We are experiencing an extraordinary spell of weather in the PNW as are many areas of America this winter.Happily I have a new creative space at the top of the house which enable me to collage and write.

The weather is such that I don’t know when I will be able to send snail mail but participating in Februllage, hosted by Scandinavian collage museum and Edinburgh collage collective, a collage challenge with daily activity word prompts keeps me creatively stimulated.The range of techniques and skill of the artists is a great motivation.Posts on Instagram means I’m still learning new skills and connecting with people all over the global.

I am really pleased to have been invited to return to teaching Make Your Mark in the Spring term for Kirkland Art Center and to teach a workshop on making the small journal on the previous post by my mentor.

I’ll be traveling extensively over the next six months months between teaching commitments and hope to make art as I travel with new connections.I’ll also be hosting collaborative days at my home studio during May and early June as my husband will be traveling to Tibet with Art Wolfe on a photographic sabbatical.

For now here is the snowy view from my new spot.Pop on the sound to hear the birdsong.

I undertook my Master Naturalist training and although I do not formally practice within this group I enjoy their FB group for my alternate FB page –  yes I like many have two or more pages.

This awesome link was shared by another member.Hilary this will work for all of my friends involved in teaching especially differently enabled students like myself.

Docent family  may also like to try this technique.It made me realize I should be keeping a Docent Journal to share with colleagues and keep my memories fresh ahead of my evaluation in May.

Sounds strange to some but winter can be a real challenge.

I’ve found since moving to the States that my winter blues are really helped by two things.The Kidsquest evening and helping to build a display garden for the Arboretum Foundation at the PNWGFS in downtown Seattle.Today I made contact with the new staff and will again be volunteering with the build and take-down.This years theme will be 100 years of the National Parks Service in the US- I’m promised moss will be involved.

I finally finished a sample piece for the Kidsquest event.These pieces seem so child like but actually enable me to talk about perspective,composition,the wildlife and landscape,as well as teaching sewing and in this case wiring techniques.

I am a twitcher.For those of you that don’t understand I’ll explain.

I love birds because they survive and adapt to their environment.On rare occasions we may be privileged to share a moment in time with them.

This was my weekend sharing captured by my very talented hubby.