Artist-in-Residence at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge

(Above:  Selfie with the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge sign.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I applied for this art residency near Starkville, Mississippi back in 2019 and was awarded a month during spring, 2020.  Of course, we all know what happened in 2020.  COVID-19 postponed the opportunity to 2021 and then again to 2022 and finally now in 2023, I'M HERE!  The first few days have been absolutely wonderful. 

(Above:  Cypress trees in the low water at the edge of Bluff Lake.)

This art residency is a chance to walk in nature, explore swamps, meet new people, and share some of my work with people at Mississippi State University who are partnered with the refuge.  I'll be in the Idea Shop on Friday, March 10th from 3 - 5 demonstrating my two-step process of making fiber vessels. 

(Above:  View of Bluff Lake.)

Already, I've walked over eight miles each day I've been here.  It's easy to do (not just because the terrain is mostly flat!)  The scenery is grand! The reflection of sky on Bluff Lake is like a mirror ...

(Above:  Goose Overlook.)

... and Goose Overlook provides a view to ...

(Above:  View from Goose Overlook.)

... all sorts of wildlife including deer, wild pigs, and all sorts of birds.  Yesterday I met a nice woman who turned me on to the totally free Cornell Lab's Merlin bird identification app.  Now, I've never before been into bird watching and I probably won't be seeing all the species who live in this refuge (which is a LONG list ... available HERE) because I don't even have a pair of binoculars with me.  Yet, this app identifies the birds by recording the songs.  So far, I've heard purple martins, mourning doves, red-winged blackbirds, American crows, brown thrashers, robins, Canadian geese, Northern Flickers, tufted titmice, golden-crowned kinglets, white breasted nuthatches, red-bellied woodpeckers, ruby-crowned kinglets, eastern phoebes, Carolina wren, cardinals, downy woodpeckers, blue jays, pine warblers, wood ducks, pileated woodpeckers, barred owls, American goldfinch, and Carolina chickadees.  I can't spot all of them ... but I've seen great blue herons and lots of egrets. I'm having a great time with my new app!

Using the bird app is great ... almost as stunning as seeing my first alligator.  This one is just a baby, about forty-inches from nose to the tip of his tail. 

There are several short trails in the refuge but miles and miles of gravel roads, many of which have locked gates except during hunting season.  For more than an hour or two, I've felt an amazing "oneness" with nature while simply walking down these nice, flat surfaces.  This morning's walk included seeing a snake!

I think it is a non-venomous corn snake.  It never moved until I walked around and past it by at least twenty yards.  Then it slipped into the swamp!

The snake and I shared the road with this snail.  At home, I rarely have the time to really stop, look, and admire all the sounds, lighting, texture, and sheer beauty in the world  like ...

... the reflection of trees mingling with the texture of duckweed ...

... or how lichen covers downed trees.  I see this as sculpture!  Natural sculpture!

Upon closer inspection, the striations of color are just marvelous!

I plan on paying close attention to the big things ...

... and the tiny ones!

 

(Above:  The bunk house!)

While here, I'm staying in a great space!  This is the bunk house where I have a private room ...

... and share a very, very nice kitchen, living room, laundry room, and large bathroom with ... so far ... only one other person!

The private bedroom has two closets, two sets of drawers, a nice big window, and good overhead lighting.  I've set up a place to stitch fiber vessels and I'm also starting a new series!  It already has a title:  Sue's Thank You Notes.  Like my other, transformed Sun Bonnet Sue quilt blocks, this one will have the names of twenty-four influential women ... and tiny, handmade envelops to represent the thank you notes! 

I'm also looking forward to kayaking!  Today, March 1st, was the first day of the year during which the lakes were open for fishing and paddling!  I've been promised a vessel, paddle, and life jacket in exchange for promising not to harass an alligator (as if I would ever do such a thing!)  It's going to be exciting!