Jude Siegel's Show

Before I got sick, I was taking a Nature Journalling course (drawing and watercolor) with this wonderfully imaginative, open-hearted, wise woman. Today she had her annual show in her own studio, and I dragged myself out of bed, hefted the camera bag over my shoulder, and drove through the rain and murk to the warm, fragrant, vibrant studio where she had posted her work on all the walls, with little hand-written placards detailing the circumstances of each piece's creation.

I loved every moment of being there, even though most of the time I had to sit in a chair because I didn't have the energy to stand.

When I asked Jude if I could take some pictures she said enthusiastically YES!, but when I moved in for a portrait she murmured rather apologetically, "I'm not photogenic." I said it depends what you mean by photogenic. I think photogenic means letting your heart show.

Much as I love this picture of Jude with her work in the background, and much as it tells the story of the event that I got out of bed for, it's actually my third-favorite of the day. The two that reveal most about who she is are the top of her stove, where she has the Virgen de Guadalupe in a bowl of rose petals, standing in front of a watercolor of some chickens; and the basket of wool. She spins and dyes, and she used walnut leaves to dye this batch. It looks to me like light in autumn, soft as angels. The whole set is here.

And now back to bed, with hopes I can get out for one more event this evening.