Artmaking Holiday

Finally decided to give myself a holiday from art making for a week or two, until I'm settled into the new studio. Actually, I'll be shibori dyeing this coming Sunday through Tuesday. But I'm taking a little time off the weekly quilts, and a few days off from collaging, the latter largely because I'll be out of town.

Just about everything is moved, except the biggest stuff -- my oak sideboard, my mattress, a couple of bookshelves, my couch and ottoman, two studio tables -- and several boxes of remaining small stuff and a few odds and ends.

As I made all these trips to Fortuna this week, I came to realize that I am really glad to be leaving Eureka and moving a few miles south. Fortuna's population is about 12,000, whereas Eureka's is about 30,000, and with the addition of Arcata and Humboldt State University, the greater Humboldt Bay area has about 50,000. Still mighty small compared with where most of you probably live, but the older I get the smaller the town I want to live in. Fortuna is really beautiful, the town surrounded by foothills, with lots of trees and beautiful vistas, and right on the banks of the Eel River. Fortuna is also warmer than Eureka because it's a few miles farther inland. Oftentimes in summertime, Fortuna will be gorgeous, warm and sunny, while Eureka will be cold, fogged in and dreary. So I'm a happy camper.

I'm off on my holiday to Eugene, Oregon tomorrow morning (Saturday). I'll upload photos of the shibori workshop enroute if I can, or next week when I return.