I thought I would share one of my earlier Wisdom Cloaks called Archivist of Small Wonders.
Wisdom Cloak: Archivist of Small Wonders (2020), 54 x 58”, wool, cotton, found objects, hand stitched. (Photo by Kay Westhues)
Spring always calls small wonders to mind as I search the ground for blooming snowdrops, nesting birds and crocus in the lawn. March brings joy in the everyday discoveries of a world awakening again. This piece began with a length of lightweight wool that a friend had given me and I later dyed with a walnut vat I was experimenting with. The color ended up more beige than a rich walnut, but I thought it would make a good backdrop for a collection of stitches and found objects. I used a fabric paint to spray one edge with a reddish brown and backed the piece with an indigo-dyed wool blanket that is peeking out around the edges. This wool sandwich was a delight to hand-stitch. The wisdom of finding wonder in small things, and collecting and celebrating those moments is not lost on me. In our time of pandemic and other upheavals I want to hold fast to that wisdom.
Books I have read:
Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami; Afterlife, by Julia Alvarez; At the Edge of the Haight, by Katherine Seligman; In the Woods, by Tana French.