metaphlora

Ris Gallery Sells Artist Block Sets

2012-01-28T10:10:00.005-07:00

Another happy customer on the South Jersey Shore walks away with an Artist's Block Set by Bonnie Lebesch. William Ris Gallery is in Stone Harbor and is open year round. So, when you are walking the town looking for some inspiration, stop in and say hi to Mary and the crew.

These two sets of blocks (above) are the only two left. Mary also carries some small paintings of mine.

And, yes, the Jersey shore is pretty brutal in the winter! I spent last winter there and it was a fabulous retreat from the crowds and busyness of the city. Try it!

See Bonnie's Paintings Come to Life in a New iPad App!

2012-01-23T17:47:00.002-07:00

Bonnie Lebesch and Bohem Interactive have just released the iPad version of Stella and the Startones! It is an animated music toy for children of all ages. Bonnie created all the artwork for this beautiful, and entertaining app. Download it from iTunes today!

"Bring the joy of discovery and creative play back into your day with the fantastic star friends and music of Stella."

Stellaandthestartones.com

iTunes

Jan-Ru Wan and Bonnie Lebesch at the Lincoln Center Gallery

2012-01-16T18:52:00.002-07:00

From the Coloradoan today. I'm excited to be exhibiting next to Jan-Ru Wan's wonderful installations. Take a look here and come see in person FRIDAY 5-8pm. She will be giving a talk at 6:30pm.

Lincoln Center Art Gallery : Bonnie Lebesch : Expansions

2012-01-11T19:29:00.003-07:00

The Lincoln Center Art Gallery presents Bonnie Lebesch: Expansions

Jan 20- Mar 3, 2012

Please join us on Friday, January 2-th, 5-8 pm for an Opening Reception for the Artist

417 W Magnolia St, Ft Collins, CO | www.LCtix.com | 970-416-2737

free admission | gallery hours: Tu-F 10am-6pm; Sat 12-6pm; evenings of performances

Belize Retreat in April

2012-01-09T09:56:00.005-07:00

The wonderful women at Pathways to Wellness are hosting a retreat to Belize this April, and Bonnie Lebesch will be joining them to lead several art workshops!

I am thrilled at this opportunity to share some of my creative passion and techniques, and of course to play in the sand and sea. Please join us for a wonderfully inspiring and healing week on Caye Caulker, April 15-21, 2012.

•And, if you want to get a taste of my workshop, I will be hosting a practice session this March in my home studio (Ft Collins). Just let me know if you are interested and I'll include you on my list. Free with donation to cover materials.

(Complete flyer text included with links below)

PATHWAYS TO WELLNESS

RETREAT IN BELIZE

APRIL 15 - 21 2012

Come join the practitioners of Pathways for a week-long retreat in Belize to further expand

your abilities to access, expand, and manifest your life purpose. This will be a very

experiential opportunity allowing you to release limits, embrace creativity, and open to

manifesting your life’s purpose. Through a variety of processes you will be able to access

and expand on the dreams and passions you’ve wanted to express.

COST: $1,298.00 including Food, Lodging, a day trip to the Mayan Ruins, and a series of

sessions with the various practitioners, plus daily mini-workshops, a New Moon

Celebration, and much, much more. It does NOT include airfare.

The practitioners include:

Claudia Lanigan: ThetaHealing™ and Essential Oils www.ClaudiaLanigan.com

Donna Varen: Hypnotherapist www.absolutehypnosis.com

Becky Johnson: Past & Future Life Integration beckyrj50@msn.com

Nancy Ogren: Astrology and Intuition www.NancyMillerOgren.com

Gillian Driscoll: Angel Guidance & Akashic Records gillian@elementalharmony.net

Meridian Taussig: Life Coaching and Journaling merben_@hotmail.com

Barbara McCombs: Relationships & The Seven Rays https://sites.google.com/site/our7invisiblethreads/

Crystal Dawn: Numerology and Matrix Energetic crystdawn11@gmail.com

Bonnie Lebesch: Intuitive Artist www.bonnielebesch.com

Diane Montgomery: Celestial Shaman dianemdances@yahoo.com

Carol Ostrom: Dream Interpretation dreamdancer1818@yahoo.com

For more information on this event: Contact Nancy Ogren at: nancyogren@comcast.net

with subject line: Belize and you will be put on the mailing list for update and more

detailed info, or contact any one of the practitioners at Pathways. Also we are not in

Belize City, so for more info on the Caye we are on go to: www.gocayecaulker.com

A $200 Deposit due by January 25th.

Or call: 970-226-3381

Cool Delights and More

2012-01-09T09:21:00.006-07:00

I have three beautiful blue paintings that can go as a set or display individually. All three have similar aquatic life-like imagery, living, breathing, moving! They are framed in a black frame with no sheen, and include stand for tabletop display.

Deep In The Dark She Thrives, by Bonnie Lebesch, Acrylic on Panel, 10"x8" plus frame

$125 plus $11 priority mail shipping

Cool Delights, by Bonnie Lebesch, Acrylic on Panel, 10"x8" plus frame

$125 plus $11 priority mail shipping

Into The Depths

2012-01-08T10:01:00.004-07:00

Into The Depths, by Bonnie Lebesch. Acrylic on Panel, 5"x5" plus frame.

This sweet little painting has both pink and orange - one of my fave color combos. Comes with small frame that can hang or sit on surface.

$40 plus $8 priority mail shipping

Felt At The Edges

2012-01-04T14:11:00.006-07:00

Felt At The Edges, by Bonnie Lebesch, Acrylic on Cradled Panel, 6"x6".

This little gem of a painting expresses the relationship and interaction between two people who are trying to connect. Cradle is 1" deep and hangs on the wall without a frame.

$75 plus $11 shipping

Complimentary Life

2012-01-04T13:54:00.007-07:00

Complimentary Life, by Bonnie Lebesch, Acrylic on Cradled Panel, two panels, 8" x 8" each.

These two signed paintings are a pair that are now on sale for $140 for both. Cradled panels are birch wood panels that have a frame on the back to keep them stable and flat. The frame is just under 1" deep and is hung on the wall without a frame.

$140 plus $11 shipping

Online Sales Now Available!

2012-01-04T13:32:00.004-07:00

Look for this button to find work for sale online.

Paintings by Bonnie Lebesch are now available for purchase online here at Metaphlora!

To find available pieces, select the "Online Shop" button at the upper right and scroll through the list of featured work. New pieces will become available weekly, so stop back often!

Our online shop is hosted through PayPal, which allows you to pay through your PayPal account or with a credit card. Shipping is USPS priority mail unless otherwise noted.

Happy Shopping!

Fresh Start for the New Year

2011-12-29T21:38:00.003-07:00

This is where I am at. My first 7 months in Ft Collins has been action-packed... not all of it wished for. But this is the summary.

I spent the summer blissfully working in the studio while avoiding disturbingly bad temporary housing. Then, when I finally moved into my swanky new home, it suffered water and mold damage, then my studio had water damage, and then, just in case I thought things were settling down, my swanky new home was lost to a fire. Poof. Things can change just like that. I like to say, Shift Happens.

I don't blame it on Ft Collins. In fact, I'm still pretty sweet on this town, in spite of the challenges I've been thrown. If nothing else, it has given me plenty opportunity to learn what real friends are made of. Without them, I could not have made it this far.

And with all the hoopla going on, I've spent about two days in the studio. I've lost all my momentum and beautiful routines built up over the summer. But that is behind me...

I've set up my new studio in my apartment downtown. I won't be on the monthly artwalks, but I will be in the studio tour this summer. Until then, I've started to eek out some new things that are looking distinctly quiet compared to last summer's exuberance.

This painting is a start to something I don't yet fully know. I can tell it is on it's way, slowly. I plan to spend the winter figuring it out. One thing for sure, I'm not in the mood for anything too exciting.

Peace- Bonnie

Stella and the Startones iPad app now available on iTunes

2011-12-08T18:31:00.003-07:00

I am so very excited to announce that the app for the iPad, Stella and the Startones, is now available in the iTunes store! I've been working on this project since spring of 2009, a long time, especially since it is an adaptation of a CD-Rom I released in 1997.

Yeah, that long ago I was already involved in interactive arts. Well, don't waste any time, get your iPad and buy the app and play, play, play! She won't disappoint!

William Ris Gallery Carries Small Paintings

2011-11-18T08:26:00.004-07:00

This series of DREAM paintings is in South Jersey at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor. She keeps her shop open EVERY DAY all year, so stop by any time and look at her great collection of local and national artwork.

Mary carries these paintings and the series of small blocks... although she only has a few sets left!

Rocky Mountain National Park

2011-11-16T12:01:00.003-07:00

Now this is what I call a worthy national park! Yesterday, I drove to Estes Park with friends to find winter weather and some road closures. But what a great wildlife viewing day! After passing miles of cut tree piles - pine beetle kill - we came across several herds of elk lazily enjoying the day.

We spotted a black tufted-ear squirrel crossing the road, and then through the canyon outside of the park we spotted these white butts teetering on the edge of rock. Can you see them?

Yep, these are the big horn sheep who graze on the cliffs. I'm impressed with how they maneuver that rock.

It was a welcome relief from the stresses of late. As I read through my profile, where I say I'm like a rolling stone, letting go of the past... well I've been challenged with that lately. Many shifts happening, home, studio, everything is changing in this wild reorganization of life.

Three weeks ago things were turned upside down when my condo building burned in the middle of the night. Since then, I have put most everything on hold until I get my footing set again. A new place to live, new everything likely, will need to be in place before I can continue on with my projects.

With such dramatic and swift change, I am brought back to paying attention to the very necessary only. And so if I don't get back to you quickly, or if I drop a project, promise, or goal, just know that my intentions were good. Sometimes life just has other plans that take precedence.

Namaste-

Artist Reception: Pathways to Wellness

2011-11-09T12:12:00.004-07:00

At Pathways to Wellness I have all sizes and prices of artwork available. Here are 7 little gems, 5" x 3.5" with metal frames. Priced at $60 a piece, they are a perfect little gift! I accept credit cards too.

Artist Reception

Friday December 9, 2011, 5-8 pm

Light refreshments served.

Pathways to Wellness

134 W Harvard St. Suite 6

First Friday is ON!

2011-11-02T10:01:00.003-06:00

In spite of the Museum still being closed for repairs, the lower level studios will be open for this week's First Friday Gallery Walk. Jennifer Daley, Lousie Cutler, and I will be joining the artists downstairs to show and sell our work.

The emphasis will be on smaller, affordable work for the holiday season, so come by and say hello. The entrance is on the Oak Street Plaza, or North side. We'll be there with bells on!

New Venue: Pathways to Wellness

2011-10-18T09:43:00.004-06:00

I am thrilled to announce my first venue in Ft Collins, the offices of Pathways to Wellness, a cooperative of healing practitioners. It is a perfect venue for my work and they are thrilled to have it! Compliments abound, with comments such as "Its completely transformed the energy of the space." And they should know, since they are alternative healers who work with energy all day long. My kind of people! Thank you Ladies -- you are the best!

Forty-four pieces in all, it took two friends and myself four hours to hang them all. It feels fabulous to get them out of the studio and into the world. Good thing, of course, since the studio is still closed to the public due to the Museum's water damage.

This middle painting, titled Flow -- appropriate for the times -- is featured on the cover of Nancy Ogren'sMoonways Annual 2012 Calendar.

Pathways to Wellness is open by appointment. We will be hosting several open house events this fall, and I'll keep you informed.

134 W. Harvard St, Ft Collins.

Another Round of SPARK

2011-10-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

In this round of Spark, Bob wrote this beautiful piece inspired by my painting. I love it! He picked up on my love of healing plants. Read it here.

Museum Closed, Studio Closed

2011-09-30T13:02:00.000-06:00

The Coloradoan.com

Sadly, the museum has a very large repair job ahead, and a very large repair bill that it does not know how to pay. Or if it will. In the meantime, I may be looking for other studio digs.

The upside... no excuses! Time to get out there and do gallery-shopping!

MOA Sustains Major Water Damage

2011-09-27T14:47:00.001-06:00

It's been an interesting few weeks. For such a dry place as Colorado in the summer, you'd be amazed how many water problems I've been experiencing lately. My condo is currently being repaired after a deck drain leaked and leaked and, apparently leaked for a long time... leaving mold. And so I've been displaced for a bit.

And then last night the FoCo Museum of Art had a heating element burst on the top floor, leaving a cascade of water running for who-knows how long from floor to floor. Thankfully there was no damage to art, which is amazing when you see the damage to the building.

And even more miraculously, my studio is just on the other side of a wall where the most severe damage occurred - and I didn't get a drop in my space except for water seepage in the carpet padding. I does mean though that I had to move everything in my space away from the wall so they can dry it out... so my studio is out of commission for the week.

Even worse, the Museum will be undergoing major repairs for quite a while. At this point I don't know if I'll be open for First Friday of Oct. All the other artists will be open, since none of their spaces are effected.

Lessons in staying Detached!

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

2011-09-27T14:20:00.000-06:00

On the rooftop deck, where mirrored walls and grasshoppers held our interest for a bit. Just how does a grasshopper get that high up?

On Sunday I went with a friends down to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. It is so odd going back to Denver and not knowing anything about the city at all - I used to live in Denver a lot of years back - and I've forgotten it all. Of course it has changed tons. There are many art galleries, and this new museum too.

Very cool place, and oooh so wonderful architecture with tall tall walls and diffused lighting, and this great skylight walkway which leads to the rooftop cafe and temporary pigeon coop. My friends and I had great fun with them posing on the walkway above while I snapped shots from the first floor looking skyward. Just remember this when you wear your skirt to the museum.

And the pigeons, who are part of an art piece - performance piece I suppose - are available for patrons to take home and release. They of course return back to their roost at MCAD. We drove ours to the Arvada Center of the Arts, 6-7 miles away, and "Baby" flew home in 27 minutes. Baby is the pigeon with white on his face.

The Arvada Center for the Arts was also pretty good, with a substantial exhibition space and additional spaces throughout the performance hallways, including a permanent installation of a Vito Acconci's dirt wall. They have a top-notch ceramics studio there as well, for artists looking for a place to work.

"Shapes of Art"

2011-09-23T07:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I picked up my "shape" from the Ft Collins Museum of Art. It is a replica of one of the windows in the historic building. I have until Dec 3 to decorate it. Not sure what I'll do, so I have it sitting here until inspiration strikes.

There is some sort of auction as a fundraiser late in the year... not sure of the details yet, but in a effort to build community here I want to participate. I believe anybody can participate, so if you want a window of your own to decorate (and then donate to the cause) you can get them now at FCMOA.

First Friday Gallery Walk Sept 2

2011-09-01T20:39:00.001-06:00

The Fort Collins Museum of Art will be open until 9 pm, and the artists studios on the ground level and second floor will be open. We are FREE - the museum is not, but you can still come to the studios without visiting the museum. It is in the old post office building on the corner of College and Oak.

This event is always well attended, 'cause we put on a fine show! And it is the last weekend of Streetmosphere with free music on the streets all over old town. I look forward to seeing you!

Two Birds...

2011-08-30T09:33:00.000-06:00

... I'll go with One Bun, as in Feeding Two Birds with One Bun. It fits better with my life mantra that way.

Anyway, I am reading I'd Rather Be in the Studio, The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion by Alyson B. Stanfield. Yep, I am hitting the streets looking for my audience.

I've spent all summer, (to the tune of six hours a day, six days a week) in my fabulous studio at the Ft Collins Museum of Art (203), and have enjoyed every moment of it. I LOVE living in Ft Collins. I LOVE creating in my studio, and LOVE all the fabulous people who trot through on First Friday Gallery Walk and in between. (Thanks for visiting!) And now it is time to get out there and find venues for all that fabulous art I've been creating. And so...

Bird One: is this lovely blog, which as of late has been neglected (see above).

Bird Two: is my artist statement.

Alyson has some exercises which help stimulate in writing the statement. We, artists, uniformly balk at writing these things. When you are visual it is difficult to put things into words. It's your process, and since it is so close to you, it's hard to see it, understand it, verbalize it.

1. The subjects and style I choose are __________ because ____________.

... abstract because they are an extension of my lifelong habit of doodling.

... abstract and organic because I paint from the right side of the brain, never planning ahead. I just choose a

color and begin.

... organic and spontaneous because they flow from the subconscious and express the non-physical. They translate color and form into dynamic patterns of energy.

... I choose to work in an organic and spontaneous way so that I can paint with a subconscious flow. I have always been intrigued by dynamics of energy captured through color and form.

How am I doing so far?

2. I am most inspired by__________.

... energetic patterns found in nature

... sacred geometry and fractals

... color + texture + pattern = energy, resonance

... energy which is also sound and movement and everything... where physics meets metaphysics

... negative space

... form that hints at there being more under the surface

... surface (visceral appeal) + under the surface (spirit)

Ah, it feels good to get out paper and pen and write (yes, by hand first). And Alyson is right, it does get the creative words flowing.

See this is what I am talking about! Pockets of energy bounce around in specific wavelengths that resonate up to the physical level, making things organize into patterns. Things take a physical form because of the energy inside. Everything, (color, patterns, sound) is as it is because of it's inherent energy. These yellow flowers form with their specific petals every time, orange lichen grows into patterns, even fractured rock splits along energetic lines.

First Friday Gallery Walk

2011-08-03T15:40:00.001-06:00

It is August already, and that means all the artists at FCMOA will be here in the studios 6-9pm. Come by and see what I've been up to!
-Bonnie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Finally a Bigger Painting

2011-07-07T08:34:00.000-06:00

30"x30"

Since I've had my studio door open for a lot of public events lately, I've set it up like a gallery. I have dozens, really scores of small paintings that I rotate on my exhibit walls. The public parades through, happy to get out of the sun and interested to see art. Because it's in the Museum, some don't realize it is my studio... where I work! But work I do, about 6 hrs a day, 6 days a week.

I also have heard myself explaining to the public, many times, that I really have no control over where a painting goes. I'd like to think I do... but inevitably it takes a path of it's own desire, and I let go and see what emerges. With that inspiration I updated my artist statement.

This painting above has been in the works for 6 months, but it's now done! It's so different working large. They scare me, and for that reason I've decided to do more large paintings.

Ft CO Studio Tour this Weekend

2011-06-21T08:34:00.000-06:00

The Ft Co Lincoln Center is hosting the annual Studio Tour this weekend. I'm not sure where you can pick up maps of the studios in town, but there are two places I know I will be, and I bet maps will be too.

1- Friday 5-8 pm at ArtLab, 239 Linden Street for the Preview Reception. All the artists will have work there.

2- My place on SUNDAY 10-5! Since there are a few artists in the FTMOA who are participating in the Studio Tour, I will have my door open too. 201 S. College, #203 (the old Post Office).

Here are some of things I have on display this week... a collection of little things! And bring your credit cards, because I have my new SquareUp account all set up.

One more note, a few friends have asked about this organization, Art 342. Since they are on the studio tour, I will check it out and report back!

Happy Lucky's

2011-06-18T15:46:00.001-06:00

It is another perfect day in Ft Collins, featuring skirts and flip flops. Every weekend in downtown there are street performers sprinkled around, even -- visual artists (!) -- painting pianos. I wandered around taking in the local culture, a mixture of college hippies and ranchers in 10 gallon hats. There mix well together!

And I've taken advantage of my low energy day to sit and sip chai and nibble on gluten-free chocolate zucchini bread at Happy Luck's Tea house.

Years ago when I lived in Boulder the word was "mellow." Now it seems to be "chill." And that's what I'm doing today.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ft Collins Studio

2011-06-09T09:16:00.001-06:00

On the first of the month I moved into my new studio at the Ft. Collins Museum of Art (FCMOA). They are in the old post office building in Old Town. They rent out several office spaces to tenants, mostly artists, two lawyers, and a cheese consultant.

On the first Friday of every month the Old Town area participates in open studios, and so the artists at FCMOA open up their doors, have snacks and blast music. I had just moved into the space, so I hung some art and opened my door. It was fun, there was a fair crowd, and I met lots of people.

The next day I set up shop for real, covered the carpet, got out my paints and started at it. It feels fabulous to have the space to stretch out in. I even have room enough to do tai chi!

A painting with blocks.

Group Show Seattle: CIRCLES

2011-06-06T09:05:00.000-06:00

I have five paintings included in a new show in Seattle. The University House in Wallingford draws a huge crowd and they put on an unbelievable spread of food. Truly. Go, eat, mingle, and see great art!

You are cordially invited to the gala opening reception of CIRCLES: Artistic Interpretations of this Universal Shape

Thursday, June 16 th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM

On view through Oct. 18, 2011

Wine and hor's d'oeurves will be served. Enjoy music by Duo Rubicon.

University House Wallingford

4400 Stone Way N

Seattle, WA 98103

William Ris Gallery Carries My Work

2011-05-19T11:32:00.002-06:00

The lovely Mary Cantone at William Ris Gallery of Stone Harbor, NJ now carries my little block painting sets! They're open everyday, so when you are in South Jersey, stop by and peruse her vast collection of art by local and national artists.

Artist's Blocks, little paintings with big possibilities.

This hand-painted block set is a one-of-a-kind signed original. Artist Bonnie Lebesch creates little worlds that unblock creativity and inspire play. They can be arranged in hundreds of ways to match your heart’s desire. Explore your more creative side and see what you discover!

This original work of art is painted and varnished with artist’s acrylic mediums on solid wood. Please handle with care.

East to West Transition

2011-05-19T10:17:00.001-06:00

From salt marshes in New Jersey to crop fields throughout the midwest,

...to ranch lands, all wide open spaces with long vistas and lonely rest stops. Here is a kinetic sculpture at a rest stop in Nebraska, where the wind howls consistently.

And then in eastern Nebraska, near Wyoming, the landscape changes to dry lands with rock formations...

... and indeed the buffalo do roam, but not freely. Here is one of several sculptures set on hillsides alone the interstate, a reminder that this land once was owned by the wild beasts. Now the buffalo roam within limits of ranches .

All in all a good trip. With so many miles of landscape flying by at highway speeds, my eyes are trying to readjust to being still. I am making my way through Ft Collins, getting my bearings and learning new routines. Looks hopeful!

Blessings to the Ocean

2011-05-08T20:09:00.001-06:00

I've taken a liking to placing found objects from one location into a very different location, as a gift from one land to the next. This time I walked the beach with a pocketful of crystals I bought in Seattle. I found myself toning notes to the crystals then tossing them into the surf. It is my gift to the ocean that has served me well, restoring my peace of mind.

Carry these notes far and wide, to all the lands that your waters touch, dear Atlantic.

Wildwood Wrap-Up

2011-05-08T19:59:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow morning I head out of town, my car packed high and the moving van packed higher. I have spent six full months on the shore of South Jersey. I didn't expect to stay that long, but it seems I needed it.

Restful and restorative, and with some great gems tucked in surprising places, it has been a good winter. I painted lots, walked the beach lots, and made some special friends in the area. But the winds have shifted and I am off to my next step in the journey...

Colorado now calls me! I will be living in Ft Collins, which is north along the front range, almost to Wyoming. Years ago I lived in Boulder, and my brother has lived there for 25 years, so it is familiar territory. It is a welcome familiarity after spending these past 18 months here on the east coast where I feel so out of sorts.

So the next few weeks I will be in transition, driving 1700 miles in anticipation of seeing those mountains in the distance, ticking off the mile markers along the way.

Did you know that east of Ohio there are markers every tenth of a mile, while west of Ohio there are only markers on the mile. Think about that!

- Bonnie

Sea creatures

2011-04-24T06:13:00.001-06:00

This week I spied this unusual sight on the beach, a ray. A bit unsavory, but cool nonetheless.

I'm also trying out this phone app, so I hope it works!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New HANA, MAUI Photographic Book Available

2011-04-22T14:26:00.000-06:00

This is the spectacular view from just north of Hana, on the east side of Maui. It is one spread in the 48 page book of magical images I took while vacationing there almost 2 years ago. I've been a bit... distracted, you might say! But nothing I've seen since can come even close to the beauty and awe of this place.

I encourage you to see for yourself. And if you can't visit in person, well, try the virtual tour by previewing the book online at blurb.com.

And the best news -- now through May 31 blurb is having a 20% off sale on books. Just use the coupon code NEWBLURB at checkout to get the discount.

Mahalo!

Images of Wildwood

2011-04-21T12:20:00.000-06:00

This composition reminds me of the patchwork plaid shorts they wear in the northeast.

When I first arrived here in Wildwood I was interested in the hotel architecture and signage. I photographed many of them, then let the pics sit for months while I eventually got a bit bored of the scene.

I'm sure this place was quite the rage in its heyday. Now half of the older buildings are replaced with new bland ones. I'm amused though how the hotel names reference Hawaii or other real beach destinations.

And this is my favorite detail, the plastic palm trees. In the winter months they remove the palms from the base so they don't get trashed in the weather. Now some of the hotels have started to install the palms again. This is so Jersey.

Remnants of Life on the Beach

2011-04-17T10:07:00.000-06:00

From upper left: channeled whelk, crab shells, sea urchin, sea urchin, seagull skeleton, channeled whelk, channeled whelk, leaf, horseshoe crab burrowed in sand.

Last night here was the biggest, baddest storm yet, and the tides were extra high. Flooding everywhere, lots of tornados. But that did not stop me from heading out to celebrate my birthday with newfound friends. I am so fortunate to have found good friends here in such a short time.

Sadly, or partly sadly, I am wrapping things up here and planning my next move. The winds are shifting, and I am setting sail to my next destination in the next month. More on that in a bit.

But first, I've been going through old computer files, editing and reburning backups, and in the process reminding myself of other places and times. I found the collection of beach photos from one morning at low tide on the beach at Whidbey Island, WA. In just one morning I took over 500 hundred photos of gorgeous seaweeds and sea creatures. It is not the same here, but there have been a few great finds (besides the sand shots).

And so today, I have collected a set of live things I have found here this season. Very different, but they convey the character of this Atlantic Beach.

Bitter and Sweet

2011-04-11T14:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I lost one of the dearest, brightest souls I have ever known. My friend Monica passed away after battling cancer for 4 months.

I feel blessed to have had her in my life. She was instrumental in helping me navigate my way through my own illness 4 years ago, calling me several times a day help me keep focus, to lift my heart. In many ways, I owe my life to her. She taught me so much about how to listen to my intuition, to follow my heart, to not doubt the persistent inklings. And most importantly, she showed me how everything is perfect, all the time. Even when you are struggling with horrific health issues, and an even more horrific health care system. She even taught me to be thankful for the struggles. That is Buddhist to a T.

It is strange then to be the one to say goodbye to her. She was fearless. I love how she would slap her hand on her leg to emphasize "Yes!" I love that her beloved Buddhist monks came to pray for her in her last hours. She touched so many with her exuberance and love. She had the most amazing clear-seeing clear blue eyes, able to see much more than most.

Amid the flurry of emails and phone calls this morning, once the news broke, I had to head out to the beach to clear my head. And there in my directionless meanderings I spied this little gem, a true gift from the sea, a beautiful tiny perfect seahorse resting there on the sand. This sweet little thing will be the one thing I bring with me from these shores, a reminder of my dear, brave, joyful, bodhisattva, Monica.

Namaste.

Nova, A Film About Art

2011-04-09T08:59:00.000-06:00

I've been watching a lot of videos on artists that do street art, and the trend for those artists to start doing gallery shows. Here is an interesting show featuring some young international artists. I find it invigorating to see what young artists are doing, and fantasize of the day when I too can paint an entire wall!

A bit of background: Many of these artists started doing street art, even graffiti. Then some artists started doing films of the artists creating the street art, documenting the process and the artists. Now many of the street artists create videos of their art process that become more of an art piece than the actual street art. All of this caught the eye of galleries, who now have the artists paint the walls in the galleries.

A great place to start looking is Exit Through the Giftshop, available on DVD.

Wooster Collective is a blog on international street art.

Onward....

Meandering

2011-03-16T19:11:00.000-06:00

I've been playing around looking for fun iPad apps and found this one, Meander. It burns through your battery and doesn't allow you to save images, but it is greatly entertaining for a while. I took these pics with my phone camera.

Meander seems like a fitting description for the state I've been in lately. I flit from one thing to another, with few plans and even fewer completed plans. And so, this post will do much the same. It is a wonderful state, really. I had doubted I'd be here on the shore this long, but it seems I have no where to rush off to, so I'm here through the spring.

The beach sand continues to astound me. I keep thinking I've seen just about every pattern a pile of sand molecules could possibly arrange, but I now think it's just the beginning. Thinking about it, I realize all patterns are made from one tiny spec at a time, and can be repeated or shifted infinitely. I love that I can be wandering around with my mind meandering and come across something that takes my breath away, and it is made from sand.

Of course not all days have spectacular sand patterns. The days after really high tides, where the water has smoothed everything out, makes for an expanse of blank canvas interrupted only by tracks...

... some more pristine than others. With the hundreds of sand photos I have, I will certainly compile a collection, but it is a question as to what form this will take. A book? An e-book? Hm.

The boardwalk is still closed for the season, as are all the rides (above), but by mid April they are supposed to start up again. I have to experience the wildness just once. Luckily I have some made some new friends in town that I think I can convince to show me the nightlife.

Meanwhile, in my oasis at the beach, I have let go of the notion of creating a cohesive body of work, all gently building upon the one before it, and instead I've embraced my inner wild creative beast! I'm letting her express herself, and following the whims and follies that arrive.

This color went from being my wild underpainting to my wild painting... a celebration of the spring that has not yet sprung here, except for in my mind.

Celebration seems like a difficult emotion to call up lately, with all the craziness going on. I have wondered how I can paint when there is so much to get caught up in. But I know that this is my contribution, my way of bringing balance back into my life and the lives of others. I know this when old friends look me up and shower me with accolades. Creating something that can bring joy into someone's day, to lighten their load even for a moment, is so essential.

Healing. That is where I started, and that is where I still stand. For me, for every thing.

Some things, everything really, is out of our control. All we can do is to choose our response. I heard this bit of wisdom lately, "When you are asked a question, the first answer that comes into your mind in your intuition, the second is your mind getting in the way. Listen to the first, because it comes from the heart and is always correct. Truth is simple. Lies get complicated." (Ian Xel Lungold)

Onward with ...Intuition!

Hotels on the Beach

2011-03-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

When I first drove through Wildwood, NJ, I pictured myself spending a fair amount of time photographing the local hotels from the 50's. There are plenty of great specimens here. And I did spent some time taking photos. But I quickly tired of it.

Perhaps I had to spend countless hours walking the beach, counting the blocks by the hotels lined up two at a time. This series of photos is a sampling from a day where I snapped a shot of each block along the beach. These are the highlights, you might say. North of the wildwood sign is where the boardwalk and amusement parks line the beach, and maybe I will venture out again on a nice spring day.

(Try clicking on the long image to bring up the full size. Blogger tends to reduce these kind of images, so sorry if you don't get a very large version.)

Four Paintings In Group Show- Reception March 12

2011-02-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge to readable size)

As Fleeting as a Bird Cloud

2011-02-26T08:52:00.001-07:00

Even the birds were celebrating this 72 degree day on the beach, with their bird cloud dances. I just had to put my toes in the sand and water.

One from my latest tangent.

This morning I added the TED Talks blog to my Google Reader, so I can have a steady diet of inspired dialog. The talk by Elizabeth Gilbert on Creativity really hit a big bullseye for me.

Why? Well, I negotiate a relationship with my creative process every day. Some days I am raring to go, even into the night. Other days I am afraid to pick up a brush for fear of "ruining" a painting in process. And most of the time, even when I think I have a goal, I usually end up taking off on a tangent that winds up a distant cousin to where I thought I was going. I laugh at my current body of work, it's all over the place!

I work in series, several pieces at a time. And lately I am jumping back and forth between series as well, doing 10 tiny 2" blocks at once, then doing 4 canvases, and then back to blocks. Throw in some sand photos in the middle and you have an idea of my creative process. I like it that way, and I always learn something that feeds the next piece. What throws me is that I have so many elements or ideas or techniques or mediums to explore that usually things get left behind. I'll get into circles in one series, lines of dots the next, then leaves the next.

I experiment. And I work quickly. When my stay here in Wildwood is over, I will have enough new work for several shows, a retrospective on my Winter in Wildwood. And by then, of course, I will be off onto another tangent.

Spring is Beginning!

2011-02-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the warm beach breezes this week have put images like this in my mind's eye. Little buds must be popping out somewhere where there is soil instead of sand. I've heard rumors of crocus and daffodils! I can't wait till I can put my toes in the warm water... although I bet it won't happen before summertime.

Second Block Series

2011-02-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here are sample sides of 9 new block paintings. More images are available on my Facebook Gallery Page.

Sand Paintings

2011-01-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

This week's sand formations have been pretty spectacular. And yesterday it was warm enough to walk for several hours! I could imagine springtime bringing some life back into the land.

Lucky me to be here in a record cold winter. Here is the bay side of the cape with chunks of ice on the beach:

Full moon this week brought extreme high and low tides, and with it a new sight on the beach- alive things! There were hundreds of whelk on the beach today at low tide, all patiently waiting for the tide to come back. Perhaps I could learn something from their example?

Life in the Hallway

2011-01-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

I found this little thing on the beach I thought was a marble, but it is a live creature of some sort, a jelly ball.

Days putter by, relentlessly cold and windy.

I remembered a visual this morning, of lying on the floor of the hallway of my duplex in Seattle. From that vantage point I could see the doors to the bedrooms, living room and bathroom, all tightly fit into a nice neat 5' square box. I lied there for a few moments pondering the years spent in that duplex, my beautiful home, those colorful walls, the private garden. It was my last day in the house, and this was part of my leaving ritual to say goodbye to all the spaces before I walked out for good.

Each room had their own peace to say, the kitchen, the garden, the bedrooms, but it was the garage that took me most by surprise. You see, the garage had an automatic door opener, and that meant I had arrived. It was a silly thing, but I had always dreamt of having a garage door opener of my very own. It meant I was an adult. And leaving that garage behind meant I was heading back into the world of street parking, and a life of unknowns.

Someone once told me that when one door closes, another door opens... but in the meantime you are in the hallway. I've been in that hallway for a long time now. And as each day creeps by I get more and more restless. Last night someone remarked to me that I've had a nice vacation. It may seem so from the outside, but this time out is not about vacating anything -- it is about being empty of ideas and waiting. If I had any ideas of which direction to turn to next, I would be doing it already. It is who I am.

Or who I used to be. I have never in my life been so directionless, and it is confusing and uncomfortable. The world swirls around me at such swift speeds that I feel about as exciting as a shrub. In the winter. Buried in snow. I cannot wait until my springtime arrives and I start to bud with ideas. That is my hope anyway. The hallway has to lead somewhere, right?

Itty Bitty Paintings

2011-01-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

I've been having some fun painting these itty bitty painting. These three paintings are actually three sides of a little block. The images run around the edges.

I have a new batch of blocks so I'm starting to paint more. I'm planning to ship them to Colorado to sell in some of the gallery shops. I can make custom blocks with letters or initials too!

Things That Inspire Me

2011-01-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

I found the most delicious spot at the beach the other day. I lied down on a big rock, closed my eyes, and listened...

What I'm reading:

- The Energy Cure by William Bengston, PhD

- Spontaneous Healing of Belief by Gregg Braden

What I'm listening to:

- Totem by Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors

- Mind Body Code by Mario Martinez

- Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House by the Wailin' Jennys

Onward with... Belief!

The Wild Winter Beach

2011-01-02T13:40:00.001-07:00

In the summer the beach is groomed every day. In the winter it is left to go wild, which means the sand is constantly shifting, literally grain by grain, leaving natural patterns that mimic water, mud, rock.

It is just like life (shift happens). I can walk out onto the beach and when I return 30 minutes later my footprints have disappeared, always taking me by surprise. As they say, the only consistent thing is change.

The latest snowfall of 10" left some gorgeous textures when all was dried up. (clicking image above should bring up a large version). It is subtle and temporal, just like my time here at the beach.

I had a fabulous trip to CO to visit family. It left me charged up to make plans for the coming year, and it is shaping up nicely! It is time to move forward. Stay tuned.

Onward with Vision!

New Paintings for the New Year

2011-01-01T09:51:00.001-07:00

I finished these four paintings before I left for Christmas in Colorado. These are 10x10 panels that I tried some of the techniques I used while doing the little blocks like this one (3.5"):

I've been busy being creative... more to come!

Wind Transforms the Beach

2010-12-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the beach transform itself with the winter weather. Lately the wind has been ferocious! The sand is blowing out towards the water, exposing crusty, dirty sand beneath. The blown sand has formed sand dunes all over the beach. The dunes by the water are slowly getting absorbed back into the ocean (above). Sea foam gets blown all over the place.

Micro changes happen every day. I have to really bundle up to brave the wind... but the images are fascinating. I'm taking these with my iPhone!

The view from the 4th floor. You can actually see the wind moving sand... again, on my iPhone? That tells you how fast it is moving!

Little bits of debris form these mini buttes. The sand itself is not textured, but layered with light and dark sand, like halvah.

Crusty sand meets soft blowing sand.

Trucks are allowed on the beach. It took this for the composition, but I am impressed the iPhone did such a good job with it. It looks to me like a fine watercolor painting... (click to enlarge)

Left vs Right Brain Painting

2010-12-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

A Seattle friend, Liz Durkin, introduced me to the world of blogging a few years with her blog Starworlds. Liz is a brilliant astrologer and writer. Her blog goes into discussions and details that boggle my mind. I find it hard to follow the thread of her discussions much of the time because I don't have the astrological training and my mind just can't link all those pieces together at once. It is heavy duty!

She started a second blog, Starsync, that follows a tangential discussion of world events that support her astrological insights. It speaks in more simple terms for the lay person. Her recent post on Mercury Retrograde and the brain caught my attention. In it, she pieces together ideas of how the right brain and left brain are influenced by the movement of the planets. Specifically, she posits that the right brain is activated by mercury retrograde. Read the article for info.

But what caught my attention was the spinning lady test. I've seen this test before and love it. It tests whether you are right or left brain dominant, which explains what type of thinker you are. She spins left for me, which is left brained, which means my thinking is more linear, logical, directional, detailed. If I watch long enough, and watch in soft focus, or from the corner of my eye, she spins right, but only for a short while before she switches again. I have to concentrate to get into my right brain mode, but the left brain comes on its own.

Anyway, this related to a discussion I had with a visiting painter friend. I asked her for a critique of my newest paintings - the ones that I'm having such a hard time doing and relaxing into at the same time. She pointed out that I have my "designer goggles" on: goal oriented, detailed, finite. She had her "painter goggles" on: fluid, open-ended, looking at the whole. (Ahem, left vs right).

She compared the act of painting to a chess game, where each move changes the strategy for the entire game. You might have a goal in mind, but at each step you need to let go of the previous goal and reassess the whole picture fresh. It requires constant letting go. (BTW, we are discussion abstract painting here.)

So, true, I have been a designer for most of my career and succeeded nicely at that. It fits my brain well. Painting is so counter to that, that I struggle with my inability to control, (the word she used). Yes, control. I hate it when I am out of control. Painting in a more free form way pushes my buttons.

So why do I do this? Because I am compelled to. It is the only thing that is clear for me right now. It is a good practice, being out of control. Or maybe I need to approach it as being more fluid and open to possibilities?

But my question is, can I learn to be more right brained, to paint and think more open-ended and holistic, or is it an uphill battle all the way? Our culture thrives on left-brain approaches, but it is killing us. I really want to be more right-brained, to not sweat the small stuff. But how? Read less, dance and paint more? It certainly seems the month to try it out.

Time Lapsing Along

2010-12-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

It is so wonderfully quiet and still out here at the beach. There is so little stimulation that I find the days breeze by and by. The calendar surprises me. I am remiss with most things I had on my To Do List. Who cares?

So the weeks in short: Flora paints at the workshop last November.

At the beach rental, using the kitchen counter as an easel:

Little paintings, experimenting "Flora-style", trying to do doodles within fat brush strokes.

An early stage of a painting that I can't seem to touch... it has become "precious."

Lots of layers and spastic, frustrated marks. Just imagine me screaming "I hate painting this way!!!" and then I calmed down and thought, "hey, that's not so bad!"

Many discoveries later I am getting the hang of mixing doodles with more paint. Theses little 2" blocks are a spoiler for those relatives going to CO... but they never read this anyway, right? I did these in 2 days and I'm having a ton a fun! Something about working small and running images right around the edges....

The beach is different every day....

After a month of walking the beach I found this one ALIVE creature crawling along. Can you see it? A tiny sand crab.

And I had a Seattle friend visit this past weekend! It was really cold and windy, but we walked the beach and picked up lots of conch shells, explored some of Cape May and beaches, and went searching for healthy food in restaurants, with mixed results.

Paint Experiments

2010-11-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I attended a painting workshop given by Flora Bowley up in Philly. I was thrilled that Flora was giving this workshop within reach of me while on my winter beach retreat. It was a great hit of west coast relaxed consciousness.

It was a wild fast few days of smushing paint around, totally different than my normal, quiet, meditative controlled approach, and it was both fun and anxiety-ridden! And I learned some helpful tips and tricks. Here are some of the results -- which I am still completely undecided about. The first one is the most complete and #2 & 3 are in an early stage:

Since I returned (Hey- a deja vu is happening here in the Starbucks in Rio Grande), I digress -- I've been trying to assimilate some of the new information with my other paintings. Here are # 2 & 3 again with my added layers:

I find that while they are interesting, I can't have more than one in my space at once. They are so filled with energy that it is a bit over-stimulating here in my beach-mode. It is hard to see the fine details, (click images for a bit bigger view) but they have lots of little doodles all over. I love drawing on top of paintings, because there is so much opportunity to play with what is already there. I'll do a few more paintings like this, see where they head and if I can begin to feel like they are my pieces instead of Flora-like.

Her work is fabulous too - so check out here blog and web site above! And let me know what you think!!!

Calm Setting In

2010-11-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been glorious here. Warm, not much wind, great sunsets, and clean beaches. I did very little except sit and watch the waves and draw. Delicious! I can feel myself really slowing down, enjoying the quiet and solitude.

I brought many of the books that I carry around with me in my moves so that I could reread them completely. Today's read: A Joseph Campbell Companion.

"But the objective is to have your own adventure, not a substitute, and it is not an easy thing to do."

A Day On The Beach

2010-11-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

"...Including the Kitchen Sink" (Detail)

"...Including the Kitchen Sink"

Click here for large view (850k) magnification

First Wildwood Week

2010-11-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm such a visual person that I need to get out into a new place and explore with my camera. I've been doing this all week at the beach. I've tried to go for walks everyday, missing only one day when the wind was too strong and cold. Turns out there is quite a variety of scenes, textures, and details that I find compelled to document.

This first week of being isolated at the beach has brought me through a few phases. First, I was excited and relieved to get here where it is amazingly quiet all the time, and the days are really long.

Then as I started to settle in and explore the surrounding towns, I began to find that there really is nothing happening here - its so desolate. I realize that I will need to keep myself occupied completely by my internal influences, because there are very few external events. I am watching the weather a lot, and listening to streaming NPR (I don't get reception here).

I may even become more informed because I seem to have so much time to pay attention. Its an odd thing, a flip-flop of where I had been in Alexandria. There I would go home and curl up in silence for hours until I was restored. Here, with so much silence, I crave interactions.

I can sense the next phase coming along, where I settle into my routine and delve deep into creative work. It has already begun - finally I am drawing again! And I did a photo tour of Wildwood. Next time....

SPARK: Artists & Writers Collaborate

2010-11-04T07:11:00.000-06:00

I just finished pieces for SPARK 10, an online collaborative project where writers and artists are paired up, swap inspiration pieces, then do work in response. I had two partners! We were given 10 days to work, so I set out to work very quickly on small works.

Follow theses links to read the poems and see the paintings large (left to right above):

Kevin Craig's poem written to Bonnie's art.

Cat Ross's poem written to Bonnie's art.

Bonnie's painting to Cat's poem.

Bonnie's painting to Kevin's poem.

First Impressions of Wildwood

2010-11-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

Since I decided to make my break to the shore, my days have been quite busy. It hurts my brain to make decisions about every article I possess. Which do I keep, put in storage, take with me? One good thing about living in my dingy place in Alexandria: it made me want to let go of things that I've been hauling along for years. In the end, I made numerous neighbors happy with my generous donations. I packed some things into storage and drove away with an amazing heap of things packed tightly into my car. I love that big-little car!

And so here I am, in the ghost town of Wildwood, NJ, near the southern tip of the shore. It is completely strange to be here while most people are gone. (I suspect it would be even more strange to be here when it is crowed, but that is a different issue).

The town is here to serve tourists, every inch of it. And off-season it is a concrete canyon land. Voices echo up between the empty buildings. Stop lights are turned to blinking mode. Most buildings go completely dark at night. Mine, because there are about two residents here (out of maybe 100 units?) stays lit like a carnival all night.

And then there is the beach, massively deep and flat. I spotted one single dolphin yesterday, and two fishermen. The waves are low and quiet. Occasional clam shells litter the beach, one of the only signs of life anywhere. Or, rather, what was once alive. Today at low tide I found two jellyfish, a couple small clumps of seaweed (no bigger than my hand).

This land is not a pulsing, thriving natural wonder. It shows the burden of years of overcrowding and pollution. Yes, there are nature preserves on the Cape, and I will visit them too. But my first reaction to the area is complete sadness. Still, I need to walk that beach every day to feel some of my own natural rhythms again, soak up some of the power that rides up from the deeper parts of the ocean, even if it is hard to detect yet.

One project I will do while I am here is to photograph some of the great old 50's hotels. From the beach the lineup of massive hotels runs as far as you can see, all the way to the amusement park. I've yet to get that far up the beach, but there is lots of time. I've got nothing but time!

Changes Come With the Seasons

2010-10-22T14:12:00.000-06:00

It is no secret that I've been growing weary of living in the DC area. It has been a good ride, a learning experience with a steep learning curve. I've done a lot of exploring, had great opportunities like the Torpedo Factory Residency, and with that I've made some fabulous friends. I could stay here and ride it out for a bit. But overall I've been itching to find the next thing. Something tells me it is time to move on.

My recent drive through New England was in search of the next place to be. In all that searching and researching I did not find my perfect home. What I did find was my heart singing to the beat of the Jersey beaches. In particular, I was completely jazzed by the town of Wildwood, on the south shore near Cape May. This town is all 50-60's hotels with great neon signs and ticky tacky plastic palm trees. It must have been great in the heydays, but even today I can tell there is a particular culture that thrives here in the summer.

Off season it is a ghost town. There are year-round residents, and they love the Jersey shore this time of year. It is here that I have chosen as the next leg of my adventure. When I drove through town I could hear the sirens' call, and I just have to follow it.

I am very excited to walk the beach every day, to do artwork, to explore a new area and meet new people. I'll be photographing the signs (the town is designated as one of the USA Pop Icons) and writing about my beach days here.

And so with that, as I pack up my belongings once again (they are getting slimmer each time), another chapter closes as a new one emerges! Stay Tuned!

Final Leg of the Trip

2010-10-17T18:50:00.000-06:00

Picture-perfect Nantucket

On my last leg of the New England journey I moved pretty quickly, getting fairly tired of traveling. I did stay in Boston for 4 nights with friends who were wonderful hosts and great tour guides. I then went down to Cape Cod, choosing to stay on Nantucket for 1 night. After the summer season has ended things are a bargain, and much less crowded too!

Nantucket is a sweet little playground for the rich and famous. Very charming and also very Nantucket-ish. I was brazen enough to show my ignorance about some of the customs, like Nantucket reds and lightship baskets. On the ferry out of town I shared a booth with a woman who pointed out John Kerry's house in this view (to the right, but not the biggest on the beach).

From there I drove through Providence, RI and then headed towards New London for the night. I caught the ferry from New London, CT to the tip of Long Island, allowing me to avoid the stressful drive through CT, Bronx, and NJ around NYC. It was fun to spend a few wild moments on the BQE with glimpses of NYC (really bad road, really fast drivers), over the Farrazano bridge to Staten Island, then down to the NJ coast. I hit traffic just perfectly too.

After Columbus day most of the tourist businesses along the NJ coast are closed for the season. I stayed on Long Beach Island for a mere pittance, right on the beach. And everything around was closed, the restaurants, hotels, and it was fabulous! Just me and a few fishermen on the beach. The weather was beautiful too, and I caught both sunset on the Bay side of the island and sunrise on the ocean side.

All of this water near the end of the trip was delightful. I've been drawn to the ocean for a while now, and after covering so many miles seeing so many places, I still enjoyed the Jersey shore more than anything. Normally it is overcrowded, loud and expensive, but I took a liking to the quiet and empty beaches.

With that, I am pondering the next step of my journey, possibly renting a place at the beach through the winter! It could be my own personal artist residency/retreat, giving me time to create and take long beach walks. Sound good?

Maine

2010-10-08T19:17:00.001-06:00

Site-specific artwork on the rocky coast of Acadia.

From New Hampshire I went directly east to Acadia National Park on the Maine coast. Driving through Maine is beautiful, lots of lakes and sweet houses. The park is on an island with a loop road. I did a 2 hr hike through the rocks on the cliffs above Sandy Beach. The ocean here is wild, but I still missed the sea life that I've grown accustomed to seeing on the Northwest beaches. The only thing to play with on the beach was rocks, so I made a snake along the contours of the tide pools.

I felt so relaxed at the park that I decided to test my car-turned camper and stay at the campground that night. It was great being in the park, but my bedroll proved to be too thin to be comfortable for the night.

Beforehand though I went into Bar Harbor, a shanty town just outside of the park, for a Maine lobster dinner and spied this psychic reader. She gave me two questions for $10. She said I would find the place I was looking for, but that I would have to do the trip a second time to recognize it! Ack! That's just crazy. Loved her window display.

From the park I headed south along Hwy 1 on the coast. Belfast is a popular little town for artists, and I know

several people in DC who have summer places there. It is a very cute small town, with a bonafide downtown full of sweet little shops and restaurants, even galleries - and this is off season. It's pretty far north though, with many months of cold snowy winter.

In New England everyone is gearing up for their favorite holiday... since Salem is the home of the witch trials and all... which they try to gloss over by all the fall harvest festivals. Too bad I won't be around at the end of the month for the real parties.

My last stop in Maine was Portland. I was really looking forward to seeing Portland because it is the largest city in Maine and there is an art scene. I was surprised to find that it looks like its been hit hard by the economy, with businesses gone and not a lot of art happening. (I've seen this all through New England towns. In DC it is not as evident because there is so much money there.) I didn't feel any affinity with the area at all.

White Mountains, New Hampshire

2010-10-03T17:37:00.001-06:00

Next destination on my driveabout was the White Mountains in New Hampshire, to see some of the spectacular fall color of New England. At this altitude it has been getting down to the 30's at night, and the trees are peaking. While the Kancamagus Highway is nice, it didn't compare to driving through West Virginia last October.

I did enjoy a 2 hr hike through the woods to a small pond. The trail was quite rough, lots of roots, rocks, streams, and downed trees. I was exhausted and wobbly by the time I got back to the car, but no injuries!

I am getting into the routine of traveling, now on day eight. Because it has been colder and wetter than I hoped, I've been staying in hotels rather than car camping, and it seems luxurious even at the EconoLodge. Therefore, I've been moving faster than planned. Still I am not yet halfway!

There are many lakes on the drive through New Hampshire and Maine, as well as very bright red buildings, just like in the postcards.

Western Massachusetts

2010-10-03T16:58:00.001-06:00

One Cottage Street Studios, Easthampton, MA

My friend Julian from DC encouraged me to check out the area around Northampton, MA, including Easthampton, Holyoke, and Amherst. There are five colleges in the area (which I cannot name) but they have an influence on the western Mass. culture - educated, liberal, artsy.

I arrived armed with a list of art spaces, first to Holyoke. The first thing I saw was the massive, enormous old textile mills that have been converted into work spaces. The one in Holyoke was beautifully designed inside, but there were very few occupied spaces. And I didn't have any luck finding the other spaces on my list.

I moved on to Amherst, and again couldn't find the space on my list. It was strange, because this happened a lot, and I had gotten my addresses from an online art listing of shows. Anyway, in a coffeeshop I overheard a few people talking about Boulder, Co, saying that it was extremely yuppie. True! And it gave me a good idea of how Amherst, and this whole area, likes their low key college image. No yuppies here! Except, they do have one of the largest Whole Foods I've ever seen....

Northampton is the largest of the towns, but still is a small town, with a tiny organic farmer's market on Sat. morning. Downtown is about three blocks long, with shops and a few galleries or local artists. It also is the home of Smith College, which has a great art museum. The show by Emily Eveleth was fabulous, with large oil paintings of doughnuts that oozed stickiness. Normally I don't like thick paint, but Emily has a way of using big brushes that leave such wonderful gestures that seemed perfectly matched to the message. Delicious and refined too! (pun intended).

Anyway, back to the local art scene, Easthampton also has several massive old textile mills that have been converted into work or live spaces. One Cottage Street is the first such conversion and is fully occupied with working artists. It is simply divided into large studios, not beautifully renovated like some of the newer ones, which keeps the rents down. In talking with some of the artists, I learned that while there are many artists in the area, not much sells locally. People come here to live in a small, affordable town, and to get cheap work space, but keep their connections elsewhere (Boston, NYC, etc.).

I also heard that in MA, people with incomes less than 32k get free health care! Now that is seriously progressive!

The buildings seem like they are a mile long.

Sadly, many of the gorgeous spaces go empty because a slowed economy. Spaces like this would have a waiting list in Seattle.

Plum Island, Newbury, MA

2010-10-01T18:58:00.000-06:00

I spent the last two days in Newbury, MA on a little spit of land called Plum Island. The main street is lined with beach houses and the beach is big and empty, except for this small seal pup that took me by surprise. I stayed in luxury, in a large house owned by a relative of a relative. Finally the rain let up and I could walk the beach in the sunshine.

Newbury is a fishing town, so I just couldn't pass up the chance to have the freshest fried clams! They were melt-in-your-mouth amazing!

Later I had this idea to do an art piece to leave behind on the beach. Very little washes up on the beach except for these little clam shells. Can someone explain why they have perfect small holes in them? They worked perfectly for a string of shells, my version of beach art, a gift to the sea spirits.

New Haven, CT

2010-09-30T11:02:00.000-06:00

I spent two nights at my friend E.'s place in New Haven, the home of Yale University. New Haven is like a miniature NYC, complete with dense city architecture and a wide variety of neighborhoods. It is funny though because the neighborhoods change from one block to the next, dramatically, like walking from the Upper East Side down Broadway to the financial district within the span of fifteen minutes. E's family lives in a high rise that affords a view of downtown, reminding me of my days on the 11th floor in Greenwich Village.

Street art painted on the alleyway's walls and the building in the background.

Yale dominates the city with buildings on practically every block. The Yale British Museum has a large collection of paintings like this (just look at the way he is smelling her melon!)...

...and a few gems like this beauty.

Then at the Yale Art Museum there is a nice collection of all kinds of art, including one of my fave artists...
...and of course...
...so within a half-day I walked the entire downtown and campus area. The main benefit of living here would be the Yale sponsored events, lectures, exhibits, & performances with a long list of world-class guests, many of them free (like the museums). There are excellent bookstores and plenty to keep your brain active. I missed the open art studios (weekend only) so I did not get to talk with any of the local artists, but I keep hearing that the area north of here, from Holyoke to North Hampton, MA is a great region for artists and alternative health care too. Maybe I can find a great art studio building right next door to a great lymphatic massage practitioner!

New England Driveabout

2010-09-28T08:20:00.000-06:00

The Delaware River at Stockton, NJ

It is September, one full year since I left Seattle and moved east to DC. It has been a year attempting to figure out where to fit in, to find pockets of common ground. It has not been easy, for this area is all business - government to be specific - and creative expression is completely the opposite energetic force.

Yet, I have had some successes in meeting like-minded friends. That has been a fabulous blessing which tempts me to consider the hidden gems of the area that I've yet to discover.

But in the meantime, I've embarked on a journey through New England in search of utopia. It is strange to look in this part of the country for a place where I might instantly feel at home. I've never felt compelled at all to live here. It is my style though, to research and explore and feel things out and then decide what to do next. I am, after all, already in the northeast and things are so close together here.

It is, however, incredibly dense here, in every sense. It is crowded with people, roads and towns, it is traditional and very steeped in its history, and the energy here is thick and heavy. So while things are comparatively close here, it takes a lot of effort to move through it.

For example, three hour drives actually take 5-6 hours with bad traffic, toll booths that stop traffic for an hour each time, many, many trucks, and heavy rain makes it all worse. I would have completely lost my mind had I not had my trusty GPS calmly giving me directions.

When you get off the highways you find many small towns, all cute historical places with quaint shops and picturesque buildings, and paintings of those buildings in the quaint shops. Wireless costs $6/day in a coffee shop. Organic tea in nylon bags is served in Styrofoam cups. State Park campgrounds lock up at 5pm and you can't get in (or out if you are so inclined).

I'm resting for a few days in New Haven, CT until I have my next route in place. Today I will walk the Yale area in the rain, see if I can connect to the energy here.

Olga Bakes Bread

2010-09-21T17:58:00.000-06:00

This fall marks the 20 year anniversary of this video footage I shot in Portland, OR while my Mother Corinne and Grandmother Olga were visiting with my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Rob. I had just moved out to the west coast after finishing graduate school at NYU in Video Art.

Olga was a great bread-baker, so I found it very appropriate to commemorate her doing one of the things she did each and every time I saw her. Watching this now makes me homesick for her wonderful bread toasted with a thick slice of cheddar cheese covered with strawberry-rhubarb jam.

Olga (Wester) Schueller

1908 - 2003

Additional hands by Corinne (Schueller) Lebesch

Cocoa Pod Prints Available

2010-09-21T16:57:00.000-06:00

This is the first in the series of Power Plant photomontages done in the style of the Herb series. The cocoa pods were fresh, flown in from South America just for me!

Custom prints are available through Imagekind.com from 8"x10" to 44"x55" for the serious chocoholic!

Visiting Charlottesville

2010-09-09T19:55:00.000-06:00

This week I visited Charlottesville, VA for the first time. Home of the University of Virginia, close to Skyline Drive National Park, and a designated "art town", it's been on my list for a while now.

On our way into town we stopped at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum. Its small and exhibits work from their permanent collection and visiting shows. It was enjoyable, but I left wanting more. Here are a few fine examples of those that spoke to me. I can see why so many people compare my paintings to aboriginal work. They do a much better job of it!

Downtown C-ville is a sweet pedestrian Main Street with lots of shops and restaurants with tables outside. It's a much better environment to sit and enjoy a meal with no car exhaust fumes. (If only we could say the same for smoke).

There are even a few pretty good galleries. My friend Corwin Levi has a show this month at the Second Street Gallery that is really worth seeing. It is impressive and obsessive and beautiful!

On this journey I realized a few of the things I need to look for on my upcoming walkabout road trip through New England: art, community, galleries, nature, and organic groceries. We were unable to definitively determine if you could get organic produce in town. The health food store had just a few fresh items, not enough to build a meal out of, sadly. Maybe their are farmer's markets?

Last Days at the Factory

2010-09-05T10:55:00.000-06:00

This is the view from my work table here in Studio 30 of the Factory. The work space is behind a counter top, and on the other side is the "gallery" setup. This studio has a double door that opens right into the main atrium, so it's right in the center of the action. And yes, that is a small burro's ass I stare at each day, a real crowd-pleaser because it has real glass eyes.

It's quite unique to have an artist studio space that is open to the public. It's somewhat like a reenactment village, where people come to gawk at the practitioners. And they do. Sometimes they want to talk art, and if we're lucky, they spend money.

The artists here love this gig, love the interaction, the direct contact to customers, the community of fellow artists. It's not perfect, but it does serve a unique purpose. I have liked being here. I can definitely see that I benefit from a "forced" interaction setup. Being here every day for 5 weeks has been a bit much, but I'm honestly amazed I can get work done and enjoy it.

This is Sunday of Labor Day, and I am still here at the Torpedo Factory, a week longer than planned. I am staying thought the weekend so that Carol can stay home with visiting family. I'm spending my time finishing up a few paintings and getting my computer up to date.

I'm also planning a few road trips. This week I think I'm heading to Charlottesville, VA, just 2.5 hrs SW of here. Then, on Friday I head to the Midwest for family gatherings, and then later in the month I'm planning a road trip north through the Appalachian trail country, to Arcadia National Park on Maine, then down along the coast through beach towns. My big New England journey.

And who knows, maybe I'll find that perfect new place to lay down my doormat, or find a door to open to the public similar to this.

Prints from Imagekind

2010-08-28T10:31:00.000-06:00

I've been updating my ImageKind.com portfolio with some of the newer paintings. You can order prints for as little as $23.72. They have custom sizes and frames too. For print reproductions I recommend the Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper, or for smaller budgets the Enhanced Matte. Both will give you quality prints on smooth matte paper.

Take a look at the images here, and if there is any other paintings you'd like to have as a print, let me know and I will provide it for you. Thanks!

Aboriginal Influences

2010-08-26T10:53:00.000-06:00

Here is another in the series of Aboriginal-like paintings. This one reminds me of people walking in a group through the hills.

I have one more week here at the TF. It has been a great experience, and I've made some wonderful new friends. It will be hard to leave and go back to my regular studio. I've grown accustomed to the action. I'll just have to recreate this somewhere else.

And, speaking of wandering through the hills, my time here in the DC area is coming to a close. I feel that when this residency is finished, I will hit the road to my next destination.

I don't know yet where that is, but there are things brewing. Any good ideas are welcome!

New Artwork

2010-08-25T08:43:00.000-06:00

These three pieces are some examples of the work I've been doing here at the Torpedo Factory. (My apologies for the poor photographs of them). They are all small, and each has a series of three. I thought they were a very good representation of the variety of results I get with my work, even when they all follow the same process.

Usually, I don't have any idea what I am going to end up with. I start with the first mark and then slowly build up the painting until I think it has reached completion. This first (green) example was fairly quick to resolve.

The second (red) was much less clear, and I found myself experimenting with shapes and composition.

The third example came together very quickly. I did three in this series in a day. I wanted to just paint quickly and see what came out. I could see the first step, laying down a pathway of dots, then another, then another. Then I could see it was time to add a large white dot, and then the black dots. Then suddenly I saw what I had done... clearly resembling aboriginal painting. I don't know what it is, but it had a desire to come in to being!

Tobacco Leaves

2010-08-18T07:55:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I went to a local farm that grows tobacco to get some leaves for my Power Plant series. This farm is a reenactment farm, complete with volunteers in period dress and speaking period language.

I've always been very opposed to tobacco smoking, so it's not like I have always had a dream of visiting a tobacco farm. But, for several years I've wanted to do a series of herb prints based on the four power plants: coffee, tobacco, cocoa, and marijuana. These four plants have been used in many cultures to self-medicate. No surprises there, eh? Earlier this summer I acquired fresh cocoa pods for the series.

I thought they'd make a great series because I'm interested in the energetics of the plants. I've often wondered if people would find the artwork irresistible!

And, since I currently reside in the land of tobacco, I just had to take advantage. Considering the use of tobacco by the native americans in rituals or as gifts to the spirits, it has to be a powerful medicine spirit.

The plants are hung upside down in barns to dry, so that the nicotine runs to the leaves. When my leaves are dry, I will photograph them again, and give them back to the land spirits in my own ritual.

Sun Magazine

2010-08-18T07:41:00.001-06:00

I have been missing my Sun Magazine subscriptions so badly! With all my moves I've let it expire and I've not been able to find it locally in the stores. It's such a great magazine, full of gorgeous b&w photos, poetry, short stories, readers' stories, interviews, and NO ADS!

So, I just ordered some back issues to keep me well oiled while on my quest. You can read some of it online, but its best to have them in your hand. Look...

And, they have some great quotes like this one, which burns just reading it:
What is to give light must endure burning.- Viktor Frankl

Low Crowds, Good Buyers

2010-08-13T14:48:00.000-06:00

The past few days have been good at the Torpedo Factory. It has been quite slow, and even for the Second Thursday there were not a lot of people here.

But that didn't stop those that were here from enjoying the artwork, and for a few fortunate souls, to take some home. And between customers I've been painting. Not so bad, eh?

I've also been busy updating my ImageKind.com portfolio, so if you would like a less expensive print reproduction check them out.

Public Feedback

2010-08-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

My workspace both low and high tech.

Today I came in late because I will be staying until nine. But already I had a few women come in and make this suggestion: design ceramic tiles! She could see certain paintings in her bathroom... and she even pointed to the two new paintings I posted yesterday.

I really love the instant feedback this place inspires. It's a great way to get information directly from the people.

The other day I had two different guys come in and want to talk with me about String Theory and how my paintings illustrate this. One of them described it as how multiple universes exist in layers. I love the scale of that thought, from cellular to many universes at once! Wowza!

In The Paint Flow

2010-08-11T14:18:00.000-06:00

I'm beginning to understand why it's popular to take a vacation from the studios here at the Torpedo Factory in the summer - and especially August. It has been dead here all week.

So today with all this time by myself I have actually gotten into a paint flow. I even had a hard time talking to someone who asked about my work. I'm not so used to switching from right brain to left brain so quickly. So that part is good.

These are small paintings with a lot of detail. They are of the category of paintings that don't go so well at first so I just keep painting until I like what I see. I might come back in tomorrow and paint on them some more. Or maybe next week or month. But for now I like that the chaos has reached some amount of balance.

Tomorrow night is the Second Thursday which means they have events going on for the evening and the studios are open. I have been telling people I am having my reception from 6-8:30. I hope to see people here.

A New Link

2010-08-03T16:10:00.000-06:00

Today was a short day for me at the Torpedo Factory. I planned to paint, but ended up talking most of the time. It's hard not to be distracted by all that is going around me.

One woman came in and stared at everything for quite a while. She commented that the work was giving her a new conceptual link between what the Aboriginals were doing with their artwork and the repetition of patterns through large and small scales, through space and cellular designs that people often see in my artwork. It was a new link for her.

So far, I'm really loving the interaction with people, and all the reactions to my work. I've been starved for that attention for a long time!

All Settled In

2010-08-02T13:33:00.000-06:00

Today has been a much slower day, so I've had time to finish hanging work and fixing the lights. I walked around a bit to talk with other artists, but not many are in today.

I had a young visitor from Tokyo who attends an international school that is taught in english. And they even have art teachers... so she was encouraging me to go to Japan and teach art to kids! Now that would be fun, for a while at least. It would be difficult to live someplace where I have no language skills, so it would require a travel buddy. Hm, have to work on that.

August Is Finally Here

2010-08-01T15:12:00.000-06:00

It is almost time to head home after day one at the Torpedo Factory. I've been here all day setting up, hanging art on the walls, and fielding questions from many people. Weekends are very busy with tourists. It's been fun but tiring.

Many people come just to see the wild beasts that Carol has in the windows. They are a crowd pleaser for sure.

My first visitors were from Houston, and a young man was quite taken with my paintings. "Shamanic" he said. Bingo! Then he told me about Peruvian artist Pablo Amaringo who does paintings of his shaman visions. Quite interesting. I've had two close sales... we'll see if they return!

Jersey Shore & Catskills

2010-07-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

View from the Ocean Vista front porch at dusk after the crowds have gone.

Years ago when I lived in NYC, I heard stories of the Jersey Shore. Mostly, people liked to make fun of the Jersey Girls, much like the Valley Girls of LA. They have similar reputations.

I just returned from a trip that took me up along the north shore to Ocean Grove on my way to the Catskills, NY. Ocean Grove, people warned me, is a dry town founded by the Methodists as a summer camp for blue-collar workers. They've since opened their doors to other folks, but have retained much of their family-friendly character. Since I've been craving a good hit of the beach, and I prefer to avoid loud party crowds, and it's halfway up to the Catskills, it seemed perfect.

I found a hotel on the beach, one of many Victorian buildings with creaky floors and crooked staircases. They have porches lining the hotel front for all guests, and a big basket with beach towels.

Each morning I walked the boardwalk south and along the beach back again. I love the waves lapping on my feet. I love being taken by surprise when a big wave sneaks up and shakes me out of my trance. The waves were pretty big on the beach but I found a spot calm enough for toddlers and timid adults and went in. It was fabulous.

In the days when the sun was too hot overhead I walked the town and the main street shops. Around the center of town the "camp" still lives on in these wonderfully colorful tent houses. Each summer families come to the shore for a real Jersey shore experience. Kids run around town, cruise the beach, laze about on the porches and make friends. They are so popular that they are willed from family member on down, making it impossible for outsiders to get in on the deal. Four generations have grown up spending summers in the tents.

In the evenings after lobster and sweet potato fries, I took my chair back to the beach to watch the night come out. Up the beach at the Asbury Park boardwalk, when the nightlife is just getting started, fireworks go off on cue. I am surrounded by darkness and the sound of the waves hitting shore. This is a moment of bliss.

My next stop on my trip is the DIA center in Beacon, NY. In this massive converted warehouse there are permanent installations of art, some by artists I'm familiar with, but many I am not. I wandered through the rooms experiencing the spaces as much as the artwork. My favorite was the work by Michael Heizer, because it took me so much by surprise. Because the building is white and bright, it took a while for my eyes to adjust before I realized his sculptures were actually massive steel lined holes in the floor. The collection here is conceptual and interesting, worth at least one stop if you're in the neighborhood.

From there I continued north to the Catskills where I spent a fabulously restful and well-fed few days with friends from my NYC days 23 years ago. It was great to step right back into this friendship as though the conversation never stopped. They live in a farmhouse surrounded by farmland where it is so quiet you can hear every little bird chirp. Who needs the hustle and bustle of the city when you can have peace? This too is a moment of bliss.

On the way home I stayed in a musty historic stone youth hostel for the night and drove along the Delaware River through PA. The DC area is cleaning itself up from a week of 100's and a very big storm, and I missed it all! Well done.

Torpedo Factory Background

2010-07-17T07:46:00.001-06:00

The Torpedo Factory's namesake is in fact a torpedo, made in the factory during WWII. The buildings were turned into artist studios in the mid 70's and have been open to the public since day one. Many of the original artists still maintain studios here.

Located in Old Town Alexandria, it has helped revitalize the area as a major tourist destination in DC. Across the country cities have used the TF as a model for developing their own art centers. Here artists work, exhibit, and sell their art, retaining 100% of their sales.

This summer for the first time the TF has invited Visiting Artists to subleases ten of the studios from June through August. I will be in Studio 30 for August and will post almost daily on the experience.

Torpedo Factory Visting Artists Program

2010-07-13T06:44:00.000-06:00

The Torpedo Factory has been a bit slow on announcing the visiting artists that are there for June, July, and August this year. Here's a local article that came out recently featuring those that are there for July. Unfortunately, they referred to 10 artists but failed to list all of our names. Anyway, check it out at the Mount Vernon Gazette.

PS, I will be in studio 30 in August.

Repetition and Creativity

2010-07-10T12:26:00.000-06:00

This kind of painting is so out of my control it frightens even me.

Got it. It has been a long haul to get to this point, so much confusion, frustration, and lack of understanding. And yet, I have always known that eventually, when I did get clear on it, it would make complete sense and feel right, even feel brilliant because it resolves things on a level that I could never had calculated. And so it is.

“Habit is a hell to which people cling in an attempt to stop the flow of change.” – Carolyn Myss.

I struck me immediately as meaningful, but I’ve mused on this for a few days, and this morning while bouncing on my rebounder, I got clearer. It goes like this: repetition and creativity are forces that are at odds with each other. I am the creative. DC is the repetition.

Here in DC they do things the way they have always been done, even building houses the same way George Washington did 250 years ago. They do not like change, to put it mildly. Even with a black man in the White Man’s House, they are not going to change so easily.

I’ve been so frustrated at the lack of anything creative here. Certainly, I see the lack of creativity any place, and the artists in Seattle are just as challenged. But DC and the surrounding communities are so well entrenched in the sameness of yesteryear that they are the kings and queens of provincial repetition. The celebrate Christmas in July, for God’s sake, because the repetition of having it just once a year is not enough! They need the same darn thing twice a year. I have found this thinking to be most unbearable. I have wanted to run away and leave them to their blind, boring muck.

Yet that is the point, I now see. I am The Creative. I’ve always been creatively heads and shoulders above most people, to the scary point. This is well established. Some people can even see sacred geometry flying out of my head. So why, pray tell, would I have to come to the Land of Repeat? Because they need me here. I show up, get in my studio, and create, create, create to my heart’s desire.

Just the act of making art for me is creative. And the work I am doing now is all about creativity. I stand there above my painting and wait for the image to show up in my mind’s eye, and then I make a mark. I have very little outside inspiration. I am literally letting the creative energy drive each and every mark I make, in the moment.

I could easily say that my work is about the dynamic play between the opposing forces of repetition and creativity. Every painting is a blend of the two forces, using repetition to a point where creativity emerges and pulls the pattern into a new form of expression. Some paintings have well balanced, simple repetitive marks, while others hold the doors to creative forces wide open, making way for explosions of recklessness. It is a delicate balance that I have very little control over, which is what keeps me interested. And it is what draws fear in the hearts of the repetitious battalions.

So, in light of this understanding, I now know I just have to be here doing my thing, holding creative space. This I can handle. I’ve stopped banging my head against the wall looking for pockets where I connect. I’m okay dressing as the hippie chick from the west coast. I look forward to displaying all my creativity boldly wherever I go, like it or not people. This is my personal space, so back out of it. Unless, of course, you want to change. That door is always open.

Seattle Adventures

2010-06-29T20:01:00.000-06:00

This tree is four pictures high, and probably about eight hugs around.

I just returned from a few weeks on the west coast. Ah, it was immediately palpable that I was no longer within range of the Mid-Atlantic States. I was curious to experience going back to Seattle after having been here for 8 months, and I could absolutely feel the difference. Seattle seems light and lively compared to the heavy, oppressive energy of the DC area.

Of course I had to do some tree-hugging while I was there. A friend and I went to visit the really big old trees at Mt. Rainier. They are so large you really can't get the picture in a picture. But the shapes and patterns of nature are magnificent in pictures (above).

Then I went to the Fremont Solstice Parade to get a serious hippie-pagan-free-spirit fix. There is just so much to delight the senses there, and this year seemed even bigger. I really liked the dresses of the group a friend was in, the Ice Queens. They made their outfits completely from paper with an amazing result. I just kept thinking how I had spent all those years in Seattle and never got involved in making costumes for the parade. Maybe next year!

Cocao Prints To Come

2010-06-29T19:41:00.000-06:00

Just look at these beauties!

I was contacted by someone who saw my herb print work in Seattle and wants me to do an image of the cocao pod for her business. I am quite excited about getting pods to work with. She had them sent to me from Central or South America. I photographed them whole then cut them in half and photographed the insides. The beans had already sprouted, so I didn't try to dry or eat them. Ah well, at least I have the images! I'll show you when I am finished.

Sweet Little Painting

2010-06-22T18:37:00.000-06:00

Here is a piece from the newest series of paintings. I've been working in small series so I can experiment with an idea several times at once. I really like how these came out, including the more complex background and negative space. And I was working on pastel board which has a slight texture. It gave the whole piece a different sheen.

I've begun work on several 8 x 10 panels to have finished or in midstream for the month of August when I will be working/showing at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. I've been getting excited about being at the TF and meeting more from the local art community.

Two Small Paintings

2010-06-22T18:24:00.000-06:00

I've been so busy in the studio that I've not taken time to show any of the new pieces. Here are two that were inspired by an earlier piece.

I am constantly challenged by painting. They tend to get away from me quickly. The colors and composition can be so unpredictable that I keep trying ways to control things a bit better. Of course, I really don't want to control things to much -- but I do want the results to seem successful.

I am enjoying working on panel and I like the background textures that I'm getting. And these shapes are pretty intriguing. What do they remind you of?

A Little Painting

2010-06-01T19:16:00.000-06:00

I love this little painting. It feels perfectly balanced, and the colors work well. I have always loved images with objects completely centered, even though it can be a no-no in some compositional theories. It works for me, so I do it. I've been trying to take a similar approach with a few others, with some mixed results. I'll show you when I have them photographed.

Reality Check

2010-05-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

It is now already the end of May, and I’ve been here in the DC area for seven months now. While I can’t believe it is already bearing down on June, I also can’t believe I’ve only been here seven months. It feels more like an eternity.

I realize when I do my blog posts I try to keep things upbeat, to put on a good face, as I am wont to do. I always pretend that things are going “just fine”. It is a bad habit of mine. I need to be more honest with what is really happening. And so today I will clear the air on a few things.

I really can’t understand this place. I find it to be empty of any soul. I am constantly bouncing between overwhelm and underwhelm. People here talk a good talk, but I’ve not found the substance that I crave. There is so much boasting of what this area has to offer, but when I arrive (wherever) I am oftentimes let down. It that all there is? That’s the best you can do?

I realize I’m still such an outsider, and people say it takes 10 years to get inside. I will definitely not be here in ten years. I doubt I will be here in one, because my heart just cannot take it much longer.

I also realize I pulled up my roots of almost 20 years in the fertile green land of the Northwest to replant myself here, the land of politics and superficiality. I know very few people, and those that I do meet are very transitory. Even those whom I find a great affinity to have stepped out of my life in some way. It is heartbreaking to go through this. I feel marooned on a desert island, smack down in the middle of this urban jungle.

I’ve tried the approach of just seeking everything, aggressively hunting out the things, places, people that I hope to find some sort of joy in. Lately though, I’ve been too exhausted to do a whole lot of it. Many times I just stay home in my tiny sanctuary of a basement apartment and sit in silence. The summer heat and humidity is beginning, and so my window of opportunity of playing in the outdoors may be closing in. I am relishing the air conditioning in my car, my apartment, my studio, the grocery stores….

Yesterday morning I woke very early and decided to take a walk along the Potomac River while the sun rose and before the airplanes started thundering close overhead. It was lovely, the rowing crews were out, and the bugs too. Bugs! I can’t remember so many weird kinds of bugs as I find here. When I came home I felt tired again and slept another 3 hours.

The one consistent joy I do find is through my creative work. That is why I write about it. I am really enjoying my studio, having a separate place to go to everyday. I wish there were a community of artists there, but at least I keep my own self inspired. I can’t say I have any outside inspiration at all. There has been nothing in the seven months here that has triggered me to go back to the studio and try something new.

Instead, I continue my path of exploration of paint and technique and plod along. I do have great fun. I laugh out loud. I appreciate my own work and see progress. I love that I am tackling the edges of my confidence and finding that I can survive each step. I see this easily in the artwork, but it also applies to my life here. Although, it is much, much harder to appreciate the benefit of this bigger adventure.

I have a few exciting things on the horizon. They are the only things that keep my here on a daily basis, checking off days on the calendar. In August I will be a visiting artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center here in Old Town. It is a shopping mall type of artist building. I think there are eighty-something artists who work/exhibit/sell in studios that are open to the public. I’m taking over a studio for the month, and I’m really looking forward to getting that big hit of interaction from other artists and the community. That experience will be my measuring stick. If it is good, then I will have a better outlook. If not, I’m looking for the next chapter of my journey to begin.

Another possibility would take me to Baltimore to work with an art college. It is also an exciting opportunity, but I have to wait through the summer to see what really manifests there. Baltimore, from the little bit I’ve seen, seems more real that DC. It is economically depressed, but that just means people are not posing behind their materialism. And, after my initial conversation with the college, I realize I really crave talking with smart articulate people. That is what I have always loved about school, the academic environment. I dislike the politics and the posturing, and teaching is a heck of a lot of work. But my intuition tells me GO, so I’m staying open to what they have to offer.

Seattle. This week a friend of a friend was visiting DC and so we paled around together for the day. Turns out we are a lot alike. We spent most of the day commiserating and comparing life events, down to the neighborhoods we lived in in NYC in the late eighties, and in Seattle since. She was really having a bad reaction to DC. Basically, she hated it. It made me appreciate that my struggles are real, and I’m not just a wimp. I can’t believe I never crossed her path in Seattle, but it doesn’t matter now that the connection has been made.

Feeling like that about wraps things up for now. I’m getting excited about my visit to Seattle this June! I’m curious how I will react to it after having been here. I get to see and feel the place again. The perspective will be quite enlightening. I already know I’m going for walks in the woods. No ticks!!!

Tai Chi Painting

2010-05-23T07:21:00.000-06:00

This is quite a bit different than the other loud and crazy paintings I've been doing. This is the light version. I wanted to play with extremely light shapes and movement. Finished, I realized it is like doing tai chi. The circles all relate to the others, and everything moves together.

Mini black and white

2010-05-22T06:24:00.000-06:00

I've been doing more little pieces. This one started just as black and white, but I got bored with it and added color.

Friday Wanderings

2010-05-07T17:31:00.000-06:00

Today I was craving beach. It's early enough in the season that the bugs are not out, the crowds are not out, and the sun is not too hot. Perfect.

I did a loop through south central Maryland, stopping at the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp County Sanctuary. Imagine how buggy this will be in the summer!

Those strange leafless-trees are called cypress knees. They grow from the roots through the muck.

Next, Breezy Point Beach. $6 seems steep, but as all real estate is at a premium in this region, I guess it makes sense. It's not a wide beach, but it has nice sand and great shade with tables. Worthwhile on an overcast day when I need to be away from crowds and noise.

Tiny beach pickings. I would have stayed longer, but the wind picked up and I was cold, and I wanted to see the beach up the road a piece.

Chesapeake Beach is a town, with a tiny, bitty, suburban lawn-sized beach that costs $8/adult. But the boardwalk goes on for a long while. It was still too windy/chilly, so I didn't walk it, but I could see coming back on a hot humid day to feel the sea.

I'm not sure I got a good dose of adventure in today. Feeling like I need to plan an overnight soon, wake up someplace different, be able to get further away. Maybe Virginia Beach?

Forays into Layers

2010-05-05T07:19:00.000-06:00

On the last art post I talked about adding a new layer to an existing painting. I suspect this is a well-known technique in art school, but remember, I studied photo and video in art school. Everything I've done with paint I have figured out on my own.

So after the last successful experiment, I took out a few older paintings and started at them again. First is this relatively calm one, with big orange and pink additions. Then, things got a little more crazy.

I was on the phone doodling away, and before I knew it this is what I had done. I quite like the doodles on top of doodles, the way the shapes interplay. And they start to be dimensional, not just flat art on flat art.

And another that, quite frankly, took a dramatic turn right at the end. I have this book with a Miro painting on the cover. That painting looked like he had done a very loose background of blotches and lines, splatters, and then came in with black and pulled the whole thing together with a bold, flat composition that left peepholes to the background. And so I went for it. Mine is quite different, of course. What do you think?

Around the Beltway

2010-05-01T08:36:00.001-06:00

Fridays I have been exploring the areas around DC. With the nice weather and fewer crowds, it's a lot easier to get around. But, I'm beginning to exhaust the possibilities of places within an easy day trip. So, yesterday I opted to visit some of the places I've heard about in the area.

1: Greenbelt, MD. This is an intentional community built in the 30's. It is a small town that was completely planned out from the start. It was to be affordable and efficient, friendly, and designed to encourage community. All of those things still hold today. Houses are in the mid 150's! A shocker for the DC area.

I went looking for the Art Center. People were very friendly and easy to talk with, but it took asking four people to help me find the center. It was smack in the middle of the shopping center, right below the grocery. Hm. And unfortunately the art center is a theater, and is only open for venues, so even though they advertised an art show on the website, it was closed. I had an early lunch at the New Deal Cafe, very good Lebanese food, and watched the sleepy town.

I did find the school, which has a room dedicated to art shows, and has studios for about 10 artists. An interesting show by David D'Orio. I also found the community gardens. It's the beginning of the season, but it looks like people grow their veggies here.

2: Monteplier Art Center. This is a bit further north on the way to Baltimore. Turns out it is a Mansion, complete with massive grounds, carriage house, and the barn that is now the art gallery and studios. I liked the building, and the library in the grain elevator. They had three shows up, and they have space for about 8 art studios up in the loft.

There was not much going on here, except they were setting up for the Herb and Spice event for today. I was told I they give tours of the mansion, but I couldn't find any signs. I walked around the building but didn't want to barge in uninvited. It is a typical mansion for this area, plain, boxy brick colonial with shutters. I wanted to see the inside, but no luck. The grounds host jazz, folk, and blues concerts, which would be the best reason to come here.

3: McLean Art Center. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my GPS? It has changed the way I explore. I have learned, though, that I need specific street addresses before I leave home. It just makes the trip so much more relaxing. I headed back to the beltway and west to Virginia.

I've been here before, and have always enjoyed the shows. This one is great! Michael Mansfield does electronic wall installations. This touched my heart as it combines my love of video and computer tech. His smaller pieces have flat screen monitors literally matted and framed on the wall. This larger one has a still photo that he has edited in places from time to time. A bird will fly in, rest on a stalk for a while, then fly off.

Jeremy Drummond has photographs of nowhere suburbia. One series are of a housing development that was funded, went through foreclosure, then is abandoned. It is a creepy ghost town that was never completed. Hundreds of houses in states of construction, and an equal number of mailboxes lined up in a row, never once unlocked.

Another series, shown here, are aerial shots of suburban developments from all around the USA. He then edited them so there are no roads leading in or out. Beautiful, funny, and very diverse in their construction. McLean Project for the Arts.

4: I finally made it to the Arlington Art Center. I had heard there were studios and some interesting works being done here. They have a number of galleries showing a wide variety of works, many of which were hard to sneak a good picture of. It is a much smaller building than I expected, but I did like the shows. Here is one that I appreciated, where the artist documented fire hydrants around the city that are nonfunctional, and tracked when they would be replaced. It appeals to my sense of obsessive organization and documentation. Much like I am approaching my explorations of the DC area, yes?

My last stop was to find ice cream. And of course without a street address I followed Gypsy Rose to a shop that didn't exist anymore. Alas, I can't think of everything in advance.

Discovering Annapolis, MD

2010-04-25T20:23:00.001-06:00

I went out east on Friday to explore the town of Annapolis. It is an old town much like Alexandria, but, as I was told at the tourist center, it is more original. Here, in Alexandria, they have widened the streets to accommodate cars and parking. Annapolis is all original, and very charming. It is a tiny walkable town, so with my map in hand I wandered the streets. Here are some of the better examples of architecture from the 1700-1800's.

The houses here still have the original front porches, and are decorated with quaint seating and door wreaths. It all seemed like a movie set, actually. A bit weird to live in, I would imagine. (Click to enlarge)

And check out that flag in the last photo of a private home. How old do you thing that one is?

I opted out of the boat tours because there were about twelve school bus loads of kids in line ahead of me, but Annapolis has a large bay with the Naval Academy and other sights. Next time perhaps.

Instead I went in search of the beaches. What I found was Sandy Beach State Park, on the Chesapeake Bay. It is wide and deep, and is raked every morning with big machines. I suspect it picks up junk washed up from the water, as I believe the bay is pretty toxic. I didn't want to walk in it.

Still, I enjoyed hearing the small waves and walking in the sand. There were not a lot of people there, but I expect on warmer days it gets really crowded. I wandered all the way north past the fishing beach (finer white sand) to the grassy area with covered shelters.

I ended up spending over 4 hours here! Every time I thought about leaving, I thought, no, I really don't have to be anywhere. I can just sit here and do nothing. And so I did. I really couldn't pull myself away from the place. I really didn't want to come back to Alexandria. It was just so peaceful there.

At sundown I did back, only 50 min. home. Next time I want to explore further along the MD shore, into Delaware, into the Jersey shore. So much to do!