88 - USA - MaryLouise Ott

Hello from Portland Oregon!
I was captivated by your paper boat project for Mary-Ann’s Cottage after reading about it in FiberArts magazine and visiting your blog. What a lovely idea to bring people together from around the world for a worthy cause.

For several days now I’ve been creating paper boats. The group of five I’m sending were inspired by digital photos I have taken of Neskowin, a little village on the oregon Coast and one of my favouite places. The images printed on the outside are of sand, shells, grass, driftwood and sand dune plants. Those on the inside are of flowers growing in village gardens (and one of me with the ocean as a backdrop).

Your project connected with a message of peace that is dear to my heart. The words of the American Spiritual Peace like a River kept going through my head as I folded boats, so I printed some of the words on three of them:
Peace like a river
Joy like a fountain
Love like an ocean.

I also wrote a post on my blog www.seedsofcreativity.blogspot.com about your project. The following in an excerpt:
“The challenge of creating a little fleet to send off to Scotland made out of digital photos I’ve taken on the oregon Coast is only part of the allure. It has more to do with participating in something bigger than myself that brings together creative people from around the world who are forever connected by the simple task of folding paper. When we feel a connection with those in distant places we realize the differences between us are not what matters. Helping to save a cottage in Scotland by folding a paper boat touches on the essence of what makes us all the same.”

The digital iamges are printed on HP Presentation Paper uisng HP Vivera ink. All the best to you and to Mary-Ann’s cottage.
Blessings and Peace.
MaryLouise Ott Portland Oregon.

I photographed these boats on the turnip slicer at Mary-Ann's cottage.