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Lately, I’ve been living in close conversation with myself as an artist. Not as a separate part of me that I visit occasionally, but as a constant relationship I’m actively tending. At the tail end of winter, I found myself in a kind of involuntary pause with my art as I was held still with a seasonal sickness and all that recovering requires, while also mothering, working, and navigating the daily tasks of life. The lull didn’t feel like an absence of creative force though, it was more like an incubation- something gathering beneath the surface, waiting for the moment to engage. With the emergence of spring, I’ve been finding a fresh sense of being in rhythm with my creative process, listening and responding, letting curiosity lead. Inspiration has felt like a steady current I can step into. That current has been pulling me back into the cyanotype process with an excitement that I missed through those late winter days. I’ve been working on a new batch of prints on clothing, playing with printing in different shapes and designs on the clothes. It has been thrilling to watch each fabric hold the light after the sun exposes the gestures of each plant into something lasting, and water solidifies its final form. As I’ve been utilizing recent sunny days to make prints, the cyanotype process has been a regular conversation with the natural world, an exchange of form and memory, each print a unique story. (The two photos at the top are of a cyanotype printed on Elk rawhide, before and after rinsing). More examples of my cyanotype work, can be found on my website, including prints, shirts, throw pillows, and three sizes of zipper pouches. Other types of clothing will be posted soon, including jumpers, overalls, dresses, and more!   Alongside cyanotypes, I’ve recently completed a new painting (oil on canvas, 36“x36”), which I began just after my birthday last October. It’s one that I’ve been sitting with in a contemplative way, exploring my relationship with lineage and imprinting, as a daughter and a mother. I’ve been thinking about what we inherit from our mothers, in utero, because of their life experiences, and influences from generations before. How so much gets exchanged through the process of one body making another- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, consciously and unconsciously, and likely in more ways than we might yet know. The unfolding of all those parts has struck me as a play of shadow and light, as there are difficulties and celebrations to honor in how we each transmute, transform, and grow into how we choose to live with the cellular memory we’re born with. I’ve titled it We Share Bones.  All of these manifestations of inspiration- printing, painting, experimenting, reflecting- feel connected right now. Like different voices answering from a core of willingness to meet an ever-changing spark. I’m feeling grateful for the sense of aliveness in the studio these days. For the reminder that making art can be a way of listening, participating, and meeting something as it emerges, allowing it to take form. Upcoming WorkshopsThe next BOOKMAKING class will be Saturday May 23rd, 10am-2pm. The next COLLAGE WORKSHOP will be June 13th, from 10am-1:30pm. We will continue with the theme of “coming to meet,” which the April workshop began to explore. You do not need to have attended April in order to join in June. For more about this theme please visit my newsletter archives and read the March entry, or visit my Workshops page.  Thanks for taking the time to read a bit about what I’ve been up to and some of the creations I’m excited to share. There will be much more as the year goes on, including bookmaking classes and cyanotype workshops, along with many opportunities to come explore your inner workings through collage. May you find your own creative spark, and follow its lead to welcome surprises! In joy & emergence, Lindsay 
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