peace:::

Wherever you find yourself at this very moment, I wish you peace.

hello sweet autumn:::

she has been taking me to this orchard for 2o some odd years.
before, there were apples, helicopter rides, apple pie, caramel apples, hot apple cider, apple crisp, candy, chaos, hikes, horse rides, people laughing, people running, people picking apples and eating them too.
did i mention lots of people? and apples?
now, the place is nearly empty.
the trees, ripe with fruit, stand in a whole lot of silence.
lots of apples, few people.
end of another era.
thank goodness sweet autumn is just beginning.
looking forward to things yet to come...

things to see while in hawaii:

cerulean
turquoise
azure
cobalt
indigo
sapphire
ultramarine
cerise
copper
coral
crimson
dahlia
chestnut
garnet
salmon
scarlet
henna
chartreuse
veridian
willow
lime
malachite
jade
moss
olive
peacock
pine
spinach
sea
burnt sienna
umber
cocoa
rust
cinnamon
brick
terracotta
sepia
ochre
amber
gold
saffron
charcoal
onyx
raven
slate
ivory
opal
mother-of-pearl

i'm excited : )

observing bits of the world

Last week, I was standing in line at the check-out of a grocery store and I noticed that the woman in front of me was scanning the magazine rack.
I saw her focus on one,
literally put her hands on her hips,
and proceed to move them slowly and ever-so-slightly up and down.
Then quickly, she snatched up what she was looking at and threw it on the conveyor belt of groceries. I couldn't see which magazine she had picked, but I knew that somewhere on its cover it read "how to lose 50 lbs in just 3 days!".
I made a special point to note the angle she was looking, and when I got close enough to see, my suspicions were confirmed. It was something about a quick fix to a skinny body.
I had a painful moment as I stood there waiting my turn.
I was sad for all of us who feel we are not what we should be because so many places that we go, that's what they're telling us.

I didn't like seeing that.

So, then I saw this (unrelated and yet related on a completely different level):

Tonight, I met up with a wonderful friend for dinner and as I was walking through the cozy neighborhood back to my car, I noticed a yard that only had a few random sections of lawn mowed, not even a particularly large lawn mind you.
Curious, I looked through the rest of the yard for visible clues as to what was more important that finishing the one task before moving to the next.
Again, I got my answer. In this yard was also a table, set with some dishes and two glasses of wine.
How much lovelier does it get?
Whoever was mowing stopped when s/he realized that that was obviously less important than sitting down to dine with the one s/he loved. Where were they now that they had their wine poured and their table set? Well, I know what I'm hoping, but I'll let you finish the story the way you see fit.

And so, that is what I am choosing to see.

What are you choosing to see these days?

My Mother:::

My Beautiful Mother turns 60 in 2 days!!!

She is phenomenal. Loved by so many. A rock. Easy-going. Loves life. Radiates happiness and warmth.

60. I think an occasion such as this calls for some dancing.

Happy birthday, Deborah Kay. I love you more than words.

Flocked : wallpaper:::

This is the wall of work from nearly 30 artists.

What a great show it turned out to be!

Lots of fabulous support from friends and family.

So grateful : )

"Flocked" art show:::

Excited to share an art show that I will have a few art pieces in this weekend!:

"Flocked: A wallpaper project"

Location: Casket Arts Carriage House #203 (the building is adjacent to two silos : )
1720 Madison St. NE., Minneapolis, MN

Reception: Friday, May 14th 8-11pm
Studio hours will also be: Saturday, May 15th: noon - 6 pm
and Sunday, May 16: noon - 5 pm

Though my work is not known very well, I will be next to some really great artists and looking forward to all of it! : Flocked Strib article

B.C.: II: i spy...

...something fabulously green

Earth Day II

More beautiful earthen images c/o: the Arboretum!

Earth Day I

Above: Earth script
Below: Floods




Above: First flowers at the Arboretum
Below: More floods

Below: gorgeous moss

warm feet:

cheers to warm feet and cheers to this weekend...!

101 reasons you should love spring:::

British Columbia, Canada : le premiere acte

Above: one of my favorite places on earth. A little waterfall and creek in British Columbia, Canada. Right now, just by looking at this picture, I can hear the water and smell the fresh earth. I've gone to this same spot only a small handful of times in my life and each time it means so much more to me. There are fewer and fewer of us each time I go and who knows, maybe next time I'll take a little jaunt to this spot by myself. It's a bittersweet place for me and one that I'll always cherish.

Below: Mom looking adorable behind the wheel in her mustang. Posterity won over photoshop and so my mug remains too ; )




Last April, my Mom and I drove across the country. We of course took Eleanor, her beautiful mustang convertible. The top didn't come down too often on that trip, but we still managed to turn a few heads ; ) We ate egg salad sandwiches for breakfast in keeping with the homemade sandwich tradition on family road trips, though we did manage to sneak in a little junk food as well without my sweet Grams along for the ride ; ) This was not our first roadtrip to our particular destination: Beautiful British Columbia, but it was our first roadtrip all the way from here to there, just the two of us. We listened to a lot of music and books, and Mom fell in love with Nick Drake. I think I did all over again too. We stopped when our coffee ran out or got cold, when one of us had to pee or when we needed gas, whichever came first. When we made our final rest stop for the night in Montana, we drank wine out of plastic cups and played cards with the deck we bought at the front desk.

The only thing about this trip is that it did not feel like a vacation. We were on our way out there to see my uncle, who had just had a heart attack. He was doing extremely well, but it seemed to come out of nowhere and took our breath away. As we drove, we spoke about it a little, but I know we both had a lot of our own silent moments just wondering what all of it meant. Mom is extremely close to her brother and managed to keep her happy face on the whole way as usual, but I could still feel her anxiety.

I didn't really digest this trip very well when I got home. I didn't really even go back through my photos from this trip until just this week. I sort of set this trip down and took a deep breath when I got home. We had made our way back from a journey where neither of us had an idea of what to expect. Now I can sit back and reflect a little more on all of this, and how grateful I am to have made this trip with my Mom. Through my photos, I see all of the beauty that was there the whole way, with North Dakota being of course the only exception ; ) But really there was inspiration the whole way through. So, I'll be sharing a few more moments from this surreal trip, even if it has already been a year.

these colors:::

it's really hard to see the marvelous colors on this bridge, but they are completely scrumptious. i do throw adjectives around like they're nothing sometimes, but this time, i mean nothin' but business. if you know me and color, you know i'm serious. i could sit under this bridge and stare up at it for nearly a whole afternoon. maybe a warm morning too. just a blanket and a few snacks and i'd be perfect. a sketch pad and my camera too, to capture everything that it moves in me. these colors remind me of a cross between this piece and works by larry rivers, one of my favoritists. oh man oh man oh man.

a foggy night downtown

loved the foggy days last week, though i missed the sun immensely. i'm grateful that sunday was golden. it was an interesting weekend, full of interesting things. a picture of downtown on a foggy eve seems to sum it all up best. i did take lots of photos, some of which are much "sunnier", for an art project coming round the bend. i will be posting some of those soon...

crisp white wine : crisp white canvas

Right now, this canvas has mountains on it.
And a tent.
And that is the big idea for this piece right now,
only there are lots of layers that will happen in between what you see,
to what I see,
to what it will eventually become.
But I like this part a lot too.
Looking at the white canvas and mapping out it's first layer.
The whole process gives me a feeling I can't describe, but would eventually like to,
even without the white wine.
Especially without the white wine.
And this canvas, if you could have only felt it before I added it's first layers on!
It was like running your fingertips over a little bit of, well, fantastically primed linen canvas, to be exact.
And if you don't know how insanely good that feels, I suggest a little trip to your local art store.
It just may inspire you.

hang in there

winter walk

people iceskating
channeling the olympics
holding hands
a man painting
people running
walking dogs
cross country skiing
remnants of snow angels
benches with snow to the seat
boots trudging to get there

two men passing by
famous looking
the guy with expensive sweats and a leather jacket
looks like walking around a lake for enjoyment
is not something he enjoys
but he lets the breeze billow into his open jacket
if nothing else he gets moments pleasure from this

the sun shining
vitamin d swirling
endorphins swimming

if nothing else, we're all getting moments of pleasure from this.

winter photos for harry the i.t. guy : )

harry was helping me fix my computer yesterday.
while we waited for updates he commented on my blog,
and the lack of winter photos.
and so, here are some gifts from january.
on the days where everything is covered in white, it is beautiful, i must confess.
not the most inspiring, but inspiring enough that i do quickly snap some shots when i get the chance in that small window of time that we have.

oh winter.

midday with gary : )

edible art:

I celebrated with Jackson Pollock on my birthday this year!

Actually, I was celebrating part of the day I came into existence with both of the folks who were the responsible parties in that matter. The drink, on the other hand, is the only part of the story that has anything to do with Pollock. It is inspired by the artist and made at the Town Talk Diner, a heavenly place to be. Just like Pollock's work, I appreciated it a little more for the concept. The kind bartendar also made birthday shots infused with lavender, which were incredible. I always have a good time when part of the night is spent at this place.

sewing:::

This is one of the projects that I've been working on lately. Well, the research for it has been years in the making, though it's obvious by my craftsmanship that the sewing part could use a little more attention as well ; )

And my lack of postings this month is brought to you by censorship. I find that some of the things that I want to put on here may not be appropriate. For who or what? Not sure. Perhaps my professional advancement in this world ; ) I'm trying to follow my own philosophy of some things being better left on the nightstand than submitted to the world. So, I've been here. It's just that not much of what I've got to say lately is making it onto these pages.

nice to meet you. again.

dear adulthood,

allow me to introduce myself...again. you and i have crossed paths with one another on and off throughout the years, casually mingling with one another when circumstances have called for it.

the truth is that we've known each other as far as i can remember. we grew up together. you and i were nearly inseparable. somehow we parted ways. you may not recognize me now, and some details about you are quite fuzzy for me at times too, but down to my core i know you.

i just want to thank you for your equally renewed interest in getting to know one another, a better match now than back then. our date today was quite lovely. your creative daytime adventures have proven that they can be just as colorful as your counterpart's evening masquerades.

i realize it will take us awhile before we are dear friends again, and we never will most likely never be the best of friends, but i like this getting to each other little by little sort of thing we've got going on right now. it works for me.

1.1.10

horizons. good things. (c)here's to both...