Published twice this year!

I feel like I knocked it outta the park 

Two creative journals in two months!

Small California Press- Pochino Press

Much loved The Hand Magazine

Morning in Paris

I've decided to start sharing photos that tickle my fancy,

 some are new some old...but all are loved

I was once a student living in the city of light, 

often that meant I walked alone on the streets thinking great thoughts.

Mother Natures helper

I've decided to start sharing photos that tickle my fancy,

 some are new some old...but all are loved

The magic and wonder of bees:

Keep it green

I've decided to start sharing photos that tickle my fancy,

 some are new some old...but all are loved:

Adventures

I have been adventuring and exploring and seeking inspiration.

I met my role models this last weekend

and the joy was obvious:

Find out more about this group 

HERE

Opening this week

The group has done it again, the Inkspots annual exhibition opens this Friday.

I have submitted new silkscreen pieces:

"There is rich counsels in the trees"
Linocut and silkscreen assemblage

I have exhibited this Bear piece with this group last year, but it was placed in the wrong location

so I reentered it again this year with hopes that it would get seen this time.

 

It is always a lively event with too much food

if you are in the neighborhood stop by:

643 Project Space

643 Ventura Avenue

Ventura, CA

November 7th from 5-8pm



Currently on view

Tucked in the lobby of a high end beauty clinic

I love the smell of ink in the morning

I am rounding the corner, I am putting the final touches on the big Artwalk Project.
I completed 4 woodcuts for this event...
I still need to figure out the window display...hopefully that will come to me
in a dream or the bath...a clear vision of what I am suppose to do.
Until then I will package, label, list and market what I've made.

The studio smells of ink and baby oil
it smells like work!

This is your past calling....

I was moving stuff and unearthed a box of old photos.

Among the treasures I exhumed was a postcard I sent myself.

Yep, I am that person....I send myself a postcard the last day of the journey telling myself how I was feeling at that moment or what I had learned.

It arrives days after me, and usually just as the "paradise is fading from my memory" and I am getting back to reality moment.

 

I wrote this to myself back in 1997

I read it again today with a smile on my face as this is what it says:

 

Well- here I am and there you are- two way different places-but still one person. You can depend on yourself- and know how long and short time can be, hours, days, months. Feet are tired, ankles sore- emotionally exhausted. but-in a sense a bit afraid of getting into a groove-becoming set in my ways again. Remember movement-simple movement. walking barefoot-walking the dog-motion is what you need and know that returning can be just as good as coming- the swing is in your heart- you have the ability to come and go and don't let that be taken away.Continue to say what you feel. Be aware of what you need and tell him- don't back down as you wouldn't want him to do.and make art-your soul needs it. Send slides-invest in yourself and enjoy time. Don't wait for it to pass (as I am doing now) be loving-take another chance and give it. Know that you are a strong-confident woman-keep that damn smirk on your face. Keep them wondering.



I am so glad I sent myself this card....it is like a pocket mantra.

Oh the things I have seen!

Recently I have had the ABSOLUTE privilege to be able to see
some inspiring works of art.

Candy for my eyes and and heart...

yummy.

 

On the 4th I attended first Thursday in Santa Barbara and I chose two venues to visit.

1. the Architecture foundation to see the work of Leslie Lewis Sigler

(sadly I didn't write this fast enough and now her show is packed away)

I find her work is so refreshing and clean and warm and it invites you in....there is a familiar sense that makes it wonderfully comfortable to spend time with.
 

2. I went to see the newest adventure at Sullivan Goss: 

JUST BETWEEN US: Wesley Anderegg, Rafael Perea de la Cabada, Maria Rendon

On Exhibit from April 4, 2013 through June 2, 2013

Curator Jeremy Tessmer selected an amazing collection of contemporary artists and the result is magical and alive and mysterious!

I was only able to get a couple pics as I found myself lost in the work, when I did remember to take a picture the place was crowded with new energy and excited visitors!

"tight rope" and "Matador"
by Wesley Anderegg

a small selection of ceramic platters also by Mr. Anderegg

Encyclopedia Series 1 A to Animal Life
by Rafael Perea de la Cabada
(He painted directly on stretched book covers)

detail to show the texture of the surface....luscious

 

Sadly I wasn't able to get any images of Ms Rendon's work...it is breathtaking and ethereal...so check out the link above to view proper pictures.

 

Then this week I was able to see another true treat for the eyes!

I attended a private small viewing of SWARM at LotusLand...

I had read a lot about the show HERE and HERE so I was quite excited to have the chance to see it in person. I attended with a woman's art group I am part of and it was such an amazing treat!

I felt like quite the VIP being able to view the work so intimately

*click on any of the images for a larger version*

The group was asked to enter via the private back entrance,
so I got to stroll the grounds a little bit before getting to the meeting point!

the room where we met, the main house and first exposure to the work of Penelope Stewart
with her giant handdrawn Beeskep
Ink on Japanese rice paper

here are two smaller versions and a black glass moulded one
the lines were so beautiful !

One of I several Cynthia James paintings...lovely! 



Stephanie Wilde's work " Golden Bees" was intricate and highly detailed, so much so, we were offered magnifying loops to view her incredible brush work.
She uses a single hair to paint...it was much like a sand mandala for me.
The ability to see single grains to sand
So beautiful and meditative

detail through the looking glass

more detail for another work

Ethan Turpin and Jonathan Smith's bee cell room
 and Rose-Lynn Fisher's electron microscope photographs
illuminated under spot lights

inside the cell looking up with some fellow art and bee lovers

the full installed Penelope Stewart beeswax room
1000lbs of wax was used to make this room
the different colors reflect what the bees were feeding on, as wax was shipped from all over the united states
You can read her process HERE

detail of the reproduced tiles and pineapples

 

So inspiring and so alive, I think this year will offer many surprises in the art scene.

I am very much looking forward to seeing new works from friends and creating some myself.

You still have time to see  "Just Between Us" and "SWARM" (the garden is not too shabby either)

 if you are able, I whole heartily endorse it!

 

Stepping out...

image via etsy

I met with a local painter I admire the other day...it was something we had been wanting to do for a while and the time finally lined up.

***

I know the painter I met with, in a casual sort of way.

You know when you are familiar with someone because you frequent their stall at farmers market, say hello and how do you do. The person you always seem to get at the coffee shop.

You know them but haven't had a meal with them kind of know.

She is someone like that.

She is amazingly talented, and making it as an artist and designer.

In all fairness she also knows me about as well too.

We are far more familiar with each others work then each other.

We agreed to meet at a coffeeshop in the town between my home and work...she told me the name,

I knew the place and agreed.

I arrived a little early because I wanted to seem cool and relaxed by the time she arrived, and so I ordered a chai, opened my current list book (book I am making to-do lists in) and relaxed.

Taking in the scene:

Be cool, you are cool enough to be here

Boy, there are a lot of yoga people here, everyone looks like models

I don't feel so cool right now

That table is talking codes and meta links, I kind of know what they are saying

Hummm that one looks like Justin Timber...

ohh I know this song, I like this album.

OK I am cool enough again

I feel like I am looking for a blind date, looking up at everyone that enters this place...

focus on your list

Sipping chai...mmmm

Wow there are a lot of laptops in here

Ohhh check out that guys mood medallion, it is huge but not overly sooo

I should try their chocolate chai next time....

What time is it?

*

Then the text came : looking forward to meeting with you today

I texted back I was waiting for her.

She said I am here where are you?

I, it turns out, was at the wrong coffee shop.

I was at the original location, she was at the newest.

I blew it!

I told her I would be there in a moment.

I gulped the top third of my chai, leaving the rest to be thrown down the drain and

my calm eroded as I walk/ran to the car three blocks away and drove to the correct location.

By the time I arrived, I was a half hour late!

ugh

Comfort zone shattered- check

I am never that late person, but today I was.

She was gracious and we ended up talking for an hour and a half.

I got to learn about her process and her other businesses, she has two others besides her painting.

It is funny to hear highly productive people say how they wish they were more organized or better at scheduling. We talked about personal goals, exchanged website inspiration and simply shared some time. We giggled with guilt at how unusual it feels to meet someone in the morning at a coffee shop, on a studio day and wondered if it fed the stereotype of what people think artists do all day.

We both then commiserated on how much work we actually do to get our work seen.

She had multiple client meetings so we visited as long as we could.

It was a good morning, didn't start out as calm as I had hoped but it ended that way.

I also know a little more about her making our next chat that much easier.

Things learned:

Triple check addresses of agreed meeting places

Be kind to yourself when things go wackadoodle, it isn't always bad

Try a chocolate chai, if you are gonna spend $5 on a drink make it a splurge

You are doing just fine...keep on keeping on

Shaking things up

I am working on shifting things in my life....picking things that feed me creatively, giving myself the gift of space to think and breathe.
It has been four months since my surgery, and I am methodically working on creating a new to-do list and ditching the stuff that shouldn't matter any more.

 

 

Step one:

Get back into the figure drawing open studio class.

It is a two hour period, and I have access to a model, and can just sit and draw.

No teacher telling me if this or that is right or wrong.

Just me in a mind space of drawing and no judgement.

A gift of time to do or not do whatever comes to me.

I have been in figure drawing classes since I was in high school. A couple friends and I had special permission to leave school to take college drawing classes and then return to school for the rest of our classes. It was a great introduction to the freedom outside the high school walls and we felt far more mature than our classmates. After all we got to sit and draw naked people for credit.

Before heading into the lab, I texted a friend that I took classes with back in the day, telling her I was anxious about drawing...she sent back a text

" just like the ol' days, watch out for the crazy penises"

***

 

Let me explain:

In one of the first classes, a male model sat down in front of me,

spread eagle and posed for an hour.

Some would say he was simply sitting....I think he was showing off.

I was taken aback and was acting as cool as I could.

Sharpening my pencil, looking for the right charcoal...looking at lines of the body...

but I could hear my friends giggle behind me and we were all trying our best to be

mellow and all copacetic with the scene, you know...

OWN the fact that we were there for a reason and a purpose.

 Well I drew, and as I got to his crotch his penis moved.

Not huge amounts like a sword battle, more like it rolled this way and then when I came back to that part of the drawing it had moved another bit...so I erased the first position and re-drew...well this went on for another half and hour.

Needless to say, by the end of the pose, it looked like something exploded in his crotch.

my poor drawing.

My instructor just smirked and said nothing.

I was mortified and vowed to never sit that close again...I never have.

Needless to say, that day created a reputation for myself amongst my peers and NOW we all joke about the penis with the mind of its own.

I have a million figure drawing stories...that one just mostly set the bar for the next 25years

The figure model at my most recent class; she works at my local grocery store and spent a good portion of the time chatting while posing.

She had been stacking apples all day.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 



Back in the saddle

I am hunched over a worktable currently, working on new etchings and linocuts.

I don't really have a lot to say these days.

I had to work through a pretty thick creative block and then some frustration from said creative block.

I am pretty sure I am back on the right track again.

I am making things and dreaming crazy dreams...so that is all "normal-er"

As I spend so much time alone while making, I often find myself in conversations with the cats...or better yet myself.

My Nana use to say, "it is ok to talk to yourself as long as you don't answer yourself."

I don't think I have answered myself, have I?

 

Here is a little of what I have made so far:

A set is being sent to Australia for a fundraiser.
This is a small edition I made for myself, I have plans for them
 

 

skeleton seed pods, just another pretty little print

 

 

I made some Purim cookies too....they are yummy

 

step one of the most complex linocut I have set to make

Thankful Thursday

 

I am still forever thankful for the gift of being able to read....

it never is something I take for granted.

Thank you teachers and parents and friends and lovers.

This little video is AMAZING and reminded me of why I also love books so much!

 

http://www.wimp.com/beautifulbooks/

Wordless Wednesday

Shhhhh....I'm watching the sun and the moon:

 

sunrise moon

Self portrait with painted sky

sunset in the fog

 

Seriously

A friend posted this on her Facebook page and I laughed out loud.

I can relate to all these scenarios!

 

 I am currently overwhelmed with the never ceasing ritual of submitting work for exhibitions all over the world. I like the process of shifting through what I have made and in many ways it sparks me to make something else, explore other themes and mostly "get a move on"

I am working with a stack that has me busy submitting work through March.

Then there will be another round.

 

I can currently be found with a bottomless cuppa tea, a pair of magnifying glasses

and a very tired highlighter or two.

 

 

 

Inspiration

We all feel shaky at times, some more then others...but this image was so inspiring to me

I had to share it and the link about the image

 

Ahhhh, I can do anything, anything I have a passion for

and so can you

 

Anais Nin at her press, self publishing her work


http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/08/30/anais-nin-letterpress/

 

print by HoneycombPrintshop

 



Lovely Blog Awards

 

 

I am so lucky to know so many amazing and interesting people!

I feel honored that I have received this Lovely Blog Award.

Per the conditions of winning this I am suppose to reveal 7 random things about myself, and pay it forward...so that is what this post is about!
Super fun

My 7 random things:

1. I am incredibly superstitious. So much so that sometimes I will not let you say certain things at certain times. See I can not even tell you what that is and why! See, I have incorporated this so well into my life that I barely know that I am doing it anymore!

2. I often have the desire to honk at random people for random reasons. I drive a lot and often times when I pass a car that has someone picking their nose, or talking on the phone or if someone is just walking down the street I want to honk my car horn at them. It is like the least used thing in my car... I barely use my horn. I wonder if anyone has ever had to replace their horn from overuse?!humm

3. I LOVE the smell of wet earth, maybe it is from all my gardening, or that it evokes childhood memories, but I find it so very comforting. If they made a spray of that smell I would spray it on my pillow so I could smell it as I drifted off to sleep.

4. I am convinced that there are ghosts in my house. I wake up almost every night thinking that someone is in my bedroom watching me sleep.

5. When I get dressed up, I spend a good bit of time putting on make-up (this might be because I really don't know how to do it so I am teaching myself at the same time) and then after looking at myself, wipe it off with my hands leaving my face in a state of half made up/ half back at square one.

6. I watch home shopping channels to see how people talk for so long about light bulbs or other things like that. I am training myself to be able to talk to anyone about anything!

7. I sometimes can not see the defining line between people and animals and so when I look at animals, like baboons, I only see a being, no different than you or me. It is amazingly beautiful when it happens. It is like seeing a rainbow appear.

image via Flickr

 

I have had to adjust the conditions a little to maintain anonymity of my gifter (per their request) 

So I am going to give BIG shout outs to some amazing blogs that are well worth reading: 

 

Here are the blogs I read the most/ favorite blogs:

 

Such beautiful writing,

like a combination of dreaming and deep thoughts with sweet swirls of humor and whimsy:

Middle of Life

 

A wonderful working artist friend, her blog is an inside peek at her studio and work.

Always interesting and colorful:

Pentimento

 

 Eden always has me laughing. She is the Guru that started NaBloPoMo many moons ago and
got me to try blogging more often and with purpose:
FUSSY

Love this blog, everything is pretty and snazzy, it is wonderful eye candy and has GREAT tutorials:
Casey's Elegant Musings

Another dear friend- we all love supporting those dream chasers and makers!
She is a talented painter AND a talented graphic designer too
Monteve Clay's business and soon to be arriving blog:
Spider Monkey Design
send her some love

OK until I get a new bee in my bonnet that is today's post!
Love them all!!

 

worktable-wordless Wednesday

I am busy in the studio creating new work...but thought I'd share: