Fabrications Retreat - Kerr Grabowski's class "Deconstructed Screen Printing"

First off, this is an extremely picture heavy post. I tried cutting down on it but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So you are warned, I apologize if I just strangled your dial-up connection...

Like I promised, I'm keeping on with the posts about the happenings at the Fabrications Retreat. I'm starting off with the class I was in. I took Kerr Grabowski's Deconstructed Screen Printing and this is definitely something that I am going to keep up with, I'm way hooked on it.

Kerr doing a demo

My work has been turning more toward surface design over the past year or so. I'm not sure why the shift happened but I decided to roll with it and thought Kerr's class would help me figure out if I really loved it or if it was a passing fancy. I think its love...

Here are some of the fabrics that I printed:

This one will get more layers once its washed out.

Same fabric from above but at a different angle.

This sort of looks out of control but its not. It was really wet when I shot it so I'm really interested to see how it looks once I wash it out.

I don't think I'm going to cut this one up, it wants to be a whole piece.

I printed 14 half yard pieces all together (11 are shown above) so that's a good 7 yards to work with. At the rate I work and scale I prefer, that will keep me busy for an insane amount of time. Although I think I'm going to keep printing fabric. Hopefully I'll be able to get to some more of it in the next few weeks.

And I wasn't the only one who dove into it and was quite pleased to be covered from head to toe in dye. Check it out:

Jan and Linda

Jan was working in an awesome palette of blues and purples.



Linda's colors were really saturated and rich.

Von printed several cool pieces, with lots of layers.

Teri printed many fantastic pieces, one of which she generously shared a
piece with me. This tone on tone piece had really nice depth to it.

Janice hard at work and having fun.

Margot worked in paler tones and made very delicate prints.

Peg did a lot of printing on sheers that created some really cool depth to the fabric.

Pat and Patrice working away

Patrice pulled this print on paper, totally drool-worthy.

A small fraction of the work that the class produced. By the end of the week the whole room had fabric pinned up all around it.

I loved Kerr's class. I'm a pretty independent student and her teaching style was really conducive to that. She's easy going, full of knowledge and while she teaches you things, she leaves you enough room to absorb it into your own style. I highly recommend a class with her.

I've got three more posts planned, one for Laura and Lyric's class as well as the swag I scored during the marketplace and shop hop. They'll be along soon.

a different kind of view

Okay, so I'm constantly taunted by my friends that I don't show up in any pictures. I'm one of those people that dart out of the way like a gun is being pointed at me as soon as I see a camera come into view.

And when I protest that I take pictures of myself and post them on the blog every week, I'm promptly informed that my feet don't count. (Although when I was looking at them all in one group I realized that I need new shoes. Why didn't any of you tell me?)

So in honor of my 34th birthday, I thought I would take a self portrait and prove that I am indeed real - which proved to be more difficult then I thought.

First I started with the camera which resulted in me mostly taking pictures of my nostrils and while I think I have a fairly decent looking nose, no one wants to look at that. So I decided to give Photo Booth on my Macbook a try. I don't use it often, how hard can it be?

The proof is the photo up above. Obviously this thing requires some kind of skill that I don't possess. Couple that with the blaring alarm countdown noise it makes when its getting ready to take the picture (which caused Dooley to jolt upright from a sound snore and launch himself off the sofa in preparation for the armageddon he was sure was approaching) and the picture above was the best I could do.

I also don't really understand the faux flash it adds. Hence the odd angle of me staring down. Couldn't see my eyeballs otherwise.

Ah well, best of intentions and all that. It was a quiet birthday, just the way I like it. Dooley is cuddling next to me and had a quite pleasant day. I'm hoping its setting the mood for the rest of this year. Maybe by the time I turn 35 I'll figure out how to take a better picture of myself...

Fabrications Retreat - Blurred Boundaries exhibit

Full view of the exhibit space

Blurred Boundaries made its debut run at the Fabrications Retreat this year. The exhibit, juried by Virginia Spiegel and curated by myself, featured artwork that explored the mixed media side of fiber art. We had artwork from all across the United States and the show was varied and exciting.

The show was set up in the common area, allowing it to be seen constantly throughout the week. In addition to retreat attendees as an audience, many people made a special trip out to experience it.

Throughout the week, viewers were asked to vote for the piece in the show that was their favorite. The winner receives a $100 People's Choice Award. The artwork with the most votes was Sidney Savage Inch's piece, My Muse: I Must Wait While She Grows:

Congratulations Sidney!

Several pieces from the show sold and there was a constant stream of inquires about the artists and compliments about the work. It was a real honor to curate this show and get to work with all these wonderful artists. The show will run again next year and we have some exciting additions to it. More prizes will be offered and the show will be open to international participants as well.

Many thanks to Cathy Arnett for the opportunity to put the show together, to Virginia Spiegel for her time as juror and to all the artists for sharing their artwork.

There is a catalog available for this year and as soon as it is ready for sale, it will be announced here. Until then, please enjoy the photos of the installation and we hope to see you all again next year!

from left to right:
Blue Ice by Linda Bachman
Closer by Wen Redmond
Moon Muse by Debra Shaffer
Fairytale Forest by Kristin LaFlamme
May by Clairan Ferrono
My Muse: I Must Wait While She Grows by Sidney Savage Inch
Three Weird Sisters by Wen Redmond
Pink Fish by Betty Busby

from left to right:
Frog Fish by Betty Busby
April by Clairan Ferrono
Waiting by Terri Stegmiller
Ocean's Roar by Wen Redmond
Imprint II by Nancy Kimpel
Making My Own Quilt I by Anne Hiemstra
Fish Lips by Betty Busby
Body Lore 3 by Kari Souders

Coral Sands by Jacquie Stone

from left to right:
Crop Circles by Lynn Krawczyk
Roundabout Journey by Irene Peake
Playing with Fire by Sally Richards

from left to right:
He's Left the Building by Marjorie DeQuincy
Marrakesh Espresso by Anne French & Nancy Beeman

from left to right:
Pueblo I by Anne Hiemstra
Pink House by Kristin LaFlamme
Fabric Books by Laura Cater-Woods

from left to right:
Recyled Remnants-Worn Pink by Rebekah Meier
My Muse Box by Jacqueline Lams
Reeds by Elizabeth Fife
Human Nature 7 by Virginia Spiegel
Negative Tensions by Mary Nelson Zadrozny

Where I Stand Sunday

The thickened dye slides aroung the edges of my fingers, pooling and stretching its mild acid scent into the fabric. The white surface is blotted out, replaced by a new face, a new purpose. My mind lingers on the feel of the screen in my left hand and the twist of my right hand as I pull the dye along the mesh. It is a meditation I crave, that I long to hold onto.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

in a nutshell...

The photo above is brought to you by five days of me sticking my hands in thickened dye paste (and my stubbornness about not wanting to wear gloves. Cathy assured me one day at lunch that I would not perish from doing this so I touched her sandwich to make sure she wasn't lying. She proceeded to eat it so I'm pretty sure she's telling the truth).

The lovely hand drawing was done by a mischievous Anne Hiemstra, who is quiet and sweet and reserved but did not even hesitate to whip out her pen from her purse when she saw the state of my hand. I think she may need to be watched...notice the skull on the middle finger...

I've been laying on the sofa picking through the 500 (yes, that number is correct, Cathy turned into a picture taking maniac) photos I just downloaded from my camera. I plan to show you everything but over several posts. Could take me a while to work through it all. (Don't worry, I won't force your eyes to glaze over by showing you every single detail of every single second so don't look at me in such a tone.)

Now that I'm home, I'm looking at all the things I need to get done over the next two weeks and its making me a little dizzy. So we'll get it all covered but I think it will be split up a bit because I'm a bit twitchy that I may go over the edge with the amount of things I need to do. First on the list is unpacking the fifteen billion packages (ok, that may be a slight exaggeration) in my foyer. My plan to take tomorrow to lay on the sofa and drool while I catch up on my TV shows from last week may not be plausible...*sigh*

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Blurred Boundaries exhibit from Fabrications. I'd do it tonight but Dooley is laying on the sofa next to me snoring softly and I'm thinking he has the right idea so I'm heading off to sleepy town. See you in the morning.

taking a breath

Fabrications is in full mad swing...fabric and thickened dyes are flying everywhere and all you hear are squeals in the hallways as women spontaneously explode into inappropriate loudness (which we love).

The Raddison is treating us like we are goddesses (which we also love) and the sports bar is even willing to let us commandeer a room tomorrow night so we can watch Project Runway and do shots every time Tim Gunn says "Make It Work" (they obviously don't know what they've gotten themselves into, I will be bringing the camera).

I have much to show you (last count was that there are over 200 photos on the camera, Cathy has squirrled it away, I may never get it back) but there are seven reasons this post is going to not have any of those photos:

1) I'm exhausted.

2) Cathy is exhausted.

3) The cable for my camera is downstairs, a full five floors below us. Which feels like a tremendously long and annoying journey for the two reasons listed above.

4) Cathy is currently practicing guitar for a wedding she is playing at and its like my own personal concert that I don't want to disturb.

5) I'm exhausted.

6) My fingers are covered in so much dye that its hard to tell if they will ever return to their normal color. (This has nothing to do with the lack of pictures, just felt like telling ya...)

7) Mostly because I'm exhausted.

I have enough material to feed the blog for a few weeks and have every intention of doing so. This task will be made easier by the fact that Cathy runs from room to room like a maniac taking pictures of everyone. So once she finally digs out the cable, we should be good. Tonight we are ordering room service and watching Lord of the Rings (yes we are geeks, shoosh.)

Carry on, I'll be back soon....

Where I Stand Sunday

Its a slow steady pull, the warm scrape of the needles as they pass over one another in their work. The room is dim, quiet and secluded, far from everything that has dominated all my thoughts for the past few months. My mind reaches out greedily for the peace it offers, working to fill in the open spaces that are aching with worry and fatigue.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

vacation knitting?

Ok, my list of things to pack is starting to rival an epic novel. Since Fabrications runs for five days this year and I'm going up a day early and staying a day later, that means it stands to reason that I'll have some down time in there.

I've been missing my knitting in a crazy kind of way but I don't want to work on anything super complicated. I'm taking my Noro scarf (that yes is still not done, don't look at me in such a tone) but have the itch to cast on ten new projects all at the same time...

Any suggestions?

it might be boring, but its allll mine...

Work has pretty well sucked my soul out so that's why the blog has been dim for a while now. I have five more days to endure and then I get to flee to the Fabrications Retreat where I shall make art and laugh stupidly and act like a woman who has not a care in the world.

There has been no art making to speak of nearly a month now. Its left me wound fairly tight. I've been so tired that even picking up the knitting needles feels like a gargantuan task that I just can't face. So five days of imposed art making is just what I need to snap myself back from the insanity I've been submerged in.

My weekend was slightly more productive this week because I didn't work yesterday, which means I got to rest a bit today and now feel slightly human. So here's a little random of the (boring) things I've done:


1) Dooley got groomed. He was quite wooley. When he laid on the sofa next to me the evening before we took him in for his hair-do (we love to taunt him and say "Doo is getting a do!" Yes, we are that simple...), I was making little mohawks out of the fur on his tummy. It was clearly time. Here he demonstrates his intense appreciation for his cookies.



2) I soda ash soaked fifteen yards of fabric in preparation for Kerr's class at Fabrications. I'm either insanely optimistic, completely out of touch or have just jinxed myself into a huge creative block by planning on bringing this much fabric. It remains to be seen. All I do know is that it will be a 100% guarantee that I will get into a frantic creative groove if I only bring a few yards. I don't think my classmates would appreciate me stripping off my clothing so I could print on them so consider it a public service that I'm bringing too much fabric.



3) I cleaned out my car. You may consider this mundane and unimportant but you have no idea what a big feat this is. For some reason, I feel the need to take various things for rides with me all over the place. Perhaps its so I don't feel quite so alone on the 2+ hours a day of commuting I have to do. It was like an archageolcial dig pulling everything out.

I have a Chevy HHR, which is a kick ass vehicle for hauling lots of stuff. They don't look like they can hold a crazy amount of things but I'm fairly confident I could squeeze a llama, a sheep and a couple mountain goats in there all at the same time. Which is good because next saturday it will be hauling an exhibit and two people with class supplies and enough things to keep them occupied for a week during the retreat. I love Kate and don't want to have to strap her to the roof for the ride up so I figured I should clean out my car.




4)
I'm enjoying the cold wet weather. I love it. I hate summer (perhaps I am part vampire) so the fact that it is cool and damp and overcast suits me just fine.

I have a foyer full of artwork to unpack for this year's Breaking Traditions exhibit. I plan to chip away at that this evening but I'm thinking its unlikely I'll get through it before I leave for Fabrications. If my work schedule keeps going the way it has for the past month, I'm doomed to another week of coming home at 8 or 9 at night.

If the week is quiet again, know that I plan to drag you along with me to the retreat. A full week of craziness will be perfect blog food.

Where I Stand Sunday

Perspective skews even the most common things. Stand a little taller, straighten your back to its limit, lean far enough forward to look over the edge and you’ll begin to see things in a different light. My mind steps lightly around the edges of what it would be like to be smaller, to see things from a different level. If I move too quickly, I may disturb it, may shake loose its magic.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

1,000 stitches & breaking traditions

1,000 Stitches
Lynn Krawczyk

Oh hey, guess what? I remember my password for logging into Blogger. Was a bit worried there since it seems like I never make my way over here anymore. Know that I am not pleased about that (I dream about the blog and my neglect of it) and am planning to get back to blogging.

I was really thrilled when I was going through my email and saw a post on the Quiltart list from Dawn Goldsmith over on Subversive Stitchers giving kudos to my little quilt shown above. 1,000 Stitchers was made for last year's Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit.

Oh, and be sure to check out the darling dog she posted alongside her mention of this year's exhibit. Many thanks Dawn!

Where I Stand Sunday

It is a side of me that has been place in reservation for the moment. No time, no energy, no pull can drag me from the restraints of my current life back into the shelter of this place. My Muse stirs inside me, angry and sullen, pushing hard against me, asking me for things that I cannot give. A countdown has begun to the time when everything will shift hard, a time when I will seek solace from Her.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

random me this

1) To my fellow bloggers on the other side of the country, you are far too generous. We are sweltering in the triple digits (which I don't think should happen unless you live near a desert) with smothering humidity. You really could have kept this nasty weather to yourselves, really, we wouldn't have minded.

2) Dooley demonstrated tonight that there is no length he won't go to to obtain pizza crust. Even if it includes hopping up onto the sofa, climbing onto the end table and attempting to swipe said crust off the plate. Luckily his sister has quick reflexes - maybe not for him but it certainly saved me from chasing him across the house to get it back.

3) While sitting on the floor today sorting and unpacking artwork for exhibits, a centipede approximately three miles long and the color of red warpaint ran straight at me and attempted to rip my throat out. Luckily, the stapler was sitting next to me and my foe was easily crushed with three swift blows (it took three due to the carpet, the little bugger bounced back the first two times). Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to where I grabbed my weapon and I discovered that staplers do not discriminate between stapling paper or fingers. It is happy to do either.

4) I watched the movie The Reader today and was pleasantly surprised that it did not trash the book. Kate Winslet was quite good in it.

5) Today I washed fifteen yards of fabric in anticipation of my class with Kerr Grabowski at Fabrications. Its only three weeks away. I'm totally beside myself with glee and can't wait to flee from work.

6) If you could start your entire work career over with, what would you choose now that you know everything that you know?

7) Regis Philbin freaks me out.

8) I think this is a stellar idea and once I have my brain back to myself, I may give it a shot.

9) I know it sucks for kids (and teachers) that school is approaching quickly but I have a sick addiction to office supplies and the beginning of school produces the most innovative kinds. Is it wrong that I like to wander the aisles of Office Max this time of year just for fun?

That's all I've got. Sorry for the spotty blog posting. Work is off the hook at the moment but it will calm down in a few weeks. Thanks for hanging in there with me...

Where I Stand Sunday

Choosing a new life is not so much about making plans but more about taking a step off the ledge without hesitation. My future stretches out in long wobbly lines ahead of me, unclear, bursting with options. The ends of my nerves are raw and exposed, worn through with the upheaval of it all. All that remains now is finding the strength to move forward, to step onto the tracks and let fate pull me to where I need to be.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

contentment is...

...homemade chicken soup and cranberry orange scones...

...a freshly bathed westie that smells like johnson baby shampoo...

...knitting...

There's been a shift in they way I'm approaching things for the next few months. My schedule is packed down to the second so I'm removing the pressure to produce artwork (beyond knitting) and writing.

My mind is too full to think of anything beyond what needs to be done in the immediate moment and now that I've decided to just let things be for the next eight or so weeks, life feels a little less difficult. Everything that is on my plate is totally doable, just need to not freak out at the sheer volume of it. (Heh, remind me I said that when I exit my current zen state of mind...)

Dooley was not pleased when he saw that I was uploading his wet bath photo. (You can make those bigger by clicking on it.) His bathtub is the laundry room sink - yet another reason why I enjoy having a small doggie.

So I'll be around and still blogging but I am pretty confident that there won't be a lot of new artwork from me for a little bit. Fabrications is in roughly four weeks and there is much to do to get ready for my class with Kerr Grabowski and to get Blurred Boundaries in order. But its the light at the end of the tunnel - bring it on!

Where I Stand Sunday

The skew of the first three steps reflects the constant struggle, narrow on one end and opening into a large sigh on the opposite side. Its how most new endeavors begin, full of tension and uncertainty before exploding into its full potential. The even rhythm below hammers out the execution and sees it through to the end.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

hobby or lifestyle?

So I was flipping through my calendar for this month and September and noticing something very distinct...you can split my activities neatly into two things: (1) work and (2) fiber art.

Seems that's pretty much all I do.

I'm not complaining about number 2 in the least but its definitely moved far beyond hobby for me. Why else would I get up at 7am on a saturday morning so I could head out to a library to hang an exhibit?

I met Kat and Carol there (who are absolute saints that I worship for all their help in getting this done) and we put up the 2008 Breaking Traditions exhibit. Its on display the month of August at the Saline District Library and looks just beautiful there. Here is one shot:

You can see many more on the exhibit's blog.

After that I toddled off to do the mundane living type tasks (groceries, laundry, banking, blah) and came home to this:

This is week 2 of deliveries for exhibits. Doesn't look as bad as week 1 you say? Well, I took the picture after removing nine priority mail boxes from the shot (I'm not kidding). I unpacked those tonight and will tackle these tomorrow. Lots of good stuff coming in.

One of the boxes contained this:


This lovely yarn will hopefully transform itself into this at some point. Although I hear tell that means I have to actually knit it and not just daydream about it in order for it to actually happen. I need to educate myself a bit more about adjusting (and deciphering, for that matter) the pattern so it fits me in the end. If I knit the one that fits my bust it won't fit my butt. And if I knit the one that fits my butt I'll have to stuff my bra. So obviously I need to spend some more time on that one.

I really like this pattern. So I'm determined to figure it out...(ignore the sobbing if it should get to that point)...

I chased Dooley around with my camera today making a little movie of him. Just to demonstrate how hard it is to get him to stick around it but I don't think I did it right because nothing downloaded when I plugged the camera into my laptop. Maybe its for the best...he started licking my toes and I squealed like a little girl so you probably wouldn't want to see that anyway. I'll try again later..

Tomorrow is more living type tasks (paying bills, cooking, washing Dooley dog (if I can catch him), blah) but I am determined at some point to sit down and watch this:

I splurged for the two disc set - one is the 3D version and one is the 2D version. I couldn't resist watching the little Russian mice circus in 3D again, LOVE this movie.

Oh what can I say? I feel like a total dud lately, been working way too many hours. The balance is way skewed toward the work portion of my life. But I'd prefer it to be more in the fiber. That'll change soon since Fabrications is coming up. I'm counting the days until I can submerge myself in nothing but art and not have to think about calculating clearances for rotating parts.

For a whole week.

And I get fed.

And the hotel cleans my room everyday.

How can you beat that?

So now I'm going to go meld into the sofa and stare at the TV. I've been into the X Files lately, picked up the first three season (they were on sale at Best Buy). They make me laugh a little because David Duchovny looks like he's twelve and the special effects are the worst but it still manages to creep me out. So I guess its effective. Must go watch more, good idea before going to bed, right?

brought to you by the letter "o"

"O" stands for "organization".

"O" stands for "overdrive".

"O" stands for (according to my mom) "Oh my gosh, what are all those boxes???"



What? Your foyer doesn't look like this after a week's worth of mail?

Lots of deliveries came in this week. They can be split into four categories: (1) work for the Blurred Boundaries exhibit showing at Fabrications, (2) door prizes for Fabrications (3) work for the Breaking Traditions exhibit showing at the American Sewing Expo and (4) retail therapy.

I'm really excited about the Blurred Boundaries (well, I'm always excited for exhibits, that's nothing unusual). I've met several new-to-me artists through it and its so exciting to see the work in person. (I have an artwork storage system all set up, it gets segregated from the rest of the house and is all snafe and snug.)

The laundry basket has the door prizes in it. I'm so drooling over the donation from Briar Rose Fibers, she's one of my favorite dealers. There's lots of good stuff (all generous donations by the way) in that basket - yarn & patterns from Briar Rose Fibers, books and angelina fibers from Embellishment Village, "Digital Essentials" book by Gloria Hansen, Sophie's Toes sock yarn from Emily Parson, Mistyfuse product from Iris Karp, and mixed media collages from Eyembellishments. I'll bag them all up into pretty bags before they get whisked off to the retreat. In the meantime its nice to pet them all.

The deadline for Breaking Traditions is also coming up soon and the work is beginning to come in on a regular basis now.


The quilt there you see on top is from Kristin La Flamme. Awesome, yes? This year's exhibit benefits A Place to Bark. Here's a cool video showing some of the animals that Bernie rescued during a puppy mill raid (all the wagging tails and excited faces is a good indication of how much the doggies dig her):





There's still time to get in on the action (every quilt is shown and there are chances to win tons of prizes), go here for the guidelines.

I also spent some time unpacking the things that I ordered while practicing retail therapy. (Things have been stressful, it tends to happen.) Here is my latest art acquisition:


This is "Moon Rider Bird" from Cart Before the Horse. Jo, the doll artist part of the Cart, is one of my all time favorite doll artists. I purchased one of her skeleton dolls a couple years back and have been stalking her work ever since. When this one went up for auction, I did one of those little gaspy noises and knew I was going to bid on it. Dooley and I celebrated when we won it. Its sitting on top of the TV and I think it looks good against the stone background so I'm going to leave it there.

So now that all the boxes are unpacked and everything is sorted, its time to deal with the paperwork end of all of it. (Please take notice of my faithful servant. He also helped me unpack everything by laying on my feet and making sure that I had to watch where I stepped so I didn't squish him.)


I have a lot of paper to put in binders but for some sick reason, I find this thrilling. Only second to going to office max and going through all their binders and folders. It gives me a sick thrill to be amongst all those office supplies.

So that's been my day so far. Its actually relaxing for me. I plan to work on my little quilt for Breaking Traditions today, lots of embroidery planned for that one and just generally relax a little bit. I've been sucked into an overtime schedule at work and its left very little time for anything else.

But one does what one can and in the end it'll all get done. (Can you tell I've been repeating that to myself over and over again? I think its starting to take over my brain...)

Where I Stand Sunday

The signs and fliers create a subliminal backdrop as I walk past storefronts, reminding me of the years I moved amongst their ranks. Part of me still lies there, in that space where so many people moved past me, where so many relationships found their start in a common purpose. I suspect each store absorbed in the 3/50 project has a similar tale woven into their foundations, a beginning that seeks to swell with the hope only the future can offer.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)