Tomorrow my project will be nearly complete. Nearly means I probably need a few more wolves, and one tapestry will need to dry before being sewn to the rest of the piece, but those things are small and easy to deal with.
I haven't written much about this part of the process- the ending of things. I've been vocal about my desire to wrap this project up for what feels like months, but the ending is a weird time in the creative process. People ask if I'm pleased with the outcome, if I like it, if it was what I had envisioned at the beginning. I have no answers. I've spent so many days staring this beast in the face that I can't see it, I don't know what it looks like. The only remedy for that blindness is to put the work away for a few weeks and pull it out again later with rested hands and fresh eyes. Right now, any evaluation is impossible.
Other things: I've cleaned out my corner of the studio, and boxed up the AIR library at home. I came here with barely anything and now there's an absurd quantity of loose fibre, dyed yarn, and miscellaneous fabrics clogging up my suitcases. I'm disgusted by my ability to acquire art supplies. Where did all of this COME FROM? It's ridiculous. I could make:
4 rag rugs
1 decently large weft-faced rug
4-5 pairs of socks
8 or more scarves
AND I have a bag of cochineal, several small jars of mordants, a little bit of madder, a rusty nail, copper bits, and a jar of rotting walnuts, not to mention books... There's no way I can drag all this around with me.
Dreading a summer of moving, temporary unemployment, and possible homelessness, decluttering is just one overwhelming task on my list of overwhelming things to do right now. Ugh.
I leave you with a pretty picture of various gypsums.
If I was a rock, I wouldn't have to deal with yarns and moving. I could just sit in the earth all day and grow.
