Fast Forward

All month, my thoughts have been drifting... or should I say fast forwarding toward fabled moments to come. Knowing that exactly one year from now, I will be traveling to Italy!

I can SEE so vividly in my mind's eye... this group of artists, and friends wandering cobblestone streets of Orvieto under a sky of deep turquoise blue. We are eager to drink in the beauty, and serenity of our surroundings.

JUST THINK... we will unpack our bags for a WHOLE WEEK! in this GRAND place, giving us time to truly experience the charm. We will learn how the Italians embrace life, and our days will be pepper with local experiences and interactions. Bill and Kristin, our co-hosts from Adventures in Italy, have planned such a wonderful itinerary of events for our visit.

By slowing to the Italian pace, feeling the rhythms of the day, we will begin to appreciate the seductiveness of the Dolce Vita-the Sweet Life. Our art will help us see Italy even more acutely, providing a powerful way to filter what we are experiencing.

Marylin and I will be showering our students with wonderful tips and techniques for developing rich dimensional mixed media pages from the materials we have surrounding us both natural and man made, combining those finding with painted subjects of flora, fauna, wildlife, city life, and vista views that we sketched on to fabric canvas from photos that each of us will be taking and using to inspire our artwork.

In addition, Marylin and I have also been busy creating a few Unique Goodies... just for our Italy students that are sure to be treasured mementoes of our time together.

Our journey is scheduled for mid May of 2009. But don't wait; we will only be taking a very small group, so as to have an intimate atmosphere that is both personal, and rewarding.

So Come...COME with us... and SEE, TASTE, TOUCH, FEEL, and HEAR Italy, just as a native might!

Humble Dwellings

This road I have chosen to travel, the one of being a full time artist, is fraught with many ups and downs. Some feel quite extreme, and often I begin to have doubts, just knowing it would be much easier to follow a different or simpler path.

Then it surfaces... this overwhelming tug at my heartstrings, a deep yearning to create, to hold a paint brush in my hand or assemble objects together from pieces that might be considered ordinary to most individuals.

I feel that strong familiar longing to share my art... my soul, to encourage those around me to be brave and also follow their own passion.

I want to lead by example. I want to show someone that might be scared that IT IS POSSIBLE to live the life you dream of... SO, I pull myself from the depths towards the light of renewed purpose, charging headlong into the future, armed with only faith and trust to comfort me.

Right now, there are SO MANY Incredible, INCREDIBLE things happening... I feel as if I could burst.

Life is GOOD!

It is a busy time in the studio. I want desperately to soak up every moment of this euphoria, and bottle up the excess for a rainy day.

I have so much to share, such EXCITING NEWS, EXCITING EVENTS on the horizon... that for now, I must keep to myself. But I promise when I can, I will tell you everything... not holding back any detail.

However, there is one project I have been feverishly working on over the last several months, that is quickly coming to fruition. It involves the making of assemblages for my solo exhibit at Architectural Artifacts, located here in my hometown of Wichita.

I will be the guest artist during the once a month Final Friday Gallery Crawl. Architectural Artifacts is a MOST SPLENDID place with a beautiful upscale eclectic mix of art and furnishing. I could not be more pleased by an invitation to show my work!

Of course, each piece revolves around a subject that is near and dear to my heart... Nature. The focus of my works are the intricate, yet humble dwellings of birds.

So, if you are in the area, I would like to invite you to stop by on Friday from 5:30 to 9:00 for the opening reception. For those that might live a little too far away to attend, this is a small preview of several pieces that will be on display and for sale.

Making Memories

Just a few highlights from the trip and a very busy week...
Always excited to experience the wonders of Nature.

Love those little surprises.

A visit from the unexpected.

Cheering for the home team and rooting for my favorite player.

A very cool sculpture garden in downtown Louisville filled with funky metal birds.

Inspired by the beauty and serenity of the Abbey of Gethsemani

Celebrating big accomplishments.

Reliving fond moments from my own college days.

The Bold and Beautiful!

My oldest niece is quite the shutterbug. She carries and uses a camera as much as her cell phone. I equate her constant snapping of photos to a similar scenario movie stars must endure when followed by one of the paparazzi with flashes going off all around.

Yet, it is funny how such unassuming moments, and the least planned poses seem to produce the best pictures, just like the photograph below. THIS is my FAVORITE image of my sister and me. The two of us acting silly at a little tea party held at a local teahouse, where I took my sister and nieces during a visit to Kansas.

This coming weekend, I will be seeing this Bold and Beautiful Lady wearing the gray hat and doling out lumps of sugar in proper fashion... notice the outstretched pinkie finger.

She is graduating from college, and I have the enormous pleasure of attending this momentous occasion in her life.

I AM SO PROUD OF HER! Of course because she has persevered and accomplished a milestone while juggling two kids (now teenagers), a full time job, soccer practices, basketball practices, gymnastics practices, husband, pets, and household. But, EVEN MORE PROUD for the strong, confident, independent individual I have seen her become.

We have not always had the best relationship. As children we were quite close, but adolescence stepped in, as it always does, and I suddenly became too busy to be bothered by a sibling that was much younger than myself.

As years passed and I entered the early years of adulthood, I had that desire to reconnect. However, my sister was then plagued by pesky teenage angst, so we continued to go our separate ways.

It would not be until I was in my early 30's before I would again enjoy the closeness we had experience as children, except now... we were women, with busy lives, living roughly 12 hours away.

Although, I don't have the luxury of seeing my sister every day, or weekly, or even monthly, we still try to talk once a week or every two weeks. She is a great listener and always gives me thoughtful advise.

I treasure my sister's company and her wisdom. And, I look forward to many more years of silly moments, like the one in the picture, us sharing, and our friendship.

When It Rains, It Pours...

I relish this saying... how true. How Very True, Indeed!

I like being busy, and this week... well this month, I am showered with a bounty of work. My brain is whirling and spinning with creative thoughts bouncing around. I LOVE IT!

I have such an interesting mix and quite the variety of projects happening here in this wonderful little studio of mine. I hope to be able to show you some of the YUMMY GOODNESS, but all in good time... all in good time.

However, I did want to share my visit from a trio of enchanting swallows that have been frolicking about in the backyard with wings outstretched, sailing along these gusty breezes of the Plains.

I adore hearing their voices... such happy sounds.

I stand very still, very silent and....listen...

with my face towards the sky, making a memory of these moments...



"How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;
In the leafy trees so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace-hall,
With its airy chambers, light and boon,
That open to sun and stars and moon,
That open unto the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds as they wander by."

-Mary Howitt

OH Virginia!

How do I adequately express all of the incredible moments of being with like minds and hearts?

How do I convey to you, dear reader... my deep, deep feelings of gratitude and appreciation when I experience the joy of smiling faces, special words exchanged, thoughtful gestures, meeting new friends, and having opportunities to spend time in the company of old friends. These tender emotions truly stir my soul toward a greater understanding of myself and my purpose here... of how to use this artistic gift, that I am so humbled by, as a way of reaching out to others.

Every retreat is different, and Art & Soul, Virginia was an entity all unto itself. Rarely is it the physical location of such an event, but the people and their stories that culminate the true spirit of such precious days spent together. You can feel the air charged with positive creative energy. It rejuvenates me, for so much of the time I am tucked away in my studio. It feels good to emerge from self-imposed isolation to be renewed.

Marylin and I are always so grateful to those individuals that choose to spend the day with us. We try to make each class special, and love spoiling our students with surprises. Each of us may start as strangers, but by the end of the day, everyone is laughing and talking as if we have all known each other for quite sometime.

Here are just a few pictures of some of the BEAUTIFUL Fabrics and Journals from our workshops. I won't post all of the images for Marylin will also be sharing her own cherished moments from our visit.

a quiet, rainy day

Storms are nothing new here in Kansas. But today, the sky is thick with big gray clouds, and the rain is steady, yet gentle.

It is the perfect weather for brewing a hot cup of tea, and spending a quiet day catching up on a looming to-do list.

I returned home yesterday from another INCREDIBLE teaching experience. I feel like the luckiest instructor having such beautiful, soulful, and creative individuals in class. There are lovely images and details to share from my Art & Soul, Virginia visit. Hopefully, I will have it all organized within the next several days, so I can make a proper post.

The air at vendor night was charged with electricity, such yummy treasures to feast your eyes on and purchase. It was a wonderful evening!

And Many, MANY THANKS to the overwhelming number of individuals that visited my table and shared their stories of how my art and poetry have touched them, as well as others in their lives. I was deeply moved by such kind and endearing compliments.

I am happy to report that I sold out of many items, so there will only be a few new pieces in my little shop tomorrow. I invite you to come take a peek.

Spring to Summer, celebrating May Day

I will be away visiting Virginia over the next several days. When I return, I have some Very VERY EXCITING NEWS to share with you!!!

In the meantime, I will leave you with my May Day journal page.
Tradition says that May Day marks the end of the harsh winter months and welcomes the beginning of Summer. Indeed, it would not be a proper celebration of this glorious new month, and a soon forthcoming Summer Season without a cup of tea and a very fine visitor.

"Advancing Spring profusely spreads abroad
Flowers of all hues, with sweetest fragrance stored;
Where'er she treads Love gladdens over plain,
Delight on tiptoe bears her lucid train;
Sweet Hope with conscious brow before her flies,
Anticipating wealth from Summer skies;"

- author unknown