A lunch, a poetry reading and seeing my art at Marion & Rose's Workshop

I had an amazing Wednesday last week. I escaped Sonoma to head back into San Francisco for a very creative day. First, I popped down to the Mission for an awesome lunch at the Slow Club to celebrate Eireann Lorsung, poet, artist and co-owner of MIEL publications in Belgium (you might remember that name from here). Eireann is traveling the US on a giant book tour and it was so wonderful to finally meet her in person. It was a truly creative gathering, including Sonya, Katrina, Lisa, Mati, Rori and Jen. When we got up to leave we were all admiring each other's shoes so we snapped some pics.

Next, I popped over to Oakland to visit Marion & Rose's Workshop to see two of my Idiom pieces that are a part of a group show curated by Andrea Voinot of Kala Art Institute. Read more about the show here in an interview with Andrea.

I loved shopping the store, so many things I wanted to buy, including the art! I walked away with a red cedar pepper grinder, the latest copy of Kinfolk (all about Japan!), and a sweet little horseshoe charm for my daughter.

The trip to the East Bay was double-fold. I was to meet my friend ReCheng Tsang at Marion & Rose's to lend her a piece I'd recently given as a gift to my husband for our 24th wedding anniversary. No, I'm not that old, just married very young! The piece is similar to this one below. Lovely, no?

Study for Ovals, glazed and unglazed porcelain on aluminum panel, 10" x 10", 2012
by Recheng Tsang.  Image by Muffy Kibbey.

I wrote about ReCheng's work last year and am still blown away by it. She's inspired me in so many ways. She has some new ideas up her sleeve that will be amazing.

Image via Daily Candy.

Then it was back to San Francisco to Little Paper Planes to hear Eireann's poetry reading. It  was incredible. I'm not much of a poetry reader. Well, except e.e. cummings, love his work. Her reading was funny, witty, calming, insightful and inspiring. Her new book, Her Book, includes fifteen poems inspired by Kiki Smith's artwork. I was so immersed in the visual poetry of the shop during the reading, they seemed to go together along with the colorful people walking through the Mission district.

And then back to Sonoma that night so I could be sure to enjoy some early morning jam making. We've been on a blackberry hunt every evening after dinner this week. Quite a contrast from San Francisco!

In the new studio

Having a new studio has been a bit liberating, giving me the freedom to play a bit. 

Somehow I always end up starting with quilt blocks. But this time, the
blocks inspired a completely new series that is not a quilt.

The freedom has brought new ideas, including what I think(hope!) will be a good series. Yes, it's fiber. I'm so in love with the medium.

It started with the desire to make a few pieces of clothing that I actually liked this summer, just a little breather from the deeply conceptual work I've been making over the past two years. Anyone else disgusted with the cheap clothing available in stores? And when I do find clothes I love, they cost a fortune, in the $300+ range. Which makes sense, since they're all handmade. So why couldn't I just make my own? I know how to sew. It also doesn't hurt to have a friend, Sonya Philip, who practices this mantra every day.

I started with the most simple pattern there is. Perfect for the hot summer days we've been having in Sonoma.

Once I hung the clothes on the wall, they no longer looked like clothing but more like soft sculpture. Hmmm, the ideas started flowing. In the interim, more peach preserving happening here, I think a total harvest of 70 pounds this year!

Summer happens

Summer. This summer I've been so busy but in a good way, I haven't even had time to post on the blog! And then I realized, I could just post photos, don't worry about text. This summer is my self imposed residency at our cottage in Sonoma. And so, without further ado, I will start posting again but without much text.

Some ideas I've been playing with. I've been wanting to work with
bright colors.

Just some glimpses into my studio where I'm 'playing' with ideas and into my garden adjacent to my studio, where I'm spending a lot of time.

Harvesting about six pounds a day of peaches! I think I might end up with
three dozen jars of peach jam.

What are you up to this summer? Any exciting projects? I'd love to hear!