Banner Day

I am quite in love with the Tibetan prayer flag, in fact so much so that I have many of them.

I love the idea that the wind carries the printed prayer to the heavens.

Mother Nature interacting with the flag allows for something mystical to occur....I hung many flags while traveling and was thankful for every step that allowed me to to be that much farther from home.

Then I got a job.....

I worked in a cubicle and barely ever saw the sun in the winter, or felt the wind on my face until way past dark. I missed watching those flags move all day long, like a giant fabric caterpillar.

So I got creative...

I made little flags for indoor travelers, armchair travelers, or dreamers.

My flags can be hung in a personal indoor space....above your bed, in a dorm, in the office or the kitchen. Wherever you want to be reminded of what lays outside the door when you can't get away.

Handmade paper, handprinted images, waterbased inks, and cotton thread.

Nothing is more natural then that.

Coming soon to my Etsy store

Quote for today

Quote of the day from HH Dalai Lama:
"If you have a sense of caring for others, you will manifest a kind of inner strength in spite of your own difficulties and problems. With this strength, your own problems will seem less significant and bothersome to you. By going beyond your own problems and taking care of others, you gain inner strength, self-confidence, courage, and a greater sense of calm."

Hand pulled Lino work!

I have been working all weekend long on some ideas and some images that I hope to sell at the upcoming Artwalk.
I got a wild idea and starting exploring Fairy tales:

Pixies

Toads

Pigs

Wolves/Foxes

Then I started to think food:

Cupcakes, ummmmm

Dinner parties

But, then I remembered that it was and Earth-Day Event:

Bicycles

printed on a seed embeded card with waterbased inks

Fully compostable and plantable!

Animals with rights

can be personalized with your favorite cause or feeling

This was just this weekend, I am looking forward to a lot of printing and these images making their way into other peoples homes and hearts.

Inchworm

I am also in a constant state of research, stretching my brain in any new way....looking for new ideas and emotions to explore. This often requires trips to the local library and bookstore!

I love these trips and dream of a huge wall of books that are always changing and growing!

I found an amazing book on papercraft called: Papercraft Design and Art with Paper

What an amazing book!! Visually stunning and contemporary and INSPIRING!!

it was a great escape, even when I got a paper cut across my knuckle closing the book!

Ironic

 

All was made well with the world as a trip to the local ice cream shop made the boo boo disappear.

I love my date nights, hubby always knows the right thing to do.

Slowly but surely I have been tackling items on my constant "to-do"list

(slow and steady wins the race right?!)

This last weekends big promise was to conduct my Solarplate workshop!

Happy to report: Mission Accomplished!

A beautiful day was had and successful images made from start to finish.

I was even able to help with an impromptu small edition of hand pulled cards.

After the four hour workshop, I ate some amazing oranges and drifted into a lovely nap on the couch.

I did a lot more printing this last week and have found that I am slowly but surely building up some work that has been hanging out in my head.

So one less thing to be thinking about at 3am.

 

With some feline company I was able to make an edition of my newest linocut and finish the prints for the others. So full editions are now on hand.

New solarplate work is being made, mostly with my show in October in mind.

Next big build is Artwalk, a booth at the Earthday festival.

Conversations with myself this week

Incoming storm clouds from my patio

So this week has been kind of weird, and I think it all started last weekend....

I had every intention of simply staying home and printing all weekend long. The forecast called for rain and I love the hermitting that rain causes for me.

Like a Sunday morning, laying on the couch reading the newspaper with a cat curled up on my lap encourages me to nap. Simple as that.

Well I got off to a rough start and it bumped along that way the rest of the weekend!

Friday night I did my gallery crawl with the hubby. The first Friday of the month is open gallery night and all the galleries stay open late, SB does it on Thursdays....well this last Friday had a an opening I wanted to see. The VITA Art Center had their March show that focused on the achievements of women. It was a great show and really well attended. I always love to see what people do with a theme (I didn't get my act together in time to meet the deadline for the show)

Art quilts, paintings, assemblage it is all there and beautiful!

The Avenue was buzzing with people at the galleries, I was most struck by the quiet of the panaderias after dark. So lovely.

nighttime Mexican bakery

Saturday got away from me distractions and all...and that afternoon I was headed to the Spring Art show, and the sky opened up and it started to pour! I meandered off to Summerland, but I really just wanted to hermit.
I had an opening to attend so I went...
but as I left I saw a partially naked man walking up the street in the freezing rain (well cold for CA) and I tried to take a picture all casually, but I think he saw me and then he was watching me and it freaked me out...so I locked the doors on the car and drove away.

nearly naked man

I mean he was on a public street and mostly naked for goodness sake! What else should I have done.

Another well attended gallery show at Montecito Frame and Gallery, even on a wet afternoon

I mean water was falling from the sky people!

I spent the rest of Saturday working on my latest Lino under a UV light and continued Sunday morning...then spent all Sunday afternoon printing artist proofs that became an edition.

My latest Linocut, I think I am calling it "Irving"...but that might change as it sits with me.

This is the third in my new series on Fading Memories I am feeling happy with them so far.

Sunday night was Oscars and I stopped working so I could watch. I invited a friend over so we could have a
loud and open dialog with the television and critique the fashion on the red carpet and speeches.

Wheat beer with lemon

Monday kind of sucked, so I got a beer after work with the hubby and some co-workers.

The bar served popcorn with drinks and although I am usually not a fan of popcorn

(I am a little OCD about the whole kernel thing)

It tasted good with the fresh beer and I went with it.

On the way back to the car, I passed a homemade Virgin of Guadalupe shrine.

I love this element of my local culture, although I do not ascribe to the same beliefs, I respect and love these homemade tokens of love and protection.

Miss Gabirella

We got to take our Goddaughter to school this week.

We got to hear her tell us that "I'm really not that awake yet" and listen to her sing and laugh as we passed yawns back and forth.

Dropping her off at school was sort of sad....it will be several days before I get to see her again.

But it made me realize that my week was gonna get much better.

Spring Show! March 6- 31th in Summerland

Chaos My Dear Sweet Friend

I feel as though I am blind-folded and being turned around and around...is it a pinata stick or a tail with tape that I am about to search out?

Every once in a while, we need to stop the movement and enjoy the view...here are a few of my favorites as of late:

The cats catching the surprise Winter sun

 

My nephew using tools to "fix" the tricycle

the Ocean in between storms...