Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ahhhhhh......................loha nui loha.....






"To us, our house was not unsentient matter -- it had a heart, and a soul, and eyes to see us with; and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was of us, and we were in its confidence, and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benediction."
Mark Twain

Monday, August 22, 2011

A drive up the coast of California....

We have had a cold and foggy summer here on the coast of Northern California, but doesn't it make for beautiful lighting? 

Blues and greys that bring quiet thoughts......

Kayaks waiting to be taken for a ride....

A lone traveler....solitude....

A chair calling for reflection....
aloneness......
A beautiful contrast for where we will be next week.......


Back to a turquoise world of Hawaii.....

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Baby steps in learning to dance.....

As the face in my painting seems to express...learning a new dance ( or in my case, learning to paint ) can be painful. Just when I think I'm "getting it"....I look at the photo of my progress for the day and I see how far I have to go.   I know that I have to loosen up...free myself...express myself....dance!   But right now I can only go through the motions.  I tell my sculpting students all the time to be kind and loving to yourself when you are learning something new.  I need to take my own advice. :) But I do see progress.  I am learning and loosening ....and I do enjoy the process.

The class and the technique I am studying is by Shiloh Sofia McCloud.  She teaches a specific way to paint and so at least that gives me a bit of a road map.  I love her paintings!
Marie Howell is another student of Shiloh's and she's only been painting for a year.  I'm very impressed!  The painting style is full of symbols and is visionary, and is a perfect match for me.  Marie had seen my art at the Chalk Farm Gallery and had sent me an email.  She mentioned that she was learning to paint with Shiloh and so I went to the website and immediately signed up for a class.  Marie then asked me if she could interview me for the Cosmic Cowgirl's website.  Marie just posted the interview on her own blog, "A Rite of Passage in Paint" and next Thursday it will be on the Cosmic Cowgirls website.  My point is......it's a small world and we all need to learn to dance!


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Parakeets, it is!

 Each granddaughter got to choose her own parakeet that now resides in the aviary in my studio.....preening  their presence and singing their song.....



Saturday, August 13, 2011

An evening of contented bliss......

 We are so lucky to have this bit of paradise right near our home in California.  Once a month they host a themed event of music, food, wine and an enzyeme foot bath.  http://www.osmosis.com/
 Their gardens of bamboo are so beautiful.....mysterious.....enchanting......
 Their gardens of Zinnia dance in the breeze.......
 They even have a Hammock Garden!  What a great idea!
 I totally indulged and dream of creating my own hammock garden......with Hemi-synk Music to balance your left and right brain.
 Then on to the Japanese garden to listen to beautiful harp music......
 and finally to immerse our feet in healing enzymes .....
 An evening of peaceful bliss.......
discovering new sights and sounds ......then heading home, content.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Painting, mosaic work, tempered glass, sculpting...oh my!

I opened her eyes today.....not loving this, but it is improving.....maybe it's time to stop and start another one.....
Grouted my latest Reiki wall piece....
Here's a close up of the key and wings....
Working on a new piece....metal vintage lantern piece...painted chinese red with gold leaf, put netting in window openings, tempered glass mosaic on the interior walls....
This will be the back piece...French letter from 1870, gold leaf with antique metallic netting over it....
and now I'm sculpting ceramic hands with a Reiki Blessing symbol carved into the palms and these will be placed inside of the wall lantern...somehow.......

Treasure hunting....


I LOVE the Alameda Swap Meet!!  It's HUGE and fabulous!!  A fun fun! day of treasure hunting!
Found this darling bird aviary for my new studio.  Something that I had no idea that I needed...but had to have!  Photo is of my daughter, Ashley.....
My new favorite color...Geige!
This swap meet is a great place to find inspiration.  Love this cement wing!!
The best part of the day is coming home to lay out and share the eclectic groups of finds....
Wonderful rusted metal leaves, clock faces, French letters, icons....
A Madonna picture made with bamboo strips....
Beautiful lace and beaded sleeves from an antique gown, Buddhist icons, metal drawer pulls....
My first two finds of the day...and my favorites....a gold glass orb and a funky hand carved wooden rabbit...
Ohhh...and I LOVE the color and shape of this glass hand!
Fun torso that I will cover with French letters...and a beautiful beaded top that will end up being used for a artdoll costume.
This was a cool idea...it is the back of a refrigerator and will look great on the wall to display photos, using magnets.
Ahhhhh....and my new aviary.....in my studio ....repainted Greige!...and soon to hold seven finches or parakeets ( does anyone have any thoughts on which birds are best to choose??)....each one chosen by a granddaugther.....so their songs will fill my heart while I create :)  Life is good!

      

Sunday, August 7, 2011

layer upon layer....

 She is slowly evolving and I'm beginning to understand how layering works and how you can't really mess up with painting cause it's so easy to add another layer.  She's come a far way from the first little blue alien strokes.  
A reminder that my "Sculpting the Head" class is open for another week before we move on to Sculpting the Hands and Arms.  You will be able to download the lesson files and work at your own pace.  And I'm always available to help you in anyway that I can.  Join me for the whole series or just for a class or two.   This series culminates with a piece that I call "My Lady of Guadaloupe"  where I demonstrate how to create one of my Hardscape costumes using apoxie sculpt and abalone shards.
Taking classes online is so fun and so easy.  I think I've taken at least 4 classes this summer and I always learn some new technique that I can then apply and interpret  into my own artwork.  It's good to keep learning, I think.   It's fun and it does make a difference in the aliveness of my art, and certainly my spirit.  Gotta learn some new dance steps every now and then. :)