Saying Yes to a Dream

Our hopes and wishes... our dreams define us. They are the starting point for turning thoughts into actions. They hold the keys to our future, and bring joy to what could be a sometimes-mundane existence.

If you are like me, I am constantly dreaming.

But how do we decide what dreams to follow and which ones are merely passing fancies.

When I was young the world seemed full of possibilities. I remember every other week wanting to pursue a different profession... rock star, doctor, lawyer, actress, artist. As I moved through life, some dreams came true and others fell by the wayside. Although, not every dream turned into a reality, this did not stop me from continuing to ponder all the wonderful things I wanted to accomplish, to see, and do.

As I have settled more into myself, the world still seems full of possibilities. Yet, I have begun to embrace a different sort of dream, not the one of whom I want to be, but more of where I want to be. It is the dream of travel and experiences.

I often see myself sitting in a darkened classroom watching picture after picture flash upon a giant screen. Slides filled with images of exotic places and rich cultures. I long to be in the very presence of such great art, and architecture of ancient civilizations and cities.

Travel is so much faster, easier, and more accessible nowadays than it was for say.. someone like my grandparents, which makes me all the more hungry and eager to visit foreign lands and see them for myself.

What life lessons and valuable experiences would I take back with me. I KNOW it would be something much more precious than just a purchased souvenir?

I can only guess for now and dream what that might be, but what I suspect is that this precious gem is the culmination of moments spent with people. Sure it is great to see breathtaking landmarks and beautiful vistas, but to be able to share those awe-inspiring moments with like minds, like heart... well, priceless.

I am so excited about traveling to Italy; words cannot adequately describe my feelings. I dream of the INCREDIBLE individuals that will go with Marylin and myself on this journey, that would come along side us holding this same dream of travel and experiences inside them.

I dream about the personal moments I will be lucky enough to share with each and everyone on this trip... moments that will be made, reminisced, and remembered for the rest of our lives. This will be a chance to make lifelong friendships, eat, sleep, share art, and beauty, and the wonders of Orvieto together.

I believe in the power of dreams, doors open for us and we have to be bold enough to walk through them. Yes, travel can bit a little bit scary, sure it costs money, but the rewards are DEFINITELY worth my trouble and sacrifice of saving for such a chance to interact with this INCREDIBLE group.

And the best part is nobody has to go it alone... Bill, Kristin, Marylin and I encourage and invite every person to travel all the way there and back with us, if they so choose. We truly want to make sure each and every person gets as much personal assistance and attention through every step of this adventure.

Say Yes... YES, to this BEAUTIFUL, MAGICAL DREAM.. and Come... COME with us and EXPERIENCE the Wonders of Italy, of Orvieto! We will celebrate the joys of even the most simple and the most magnificent pleasures!

I JUST KNOW YOU are one of those INCREDIBLE individuals that we are longing to have travel with us!

Our dream is scheduled for mid May of 2009, and we are taking only a very, very small group, so as to create an intimate atmosphere that is both personal, and rewarding

Find out all the details, here.

Marylin and I would LOVE to hear from you, so please send us an email.

Lets start LIVING this dream together!

A Summer in Repose

It is a sweltering heat, which is the only way to describe these remains of the season. Not even the shade can offer relief from the now forceful sun bearing down with all of its might.

All living things are at rest during the daytime hours, trying to conserve their waning strength.

Perhaps you remember this little creature from previous posts. My life has have been graced with a visit from this rather large toad. He has actually taken up residence on our front porch.

I am quite fond of him, as he has been lingering around for sometime now.

During this intense heat, I have felt a pressing need to go check on my guest frequently. I suppose I should not be so concerned since toads are use to caring for themselves. Never the less, Mr. Toad and I have become very well acquainted.

Most of the time he is nestled in the cool wet earth that is part of a planter bucket, now filled with weeds since I cannot seem to keep the flowers watered enough. Or he is harboring himself within one of two small ceramic toad houses left on the porch, taken in from the garden right before the downpour from a Springtime storm that had the promise of hail.

At twilight, there is a re-emergence to the outdoors from those taking shelter, to savor the brilliant, awe-inspiring sunsets, and the last bits of daylight.

I love watching the evening garden all aglow with twinkling lights among the plants courtesy of the fireflies. How can I be anything but glad for such a portrait of a world in repose painted upon the canvas of my days.

the turning of a year...

Late Summer is in the air with ever so subtle changes happening all around.

I am beginning to notice delicate shifts of color from the rich and vibrant tints toward darker tones. Hues that looks slightly faded and worn... worn indeed, beaten down from the now intense summer heat that has grasped hold of the Plains. The newness is long gone and the linger signs of a fresh Spring, then early Summer have come to an end.

Although I find myself hibernating, almost like a bear until the sun begins to set on the horizon, I don't mind this changing season.

I use to dislike Summers very much when I was a child all the way through my young adulthood.

Yet as I have settled into myself, I have embraced this time of year with more fervor... desperately trying to soak up it's bounty and fullness.

Learning to be still and listen... to the faint sounds of locust nesting in harvested wheat fields, hearing the reverberations of the grasses and leaves bending and swaying in the hot wind. Melancholy tunes of the Song Thrush fill the air of these late afternoons, and I stand quietly trying to remember these moments with eyes shut, and face thrust forward into the never ending breeze, the breath of this earth.
The year is half over, and I wonder how this can be, for only yesterday it was a new day in January with ice and snow and cold. Now here we are almost to the end of July on the downward slide toward December. The year is turning and we, too, are leaning toward a caving in.

I simply adore the Fall. I suppose if I had to choose one season to live on forever, it would be Fall. But for now, I will cling tight to the fading glory and magic of this late Summer.

Coloring My Days

From the very beginning, my world has been one in which color has played an important role.

I love all color, of course some more than others, and my preferred palette has changed through the years.

As a child I would beg my mother for a new box of crayons, every time we shopped at the discount store, even though I had plenty at home. I always wanted the largest box on the shelf. You know the one... with 64 waxy color sticks, neatly lined up in ascending rows, looking almost like a choir. The cool box with the bonus crayon sharpener built right into the packaging.

I adored opening a new crayon box, and seeing all the brilliant hues with every tint and tone of the color wheel that my child heart could imagine.
As an artist, my life is still filled with many, many colors! I have the pleasure of playing in my so-called crayon box almost everyday.
One of the interesting projects I have been invited to participate in, along with fifteen other talented artists, is a year long collaborative challenge focused on Nature themes.

We have started a blog called Nature Gathered, and by the end of this month, each of us will have posted our first work for others to view.

I have already started working on my July piece for this challenge. The first theme is birds.

Now you would think this would be an easy subject since I am constantly showing you birds on my blog, selling works with such subjects in my little shop, and teaching Nature related workshops. But in realty, I have been ponder on this piece for over five weeks.

Why so difficult, you may ask. Well...the word challenge according to Webster's Dictionary means,"to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties".

This is the first piece in a body of work I will be presenting. It will represent a subject I hold most dear. I am also wanting to take full advantage of this opportunity to grow and stretch my art in new directions.

After much thought and consideration regarding this new path, an area that had always fascinated me when I was working in retail product design was patterns or patterning. Although I consider myself a representational painter, I am constantly drawn to more abstract elements. This is something I would like to begin incorporating into my future works.

As I have been furiously creating, new ideas keep coming at me like wildfire. I find myself snipping bit and pieces of inspiration from here and there, tucking them away to use later.

Although the work you see above has yet to incorporate any birds... never fear, I have my fine feathered friends waiting just off stage ready to make their grand entrance.

I also want to take this chance to give you a studio remodel update, as I have had several personal emails inquiring about my progress.

The remodel, I am very happy to announce, is almost complete! And you are NEVER, NEVER, NEVER... EVER, EVER going to believe the transformation. Just a FEW more finishing touches and it will be ready.

Below is a sneak peek at the freshly painted work tables and my brand new fabric storage bins from Target.com.

Summer to Autumn, a new chapter continues

It was a busy weekend entertaining my parents from Kentucky. The weather was perfect for their visit. Gentle rains on Saturday were the prelude to mild temperatures and an absolutely gorgeous day on Sunday with pleasant breezes. Definitely a rare jewel bestowed upon Kansas during what would normally be a scorching July.

Even with guests, I did manage to finish a few more pieces to tuck into my Summer to Autumn Journal that I wanted to share with you. I am hoping to find time to complete entire pages very soon. But for now, here is another peek at the lovely offerings of the season.

The large toad, seen above, has been lingering in the dirt of an antique pail filled with flowers and plants that sits on the front porch. It is an ideal location for him as this particular spot is lighted at night, attracting a plethora of winged insects for his dinnertime meal.

He has hopped out of his cozy burrow to greet me on more than one occasion. And, his always dramatic entrance leaves me a bit startled. However once I have recovered from the abrupt appearance, I truly enjoy following him about, as he makes his way around the garden.

The peaches have been another absolutely divine gift this summer. I have been keeping a large bowl in the kitchen very well stocked with this delectable fruit.

I love the fiery orange and yellow hues of their skin. I feel like a child when I eat them because I can never quite manage to keep from having the sweet juices running down my chin, pooling drops onto the plate in front of me.
Can't you just see a little chickadee sitting on the rim of my peach bowl. His feathers making such a wonderful contrast in color against the warm yellow bowl filled with such summer delights.

Feeling a Little Displaced?

What do you do when your office partner has decided to clean up and redecorator your space?

My poor cat, Maize, is feeling a bit displaced since the remodel has begun. On a typical day, Maize likes lying in his favorite spot, which happens to be the ottoman in my studio. But as you can see from the picture, his space is currently being occupied by stuff.

Stuff that will be sold on Ebay once the spruce-up is complete.

It has been over two weeks that the ottoman has had stuff piled in a heaping mound all over it.

I admit he has been very patient with me. Several times a day he saunters by wistfully looking at his spot and all the stuff on top, then heads off to the upstairs dining room chairs.

But lately he has begun to loudly snort in disgust with each trip made to assess the situation.

Yesterday, Maize had finally had ENOUGH!

I am sure his exact thought was... "desperate times call for desperate measures".

There was a laundry basket on the floor near my desk overflowing with sheer fabrics and tulle that I have been waiting to put away until my new storage bins arrived from Target.com.

So, poor Maize decided that he was going to take up residence in the laundry basket of fabric.

I wish I had thought to snap a picture of him lying amidst all the tulle. It was really quite funny, and it could not have been very comfortable because some of those fabrics are really prickly.

I did not notice him at first, but after walking past the laundry basket 100 times I saw the lumpy mass move. At that moment, I knew my fabrics had been invaded.

Feeling very badly, but also not wanting cat hair all over my materials, I decide to create him a sort of make shift place to lay his weary head for cat naps.

I think he is rather smitten with his new lounging area because he spent the rest of the day nestled in the large whitewash basket, and it was the first place he wanted to be this morning. It probably helps that I lined the inside with his favorite soft blanket.

Summer to Autumn, a new chapter

I can hardly believe that I am already working on another wondrous chapter in this year's journaling adventure. Christening a new book, Summer to Autumn, with fresh works is very exciting!

So far everything is mostly bits and pieces, small paintings waiting with stories still to unfold from the heart, as I have yet to assemble the pages together. However, I thought I would share some of the little faces and sweet memories of a season that is in full swing.
"these gifts from marvelous sky, wondrous earth
like plucking a bright star from a field of dreams
or perhaps, it is the stem from wince it comes,
with roots deep and tangled about our thoughts."

HAPPY JULY 4th!!!

It's a Day to Celebrate! Relax with family and friends... Enjoy a juicy grilled hamburger, hot dog, piece of apple pie, and of course watch a Grand display of fireworks light up the evening sky.





I been working very hard these last couple of months. There is no end in sight for now. I dare say that I have bitten off probably more than I should with this studio remodel, but too late to change my mind, so ONWARD!

I have enlisted the help of sweet adorable hubby to help over the weekend with the painting. I think once this task is complete with supplies and such returned to their shelves I will feel MUCH BETTER!

Here is a peek at the mess...

OH MY, I shutter to show you, but it will all be wonderful in the end which makes it ok.


However, I am taking the 4th off. And I have been getting into the holiday spirit by making a small Thank You for our next door neighbors because they are pretty wonderful. I bought them a sun tea jar and whipped up some cool, refreshing Peach Apricot Tea. A delightful drink to sip on a hot July day.

WISHING EVERYONE A FABULOUS INDEPENDENCE DAY!