A Day of Sharing Words

I just received this notification on my Photo Art Journal Yahoo group, passed on by Michelle Unger from LK Ludwig. LK has had a great idea of having a poetry exchange via the blogsphere. on next Wednesday, November 19th. If you want to join in, the instructions are as follows:

We have words that touch us, move into our hearts and resonate, creating a feeling, taking us some place- past, present, future- perhaps some place we have never been and may never go, but for whatever reasons, the words pulse in our blood. Meeting new words, new poets, new poems, new ways for my heart to beat, is an intruiging concept. Want to go on this adventure with me? It will be easy to travel along.Many of us already do this sharing; this idea is just to help us find each other and hear the words we have to share.

The Date:
Wednesday, November 19.

The Plan:
1. On your blog, post a poem that moves inside you, touches you, reaches you. (quotes and song lyrics also welcome). Include the author (or composer or musician) and source (book, album)- perhaps also the Amazon link if there is one. no explanation required, no other revelation about the poem you are choosing is necessary. One last thing- Perhaps add an image. a photo. a video. a painting. a collage., if you would.

2. Come here to this post on L.K. Ludwig's blog.

3. Add a comment with your link and L.K. will create a typepad page with the links, so others can hear the rhythm of the words, see the image and share in the experience.

The Request:
If you are intrigued enough, post on your blog about this Day of Sharing Words- encourage your friends to post. Who couldn't use a few new poems in their treasury or new songs in their hearts?

A Walk in the Woods of Lacamas Lake

I went for a walk in the woods today...oh, not the proper forest, as I could still hear the clap of golf balls being hit on the adjacent course and see the McMansions through the trees....but even so, as I entered the canopy of mixed deciduous trees and Douglas firs, I felt the burdens of civilized life fall away. I drank in the visual banquet around me - leaves in all shades of gold and brown, the burnt umber of the tree trunks, the deep rich green of the moss, the pale white of the berries and rich red of the rosehips. Small mushrooms with steeple tops littered the ground in places looking like fairy lanterns that light the way along a secret path. I could hear a chorus of frogs at the edge of the water and the birds above sang a sweet and melancholy melody telling of the winter ahead. I gethered moss covered twigs and pine cones for art projects that will occupy my time during the cold, grey days ahead. The lake level was low, exposing mud flats not normally seen and the water birds were absent from their usual backwater feeding spots. Though it was only 4 PM, the sun had already begun it's descent, sending weak hues of rose and lavender to tint the clouds near the horizon. I head back with a peace of soul I have not had in days. As I near the parking lot, a young jogger passes by, heading in the opposite direction. He grinned widely, grasping a single long-stemmed red rose in one hand and as he ran by, my thoughts drifted to the young woman at the end of his path, clasping his rose to her heart - her eyes filled with wonder and the stars of the evening sky.

Menucha and the Gorge

I love fall - the colors of the season so bright they almost hurt your eyes. The crisp, cold mornings with a fairy dusting of frost across the lawn and the smell of wood smoke as folks fire up their fireplaces and wood stoves. I don't even mind raking leaves, as long as I get a chance to play in the leaf piles.

Once again, I returned to a weekend at Menucha - nestled in the forested hillside above the Columbia River, it is the perfect place to rest, recoup and make art. This retreat was special as we were allowed to bring guests and several talented artists joined us for the weekend. We stayed at Creevy complex this time which afforded us a much larger workplace, warmed by a fireplace and the company of good friends. The Gorge was spectaculary beautiful, decked in all it's fall glory - gold and orange and green against a sapphire blue sky made quiet walks on the grounds a breathtaking event. The weather cooperated, a miracle at this time of year here and we had clear skies without rain for the weekend. On the last day, a high wind came out of the east, bringing warmer weather and the music of trees as they swayed together in harmony; the leaves falling and gathering in every nook and cranny.






Cradled in the midst of the forest is a labyrinth built this year with a rock mosaic at its center. I was lucky enough to walk the labyrinth at one of the rare times I could do so alone. The walk is meant to be meditative and as you pace the maze, your mind calms and all things seem possible, if only for that short time.


At the edge of the property is a stunning view of the Gorge and the Crown Vista house - built during the Depression, it was just recently renovated and is worth a trip to see - as far you could see down the Gorge, the shores were lined with fall colors, contrasting sharply with the deep blue of the river. As I sat and enjoyed the Columbia vista, I was treated to the sight of a woodpecker flying across the sky directly in front of me and Stellar's Jays squabbling over the chestnuts that littered the ground. Deer grazed the grounds and squirrels seemed to be in every tree.


My 8 X 8 challenge was "Field Notes" for October, so before leaving, I stopped to sketch the vista, as well as a chestnut, pine cone and leaves, - memories I can take out and snuggle into during the grey, wet weather ahead.

Art and Soul

Thank you, thank you to all my wonderful students in my classes!! I so appreciate you taking my classes and even hanging in there when the lights went out!! I have always been blessed with great students, but this year was exceptional. Please forgive me for not posting my thanks sooner but I have been exhausted since A&S ended and trying to catch up with all my deadlines I set aside to get ready for my classes.

I took four classes myself during the week: felting with Gayle Crossman Moore, Copper Enameling with Richard Salley, Dream Pouch from Donna Crispin and Be Still my Beating Heart from Lisa Kaus. All four classes were great taught by instructors who were adept at teaching their subject and generous with their materials and time. I would recommend taking classes from all of them and I was so pleased with what I created in class.

Lisa Kaus' Be Still My Beating Heart (except I failed to follow instructions and created a pumpkin cat instead...)


Dream Pouch from Donna Crispin's class

It seems incredible that you wait with grand anticipation all year for Art and Soul to arrive, but when it does, that week goes so quickly and you never seem to get the time to chat with old friends and get to know new friends better. And now another year of waiting.....I am already looking forward to seeing you all again! May your year be filled with art and peaceful journeys and may your muse always be with you.

Boise and back again

I managed to carve five days out of my increasingly hectic schedule to take a short trip to Boise to visit my son. It's about a seven hour road trip from here to there. You follow the Columbia River east for the first 160 miles. First, through the verdant forest of the Columbia River Gorge, then on to the stark rainshadow desert area beyond The Dalles, OR where this most beautiful and blue river meets the amber grassed, but treeless hills of eastern Oregon. The contrast between the river and desert is unexpected and amazing.

After leaving the river, you travel through the hot and dusty area between Boardman and Pendleton, OR where the wind blows hard across the harsher landscape, no longer featureless as several windmill farms now dot the area with their sleek white blades moving electricity to points beyond in rhythm with the wind.

The stark landscape does not last long as you move into the beautiful, Blue Mountains and the dry pine forests of the area. This is the gateway to the beautiful Wallowa area, full of trails and lakes. As I climbed the steep hills, I wondered how the pioneers were able to drive their slow and clumsy Conestogas over the hills to the promised land at the end of the Oregon trail. Essentially the freeway follows the Oregon trail all the way to Boise and there is a wonderful museum in Baker, OR that focuses on the trials and tribulations of those that traveled the trail. Imagine traveling through hostile lands and facing death each day to start your life in a country you only know through word of mouth!

Between Baker and Ontario, OR, you meet up with the Snake River, much different than the Columbia. Meandering and shallow, home to an amazing array of migrating and breeding birds. What a breathtaking sight to come around a bend in the road and see a flock of snow geese resting in the river! Pelicans and several varieties of ducks joined the geese in searching the river for food. Hawks and eagles fly overhead in the heat thermals that rise from the hills.

At the Idaho border, you again, pass into the desert and the speed limit increases to a swift 75 MPH - you barely register the land around you as you speed into Boise. I lived in Boise for six years, but hardly recognize it now. The growth in the last few years has been tremendous. But the city is beautiful, surrounded by hills and divided by the Boise River, flowing through the heart of the City of Trees. In the summer, kayakers and innertubers float the river, while joggers and bikers ride the adjacent 22 mile greenbelt.

I stayed with one of my art friends and her husband. She graciously allowed me to accompany her to her monthly art group meeting. A delightful group of artists in a variety of mediums: watercolor, photography and pottery among them. They meet monthly and assign a theme for each meeting. Each artist completes a work of art that reflects the theme and then shares it with the rest of the group at the next meeting. It was amazing to see the breadth and scope of the art that reflected the theme that month, a still life of meaningful things.

The next day, I embarked on a moonlight kayaking trip down the Payette River. A group of about 13 folks kayaked and canoed down the river in the evening and camped on an island of sand for the night. We sat around the campfire and admired the Harvest full moon as it traveled across the sky. We shared our trip with George, the cat, whose owner lets him ride the bow of his kayak. George obviously enjoyed the ride, although he was careful not to touch the water, leaping from boat to boat to reach dry land. In the morning, we set out again on the river until we reached the Black Canyon Reservoir, where we pulled the boats from the river. The river was like glass as we floated, enjoying the sight of heron, hawks and a lone beaver who moved gracefully and quickly through the water. A trip I will never forget.

And of course, seeing my son again was a boost I sorely needed. It's so hard to have him so far away. Even a lengthier visit would not keep me from feeling blue as I said goodbye to him and headed back to Vancouver again. He is, by far, the best part of my life.

Now, back to frenetically getting ready for my classes at Art and Soul. YIKES!!! Only two weeks away....

Cicada

I am in a art challenge with several other talented artists called Nature Gathered. For the next year, we will complete an 8" X 8" canvas with the medium of our choice, all with a nature based theme. I thought I would share my August creation with you and invite you to visit Nature Gathered over the next year to enjoy the interpretation of each month's theme by 15 different artists:

CICADA

As a child growing up in the Midwest, the droning buzz of the cicada brought anticipation of summers to be and memories of summers past to mind. So this composition came together as tribute to those hot and humid summers, catching tadpoles in the creek, swimming in the lake, riding in the car with the window down for air conditioning, dreaming on the lawn in the evening and the flight of the fireflies at night. I used Golden Liquid acrylics, mixed with their new line, Open Acrylics (they stay wet much longer, allowing more painterly affects). The design was free-handed based on a textbook photo of a cicada and memories from my childhood. Enjoy.

Art in the Mountains

Saturday I had a rare day off to explore the local mountains. Two friends of mine, Tory Brokenshire and Fran Boston, had a booth at the Trout Lake Art Festival near Mt. Adams, a dormant volcano 60 miles from my home. The day was perfect to have the windows down and sun roof open. I had never been to this area before and was taken with the remote beauty of the mountains. Small, quaint towns dot the road as you climb toward the mountain and most were full of eager kids waiting for a raft ride down the river. I reached the art festival and parked in a field in front of an old home and barn surrounded by colorful canopies covering the various artists booths. I love going to the shows that don't force the artists to use white canopies - the mix of colors and flapping canvas leaves the impression you are in a field of exotic birds or butterflies. The strains of good Bluegrass music could be heard throughout the festival and each band had it's own style. I met several new artists, whose work was wonderful, but I was especially captivated by a Portland illustrator, Lisa Kaser (http://www.lisakaser.com/) - she had the most wonderful and imaginative creatures in her art! My friends' booth was wonderful - they are both excellent artists - I especially enjoyed the full size wooden artist model in front of the booth.

After I left the festival, I first drove up the mountain, but was barred from going very far by the roadblock placed due to forest fires on the mountain, so I turned in te opposite direction and headed home. But as I got to the town of White Salmon, I saw they were hosting an Art and Wine Fusion Festival and I stopped to tour the galleries and listened to the live music - it was a small festival, intimate to the town but welcoming to the visitors, as well. The town is full of old buildings and is crouched on the hill above the Columbia River. I could not resist having the salmon and citrus cole slaw dinner being served from a booth on the side of the main road, before heading for the freeway home. Who could ask for more than a day filled with friends, art, scenery and good weather? It was a day I will remember with gratitude for giving me the peace and tranquility that comes with those few perfect days we are given in life.

A New Class for Portland Art and Soul

Just wanted to let everyone know of a new class I am teaching at Portland Art and Soul, The Shaman's Wand, on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. It's an all day class that will be limited to a small group of students. We will explore personal mythology while learning to make a papier mache totem wand using wire armature. The wand will then be decorated with a small lantern and book. and found objects. Hope to see you there!!

A Day at the Beach

The beach...once you have heard the song of the ocean, it will always call to you. It is the only place I know of where the stress of everyday life seeps away and your soul is filled with the sound of the waves, the call of the birds and the sand under your feet. And even though I moved to Washington to be closer to the beach, it's so rare that I get to go. So when my friend Linda, who I had not seen in several years called to say she had a day away from family and work, I jumped at the opportunity to take a road trip to the beach. We decided to take the scenic route down highway 30 from Portland to Astoria, meandering through the small towns along the way. We stopped in Rainier, Oregon and explored their little farmer's market and tasted the local foods offered for sale at the market. We ventured on to Astoria and visited a local bead show and watched ships enter the Columbia River. The river is so beautiful and peaceful as it flows by and it is hard to believe that just a short ways away is the Graveyard of the Pacific where numerous boats have been sunk by the meeting of the river and the sea. Linda and agreed that a trip across the four-mile bridge crossing the Columbia was in order so we drove over to the Washington side where we visited a lavender farm in Ilwaco, Washington. One of the owner's graciously agreed to give us a tour of the grounds. It was an artist's dream - bright colors, lavender and edible herbs everywhere you looked. We tasted Day Lily petals and various mints, as well as other herbs right off the plant. Everything was organic. And everywhere you looked, you discovered another treasure - a small, secluded sleeping room, complete with mesquito netting, plump pillows, antiques and art and a small store filled with herbs, crystal and linens. Exquisite!! I will definately take him up on his offer to take a day and make art on the farm.

Linda and I continued on to Long Beach and explored their outdoor craft market and adjacent galleries. We were served a blue martini at one gallery and treated to a variety of nautical art. After a lunch of fish and chips, we decided to walk off our lunch on the beach. Long Beach is as flat as a pancake and is the only beach I have ever been to that allows you to drive on the beach. There are also stables where you can rent a horse and ride in the surf. But today, we walked, and talked, and caught up on each others lives....a perfect day. We walked all the way to Cape Disappointment without realizing how far we had gone. It wasn't until we turned back, and into the wind, that we realized we had walked more than three miles and would now have to walk it again! Needless to say, we were happy when we reached the car again and headed home.

But we could not resist one last detour as we went home on Highway 4 in Washington. We took a short loop off the road to drive over the covered bridge just off the highway. The bridge was quaint and beautiful in the setting sun. The visitor log signed by people from all over the states and a few foreign countries. A beautiful way to end a perfect day. I can still hear the ocean in my mind.

Menucha

I spent an art-filled weekend with fellow members of the Portland Art Collective at a beautiful retreat in the Columbia River Gorge just outside Portland, Oregon. Three days of art and friends in one of the most beautiful settings you could ask for called Menucha. We were all housed in the Greenhouse building where we shared ideas, successes and laughs and taught each other new art techniques. It was a wonderful treat, especially since I do not normally get to go to meetings that are during the week when I am working. The first day we were there, we were treated to a beautiful sunny day, which we have had a shortage of lately and the second day, after a rainy day, we were treated to a fabulous sunset. Susie Wolfer taught us paste paper and books and Z'anne Bakke taught us a felting technique. Paula McNamee taught us a cool technique to resurface chunky books and Donna Bauermiller taught us how to make inkblot bug creatures. I finished my newest sets of charms - small birds painted on copper photo charms and new tin and metal charms, which I will be using in upcoming bracelets for the shows I am in this fall. To see the art completed by this talented and wonderful group of artists was very inspiring and renewed my energy for and committment to art. Unfortunately the time was short and soon we were heading home again, looking forward to our next retreat in October.

The truest treasure

I was sitting at a traffic light tonight - tired after a twelve hour day at work. As I waited for the light to change, I noticed a homeless woman carrying a bag and a suitcase as she crossed the road in front of me. She looked old and worn, her shoulders slumped, her face sad and defeated. Yet, just as she reached the other side of the street, she was met by a homeless man coming from a different direction whom she appeared to recognize. I watched as her face lit up with joy and recognition. The man dropped his bags and reached forward to gave her a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. She, too, dropped her belongings to hug and kiss him back - and the burdens of life visibly fell away from her and she was beautiful - her smile beamed the light in her heart for everyone to see. At that moment, she was on top of the world. And I realized as I watched them that the true treasure in this world is not what we own or achieve or our names or our looks. It is the happiness we bring to one another. Even in the worst of times, a friend makes all the difference in the world - if only for one magical moment such as this one.

Virginia

Ah, Virginia! I love this state and what a good time I had in Hampton! Being here reminds of my childhood in the midwest - people are so friendly and things are more laid back than here on the West Coast. Traveling to Hampton is a long, all-day affair from Portland and the plane was late into Atlanta, causing the baggage to be left behind there. The last leg of the flight to Newport News was pretty scary at times, with major turbulence in one of those small puddlejumper kind of planes flying through the thunderstorm that had spawned the Suffolk tornado earlier. I was so happy to get to my room at the Embassy and fall to sleep after saying hello to my roommate, Maria. She owns Collage, a wonderful mixed media store in Portland, Oregon and brought her store to Virginia for the Art and Soul attendees.



The next day was spent getting the welcome bags ready and setting up the store and getting ready to welcome everyone. We had great food and fun at the opening night party and then sat down to be creative with the Ranger staff, who led us in making a beach-themed project. I sat next to Cyl, a gifted flamework and fused glass artist, who made the greatest frog glass beads for trades and later shared her beautiful fused glass cabachons with me. She has inspired me to learn how to flamework my own beads.



The week flew by quickly, meeting wonderful artists and getting to know the area. I ventured out to Norfolk to the Tidewater Lapidary Supply who has the most amazing collection of jewelry making tools and at a good price. While I only stopped by for saw blades, I left with new files and a new source of Grobet tools. Glenny loaned Keeley Barham, her mother and I the rental car and we drove to the local beach to put our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. The water was so warm, compared to the Pacific Ocean, but absolutely full of jellyfish. Several people were catching them in buckets and they were beautiful to watch as they pulsated in the water, but several of the kids on the beach already had welts from being stung.



After gathering a few shells, we went to Suffolk to visit the Shooting Star gallery and the Suffolk Art Museum. Both locations were having shows relating to words in art and handmade and altered books. It was an incredible display of books, including three by Lesley Riley. The currator in the museum donned her gloves and paged through Lesley's bird themed fabric book so we could ooh and aah over her pages. Inside the museum was an old cigarette machine that had been made to dispense small works of art called an Artomat. Apparently artists across the country populate these machines with art the size of a cigarette package and you put in your token and pull the knob of your choice to vend art - how cool is that? On the way back to the hotel, we saw one of the buildings badly damaged in the Suffolk tornado. How amazing and sad that the wind, which we long for as a breeze on a hot summer's day, could turn so violent and do so much damage. My heart went out to the victims and kudos to Glenny for donating the vendor night and silent auction proceeds to these devastated folks.



Vendor night was frenetic and wonderful, as always. And as always, there was so much more that I wanted to buy than I had money on hand. I was happy to see the Huskamps, Marylin and Tracie, again. And Tracie had made me the most wonderful necklace. I have loved birds since I was a small kid in the woods of Oklahoma and Missouri and Tracie presented me with a lovely handpainted bird pendant graced with an old vintage pin. And Marylin brought me dried flowers from Missouri, a state that is near and dear to my heart. Thank you both so much. I peeked in on their journal class the next day and was in awe of the work the students did in the class. The journals were beautiful. I later got to have dinner with the Huskamps and Lisa Englebrecht, whose calligraphy and artwork I have always admired, but have been too intimidated to try- my fifth grade teacher went gray trying to improve my cramped writing style!



On Sunday night I taught my class and could not have asked for a greater group of students. We had fun as learned how to drill rocks and shells and glass, etch copper, resin coat the copper charms and make a beaded bracelet to bring them all together. Here is a photo of student Christy Grant's beautiful bracelet. I had so much fun spending the evening with these talented ladies. But all too soon, it was time to pack up and leave. I hope to come back again and get more of a chance to explore the state almost all of my ancestor originated from in the 1600's and 1700's in hopes of finding some of the ancestoral sites mentioned in the genealogy research my sister has put together. Thank you all for your warm welcome and hospitality.

Asilomar and Monterey

Asilomar - the name is as beautiful as the setting. A collection of Art and Crafts age building of wood and glass set against the wild beaches on the south side of Monterey Bay. While I am here to take classes at Art and Soul, I am conscious of my need for the healing sounds of the ocean surf. The sun is out and the day warm when I arrive. The view from my room overlooks the sand dunes and sea, punctuated by the wind-tortured Monterey pines. In the coming days, I find deer freely grazing on the grounds - not the least concerned with the human beings walking the grounds. The beach is of large grained sand, eroded from the granite boulders that line the waves. Numerous tidepools contain sea anemones, small rockfish and little hermit crabs scurrying through the sand and water in their borrowed shell homes. There are small olive shells in shades of brown, white and purple littering the beach, as well as small bits of driftwood and beach glass. You are not allowed to collect here, but it was hard not to reach for the many treasures that could be located in every nook and cranny.

The first day of classes, I took the cross structure book from Albie Smith. What a fantastic instructor! Organized and knowledgeable, and so generous with her supplies. We used colored gesso and printing paper to complete a beautiful book with a beaded spine by the end of class. Each book was a work of art and very different from each other. I can't wait to fill my book with art.

The second and third day of classes I took the tree book and the windows and closures classes from Dan Essig. Another great instructor and again, organized and knowledgeable and very patient with those that struggled in class. The tree book was made of one sheet of paper that, when properly folded, made a tree shape, but could then be expanded out again - the cover was mica and paper and was fastened with a small seed. The windows and closures class taught Dan's signature window construction for books. But when it came to putting in those little brass nails, well.....there were some colorful words being bandied about and more than one little nail went flying through the air, never to be seen again!

Vendor night was small and cozy as the instructors and some local businesses and students shared their wares for sale. And on the last day, everyone shared their wonderful works of art before packing up to leave.

I was sorry to go, but excited to meet up with my sister, who was driving up from Los Angeles to meet me in Monterey. While waiting for her to arrive, I took a drive down Highway 1 through Big Sur down to Cambria, California. It is a breathtaking drive, with sweeping panoramas of the Pacific Ocean and the many sea stacks on the coast with immense waves breaking up against them. The road is very windy and there are sheer drops off the side of the road - not for those afraid of heights! I came around the bend just before reaching Cambria and saw hundreds of elephant seals basking on the beach. They make the rudest noises as they roll around in the sand and flip sand on themselves. The poor babies have to be careful not to get too close to an adult rolling over, for fear they will be flattened as these animals are huge.

I arrived in Cambria, and stopped first in old town, where I visited a local bead store and bought several milagros I had not seen before. These small pewter charms are used in Mexico to send special prayers for various body parts, personal items and livestock and I love to use them in my jewelry. I then headed for one of my favorite stores, Heart's Ease, a small herb nursery with a story full of botanicals. It had not changed much in the 8 years since I was last there and I had a good time remembering previous visits over the years. Before leaving town, I stopped at the Paper Omelette, a small store with a delicious selection of stationary and paper and bought a small cut book and sheets of paper to make more tree books.

When I arrived in Monterey, I took a walk on their seabelt walkway, enjoying the sights of old Fishermans Wharf and Cannery Row. I saw sea otters floating their babies on their bellies while they ate their supper and watched the sun set on the ocean. I took a moment to acknowledge the loss of my uncle, who was killed in a plane crash in this bay and who was never recovered. I hope he is at peace in this beautiful bay, but regret that I never had a chance to know him.

My sister and my niece arrived and I was so glad for the opportunity to visit with them. We spent the weekend catching up and enjoying each others' company while visiting Carmel-by-the-Sea (where there are no numerical addresses - just the business name and street) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We finished our visit with dinner at the Fishwive - the food was excellent but it was sad our visit was coming to an end. I wished them goodbye in the morning and headed home, making it back to Washington in a record 12 hours. I knew I was close to home when I crossed the Oregon border and began driving through snow in the Siskiyous - sure wish I could have brought the sun and the heat home with me! It was a wonderful vacation - I could not have asked for more.

Eureka

I woke up in Eureka, California, one of my favorite cities to shop. The downtown area is a collection of stores selling an eclectic mix of kitsch, art and antiques. The buildings are old and beautiful and Victorian mansions abound. There is a strong art community here as evidenced by the wide range of art available - from traditional to indy. I was able to visit one of my favorite bead stores, Talisman Beads, whose doors and furniture are painted wild and funky colors. And after buying a few beads (okay, a little more than a few), I went on down the street to the town square where you can buy food to feed the pigeons and browse the booths that are set up to sell. The sun was warm and a gentle breeze blew the clean smell of the ocean through town. I had breakfast at a bagel store that specialized in jalepeno bagels and jellies and ordered my first peanut butter and jelly bagel - I was just not ready for jalepenos and garlic that early in the morning! I headed back to the car and passed a store I had not seen on my last trip - the Nesting Place - the old pink and aqua refrigerators and bird ephemera pulled me inside. Lots of eye candy here - odd bits and pieces of old crochet and embroidered pieces competed with metal garden kitsch. I picked a few things to share with friends and was about to get in the car when the antique store next to my parking space caught my eye and I browsed it as well. They had a sizeable collection of antique glass bottles in all colors and sizes and I hope to return next year and purchase a few to use in my jewelry. But the hour was late and it was time to head for my final destination - Asilomar.

The Road to Asilomar

I love road trips. Yes, flying gets you there so much faster, but what would life be without the side trips - you know, the left turn that takes you to the world's biggest ball of twine or the half-man, half-alligator show. So I decided to drive from Portland to Asilomar. And what a perfect first day - the weather could not have been better - high 70's, clear blue skies and a light breeze to keep things just right. Driving is a meditation to me - a study of color, nature and staying in the moment. And I was not dissapointed.

I began on I-5, driving south through the pasture lands that surround Salem and Eugene. The hills were covered with sheep and newborn lambs, looking like fluffy pieces of lint cast off by a cotton gin. And every shade, tint and hue of green found in nature - so good to see after the drabber browns and grays of winter.

I left the freeway in Drain, Oregon - Oregon has some of the most unusual place names I have ever encountered - it always leaves me wondering how the name came to be. This was a small quaint town with several historical buildings.

I took Highway 38 and drove along the beautiful Umqua river that was such a deep and luscious color of green that I wanted to dip my paintbrush in the water and paint a pastoral scene. The crows and hawks along the way rode the thermals rising from the road and almost seemed to stand still in mid air with only a ruffle of wingtips to remind you they were flying.

When I reached Reedsport, I entered the sand dune world of the southern Oregon coast. Sand everywhere. The lower half of the fir trees are buried in the sand with only their Christmas tree tops peeking out, looking like kids playing in the sandbox.

After several twists and turns in the road, the ocean finally came into sight -a deep blue sea with huge breaking waves against the coastal sea stacks. I stopped in Gold Beach to comb the beach for beach pebbles for my class in Hampton and pieces of driftwood to share with friends. And for awhile, just laid back against the rocks and watched the seagulls wheel through the sky overhead.

I headed south again on Highway 101 and entered the Redwoods. I always feel like I am entering nature's cathedral when I enter this grove of ancient trees. They tower far above , forming a dense canopy that only a few rays of sunlight can penetrate. The hushed air and beams of light through trees that were alive before the first European set foot on this continent leave me in awe. I watched the sun set over the ocean through a stand of redwoods as the day came to a close, painting the sky and the ocean with a rainbow of color.

As I headed to Eureka for the night, I watched the first evening star appear and the twilight reflected in the Humboldt estuaries. Words seem so inadequate to describe the emotion of landscape that colors the heart. But when combined with art and music, the beauty of nature can heal the soul.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Tonight I attended a lecture by the author of Eat, Pray, Love at the Schnitzer Theater in Portland, OR. I am always a bit intimidated when I cross the river into downtown Portland and try to find my way through the jumble of construction and one way streets, but I so wanted to hear her speak after finding such inspiration in her book. I was not sure what to expect or what she would speak about, so I was very pleased that she spent the evening speaking on creativity and art.

Her question was why is fear attached to the act of creativity? Why do so many of us fear failure when we create art, or, having created a work of art, fear we will never be able to match our past efforts. Her view was that we in Western Civilization began viewing art differently at the time of the Renaissance and began viewing artists as sort of a breed apart - afflicted people whose creativity is accompanied by pain and who were born with their talents and expected to suffer for having them.

The truth is that art is not the artist - we are the vessel that provides the tools and labor but something outside of us provides the inspiration and the voice. If I understood her correctly, we are the musical instrument but the music is a gift from an outside force. She felt we put too much emphasis on the need to always come up with something new and ourdoing ourselves each time we create art - that doing our art well should be enough.

I can't count how much time I spend in the fear of failing to produce the perfect piece of art and how afraid I am of not meeting the approval of others. Her lecture really hit home for me.

We are so blessed to be gifted with creativity and the ability to create. Why not rejoice in the creation of our art and leave our fear of failure behind? After all, we all share this love of creativity - why not band together and sing each others' praises and thank the muses for our art.

Birds on Fabric

Early in March I took a class from Tracie Lyn and Mary Lin Huskamp. I could not resist this class. I love all things about birds and this class was all about painting birds on fabric. And what a great class it turned out to be! Tracie and Mary Lin are the most gracious and patient of teachers. You feel at home with them immediately and they impart their knowledge with humor and diligence to their subject. They demonstrated the use of several mediums on fabric and were very generous with their materials. Everything they brought was decorated and wrapped like a present and it was clear their students were important to them. Everyone left their class with a great piece of art. They showed us how to cut out the piece and use it in a collage, as well, but I just couldn't bear to cut mine up. I hope to use it in a quilt or piece of altered clothing to wear. I have posted two of the pieces I completed. Be sure to check their blogs (linked above). Take a peek at Tracie's ongoing journal project. It is inspiring.

I leave for Asilomar soon and can hardly wait. I'll be taking classes from Albie Smith and Dan Essig while I am there and hope to wander the beaches and come back with photos and sketches. But best of all , I will be able to meet up with my sister afterwards, who I haven't seen in six years and spend some time catching up on our lives.

May you all have sunny spring days to warm your bones and the scent of flowers and first cut grass to inpire your continued journey in art in the month ahead.

Best of Show

I entered my "Bird on a Wire" piece that I will be teaching at Portland Art and Soul in October 2008 in the Battle Ground, Washington Art Alliance show over the weekend. It is a juried show with a multitude of prizes and I was hoping to maybe snag one of the insignificant ones - a free massage, a day at the spa - you know, those things you long to do on a cloudy, rainy day that you can't always afford to do. When I dropped off my piece, I looked around and saw the quantity and high quality of the other pieces entered in the show and gave up any hope of winning - in fact, completely forgot about it I was so engrossed at looking at the other entries. So imagine my surprise and total amazement when I received a call that I had won "Best of Show"!! I attended the awards ceremony last night and had my photo taken with the mayor and everything. What was even better was sharing that moment with other members of the gallery I belong to, who also attended the ceremony. It made my year....and maybe then some.

Daffodils and Rainbows

What a beautiful day for March to begin on ! Rain, followed by rainbows, fluffy white clouds and sunshine. Who could ask for more? And right after I asked myself that I saw a big bunch of daffodils in full bloom alongside the freeway - perfect! We are blessed to be surrounded by and walk in such beauty.

I spent the evening trying out L.K. Ludwig's gelating printing method she describes in her book, Mixed Media Nature Journals. I have never tried this before. You buy unflavored gelatin, mix it to make fruit cubes using water instead of fruit juice and wait for the gelatin to set. Then you can ink the gelatin, put natural objects on the paint and press the paper on top of both to make a print. You can also make additional prints by printing the object, after lifting it off the painted gelatin and pushing it into another piece of paper, as well as making a second print on the gelatin. I found when printing feathers, the second print was better than the first. It's a fun technique and I hope to embellish the prints with pen and ink to emphasize the object I printed or to just use it as background paper. The photos give you an idea of how the prints look, with a close up of a feather print. I used Golden fluid acrylics to do these prints. I also tried watercolor on the gelatin, but the resulting print did not keep an edge, although the color mix was beautiful. I'll be doing more of this!

Spring is Coming At Last

Hooray!! For the last week I have listened to the increasing variety of bird songs in the trees around my house. Chickadees and robins are busy staking out their territories and today I heard a red-wing blackbird calling, always a harbinger of spring. This has been a hard winter for me with so many gray days and I could use some sun in my bones. I so look forward to the longer days when I can move my walks from the treadmill to the trails. On February 1st I dutifully sent in my request for another permit to climb Mt. Whitney - I am hoping that I will finally get an overnight pass so I can make it to the top this time. I purchased a multi-day backpack at REI today, both for Whitney as well as my goal to hike around the circumference of Mt. Hood. I am determined to keep up my level of fitness and not regain any of the weight I've lost. It's been eighteen months now - I've never managed to maintain my healthy lifestyle this long before and I want it to be a lifelong habit. I look forward to heading for the beach soon to pick up shells and pebbles for my class in May and wish you all a Happy Spring to come.