About a year ago, I saw this scrap of paper in my studio and loved how the inks had merged. I mounted it on 4” x 6” cradled board (shown on left below) so I could hang it on my studio wall. It reminded me of The Divine (shown on right below), a piece I made years ago . . .and of paintings I made 30 years ago.

I’ve been making these pieces that feel too dark to me. I don’t put the collage papers away, though. I keep messing around with them. Annoying.

She tiptoed into my mind and in a timid sort of way said, “I really shouldn’t be talking to you. We’re not supposed to interfere with Earth, but I like you and I thought we could be friends.”

The past two months have flown by. Earlier last month, I gave a talk to a Vancouver fiber arts group that prompted me to look back over the past 40 years of art and writing.

It’s the time of year when tulips take over all reason for me.

I’ve been making a lot of Mottainai Pieces (small pieces made from scraps to honor the idea that “every little thing is precious”). I planned to make one or at most two a day for at least a year. But I go out to my studio and this pile of intriguing and captivating scraps grabs me and within moments, I’ve lost track of time and mission. Three hours later, I have made more pieces than my “allotment”.

I caught a very bad case of Covid in October and spent most of November and December watching the sky from my comfy office chair. Once the worst of the symptoms were over, I started to enjoy the quiet, unscheduled days. The lack of energy kept me resting, doodling, dreaming.

I just finished reading Jacques Pepin’s wonderful memoir, The Apprentice. He is passionate about not wasting food. His approach has inspired me to pay attention to waste not only in my kitchen but also the studio and the rest of my home. It’s been eye opening and habit changing. 

Kelly Joy Ladd started a great program talking to artists about how they work and are inspired. She has done video interviews (now used by some museums to help viewers understand the artistic process) and also posts shorter versions on Instagram.

Oh my gosh – thank you for such wonderful comments both on my work and my book. Heartwarming and uplifting. Thank you.

Since there was so much interest, I thought you might like to see the pieces that are left in each of the series still available for purchase.

It’s been a busy, beneficial year for me. I sold our home almost exactly a year ago and moved to a new home that I’m renting from dear friends. It has a studio that is perfect for painting and the whole place has a great vibe.

Whenever I am unsure of what to do next, I start making small pieces again. They fuel play. Because they are small; there’s no risk.

Nigel Dunnett, a wonderful garden designer, has posted photos on his Instagram account of the naturalistic “wildflower” plantings around the tower of London, called Superbloom. I drink in those photos and they fill me with joy.

I’m back from my two-week trip to southern France. I caught a bad cold the day I landed, and it’s left me in this quiet space of not much doing and a lot of time to reflect.

In January of 2023, each week I began to make nine small pieces and arrange them in grid form. I tore up old, failed pieces and gathered other bits. I incorporated handmade porcelain trinkets reminiscent of my years working with clay.

Lately, I love to work in a series.  I am making small pieces again and each one seems to lead to the next. As I assemble a group of small pieces, they gain strength.  One seems to inform the other.

I see it in my work. It’s so different from past work. No stitch. The underlying Japanese washi paper was soaked and nibbled away in the tidelands of Puget Sound. The layers of organza were burned and dipped in beeswax. This is all new for me.

I have known for a long time that I am intuitive artist. My hands usually know more than my mind. My heart must be fully engaged in what I am making. If I think too much, plan too much, the feeling that is brought to a piece dissipates. Often, it is only after the piece, or the series is done that I understand what was trying to come to light.

“Do materials or ideas inspire you?” asked Angela Truscott, the wonderful owner of the Australian Fibre Arts Take Two, during a recent interview.

I have just added about 40 new pieces to my art shop! https://www.robertawagner.com/art If you would like to send one to someone for the holidays, I’d be happy to wrap it and send it to them directly.