Several older small Beetle People have joined my two new Beetles in the House . My two recently made tiny beetles have returned to the house, and they brought several friends. I have eleven tiny beetle people in the house, now permanently affixed to my shower wall. They seem fairly happy to be there.

Look at the first photo to see a strictly unnecessary decorative beetle track. I placed this above the niche used for shampoo and soap so it will mostly be high and dry out of the primary shower area. Eight beetles, all less than 1.5 inches, enjoy this curving branched track. I do not want the beetles to collect water and grow mildew. I won’t be cleaning tiny beetles all the time!

As of today there are three new beetles in the house. Perhaps they multiply on their own!

The three latest beetles follow a long repair track above the built-in seating bench so these will also be out of the normal shower spray area. I think these will be the final additions. The two beetles created from extra repair material have brought enough friends to the house.

Afterwards I decided to sign my work, since I am both the artist and the repair person. It seems good to give myself the credit. And I did this most properly, by using the same sculptural “clay” material I used for the repairs. In order to sign the repair I placed a single “S” at the end of the three beetle track. I formed the “S” with a handy seal designed for use with sealing wax. Remember sealing wax, anyone?

Every walk is an art walk for me, for some years now, but it is wonderful to take an art walk at the beach! Here are a sampling of my photos and artistic manipulations from my most recent beach walk.

In springtime photos shine: reflecting sunlight, holding the rain, or just shining with the color of new growth. Who can resist this? And I cannot resist adding more shine. I return home to tweak, crop, adjust and I hope enhance many of my photos. Of course I am photo mad any time of year, but it is springtime now and the sunshine is so much brighter! The birdsong coaxes me out for longer walks, and there is more to see and photograph.

Above are just a few photos taken in the woods, some enhanced, others not so much. But the opportunities for shine and color are everywhere! Most of my walks are close to home, in the surrounding neighborhoods, but I find new things to catch my eye every day, on every walk. And If I venture downtown, or to the boatyard, the opportunities are boundless.

Digital alterations sometimes make those springtime photos shine more, or sometimes just distract from the original beauty. The viewer must be the judge. I am not sure about the emerald sky, but there it is. And springtime greenery can turn to violent violet purple with one of my favorite digital alterations. I spend far to long “fixing” the digital shine I want to have enhance my photos, rather than overwhelm them.

Yes, oh! Phone cameras are such a radical shift for the casual photographer. So many possible photos at every step… how can I walk fast enough to get any exercise? And how can deal with all those photos, when I take six just to make sure there are one or two in focus? Stop! Move more slowly: no, not walk more slowly, just stop walking, focus, and take only two photos! Or put that phone in your pocket and walk briskly on by a few fabulous photo opportunities!

Oh! phone cameras make it just to easy: always there a click away! Of course I really love it, yes I love taking photos as a walk around town finding amazing large or tiny scenes.

Community is something many of us do not get enough of these days, due to all the risks and fears and restrictions of the Covid pandemic. And most artists do benefit from some community with other artists, not just friends and family.

I have lacked this sense of community most of my life. Prior to the pandemic, I had some small sense of an arts community for many years, but this was limited. A small group of friends met weekly to make art. Most of the group did not share my dedication to almost daily art. Rather they enjoyed a more limited commitment, and worked primarily during our two hour weekly meetings. So our sessions were social and the friendship was wonderful, but was not quite satisfying as community with other artists. And our weekly sessions were suspended in 2020.

I suppose that making, of one sort or another, has become something of a passion for me, even when I do not exhibit my work. Some pieces hang in my home & studio, some are gifted, some are simply stored! I do find it hard to use the word “passion” about myself. Like many “Brits”, I was not brought up to acknowledge any passions in a serious way :-)! But my immersion in making is real, and important to me.

Like many artists, I enjoy working alone. I am an introvert, but … introverts still want friends and community. We just need time alone as well, maybe a lot of time alone! But I absolutely enjoy sharing time and conversation with other like minded artists or with supportive members of the arts community. One good reason to show art is to generate contact with others with an interest in art! Friends and family may be wonderfully supportive, but I find that their interest and involvement in my work is limited. So I need to seek out some community with other artists.

Recently an acquaintance I have not seen in years happened on my current art exhibit, and reached out by email to tell me that she enjoyed my work. This was lovely to hear, and we sent a reply or two back and forth. Here is part of my correspondence.