"Soup's On!"

Every Saturday I make a 6 litre pan of thick tasty spicy soup, usually vegetable chowder with either chicken or beef stock base. The pan lasts me all week. In fact, I’ve got a bit of a reputation for my homemade soup, as well as my pancakes, which earned me the nickname “pancake man” among the island’s children. I started making pancakes, the pan-fried “crepe” kind, when I was very young. They earned me a few nickels from a roadside stand I’d set up. Of course, after I got married and our 6 children and grandchildren began gracing our lives, it was pancakes every Saturday morning. The secret of my success? More than just taste. The real secret is dependability. People could set their calendars by the times I set for making soup ( and pancakes ). Dependability is an ingredient of integrity, as well as patience, kindness, faithfulness, and love, all the great ingredients of a soup called life. The kids are no longer at home and only when they visit do I make pancakes. But, the soup’s still on - every Saturday.

Sign of the times

It's difficult for an artist to maintain the integrity of their original artwork. In an age where digital technology allows everyone to make perfect copies every time, who knows whether you are seeing the original or a copy? One artist was asked, "How many works of art have you created?" The artist answered: "Two thousand, and five thousand of them are in the United States."
Going back to school, in part, is also a personal quest to be a voice for the recognition that original art deserves. Somehow, spending 45 hours on a drawing is not the same as Google Image Search and "save-as." The image shown is a digital copy of a photograph of my original oxidized silverpoint drawing of a pewter vase. Can get confusing, right?

3:00 pm, September 14

A day in the life of a 65 year old student. It happens to the best of us. That mid-afternoon time for a special kind of research. Deep into the abyss of my mind I search for clues to finish my online discourse and hope as well to find resources to get my head around a group project ( online ) and two upcoming academic papers I have to write. I began at 7:00 am, after breakfast, with a quick lunch break at noon, until my brain said “enough’s enough! 3:00 pm - research time!" I will probably take the rest of the afternoon off, except for some time in the studio to finish the day. But, then there’s that temptation to check my emails…..

From the Scriptorium

Enough of the ideal outdoor shots. Here's where "Back to School at 65," happens. Two shots of the study room and the view from my window. Don't be fooled. I was not in the picture because I just stepped out for a vanilla latte. But otherwise, I'm there in the scriptorium from early morning to middle of the afternoon, sometimes later. Writing, thinking, browsing, managing files, planning, creating, and more managing of thoughts, ideas and assignments. Loving it, but finding the challenges daunting. The secret? Lots of lists and notes. You can see my time-frame calendar taped to the closet doors. It really works. My escape is the studio on the other side of the house. A new drawing awaits me impatiently. And a happy back-to-school to everyone.

One last reprieve

There’s a stack of books and other course readings waiting for me as September begins my Fall research. So, to get a last reprieve before I plunge in, I went for a long drive and discovered “Nymph Falls,” about two hours “up island” as we say. An awesome sanctuary, a place of retreat to prepare my mind for the journey ahead. We all need places of retreat. My studio is a place of retreat, especially when I turn the music on and get lost in a big drawing. Retreat is not defeat. Retreat is as necessary as breakfast and a steaming vanilla latte. I knew of a pastor’s wife who had many children. When she needed a retreat, she’d sit on a kitchen chair and pull her apron over her head. Her 11 children knew that mom was in her sanctuary and on a retreat and they left her alone. She was the wife of John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of the Methodist church. That was before Facebook.

Elevator Presentation

My friend said, “give me an elevator presentation of where you’re at.” I said, “one course finished, the next one starts in a week, plus my proposed independent study has turned into two courses and both have been accepted.” He said, “phew! That’s a plate full.” I said, “Indubitably.” Which by the time we reached the metaphoric next floor, had grown into a huge awareness. I said, “my next four months will be booked solid.” It means putting studio time on hold, for now. But, I knew that would happen. In fact, all this “back-to-school-at-65” stuff is really like one giant canvas to me, in or out of the studio. Perhaps that’s a better view of life ( one large canvas ) than just the accumulation of major and minor incidents subject to the nods of approval of society. I can only imagine what the canvas will look like once I get to the top floor.

A Summer Elective Sunset

At last. The sun set on my summer elective course called "Digital Tribes." Another course completed. It's a challenge doing the whole thing online with discussions, readings, research, and writing essays. No comparison to actual classroom settings. In fact, the hardest part was staying motivated to participate online because texting, or typed discussions, is about as "technically advanced" as smoke signals.
The hot humid spells we've been having haven't helped either. But, not to complain about the weather. It has otherwise been a spectacular summer, except for the smoke from forest fires that keeps drifting from the mainland in our direction. I'm already looking forward to May 2011, for the next Spring Institute, live in Edmonton. I've got about 2 weeks before the next major course starts - "Exploring Critical Thinking."