Susan M Gibbons

4-14-19 Palm Sunday Sipping coffee Within the silence Of the morning Awaiting the business Of the day Reflections of past Hallelujahs and Branches Setting the stage For the week Passion and suffering Host the time Of the season With joyful Resurrection to come All absorbed within A cup of tan Warmth Renewing moments Of peaceful contentment

4-8-19 Continuing the Process Thinking about my latest piece on Thai Bird's Nest Paper, I'm contemplating just what it means to me.  I typically allow the piece to speak and also allow the time it takes for it to speak.  I'm ruminating on this one, especially.  I feel like I'm breaking into new territory, which is exciting.  I'm not pushing this at all, in fact, I'll allow however much time it needs to complete it.  The waiting can make me a bit anxious as I want to create and work on it but many times, I'm just looking, waiting for the piece to tell me the next step in which to go.  It's not frustrating. It forces me to slow down and really see, really look into what I'm doing, making the work, and bringing it to completion.  This process allows for me to contemplate, pray, and rest if you will.  The act of creating, of creation is one where the energy is expended but also contained, built up in order to release into the creative act....

4-1-19 It's a beautiful day here in Denver and I'm ready to create!  I've been working on the Lamentation Series but also other works as well.  I'm revisiting an old material - Thai Bird's Nest Paper.  It's wonderful!!!!!  I'm stitching hemp thread and cheesecloth to it.  The textures are scrumptious! I'm playing with ideas of hidden and revealed, things constant within chaos.  The textures of the paper will allow for me to use paint and show it off beautifully.  I can't wait to get the paint on it!  Right now, I'm stitching and sewing the cheesecloth onto the paper.  It's very meditative and grounding.  It is a welcome break from the intensity of the Lamentation Series.  Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the Lamentation Series but emotionally, it takes its toll.  So, this work is very welcome and needed at times.  The sewing is reminiscent of my teen years, when I used to sew.  I learned during high school and rec...