Face Toot

Ha ha. All I want to do it play and blog. So okay, two in one day. I thought it would be fun to paint a face and record the steps. On this one I start by gluing down a scrap of cotton fabric in my little book. I think it was a frog's foot; I got it at the Goodwill bins and there were dozens of them - someone's softy project gone south.

Then I draw the face on with my Aquarelle stabilo pencil. It draws on anything.

Next I cover it over with a layer of Folkart Parchment paint. It could be any color but I'm trying to be accurate.

I add a little pink to the cheeks and tip of her ear and mouth.

Hair and eyeballs.

Then smoodge in some other colors so it won't be boring and start modelling the form. I added more fabric and painted in the rest of the background.

I noticed that the fabric I added looked like the curtain on a stage and that the dots looked like spotlights so now we have a circus bareback rider ready to go onstage. I continue painting her face and hair.

Give her a word and a smear of gloss gel and she's ready for her close-up.

I'll probably be gone for about a week now. Stephanie and I are going to meet up in Eugene and have a plaster blast. I'm taking the pogo and flip video so maybe I'll bring back some pictures. Ciao.

Little Book of Faces

For several days I've been considering what to put in the little 4x4" modified accordion style book that I showed how to make here. Finally I realized that I wanted to fill it with little paintings of faces; lovingly rendered and realistically drawn. Here is my progress so far.

First of all the cover. I decided to start by painting the first face on the cover. I am going to get out my yearbook when I run out of inspiration. Some of these faces are from models; some free drawn from my imagination.

This is from my imagination and how I usually draw. Directly on the paper and blended. Boring to me because it looks so typical of my work. I like to surprise myself, not do things that I always do.

I like this one better. It was drawn from a photograph but looks nothing like the child. I love my black outlines. I am a coloring book girl.

Copied from a magazine but not painted over it. I like her mean, threatening look. Which usually covers up for a thin skin.

This is my favorite I think of the ones I've done so far. She looks cold and self-contained. It's a winter look.

I glued down tissue on some of these for added texture under the paint. I always like to start with something. But it takes time for the glue to dry, etc. so I don't always.

I pretty much draw the image with my brush and black paint and then adjust the color. Back and forth, color and outline.

I love head gear, hats, costumey things that crown the skull. They look regal and mysterious.

You would think these were done quickly but that isn't the case. I dibble and dabble.

The last step is a thick coat of gloss gel that I smear on with a finger to avoid brush strokes.

I was watching Project Runway reruns all day and think I channeled Koji (a model) in the one above. Without the bangs of course. The writing across two pages reads, "watching Project Runway".


Painted over a ticket to the Alhambra in Spain which I found in a folder by my drawing table.

Ack. Another face from my imagination.

Painted over a gold gesso base.

Last one, painted over printed tissue paper.

I have a friend in Arizona whose Birthday is tomorrow. She has never been to Voodoo Donuts but was always curious so today she'll be receiving this in the mail.

The zombie has a pretzel stake through its heart, the maple bar has crispy bacon on top, there is a fruit loops donut and that green and white one is a total mystery but so glitchy and weird that I had to include it. Don't forget to smell the donuts! xo

Artful Journey

One of my clearest memories from my art school days was a compliment I received from a beloved teacher (Jim Hibbard) who commented that one of my drawings showed invention. I'd never thought about that before; that making art was inventing new ways of doing familiar things and new ways of thinking. I thought about that moment this morning as I folded laundry and as I imagined the class I'll be teaching at Artful Journey in July of 2010.

In this unusual class (3 entire days to revel in one subject!) we'll be inventing a lot. Bringing to life little dolls and then recording their stories, histories and life events in a booklet that we will design, make and fill. I love stories, outrageous fibs and guided play like this - a chance to dream and create. I've never had 3 days with one group of students before and I anticipate it with happiness; a chance to really get into our subjects. I expect in this amount of time we will be able to create several dolls and their stories; sign-up begins tomorrow at noon Pacific time and I look forward to a wonderful retreat and meeting some of you there. (It is located in a beautiful sanctuary like setting with on-site meals and rooming provided. Summer art camp!)

On This Day

I have big plans for the winter. Every day I chip away a little more at all that I want to accomplish. Of course as I do one thing nine others pop up wanting attention. But little by little. Caught up my taxes in the last 2 days. Just doing that much gave me such a lift. And thank goodness for friends who write and visit and lighten the load.

Of course my journal keeps me entertained as I wade through the ups and downs; it is my friendly companion who accepts all my opinions and experiments. I do a little here and there as I go about the day. Eventually a page is filled.

I think maybe I should draw more. I love the found juxtaposed images so much in my journal - representing as they do the random, disconnected thoughts that fill my mind. But drawing, painting, photography. All of those mediums call on a different part of my psyche. I need them all to express so much, so many big emotions.

Katie sent these photographs to me this morning; she had the foresight to get photos of the journal we both worked in at Journalfest. If you don't know about the 1000 Journal Project you can research it and see the film; the journal first floated into Katie's hands and from hers into mine.

Number 381. Wow. I'm so honored. It's like saying, "I was here. I existed for a moment. I too loved my life, breathed and passed this way".

Here I am, finishing up my page. I think I did my spread in under 5 minutes. No matter. More time doesn't always mean a better outcome.

The lettering says, "wishing peace and joy to all sentient beings".
That's all I have for today. xo

Spirits on the Land

Can you feel it? All around me the earth is slowing down, tucking in for a long rest. Only the spiders and spores and decomposition are active, bringing an end to the gift that was summer of 2009. Halloween always feels like the end to me. If I could choose, I would say that New Year's Day should fall on November 1st as that is the day the clocks turn the wrong way for an hour and we begin something altogether new. And strange.

I am behind. Deadlines I cannot meet. So far traction has eluded me as I try to catch up on all that I've neglected all year. Friends I want to visit, e-mails I've stashed in various folders and then forgotten to answer. I am writing myself a note of forgiveness for all of that and moving forward. I will catch up eventually. I plan to. I mean to. In the meantime, read this.

Leave the dishes.
Let the celery rot in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator
and an earthen scum harden on the kitchen floor.
Leave the black crumbs in the bottom of the toaster.
Throw the cracked bowl out and don't patch the cup.
Don't patch anything. Don't mend. Buy safety pins.
Don't even sew on a button.

Let the wind have its way, then the earth
that invades as dust and then the dead
foaming up in gray rolls underneath the couch.
Talk to them. Tell them they are welcome.
Don't keep all the pieces of the puzzles
or the doll's tiny shoes in pairs, don't worry
who uses whose toothbrush or if anything
matches, at all.

Except one word to another. Or a thought.
Pursue the authentic-decide first
what is authentic,
then go after it with all your heart.
Your heart, that place
you don't even think of cleaning out.
That closet stuffed with savage mementos.

Don't sort the paper clips from screws from saved baby teeth
or worry if we're all eating cereal for dinner
again. Don't answer the telephone, ever,
or weep over anything at all that breaks.
Pink molds will grow within those sealed cartons
in the refrigerator. Accept new forms of life
and talk to the dead
who drift in though the screened windows, who collect
patiently on the tops of food jars and books.

Recycle the mail, don't read it, don't read anything
except what destroys
the insulation between yourself and your experience
or what pulls down or what strikes at or what shatters
this ruse you call necessity.

~louise erdrich

Coming November 1st

Not available on my news stand until Monday so I haven't read the article yet but there is much excitement among the girls; Olga is having fits because she wasn't chosen for the front pages - you know what divas performers can be. Skylar is pawing the ground to see if his picture has been included and I am just happy that the little troupe of hams, I mean players, get to go out into the world and say hello.

Journalfest 2009

Last Wednesday, after a great overnight visit from Stephanie and Vince, we all threw our stuff in our various cars and headed north to Port Townsend, Washington, for Journalfest, along with approximately 130 other journal addicts from all over the world.

What greeted me there was gorgeous Pacific Northwest marine weather, dancing rainbows, autumn leaves and plenty of idle time to play in my journal. Time out from bills, telephones, the routine of home.

Where I could admire the books others had made, exchange ideas and form friendships.

Where I could learn about and buy a mobile PoGo printer made by Polaroid. Danger; this could give you the wants.

Where I could take classes from somebody else for a change and not have to ship boxes or schlepp packets or have a teaching on my mind. It was a wonderful holiday.

Teesha had a great band in the Commons to play for us on the last night and lots of wine to drink. We scribbled, laughed, sashayed to the music and had a perfectly delightful time.

I got to take a class from Anahata and try out all her techniques. I've never had to buy a pizza cutter for class supplies before.

Anahata is a great teacher, a great designer and a nice person. I feel so lucky to have gotten this class with her.

I also took a class from Theo Ellsworth who taught me against my expectations that I do not lack the doodling gene. I started from the middle of the above image and worked my way outward until it started looking fishy and then smiled happily at what had emerged under my pen.

Theo is writing a book entitled "The Quiet Family" about his family of thoughtful introverts. I laughed that I came from the loud family and did the drawing above to illustrate my thought. It was really fun. Maybe I should have been a cartoonist. he he.
On the last day I took a class from my comadre, Alex Shur. I've long been curious about her watercolor technique of finding critters in the soup. The thing that is so weird is that the critters look nothing like anything you've drawn in the past. Check out Lyle Lovett.

And then this entire menagerie of rodents, rabbits and whatzits. This is not how I draw!

A chicken with a hand coming out of its butt. And a Greek matron eating an olive.

An angel with only one wing.

Mercury, with unruly hair blowing smoke out his mouth. Strange stuff but fun too.

One of the coolest things I saw at Journalfest was a small, thick journal made by a woman who had filled over 500 of such books with her magical paintings. She shared with me that she just made an accordian style book and then glued on a fabric spine so I made one this morning to show you guys. In the photo above I'm folding strips of 4" wide Fabriano Roma paper like an accordian.

Then I affix the backs of the folds with a dab of ATG tape so the pages won't bulge out when they get wet.

The last thing I do is root around in my fabric scraps for a piece that calls out to me and I glue that with heavy gel medium to the spine of the book.

This is what the book looks like when it is all glued and dry. You can see the wad of thick gel that holds the pages to the fabric in the back. This is exactly the way paperback books are bound except the folded papers make it much, much stronger. Easy squeezy.

And now I'm home for the winter; eating ripe persimmons and drinking cups of hot tea. I have a big list of projects I hope to complete and a strong desire to cook more so I'll pop in and out as my mood dictates. Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all who touched my heart at Journalfest. We are a special community, we writers and paper lovers. It's good to share the love.

Harvest & Journalfest

Today my work list is a mile long but it's my last chance to post before leaving for Journalfest so here I am; scattered but earnest in my effort to procrastinate and avoid getting down to business. We'll start with recent journal pages. Here I've cut some new stencils, rubber stamps, and well, you know. The usual fun stuff.

The journal is often a reflection of the mind. Big, tangled thoughts; dreams mixed with reality.

Experiments and records.

Play.

Holding on to what is precious. The things you wish you could carry with you always.

I've also been shooting willy-nilly around the garden and house. John is busy with the harvest. Above is the strange roots on his blue corn.

We got an amazingly large harvest off the tall corn that he thought would never ripen and last night we visited our friends from Oaxaca who taught us how to parch the corn on the grill. It was soooo good, tasting just like corn nuts only more tender and without all the salt and oil. Now John is all heated up to make nixtamal and grind his own corn for tortillas.

The beautiful Federley tomato.

Black figs from the tree. They are so beautiful; I love figs and pomegranates for being so guarded of their beauty. Sex-ay!

A bumper crop of peppers drying in the warm garage.

My favorite variety of squash. No butter needed. Tastes like pumpkin pie. (we bake them in a pyrex pan with a little water)

Tomatillos for the green salsa.

Last year the squirrels got all the walnuts but this year we had fewer squirrel families and a bumper crop of walnuts as a result.

This is a thistle flower from an artichoke plant. It is as big as your palm. I wrote a poem after seeing a bee squirming around in the blossom. Here it is:

Meditation on that bee
threading halleluias
through the
lilac thistle blossoms
trailing prayer flags
whispering grace
gratitude
joy
and amen.

Thank you for humoring me. See you in a week or so.

Sculpy Dolls

Hey, well, no posts for a week and then two in one day; it's feast or famine around here. I've been making dolls again.

I admit that posting the photos of student work inspired me to get out the clay. That and the fact that it's the first moment I've had in the studio. I hardly knew where to start with so many ideas twirling around vying for attention. Finally I settled down though and made a body for the demo head I started in the class at Art & Soul.

I've named her Bianca and she is very special to me. With chenille from a student (thanks Chris!) I fashioned white polka dots for her. With me it's either dots or stripes. In this case dots.

And then along came this one which I have named Green for my own reasons. It's Green's Birthday in a day or two and so she and Bianca are going to go to their favorite Thai restaurant and then eat ice cream afterward. They like to do that.

Green is a warrior; very strong and brave. She has known Bianca for many years and Bianca admires her.

I was going to give her a superhero cape but Green shrugged it off and settled for the helmet instead.

Bianca is more of a conformist than Green is; she likes to hide in sheep's clothing.

She is loving Oregon's mild weather so far this autumn and even heard tree frogs croaking outside. She plans on staying cozy this winter in her fuzzy coat of wool. Chenille. Whatever.

Happy Birthday, Green. This one's for you. xo

Beach Fog

I'm blaming my foggy state of mind on the recent family trip to Pacific City. Each day there I moved slower than the previous day. Now that I am home my gear is stuck in "do nothing". I'm trying to ignore computerland until I get my speed up again. After such an all-out summer it's to be expected.

John and I playing in the sand; listening to the crashing waves, smelling the fresh, salt air, seeing the surging rollers that somehow empty the mind of all cares, thoughts, memories.

We played games and ate lavish meals.

Danced on the beach at daybreak and sunset.

Read a little.

Took long beach walks.

Ran the dogs.

Acted silly.

Emptied of all pesterments.

Safely in the arms of Mother earth. Oh, how perfect is a day by the sea.

Wax Collage Class Art & Soul

As I sized these photos to post here I delighted in the variety of expression I found. Some students chose to paint, some to use collage, some to combine both along with fabric, lace and metal. This is a great class to learn about encaustic painting as well as painting and collage. So here is the work.

Mixed media collage.

The human brain loves to combine found images and generate new ideas.

It's what we do all the time in dreams and memory.

As we switch around the images new relationships arise.

I like to think that as we work on the paintings, the paintings work on us.

They are always sending us messages about our selves.

As in dreams, we are always the central character as well as the supporting cast.

It's fascinating, really.

Of course chance enters into it too.

Just as it does in our daily lives.

I love the idea that we are co-creators with chance and coincidence.

And how later it can look like it was meant to be all along.

How little choices add up.

And make something beautiful.

That makes us feel happy.

And get's our feelings out.

As a way of communicating and sharing our experiences with others.

Thank you to all the students who came to Art and Soul to play together and to make things and to learn more about the central mystery of who we are and what we are here for. Certainly spirit means for us to play; we find such deep satisfaction in so doing. I'm taking a few days off now but I'll return soon.

Art & Soul Stencil & Printing

Here are just a few of the stencil self portraits that came out of the classroom. I was so busy running inside and out that I missed photographing some wonderful work.

After we prepared our collages and sprayed our stencils we finished with a coat of encaustic medium. This kept us pretty busy as you can imagine.

Plus cutting the stencils. So many decisions.

I'm going to try to do some of these techniques with misters instead of the toxic paint in a can. The fumes are really something.

But oh, the beauty of that opaque black paint is hard to beat.

Then I taught a class where we made nature prints with brayers, cut rubber stamps, pulled prints from gelatin, made masks and more. Another busy day with lots of physical movement about the room.

We printed papers to use in our journals and for other projects using feathers, leaves and masks that we made ourselves.

We pulled monoprints.

Made prints in positive and negative from the masks we made.

Tried various water-based inks including Akua, Speedball and Createx.

For the gelatin prints we used acrylic paint. Primary colors plus black.

Here are some of the results.

It was fun.

And exhausting.

After the students left three young men came in who worked for the hotel and showed great interest in what we had been doing all day. They hardly looked older than high school students and my heart went out to them, laboring at mundane jobs just as I had been at their age. The first question they asked was if you had to go to college to be an artist. (My answer was no, just do it.) Then they wanted thorough explanations of how the prints were made and asked to look through my journals. Finally their boss came in and I was afraid I'd gotten them into trouble but he was interested too and had his own litany of questions. Finally he took my hand-out which I offered and made prints for the boys and himself so that they could have the recipe for the gelatin and directions for making the prints.

Once again I reflect on the pull art has on all of us. That these workmen were fascinated by the process and loved the beauty of the colors spread out on the trays before them. Art is innate. Art is a joyful dance. Everyone loves to push around color, to play and make beauty. Sometimes I feel like I am at the intersection between human beings and something transcendent. There is magic in making art. This is the magic I love to share.

Art & Soul Doll Class

My goodness this class was fun. And a learning experience for me too as this was the first time I taught it. I'll just show photos for the most part as I am not unpacked and have much to catch up on here at home. The dolls in the photos are in various stages of coming to life.

Love the wires ... will she attach beads, feathers, paint them or leave them? She can't go wrong.

This guy reminds me of Archie the comic book guy. Can't remember his last name.

What a sweet face on this one.

This is Grandma and her grandchild. The baby will go in a backpack.

This one was really TALL. Love the big shoes and skinny legs.

Some people are getting ready for Halloween. Iridescent green on her face.

A girl who is temporarily in a yoga pose. With a crow in a nest on her head.

This quirky girl made me smile a lot.

She's all buttons and bows.

Stripes and dots and my favorite green.

Little pink roses and a cheesecloth skirt. Yum yum.

A pixie with incredible hands and a beautiful face.

Here she is in her clothing.

Love the facial expressions.

Miss Haversham. Waiting in tatters for her groom to arrive.

A french can can dancer. With a luscious decolletage.

The torso girl with her legs.

Wonderful expression and expressive "hands".

My, what a pretty dress.

I wish I had time to share all the stories behind the dolls but I can tell you that the room was filled with laughter and I think it was one of the most fun classes I've ever taught. I really loved seeing all the great ideas that came forth.

Here's a little bonus photo of Misty and Jen Goff. Jen taught her first class at Art and Soul and I visited the room on the evening she was preparing for her students. She'd created a wonderful environment with candles glowing, music playing softly and beautiful bowls of herbs and ingredients to be made into health affirming body care potions. There were soft pillows and silky throws on the floor; the room was a welcome respite from the jangle outside the door. It was beautiful to be part of Jen's first teaching experience and I wish her well in all her endeavors. She is an incredible new talent.

Next up: the Stencil and Print classes. I'll save the wax class for last.

PS - I slept for 12 hours last night and it was grand. My world has expanded once again after dancing with new friends and absorbing new energies. Thank you to every one who crossed my path. I wish you well.

PPS - If I missed photographing your doll please forward a photo to me and I will post it. In counting the photos I see I have missed some but I didn't mean to. Thanks.

Off To Art & Soul

Prepare yourself for a stew of unrelated images. I'm whirling through my days from one subject to another; packing for my next teaching assignment at Art & Soul in Portland and decluttering the office.

Of course I'm writing in my journal too. Some of these pages were demos at Squam like the face above.

All kinds of energy go into my pages. Sometimes slow and quiet, sometimes crackling with energy, as at Squam.



This is Jasvinder, a most interesting yogi who lives and teaches in Vancouver, BC. Our mutual friend Tom had an old camera with a pop up lens so we took a few shots through the lens that evening.

Here is John through the lens. As I've shared before, I'm becoming more interested in improving my eye for photography. In that vein I thought I'd share some shots I found in an old box. Some of these are 40 years old; I thought they looked either funny or strange or both.

I had a polaroid camera in those days but much of what I shot was lost. This gem remained though. Taken in St. Johns.

This was our 2nd story bathroom window in Orenco. That honeysuckle grew all the way up the wall and into the window in the summertime. Just inside the window is a huge claw foot bathtub. It was an amazing old house that nearly killed us as we did a historic remodel. John and I fell in love in this house. Bittersweet memories. We were so young and passionate.

Here are my daughters one Christmas when I was a single mother. Those were very hard times.

Here I am at about the same time. Young, depressed, overwhelmed, insecure, no money, many heavy responsibilities. My one asset was my youth. Like a hearty weed, I survived.

Today is our grandson Nathan's 23rd Birthday. Happy Birthday, heart of my heart. This photo of him and John is about 20 years ago then. That was the day our neighbor offered to let him ride their Shetland Pony and he informed me in his most serious voice that he wasn't a boy who rode horses. Very well then.

My little Stephanie sitting at mom's house on Coleman Street in Mesa, Arizona. *sigh* Head in clouds, I move forward. I'll see some of you at Art and Soul; I gotta go hurl my boxes in the van now and head on down the road. (((((hugs)))))

Squam Part 2

Here is my encaustic collage class in front of the Sap House where our class was held. Sap refers to the maple syrup that was made in this building at one time. Like the real maple syrup we ate on our french toast each morning. The food!! OMG, but I digress. I am in the very back like the mother hen. These are my happy onions who have each made a beautiful painting.

This is my angel assistant who took most of these photos. I seldom get a class photo which is so precious to me after the class is held. To look into your faces one by one when I return home. So thank you, Ali. You deepened my pleasure of this year's Squam. Now I can remember and sigh.

Inside the Sap House, surrounded by nature. Imagine the wood fire going all day long (again, kudos to Ali who can lay a real fire and keep it going and to Stephanie Brazil who stepped up more than once to throw on another log).

Hey guys, you get the Blue Blocks at Dharma Trading. The 10 block set is what I'd try. Cheaper here than what I pay for them in my town but I think the same thing. If you google Penscore Magic Stamp Moldable Foam that should get you more than one supplier.

Jamie Ewald with her dreamy painting.

Cheryl Connell.

Cheryl Connell.

Here I am washing off my favorite blue block stamp of a doll baby. It's really creepy. hee hee.

Jenica Mackenzie.

Jenica Mackenzie.

My cabin mates. The faces I will never, ever forget. Phenomenal sistahs. We shared. And bonded. You are each in my heart right this minute.

The journal class that I taught on the second day. Thank you all for allowing yourselves to be herded out like cattle for a class photo. It means so much to me to have it in my journal now. And again, Ali, thank you for taking the photos.

I'm high on Squam. I haven't even mentioned the ice lanterns: big blocks of ice harvested last winter from the lake that held flickering candles and lit a couple of the pathways at night. You could see the bubbles of air held in the ice like fairy wings - pure magic. I keep seeing glimpses of the magic flickering through my memory as I go about my work of preparing to teach at Art and Soul and I feel my heart opened fully to my mission. Which is to share. To strengthen the younger women and men who are this season's people. To live a life of compassion and to stay open.

And the art. Always in the center is the celebration of expression. Making and sharing. Mmmm.

Squam Squam Squam

It's almost unbelievable I suppose that Squam could be as wonderful as you've heard. Well, believe it. I am full enough and inspired enough to last for a year. Chipmunks, crisp mornings, birdsong, the smell of wood smoke in the air. Leaves beginning to turn. I love New England and this place in particular.

This is my cabin; Birdsall. In the coming days I'll add new blog links for many new artists for you to visit. I barely made it out the door of the Dining Room on the last morning before I started blubbering. My heart was full to bursting. Karen Cole had the best idea. A home for all of us where it is Squam forever. I vote for that.

This is a photo of my cabin from the dock. My bed was just inside those windows to the right. All night I slept to the rhythm of the creaking dock and the call of the loons. I didn't hear them last year but this year I heard them every night; haunting and other-worldly.

Elizabeth thought of the little touches that gladden the heart. Simple end of summer flowers in a canning jar.

This is my bedroom that I had to myself after the goddess Leonie Wise moved to the next room. One of our mates couldn't make it so each of us had our own bedroom. (yes, two Wise women in the same house. Elizabeth has a sense of humor.)

Here is Leonie the Lionhearted out for her 6 am swim in the lake. It's about 40 degrees out there. I had 4 layers on in the bedroom and my alarm had just gone off when I looked out and saw her. I grabbed my iPhone and caught this for you. Brrrrr, what an athlete.

Here she is, a wonderful woman from New Zealand who lives and works in London now with Nick who is as splendid as she is. I got to meet him when he delivered wine to our cabin. Yay, Nick!!

Leonie took a class called "Sticks and Stones" where the participants made earth art. She chose to erect this barrier out of tree's limbs across one of the paths and then she masked the sides with foliage. My photo doesn't do it justice at all; I'm hoping Andrew Borloz will have better ones on his site as he was out that morning shooting photos too. I think Leonie's project was brilliant - wish I could film the puzzled hikers who will come to the barrier and wonder "what the f#@k" ... this wasn't here yesterday. Yay, Leonie.

So here are a sampling of the encaustic projects that came out of a full class of creative women. Aleece Langford above.

Barbara Hoke.

Corrine Gilman

Gail Stoughton

Karen Cole.

Kim Mailhot.

Mary Lawrence.

Sharon Andrews.

Tracey Duncan. There are more photos being e-mailed to me that will follow later and if you students have shots of your own work that you could send to me I'll post them. Unfortuneately, I didn't get photos of everyone's work and some I did take were even worse than these. eek.

On the second day, with another full class, I was so caught up in the fun that I didn't get a single photo. My excellent class assistant Ali Dejohn took photos of both classes for me though so I'll have some to share soon.

View out my window.

My screened in porch that extended off my bedroom.

I love this photo of Liz Elayne Lamoreux. She made Leonie's apron and a number of scarves I saw at the retreat. She is hosting art retreats herself now and is interested in seeing that others have the opportunity to reach their full potential in life. She is warm and generous and really gives a soft hug. :-)

I can't believe this is the only photograph I came home with of the fabulous Elizabeth Bunsen. On Saturday I got to take a class and after much thought (so many good teachers!) I chose EB. She is a wonderful, original voice and I loved her teaching style. I think this was her first time teaching at a retreat although she has taught children and adults for many years. Karen Cole is laughing about becoming her business manager and I hope to see her teaching at retreats all across the country. She is good, people. Ask your local retreats to request her. You'll be thrilled, as I was.

Check out Karen Cole and Jonatha Brooke in this great photo. Karen laughs that she seldom takes a good photo but in this one she looks as pretty as she does in real life. And Jonatha Brooke. She is lovely. Voice like an angel. Funny too. What great muses and role models.

Full heart. Quiet heart. Healed and at rest. It is good.

Home again with splendid, radiant memories. New Hampshire. I'm falling in love with you. xo

Squeezing in Some Me Time

Finished up a new journal last night. This is a close up of the plaster cover, the next photo shows the cover in its entirety.

I like to make the next journal when I get down to the last signature of the previous one; I write a lot so I know I'll be needing it soon. Sooooo juicy fun to hole up in my studio tearing paper, sewing, talking to myself. I'm great company.

This is the journal front and back. It has 4 signatures of 6 folded sheets; Italia and Roma papers interwoven. I reinforced the canvas spine with cardboard and the book is tighter. It tells me it loves its new, firm backbone and I do too.

Where's Waldo?

Ah, cutting grapes for the table. Cows like grapes too and they know what grows on that vine very well. They are smart when it comes to food they like. They know where the goodies are just like we do.

We grow Hopi Dye Red Amaranth in our garden so I decided to make some ink out of the flowers. I looked all over the web for a recipe but found none so I used my noggin to codge something together. First I boiled it in water.

Then I added a dried up oak gall I'd gathered on my morning walk. The old timers used to make ink out of oak gall but theirs was probably fresh while mine had dried up and fallen off the tree. I threw it in anyway.

Then I added a splash of gum arabic for body and gin for the alcohol to make it dry faster (have a belt yourself while you're at it).

It made an excellent, brilliant red ink. Not wine red (hmmmm, another idea) but more of a quinacridone shade.

So then I gathered up some Oregon Grape to make some more ink out of. In my web ramblings I came across some notations about the pioneers making ink out of these. Probably they were fresher than this batch but things are drying up around here.

I only made a tiny batch because that's all the seeds I gathered. I threw in an onion peel for good measure. I used to make Easter egg dye for the kids out of them.

Using the same approach I made an ink that turned out pinky-brown. Beautiful but I think the best will be when I mix the two together. Why do I do these things? I have no idea beyong simple curiosity. My brain goes, "hey! What color would the ink be if you boiled this down?" and then I have to know. Plus I lovvve my dip pens.


Okay, that's all my news for today. Go forth and play nicely. Inspire each other. Be curious.

Elusive Balance

Restless mind. I keep remembering the woman at Squam last year who spent 2 years setting up a photography business only to find that when she had at last achieved success her fickle wants had changed direction. She asked for guidance. I told her that this is the way it goes. We build our dreams on a solid foundation and then we have new dreams. New dreams that require new time, commitment and service. Or we quit the 40 hour a week job to become freelance and then discover that it is lonely, the hours are impossible, that even in wild success there is still something else we want to do. Maybe that's just how the creative mind works.

This is the result of yesterday's windstorm. Our exquisite 3 year old persimmon tree broken at the trunk, splayed in two directions. It echoes every loss of the last 10 years for me. I am in a tender mood.

This promise is not to be. And sometimes that's how things go.

A friend and reader this week reminded me that life is not all margaritas and trips to Santa Fe. I want to assure others that I agree. I see the same things you do. My mother was depressed most of the time I was growing up and I saw first hand what a life of constant sorrow and looking back came to. She was being honest; she felt everything too deeply and was in emotional pain. I chose not to live her life, though I have the same tendencies. I chose to see life from a different vantage point and to my surprise I discovered that vigilant cultivation of a hopeful spirit can lift the sadness.

This is another reason I have been in my cave all week. I am preparing packets and hand-outs for 6 classes; 2 at Squam (classes filled) and 4 at Art & Soul in Portland (spaces left in 2 classes). These are just the hand-outs. The packets themselves will fill several postal cartons. It is a time consuming labor of love. And yet as I go about these tasks my paints and brushes are calling to me as never before.

I declined one teaching invitation this week and as soon as I screw up my courage I will decline a second. I am making time to paint. I am excited. Maybe I'll take a class. Take my turn to be pampered, inspired and thrilled with new possibilities.

I'm excited.

More time to cook for my honey, my beloved daughters and their families, our friends right here in River City.

So that's what's been roiling through my brain as I sit in my cave watching the rain drip and daydreaming.

We artists are the luckiest people on the planet; know why? Because we know that as creators of things we are also the creators of our own lives. We are given bodies and situations and then we get to decide how to tell the story. And knowing we have this choice makes all the difference.

Sister to Sister

The other day I received a book in the mail from a student that I met in Arizona named Mary Fisher. That's her in the round glasses above, exactly as she looked sitting in the front row of my journaling class. Mary is a good example of the outstanding human beings among us who turn their superpowers toward the light. Specifically, she has been working to help women in Africa who have discovered they have Aids to find a way to provide for themselves and their children. Imagine for a moment how it would feel to look at your hungry children and to have to choose between needed antiviral medicine and food.

Mary can tell you the story of her journey far better than I can summarize it; please go to her website and see if you have it in your heart to purchase some of the jewelry these women are making to support themselves. Each piece of jewelry is signed by the artist and here you can go to see who the artist was and to read their story and see what they look like. Really a sister to sister connection.

Something about this story just spoke to me. Perhaps you will feel the urge to do what you can too. xo

Santa Fe Love Affair

One week ago today John and I boarded a plane that eventually delivered us to the home of his sister and her husband in Colorado. For the third time we all gathered for a road trip to Santa Fe in time for the Indian Market.

So first allow me to introduce our cast of characters. John of course you know. His sister Judy E. is in the photo above. She (among other things) actually cooks out of the Julia Child cookbook. (yum!)

Her husband Jack you may have met on his blog, The Galloping Goose. He has also written about our trip there. He is a wonderful oil painter and does drawings that actually look like the things he means to draw.

Christine is John's niece and she lives near her mother in Denver with her husband Rick. She is a fiber artist.

Rick is about the smartest guy on the planet. He's got me schooled up on Woot (has an iPhone app), Edward Tufte, Snaptel and Evermore (both iPhone apps). My projects for the next few months.

So the three units of two manned three vehicles and tooled south through the high mountains until we reached Santa Fe.

There was a lot to see on the seven hour drive.

Most of the time we were at elevations of over a mile high. Santa Fe is around 7000 ft. elevation. The thin air has an extraordinary effect on one's body; you feel sort of stoned all the time.

You see things in a different light. For one thing the sky is so blue you can hardly believe it.

And for another the clouds are blindingly bright, white and near you. So opposite of Oregon.

The first night we tucked into our favorite haunt, Marias. Here you can choose between hundreds of kinds of tequilas and agave liquors. The food is classic New Mexican style Mexican. We love it.

The next day we hit Canyon Road with great vigor. Oh, the profusion of good art is nearly overwhelming. This is where you come to learn, to see, to enjoy.

I'm standing in front of my favorite find of this year; a painting by Don Quade. I love love love his work. You can enjoy the work at the link and see if it appeals to you.

Me me me. Well, it's my blog. ;-)

This work is by Michelle Y. Williams and it is an abstract on metal framed cleverly between two sheets of acrylic held by copper bolts.

I purchased one of her pieces although not one of the two pictured here. Yum yum.

I'm forgetting to mention here that a number of these shots were taken by either Jack or Rick. Jack caught me in this one running away from the monkey.

Pomegranate Margaritas were the drink of the trip. At that altitude it only takes one.

Rick shot this beauty.

About 5 minutes after John took this shot the clouds burst forth with a fragrant, cooling rain. We were at the Folk Art Museum.

On the drive back John and I stopped at this small hotel in Taos where we once spent a week in the early 90's. We were glad to see that the giant cottonwoods still shaded the patio and that all was as we remembered.

Driving back to Colorado.

A reader asked what my traveling art kit contained so I shot a photo for you. I love being able to see into the pouch so I know if what I need is there. I carry pens, a date stamp, a set of hand carved numbers in a tiny mint tin, 2 small rubber stamp pads, a glue stick and scissors.

On our last morning I journaled and we ate at Judy E.'s house; flautas, sweet melon and salad. The pot in the photo is a Hopi treasure that Judy bought at the market. She has a collection of Hopi pots; she is the one among us who collects while in Santa Fe.

Last night we returned to Portland, full of memories and glad to be home.

Here is my portrait for Self Portrait Wednesday. For once I unpacked my bag immediately; now to catch up with friends and family. Vaya con Dios.

Peach Season

This is the time of year I'm hunkered over the sink eating juicy peaches. Our tree had so many this year that we lost more than one limb; oh, I love peaches. We have blackberries too. So sweet and dark. It floods the senses.

To our surprise the corn was still standing on our return from Arizona. One of the stalks put out silks of the most beautiful wine color. I'll get on a ladder this afternoon and get a shot for you. This is blue corn, the kind you grind into blue corn flour for tortillas. But our friend from Oaxaca says even he has never seen it grow so tall.

Inspired by Maija and Katie and Misty, I pulled out the sewing box and made myself a fabric cuff to wear for dress up. These are so much more comfortable to wear for me than metal bracelets because I can write and paint, etc. with one on my wrist. Soft and cozy.

Cindy gave me most of these fabrics when I was at her house in Los Gatos. She has a fine eye for exotic fabrics and I'm learning what to look for too. I scored some great ones at SAS Fabrics on 19th Avenue in Phoenix.

A few buttons from the stash I got from Teesha and voila!! A cuff that I love to wear. Sorry about all the name dropping but I do think it's interesting that all these influences converged on me. I never would have come up with the idea on my own. I swore off sewing at one point to make time for more painting but the sewing muse was not to be put aside. The needle and thread felt so good in my hands.

After I made my cuff I found this one for sale on the internet. All I can say is wow and wow again. That's some inspiration!!

I also made a couple of fabric flowers while I was at it. I don't have the ultimate pattern yet but I'm working on it. These two came from web tutorials that I've since lost.

This one was made with wire ribbon. They were both pretty easy but took me a couple of hours.

Finally I have a few more journal pages to post from my time traveling and home again.

Mom and the Superstition Mountains where we children scattered her ashes. Father's ashes were scattered here 10 years before that; I like to think of them together now on the desert they loved so much. We used to drive the dusty two lane roads around Mesa singing "You're Too Old to Cut the Mustard" and other songs from that era. How quaint that seems now.

More nonsense. Mi favorito occupacion.

By tomorrow at this time I'll be on my way to the Indian Market this weekend in Santa Fe. Canyon Road, the Folk Art Museum, Indian Fry Bread and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A place to me that is holy, that calls me back time and again. I'm taking the laptop and have good intentions of posting from there. Sometimes the girl reporter would rather drink margaritas than post; bad girl reporter!! xo

Art Unraveled Wrap-Up

On my third day of teaching in Arizona we combined mixed media, paint and encaustic medium plus all the wax techniques to produce this series of student work. The piece above even has grains of plant life encased in the wax.

This work has a couple of carbon transfers onto the surface of the wax.

Sometimes the students arrive with blank expressions but these women lept right to the task.

Family photographs; certainly the most meaningful of all subject matter.

This one has lace incorporated into the wax and a beautifully restrained color palette.

Kris cracked me up with her transformation of John Wayne into a gatherer of girly-girls.

And Sharon portrayed the summer goddess with her triangle of stars: Deneb, Vega and Altair.

The color palette here was soft and lovely; these pieces are so much more textural and satiny in person.

In the spirit of keeping it real I'll say that yesterday as I walked outdoors it became apparent to me that summer is waning and with that came a heavy feeling. Winter is hard for me.

This is what I'll miss during the off season. The beauty of these faces, this travel, the friendships. I feel most alive when I am sharing what I know with others.

Isn't this wonderful, with fishes and wishes and fairytale girls?

Sue kept saying, "I want to incise!" I hope she'll go home and draw into the wax. She draws eloquently.

The artist herself portrayed as the largest figure in this piece.

And a juxtaposition of images in the best collage vein; east and west, then and now.

Tissue inclusion, lace, paint and transfer.

This one was amazingly textural; layers and layers of paper and paint and then wax over all. Sumptuous and rich.

Thank you to all of the advanced and fabulous women who came to Arizona to play with me; it was a time out of time, extraordinary and enriching.

Art Unraveled-Part 2

Is there anything more beautiful than a painted book? My heart loves paint and paper bound into a book more than just about anything. This class was titled, "A Handmade Life" and focused on the journal, our words and paintings, collage and dreams all spread out in joyous color as a daily meditation on chance, hope, play and survival.

Our goal is to reach deep inside ourselves and find that place where we are children, playing with abandon, celebrating the newness of existence. Celebrating our one, precious life.

Celebrating our hands and all the joy they can give us.

Making faces full of energy and happiness just for fun.

Trying out new techniques of applying paint, making marks, writing words, investigating.

What happens when we suspend judgment and give in to our shy love of just having fun?

Is there anyone who does not love to pick up a brush and make a mark? Certainly there is no child who refuses the task. They take to it like ducks to water.

We painted and collaged houses for our hearts to live in. Secretive, hidden-away places where no one can enter unless we say.

Clubhouses for the soul.

We don't ask anyone for permission. We give ourselves permission. We are each the boss, the one who decides what is good for us and what is beautiful.

We open a door and delight enters in. We fall in love with our creations. We become whole.

Here is where health, happiness and liberty begins. This I believe. We are creators. We must keep that conduit open or we become sad and perhaps ill.

We have words, colors and emotions to express. Every culture does it. We surround ourselves with beauty. But most of all we love to make things.

Our brains love riddles, complexity, diversity and solutions. When we stir these components into our lives we are happier and more content.

Big, happy humans. Ahhhhh.

Music and fragrance and color and love and touching and trust and friendship. The art of living life so that we live each day in fulfillment instead of pain.

This is why.

This is why we gather together to learn to walk the path of kindness and inclusion. So that everyone is encouraged, lifted, loved and heard. My heart is full.