a lot happening this Summer


the studio exterior has been TRANSFORMED by house painter C. her daughter F., and carpenter husband M.: from tatty, worn, weary and shabby to a bright BLUE and CREAMY white, while at the same time vastly improving the look of the wild-flower border

the house got a makeover as well: a glimpse of what has happened over there: a sunny YELLOW, combining beautifully with same blue and cream.....






view of house from studio window, this morning after yoga practice

 






meanwhile: ín the studio further mycelium-related dabblings; all started off at 
a workshop I recently attended together with my co-fungi-aficionados, a glorious day outdoors on the outskirts of lovely Deventer, close to the river Ijssel.
 here a flattish result, consisting of hemp/oyster mushroom-mycelium mix, pressed in direct contact with and between two thick pieces of cardboard, the aim was to try and make paper-like flat surfaces on which I might paint, not quite smooth enough for that, so I printed image below onto transparent paper and pinned that on; holes were drilled for the nuts and bolts to make a kind of sandwich-press: cardboard/mycelium/cardboard and so on, a lot like pressing leaves and such




collection of critters 'praying' in small container
I have noticed dead insects, frogs and tiny toads too by the way, seem to take on a prayer-like stance once dead


 

different type of mushroom used here mixed with sawdust, I used an old lock thingy I found in dad's shed; here I wrapped plastic foil in metal first, to make the loosening easier


a byproduct: the cardboard I used, that hadn't been wrapped in foil became a mycelium base, which I love! the pre-drilled holes were useful for threading it onto an old Lo-Tek lampshade
 





sweet intermezzo




Monday 12 July
Viggo
Django doesn't like him, yet!
the little one is doing his best to convince him otherwise
July 16, quite adorable


this afternoon, August 9 BFF

 












mycelium growing from one river clay boat to the other


these [edible] oyster mushrooms are spore-less, so harmless to work with, or so I'm told; it is a mysterious and strange life-form to us humans that's for sure, but only if you keep on thinking like a human being; try looking at the world from their perspective (which is mighty difficult I know!):

 how would we 'move' foot-less, how would we eat 'mouth-less' how would we create 'hand-less' how would we communicate 'brain-less' how would we make connections.....

many questions here











I have no idea where I'm heading with any of this, I am however enjoying this trip that feels like exploring new worlds

the white roses out back, once they get going, continue to bring joy no matter the weather! we have hardly had a Summer to speak of, a couple of hot days, many more grey, rainy and too cold to my liking....the upside being of course that one can be far more active.....who knows though, we might get to enjoy an Indian Summer on the yellow porch





four mourning birds

wanted to paint Viggo, or so I thought, my hand moved somewhere else, connecting inward......to the pain

finally got round to making ink-wash drawings yesterday, feeling pretty guilty to boot! having been busy with the outdoor-painters (and then redoing stuff ín the home, notice how you notice the shabbiness once something looks nice and new?) clearing out the Big House down south, being entertained by two dogs! mycelium-experiments, helping one son move, driving other son to & fro, moving stuff in general

in short life

one of many toads in the garden;-)

snail & slug nibbling a dead (at least I hope so) worm, not in my garden but on path leading into the woods



may you enjoy life's small wonders wherever you are


Comments

Marti said…
The essence of life, whether it is lived large or small, and for me, it is small these days as we once again adjust to the virus numbers rising here in New Mexico and revert to staying put...

The essence of each day is to find that singular joy and it exists,if you know how to look and sense and see and touch and taste as in this morning, i picked a few basil leaves from my pot out in the patio to put into my scrambled eggs. Weeded a bit and found some sumac branches that had been torn off by the winds so I picked the leaves, added the weeds, took some compost scraps and rolled them all into a cloth that I will let sit and see what "brews!...

AND I come here and find a marvelous summer report filled with ordinary doings that actually are far from ordinary: I have so enjoyed your summer report Saskia: your blue house pulses against your land, rich with color; your yellow porch makes me want to curl up and sit a spell; your continued experiments with mycelium fascinate and i chuckle because when I make cloth bundles with garbage, with leftovers that become compost, I wonder what will be the result and I feel a bit like a mad scientist in my lab of possibilities and I imagine that you must feel the same...?!e I am a mad scientist, not knowing the outcome and so it must feel for you!

Happy news to learn that your family has expanded, a new little puppy to add more joy and discoveries to your days...well this is all such a wonderful event. this is simply how you live a rich life in my book of days.
Mo Crow said…
(((Saskia, love the new colours of your house & studio, wild fungi experiments, mourning birds & the silly joy of introducing a new puppy!
Nancy said…
Saskia~ Love coming here, to your world. The mycelium-experiments are really something (even if I have wiggly thoughts when looking!) The house & studio looks awesome! Isn't it the truth how one thing leads to another when it comes to houses. These white roses - always gorgeous. We've had nothing but heat and hot hot hot summer. Your green world is so lovely, especially when compared to our brown one. Those mourning birds had me seeing a penguin, an elephant and a kangaroo, until I read your words. And the puppy...oh my goodness...just the cutest!!! I can almost smell that puppy breath from here :)
So, so good to see you here. xo
Liz A said…
your house fairly glows with its new coat of paint ... and I was hoping dear little Viggo would make his first appearance after learning there was a new puppy on Instagram ... I can see him in the first two paintings, until he vanishes into the mourning birds ... an apt metaphor for the process of grief if ever I saw one

deemallon said…
This post is so juicy and so “Saskia”! Full of artistry, color, growing things, wonder, and curiosity. Your capacity to follow where your curious mind goes is enviable! The mourning birds speak so clearly. And Viggo! What’s not to love? Glad Django came around. I’ve never lived with two dogs but I understand the elder will train the younger in substantial ways.
Saskia said…
praise be to ordinary doings Marti! I'm always torn between feeling I should want to travel-all-over (never mind ruining the planet) experiencing interesting-exciting-adventerous-things and what I actually DO: potter about in my own backyard for most of the time, where I'm happiest, most of the time;-)
I do not have the patience to grow my own food and dyeing plants like you do, but I do enjoy reading about your successes in those areas
Saskia said…
LOL Nancy, you have such a vivid imagination, the elephant you see is in fact not a bird but a tearful hare, I'd forgotten he was.....and even though they are an expression of my sadness, they bring me joy too
Saskia said…
a young dog Mo is an abundance of joy, plus a lot of frantic moves as he enjoys tearing up Anything he can get his teeth into, including my ankles!
Saskia said…
Life in a nutshell Liz
Saskia said…
Django does teach Viggo Dee, oh it is such a wonder to behold; how Django ever managed to grow up into the lovable, caring being he is with just us humans there to teach him, is a mystery!
had to go slow through all this here, several times and all of it
is so full of Wonder...i love the cardboard lampshade installation

i had put some mulch stuff that came in a large block...bag
and it's decomposition process has been interesting and odd. i used
it on the potatoes...inches of it. and when digging down to search
for potatoes..hands...twice now, they have become extremely itchy...
the "web" between fingers most of all....i don't know if it's a
substance in the mulch or if some kind of unseen little creatures?
I've never had this happen before. do not have sensitive skin.
But much has been going on in there....
mycelium....a whole world to learn
the do over is Elegant
jude said…
the fungus growing on my leaky porch roof has taken on a very sculptural form...
Saskia said…
Grace, I don't know what you have there, all I can say is: if it smells good, it could be mycelium; mine doesn't itch, but I have only experimented with 2 kinds of fungi, there are literally millions out there

what I have noticed is if I add a bit of mycelium to our Green-Waste-container, which at times can stink! it 'eats' the waste and the container smells great again
Saskia said…
LOL Jude, brilliant!

tungsten

tungsten

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