This past winter was crazy-busy and as we march toward summer I am hoping to manage a change of pace to recharge my batteries. I’ll bet you are too.

Old habits die hard and I can’t escape the rhythm of the academic year, at least psychologically. I am savoring the idea of summer’s less regimented schedule in the same way I know I will look forward to falling back into a set routine come September.

Things in the studio seem to be moving more slowly lately, probably because of the added  distractions of the garden, the higher temps, and the beautiful weather. But despite the fact that these things compete for the limited hours in my day, they also serve to feed the creative fire.

2015 ©Elizabeth Fram                                                                                                    In process

When I’m in the garden, kneeling low to the ground and weeding around the new growth, my viewpoint is concentrated on the two-foot square in front of me, focusing on details rather than a more comprehensive view. I start to see the leaves of young plants abstractly – flattened into the space around them. What I see is transformed into a formal arrangement of shapes in a way that won’t be as obvious once the plants fill out and begin to rub shoulders.

As a result, I have begun consider negative space, both physically – which I am investigating in new work, and conceptually – as it relates to time & each day’s agenda.

2015 ©Elizabeth Fram                                                                                                    In process

Visually, I am embarking on an exploration of a shifting back and forth between positive and negative shapes, using color, and eventually stitch, to orchestrate a dialogue between the two. In the same light, summer’s more relaxed schedule widens areas of “negative space” on our calendars; time that can be filled with restorative activities that soothe and rejuvenate the weary sense of ‘push’ that marks the rest of the year.

2015 ©Elizabeth Fram                                                                                                   In process

My aspirations are always broader than what I can actually accomplish, but I hope the next months will allow me, in addition to pushing forward in the studio, to delve into watercolor, be adventurous with recipes that highlight the bounty from the garden, and have the opportunity to sit on the porch, enjoy the breeze and read a good book.

That said, since I am always on the lookout for a good book recommendation, here are a half dozen that I hope might bring some pleasure to your “negative space” this summer. They are a mixture of art, gardens – and sometimes both together.

• A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney   -Martin Gayford
• The Samurai’s Garden   -Gail Tsukiyama                                                                            
• Everyday Matters  -DannyGregory                                                                                 
• Strapless: John SInger Sargent and the Fall of Madame X   -Deborah Davis               
• Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art   -Danny Danziger            
• A Bowl of Olives, On Food and Memory   -Sara Midda