watch my garden grow.</div><div><br /></div><div>All the best!</div><div>Monika</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-76036741127182204792023-05-15T00:45:00.005-05:002023-05-15T09:01:59.137-05:00Fieldwork 2: Emotional Breakthrough.<p>Last week, I headed out for pictures. I was prepared with good quality tick repellant (it's bad out there), water, snacks, and two fully charged cameras. My youngest was in school. The dog was fed. (I was heading to conservation areas that don't allow off leash dogs.) It was early enough for me to beat the heat.</p><p>We've still had no rain and for early May, it has been HOT. I wondered if there would be much to see. I contemplated a place I KNEW had blooms, but at the last minute, I headed the opposite way and drove to Cranberry Flats. As I headed out of the parking lot and down one of the walking paths, I was second guessing myself pretty quickly. It was SO dry. The negative self talk started...</p><p>Come on Monika. What am I doing here? I knew better. There's nothing to see here. Nothing is blooming. I can't believe I did this. (Bad enough that I had negative self talk, but WORSE that I would fall for that, 'nothing to see here' crap.)</p><p>I spied some faded crocuses. I knew they were going to be there. I knew they'd be at the end of their blooming phase. They had hardly any colour left. Where was everything else? We need rain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSNMrgcr1HNA7WkFA1u34OWd3JEJDwvCeuA8-LXPkxeepj3msot1vEUvzl3y753tNMsbiRfBYc8g41yHk5WHO9DxqDzsJdjj2D4mvIQeHUV_inqMl6mw8-D7wIP1dk0c7KX_GLRlUzBeWvum3j0PXwrljTq7r7Lz9-2S1Vc3vxoPIaMWlDODfUmBhOw/s5152/DSCN1231.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSNMrgcr1HNA7WkFA1u34OWd3JEJDwvCeuA8-LXPkxeepj3msot1vEUvzl3y753tNMsbiRfBYc8g41yHk5WHO9DxqDzsJdjj2D4mvIQeHUV_inqMl6mw8-D7wIP1dk0c7KX_GLRlUzBeWvum3j0PXwrljTq7r7Lz9-2S1Vc3vxoPIaMWlDODfUmBhOw/w400-h300/DSCN1231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I took some pictures of last year's sage, last year's roses, last year's juniper... What about this year?</p><p>Rolling my eyes at myself, I decided to walk back to the parking lot and head to another location on the other side of the city. Just then, I saw them. It must have been the direction the light was hitting the land, but all of a sudden I noticed a sprinkling of white. And JUST LIKE THAT more and more appeared, as if a veil had lifted and it was suddenly being revealed to me. AH IT WAS MAGNIFICENT! Moss phlox was all over this little hill top! It was just so tiny that I must have missed it the first time I passed it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVozybZOXhurJ8ixuC53EJ7cnF5oMzB8ODEuo6LL7oOhxu4AI5tWvQF10K-yMcLO2eu3fgWclXIVxRTmyShCA14qS4ssLFFtypytM8GdxBR2CMjfG5TFCi_KnpoN3oUGLcd3Vvwc09sjKJAtqNV8XEfR1G8BU2kp2r-FteulZfa5hl6Q11iKNRIj8oA/s4624/20230511_140042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVozybZOXhurJ8ixuC53EJ7cnF5oMzB8ODEuo6LL7oOhxu4AI5tWvQF10K-yMcLO2eu3fgWclXIVxRTmyShCA14qS4ssLFFtypytM8GdxBR2CMjfG5TFCi_KnpoN3oUGLcd3Vvwc09sjKJAtqNV8XEfR1G8BU2kp2r-FteulZfa5hl6Q11iKNRIj8oA/w400-h300/20230511_140042.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I mean, OF COURSE the prairie was alive. I just wasn't looking close enough.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8qyfVfEX3SdvzR18SYa1AYicJbDW_is9zfg06a1uY-j_xRdc1BYXEh5a0Hwph5RUJEjVvE7lzRbkjUDKQL3WcaAQu4WiuyWOttFsEezGvS_-4VJ17BHJs4RqpJvJOfbiwBUeCm6HGMc0UEi-3NxssenOrgs3Obz3qhd-BnGHA8BhCfsAsjsjCfY92A/s5152/DSCN1198.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8qyfVfEX3SdvzR18SYa1AYicJbDW_is9zfg06a1uY-j_xRdc1BYXEh5a0Hwph5RUJEjVvE7lzRbkjUDKQL3WcaAQu4WiuyWOttFsEezGvS_-4VJ17BHJs4RqpJvJOfbiwBUeCm6HGMc0UEi-3NxssenOrgs3Obz3qhd-BnGHA8BhCfsAsjsjCfY92A/w480-h640/DSCN1198.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss Phlox (white), Threaded Sedge (yellow)</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>As I knelt down to take pictures, I noticed other plants.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnRGxKSbCEEhGAtfXLMWGpxs1xcVxsx6zP6gepjeYrrOcR9n-z9jPFenCmWv1Z3sCmH550_7CJ6bvwPL2vhYw-Tu9FkUFSX05K3kXbBHxNsEYvEmyTvKrcLWuYK2qcp7I-XTnwHPrQT7kFH9D9KilMkFqn3Pb1vTmzBGqQ8lBRmTpiF5Bfpbfvyczxw/s3459/20230513_221248.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3459" data-original-width="3264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnRGxKSbCEEhGAtfXLMWGpxs1xcVxsx6zP6gepjeYrrOcR9n-z9jPFenCmWv1Z3sCmH550_7CJ6bvwPL2vhYw-Tu9FkUFSX05K3kXbBHxNsEYvEmyTvKrcLWuYK2qcp7I-XTnwHPrQT7kFH9D9KilMkFqn3Pb1vTmzBGqQ8lBRmTpiF5Bfpbfvyczxw/w378-h400/20230513_221248.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><p>And more,</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eUXIZPnPTf8qRRsnsJIPrCnHVMr_KvM30wkLAkVFLAh7dUfQYFzjzSrTvAEe7lCfJExjUnsLaPgbEDIGVIzyUizGxE7R7T1yZ33Bj0U-Zag8U30wNyhh21k9afiXRCUkBEmydULwq-eazf9XkRA4tUhv1arDV7ca8RoG8GdLc6NijeWtjQhj7wr9kg/s4624/20230511_110109.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eUXIZPnPTf8qRRsnsJIPrCnHVMr_KvM30wkLAkVFLAh7dUfQYFzjzSrTvAEe7lCfJExjUnsLaPgbEDIGVIzyUizGxE7R7T1yZ33Bj0U-Zag8U30wNyhh21k9afiXRCUkBEmydULwq-eazf9XkRA4tUhv1arDV7ca8RoG8GdLc6NijeWtjQhj7wr9kg/w300-h400/20230511_110109.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>And more still.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6sWLQM7R6PRrwjkeRSwtyr98vAG35l5hGaLEdeaO8i9uwA9voBeiRCAKErPUVLJJFinK6T1pUualfXxwrSTAzejgyYflkne1KbGtWBvORPVb3o0hWHaqyqvzbDlLywn60prt_47JPW1ha15ECLbNF54fgPK6aacB0cbrtOh_rfuVSzi5LnPnWyTNhg/s4624/20230511_105726.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6sWLQM7R6PRrwjkeRSwtyr98vAG35l5hGaLEdeaO8i9uwA9voBeiRCAKErPUVLJJFinK6T1pUualfXxwrSTAzejgyYflkne1KbGtWBvORPVb3o0hWHaqyqvzbDlLywn60prt_47JPW1ha15ECLbNF54fgPK6aacB0cbrtOh_rfuVSzi5LnPnWyTNhg/w480-h640/20230511_105726.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Eventually I stood up. I felt like a Giant, surveying a microscopic-scale ancient forest. I can't explain it better than that. And I began to cry.</p><p>I cried for how beautiful this all is. I cried for how potentially powerful we are. I cried for how truly ignorant we are. I cried for how much gratitude I have for this opportunity.</p><p>I'll let you in on this: It's becoming clearer how I would like to translate this information and beauty into a body of artwork. I have not yet began artworks. Back at home I'm reading and writing and organizing and learning. I'm enjoying contemplating science/ecosystems with art/storytelling. It's all so amazing!</p><p>Thank you again to the Canada Council for bringing the Arts to Life!</p><p>: ) Monika Kinner</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-90928852803350488072023-05-06T19:50:00.003-05:002023-05-07T09:31:23.083-05:00IMMERSION<p>Yesterday was my birthday, the Full Flower Moon, and the date I chose as the start date for IMMERSION. IMMERSION is the name I gave to a Research and Creation project I pitched to the Canada Council for the Arts last fall. One week before International Women's Day this year, I got the email. I didn't believe it. I made my youngest teenager read it. "Mom. You got the grant!" I don't remember inhaling. I do remember exhaling. It was the end of a long day. I walked over to my bed, flopped down and sobbed. Not gonna lie. The rest of the week, I 'happy danced'. I am excited. This is a goal that's long been wished for. I have since collected my thoughts and organized my plans. It's time to get to work.</p><p>So, what is going to happen?</p><p>First, Research. I'm documenting everything I see and learn and ponder over the course of the growing season. I've started a big dated diary-style scrapbook of notes, sketches and conversations to keep record. I'm also photographing a lot throughout the Meewasin Valley (my go-to for my art) and being very disciplined at keeping those images organized. </p><p>I'm also taking you with me. I'm going to blog at least weekly to share what I learn and what I love.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pn0J1G-VyYj910HgIAifkHjLjODNvZ0C3UG3ULLM4g4MvdygXM_HKrmWwC-XmwmnR-RRZ5kRzYNQcgsVCIQ7H-4cDGhT_EGnd2pxh2Xqk0xFmoJ7PrAYYGI8kbsxJqjHIDBkMpNtQQqwDX02RQYnBZDd5MW1iVFwJ--1tGXTbz_BhewP5GZqHaWhcA/s5152/DSCN1151.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="There will be roses." border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pn0J1G-VyYj910HgIAifkHjLjODNvZ0C3UG3ULLM4g4MvdygXM_HKrmWwC-XmwmnR-RRZ5kRzYNQcgsVCIQ7H-4cDGhT_EGnd2pxh2Xqk0xFmoJ7PrAYYGI8kbsxJqjHIDBkMpNtQQqwDX02RQYnBZDd5MW1iVFwJ--1tGXTbz_BhewP5GZqHaWhcA/w300-h400/DSCN1151.JPG" title="There will be roses." width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There will be roses.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On managing time: I'm keeping my hours at the Modern Art Museum to a minimum (but never giving it up because I love it SO much) in order to focus on this work. After all, it is called IMMERSION for a reason. Over 6 months, you could live off this if you are frugal. Over 10 months, this funding can cover rent and supplies, so keeping part time work is necessary if you want to eat and pay utilities. That might have been different a decade ago when it was possible to cover a year without any other employment. The grant stipulations are to reduce employment and other activities as much as possible in order to focus on the project. Fortunately, I love my job and its flexibility, so this works perfectly. I've budgeted for art supplies and research materials as well. This will go May 2023 to March 2024.</p><p>What's this all about? Well, I explain to people that after nearly 15 years of artmaking based on the wide open prairie, I'm sharpening my focus. My textile art is generally horizontal, packing great amounts of spacious land into a small space. Based on many photo collecting trips throughout the Meewasin Valley, I am continually distracted by the little things: flora, colours, shapes, and all that grows underfoot. At it turns out, the big, empty prairie is in fact NOT empty. People drive through or fly over this open space often joking that there's nothing to look at. Wrong. You have to slow down, spend time, immerse yourself.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxUkD0nUEVnRtatfY6w6n4DNti3OH7ADEhkPuc1AF2U2fTjmW11V71wmnvx4WHt5EcQT5itaKnLaaMsdISTEhdwEWGRiB-xG6GjdiJ0kRj9f2o_cIxCbyyEzsUxFD-LV3Q7tSguXkXaPbGleV3n7lzzZq8rSvEgeMcfSfIWCWNE_jt9cGSEIfKz6l-w/s5152/DSCN1117.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxUkD0nUEVnRtatfY6w6n4DNti3OH7ADEhkPuc1AF2U2fTjmW11V71wmnvx4WHt5EcQT5itaKnLaaMsdISTEhdwEWGRiB-xG6GjdiJ0kRj9f2o_cIxCbyyEzsUxFD-LV3Q7tSguXkXaPbGleV3n7lzzZq8rSvEgeMcfSfIWCWNE_jt9cGSEIfKz6l-w/w400-h300/DSCN1117.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter is gone.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After this summer's research / collection phase, I'll spend fall, winter and spring bringing this prairie 'nothing' to larger than life art in the form of gorgeous (hopefully show stopping) work, possible in vertical format. To do a great job at this, I need time away from entrepreneur life to really concentrate on it and make it happen; make it SHINE. </p><p>I have personal studies of herbs, plants and natural healing dating back to the 90's. Because my knowledge is based on Pagan / European folklore, I have so much to learn here. I acknowledge that I am living and working on Treaty 6 Land and the Homeland of the Metis. As the daughter of an immigrant, in the spirit of Reconciliation, I will seek permission and guidance from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers as required and provide compensation and proper thanks. I otherwise won't be sharing or teaching local Indigenous culture within my work as I don't feel it's mine to share.</p><p>As a visual artist, I come at it purely with OOH! Look! PRETTY! and not a lot much more intention than to share the joy I feel. When it comes to why this landscape is important, (beyond beauty, migration, and bees) I know not much.</p><p>My formal educational background is in Human Justice and Social Work. To move into Science and Ecology is something entirely new. The first thing I did was buy books. I'm learning about our precious Grasslands and reading the deeply insightful literature by Trevor Herriot, starting with Islands of Grass. He was kind enough, along with the Saskatoon Native Plant Society, to write a letter of support for this project. </p><p>One of the most incredible things I've uncovered is the <i>value</i> of the Grasslands on a global scale. How did I not know this?? I was not looking for this information. It found me. While running errands, this interview was playing on the radio in my van, and I had to stay and listen to the end. I'm going to link the article here if you are interested. (Spoiler alert: we are an important ecosystem.) It really nails down that, "we are here! we are here!" scene from the Lorax. Since the Prairie cannot speak for itself, it's important that people do. </p><p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-grasslands-protection-1.6788647" style="background-color: #ffd966;">Grasslands Store Tons of Carbon</a> (Reference to Saskatoon Swale)</p><p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/canadas-beautiful-prairie-grasslands-are-among-the-most-endangered-ecosyste" style="background-color: #9fc5e8;" target="">Article by Trevor Herriot</a> (Reference to Saskatchewan / Long grass Prairies)</p><p>and another here</p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124816014/grasslands-the-unsung-carbon-hero#:~:text=Grasslands%3A%20The%20Unsung%20Carbon%20Hero%20%3A%20Short%20Wave%20What's%20in%20a,land%20is%20found%20in%20grasslands." style="background-color: #93c47d;">Grassland: The Unsung Carbon Hero (13 min listen)</a> (US based shortgrass prairie)</p><p>And now I simply must work this information into my art. I have no idea how yet. It will come.</p><p>I was simply captivated by the beauty of my homeland. I honestly had no idea how scientifically <i>important</i> this place is. I feel so humbled to be plopped down into the middle of all this ecoactivism and essentially contracted to make a series of great big physical, beautiful works, with no doubt, another voice among many. WE ARE HERE said the plants. This feels deeply good.</p><p>For your information, I will include a link to the <a href="https://www.npss.sk.ca/info-resources/restoration-revegetation">Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan</a>. A warm thank you to Chet Neufeld for all his generous information & support.</p><p>Earth has given us so much. It's humbling for me to be able to give something back in a way I feel skilled at.</p><p>Monika</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-16431592462651545752023-05-01T12:18:00.003-05:002023-05-01T12:42:06.834-05:00PROLOGUE<p>This is why my art is important to me, and why I am driven to elevate the beauty of this place.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaPM9hhIqlZiu7f9ErECbm6CxwZL58qep4tMKgx9O8Zuz5R-X9iCp4gPREGAlRX8k6qYmKjJ1H6uf85EL7YeXcfJMxxjEZiKTQ3rhTEaLgOyrXL4X4OcbYD5abEelplhvYYoRdWu4nS78HLro_XwlawJTnputKgE_wAK30BIV3svTzloqhU6yf2-cwA/s1068/20230501_110851.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1068" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaPM9hhIqlZiu7f9ErECbm6CxwZL58qep4tMKgx9O8Zuz5R-X9iCp4gPREGAlRX8k6qYmKjJ1H6uf85EL7YeXcfJMxxjEZiKTQ3rhTEaLgOyrXL4X4OcbYD5abEelplhvYYoRdWu4nS78HLro_XwlawJTnputKgE_wAK30BIV3svTzloqhU6yf2-cwA/w400-h270/20230501_110851.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waking up at Cranberry Flats</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I was born and raised in Saskatchewan by a landscape artist. That's a solid start! Mom spent her life barefoot on the land, between the acrage and lake, always with her pastels and paper. Through the 70's, 80's, 90's, mom was successful with her own business, always had her own vehicle, and her own way of doing things. I remember dad complaining one summer that he <i>didn't approve of her hanging out with those hippies so much</i>. Mom was a free spirit. Mom was a creative soul. If we needed something, she'd find it, make it, barter for it. I learned everything I know from her. In fact, I was born on her birthday. We enjoyed reading horoscopes together through my young adult life.</p><p>As her child, I was born in North Battleford, then moved out to Baljennie, spent my formative years on an acreage in Hamlin. After she left her husband, we lived in a cabin at the Provincial Park where I went to school in Vawn, and then back to North Battleford through my teen years.</p><p>As a treat, we would make the trip to Saskatoon now and then. Sometimes we did this in her baby blue Valiant. Later, the trips happened in her purple 'Heavy Chevy' truck. That was fun because she got a cab on the back and put a red braided oval rug in there, so we could hang out and read books, play, colour. Just us kids and mom. We never had air conditioning and I remember it would be swealtering and loud with the windows down. I'd count bird houses along the ditches to stay awake. Watching the wires in the air dip and crest on the post tops along the way was too relaxing.</p><p>In Saskatoon, we would do the same thing each time: stop at Army & Navy Department Store, ride the elevator and then eat in the 2nd floor Ship cafeteria. This was fantastic when we were little. We would go to the Mendel Art Gallery, and then cross the river into Nutana to visit Great Uncle Fritz. He was my mom's mother's brother, and also an artist. He kept 2 pet turtles in his bath tub, and would bring them out on the lawn for us to see. Sometimes mom would make her uncle sketch me. He was a good portrait artist and often worked in oil.</p><p>I was surrounded with a lot of nature growing up, and a lot of art. Our neighbor at the lake and mom's closest friend was Anne, a gallery owner in North Battleford. She came to our house every day to get her hair done before she went to work. Mom was a hair stylist working out of the house when she could (we were homeless at times or lived at a cabin without water so she would rent a chair at a commercial salon). Mom would sculpt flowers or butterflies into her bleached, roller-set hair. It was a work of art. Anne loved it. Anne was magical, always wore shiny, draped clothing and teeny, tiny, sparkly high heels with high, arched drawn on eyebrows. She would read tea leaves for people, but never mine because I was still to young. That's what she told me.</p><p>Allen was friends with mom too. He used to come over for coffee now and then. He has since passed away, and is well known as a Canadian Indigenous painter. My mom was so chatty and he was so quiet. He was the tall man with the big car and the big hat. "Here comes Allen." We would see his car first. It was very long. And he was very tall. I think, with his hat, he would duck to enter in through the doorway. That's mostly what I remember. We always noticed him because the salon was rarely visited by men. Allen would bring Margaret to get her hair done but always stay and talk about art. </p><p>Our home was a very social place with people coming and going all the time, but the lake was entirely different. The cabin was her private space. This was her down time where she would create and just be and find herself and connect with the elements and O MY GOSH, I GET IT. I get it. As an artist, I NEED to be alone. I need to hear my thoughts and feel my feelings and no one else's. Mom never wanted anyone out there, and not everyone understood why. When I'm there, it's me and the earth, me and the wind, me and the water, me and the fire of the sun on my skin. It's so important.</p><p>Fast Forward: I'm an adult. </p><p>I moved away from the Prairie to pursue a career (Social Work, Advocacy for Trauma Survivors). I was so homesick. You know how they say you never know what you had until it's gone? Oh my. I lost my sunsets. I lost my 4 seasons. I lost my spring thunderstorms. I cried a lot. I needed my prairie back for my health. It was that overwhelming. I had not realized how misplanted I was.</p><p>After becoming a mother to 3 children, the stars aligned and I was moving back! I was so happy. I told all my friends I was going back home! They matched my excitement and asked, "where's home!?" "Saskatchewan!" I replied while hopping up and down, flapping my hands like little wings, ready to take off.</p><p>The responses ranged from surprise to confusion and disbelief, to outright laughter and then shaming. "WHY would you ever want to go there???" or "The most BORING place on Earth," to, "I'm so sorry for you. My sincere condolences." </p><p>When I speak to groups about my art, I describe this moment as the same feeling as being told, "wow, your baby is SO UGLY!" It really hurt. I was not prepared to hear those reactions, especially in my state of ecstatic flutter. I was SO unhappy in that place for ten years, it was unbelievable. Moving back was like getting my spirit back. And so, it became my mission to prove that <i>my baby is not ugly</i>. Quite literally, my art began out of spite. I'm a Taurus, like my mom. I couldn't help it. "How dare you. I'll prove you are wrong." Off I went, photographing and stitching once settled back in Saskatoon. This morphed into my new fulltime career while home raising children.</p><p>Honestly, I sat down and wept tears of joy and<i> inner peace </i>the first time I saw a comment under one of my blog posts which read, "I had no idea the prairies were so beautiful! Next time I drive through, I'll have to stop to take a look." I did. I cried. I wept. Someone sees what I see. The Prairie is loveable. The part of me that stomped, "you take that back!" was vindicated.</p><p>And today, after almost 15 years of my life as a mother, a woman and an artist, I understand this deeper now. Shaming a landform for not being enough? WHY would we do that? How similar is that to body shaming? And what of comparing the flowers to each other. Is a tropical Bird of Paradise more significant to this planet than a Hawkweed growing on the side of a slough by a dirt road in 'the middle of nowhere'? That's like comparing a woman's value in one country to a woman's value in another country. Let's not. Let's not do that.</p><p>My point to prove has clarified into, "How can you insult living things that have done nothing to hurt you?" I live that. I live that with people, and now I see that connection to plants. Plants serve us with their very existence. I hope my art helps you to see them, and then also honour them. Regardless of where they come from. Regardless of age. Regardless of form. (ie: the charlie brown christmas tree)</p><p>Maybe we'll learn a valuable lesson with people too, like my work with art... slow down and look. Slow down and listen. Take some time. Pay attention. Don't assume. So many times I start stitching from a source photo and discover more in there than I noticed the first time. It's the same way when you spend time finding out about people. There's so much beneath the surface.</p><p>I'm so grateful for my connection and acceptance of plants because it's like osmosis for connecting and accepting my own physical form. I would never shame a plant. I have a long hard history of shaming my own body. (READ THAT AGAIN. Same for you?) This is changing quite easily now. I thank the prairie and my art practice for this.</p><p>I'll wrap this up here. I need to find some lunch now, and the last dribble of my coffee is cold. If you read this far, thank you. This isn't what I planned to write. Oh well. (I was going to tell you all about my Canada Council for the Arts Research portion of the grant that will be starting on May 5th / My birthday, Mom's birthday too, and also Red Dress Day xo). </p><p>I'll save it for next post.</p><p>Take good care, </p><p>Monika</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-63225738234302604942023-04-09T10:50:00.006-05:002023-04-09T10:56:14.011-05:00Needing This In My Life<p>Well hello there! I've missed blogging so much. After all these years of posting over at Instagram, I find I really miss writing. I love posting beautiful images, but Instagram is becoming more of a fast paced video channel. That doesn't work for me. I am much more of a spectator over there now. When I blogged, I was a blogger, not a blog reader. So I'm popping back here to get shit done.</p><p>I still journal nearly every day. I still take a zillion pictures. Writing through my thoughts is some of the most productive work I do. However, it has really become clear that I've had some fantastic discoveries, breakthoughs, and those simple yet profound conversations that no one will ever enjoy because they sit in piles of unread books. </p><p>My babies are now becoming 17, 20, 23. When I have really great things to share, I BOUND into the youngest child's room and shoot off like fireworks! Fortunately, he loves it. His birthday is the same as mine and my mothers, and there's this uncanny bond we share with enjoying stories of personal growth and discovery. We feed off each other so well.</p><p>My point in bring this up? These damn kids can't read cursive. lol. So what the hell am I keeping all these journals for? I might as well be leaving scrolls of hieroglyphs from another universe.</p><p>Another reason I am ready to blog is because I am going on a journey and I want to document it all. Here is the place to do it! Want to join me?</p><p>I still have to figure out how to load images better. My computer is soooooooo slowwwww. Instagram with my phone is lightening fast. We shall see. That's a minor hiccup.</p><p>'Wait - Monika! WHAT JOURNEY?'</p><p>Well. After my husband of two decades left, after we lost the family home, after losing my newly built studio, after rehoming with my kids, after the pandemic with 2 years of most of my work/income cancelled, after my mother died, (yeah, well, maybe this is all why I have journaled non-stop and not publicly blogged about it) ... after feeling like I <i>keep missing the boat</i> with opportunities to establish myself further as an artist... a SHIP came in <i>with my name on it</i>! </p><p>That's exactly how I describe it. That's exactly what it feels like.</p><p>I received a Research and Creation Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. It's something I've been dreaming of for years. It's like a contract to follow you dream for a year. Dig deep. Research your topic and create your art. It's like full support from the universe for what I'm most passionate about: showcasing the beauty of this land.</p><p>I named my project IMMERSION and it begins on my birthday, May 5. I have so much more to tell you about the depth and breadth of this project. I hope you will come back to read more.</p><p>Thank you so much to the Canada Council for the Arts, and to all the people who have said along the way, "I never knew the Prairies were so beautiful! I'll have to look again next time I'm there."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuccF6oqoBZ7bJ8JyXArazHnzDX8QwOeHNhvMStgEzV4rt0Q6IRG8sfsLJaR-ns-fVNjoaZNKg7G5MfqUSMMMsvylJAWgOPhjp-kL90-3BfkldBr0jWmfBVq-9N60PU0p5bqTOQ_HK_QkYvAagyQ-b-ZHMuz84cqh2eu8Z2B4AxROgzuFVAb17DWnepg/s812/monika4%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuccF6oqoBZ7bJ8JyXArazHnzDX8QwOeHNhvMStgEzV4rt0Q6IRG8sfsLJaR-ns-fVNjoaZNKg7G5MfqUSMMMsvylJAWgOPhjp-kL90-3BfkldBr0jWmfBVq-9N60PU0p5bqTOQ_HK_QkYvAagyQ-b-ZHMuz84cqh2eu8Z2B4AxROgzuFVAb17DWnepg/s320/monika4%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Monika</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-82342097163352441982022-11-25T00:07:00.002-06:002022-11-25T00:07:30.549-06:00Putting It All TogetherI can't believe it's nearly the end of November. I've been busy with work and commissions and orders and of course, the flu and trying to take care of myself and others while being mindful of bills, rent, deadlines, and such adult responsibilities.<div><br /></div><div>Generally though, it's been one of those strange years where I feel like I've accomplished little. Yet, when I add it all up, I can hardly get over how much I've done. Life seems to be like that. It teaches me self forgiveness, patience and gratitude. While ill last month, I managed to write up some grant applications. It's akin to strategically dropping seeds before the snow sets in. I'll find out next year if any of them produce results. If I'm SUPER lucky, that's perfect. They all compliment each other like puzzle pieces. And if not, there's a seed of the idea planted in my heart now.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpS0J69ogHvurBrOvtBj8oT446LKyEjkU9j3i_9tBIiaMjWE3f6lrlrak8_dP2i9zuysmHo0XGNzHoqJQqWOpT6GlDIcnW7EnOosuL8Yh_2FAcEL6C_a-CTccNVvBro_7qNUJgBUyzpH6ycrlhGXpigrrIwi_0YB8VTYbNfdBz2WUEFFruYc0HPuXk5A/s2304/12KNewInspirationunderfoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpS0J69ogHvurBrOvtBj8oT446LKyEjkU9j3i_9tBIiaMjWE3f6lrlrak8_dP2i9zuysmHo0XGNzHoqJQqWOpT6GlDIcnW7EnOosuL8Yh_2FAcEL6C_a-CTccNVvBro_7qNUJgBUyzpH6ycrlhGXpigrrIwi_0YB8VTYbNfdBz2WUEFFruYc0HPuXk5A/w300-h400/12KNewInspirationunderfoot.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been thinking a lot about art, purpose, the personal/political, motherhood, the experience of being female on this earth, and the earth itself, plants, life, and how it all works together or doesn't work together. Usually, I'm pretty straightforward, down to earth, in-your-face, tell it like it is. However, when I listen to some women artists talk about their art and, more specifically, WHY they do their art, I find it SO invigorating.</div><div><br /></div><div>And my super explosive artist's statement is, "I stitch prairies."</div><div><br /></div><div>I mean, come on. There's got to be more to it than that. WHY do I? WHY is it so important to me? Why do I get withdrawal when I leave the prairie? Why does the local plant life completely recharge me to the point that I feel WHOLE and overflowing past the brim that art literally overflows. What is that about? What does that natural world give me? How does it work that way? And why don't we give more to the natural world in return? Ah.. there's a problem.</div><div><br /></div><div>I admit, I've never been a conscious environmentalist. But I'm really thinking and contemplating this in terms of my art, and the importance and unmoving sacredness of what informs my work. It's so full of spirit. I HAVE to show it off in fibre. I feel compelled to make you look. Is that me though? Or is that the plants using artists like me to speak, HEY! We are HERE. We are significant.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's late. I have a bit of a fever with this flu. No, I'm not high or on any cough syrup. Ha! I'm just catching you up on some insights I've had through my journaling over the past couple summers, trying to make more sense of the importance of why I do what I do, past the, "woah! how long does it take to stitch that!?" which is the only question I have ever had over the course of thirteen years as a dedicated artist.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, I have never answered that question when I am asked. I don't know how long, I don't time it. Honestly, timing has nothing to do with the art or the story behind the moment in time or the composition or the passion for the subject matter.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so, I suppose, after all these years, I started to ask myself the questions that no one else has ever asked of me about my work. I think I got the idea after listening to songwriters and other visual artists being critically reviewed or interviewed in podcasts and biographies. There were such powerful stories behind the work. </div><div><br /></div><div>I want to put more of my story into my work, somehow. I have SO many stories. Let me tell ya! I'm full of it! Some way I will work it out. This next year will be a fascinating one! I can't wait to see the new prairie creations that are germinating. It's going to be BEAUTIFUL!!</div><div><br /></div><div>thanks for listening!</div><div>~Monika</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-5311163413408979282022-10-30T11:24:00.002-05:002022-10-30T11:30:43.921-05:00Sunday Housekeeping<p>Good morning! I fully realize I said I was, 'full steam ahead! I WILL blog regularly!' And now, in a few days, it will be November. Nonetheless, here I am. I've though of you and about blogging so often, but have been absolutely loaded with deadlines and chose to put them first. Admittedly, it wasn't even a question.</p><p>This morning, however, feels right. I have nowhere to be. I'm enjoying my coffee in the sunshine and I would love to visit! So here I am.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOfVaN2x9NZZYovP3krhPhocQMMFGPEpHitsDH9V8ppBC2k0Ycj6NCYsoJrrr7dtFNYhjia6Rzab4OSphHxww_qYB2wGmvEpSTXYf7AxUn7Tt_XubTmEiw1wFQuktb5sivJexD7RoQdNgS8qxex3_GEzY7BEq7qMe87TYEiH7WA5JVPxGKuh6AsnvLQ/s1380/20181104_205108.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOfVaN2x9NZZYovP3krhPhocQMMFGPEpHitsDH9V8ppBC2k0Ycj6NCYsoJrrr7dtFNYhjia6Rzab4OSphHxww_qYB2wGmvEpSTXYf7AxUn7Tt_XubTmEiw1wFQuktb5sivJexD7RoQdNgS8qxex3_GEzY7BEq7qMe87TYEiH7WA5JVPxGKuh6AsnvLQ/s320/20181104_205108.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me 5 yrs ago. I'm grey & curly now.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">October. I survived.</p><p><i>What was I thinking!?</i> I gave myself more than one grant deadline. I decided, enough is enough. I'm not going to be afraid. I'm no longer going to sit around wishing. I'm doing this. I'm going to believe that even if I get a 'no go' on all of them, this was not a waste of time because I can always try again. The writing is done and I can chalk it up as experience. In my for jobs, I did grant writing all the time. I also had the very positive experience of working with a school this spring on a big project that involved lengthy and successful grant applications with SK Arts. So, I buckled up and took on a 'been there, done that' attitude and wrote up a request to explore a very personal and deep desire of mine. I won't hear back for a very long time, so... onward.</p><p></p><p>Onward indeed. After weeks of writing, applications, digging into the archives for images, uploading, acquiring support letters from the community, (not to mention weeks of covid in the house last month) I realized, 'HOLY SHIT. I have no money.' Artists' life: no sick leave, overtime on admin work, and you still can't pay rent. So, I set my own sale date, and I created over 20 new works (ie: more all-nighters). This includes 10 threadpaintings (a little bigger than my former 5x5's, I now do almost exclusively 5x7 in 8x10 frames), and a dozen or so minis. And then I pulled MORE all-nighters to mount and frame and photograph and list them into my webshop. Yesterday was the 'shop drop' as the fashionable Instagrammers call it.</p><p>Today ('<i>and on the 40th day She rested'</i>) here I am, taking a day off.</p><p>Well, at least a couple hours anyway.</p><p>Want to see the art!? It's all here. I sold just over half of it yesterday. (Thank you!) I am SO grateful. I rearranged the listing a bit so you don't have to fish through all the 'sold out' works. They are still there so you can view them though. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.MySweetPrairie.ca/shop"><span style="color: #e8713f;">www.MySweetPrairie.ca/shop</span></a></b></p><p>And there's a few more perks that roll in! I'm telling you October was NUTS. I was invited to teach at a national conference. It's not until 2024, so I'll tell you more on that later. I also was contacted for an interview (finished! all done!) with a textile art magazine from The Netherlands! When that arrives in my hands early next year, you bet I'll be posting it here. Oh! And... I applied and was accepted for a solo exhibition at an incredible new gallery in Winnipeg MB. I CANNOT WAIT to boast away about this one.</p><p>THAT also all happened within the month of October. I'm not even kidding you.</p><p>Hold on. One more. I had a job interview. (You are like... SERIOUSLY WOMAN!?) Yup. I'm going to be working a couple evenings a week at my favourite Modern Art Museum, overlooking the South Saskatchewan River. SCORE!! I feel like the luckiest person. Honestly. If you are in Saskatoon, admission is free/by donation for the next 20 yrs.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsPLMwr4YxGqi9i5BCNYoaBli7ekclhvaNswAdc98GXAJJPXbgXrN9CcTTXpJH_1UqPSjcKUAbC-hVCbt0K0J7dUVHihdUEmTn5lsw83sBSuYmJq0AI6Mp2Xg8tZ_zIqSBAuGDFlXJao_5gYt0577nvKZzOjWcGAjA6TCJOG1rhhClKQpU4jYmZ9_Ag/s3264/20180817_113602.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsPLMwr4YxGqi9i5BCNYoaBli7ekclhvaNswAdc98GXAJJPXbgXrN9CcTTXpJH_1UqPSjcKUAbC-hVCbt0K0J7dUVHihdUEmTn5lsw83sBSuYmJq0AI6Mp2Xg8tZ_zIqSBAuGDFlXJao_5gYt0577nvKZzOjWcGAjA6TCJOG1rhhClKQpU4jYmZ9_Ag/s320/20180817_113602.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Remai (RAY-mee) Modern</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Okay, well. I hope to talk to you sooner than later. Have a good day, and enjoy Hallowe'en!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>~Monika K.</i></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-29334162231052660402022-09-05T22:38:00.003-05:002022-09-05T22:38:57.374-05:00Floral Summer ArtI just can't get enough of the garden, the plants, and the flowers. They've been my source of happiness all summer long. I sketch some. I photograph always. I have ongoing fresh bouquets of perennials with greenery from the carrots or back alley weeds. The more I snip, the more they bloom. Every morning and every afternoon when I step out into the yard, there is something different to notice.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsCZHlKu51v575GUEpANGarLyEZPEKcilIrW0WkYU2PdY7ku5Jz0CSZrmsbSFuurpDykG7gOaX2-u6j6WGEDYmOTeNUFPoshDfBtDLHoP134bZrfkQfLGQjuDUZQ9KPmV8OYBoSR5Esj3riVUjWWlKtQHNrZrj7wErByIeP1Bj3qvL2VpLf7N4JDc/s1920/IMG_20220728_094812_046.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsCZHlKu51v575GUEpANGarLyEZPEKcilIrW0WkYU2PdY7ku5Jz0CSZrmsbSFuurpDykG7gOaX2-u6j6WGEDYmOTeNUFPoshDfBtDLHoP134bZrfkQfLGQjuDUZQ9KPmV8OYBoSR5Esj3riVUjWWlKtQHNrZrj7wErByIeP1Bj3qvL2VpLf7N4JDc/w360-h640/IMG_20220728_094812_046.webp" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This year, I've enjoyed sun printing on fabric. I have stacks and stacks of panels pieces created that I plan to put together as quilt blocks. I want to make myself a large botanical bed quilt for the studio loft. Now, the studio will be likely a couple years away, but maybe the quilt will be too.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfCy8MJgUgaMhV6THf3vzaTmJLkxMQRsH_cqJHew1oYOon6p2sFHhXwklzKhkJQqVpTnZGPug5-2OZYQun8Y6lEIlFF4U1mNr-hRH469fXmaVK54MnS3a7n3EqXAuGiLTgjHpVRPNl0C0_ryu8eIG9ulua20CCTF_wU5dV8DlItzcJd8SLcwBR8jq/s3472/20220902_134827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfCy8MJgUgaMhV6THf3vzaTmJLkxMQRsH_cqJHew1oYOon6p2sFHhXwklzKhkJQqVpTnZGPug5-2OZYQun8Y6lEIlFF4U1mNr-hRH469fXmaVK54MnS3a7n3EqXAuGiLTgjHpVRPNl0C0_ryu8eIG9ulua20CCTF_wU5dV8DlItzcJd8SLcwBR8jq/w400-h400/20220902_134827.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cucumber, Parsnips, Coral Bells, Geranium.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Blue and white always remind me of my mom. She loved her blue and white china and have collected quite a bit during her life. I think that's why, when I'm done this quilt, it needs to be at the cabin.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpQDRU5D9PebqFhH9ZOmRbOi-O0XHdrmi3MT9nwt_Aj-MFV9iEz5j5G1xL2rXoPiSa6w9eNO3TzE8nOTySaidiUxVCRAVv5ApE8EN-kRpf7cZ9J7rPmeWUeX2vXlK4LQAFxZidj7Z1jF6vngZa2yCa1uQ4YShbmFy7Pz45rLtzTnZbcIhLL3jLFx5/s3472/20220902_155221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpQDRU5D9PebqFhH9ZOmRbOi-O0XHdrmi3MT9nwt_Aj-MFV9iEz5j5G1xL2rXoPiSa6w9eNO3TzE8nOTySaidiUxVCRAVv5ApE8EN-kRpf7cZ9J7rPmeWUeX2vXlK4LQAFxZidj7Z1jF6vngZa2yCa1uQ4YShbmFy7Pz45rLtzTnZbcIhLL3jLFx5/w400-h400/20220902_155221.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Isn't that pretty!? Some don't end up the way I love. I'll make bottons or postcards out of them. Most turned out FANTASTIC. They remind me of a night time moon garden. The prints that really look stunning will be made into larger, archival prints on art paper. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PAVN3OiyJ_SUCnZAcmfg6y9Y-IbA_oa28DIIMJW7bPXQH95mwc7zKBf6RBK1kcXTRgi9ffbc9uRrskZWX351r-8b1rzveycw9B6WzlFXTS99s_1ETftvkUgSwdy1h6iOiie2QsqPzoNFKs2WLhlsqEKR6eh4rLomoMR3la7H04IMBgmIcgDC2Ziy/s3472/20220902_124132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PAVN3OiyJ_SUCnZAcmfg6y9Y-IbA_oa28DIIMJW7bPXQH95mwc7zKBf6RBK1kcXTRgi9ffbc9uRrskZWX351r-8b1rzveycw9B6WzlFXTS99s_1ETftvkUgSwdy1h6iOiie2QsqPzoNFKs2WLhlsqEKR6eh4rLomoMR3la7H04IMBgmIcgDC2Ziy/w400-h400/20220902_124132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Later this week, I'm going to do some Hapa Zone / plant pounding onto fabric. That is a good project for a cloudy day. There's still Sunflowers, Brown Eyed Susans, Tickseed, 4 leaf Clovers, Cucumber blooms, Yarrow, loads of Sweet Peas and some red Echinacea petals too.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't wait to share the results!</div><div>Take good care,</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ9OrrolnMvunMMIkN6FALxkHyzDHVdpYtzQAS9ajtKe2JZ2ZM0DrW7VxJSn5b0fyz_G2z5TeoHsHEwguqWDV3Xl0tZ8LUh1kgqjhkjbrDWED2kN5cYxrUkOi2ddgYND9Bld5blJFJmUye8bqvZ1eJIhZlxntK0IrcHkrk12GozYks6w2kzcmVj4w/s219/signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="73" data-original-width="219" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ9OrrolnMvunMMIkN6FALxkHyzDHVdpYtzQAS9ajtKe2JZ2ZM0DrW7VxJSn5b0fyz_G2z5TeoHsHEwguqWDV3Xl0tZ8LUh1kgqjhkjbrDWED2kN5cYxrUkOi2ddgYND9Bld5blJFJmUye8bqvZ1eJIhZlxntK0IrcHkrk12GozYks6w2kzcmVj4w/s1600/signature.png" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>monika@mysweetprairie.cahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00655544650615742749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-15728859143817870152022-08-27T12:05:00.001-05:002022-08-27T15:17:06.980-05:00When Life Hands You Lemons, Drink it Up, Plant the Seeds, Tend to Your Beautiful Garden<p>Hello Friends,</p><p>You may or may not know that my Mother, (immigrant, prairie landscape artist, hippie, single mom to me, the woman I share a birth day with, and whome through much of my life was my best advocate) passed away 2 summers ago after a year of general health decline. It has been a difficult few years for all of us who cared for her. People lovingly describe her as, 'quite the character!' </p><p>Here's the story as I know it. I want to share with you, because I carry on her story. I hope you will read to the end.</p><p>In the early 1950's, her mother snuck her and her older and younger sisters with my grandfather to Canada when mom was 7. They came emptyhanded, with hundreds of people on a ship that was on it's last journey. Once landed, they travelled across Canada and fell in love with the Prairie: the open land, the river valleys, the unobstructed skies, the grasslands and lake life. This is where they unpacked their bags and settled. Settlers. Uninvited. Grateful. I was born here, a first generation Canadian on Treaty 6 Territory.</p><p>My eldest Aunt and carpenter Uncle bought a double lake lot in Saskatchewan in 1958. They had three children and built a cabin there by 1961. In 1964 they moved on west to the coast, and so my Grandmother (Oma, Marianne Kinner) bought that property with cash. The tell me SHE was, 'quite the character!' She apparently did this transaction on her own while my grandpa was at work, and told him about later that day. Wow.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL0wAwL1UXHkv3sqGlAKjnjvED49c5T4WyEBFf9kIRIE82uk1sCRBv0yITEXAn_L__h3AOUBW0EtoCNrMWgfxkfc0QzLj-UGucQxBFeDguVof1_9dDHfkmQRPWbWCu_IK524d5w3t09S8dyQNNG6JJDh8m5xaaVgcYpsRFQmmHJTve1RpCw_zBEYN5g/s1080/lake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1080" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL0wAwL1UXHkv3sqGlAKjnjvED49c5T4WyEBFf9kIRIE82uk1sCRBv0yITEXAn_L__h3AOUBW0EtoCNrMWgfxkfc0QzLj-UGucQxBFeDguVof1_9dDHfkmQRPWbWCu_IK524d5w3t09S8dyQNNG6JJDh8m5xaaVgcYpsRFQmmHJTve1RpCw_zBEYN5g/w400-h197/lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>My Grandmother passed away when my mother was pregnant with me, in 1970, so I never met her. People reassure me, however, I too am, 'quite the character!' Gotta love outstanding women, right?</p><p>When I was 11 or 12, we found ourselves homeless. That was when my grandfather gifted the lake property to my mother. She always loved it more than he did and we had already lived out there every summer since I was in diapers. I'm told he had a German phrase for it that meant, "shit lake". That's how much he didn't love it. And so this became Mom's. Eventually she added an old winterized building to the property about 25 years ago, and that's where she lived for the rest of her life.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm-GEjRMRLbfHh8_jpNo2ft6_eB6yr_8LyKB_lB40tae1enfy9EifrqgOED6taMjGMOj1sA3GtSUM_WWqSv9K_zTt-iFKYNm4tmTiI4tOUOvuQUFVWYOermwHiKVsBaCmR-tK9s3mmbpDYjM3hv5ah8kCEohym0iVSwKDlP352pb_OsxuA7R7pFY4yw/s960/76722719_10156209420671511_4533596761297518592_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm-GEjRMRLbfHh8_jpNo2ft6_eB6yr_8LyKB_lB40tae1enfy9EifrqgOED6taMjGMOj1sA3GtSUM_WWqSv9K_zTt-iFKYNm4tmTiI4tOUOvuQUFVWYOermwHiKVsBaCmR-tK9s3mmbpDYjM3hv5ah8kCEohym0iVSwKDlP352pb_OsxuA7R7pFY4yw/w400-h300/76722719_10156209420671511_4533596761297518592_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original cabin... decades later.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is an important part of my story. My 20+ yr marriage came to an end in 2018. I happily stayed single for a year as I resettled into a rental with my children near their highschool. (Yes, highschool! When I started my career, they were 3, 6, and 9 years old.) As we lost the house, I lost my newly built studio. For those that followed me, you might remember? That loss took a big bite out of my career and my spirit.</p><p>Then my Mom passed away 2 summers ago during covid, and the lake lots were handed down to us, her 3 kids. I now share this land where I grew up with my brothers. My portion includes the original cabin my Uncle built.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZm7XfY7_cq_k_fSowTcOoXNcE-JknSSc4NUpCu4vpd29l48qfyFfiBvxly-u2_9Ie7FpXyU-22Dj9YMVtt2u98Dm_9DAbjOihgK4yG7DSt3wM5UCX-UTNGn8EWwDiWFhpDe_V4J1_ZuqMYazYlCgVM1Wchxz412v0RLq5WCu29xhh3ZHJL0tuKX8w2g/s944/post%20storm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="944" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZm7XfY7_cq_k_fSowTcOoXNcE-JknSSc4NUpCu4vpd29l48qfyFfiBvxly-u2_9Ie7FpXyU-22Dj9YMVtt2u98Dm_9DAbjOihgK4yG7DSt3wM5UCX-UTNGn8EWwDiWFhpDe_V4J1_ZuqMYazYlCgVM1Wchxz412v0RLq5WCu29xhh3ZHJL0tuKX8w2g/w400-h259/post%20storm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>When one door closes... you know what they say? One of my brothers suggested, 'You know, the last few years, Mom used the old cabin as her summer studio. That's all she used it for, was to make her art.' Hint, hint. My new love, a carpenter & bushman, took one look at the place when we were out there after Mom's burial and said, 'I can restore this.'</p><p></p><p></p><p>MY HEART AND MY EYES AND MY SMILE grew three sizes that day!</p><p>The planning began. A year later, we started. I've been the funder/designer and he's been the muscle/contactor. I dreamed it up and he made it viable. I did some fundraising through I Fund Women which helped a buy shingles and second hand windows, as well as pay for dump and hauling fees and he removed rotting siding, a sunken roof, and walls full of mice nests.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30mIH74nYlUQNkjam0t-tHRhE3YP7HRxBVU8R2QznbKDy0WhtwKpnaEG_JCmq6en3Kuw9wxMjZIWpVBTenqM_Y4wyWR-Zan1YPHu9CI3FrtrhFwi7x6i5gj2TSSIPAn0nTaDcOT7AgJjU2mRqm9PRktk96F_RynNnu6_L7vtfVwAbYZfSq_j1-ZT05g/s1440/122274309_775128929715113_6295492122992558413_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30mIH74nYlUQNkjam0t-tHRhE3YP7HRxBVU8R2QznbKDy0WhtwKpnaEG_JCmq6en3Kuw9wxMjZIWpVBTenqM_Y4wyWR-Zan1YPHu9CI3FrtrhFwi7x6i5gj2TSSIPAn0nTaDcOT7AgJjU2mRqm9PRktk96F_RynNnu6_L7vtfVwAbYZfSq_j1-ZT05g/s320/122274309_775128929715113_6295492122992558413_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Last year, the original structure was leveled, siding removed, rotting floor joists replaced, new windows reframed. This year, the roof is redone. The walls are reframed. The outhouse is useable and we stay in tents when we're out there. When I grew up here, we had electricity and hauled drinking water. That's the level I'd like to bring it back to. There's 2 wood stoves back to back - one for cooking and one for heat. This place will getting winterized so I can go make art any time of the year. Without water, there's no pipes to freeze.</p><p>I'M SO GRATEFUL. I'm so grateful that this is happening. Designing it so every window and space feels creative and good and right has been just amazing. (My childhood dream was to become an Architect.) Paul, my Carpenter is outstanding in muscle and perfection. He likes things done right and above code. He's been amazing and really has his heart in the place as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZJ2GW3owr1mY5xy96nghsZzMdKHvO6G9sEvWFlFIEwwMvVj57Wk_3EWv-L-16LBSGpDtVsTxFmpBCRSKGrG8a6HNnLkXmFHvJ8yqKH-Vv-loWawT_zq070j6lagB2Joy-PnurA-nG28ePoq3Zj4X8z9iP5AgbsoRNrSZVH41IJIdAVS2Kr7ozwg6jQ/s945/sk%20roof.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="945" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZJ2GW3owr1mY5xy96nghsZzMdKHvO6G9sEvWFlFIEwwMvVj57Wk_3EWv-L-16LBSGpDtVsTxFmpBCRSKGrG8a6HNnLkXmFHvJ8yqKH-Vv-loWawT_zq070j6lagB2Joy-PnurA-nG28ePoq3Zj4X8z9iP5AgbsoRNrSZVH41IJIdAVS2Kr7ozwg6jQ/w320-h317/sk%20roof.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Eventually, my dream will include bringing mom's garden back to life, adding perennials in the yard, creating the perfect little kitchenette, adding a covered porch on the North East side where a very fallen addition was finally removed. A wood pile is started.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtqAg17OpnfqfHic2tQYSTqnHTQa7XmYcPAQKAfzG18DKrv4xPY1uT4cvN0vU2ZtU9dsm8L8BlpdrhwsIjdCAq76uqtUrdhXEPa21zw9nIVDkcfAAQtIx5fCzTXyEIla9a7x--bZs2-f-TnUo67LaTXk4mtUcXzuvVqb2vNivGCiOFVEQPx9BXVO5kA/s4624/20220822_101557.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtqAg17OpnfqfHic2tQYSTqnHTQa7XmYcPAQKAfzG18DKrv4xPY1uT4cvN0vU2ZtU9dsm8L8BlpdrhwsIjdCAq76uqtUrdhXEPa21zw9nIVDkcfAAQtIx5fCzTXyEIla9a7x--bZs2-f-TnUo67LaTXk4mtUcXzuvVqb2vNivGCiOFVEQPx9BXVO5kA/w400-h300/20220822_101557.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>It's a place that calls you to create. It can feel like a chore to get out there, but once you are there, it's extremely difficult to get in the mindset to want to leave. Being back returns so many childhood memories to me. The sounds in the air, the temperature of the breeze, the steady roll and break of the waves on the rocks below. Fall is my favourite season out there. Most people pack up for the winter but my mom would keep us out there until it got too cold to sleep at night. The whole place would fall silent except for the birds, the mice, and the falling leaves. I can't wait to make art out there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYGmRcOn8Zf0zr3oAEVCtkeYKtTe7tF9MTxqTXT7wvElSajkqQ5WZ4xXSYBWsiT4hHY8S_TlNoSvCahp-DlgWbSuBFjrcdb9Tn2gtZQ_frOi-2fGCAeH08Fm1SM_mchyHoUTuF1iw3Pdi7c8EcNxf5MHNhAMb3gPVpjCnzZJ316z77lQEUHLWQnSImw/s533/smallsquare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="533" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYGmRcOn8Zf0zr3oAEVCtkeYKtTe7tF9MTxqTXT7wvElSajkqQ5WZ4xXSYBWsiT4hHY8S_TlNoSvCahp-DlgWbSuBFjrcdb9Tn2gtZQ_frOi-2fGCAeH08Fm1SM_mchyHoUTuF1iw3Pdi7c8EcNxf5MHNhAMb3gPVpjCnzZJ316z77lQEUHLWQnSImw/w200-h200/smallsquare.jpg" width="200" /></a> ~ <span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Monika</i></span></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-48762692104416799342022-08-14T10:15:00.017-05:002022-08-14T11:11:21.391-05:00Good Morning!<p>Well hello! Yes, I'm here. I miss blogging dearly. I'm turned right off by the IG rat race and diligently working on typing this with one space between sentences. (I momentarily imagine laughter and a roaring applause.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbhczc8jhso3Vv8UsrI44Ibo_5xL-FHOGNjQRwZZrj9R5Ej8rQGSc3rHwvY3cJ-CDvz-r44BqHLUOBVFfKd3Gj_0-s9CX86sDvTxf3ETGFdUB6_tn2iwJNxLt9osFQr7jOZOOQS1PkeCnYIgRHhxBZgSEmmd06wkdv8Ri4LKA0VYyeZcubZwIsoMF/s960/29683555_2113068632056450_9208118723386051438_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbhczc8jhso3Vv8UsrI44Ibo_5xL-FHOGNjQRwZZrj9R5Ej8rQGSc3rHwvY3cJ-CDvz-r44BqHLUOBVFfKd3Gj_0-s9CX86sDvTxf3ETGFdUB6_tn2iwJNxLt9osFQr7jOZOOQS1PkeCnYIgRHhxBZgSEmmd06wkdv8Ri4LKA0VYyeZcubZwIsoMF/s320/29683555_2113068632056450_9208118723386051438_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div><p>I'm back to blogging because I love to put my thoughts into words. I find that I can share my ideas with greater flow and ease this way. Filming myself and editing an entertaining video with great showwoman ship, perfecting hair, makeup, sound, lighting, text, background music, blah, blah blah... just for more followers. Excuse me, but, fuck that. Admin and sales is not where I want to pour my energy and the pressure to show and dance is making me miserable. As a women and a housewife and a mother of a few and the sole breadwinner and a creative and a dog owner and a gardner... I just have one head to balance all those hats. </p><p>I take care of a lot of people in my life. I realize that in my business, what's more important is a) my mental health. I need to feel good to make beautiful art. That's just how it works. If you ask for a commission from me, and I'm grieving or completely falling apart, I will not spend time on it. I won't put that energy into your special piece. That might sound flaky to some, but trust me, you want the art made by the woman who creates with joy in her heart. You'll get a much better piece.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIT9Y6EP4KPimeXFDREjPzbpOVlYkYBKlJv-zSiDJ5TWnSHnozV_buVVTcnipjSarLm6PjTmbVa51IN5L-2W8kthNdvShi7bxE37fKTaAHJkaZvSt4e4lI8aFuFhHhp_QbMYy4Po-ZMemt0F9uDhxYuGrBnloJirEDXVMxZ24STHffQcbsmaqwxjg/s960/29573316_2110327372330576_4627493088876861738_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIT9Y6EP4KPimeXFDREjPzbpOVlYkYBKlJv-zSiDJ5TWnSHnozV_buVVTcnipjSarLm6PjTmbVa51IN5L-2W8kthNdvShi7bxE37fKTaAHJkaZvSt4e4lI8aFuFhHhp_QbMYy4Po-ZMemt0F9uDhxYuGrBnloJirEDXVMxZ24STHffQcbsmaqwxjg/s320/29573316_2110327372330576_4627493088876861738_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The second most important thing I realize is b) quality of relationships, not quantity. I'm talking about you, the customers / the clients. I know this. Everyone should. 10,000 followers doesn't mean much, unless you are mass producing or looking for sponsors and subscriptions I suppose. I could some day. Aside from a few prints, supplies, and greeting cards, I make original art. 50 thousand followers won't impact my work when it only takes one person to fall in love with the piece.</p><p>Back to blogging vs IG reels. I could jump around and put the camera up my nose and make you notice me. (Ok, I DO enjoy reels. I watch other people daily. Some of you all are FANTASTIC xo.) Blogging is important because with MY work, I have stories to tell. I love telling the stories. Each piece of art, from inception to completion, has stories that are integral to their creation. The story gives flavour to my work. I love to share that with the written word. It holds identity, like a name. And then you learn the meaning of the name. You know how that opens up a whole new layer to associate with the visual of someone or something? That association settles well into the memory, I find. It often gives more substance and purpose to what you are looking at.</p><p>This isn't appropriate for all art. In fact, it's rather taboo for some. However, for my landscapes as with commissioned landscapes, they do start with a place. Placees hold many tales. The original image I work from is a capture of a specific moment in time. Sometimes I have amusing or wonderous stories about just GETTING TO that spot. Sometimes I have stories of wildlife, or meet ups with stray individuals. I might have noticed something in the image after I took the photo, and that makes the story. I remember all of them with great detail, and I feel the need to share them is part of my art.</p><p>You end up missing thoughts and little bits of personal connection on IG. I miss the thoughts and personal connection.</p><p>So here I am. August 2022. Are you still here?</p><p>p.s. if you cannot comment here on the blog for whatever reason, please email me any time to say hi. Messages can go through the comment page of my website, and if you don't already, you can sign up for announcements at the bottom of any page on my website. <a href="http://www.mysweetprairie.ca" target="_blank">My Sweet Prairie</a></p><p>I look forward to telling more stories! </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcjgMgrJNnLHYfg3aGnQAr50VHTU2NoO8khhuAuwnAeVlcUCNBTz_AaHlY1kzKMXch9yqNO3hE_Cwi7968rGxxWh8IR_8uguIvCaanZIxg_WFiVQys9fVmVKAKJsyYas7AlaVWxUtjzQDPia1gjuLAmTOXsoPE_VZmEt3xxwDkdtnPxeHvXBdobVC/s142/DSCN3623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcjgMgrJNnLHYfg3aGnQAr50VHTU2NoO8khhuAuwnAeVlcUCNBTz_AaHlY1kzKMXch9yqNO3hE_Cwi7968rGxxWh8IR_8uguIvCaanZIxg_WFiVQys9fVmVKAKJsyYas7AlaVWxUtjzQDPia1gjuLAmTOXsoPE_VZmEt3xxwDkdtnPxeHvXBdobVC/s16000/DSCN3623.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4baCLOHft7UikNCTl40zUYV8lbQopEqz0CCKLEmtEZyM5zty2CXf84YHGQnLSTdLMdLLX2ZNJ16JbFtBurktEuxAjnnArJyjABkVGy7P85LaTQLFnOKEuE0QzJV6G1u4dYd3k8u7o-8uXjI1-I2_g95mpq4dzycRzbIYQc9V4WPe8giz__tkEu88/s219/signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="73" data-original-width="219" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4baCLOHft7UikNCTl40zUYV8lbQopEqz0CCKLEmtEZyM5zty2CXf84YHGQnLSTdLMdLLX2ZNJ16JbFtBurktEuxAjnnArJyjABkVGy7P85LaTQLFnOKEuE0QzJV6G1u4dYd3k8u7o-8uXjI1-I2_g95mpq4dzycRzbIYQc9V4WPe8giz__tkEu88/s1600/signature.png" width="219" /></a></p>monika@mysweetprairie.cahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00655544650615742749noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634894880688964861.post-64344193596609892162019-03-24T15:29:00.001-05:002019-03-24T15:29:31.199-05:00Spring Show & SaleIt's really SPRING! The world froze solid here for months and now it's all warm & rebirthing. What a difference! The sun is up before me again. I've really started creating with vigor again and it feels so good.<br />
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I want to make sure I let everyone know that after 8 consecutive years, I WON'T have my work for sale at Gardenscape later this month. My group's show is only 2 weeks following, so I'm saving it all up for that event. Here's the show poster:<br />
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Through those days, we will have scheduled artist chats on site so you can learn more about the women and their work. This will be my second year with this group, one of Saskatoon's longest running art groups (since 1990). The art is such a wonderfully diverse range: textile, watercolour, oil, collage, acrylic, graphite, watercolour batik, mixed media. There's landscape art, still life, portrait, realism, impressionism, and abstract. It's FANTASTIC. Please check out the <a href="http://artistsworkshop.ca/"><b><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">website</span></b></a> if you would like to learn more about the artists and the range of work. We've made some great posts as of late.<br />
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Here's some pieces I'll have in the show.<br />
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Works in progress... <br />
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After adding the weeds in...<br />
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That's a smaller version of a scene from Aquadeo near Jackfish Lake SK. : )<br />
I hope you'll be able to come by the show April 12, 13, 14!<br />
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have a great day,<br />
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<br />monika@mysweetprairie.cahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00655544650615742749noreply@blogger.com88