work & play
New Originals available in
When my work and play are combined I feel most fulfilled! :)
I will be offering 3 new workshops at
Art & Soul, Virginia next spring.
and...
there are still a few spots left in my Italy workshop,
if you are feeling adventurous & ready to be inspired.
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This summer has been so full, with only a few days without plans, on one of these days my children and I were ambling about, wondering what to do, when the camera & dress up box came out. I love these spontaneous kind of moments so, so much!
My photographs seems to be falling into this b&w world lately...
(sweet little drawing my son did in his journal)
what better way to celebrate life, a birthday, & a 16 year wedding anniversary than with cake, wine, & dancing!
Inspired by this beautiful cake, I decided to give it a go for my girls birthday. It was really, really good! I used this recipe for the frosting and it was prefect!
lastly, this is what happens when you come to play at our house... ;)
~
"Do what you love, love what you do,
leave the world a better place and don't pick your nose." - Jeff Mallett
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Sacred Play Workshop - 3 wonderful days spent with these beautiful ladies & the amazing Katherine of Valley Ridge Art Studio.
from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the edge of Lake Erie, to the rolling fields of Wisconsin, to the long winding roads between here and there, to the wobbly chair in front of my computer screen... I wave hello!
and just like that, school is out for another year. without any effort, we are keeping ourselves busy... picking homegrown spinach, beets, herbs, making mint milkshakes, & friendship bracelets, reading, drawing, running barefoot in the green, green grass, soaking up the carefree afternoons, and late nights.... hoping they last for a long time.
ahhhhhh
Summer. Has. Arrived!!!
i absolutely love love love love love love summer!
~
some good summer music...
this morning, as I was picking a day lily to bring indoors I heard the melodic chatter coming from the wrens that are teaching their little babies to fly... what a precious sight, seeing the little fledglings with their disheveled feathers trying over and over again to get up off the ground. One almost landed right on me, oblivious to the fact that their mama would so not approve of that. I love when something such as this grabs my attention, reminding me that there are so many worlds within our world, so many beautiful worlds... and then I am reminded of a favorite quote...
The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. - Henry Miller
~
Last week was the opening of my show at Glass Growers Gallery in Erie, PA. Seeing my work together like this is pretty darn gratifying. It was there that I had my very first gallery show years ago, how nice it was to be back.
I am so touched to read this very nice write up about my work for the gallery show. Wow.
I have also updated my etsy shop with some prints. :)
this summer i have started a new drawing journal...
one page done, many to go.
It's been a busy year for my girl. Playing Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz in her school play, making Challenge Soccer for next season, and graduating from grade school... my heart hurts in the best way! I swear she was just this little baby...
My workshop in Italy is coming up soon, there are still a few spaces left, if you wish to be there! It will be an amazing time of year to be in Orvieto, with Bill & Kristi...the best hosts! I can hardly wait to be back! The group that is forming for the upcoming trip is a good one! ;)
still a few more layers to go...
Enough
by Dorothy Walters
I think it is enough,
at times,
to go without knowing
where the end is,
what the beginning–
so long ago.
Perhaps you have friends
who can whisper
such things
in your ear,
hear little bits of
messages
in the laughter of children.
But mostly we just proceed ahead,
not remembering
how it all started,
where it is leading,
not sure
if we are the waiting animal
or the animal’s passing
shadow
in the grass.
keeping busy... painting, admiring, & making journals...
with a little dancing/running in between. :)
thank you for visiting! <3
When I said I was taking a break I guess I meant it. April already? mid April... and over 4 months since my last post. eeek. I am wondering if there is even anyone visiting anymore? I certainly understand why, if not. I just can't seem to get a grasp on this whole time thing... after 36 years I am still trying to figure out where it all goes and why do damn fast.
four months have passed..... and I am not so sure where to begin here in this space.
So i'll try to start fresh, as fresh as I can... with a new blog banner. new photos that I just took. new words, new links, a new to me poem by Billy Collins that I absolutely LOVE! a new mix of music. in a new season (kinda, even if it's mid season).
{eye see you}
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor’s window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida.
just a twinge every now and then
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.
spring decided to come early this year in virginia. it has been so absolutely gorgeous. unbelievably gorgeous at times. so much to notice. even the dandelions feel worthy of attention. my son and i gathered handfuls last week to make roasted dandelion root tea that we are going to savor this afternoon. our latest favorite tea is rosebud tea, that mixed with a little Blue People Oolong....perfect! so fresh & delicate. rose anything lures me. the smell makes me think of my grandma.
rose tea, rose preserves, rose turkish delight, rose oil, rose perfume, sweet wild roses = love
a few thing i have been loving lately...
~ The hours my daughter and I have been reading the Hunger Games books together. They are pretty captivating and while I don't often have/make time to read fiction all that much, I so love reading with my children. Before the Hunger Games took over our lives we read Hurt go happy, a very touching book. And before that Roald Dahl was taking us places. The BFG still remains a favorite.
~ The exploring my family and I have been doing on our time off.
~ Cooking in the kitchen... making wildmushroom & greens flatbread. sprouting seeds for salads. roasting radishes. pickling beets. making kimchi {so easy and so much better than store bought versions}.
~ Daydreaming about moving and maybe living in a treehouse like one of these on this site.
I have been doing a little painting and hoping to do a lot more between now and June. I will be having another show at Glass Growers Gallery this year. It was several years ago that I had my very first show there.
I am also hoping to get more prints made to be listed in my for now abandoned etsy shop.
I continue to fall in love with song after song... if you'd like...check out my newest mix on 8tracks.
I am still loving instagram, posting there often, and really hoping it doesn't change, at least not too much.
check out the work shared from my Open Studio students. what a fabulous group!!!! while at artfest this year i got to meet a group of my online students from this and past online workshops... what a feeling to finally get to meet those you grow to know online in person! i truly cherish those moments! thank you to all of my students, online & in person. you teach me so much!
I have two more workshops lined up for this year. Valley Ridge, Sacred Play, where i will be co-teaching a 3 day workshop with my dear friend, Katie Kendrick. Katie was one of my very first online friends and i am so looking forward to sharing this experience with her and those that join us. I think there are one or two spots left, if you are feeling spontaneous and in need of a nourishing weekend. After that I will be headed back to Orvieto, Italy for a bound to be inspiring week in one of the most beautiful places. Kristi and Bill make the best hosts and I cannot wait to join them again.
As of now, I do not have a single workshop lined up for next year. I am making room for other things... things I am not even sure of yet, but I feel I need this space for now to see what it is that will come. I do plan on having another online workshop come January, otherwise, maybe I will see you in Wisconsin or Italy or who knows where... :)
“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”
- Rosalia de Castro
To the New Year
With what stillness at last
you appear in the valley
your first sunlight reaching down
to touch the tips of a few
high leaves that do not stir
as though they had not noticed
and did not know you at all
then the voice of a dove calls
from far away in itself
to the hush of the morning
so this is the sound of you
here and now whether or not
anyone hears it this is
where we have come with our age
our knowledge such as it is
and our hopes such as they are
invisible before us
untouched and still possible
~ W. S. Merwin
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Wishing you a very Happy 2012!
Although I can't really get a grasp on the fact it's 2012 already, {I swear it was just the year 2000 last week} it feels good to have a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning of sorts...
"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman
This year I hope to carry the feeling of being boundless in my heart, & look for potential in as much as I can, as I wade along in the brand new year!
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Thank you to all of you that have already signed up for my OPEN STUDIO WORKSHOP! I am so grateful to have you join me for this experience. Thank you.
There is still time to sign up if you are looking for ways to connect with your artistic/creative self. The course will be up for an entire year after the five weeks of lessons are over.
I will be taking a break from here until spring to concentrate on my on-line course.
Until then... take good care!
A big HUGE congratulations to......
Linda Fazzary!
Your name was picked for the giveaway! :)
{I used theTrue Random Number Generator , there is no way I could ever pick out of all of your sweet comments. thank you all so very much for commenting!}
Registration for my upcoming online workshop is now open!!!!
I hope you are making time for yourself during this very busy time of year. I find I have to try a little harder to keep balance during these hectic months.
It's just lately that I have been feeling more in tune with myself. I seem to have lost myself for awhile. I realize just how easy that is to do in this world. I was on autopilot and I kind of knew it, but I just didn't know how to turn it off. Some aspects of my life were feeling a little flat. I have been trying to get back into being more mindful, making better food choices, not letting negative thoughts linger about, and trying to stretch my mind & body more. In some ways it is definitely more work than just being on autopilot, but so worth the effort. I feel better, I feel more connected with others, my mind feels clearer, and I feel more able to share positive energy with those around me.
Some of the things I have been loving lately,
listening to talks like this, this tea
What have you been loving/doing for yourself lately?
Finally... I will be offering another online workshop this January... what better way to start off a brand new year?! :)
Go Here for all the details.
I do hope you will join me! I can't believe it's been almost a whole year since my last online workshop. I truly enjoyed the last one so, so very much. It was an amazing experience for me, and I learned so much...even as the instructor. :)
I am so excited about my upcoming workshop, OPEN STUDIO, & I plan on pouring my whole self into it, hoping it will be a wonderful, artistic learning experience for all those that take part.
I am giving away one free spot in the class. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here with your email address.
I will announce the lucky one on the day registration opens (December 5th).
~
Other very exciting news? My book was listed on Amazon as one of the Best Books of 2011! Wow!!! I can't even put into words how happy this makes me!!! Check it out!!!
it's autumn now and my favorite tree has lost all of its leaves...
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
i finally feel like i am getting into some sort of a groove in my studio since taking the summer off and teaching several workshops. the piece above is still a work in progess. it's a larger piece for me and will take some time to finish, i'll post another image once it's finished.
i love this photo of my mom & boy who just turned 8! they both celebated their birthday's together last weekend. aren't the sweet?!
...and what perfect time to insert my favorite joke:
what did zero say to eight?
nice belt.
:)
art & soul, portland was wonderful... i loved seeing some of my dearest friends again & i loved all of my students, and feel so grateful to each and every single one! here is a small sample of some of their work. such a fabulous variety that came from my mixed media sampler class!
other news around here...
I'll be the guest on the Artistically Speaking blog radio show! To be honest, I am such an introvert that this kind of thing really scares me, but for some reason, unbeknownst to me now, I said yes. So with fear and all into it I go, closing my eyes and hoping i soar! Hope you'll come by and listen! ;)
I have finally updated my Etsy shop, adding a few originals and a few...get this...prints! wahoo! I plan on having more and more prints now that I am getting the hang of it. I love these prints and the paper they are printed on.
I am preparing for my next online workshop. I was really, really hoping to be able to pull one off before the holidays, but alas, life would just not allow for it... so it will start at the very beginning of next year. the perfect thing to start off a brand new year! I cannot wait & hope you will join me. I will be sure to post all the details here soon!
Tomorrow I am taking part in another race, this time a 5K...and as a zombie. this should be interesting...
squam
i just spent the last few hours wandering online, looking, searching, craving, & hoping for more photos, words, faces, captured moments, remnants, anything from time spent at squam by my fellow squamies. as i go through these motions i feel bliss from the inside out from my time spent with so many inspiring people. i have fallen madly in love with squam all over again. this was my first time back since the very first squam years ago. it was so, so, so, so good to be back.
i learned a lot while in the woods of new hampshire, about myself, about others, about life. when driving away i truly felt like i had been transformed in some great way. i am still trying to get a grasp on how or what it means... it will come, i just need to let it ferment a little longer, while my heart & head are both swirling with feelings of renewal.
there are blog posts coming in from others out there... i hope you will check them out.
i love what Bridget wrote under the beautiful group photo she posted: "And here’s the most interesting part of this picture: I knew none of these ladies before Wednesday."
That's pretty much how it works. One minute you are arriving, finding yourself in the woods, far from the securities & comforts of your everyday life... you set your belongings down, say hi, take a deep breath and think, 'where am i and why...?' then something happens without effort, you settle in, you let go, and your heart opens wide. wider. before you can even get a good grasp on anything that is happening you find yourself heading back down the same dirt trail that brought you into all of this. but your arms, heart,and head are so full... filled love, new friendships, awesome art, great potential, beautiful collected memories, and so much that is left unspoken... where words just can't convey what you feel.
here are my beautiful, - uber-talented housemates {Alix, Diana, & Susy} & me.
me & my roomie, Susy, i just adore her to pieces!
...and then just like that, here you are, back home, sitting in front of a screen, surrounded by all the treasured comforts you were torn to leave, wondering where you were, trying to remember every little detail, wanting so much to get back to that place, like a really amazing dream that keeps pulling you in. how long can you keep it fresh...
i hope a really long time.
there are many out there that gracefully tattooed a piece of my heart while at squam... to all of you, i lift my glass and say thank you... you know who you are.
{and to those that i spent the night with on the magical miss pixie's 40th birthday... well, i will treasure that night forever}.
i made you all a post squam mix here.
and would you look at all the amazing work my students created. {i taught an icon class this year.} holy wow! please double click it to get a good look! i love how each and every icon is different. each is so beautiful! thank you to all of my students for being there and sharing this time with me.
thank you elizabeth. thank you so much!
home again, but packing up for my next adventure. where there will be new friends to meet, old friends to share new memories with, and more stories to gather and bring back home with me before i am ready.
when i return i will tell you about my upcoming online course, prints for sale, and more. the latest issue of Somerset Studio has an article I wrote about my last online class experience, paired with more beautiful artwork from some of the students. i do hope you'll check it out!
until next time...
take care & be well.
last time i wrote school had just ended and summer was officially here. deep heavnly sigh. take me back to that day, i want to do it all over again!
and now summer is packing up all her belongings, while fall stands by the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently. i love the changing of the seasons, but i hate to see summer go, it breaks my heart every single time she leaves. what a grand summer this was...
there was very little time spent in my studio this summer, as i wanted it to be. and yet it was a full summer, which made it fly by even faster... with soccer camp, my bff from high school's wedding, a visit back home to Pennsylvania, visits from dear friends, art camp, lots of cooking/baking, hours of playing, and running... lots and lots of running.
what there wasn't much of was being online and i must say, i really needed that this summer. of course i still checked in here and there, but a lot less than ever before.
back to this running thing, when i say running, i mean the kind of running where you sweat, pant, and maybe even swear a little under your breath while doing it. not the running from this to that kind of running, although i guess we did that, too.
i find it rather amusing that i am writing this - i took up running over the summer. never. ever. ever. would i have guessed that this would be something i would or could do in my whole life. when my friends would ask me to run with them i would always smirk and adamantly say... "i am not a runner"! and now... now what can i say? i give myself full permission to just go with it, permission to change my mind, permission to be whatever it is i want to be, and for now... crazy as it sounds, i am a runner - of sorts. ;)
how important i am finding it to be that we MUST give ourselves permission to change course or accept new ways to thinking/doing when they present themselves. it wasn't like i planned this anyhow, my daughter and a few of her friends all signed up together for the women's 4 miler race. so i signed up, too.. wanting to be there with her. i figured i could walk it, if not run a little, ha. training started in May and so, i joined in. four months later i am very proud to say i ran the whole 4 miles in 35 minutes! not bad for someone that is not a runner?! ;)
forever more, when i hear this song, i will always think of the nights spent at the track, lapping around and around and around and around... trying to get somewhere.
race day love! <3
as i reflect back on this summer i think it was pretty monumental in a lot of ways...
my daughter turned ten.
a whole decade already. i cannot even get a grasp on this idea that my children are growing up as quickly as they are.
we celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary...
my boy learned how to ride his bike... faster than i can run! :)
we spent a long weekend in one of my favorite places... nyc.
we hiked a few trails...
our little ruby girl is growing, growing, growing...
soon to be a cat - not a kitten.
my girl went to her very first concert. American Idol... where she got to meet almost the entire group of performers, including Casey, her favorite. he even patted her on the head, which caused her to burst into happy tears... oh to be young and star-struck.
and here we are...back to school already. counting down until summer vacation.
i am finding my way back into my studio, getting ready for my upcoming workshops, SQUAM & Portland (still space in my Cover to Cover class ;) .
i have been showing up at my easel, watching what unfolds!
and so that's the news around here.
hope all is well in your world!
thanks so much for stopping by! have a wonderful weekend!
before you go... Craftside is offering a chance to win a copy of my book... head on over and check it out!
Sail away...
to the place where the heart of the land
meets the soul of the water.
original listed in my etsy
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i hope to start offering prints of my artwork & photography soon. anyone have a favorite online print shop?:)
happy summer solstice
slivers of calm
summer is almost official in our house, as we count down the final hours of school. that means less time in the studio and more time playing with my children. besides a few art projects here and there i am planning on taking most of the summer off. as i write this i wonder if i will be able to do it. last summer was spent writing, photographing, and making art for my book, which i very much enjoyed, but it allowed for very little time to play. i really want this summer to be spent making treasured memories (& homemade donuts as requested by my daughter when i asked her what she wanted to do most this summer ;), exploring a few new nooks and crannies, being even sillier, and more spontaneous.
i think/hope/want this short break from the studio to help me figure out where i want/need to go with my work. i am deeply craving some kind of new direction with my art... even though i don't clearly know what that means yet. i keep looking for whatever it is and asking myself "what is it that you want?" last night i proclaimed at the dinner table... "i'd like to set up my clay studio again." even though my words got lost in the shuffle of dinner conversation, i heard them and that's all that i needed. even if it's just a little tiny corner of a space, i am feeling the need to work at the wheel again. i think a lot of artists must go through these times of wanting/needing a slight change in direction? i still very much want to keep painting and creating, i just need to mix things up a little...
inevitably with the excitement of school ending there comes a little bittersweetness, when everything seems to come to an end for the school year. one night this week we actually had nothing planned, i seriously think it was the first in months, no soccer practice, no play rehearsal, no running club... how strange it felt to be idle for a bit. it lasted an hour and it was time to get ready for bed & read. :)
this idleness never seems to last very long. not when there is so much to do & see & taste & read & learn. we are almost finished reading island of a blue dophins, such a beautiful book.
to be or not to be...
my daughter took a shakespeare class this spring that ended this week with a sweet performance. she can now speak shakespearean... and who knew she could play such a fine romeo. not i.
and as for little miss ruby... she has been teaching me a lot about how to spend my days... playing. she certainly is an expert! she likes to play at anytime of the day (& night). she's just the sweetest little thing. i think even jazzy is starting to have a tiny soft spot for her.
"She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short." ~ brian andreas
on our record player this song will be playing all weekend...
thank you Sharon ;)
here's wishing you a most beautiful weekend!
hi, my name is...
...everyone, for submitting all the really wonderful names for our sweet kitten. we thought about each name, and tried a few out, before my children finally decided on Ruby Moon {it was a tough decision, but they finally agreed!}. Irma P. submitted the name Ruby and will receive the piece on the Somerset cover. thank you. i wrote all the names out and will keep them for next time. ;)
ruby moon seems to be adjusting fabulously! {she sure knows how to keep busy.} i wish i could say the same for jazzy, our beloved 11 year old maine coon. he's pretty set in his ways. last night he yelled at ruby for mistaking his tail for a toy. my friend says he's a frat boy. he's pretty darn lovable & with time i think he'll come around...
i hope.
a few photos from the weekend...
. . . . . . . .
from my latest playlist:
feeling inspired by:
more link love:
fabric journal tutorial by my friend... susie lafond
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hope you had a lovely weekend!!!
a giveaway + a giveaway
about four years ago i taught my very first class at artfest. i remember standing before the class in awe of how in the world i got there, terrified of all the "what ifs", and absolutely thrilled beyond belief. one of the dear artists there with me that very first day was the ever-so-lovely Mary Beth Shaw! along with the others she helped ease my silly woes on that very memorable day! we have been friends/artfest housemates ever since.
when she told me about her idea for a book and then asked me to be part of it... food, art, sharing ~ of course i wanted to be!!! i so love to cook and share what i make, be it in person for dinner or as a recipe. so i whipped up some art and pulled together my favorite recipe (veggie reubens) and there it is...
{i stole borrowed this image from the fabulous Judy Wise, who is also in Mary Beth's beautiful book along with some of my other favorite people like Katie Kendrick, John Hammons, and many other fantastic contributors.
this week concludes Mary Beth's book tour and i get to be the final host. yay! to celebrate Mary Beth and i are both having a giveaway. please head on over to her blog to see her awesome giveaway, but before you go...
leave a comment here with your thoughts for a name for the new addition to our family....
she was just adopted this morning and doesn't have a name yet, {other than kitty, pretty girl, + baby}. if you leave a name and we happen to use it you'll receive the original piece here that was featured on the cover of the last issue of somerset studio magazine. if by chance my family decides on a different name by next week then i'll pick a random number for the giveaway. ;) i'll announce it early next week...
thanks so much for visiting, for all your comments over the past, and for your amazing support!
on my easel
i am really LOVING all the emails and notes from those of you out there that have already received my book. thank you, thank you, thank you. the wait was so exciting, and also a little nail-biting... it's good to hear from you, thank you!!!
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here are two of my most favorite iphone photos taken last week & posted at instagram {i am totally addicted to this site}. my little guys hands and a shot from my daughter's music concert {i love the expressions on their faces}.
i will be coming back very soon {believe it or not... this week} to share with you a giveaway. i hope you'll come back. ;)
moby has a new album out.... i am enjoying it.
a few other songs i am loving...
this version of earth song by haley reinhart
pumped up kicks by foster the people
here, there, & home again... & my book.
it's pathetic how few images i came home with from artfest. and i swear i say this every time, and yet again, there are only a handful of photos that i collected while away. there is so much going on during artfest that i never seem to get the opportunity to load up my camera with images of everything around me... which means i am totally absorbed in the moment... which i consider to be a wonderful thing... & by pulling out a camera i just might break the flow of creative-vibrant energy that happens during artfest! still... i lament & wish i had more images.
i think it's about time the word "artfest" gets put in the dictionary, with the definition being something like: an art retreat where like minded souls of all kinds come to connect; with extreme amounts of creative exchange, artistic influence, and an abundance of recharge for the soul. however, it might need a small disclaimer: it's so much creativity jammed into 3 days that it could and very well might change they way you go about your life.
and so, as you may have guessed, it was another fabulous artfest. although, i swear each year the time there speeds up and it's over way too quickly.
i wish i had lots of work from my students to share with you. i tried, i really did, but then i got caught up in the moment and didn't seem to get as many photos of my students work as i had planned. if you have work from my class and would like to share it you can...
something i have wanted to do for a long time now is set up a flickr group where anyone that has taken a workshop with me can post their work from the class. finally... i have set it up... here is the link. If you have taken a workshop with me at any point {offline} and want to share what you created in class or afterwards using the techniques I shared with you please do on the flickr group.
as soon as i got home from artfest i had to start preparing to leave for art & soul...
once i arrived at art and soul i checked into my room and threw open the curtains, much to my delight, what did i see? a perfectly blue sky with a few soft clouds and a red balloon floating up, up and away. hopefully there wasn't a teary-eyed child with an empty raised hand watching it float away. it was an easy reminder to be in that moment...after the whirlwind of artfest, preparations for art & soul, and driving all afternoon... unlike the balloon, i had landed. i knew i didn't have time to grab my camera in attempts to capture the site, so i just soaked it up and when the balloon was out of sight i stayed a little longer and watched as the clouds scurried along.
the next 4 days were filled to the brim with creating art! i was saturated with that feeling of being connected to my students and to what i love to do. we played, painted, made books, painted some more, created a few drawings, slept and ate a little, painted some more, and then packed everything up and went our ways. the more and more i teach the more i feel at home when i arrive to a workshop. i see dear familiar faces and love meeting new ones as well.
at both artfest and art & soul i had a wonderful group of students. i feel so blessed after these experiences, to be joined by like minded people, to be able to share what i love so much, to live so purely in the moment, and then to come back home to my family and my studio and my solitude, and all that allows me to reflect on what was.
if you were at Artfest or Art & Soul and took my class... thank you so very much!
and now...without further ado {i have always wanted to say that}
the time has come...
my book has arrived. and let me just say this... wow.
how very exciting. unreal.
what a feeling to hold it in my hands, leaf through it, and see all the work & love i poured into it. it feels so, so, so very good. honestly, i never thought i would write a book of my own. i resisted for a little while, but now that i have it here with me, now that i hold it in my hands, i would do it over again in a heartbeat! i learned so much along the way and feel that i put as much into it as i had to give at this point of my life. now it's out there, waiting to find its way into other hands.
i find it perfect timing that it is released at this time of year, being that it's called unfurling, everything here in virginia is doing just that... including myself.
lastly...
i've updated my 8tracks by adding a new playlist and my photo-blog by posting my most recent gathering of photos...
if you'd like you can also follow me on instagram...my username is misskodachrome. if you aren't familiar with this site/app and love taking photos check it out... it's highly addictive.
next time i stop by here i will show you what i have been working on in the studio and hopefully-maybe my esty shop will be updated by then, too! ;)
i am having a hard time finding my voice that used to be on this blog. the voice that once spoke of many things, from art, to my utmost feelings, to whatever came to mind. i've been thinking about how much my blog world has changed since i first started blogging in 2005. it has changed a lot, at least for me. so much has changed and yet so much remains the same, funny how life is like that. back then i feel that i was deeply searching for myself, for who i was and who i greatly wanted to be. and although that continues to be a constant search i don't feel as verbal about it as i did. i haven't consciously chosen to write less or share less, but i think the currents in one's life change, and mine have made me less open and verbally expressive for a period. in some ways i feel that my writing voice used to be stronger... or maybe not stronger, but more present. perhaps i am on a more silent search for who i am or who i strive to be. however, i do want to be more present here, more exposed in some ways, i want to get back to sharing my thoughts and ideas... my work. i want to use my voice of one kind or another.
i am realizing more and more that my words speak so much louder when i paint, or photograph rather than spoken with my tongue. it has never been a strong trait of mine to speak my heart out using my regular voice. i get all crackly sounding and my heart pounds so hard i think i might explode. over time it has eased a bit, i can make a phone call without hyperventilating or ask a stranger a question, i can even stand in front of lots of people and share how i paint, but i still feel so quiet when i am out of my element.
having children gives you a whole new perspective on finding your voice, on helping them find theirs. my voice to my own children i hope is clear, supportive, and always optimistic. somedays that is easier than others, but i try and keep trying. simply put & very similar to the words of rumi, i always seem to fall back on... "do what you love & love what you do".
~
i am totally loving james blake. so much. listen. {and watch}
i am playing over here all month. i love this project! what a brilliant idea!
my heart goes out to all those in japan that are suffering so greatly. there are so many ways one can help those in need... using your own voice to send positive light & love, and sending donations to the red cross or unicef. i have donated a piece of art for an auction that will benefit those in need. i will let you know more about that when it comes to fruition.
if you haven't checked out this album from itunes please do. all proceeds go to japan.
Who said this?
by Mary Oliver
Something whispered something
that was not even a word.
It was more like a silence
that was understandable.
I was standing
at the edge of the pond.
Nothing living, what we call living,
was in sight.
And yet, the voice entered me,
my body-life,
with so much happiness.
And there was nothing there
but the water, the sky, the grass.
hello.
slowly, i am pulling myself from hibernation. just in time to watch the beautiful pink-salmon colored petals unfurl on the quince bush, one of my most favorite flowers (and fruits). i noticed it yesterday when i was walking, it caught me off guard. it seems too soon, but then again, spring cannot come soon enough. i am so ready for it.
i've been spending as much time as i can find in the studio, painting & preparing for artfest, which is only weeks away.
i have fallen madly in love with the mumford and sons... i can't remember the last time i have felt so internally sparked by an entire collection of songs.
although, i am pretty smitten with this singer. it's the first time we have watched this show. i am hooked.
i've been posting a lot of random photos from my days over here. each image takes me back to the time it was taken. i love that.
hope you are happy & doing well!!!!
