Goodness! Generally I have reviewed last years work and made plans for the coming year by this time in January. I can only offer in my defense that I was busy coughing. Since I can now type without stopping to cope with excess phlegm, I can write again.

In retrospect 2012 had some major high points.A year of circles, a new relationship with a gallery, summer camp (or art boot camp, depending on how I think of it), and a series of craft fairs meant I learned some new and crucial skills.

You've seen the daily circles here, and on flickr. I am proud of working steadily, and keeping myself entertained. I did complete 340 circles, I think, with random days missing due to illness or back issues, or vacations or traveling. One of the best things I did was give them away – it became a challenge on several fronts, to be able to walk around with a box of mysterious, small stitched artworks and ask complete strangers if they would like one. I got better at talking to people about my work. I have more faith in the quality of my work. I practiced every day, so I know I improved a handful of skills that are important to my process. And I made friends. It was all good.

I connected with a gallery in Shelburne Falls, Grow Gallery, and the cheerful and talented owner and chief Lesley Grow. I couldn't ask for a more enthusiastic person representing me! Several small works have sold, and four larger pieces showing four seasons on the pond I love. Some newer pieces are hanging now, and I am working steadily on a series of tobacco barns that will be going there soon.

I spent two weeks on the coast of Maine at Haystack Mountain Craft School. I loved the place and the people, and the food, and the views. I loved my teacher, Marian Bijlenga. I feel like I am still processing things I saw and did there. Apparently I am very slow at processing things!

At the end of the year I had participated in several different craft fairs. I am not sure yet how I feel about the craft fair part of selling my work. It is a very different set of skills than making the work, and requires that I be gregarious, relentlessly cheerful, have legs of steel and feet with no nerve endings what-so-ever, and develop social skills in reading people that I have not much needed before. All of these are useful and necessary skills, mind, and I admire people that have them. Developing them in me is hard.

Lastly, the blog turned 6 years old on January 2. I have written 1220 posts, and you have written back over a thousand comments, questions and compliments. Thank you for participating!

So, over all – a fine year, thank you. I hope yours were all as fine in retrospect, and here's looking forward to 2013.

via www.flickr.com

It felt kind of odd not to have to take a photo and post it here – but it comes as a relief too, to be off the hook for producing something daily.

My first major undertaking for 2013 is to clean, sift, organize and put away the piles and layers of stuff in my studio. I feel bad that it is such an unvisitable space; small, massively disorganized, layered with thoughts and visual reminders, and carpeted with things that don't-quite-fit and I should do something (quite different) with.

Once the decks are cleared and aired out a little, I am looking forward to thinking about a series of larger projects that will take more time to finish.

I think I am making no particular promises, reaching for no particular goals this year. If something occurs to me later, I'll be sure to let you know!

In the meantime, have a lovely, peaceful and useful beginning to your new year.

via www.flickr.com

The end of the 2012 Circle project. I'm off to a party, where, with luck, I will give away the rest of them, plus a couple in the mail.

A very happy new year to every one –

Lee

via www.flickr.com

via www.flickr.com

Holidays and family and weather, Oh My!

Aerin was named Christmas Czar this year. Her decree was that everything should have to do with books, if it wasn't a book. So it became Bookmas.

It was a huge success. The kids agreed to get out of bed before noon, and Alice actually woke up on her own at 9. We sat around visiting and laughing while Aerin woke up some. We handed eachother piles and piles of books. Things we wanted someone else to read we got from the library and wrapped. Some books we bought – technical things (origami, data presentation, Turing biographies) and beloved books we had to have copies of. 

After we opened things, silence descended on the living room. An hour later, someone looked up and complimented Aerin "Bookmas! huge success!" and we all went back to reading again.

May your day be as successful as necessary, and peaceful and bright.

via www.flickr.com

I think this is my favorite of the last few days.

I've been spending a lot of time at school, talking to the student directors for the Shorts Festival (mostly one acts, some scenes) coming up a week after we get back from vacation. Mostly I want to know if they have any complicated things happening onstage that they haven't figured out how to do yet. As a direct result of talking to people four times as much as I'm used to, I have to spend more time on the couch decompressing after being cheerful and polite. Handwork is good for decompressing, but I seem to have run out of words to say about any of these pieces.

I did say, out loud today, I was pleased there are only 10 circles left to make.

via www.flickr.com

tiny circles on circles in a circle

just a little distracted

via www.flickr.com

I think I caught the textures well!

The neighbors are celebrating St. Lucia's day with sweet things, astonishing mulled wine and what seems to be 57 kinds of cookies. Oh, and Eva-Q gets to wear a crown with lit candles and Chester comes after with a hat, wand and platter of bread with more candles. And we sing, in English and Italian, about meeting Santa Lucia by moonlight. Which remains deeply mysterious to me. But I really like the candles. And the cookies.

via www.flickr.com

A new thing is tugging on me.

Also I rode a horse today! Kaboose and I did 20 minutes walking and trotting. She was not limping, my back didn't hurt, and neither of us freaked out. And! I didn't fall off. If I'm not hobbling tomorrow then it looks like I can start riding again, a thought that fills me with pleasure.

Two circles are on flickr, if you click on the barn above –