Monday, August 11, 2008

Broken hand, art and calligraphy


I fell. Face first and full length. On 4th Avenue (main downtown street in Louisville) during busy lunch hour. I hurt. All over. Two + weeks ago.


Lucky for me the upper body landed in the dirt and mulch around a small tree. When I was able to get up I was covered in same, and spat out mulch. Head to waist in the dirt. Remainder on concrete. Blessing number one: had my head landed on concrete, I'd have been spitting teeth. Blessing number two: a year ago the 'mulch' around the trees on 4th Avenue was less mulch than manure. I do count my blessings.



Bad for me was that the broken bone (two places) in my right hand was not diagnosed by x-rays. I knew it was too swollen for too long and too painful, so had an MRI, which did show the breaks. No surgery required, and since so much time has elapsed, no cast. I'd asked for my fingers to remain free so I could type. It's not displaced. I am wearing a brace which I can take off to shower - and which I took off in the weekend workshop I took just long enough to do the sink art...inked letters on good paper, washed off with water. Brace back on for the dryer parts of the work...embellishing the marbled-looking backgrounds created under the running water. I have about a half dozen or more to work on when my hand heals. I got great results with Moon Palace Sumi ink on cold press watercolor paper. Yummy marbling, many shades of gray. I will post some in the next week or so.


Good friend Kathy LaPorte hosted Diana Hutchison and me for the weekend. We enjoyed a visit to Randy and Jacquie Banks's house Saturday night and loved seeing old friends Barb Beattie, Erika Woods, Susannah Hebert (from whom I am splurging & buying a spectacular glass garden sculpture) and newer Calligraphy Guild of Indiana friends too.


The photo is a mock up of me working on one of the pieces I began in the workshop. No sink art in this one...just Dick Beasley-inspired lettering & design. Remember. Not my best work. I fell. Broke my hand. Still hurts. Didn't cry. (Did whine a bit.) And so on.