Square 35: Summer rendezvous

This square was inspired by Colour Field Painting, an offshoot of Abstract Expressionism. I first encountered it with my friend Stephen at an Art Gallery of Ontario exhibit four years ago, The Shape of Colour. It seemed to leave a lasting impression on him.

Stephen was here again this week. He lives in Atlanta, but we have managed to rendezvous each summer since 2004 when we met in Montreal at a festival of Gala Choruses. He has been to Ontario every summer, and I have been to Georgia once. Stephen is an energetic and thoughtful friend, a sexy man and a generous lover.

Years ago, before meeting Danny, I chose to be polyamorous. For me that meant being open to loving different people in different ways. Initially I had many lovers, but as time went on I concentrated on fewer. Even though I only see Stephen a few days out of the year and sometimes months pass between correspondence, he holds an important place in my life.

Our first time alone together in a Montreal hotel room, we wrestled. We both knew what the outcome would be, but the exchange of power in struggling for it was potent. I am a bit larger and stronger than Stephen, but he is an experienced wrestler and uses this to his advantage. Out of this physical dynamic has arisen a particular kind of trust. Every winter, five or six months in advance, I begin anticipating the intense physicality of our exchanges.

But we also share an appreciation for art and the land. Every year we undertake a few new adventures, and we would be friends anyway. This week we explored St. Jacobs Farmers' Market, where I picked up one of the yarns in this square. At the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit, we observed that while he is drawn more to stone and glass, I am intrigued by softer media.

I also noticed his taste for images reminiscent of the Colour Field exhibit we attended four years ago. That gave me the idea to create this square for him.

It incorporates 11 different yarns. I've never used this many in one square before. It suggests the complexity, contrast and harmony of relationships. From the outside:

• 1. Cascade (charcoal)
• 2. Anonymous handspun, hand-dyed yarn from St. Jacobs (aquamarine)
• 3. Cascade (forest green)
• 4. Briggs and Little (light aqua)
• 5. Noro Silk Garden (variegated aqua/brown)
• 6. Wellington Fibres (variegated red/olive/beige)
• 7. Unknown three-ply yarn (variegated blue/green/gold)
• 8. Unknown remnant from Danny (chartreuse)
• 9. Same as 5.
• 10. Létt-Lopi (light grey)
• 11. Same as 2.
• 12. Létt-Lopi (yellow)
• 13. Same as 4.
• 14. Létt-Lopi (bright green)
• 15. Same as 10.