Wherever I go I am on the alert, watching, watching, so as not to miss a single marvel. Sometimes I'll just sit in one spot quietly and watch as the natural world goes about its daily business. If you are still enough for long enough, you never know who might happen by. I once had a fox couple pass within a few feet of me in the twilight and couldn't believe my eyes when a pileated woodpecker demolished a dead tree trunk in search of a meal right there in front of me (before noticing and chastising me severely).
But I don't fool myself for a minute. I know I am NOT the only one out there watching! Out in Nature, EVERYONE has to be watching carefully or they just might wind up in somebody else's stomach for dinner. In a situation where everyone is listed on the menu, it doesn't make sense to do otherwise!
Walking along I can FEEL eyes upon me at every turn and hear the hush that comes upon an area as I crunch along in the leaf litter with my noisy human feet, snapping twig after twig as I go. How many little creatures are present, I wonder, and hoping I will pass by without noticing them?
This was the impetus for me when my Free Form group challenged us to each make a needlework piece representing the theme "Somewhere in my World". As the title implies, this marvelous group is comprised of people who like to push the craft(s) to their limit in self expression. There were no rules, (or it wouldn't be 'free') , and no patterns to follow either, and your work could use ANY 'form' you desired ( mixing a multitude of techniques). In other words, anything goes!!!!
For my piece, (which was my very first attempt, by the way), I made a wall hanging using crochet and knit. I entitled it "Nature Watching", where one can't be certain if you are the seer or the seen! I must say it came put pretty good for someone who had never 'colored outside the lines' with my crocheting before. And here is what I came up with.
Since it's pretty hard to really see any detail, here are a few close ups.
This event was all put together by a wonderful artist named Myra Wood featuring 61 freeform fiber artists (including me!) from all over the globe. Myra has a book published with the results of the show each year. For more information about the Freeform Fiberarts Guild and the books, you can go to the link under 'blogs that inspire me'.
Perhaps I have succeeded in inspiring YOU to get out there and watch Nature watching YOU!?! Enjoy!!
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