I am writing this at Raleigh NC, we just came back from pccmmretreat with Jeanne. I am flying back to Finland on tuesday.

In the start of April I first broke studio lamps, then got way over my limit stuff to do with arts, work and stuff and after that our kitchen got flooded with water. We had a new diswasher installed in the start of the year. Something went wrong with the installing part – by profeccionals – and we had water leaking into kithcen for months. By the time it was noticed the kitchen was so wet that the whole downstairs flooring above concrete was removed. All furniture and stuff like all my yarns, books etc. from dowstairs was mooved to a storage and we had some adventure but finally got temporary appartment downtown Helsinki to stay while the heaters and dryers are at our home.

Plenty of stuff for one family – I could not keep up with this bead challenge I set myself up to even if I wanted. And now, being away from it for over two months I actually dont want to get back there. But I will tell more about why etc. later. This is just an quick update about things and everything especially for all the nice people I have met during this trip and shared my blog address with. (Especially hello Zoe B (with dots) from town with blue water tower and to you Karen (spelled how?) from Sheperdstown).

I booked the flight and tickets to retreat before knowing that we would have water damage in our home. So while I have been spending a week here doing arts, crafts and shopping for supplies my husband has had to deal with the situation back home alone. He must be exhausted by now. I am tired too, but actually for different reasons: for all the travelling, inspiration, language, heat, lack of sleaping, lack of nutritious foods, lack of good coffee…

Anyway, just wanted to say that I am alive and well – the retreat was success and I got more than my moneys worth by coming here I will tell you lots more about my trip when I get home and have time to upload the pictures and start writing it all out.

I finally got my photographing studio up today, but as the backlog for this month is already enormous I decided to continue the bead challenge from start of next month. We have several works in process with Petteri but unfortunately as they are for challenges and for a book we can not show much here. Busy as ants in spring that is.

I will get back to regular schedule in few weeks.

I have been tempted to go to some big polymerlcay conferences in the pass, but the  problem with them is that I would have to sit down in classes at least for a day to learn things that I am not THAT interested in beginning. Few hours workshop is ok, but having to do someone elses project for day or two is not the kind of learning I am most appealed to. And I dont want to diss any teacher by saying this. I love seeing others teach, and usually they are either talented artists or talented teachers, some even both. But quite honestly USA is on other side of the world to me. It takes bit more than admiration for teacher/s for me to fly there

I am more interested in demos about various things and people working around me. More interested in seeing, hearing, communicating. This retreat has that: short workshops, joined community working area with demo table available for anyone to show and tell, lots of interesting people coming – some of them are very talented and achieved artists that I have known trough posting lists for years but never met AFK.

It will cost me “a kidney” to get there, but this is the one retreat too good to pass.  I am fortunate to have a good friend interested in Mixed media and this retreat too, so I will share this experience (+ some more adventures of our own!) with Jeanne.

I know some of the artist friends of mine from Usa read this blog and now that some of you have pondered whether to come or not. I encourage you to come: the retreat itself is very cheap as the fee includes accommodations and food. It would be so wonderful to eventually meet people I have been corresponding with for years. So please consider coming – if not for any other reason than meeting me, I will not complain

Occationally someone asks me where I live and what is it like in Finland.

I am living in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. How ever the area I live in is part of our town that is not that widely crowded. Natural reserve area starts from about mile ahead from our balcony and before that, between the road and the sea, there are university fields. In summer we even have cows here – and still the metro line is (barely) visible when orange metros go over Kulosaari-bridge.

This morning was frosty and beautiful. I just opened the balcony door and took a snapshoot. This is the view from my studio – one bedroom in our home. The studio is always more or less messy, right now more, but the view is spectacular at times.

[Moon is a source of light for night hunting and it is the earliest measure of time.]

Wood, polymer clay, yarn, paint, inks

21 cm x 9 cm without base

Co-operative work by Petteri Leppikallio and Pörrö Sahlberg

Availability: NA, Private collection in USA

I am also asking for ideas for monthly bead challenge headings. I have about 5 I intend to use somewhere along the road, but if you have suggestions or wishes please comment – We would love to hear from you.Similar Posts:

• Year of the beads
• Themes
• Year of the textures