Opening Night!

At long last....a year in the making....a collaberation of artists and friends...and the twelve of us present our work in a featured show at Sixth Street Gallery in Vancouver, WA. The last week has gone by in a blur as we hung our work, completed the finishing touches and gathered for the First Friday celebration on a warm August night. And we were not disappointed! The turnout was substantial and we were delighted to watch and listen to the crowd's reaction to our work.
Andrew flew in from New Jersey and joined us...Judi, Suzie, Cynthia, Traci, Paula and I...at the reception. Sadly, Z'Anne's truck broke down before the show and was unable to join us, although she spent hours with me hanging the show. Tracie Lyn and Mary Lin were at Art Unraveled. and Bee and Glenny were with us in heart, although unable to travel to the reception.


The sign was out to welcome everyone to the gallery. Food and wine were served to the guests. And the fiber show on the other side of the gallery was beautiful to behold. After weeks of terrible heat, the weather gods cooled things down quite a bit to make walking pleasant, as folks toured the galleries.


There is a glass gallery to the east of Sixth Street Gallery that made art from the old corner clock at Main and Sixth Streets.


And the crowds began to gather around the artists demonstrations right at 5 pm.

The wall, with all of our creations, looked magnificent. The diversity of art caught everyone's eyes.

And congratulations to Suzie, who was the first to sell one of her pieces from the show!!!!

Judi and her husband joined us. Judi who stayed for all nine hours it took us to hang the show.

And Andrew who flew to our show clear from New Jersey whose twelve piece centerpiece drew much praise and attention.

And Cynthia, whose beautiful flowers graced the gallery on opening night!

Thank you all for a wonderful journey through nature over the last year. The experience has been incredible and I am honored to have been a part of it!!!

The Nature Gathered Gallery Show

It's here, at last!! For twelve months, twelve artists have completed a nature-based work of art in various media to celebrate themes that are part and parcel of the natural world. Our challenge, Nature Gathered created 8" X 8" art pieces interpreting each artist's vision of birds, bugs, flora, fauna and more!! The journey is complete and we are showing our work in a month long show at the Sixth Street Gallery in Vancouver, Washington. Event details are as follows:

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Wednesday, August 5th - Friday, August 28th

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6th Street Gallery

150 West 6th Street

Vancouver, Washington

(360) 693-7340

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Opening Reception

Friday, August 7th

6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Food, beverages and live music!

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Pieces will be for sale during the show. If you are interested in purchasing a particular artwork, please contact the gallery for availability and pricing.

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Hope to see you there!!

Adrift in a Purple Haze

I have this crazy idea that I will replace the grass I hate to mow with a yard full of fragrant herbs and flowers that need little care or water, but can provide me with endless inspiration to create both art and tasty meals. I have a large herb garden in my backyard overflowing with mint, sage, thyme, rosemary, hops and around 20 different varieties of lavender (One can never have enough lavender!). And this year the flowers have been covered with honeybees, a welcome sight after so many years without them. So when I heard that there was a Portland, OR lavender festival in the works, I decided to travel to the lavender farms and buy the plants needed to start the transformation of my front yard and take a few (well, 106) photos of the farms.Since the Sauvie Island farms were closest, I headed to this heavenly little island in the Columbia River filled with farms and roadside mom-and-pop stands brimming with freshly picked fruits and vegetables. Once you cross the bridge onto the island, you feel the stress fall away from your mind and the smell of green-growing things brings back childhood memories of life growing up in the country. The worry and responsibilities of the real world fall away and you are surrounded by the beauty of nature.

The first farm I visited was the Sauvie Island Lavender Farm, a mall farm with u-cut lavender, plants and a gift shop with decadent, lavender-related goodies, including lavender wands woven from ribbon and an odd number of lavender stems with the flower head turned inward, creating a long lasting sachet. The air was alive with the fragrance of fresh cut lavender and the sounds of indignant chickens, whose daytime sleep was disturbed by curious children. I purchase two plants here, guaranteed to be heavy with blooms by next year.

I headed next to the Blue Heron Herbary on the other side of the island. I knew as soon as I entered the garden that this was a magical place to be. Lavender everywhere in every color, size and variety you can think of. And herbs – so many herbs – many that I have never seen before. Two small chickens roamed the property freely obviously not much concerned with the presence of humans. In fact, so unconcerned that one of them flew up and landed on top of my head and proceeded to make herself at home in my hair! The owner said these are the smallest breed of chicken in the world and come from Indonesia.


Although I arrived just before closing, the owners were gracious enough to let me wander their property and take photos to share with you all. A large garden in the front of the property filled with beds of different flowers and sitting spots where you could relax and lose yourself in the ambience of the moment. A green house area filled with plants for sale. The gardens surrounding the house filled with old, gnarled lavender plants heavy with blossom.


The wonderful gift store filled with lavender, bird and pet related items (I brought back a cat delight filled with catnip that became a nest of shredded remains in the paws of an inebriated cat). And in the back, a beautiful pond surrounded by lavender and filled with water lilies and cattails. As you passed, tiny frogs leaped from the lily pads into the water and the barn swallows buzzed by your head as they dipped and swirled above the water, collecting insects for the babies in the nest. The grounds were nothing short of amazing!!



And the best part, for those of you who live close to Portland, the owners said they would welcome any local artists or art groups to come out to the garden and make art in the midst of the beauty and inspiration of the gardens!! I know I will be back to do just that!! If you want to go, take highway 30, turn onto Sauvie Island Bridge and immediately turn left to circle under the bridge. Go 6 miles and turn right at the stop sign. It will be the first house on the left.

Sadly the day came to an end and I returned home, the proud owner of seventeen new types of lavender to plant as soon as the ground is no longer the consistency of cement.

A Very Cool Little Video

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

A Bevy of Birds and one Beseiged Cat

The chirping and screeching that intruded upon my normally quiet backyard alerted me that something was going on that was out of the normal. Figuring this might be a photo opportunity, I grabbed my camera and ran for the door. What I saw at first was a bevy of birds swooping and chattering at a grey tiger cat sitting under a lilac bush on my neighbors fence. I frequently chase the neighborhood cats away from stalking the birds at my feeders, so I started for the hose when I realized something I had never seen before was happening under my nose. The cat was not stalking the birds. The birds were stalking the cat. Several birds. Different species of birds working together to give this cat a reason not to get anywhere near their nests again. Robins and grackles and a Anna's hummingbird all took turns swooping at this cat, who was cowering into the bush to avoid being pecked. None of the birds would cooperate with the slower shutter speed of the digital camera so that I could get a photo of them with the cat, but got a few of the birds waiting on a nearby swingset waiting their turn. Nature never ceases to surprise me.

Twined Bindings

I jumped at the chance when my friend, Jan, invited me to join her in a bookbinding class at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. The class, Twined Bindings, taught by Oregon artist Roberta Lavadour, would teach us how to combine twining (generally a basketmaking or weaving technique) with the creation of a book. Roberta is an excellent instructor and over the two days of class, not only taught us how to make her twined binding (she originated the design), but also taught us her shortcuts and secrets to creating books. The books you see above are the students' completed projects (mine is on the end on the right). Roberta paced the class instruction so that almost all of us were able to complete a book by the end of the class. Check our Roberta's website and view her OPB video feature from Oregon Artbeat for more information on this fabulous book artist.




The Oregon College of Arts and Crafts is set in a wooded area in north Portland. The campus is filled with workshops and studios, as well as a heavenly gift store filled with original art of both student and local artists. The campus if fun and funky as evidenced by this small sapling near the parking lot that had been completed wrapped with red yarn as an installation project. By the time you leave the campus, your head is spinning with ideas for future art creations.

Prior to going to the Book Arts class, I visited the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts. Each year the Festival sponsors three events: a main exhibition (this year focused on modern mosaics), an open show where artists from throughout the area can submit three pieces of both two and three dementional works for judging and sale and an art faire. Hundreds of artists participate in the open show event and it takes quite a while to explore the art. The mosaic show was incredible. Not just the mosaics that graced the walls of ancient Greece and Rome, but funky, edgy uses of ceramic, glass and natural material that took your breath away. I toured the booths at the artist faire and spoke to several of the vendors and came away with, of course, a few bird prints. Unfortunately photography was not allowed for any reason at the show and I was unable to bring back photos to share of the event, although one of the booth artists let me photograph her simple arrangement of a goldfinch nest on a silver platter.

Later in the week, I attended work-related training in Ridgefield, WA and came across these barn swallow nests (if you look closely you will see two tiny heads peeping out of the nests) and a killdeer who would play injured to draw me away from its nest right up until I pointed the camera in her direction, at which time she stopped her drama and looked at me as if to say, "you didn't really think I would let you photograph my bad side, did you?"

Wishing you all a wonderful Fourth of July!!!!

A Walk through the Market

Sunday morning, I woke early so I could visit the Farmer's Market before I worked my shift at the gallery. After a rainy weekend, Nature blessed us with blue sky filled with billowing white clouds and mild temperatures, perfect to walk the outdoor market.

I love the the vivid colors and myriad of activity at the market. From jewelry to soap, flowers to bakery goods and the best fruits and veggies avaliable for harvest, the market is full of nooks and crannies to explore. The kids are treated to balloon animals and clowns and the wet noses of dozens of dogs of all sizes and shapes with one thing in common: a wagging tail.

And every week, someone puts a posie of flowers in this gentlemans hands who stands at the entrance to the market.

The lavender is in full bloom around the city and the local lavender festivals should begin soon (although I am holding out for the big festival in Sequim this year that will take place in July). All too soon it was time to go to open the gallery, but I left the market with fresh strawberries, red raspberries and cherries, sweet ripe and just harvested from the local farms to enjoy throughout the week.

And I could not leave you without sharing this sunset photo from the night before. This is the silver lining left behind by the departing storm that reminded me of the elaborate skies painted by Maxfield Parrish. The beauty of nature goes a long way in alleviating the stress of these times and I find myself turning to nature more and more as I brace for the upcoming changes and layoffs at work. No matter what happens in the everyday world we live in, we are always blessed with the beauty of nature.

What's in a Name?

While at Menucha, we, as a group, decided to rename ourselves. My new name was Madeline "Maddy" Lily. It was all in silly fun and I adored my new name, but I wondered....could a name change really wipe the slate clean and give you a fresh start in life? Could this be the name for your alter ego, the person you always wanted to be before life got in the way? And, if so, could you say "What would Maddy do?" when a dilema arouse and get an answer not colored by your past experiences?

While tempting, in that I am at a place in my life where I would fervently like to reinvent myself, (and how many times have you asked your younger self, "what were you thinking when you selected your career path in life!?!), the thought of the work required to make a name change (credit, social security, passport, work, etc.) was more than overwhelming. What would Maddy do??? Maddy, I'm sure, would say, "not in this lifetime."

Art in the Gorge

Every spring and fall, a group of artists from the Portland Art Collective gather for a weekend at the Menucha retreat located on the rim of the Columbia River Gorge to enjoy the company of good friends and creating art into the wee hours of the night. I try never to miss these magical weekends filled with fun, laughter and the sharing of art techniques. This weekend was no exception.

The retreat itself inspires art through its beautiful scenery and rustic accomodations. Each night we were treated to stunning sunsets over the river below us. There are paths that wind through the forest everywhere you look and birds and wildlife abound.

There are stone steps that lead to secluded garden areas that wrap around you like a cozy blanket while the fragrance of flowers and deep cedar forests fill your senses with wonder and longing for a world without the trappings of civilization. Even if you do not believe in magic, you will expect a fairy or two to greet you on the path.

In the center of the complex is a stone labyrinth, secluded in a circle of trees bordered by roses. As you walk the labyrinth the world slows down and a sense of peace comes over you. After you travel the maze to the center, you are treated to a beautiful mosaic created with different colored stones.

In the forest surrounding the labyrinth, is a series of ceramic sculptures haphazardly placed here and there, as if left by an ancient civilization for us to discover and wonder about.

And the flowers.....everywhere there were flowers of every color, shape and size that filled the air with an explosion of color and fragrance that left no doubt that spring had finally arrived after a long, hard winter.

And, of course, I could not leave out the bird life that filled the air with song and the whoosh of air through feathers. Goldfinches, Downey woodpeckers, robins, towhees, swallows and jays combined with the usual suspects: crows, grackles and starlings. And in the distance, raptors rode the lazy thermals rising from the river.

Who could not want to create art in a setting like this? Surrounded by good friends and fellow artists whose company is like a healing elixer and whose art is always incredible and inspiring!! All too soon the weekend was over and I had to head back home. But while I was there, I finished my last two assignments for my Nature Gathered group, Elements and the Heavens. Be sure to take a peak, and while you are there, explore the art of all the artists who are participating in this challenge. Our show is coming up in August at the Sixth Street Gallery in Vancouver, WA. I am counting the days until fall, when we will return again.