Thursday, August 6, 2009

Some reflections

Coming from a week off, we are now ready to jump back in the saddle and begin working again. Time to reflect a little on our 'little - big' COSMIC HOUSE.
As Coomaraswamy, the Indian philosopher wrote in 1943,
" the house and world are two equivlent sums....and the family living in it is the image of the countless crowd of creatures dwelling in the shelter of the cosmic house, of which the ceiling or roof is heaven and the the sun...."
And as we continue to build up the Green Man portal I returned to Gibran's THE PROPHET,
"Your house is your larger body.
It grows in the sun and sleeps in the stillness of the night; and it is not dreamless. Does not your house dream? and dreaming, leave the city for grove or hilltop?
Would that I could gather your houses into my hand and like a sower scatter them in forest and meadow.
Would the valleys were your streets, and the green paths your alley, that you might seek one another through vineyards, and come with the fragrance of the earth in your garments."

Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep have you any wool?

Wool wool wool
Maggie sorting wool
What joy! Rainbow colours for Green Man and the portal panels!
Kate beginning to needle dry felt in the Green Man's face.

Green Man front Portal begins to take shape

The cartoon for the Green Man threshold begins to take shape
Kate is transferring the image of Green Man to brown wrapping paper.
Taking stock of the front portal panel of the Green Man cartoon.
Thank you, Gordie! for being our Green Man model!
We love your nose!
Stitching lutrdur together so we may begin the colouring in of the image.
Ahhh, almost done and ready for colour!

The first Cube

View from above! - The beginnings of the Room of Persuasion - an 8 ft cube.
Gerry, our Carpenter Man, putting up The Cube
Final touches to the skeleton structure of our first room, The Room of Persuasion.
Thank you, Gerry!

Garbage is Art

Collecting, washing and drying our rubbish!

Computer Work

Thank you, Angela, for your lovely kitchen to work on our scanning and computer work!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Felting BIG!

A week and a half of hot soapy water, pounding, rolling, rubbing, slapping, kneading, throwing and singing... and you too can have buff biceps and red chapped hands!
Thunder thighs! Using thighs and feet when the arms get tired.
Roll on Kate, Roll on!
Heaving and folding and heavy with water....we man-handle, manipulate and stimulate the wool felt encased in its nylon screen coat.
Sweet envelope of nylon screen!
Oh my! it is BIG! BIG!
Kate is rubbing and throwing! hmmmmmmmmmmmmm curiously interesting, don't you think?
Butt, sooooooon we will be done!
Ahhh ! Some people pose with dead moose, but we have conquered the transmogrified sheep pelt!
Exhausted but "It FELT good!"
Fulling (hardening) the cloths on the deck at Maggie's Studio
Kneading the cloth....." just like making bread!"
Rinsing when all is done!
Ahhhhhh almost there!
Nine twelve foot by 8 foot felted cloths! Happy are we!
BIG!!!
Aren't they beautiful?
hmmmmmm soft!
ouch... yeah for Burt's Bees hand salve!