“Talking Bread Loaves” PART 2 and artist Stacy Ericson
Sketch of Terrill Welch by Stacy Ericson
One of my first interactions with Stacy Ericson was when she asked “tweet friends” to volunteer for her to sketch. Of course, I put my “tweet” up right away. Above is the delightful result. Below part two of “Talking Bread Loaves” you will find more about Stacy and her creative talents as an artist, poet, and photographer.
Now Continuing with part two of “Talking Bread Loaves” If you missed the first part you can read it here.
Next, a little flour goes into the yeast mixture. My mother’s arms flexed with the strain of stirring the long wooden spoon around and around the bowl. Her other arm holds the bowl at an angle to make the stirring easier. She stops occasionally to add more flour and as she does, she looks at me with one eye, making sure I don’t have my hands in the open flour container. Or worse, I’ve made finger roads through the crater of flour that she has ready on the table.
When she feels that the dough is thick enough to pour she lifts the large bowl up with one arm and tips it into the floor crater. Using the other arm, she maneuvers the wooden spoon, scrapping the leftover dough out as quickly as she can. Timing is critical. She needs to put down the bowl and be able to fold the flour into the warm dough before it runs over the edge of the flour barrier.
This was my chance. I sink my hands into the soft flour and as I do this I shout “Oh look mom! It is coming over the edge!” and then I place my little palms along the area where the dough is about to overflow. Mom’s strong hands slide in between mine and the flour and the dough. With a graceful swoop she begins kneading the flour in. When just “the right amount of flour” has been added, she “lets it rest” while washing out the bowl. I am given the gigantic bowl “to grease” while she kneads the dough. Then she placed the smooth, elastic ball of dough back into the greased bowl and sets it aside in a warm place “away from drafts” to rise until it has doubled in size.
Read the Conclusion PART 3 here…
Sprout Question: When do you experience a feeling of awe?
Bonus: Stacy Ericson is unpretentious and engaging. She quietly, in cumulative small engagements, warms your heart. There is a vivacious vibrancy to Stacy that rings through into her art, photography and her writing. Her perception is somewhat like that of an arrow’s quiver. We are caught in the blur yet we know she has captured the intended target – beautifully. Following are a few of Stacy’s images and reflections.
Stair Shadow by Stacy Ericson
“The dead and the discarded, dry wisps, and fallow fields, industrial textures, and rural detritus are transformed by a distillation into line and light.”
Elise chicken looking by Stacy Ericson
“Images make me happy. Getting what I want out of a photo, or getting close to it, to me is simply joyful.”
Confusion of the Watchmaker by Stacy Ericson
“I want to experiment with many forms, but I do have a passion for blur — often even photographs that seem to be in focus capture light differently when the camera itself is in movement.”
Sun by Stacy Ericson
“I have a feeling that the static object holds a life-force within that is revealed with the introduction of a random element of moving time. I prefer a slight point of focus to a completely abstract blend of colors in my blurs photos.”
Who is Stacy Ericson?
Stacy Ericson’s arrived late to the visual arts. After growing up in a household devoted to the theater, her educational background includes the study of ancient languages, Etruscan culture, and World Religion. The onset of a genetic disease began a slide into the visual arts, which began to gel while experimenting with the photographic technique of intentional blur, captured through camera movement. Recently Stacy began a small portrait business, and is currently working with both digital SLR and the iPhone camera.
After the Haitian crisis Stacy began The Images without Borders project with Laura Bergerol. This innovative non-profit makes art prints from world class photographers available at a low cost to the public with all the proceeds benefiting Doctor’s without Borders.
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
What a wonderful sketch of you!
I also love your story. Can’t wait to read the rest. You are such an awesome story teller. 🙂
Beautiful photography as well!
Thanks Itaya! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Stacy is awesome and I really enjoy her work and her perspective. So glad you came by… tomorrow will reveal the conclusion.
awe is something i feel often these days. Seeing the generosity and kindness of others always seems unexpected and leaves me with a sense of awe.
thanks for featuring Stacy she is one of the kind and generous people i am in awe of.
I enjoy being able to watch her go deeper with her Photography and forming a distinct style of her own.
Thanks Jerry for both responding to the sprout question and for your acknowledgment and observations about Stacy and her work. So glad you dropped in:)
Liebe Terrill
Es kommt vor, dass mich beim ersten Betrachten eines Kunstwerkes ein Schauer der Ehrfurcht durchzieht. Sind Tiefe und Schönheit nicht in Worte zu fassen? Ich schätze diese Verwunderung, denn ich fühle mich verzaubert und durchlässig.
Toll dass Du auf Deiner Seite Künstler vorstellst. Ich kenne Stacy Ericson durch Twitter und schätze Sie sehr. Viele Dinge aus Ihrem Leben waren mir nicht bekannt. Danke für dieses umfassenderes Portrait.
Vielen Dank für diesen spannenden Beitrag
Verena, Thank you for coming by. I’m so glad you dropped in all the way from Switzerland. I’m thrilled that you were able to reply in your own language.
[Note: I tried a free translation for Verena’s comment but as you can see from her comment below – it came out badly. If you can read German wonderful. If you can’t please enjoy our ability to be in a Global community where we can accept comments in more than English. And Creative Potager IS a Global community:)]
warm regards Terrill
Thank you Terrill
But I’m embarrassed by the computer translation of my German Language comment. Unfortunately the computer has turned my well meaning thoughts into a comedy of language
I’m very sorry Verena. I would hate for your comment to be saying something other than what you mean in its poor translation. I will remove the translation. Those that can read German can read it in your lovely language and the rest of us will will image and appreciate the your generosity and sweet energy. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Good Morning, I know I am a day behind… I loved Stacy’s work… The IPhone photos are creative and thoughtful…
The still life’s are fresh and crisp, yet raw and natural… I used your blog and Stacy’s work as my “Artist date” for the day…
When do I experience awe? When my heart and mind are open to spirit and I can experience the Love/intention placed in a project, a work of art, a story, such as yours that you are unwinding for us…
Thank you again…
Good morning Jeff, it is the pleasure of Creative Potager to be the honoured recipient of your “artist date.” I’m sure Stacy will be thrilled as well. Thanks for answering today’s sprout question as well. Best of today to you! Terrill
Verena, My version of the translation was lovely, not quite right, I could tell, but I could catch the wind-drift of yours words. I loved reading them in your own language. Makes me want to learn German. So glad to be part of an Art Date.
Stacy and Verena, I learned a valuable lesson with translation… best to just enjoy the original post unless you know the language you want to translate.
I like the idea that Creative Potager has enough imagination and flexibility to have some posts in other languages than English. So if you are reading this blog and find that what you want to say is best said in your own language… please feel free to comment in that language. My family is Norwegian and though I don’t speak or understand it, my grandmother and mother used words mixed in with their English that I didn’t know wasn’t English until I went to school and the teach told me something wasn’t a word.
“Terrill, that is not a word. You are making it up. You need to use a real word” She said.
I was so confused. I remember going home and telling my mom.
She just smile and told me… “no it isn’t an English word but it is a Norwegian word from your grandmother.” I then started collecting these odd words when they were discovered as gifts from my grandmother Mona.
I now understand that these words had no equivalent in English so the best word to describe or name whatever it was happened to be a Norwegian word. So the Norwegian word became part of everyday lived language. I wonder what great words might become part of Creative Potager’s everyday lived language?
It is an honour to be able say say something in as little words as possible. Stacy sure has capture my friend that I have the pleasure say is a friend. Terrill you have picked wonder people to be friends of so you can go forward, with opened mind to learn and understand others.
As I am on dial up I checked back to Stacy’s work. Beautiful lighting and the softness of the bush strokes (REMBRANDT) The eyes are looking at the viewer and yet not over powering to haunt. Tracy Nicely done. Movement The door is open for the chicken to escape. Nice lighting. and comp.
Terrill Tnx.
Thank you Robert for taking the time to come by and comment… particularly from dial up. Not always easy to manage telephone and internet at the same time:)