letter from Australia,

dear friends,

i am flat out and mostly unconnected

but loving my classes and students here.

the first week i settled in 

at Anne Newton’s eagle’s eyrie

and set to making pulp with 

anne and Barb Adams in preparation for

the papermaking masterclass at grampians texture.

then i traveled to Geelong to stay with Wendy Warren, 

teaching shifu at Mary-Jane Walker’s School of Lost Arts,

a lovely historic house in Geelong.

off to Cape Otway to see

and hear the song of the great southern sea

and respite in the bush.

there, i saw wallaby, panda, and so many birds…

as well as resting and thinking and making some lovely prints.

a one day TAFE class, similar to American extension or adult ed classes,

only organized with a certificate program

where 15 of us ages 15 to older than me

made shifu all day long.

back on the train to Melbourne

helped by three at risk teens who were lovely, charming, and full of stories

who told me about their journeys through 

the labyrinth of teen years.

and now i am at the Grampians Texture 

teaching a 6 day master class.

more news to come, but we are in day three today.

whirlwind and no internet when i have time to write,

but here are some photos:

i will try to add captions later, promise!