Piece by piece ... community cloth comes together

Piecing the community cloth from this year's Open Studio has been a both exciting and humbling - that so many people were prepared to contribute a little bit of themselves to the project makes me smile on the inside. It was interesting to watch - as with all groups, some were so keen they didn't worry about instructions and simply dived into the mark making experience. Others sought really specific guidance while some looked on from the sidelines - laying claim to not being possessed of a drop of creative juice. For some, we offered to do a print if they would simply like to put a name or initials on a square of cloth. We encouraged people to use stamps and prints made by those who had printed before, so there is repetition of some prints. Other stamps have been changed, added to or otherwise repurposed. Some people got carried away and made many, beautiful impressions - and these were shared with those who were not able to make a print. Some even asked to take their piece home with them - so we requested a second print - one for us to keep for the cloth.  In all the busy-ness and frantic moments, jostling around the table, rollers, brayers and spoonfuls of paint everywhere - it is fascinating to observe the sometimes  unobservable - everyone getting back to a state of playfulness and abandonment. It makes me smile on the inside.