I now have an unimpeded view. And just to celebrate, nature launched one of its finest: a day of non-stop snow with gale winds. Spectacular. A blank canvas.

I recall when I used to be so afraid of the blank canvas. Just putting some paint on, no matter how or why, would help me feel better, like I’d jumped in somehow. But now, I’m more curious than fearful. I know that whatever idea I have going in is really just the starting point. And it will go somewhere or not. But it will at least be on the way to my next deep involvement, my next immersion.

So what’s next? I’ve jotted down a number of ideas, they keep changing. But, as Joan Didion says: make a note…”when something comes to mind…(It can make the difference between being able to write and not being able to write”. (I found this sweet quote in the music section of the Sunday NYT!)

In the mindset of doodling, in the last few days, I had put some squares on a piece of cloth – playing with color and placement, being goofy. To hold them in place, I used scotch tape. Both Nika and Rhonda loved how the tape affected the color wherever it crossed. I can’t leave the tape, sadly: it separates and ages fast. But that is what organza can do: it’s a translucent fabric. It has the added benefit of color: I can dye it to make that interaction even more or less intense.

Therefore, today, I spent the day doing the soy-milk preparation of my organza: I soaked the beans last night, ground them today and made the soymilk that I then used to coat the fabric. The fabric will be ready to dye tomorrow.

So, let the snow cover everything. Blank canvas outside. Inside, I’m getting close to more color – splashing the blank canvas/fabric.

The beginning… (dun-da-dun)…