Los Gatos and Home Again

What a whirlwind weekend it was. Katie and I flew into Los Gatos on Thursday to teach 2 day classes at Cindy's Artful Journey workshops. My plaster class was on Friday and Katie's was a mixed media class on Saturday. On Sunday we both flew home; her to Seattle and me to Portland. I'm still waiting for pieces of myself to come back together; I feel beamed up but still missing a few molecules.

Cindy provided beautiful food for the attendees and saw to our every need, running errands for me in the middle of class (I apologize, Cindy, for needing you to do that) and providing a beautiful place for the teachers to stay. We swam at night in her heated pool and started each day with strong coffee from her espresso machine. It was divine.

Here are the happy ladies at the end of the first day.

On the left is Sharon Tomlinson, a long time blog friend, who flew in from Texas to play. She made the aprons pictured above; Zorana's was even reversible with secret words and images on the back side. If you click on Sharon's link you can read more about the aprons on her blog.

This is a detail; isn't it beautiful?

And also allow me to introduce you to Gypsyfroggie, who has the most beautiful tatoo on her arm. She is another blog friend that I finally got to meet in person; can you say fab-u-lous?

Here is a close up of the magnificent art. I love the starry sky at the top, the hair, face, and well, everything!

Now I'll show you some of the plaster painting that was done in class. I didn't think to start snapping pictures until a number of the students had left and I humbly apologize to the students for that. I try to include everyone.

In this class I urged the students to try a little of everything in their pieces . . . to create a sampler of techniques to remind them of the possibilities of plaster.

I brought some collage elements: inkjet on tracing paper, vintage writing, carbon copies to transfer.

We worked with both Plaster of Paris and Limestone clay concoctions. In comparing the two, Plaster of Paris is much harder.

We had the option of finishing the plaster or clay with hot or cold wax. The results are quite different.

We transferred onto the surface and used stains, glazes and paint as well as stencils, stamps, carving, sanding and layering the plaster.

Now I am home with a pile of mail, e-mail, Art Unraveled stencils to prepare, bills to pay and bags to unpack.

I need a new computer but lack the time to set it up.

And all the roses need dead-heading. Life is full and my sweet memories will float along with me today as I prepare samples for a special collaboration project (full heart happiness is working with another artist on a shared vision), and try to cover all the bases.

Look serene. You are a beautiful swan. No one can see the mad paddling beneath the surface of the water.

And the Livin' is Easy

Finished a new plaster piece. I have some others too that I'll show you in time. Love the plaster; a fine, cloudy mess.

Went to Kitten's for the 4th (John's tongue-in-cheek nickname for our daughter Stephanie). Moose is showing us how he keeps cool in the 90 degree heat. He is the funniest dog; kept stepping on my sandaled feet with his big clumsy paws and shaking off the water while in the middle of us. That kept all of us cool.

These didn't hurt either. This is the summer of Blackberry Margaritas. Quite refreshing.

A few journal pages. As I look at these I remember clearly the bumpy emotional ride that has been this summer. Thank heavens I'm in a sunny space; sometimes my thoughts take me to other places.

Learning to ride the currents; isn't that the challenge for some of us? Not to be discouraged when the mind plays its *funny* tricks.

The subject in our family this week has been Hashimoto's Disease. It is a condition that our daughter Shellie (Pumpkin) has just discovered she has; for years she's complained of a tight throat, depression, panic attacks and mania. After therapy, anti-depressants and more therapy she's gone on thyroid meds and all those symptoms have disappeared plus she is losing weight (a good thing for her) and having increased energy. Sometimes it's not just in your head.

Cooper's happy that Shellie is finally being treated for her Hashimoto's Disease. So are we all.

Here is part of John's garlic harvest for this season. It smells wonderful drying on the deck.

My idea of fun. A nap in the cold, air-conditioned house after a hot session at the grill. Happy 5th of July; wish I could share a scoop of lemon verbena home-made ice cream with each of you.

Summer Dreams

I can't remember a lazier summer. All I want to do is be with friends, to putter on the computer or to push paint in my journal. Sure I'm getting ready to fly to Las Gatos and teach the Plaster Painting class on July 10th, am gathering my wits for that juicy bit of fun, but I'm also taking time to eat lots of watermelon and blow soap bubbles with my friends.

Remember the purple house that I wrote about before, belonging to John's cousin Jonna? Well, I shot these photos at her Birthday Party last Saturday afternoon and the house is as purple as ever.

There were lots of people, conversation, children, food (ah, barbequed everything; my favorite!) and adult beverages. Good times.

Mia is one of Jonna's grand-daughters. Aren't her feet precious in her little jellies with the pink hearts?

Our persimmon tree is in riotous bloom. I'm always surprised by the number of people who have never tasted persimmons. They are a wonderful autumn delight. We have several trees on the place now.

Here is Jonna with some of her little party goers. Years ago she was a doula and I joked to her that these were the children she delivered. While she didn't deliver these, there was one child there that she delivered (no photo of her - sorry).

Pensive moment for one of the little bubble blowers.

This is our Matilija Poppy showing off again. Dinner plate sized blooms; everyone stops and asks about them.

And the cows are all calving; here is a newcomer with panda eyes. After one birthing we counted 3 quarrelsome buzzards in the pasture cleaning up and fighting over the afterbirth. It's like living inside an episode of Animal World TV.

Gardenias blooming on my entryway. Make me happy.

Jonna on the right and her sister Tracy on the left. These two women are just as fun and witty and hilarious as their big smiles suggest; I just sit back and watch the show.

Here is a picture for anyone who needs a lift; if this little smile doesn't lighten your heart I don't know what would. The world is as good as it ever was; be grateful for life and hug a child. xo

things and ships and sealing wax...

Today I finished making a paper boat for a project that fired my imagination. It's for a fundraiser for Mary-Ann's cottage, a living history museum in Soctland run by volunteers from the Caithness Heritage Trust. There is a blog showing the boats already submitted from all over the world here and so far surprisingly few are from the U. S. If nothing else go and admire the boats already collected; they are fabulous. You have until August 10th if you care to participate. Artists make good things happen! (More photos at the end of this post.)

I've been busy. Walking in the park with John.

Admiring the Queen Anne's Lace that grows along the path.

Basking in the sun that warms the meadow.

Meeting friends in the Hawthorne District to discuss art, travel, writing, Art Fiberfest, the desert.

Relationships, friendships, community and caring for each other.

Rice invited me to journal one afternoon at Reed College where Art Fiberfest was being held so I showed up and worked on my paper boat while Teesha and Tracy worked on their journal pages.

It was fun. Their journals are so beautiful and so uniquely their own. I always get inspired around journalers.

Meanwhile Rice taped and videoed and interviewed the people in the room for her next book. I learned a lot about the early days of stamping. (Check out Tiphoni and Theo's sites too.)

Admired somebody's beautiful tattoos. She's got the skin I would have in a wild dream.

This is one of the boats you will see when you visit the paper boat site. The tiny handmade books fit inside the boat.

Mine is paper, acrylic paint, amber shellac, india ink, beeswax and resin. For awhile it glued itself together and I thought all was lost but I persevered and it worked.

I put in the burning house to signify life's brevity; with the passing of several great artists this week I'm again reminded that we burn through our days; they pass as effortlessly as paper boats on the current.

Disequilibrium

I'm going through a period of change right now; the blog has been quieter than usual because I'm doing my best to ride the currents silently. I can't talk about what I don't understand yet; I just feel internal shiftings and groanings as I continue my search for authenticity in my work and life. It occurs to me often that we are tainted by our capitalistic culture and by going to art school and absorbing the prevailing dictates to be a certain kind of creative person. I think it's good to question our mission statements from time to time and to ask ourselves if we're really doing what we want to be doing in life and if we're giving as much as we can.

So instead of working in this peculiar state of mind I've been taking long walks along the Molalla River, letting my mind wander as I pluck a stray salmonberry from a bush along the trail or rob a low hanging branch on a wild cherry tree.

I'm writing in my journal as usual but the answers are emerging very slowly when they do. I feel suspended.

Cherries on the hiking trail.

My companion for 30 years. Choose carefully my onions. Although I didn't choose. I fell, tumbled, went down like a stone from the first day we met. What is love and how much of it is hormones, fantasy and projection?

As I walked today I reflected on the sweetness of summer. I gave thanks that there was no howling wind, no biting cold, no winter depression.

I think most creatives share my restless mind, my search for resolution, my endless cycle of work, rest, curiosity and dreaminess. Sometimes we know everything and sometimes we know nothing at all.

Okay, here is the take-home, a quote from Carol Lee Flinders. "When a message wants to move from the unconscious to the conscious level, we experience a kind of turbulence first, the flutters that signal disequilibrium."

I like that.

Summer Solstice and IEA

June is the best month and summer solstice is the favorite season; my Fairy Roses bloom, Lake Oswego has a big art festival and our Garden Group gathers to celebrate together. Look how Tao has grown; he can flip through the pictures on my iPhone, say many words, identify all the barnyard animals and charm the socks off a monkey. He gives me the love shivers.

This is the kitchen of our friends' house. It is a berm house (built into the hillside with a southern exposure) and the location of powerful, progressive energy. My friends run a CSA farm and supply food, eggs and honey to their subscribers. The house is heated with a wood burning cook stove and has a toilet that recycles waste into clean fertilizer for the garden. On this day they had planned to cook beans in their solar oven but it was overcast so we ate something else instead.

John and I brought the peeled fava beans, lightly blanched with onion and olive oil. Seiko made the brown rice balls covered with coconut and the mung bean dessert that was foreign looking but delicious. Bev made banana bread and John contributed 2 kinds of home made cheese from their new cow. Noah picked the strawberries and Patti and Paul brought wheat bread and 3 more kinds of cheeses. Chavo and John brought 2 kinds of home made wine.

I brought my appetite.

Solstice strawberries, fresh from the garden.

We discussed current events and slugs in the garden while I took pictures and put all my bracelets on Tao's tiny arms. Bev described how two of their recent woofers (farm interns) brought out their cellos and had played a concert on their deck the night before. Music, wine, friends, wholesome food, slow pleasures.
Finally, some pictures of the IEA tribe who gathered here at my house on Thursday night for a meeting. We planned an Encaustic Jam Session that will be held toward the end of August in Camas, Washington that will hose 30 avid wax artists giving 7 demos a day and making lots of fun together. Anyone who has attended our meetings in the past is invited and of course current IEA members.

We also discussed a big Encaustic show coming up here in Portland next year. Announcement coming soon. This will be an open invitational with a call for encaustic art going out in December. We are all very excited about this.

To be continued . . .

Four Days by the Sea

I still haven't returned to earth following my time taking classes at Sitka. If you don't know of it, it has been in Otis, Oregon since the 70's offering summer classes and artists' residencies. It is a magnificent place right next to the town of Lincoln City on the Pacific Ocean and the classes offered are excellent. When I heard that a class in plaster painting was on offer I decided to jump - there aren't that many out there and as a teacher of plaster painting myself I wanted to see what another artist was doing with the medium.

This shot looks down at the Centrum Building there. It is surrounded by deep forest and hiking trails. You will see critters and hear quiet nature. Your heart will soften.

You will eat salmon from the local fishermen and you will rejoice in the perfection of nature's bounty.

You will take pictures and sigh and write in your journal and sigh and walk the powdery sand beach and sigh.

You will sleep under a white duvet and keep your snacks handy and have the whole darned place to yourself.

You will squint into the nice view off your patio and watch the sea birds rise and fall against the wind. You will follow the hunting paths of pelicans as they sweep north and south at sunrise and sunset.

Your excellent teacher, Patricia Wheeler will demonstrate her approach to painting, transferring and scribing plaster. You will learn finishing techniques you did not know before and you will be glad!

Here are my classmates creating a painting together. It only took about 10 minutes and it turned out beautifully.

Every person in the class had a hand in this. It was magic.

A gathering of angels, playing together for 4 days and making an ungodly mess of the studio. We were like children in mud.

This is our studio where the magic transpired.

Holy, holy, holy. With art in my life every moment is a waking dream.

Two More

Yes, my studio is full of plaster dust and niblets of dried plaster but all in the name of science. Tried a different material today; plaster of paris instead of the mud in the tub. It was really different to work with and the surfaces of these two feel different than the previous experiments. The colors are much softer too.

I am loving this so much. I burned the surface of one of these with a torch until the plaster swelled and made a loud popping noise. That's the kind of experiment I love. No guts, no glory. Or something like that. Now I have to rush off and do laundry for my trip to Sitka. I'll be posting from there in the coming week. Chow.

My Talented Bro'

You gotta check out my brother-in-law's new blog here. Load him down with comments, please? He is a plein air painter with an extraordinary eye and color palette. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is on the verge of starting an etsy store at my behest. He has resisted starting a blog until now so let's welcome him big time. Thanks!

Plaster Plaster Plaster

It was hard getting the colors right on this one. The surface is a soft, powdery blue with warmer layers revealed and sharp focus lines scored in. A colleague once pointed out that a good abstract should contain areas of soft as well as areas of sharp focus; I don't know if I'd adhere to that but this one has both. I haven't cold waxed the surface yet but I'm going to. That should bring up the color a little.

Mo' Plaster

One more for the day. I'm anxious to work larger but for now I just need samples for my class in July. I used the same approach on this one as the last one; meant to take the torch to it but think I'll do that before I go to bed tonight. Anyway, here it is. This time I made the photo of the finished piece larger so you can see the detail if you click on it.

This is what I started with. I'm so into this that I signed up for a 4 day plaster painting class that starts on Wednesday of this week. I'm sure another artist will have her own techniques to share; Pat Wheeler is the instructor and I'm looking forward to meeting her. Mmmm, staying in a motel and painting all day for 4 days; can I take it? hee hee. I think I can. Nothing I love more than being in the classroom, equally as a student or teacher.

This is a midway point in the work on this piece. I'm all excited to pack up my bags again and head on over to the beach; I'll post from there and take lots of photos for you.

Okay, back to the studio to start the next one. This one will get the big torch burn. Show you the results next time.

Plaster Layers & Excavation

I'm knee deep in plaster. This is the sample piece I finished this morning; layers of plaster and paint, distressed, sanded, wire brushed, built up and worn away. It's as though centuries of time have passed to make this plaster wall soft and beautiful. These are the paintings in my dreams - warm, ancient, glowing with color.

I started with a plastered board that I'd laid textures onto. Random painting on that. I always start out thinking I'll photograph each step and then after a few photographs I go into a trance and only wake up when the work is finished. That's when I smack my head and remember I was supposed to be recording the process.

So I missed many steps. But you'll get an idea of what's going on. More plaster mixture added in this step to the painted layer. Then some sanding and distressing.

Until I got this.

And this was the last photo I shot (all these photos shot on my iPhone) before I left off taking pictures. The finished surface (first photo, not this one) is so soft and beautiful. I finished the plaster with Dorland's wax, something that I usually use to tone down a shiney surface but in this case it closed the pores in the surface of the work and left a soft satiny glow. I don't normally use cold wax on plaster but I was curious.

Heading back in there now for more plaster fun. Wheee, I can't get enough!

Plaster Fit

On July 10th I'll be teaching a plaster painting one day class at Los Gatos, California for Artful Journey. This month I'll be taking time to make a series of examples to take to that class. I want to show how versatile plaster is and how it can be used along with encaustic medium for exciting textural effects. So really, this will be a two-fer; plaster and encaustic. (yes, there is still room in the class).

The image above was done on a plaster panel with tissue collage (so the texture of the plaster is maintained) and then with various paint and distressing techniques over that. The name is carved into the plaster.

I used a similar approach on this one only I added a layer of encaustic medium over the top for added transparency; the photograph doesn't do justice to the texture of the plaster but it is very effective in person. In the following days I'll be adding more plaster paintings to this gallery that will show stenciling and carving. While these first examples are realistic I also look forward to painting some abstracts where I use pure color and texture to good effect.

It's been a long time since I've posted journal pages but of course they are part of my daily routine. We are dreaming, dreamy creatures - the day has to allow some time for play.

I don't entirely agree with the quotation above but something about it attracted me. I do think a lot of life is luck. Of course you can and should be decent and helpful to others but bad things do happen to the good as well as the misguided. There is a randomness about the universe that is undeniable; I also believe in karma though. I think we can improve our odds by doing good.

This is the opening page in the new journal. Wow, a heady time. To look at all those blank pages and know that they will hold evidence of my life. Evidence of my travels, dreams and daily babblings. My one, sweet, precious moment in all of eternity. The record I leave behind of my put-together. Why does filling it appeal to me so? Another mystery to add to the other mysteries. Why are any of us the way we are?

Last night I found out that my younger sister is having a spot on her lung biopsied tomorrow. Please send up a prayer for her wellness if you will. I spoke to her on the phone last night and was struck by her composure. My parents raised frickin' superwomen if I do say so myself. Stoic in the face of danger, capable and strong. I almost said calm but that would be a fib. We are anything but calm. Until the chips are down.

So isn't it noteworthy how we humans can carry so many divergent emotions at once? Joy and sorrow travel with us side by side; beauty and loss. Somehow we do it. Somehow we find things that get us through all of it.

Thank you for coming here. This is my way of getting through it. Making art, telling stories, using my imagination to light a candle in the darkness. I don't know what to make of this post exactly. I'm in a pensive mood today.

SP Wednesday Garden

I'm procrastinating; I admit it. Spring fever has hit me hard so that all I want to do is poke around with my camera and enjoy the sunshine. So here is a long self-portrait post, starting with sandaled feet, happy feet, unfettered toes and painted toenails. Summer. Watermelon. Life smiles again.

This is the bench I stood on to take the self portrait. I stumbled across a flicker site where people take pictures of themselves standing on things and it sounded fun. It was.

The hissing of summer lawns.

In the background is the corn that John and I planted the day before we left for Asilomar. That's how much it grew in a week. (we planted small plants, not seeds)

This is how big the corn was when we left. John is digging perfect holes to plant in. I don't help him with this because our methods of gardening are opposite. I heel things in and go la-de-da about my business while he actually gardens.

The fava beans are getting tall.

This is the broadfork that John uses to aerate the soil. That helps all the little soil helpers breathe better. It introduces oxygen without disturbing the micro life.

And now for the annual rose tour. I can't resist. They are so beautiful that I can't stay away from them. This is Buff Beauty, a hybrid musk. It is a languorous, sultry girl.

Cecile Brunner, the house eater. It want to grow to the moon and mine blooms through November. Very fragrant and the tiny buds look exquisite attached to the bow of a gift.

My little pink mini with a daddy long legs enjoying the view. I don't know the name of it; it was a gift.

Golden Showers. The blossoms are ephemeral, only lasting a day but they make up for it in quantity and fragrance.

Dainty Bess, fragrant and butterfly like; this one peeks in at me through the studio window.

The grape irises are spent now but this is what they looked like about a week ago.

Katherine, another climber that wants a good fence to recline upon. The bees love her and I do too.

Oops, how did this peony slip in here? This is flame, whose petals elongate as the days pass.
They start as cups but end as tall vase-shaped blossoms.

The moss rose that Craig gave me. Craig, are you reading this? Look how happy she is, spreading her resinous scent far and away.

Golden Showers again. I do love her, despite her faults. Like people, sometimes the beauty outweighs the shortcomings.

Siberian Iris. Come and dig it up. We have it growing in too many places now and need to share it.

This beloved rose was given to me by Sky, my friend of many years. I love flowers that have associations with friends.

The Purloined Rose will close this tour. She has climbed 20 feet into the surrounding trees and has thousands of blooms that are fragrant and perfect. I don't know the real name but I think she is a common mongrel; fabulous in her vigor and beauty.

*sigh* The world in all its shimmering, changing, consoling beauty. How can we encompass it all or begin to express our love for its gifts?

I'm really off to the studio now. Going to mix up some plaster, going to use stencils and molds and paints and wax on it. Will have a show and tell next time.

Saying Good-bye to Asilomar

It's true; 2 posts in one day. I want to share the last of my photos with you before I move myself into the studio for some serious plaster play. This class, which was held on the first day of the retreat, was titled "Stencil Your Family" and that's what we did. Students sent me their photos ahead of time and I stencilized them, then we cut, collaged and waxed over our creations.

We had lots of family members, past and present and some that were borrowed for the occasion.

We had ooh la la nudes and movie poster lovers that were actual relations.

We had children in their best cowboy clothes. (Marian, I'll mail your proof to you if you contact me. It was left behind.)

We had bodacious sweethearts and blonde bombshells.

Grafitti inspired images in bold colors.

And a twin set for girlfriends to divide.

Children from photographs taken long ago that we wove into our creations.

Charlie Chaplin with the Art & Soul guitar logo and the face of a shy nephew.

A long distance runner with a bright future.

And a self portrait.

These charming images need to be clicked on for closer scrutiny. They are all wonderful. Again, sorry if I missed any; I always do my best to get them all.

I hope Stephanie won't mind that I share this beautiful photo of mommy and daughter. Melissa is 12 years old; that age of being squarely in the middle of child and adulthood. Don't you think she's the spittin' image of her beautiful mother? It was poignant to be around young daughters again. I loved it.

From Asilomar we drove up Highway 1, across the Golden Gate Bridge and to the house of our friends that you've met before on several travels to Mexico.

I couldn't decide which of two pictures of them to post. Do you like this one?

Or this one?
hee hee.

Asilomar Hot Palette Encaustic

On the second day at Asilomar I taught a class in hot palette encaustic. This is where we mix the wax medium on the hot palette with the color pigment to mix our own colors and paint with brushes. In addition, we experimented with a variety of wax techniques which you will see in the following photographs.

And so in no particular order, is a sampling of the beautiful work produced in class. Collage including tissue collage and random texture pigmented wax above.

Collage, wax, metal, intaglio.

Tissue collage, inclusions, pigmented wax.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment.

This one has a little bit of everything I think. Encaustic collage.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment.

Encaustic collage.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment.

Encaustic collage, faux gold leaf, tissue inclusions, wax and pigment.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment. A bit of stencil work across the bottom.

Wax collage, carbon transfer, tissue, stencil work.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment. Stencilled borders.

Tissue collage, faux gold leaf, wax and pigment.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment. Transfers, inclusions.

Wax, pigment, collage, inclusions, transfers.

Pure hot palette painting. Wax and pigment. Tissue inclusions.

Wax, pigment, transfers, collage, faux gold leaf.

Wax, collage, tissue, transfer.

Wax, pigment, transfer, intaglio, collage, tissue, gosh knows what all. Wheeeee!

Three works by the same artist in a variety of wax techniques.

Wax, pigment, collage, stencil.

Three works by the same artist in a variety of wax techniques.

Wax, collage, tissue, faux gold leaf.

Wax, pigment, collage, amber shellac.

Here are the wonderful students minus a few; patient and accepting of the power problems which challenged us but did not stop us. The night after teaching this class I dreamed I was drowning and they were throwing showers of life preservers to me. It was a wonderful, wonderful day and there was an amazing amount of work produced.

Here is an overview of some of the work. As you can see, there are pieces that I didn't even get photographed; I did my best but always miss a few. The day, the people, the experience was wonderful. One more day to go.

Asilomar Part 1

John and I arrived home from our road trip to Asilomar last night at 8 pm. It was the best road trip ever. We had summer heat, a cool, foggy stay at a 5 bedroom house in Pacific Grove right next to Asilomar (staying with Stephanie Lee and her family, Misty, Michael, John and Bee) and then a short overnight with our friends north of San Francisco. I hadn't been back to the bay area in several years and so this trip deeply satisfied my desire to see that land again.

I love the trees that grow around Monterey and the bay area; the mist rolling in and the flat, moody coloration. We did see the sun come out about halfway through; summer came and then stayed with us through the rest of the trip. In fact, Medford, Oregon was in the 90's when we passed through yesterday.

The images in this post will be from the Facebook class. We constructed a simple book out of mostly watercolor paper and did a number of exercises on the pages. The class was about exploring our own grafitti styles and painting faces; some collage and paint techniques thrown in.

We bound the books in lace and ribbons. The books were casually constructed and the imagery went well with the binding style.

Each student chose their own color palette and we talked about how art is a journey into discovering and inventing a personal style of expression. A look that will be our own and will tell our personal stories.

Some of the pages were paintings; I can imagine a large version of this persimmon colored one. That color always lights my fire.

I took photos during the painting process so not all of these pages are finished.

And I took soooo many pictures and don't have time to size them all so these are just a sample.

We talked a little about how painting has changed over the centuries. What we think of as good painting today compared with what was expected of Renaissance artists.

In addition to just enjoying the day, painting with our fingers, eating chocolate truffles and laughing a lot we had books to take home filled with samples of various painting techniques.

We surprised ourselves.

There was at least one student in the class who had never painted a face before. But you never would have guessed which one. Everyone's work was rich and wonderful.

Each book had 16 pages to fill with paint.

On the last morning John shot my photo standing in front of the house we shared with our friends. I was feeling mixed emotions here; thinking about the sea-change a week can bring. Right now I have e-mails to attend to but as I get caught up I'll tell you about the other 2 classes I taught and about the road trip. It was wonderful and my head is swimming with beautiful memories.

Nonnie & the Beautiful Quilt

Look what came in the mail yesterday. For me. Made for me by my big sister who I've called Nonnie since we were babies (her name is Sandi). This is my red headed sister (if I had more time I'd dig out my favorite picture of her when she was about 25 and her hair was the glorious color of new copper; what a beautiful sight that was.) But I digress. We'll talk about how much I love red hair some other time.

Count the little pieces. I am humbled by the sweet patience of this woman who is as busy as anyone. Life has tempered her and tested her and made her thoughtful and kind. She is my seeser. And oh, how I love her.

Just a little bit of family resemblance there - see what I mean? When I visit her we like to sneak off for coffee and wicked rich desserts. We talk about food, art, clothes, memories, childhood, our kids, our parents, our rich history together.

This is my Nonnie as a young child. The picture was touched up by someone with a dreadful sense of color but I left it. Taken back in the 40's before most of my readers were born I'll bet. We probably lived in Moline, Illinois at that time.

Here is my mother and father with their precious red haired daughter. Judging by my sister's age in this picture I think there may have been a bun in the oven - me!! I have several pictures of my parents that I adore and this is one of them. They had a good marriage and set a good example for us. They weren't perfect and no one is. But they did a very good job and I'm glad they were mine.

Did my seeser stop at one quilt? Non, mes amis, she sent a little lap quilt to hang on the wall or for cold evenings by the fire.

Thank you Sandi, for sharing all my memories; for knowing where the bodies are buried, for being my protector and safe place and especially today for making these quilts for me. And here's to sister love everywhere. How much of home lies in this special blood-bond relationship. Call your sister and tell her you love her. And Sue! Little-sister Sue! I love you too!

Garden Tour & Other Stuff

We'll start the tour with a peek inside one of the cloches John has scattered across the place. With gentle seduction he cajoles the tender seedlings to flourish. He gives them every comfort, nourishment and care.

He supports the ones that need a little extra help. (Fava beans here. To be steamed, then finished with chopped onion & garlic in hot olive oil)

This is a perennial cornflower we call Mountain Bluet.

We use row covers to protect the plants from cool nights and hungry deer. The deer have been known to eat row cover however.

These alabaster lanterns will be magically transformed into blueberries later this summer. Full of flavor and antioxidants. To be eaten in cobblers and on oatmeal.

Artichokes for summer butter-dipping. Served with a crisp white wine.

Can you believe the man transplants corn and beans? Methinks he gilds the lily.

Perky beans ready to climb up the trellises. Black beans, red beans, yellow beans and speckled beans. We are a family of bean lovers.

Our friend Liz grew up in England and told us that after the bombing of the cities in WWII the first thing to grow up out of the devastation was this lovely plant which she called fireweed. It pops up everywhere in climates like ours; a testament to the earth's power to renew. I like me a tough little weed that is pretty and promiscuous.

These are the flowers of some gone-to-seed something; rutabaga or beet; I couldn't tell. But so beautiful with yellow blossoms and black stems, don't you think?

There's my man, gathering a nice salad of baby lettuces. Sugar peas on the trellis. God in his heaven.

Can you smell the lily of the valley? Can you hear the neighbors' hens clucking and shrieking? Can you feel the wet morning dew on your bare feet as we traipse across the yard? Good, you're with me now.

Onions and a long view of the garden beds. Apple trees separating the two cultivated areas.

Do you know what these flowers are? Can you guess? It is a root crop that has an old fashioned name.

Here is the flower up close. Very pretty. It is the salsify root, also known as oyster plant.

Miss Rhododendron has her Easter bonnet on today. She is a complete show-off and knows she's beautiful.

Lastly, the strawberries that are chugging away to give us shortcakes in June. I like the biscuity kind with piles of whipped cream. You can see the berries forming - it won't be long now.

Less than a week before I leave for Asilomar. Here are the sheets of watercolor paper torn and ready for the FaceBook class. We have Fabriano, Dutch Etch, Waterford and Murillo if my memory serves me correctly; there's still time to sign up folks. I'm also teaching Hot Palette Encaustic and Stencil Your Family there. It's going to be wonderful.

Finished the journal page that I showed you in the last post. Made the files larger this time so you could halfway read the pages. Love to write, to play in the journal. Which is why there's never anything in my etsy shop.

This is the page I'm on now. Not done of course. It will change. This is the last spread in this book. I always have a feeling of reverence as I close a journal for the last time. Reverence for the life I've been granted and for the sweetness of the days recorded therein. Gosh. I'm out of pictures. Guess it's time to get to work now. Thanks for stopping by. We must do this again.

Rainy Day Post and SP Wednesday

Okay, this is cheating. It is me but I'd forgotten what day it was until moments ago. It will have to do.

John likes to give his onions a haircut. I like to eat the tops he cuts off on my morning eggs. We're like Jack Spratt and his wife.

I'll give you a real garden tour this weekend when it's supposed to stop raining. For now this is all I could get from the porches without getting doused. This is typical of Oregon in May. We wait and wait for sunshine. But oh, the rain and mist is lovely.

The peony is covered in big, slatternly blossoms. Tree peonies bloom about a month earlier than the herbaceous ones. I like it that we get two waves.

Such a wanton flower normally. This one's shy.

Then we have peppers galore. Lots of kinds. John's head is full of pepper varieties; which ones grow where, which ones are so hot they'll knock your socks off, which ones to use in the various moles. (moe-lays, not those furry animals) Hot ones, stuffers and mild pimentos. Full of good vitamins. I hope in this economy people are putting gardens in. Some to eat, some to share.

The rhododendrons are busting out all over. Our yard is an explosion of color every May thanks to the couple who lived here before us and planted so many varieties.

I brought the grape irises from our previous home because they are heavily fragrant (like grape kool-aid) and because my neighbor Dorothy gave them to me. She passed away a couple of years ago but her spirit comes in strong during the iris visitation.

I wrote poems in the Minneapolis airport between planes by writing down snatches of conversation and making observations about the fellow passengers. It was amazing how the words flowed out. I think I wrote 11 poems in 2 hours. Airports are great places for evesdropping and word catching. Everyone's yakking on their phones, talking louder than they realize and then there's CNN going on and pretty soon you have a great montage flowing onto the page.

Our neighbor has a zillion varieties of columbine that have migrated past the walnut orchard and into our flower beds. Every year they come up in different sizes and colors. Always something new.

And every day I write. I have so much to say. It's as good as cheesecake.

My thoughts have turned toward Asilomar and the road trip I'll be making there to teach. I'll also be visiting friends who live in the area - so much to look forward to. I'm putting together fat packets and packing griddles and pans of wax and pigment and beautiful watercolor paper that will be made into magical books. Cutting lace and whispering a blessing on each bundle of promise. My journal is nearly filled now after 8 months of tee-niney writing and pasting and painting and the next one is ready to take over where the last one left off.

Nurture your dreams and treat yourselves gently. 'Til next time then. xo

Self Portrait Mothers Day

My excellent daughters feted me last night. The best gift I received was a comment about how the mistakes of early motherhood are forgiven as we all continue to grow and expand in wisdom, patience and love. Thank goodness for that as I was a too-young stressed out single mother who was frustrated and overwhelmed much of the time. My gift to young mothers is this: do your best, forgive your errors, make sure you hug them every day and tell them you love them a lot. You won't be perfect but you'll likely be good enough. And Happy Mother's Day.

Valley Ridge Last Gasp

One more image from the student work done at Valley Ridge. Leslie sent me this one; I know I missed a few others too. Isn't it wonderful?

Kathy and I ran into this lovely visiting Australian at the local Walmart while we were searching for Amber Shellac for the class. A cheese head in Wisconsin!! Thank goodness Kathy could whip out her iPhone for this shot; somewhere in Sidney a village is missing its cheesehead. What a good sport. Of course I had that cheese hat on my head too before the visit ended.

Here is that shot of Bill and I relaxing with our gimlets at the end of both days. I'm still glowing as I remember so many sweet moments with my wonderful students and hosts. And praise be, my allergies have nearly subsided now and the pain in my rib from so much coughing is nearly gone. I believe Valley Ridge restored me.

Valley Ridge Part 2

I pried some more photos out of my dead little camera for you. What you will be seeing is all student work that came out of the class at Valley Ridge. The first few came from Kathy's Facebook site.

The spacious classroom. Each student gets their own table to work on.

Coffee creamer and sugar bowl in the studio.

Most of these pieces are 8 x 10" on wood panels.

The students brought collage materials and I provided a packet. I always like to find some things I haven't seen before to incorporate.

This woman (Jessica) did some pieces in small drawers that I didn't get a good shot of. I'll try to get that image for you later.

This isn't even all the work that was produced. These guys were on fire.

I like this shot because you can see the waxy surface. Mostly you can't see that in photographs.

Another one of Jessica's Medusas.

I told you Kathy treats us like queens. ;-D

Hey. Someone brought a folder made in Mary Ann's online class! Gorgeous, isn't it? Whew! Three hours on this post; tried to import the video Kathy shot but couldn't do it. Decided to post the photos for those of you not members of Facebook. Later!!

ps - Look what I found!! The drawers have waxed and faux gold edges. She found a little cabinet at the 2nd hand store and just used the drawers. Brilliant!!

Valley Ridge

Spring came to Valley Ridge just in time to welcome myself and 15 incredible women. Wisconsin cleared up my hayfever as long as I was there and I felt marvelous. Sunny, magnificent scenic beauty, red-winged blackbirds and two days of happiness. What a wonderful experience it was for all of us. This one goes up there with the best places I've visited.

Here are my hosts, Bill and Kathy Malkasian, preparing pot stickers for our evening repast. They treated me like a duchess.

Can you taste it? Sorry I didn't get a photo of the Gimlets that accompanied the pot stickers. Very nice. Almost too nice.

Kathy has great photographs of the students and work here at her Facebook site. (And more here.) There are also 2 videos; one of me demonstrating the amber shellac on wax technique and one of Michelle, a student, describing the work she accomplished. One of my cameras bit the dust halfway through the 2-day workshop and now my main computer is on its last leg so for the first time I'm posting this from my laptop and it's really clumsy.

Let me know if you get to Kathy's site and if you are able to view all the student work. It was phenomenal and everyone accomplished so much.

Valley Ridge is a jewel; Kathy gets such good teachers to come there and then treats the students so wonderfully, providing lovely food, small classes and a beautiful studio in which to work. I just sigh whenever my thoughts turn to my days there.

The beauty of my job are the people I meet - the hard part is saying good-bye to new friends with whom you so easily connect. As I sit here picturing your dear faces I send out a blessing and love to you and I thank you for making me feel so welcomed and fulfilled. It was heaven and you did excellent work. I just know there's going to be some more serious encaustic artists in the world now. xo.