Pennsylvania Dutch Hexmeister at large: Words of Wisdom June 18

About Me

Name: Jj Starwalker

Location: Corinth, ME, United States

Designer and artist Jj Starwalker, learned traditional "Pennsylvania Dutch" hex painting as a young girl from her grandmother. She followed many career paths through the years, only occasionally taking up the brush. When she did, however, she was always drawn to circular forms -- a counterpoint to the rectangular format of her work as the creative director of Vision IPD design studio in Beaufort, NC. In the last few years she has returned to the roots of her heritage, infusing the typical barn blessings with new insights and her signature use of metallic hues. She has exhibited work in many media, including early interpretations of the hex designs in batik at The Egg and The Eye -- now the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Jj features her artwork on her art website www.DutchHexSign.com. For Internet and print design work, visit www.VisionIPD.com.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Words of Wisdom June 18

On the porch, by the campfire, 'tis the time to share stories of days gone by. "Firefly times" will be long remembered.

The word of the day is history.
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Full Moon Tonight... Though we may not see it here... my garden loves the rain so I will not complain.

I think of this as the first moon of summer... the sun has been getting up at the same minute (4:47 where I am) since June 10. I wonder if it will stay at that until Equinox this weekend and how long after... We will see in due course.

I will be honoring the moon tonight, whether I can see her or not.

I wonder how many families will spend the kinds of evenings I remember in the summer when we visited with my grandparents each year. The adults would sit on the porch (screened against the bugs) or if the mosquitoes were fewer, in chairs in the yard, under the tree after supper... Some would smoke (this WAS the 60s...) or have a drink... the cousins would run in the yard, chasing "lightning bugs" and playing tag until, eventually, we would flop down on the ground or the floor of the porch and listen to the remembering of times past.

My kids and grands live far away and will not be here to listen... and I am not settled in a neighborhood (yet) where there might be others who would come by -- as I did with the older folks in my neighborhood when I was a kid -- but I will likely spend some time sitting and telling tales this summer... while I ply my new hobby as a spinner.

Be well...