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And the winner is….

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:17:05 +0000

Lauri Packebush. I used the random number generator and it landed on you!

Congratulations! Thanks to all of you who came by, and look for more book giveaways on Carla’s blog. You will have more chances there.

xooxo to all of you.

Positively a Puppy

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:37:36 +0000

I have been sharing my house and time with a puppy. He is mostly good, very cute, and sometimes naughty.

He does something dastardly and then grins and glances—”who, me?” The kids are at camp. Next time I need this time I am sending the dog too.

Everything I am working on is a secret right now, which is odd for a blabber mouth like me. This page I did a while back, but since I am getting ready for painting papers and book making in Canada next week, I got this out. I took a crazy paper, an overdone paper, and painted the white background around the things I found in it, creating a positive out of something that was not working at all. This one has that naughty puppy right there at the bottom. Perfect.

The paper is Arches Text Wove. I painted it with acrylic and methylcellulose, and added soft pastel while it was wet. After it dried I painted in the white negative space to make the positive figures. Simple twist and it all turns around. I like that.

My dog ate my computer cord. My friend David brought me a new power cord today, the only thing left after his niece’s car accident. I plugged in Larissa’s power cord and my computer worked for the first time in two days. Another twist. I find it oddly comforting that this simple thing keeps a part of her going here in my studio. And when David got back to his studio after delivering the power cord, his computer, previously pronounced dead by Dell officials, jumped back to life. It worked. Whatever is going on here I do not need to examine or prove. I know that puppies, paintings, power cords, and PCs can make complete reversals and become positive right quick. It happened today.

More Faces

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:42:59 +0000

More faces from my archives.

Speaking of drawing, my friend Carla has a new book out, Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists. There will be much more about this here in the near future.

My kids are gone to camp, Steve is at work. I am milling around, getting nothing done. Actually, I think I am a bit lonely. This house is usually rockin’ with activity, and as much as I have longed for this day, this uninterrupted time to work, it is too quiet. My dog shows off for me, to get the kind of loving he gets when the kids are here.

Speaking of dogs and kids, three weeks ago, before we took the dog to hang with my friend Libby while we went to camp, Sam emerged from the bathroom, both he and the dog soaking wet. He had lathered both himself and the pooch with Old Spice shower gel. Well, it happens that my high school boyfriend wore Old Spice, and now my dog smelled just like him. Posted as much on Facebook, and the comments were hilarious. At any rate, it is three weeks later and there is still a smidge of that boyfriend wafting about the house. Think it is time for something scentifically new around here…..FYI, Libby appreciated Thiebaud’s scented coat.

Adventure in Italy, September 2011

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:05:48 +0000

I am SO excited to be teaching in Orvieto, Italy in September of 2011. Many people I know have worked with Bill and Kristi Steiner, who run the show over there, and I have heard nothing but positive things about it. WOW! I get to go back to my adoptive roots!

My graduate work was done in Florence, and if I am good I will be fluent once again by the time this workshop happens. The week will involve drawing, painting, stories, Roman mythology, the culture, food, and language of Italy. It will be a sumptuous week, and I am bringing almost all the supplies. What could be easier? You will end up with a leather portfolio of pages collaged with stories that we find there. Ci vediamo in Italia!

Come on a my house

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:12:18 +0000

Houses are the one highly overused symbol that I can’t give up. Just can’t do it. I know they are a dime a dozen, yet I keep making them as though originality means nothing to me. The house above is one of a series I did when I was working with house songs, in this case, Come On A My House by Rosemary Clooney. Just love that song, partly because the singer is a hybrid of a hopeless flirt and a begging child. Come on! Don’t moms all over America hear that everyday? The big ol’ bribery part appeals to me too, especially this phrase.

Come on-a my house, my house I’m gonna give a you
Peach and pear and I love your hair ah

Another of my habits is keeping track of my favorite paragraph in every book I read. I often copy them in my journals. Last week I liked this one, from Amy and Isabelle.

“There was all sorts of unhappiness in Shirley Falls that night. If Isabelle Goodrow had been able to lift the roof off various houses and peer into their domestic depths she would have found an assortment of human miseries. Barbara Rawley, for one, had discovered in the shower the week before a small lump in her left breast, and was now, as she waited for arrangements in Boston to be made, in a state of panic the proportions of which she never thought possible; for alongside the dark terror of waiting for the future (was she actually going to die?) was the private realization that she had married the wrong man: her husband, lying next to her in their dark bedroom while she spoke quietly of her fears, had had the audacity to fall asleep.”

It is snowing today, and I am going out to breakfast with my girl. We will have chai and quiche, and chat next to the fire before she heads off to Middle School, where the big worry is whether her best friend is actually going to kiss her boyfriend of one week, or whether it is at all fair for her to be the only sixth grader on the volleyball team, especially since she is tiny, it is so unfair we can hardly believe it. And that boyfriend, well, her friend went to the movies with him on Saturday but her parents had the audacity to actually go too and watch them while there, how gross is that. Nobody has any privacy anymore, and that is so unfair, and on top of that homework is boring.

All is well in Superior, Colorado.

Moore in the Gardens

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:18:23 +0000

Yesterday I went on a field trip with the fifth grade class of my son’s school. We went to the Denver Botanic Gardens, where 20 enormous sculptures of Henry Moore have recently been installed. It was my job to shepherd five of those 100 children through the gardens, stopping to sketch and write poetry along the way. I had two girls and three boys, all of whom I have known since kindergarten. They are bigger now, and this is the last nine yards before they defect to Middle School. It was a beautiful blue day, and a great time to watch all the posturing and silliness of 10-year-old children amongst the flowers and the grand art of Henry Moore.

Lena and Kendall had a moment, and the boys celebrated on stage.

These kids are glowing now, so perfect and lovely. It has been a pleasure to watch them grow up and bloom.

Today I get to schlep boxes and furniture to move back into my house after the floors were refinished. I will turn on really loud music and wear grubby clothes and get the job done. Partly done, well, somewhat done. It is sunny, and I will take my puppy for a walk, and eat leftover steak from our fancy dinner last night. It will be one average, lovely day in my life, and I will find grace in it.

Saying Aloha to Paradise

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:39:12 +0000

The day has come. I have to leave my little cabin and go home to the family. The birds are in full chorus now as the sun rises, the rain has lulled after a long and busy night, and I have packed and cleaned up. Just finishing up my coffee, and reflecting on my time here.

Yesterday it rained all day, which made it easier to be inside working. The eagle flirted with me all day too, in and out of the rain, and swooping by to show off just feet away from me. I have never been that close to a bald eagle before, and I have to say it was magnificent. He knew it too, the way he was celebrating himself.

Last week, before I went off to Artfest (which I will blog later), I found treasures on the beach, including a heart map.

There were faces too, all over the beach, and this one got a new nose. I call him Maurice.

The time I have had here, and at Artfest, has been so healing. Sometimes a tad lonely, but not for long. I am just not used to being by myself anymore, it is different than it used to be. Watching the tide roll in and out, and the crazy bird circus that accompanies its movement, seeing the hard work of the oyster fishermen when the tide is low, and listening to the rain have all been so soothing and quiet. Today I feel wistful, and a little worried about losing this calm, but mostly I feel happy that I made the decision to do this for myself. It was clever of me.

Artfest, in a word, was a gift. My classes were hand-picked by the Muses, and my dorm mates were hilarious. More later about all the art and shenanigans, I have to get my head together on that. It was wonderful fun, and I sure hope to do it again. Now I must away to the final touches of the sunrise over the bay, and the Good Morning Chorus of the birds that are supervising. Have a wonderful day!

Boy Poems

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:47:14 +0000

I am so busy getting ready for Artfest I haven’t come by here, but suddenly am inspired to share two poems with you.

First Grade

By William Stafford

In the play Amy didn’t want to be
anybody; so she managed the curtain.
Sharon wanted to be Amy. But Sam
wouldn’t let anybody be anybody else—
he said it was wrong. “All right,” Steve said,
“I’ll be me, but I don’t like it.”
So Amy was Amy, and we didn’t have the play.
And Sharon cried.

The second poem my boy wrote in his First Grade. It is about his sister, Sydney.

Those should keep you inspired for a while.

Artfest is a’Comin Up!

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:56:35 +0000

In three weeks I will be in Port Townsend, Washington at Artfest, where I will be teaching two classes, can you see my name in lights above? This is thrilling for me, both because I think it is a well run, imagination filled event, and because it is on the ocean (I am crazy about the ocean and could consider that my intense longing for water keeps manifesting in floods in my house).

One of the classes I am teaching is Spontaneous Deconstructed Journal, which is journaling on the fly, on flat pages, and assembling, adorning and embellishing later instead of before. No prep, easy, fun, and involves you in the event in a way that makes the moments seep in and stay.

These are some of the journals that I love best, and return to over and over. Each one is a souvenir of the event, and a record of my time there.

The second class is Three Letter Words. About seven years ago I started a series on these small mighty words that hold lots of images and meaning: Sky, Now, All, See, you get the picture. We will choose a word and use a dry brush technique on a black canvas, painting silhouettes and symbols.

I am hosting a party in my dorm, Dorm 203, on Wednesday March 24th. I have black gesso, and a paper cutter, wine and snacks and we will prep for classes before they start. Everyone is invited.

This will be the first time for me teaching there, and I am already prepared with treats and treasures for each class. I am also vending and trading, so the materials are flying in my studio. So looking forward to having the exhilarating combination of sea and creativity!

Teeter Totter

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:45:25 +0000

In the last few weeks I have been up and down so often it feels like the teeter totter I used to ride in Lacy Park. It has been the kind of ride that means I am way heavier than the one facing me, who is up. I am keeping her there. Then suddenly, I get light, and fly up, looking down on her.
Today I got off. I feel even and stable. Today I feel like Nanny, in the book Eloise, who is quite enthusiastic about most everything and so must must must repeat everything three times.

I love love love the scarf my friend Lorri Scott sent to me. OMG OMG OMG I really really really do. She makes them with finesse, and magic. I have been lusting after these scarves for two years now, and here it arrives at my door. The magic part is that is makes me so happy, it is like a beautiful security blanket. I wear it to the hospital to see Nancy, I run up and get it when I feel stressed. I wear it when I hug my dog.

Lorri teaches at some of the same places I do, so I will get to see her a few times this year. I want to wear only clothes she makes.

Kathy sent me a Valentine’s box. What a surprise! Map stationery because I am cartographically compulsive, Sweet note candies and a Japanese sachet that I am keeping right next to me now. Ooolala Ooolala Ooolala!

I love love love Kathy, and her exquisite venue, Valley Ridge Art Studio. I am g0ing to teach a one-time-only class there in September. Kathy is connected to the people who teach for her in a different way than most other venue hosts. She is like the Avatars in the movie. She sees you. I am so happy to be seen by Kathy.

Sometimes I need a slam in the head to get to noticing and embracing the fortune in my life, but not today. I have the most interesting friends and am surrounded by love and talent. I get to look at these guys all day too, here in my studio. Some of them were made by friends of mine, some were made by artists in other countries. They are a shelf full of ideas manifested in colorful spirits. Smokey the Bear is in the back, who I have loved since I was three. One critter is from Puerto Rico and is a rat that turns inside out and becomes a purse. When you reach inside you have a rat head at the bottom of your handbag. Everyone needs a rat bag.

It has been busy here preparing for teaching this weekend at Denver University and Artfest next month. My trades for Artfest are finished, and so are my notebooks for one of my classes there. Here are my trades:

So now I am leaping into my lecture, “Crime and Cartography” that I will present this weekend. Needless to say, most of the history we were taught in school is just a tad too heroic, and there are lots of funny cartographic tales to tell. While I am preparing, I am not forgetting the grace, not forgetting the mystery that keeps me engaged in the teeter totter we call real life.