a doctor's visit ...contact dermititis... poor Maya

 My work continues to unfold ...sacred marks ...sacred stitches meander and reveal silent dialogues...revelations from the process... of being still in the moment and allowing the muse to guide my hands....

 The small buttons are mother or pearl and add reflected light ...the natural elements and glass beads find a home on the fabrics....

 Cotton flosses and velvet silk flowers...possibilities ...the soft flow of different dyes  in the cotton strands allows for a painterly quality too become visible when stitched on top of my hand dyed fabrics...

Beautiful rayon flosses have a shimmer when stitched but are very slippery so I need to require a slow steady pace in my needle work....










Today this morning I picked up Maya Rose from her classes to take her to the pediatrician Dr. McDonald, to have her look at the incredible itchy rash on her hands...up her arms... and now moving up her neck to her face.  You may all remember how painful 7th grade can be...now add the embarrassment of other girls making catty remarks to her face.  We dropped off the prescription and then went to find Dove soap, Aveeno sensitive skin body wash, hand cream, Eucerin and Aquafor moisturizing cream.  We then came home and made a fresh spinach salad with apples, blueberries, sunflower seeds, walnuts, shredded cheese and topped with raspberry dressing.  I made a big pot of herbal tea...and we used honey and lemon slices ...to calm our day's events and casually talk about  the tools Maya could employ when making decisions in junior high ...and recognizing she is only responsible for her choices and actions.  I hope this quiet time allowed her to re-think her first responses and how she could check her own attitude.

Tonight... Ken drove me over to John and Myles house to make the final selection of Lisa's Cape Cod photos and her details and journey prove to be very interesting in contrast to my works in soft fabrics.  John is going to have 8 chosen images printed onto aluminum...a very sharp edged and contemporary presentation of her photography.  We spent 90 minutes ...evaluating...using photo shop techniques to see how they will present themselves in black and white. Tomorrow I will call and meet with  Lynn and we will discuss the time needed for the actual installations.  I am working hard to honor my friend's dear spirit...her shining light from within...and revelations for the viewers to come and rest upon.  Little Myles was waiting patiently for Dad to work with him on Math...and Iggy and Flea are home with the family.  These two rascals are Lisa's rescues from our safe animal shelter and the Humane Society.  I am grateful to have Ken with me... his strength and perspective strengthens my focus and determination to complete this task without my Lisa.

Now I need to get back to work....thank you all for your loving support.  I am back in the studio tomorrow.  Imagine and Live in Peace,  Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart