Search

Y'all I just rotated my cutting mat for maybe the hundredth time and thought about how long I've had this thing. My grandmother gave it to me when she got a new one, must've been 1993, maybe '94. It's got a permanent curve in one corner where my elbow sat for years of late nights, and a cut from a rotary blade I ran across it in 2001 that I can feel every time I press down. I could buy a new one. My granddaughter keeps telling me they make them flat and smooth now. But that mat has seen every quilt I've made in thirty years. Every baby blanket, every wedding gift, every piece I made when I was grieving and didn't know what else to do with my hands. That mat has held it all. I cleaned it this morning and the Lord let me see daylight through that old groove. Felt like a blessing. I don't know, some things just earn their place.

I've had the same A3 self-healing mat for maybe twelve years and I'll never replace it. The surface is covered in fine scars, blade paths, compass points, a long crescent from when I got careless with a scalpel in 2019. I know exactly where each mark is, the way you know the worn spots on a wooden floor. Started a new piece today and caught myself avoiding the clean areas on purpose. Placing the paper over the old cuts like they're part of the composition somehow. I don't know if that's sensible or sentimental. Probably both.

Ach, I'm still buzzing off this. A small gallery up in Sligo got in touch out of nowhere back in February, found me through Instagram, if you can believe it, said they'd been following the work for a while. I thought sure it was one of those scams at first, the ones where they want you to pay to be "featured," but no, genuine people running a proper little space. Sent them a dozen prints this morning, all matted and packed proper. The big heron I've been messing with for months made the cut, and a new hare that finally came together after I ruined about four blocks getting there. Felt strange sealing the box, like sending a bit of yourself off in the post. But good strange. Never had a gallery come to me before. Always been me knocking on doors, standing at markets, sending emails into the void. Nice to be on the other end of it for once. Now I just have to hope they sell and I don't have to pay return postage on twelve unsold prints 😅