to live poetry

home, at last

2012-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

a gray morning

drenched

with the joy

of waking up

to a new day

at home.

the smell of fresh paint

says hello

and good morning!

bare feet

waking up

to cold floors

guide me

towards the kettle

(always on,

we're home, you see)

eyes not yet ready

to take in

the light.

wood. stone. leather. wool.

the elements breathe in

the calm.

i offer my self space.

a slow morning.

later,

i will slurp miso soup

from a clay bowl

and tackle the last

of the boxes:

my studio.

(i always save the best

for last)

tell me,

dear soul,

what is home

to you?

finding poetry in demolition

2012-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

'simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.'

john maeda

'and above all watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.  those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.'roald dahl

bits of visual poetry
found 
amongst the debris.

rich layers
of history
revealed
by scraping through
the dust
and the paint.

may your eyes
uncover
the magic
in humble places
today. 

try this at home: beet & avocado salad

2012-02-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

it's simple.  to put out good stuff, you have to first put good stuff in.  

so i breathe in the ocean.  drink in the silence.  eat up the words.  

so i glean the wisdom. 

feed my imagination.

but i know it is truly well

with my soul

when i can taste it.  

so i make salads.  

simplicity & decadence are not mutually exclusive.

fresh.  comforting.

joyful.  tender. 

juicy.  

sensual.  

it comes out in the work. 

in the living.

when i eat well, i love well. 

here is a salad that loves you well. 

it says

even though you had to return

from l.a. 

to chicago

and february endures,

everything is going to be alright.  

this is how you toss it together:

roast whole beets covered in a pan with salt, sugar, a splash of water, and one of vinegar.

in a low oven until tender.  about an hour.  

cool.

toss arugula with salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic.

top with beet & avocado wedges.  sweet peas.  crumbled feta. 

enjoy the rich, tender, lively goodness.  

give someone a big hug.

(you will feel a sudden surge of loving kindness)

deconstruction. construction.

2012-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

work in progress. home in progress. 

deconstruction. construction. painting. broken pipes. debris everywhere.  packing paintings. designing promotional cards.  sore muscles.  taxes.  chinese take-out.  dust everywhere.  planning weekend trip.  loads of laundry.  date nights at home depot.  passing out on the couch. 

getting dirty. always tea. finding poetry in the little moments. finding the little moments.

breathing.

out of the fire. out of the rock.

2012-01-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

two new pieces with history. 

the former,

built upon a page

from an ancient book

that narrowly escaped destruction

by fire

in a castle

in the mountains

of eastern europe

a hundred years

ago.

the latter,

a quest for the essence of the thing

a meditation on

an ode to

a hundred year old

love story.

i find at the heart of it

poetry

about a girl

out of the rock

'no red
on her lips
no gold circles
at her wrists
a human being
she walked the edge.

her hands
rocks
her strong back
straight
silenced
the water and
the red lips
too.

she seemed
to come out of the rock
and to return to it
she
the living spirit of
the morning,
white,
blindingly white,
and the sea
just still,
below.'

virtual tea tuesday: always poetry

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

pear caramel black tea.

fresh citrus aroma opens up my morning.

sunshine.

comfort in a heavy mug. present from a dear friend who is far away.

ancient + modern home inspiration.

home!

we are so close! only a month away.

a month of hearty hands on work.

we get to make this boarded up foreclosed property into

our home.

our sanctuary.

a space for art and music and laughter.

a space for quiet contemplation.

for basking in the morning light and listening to the afternoon rain.

for being.

a space for good food.

a space where the tea kettle is always on.

and the door always open.

ever open to friends old and new.

our home.

and there will always be

poetry.

'for as long as i can remember.'

getting to know leslie avon miller

2012-01-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

in this intensely image saturated world it is a rare occurrence when a piece of art work stops me in my tracks, causes me gasp with surprise and delight,  compels me to linger and drink deep of life and beauty and inspiration.  such is the case with leslie avon miller's 'cracked - a self portrait series'.   

so it is with immense honor that i get to kick off my interview series of strong creative inspiring women with this lovely lady.  leslie is a beautiful artist, contemplative writer, invigorating life coach, kind human being.  she knows what it is to live poetry.  

some things you love:

Today

I like things with a lot of space around them

Soft unfocused light whites and grays

Morning sun slanting through the trees

The sound of a cat purring

Things, in small groups of three

Wooden spoons stained with berry or curry

Lines made by tall grass

Leaves, half decayed

The color of oats, the moon and old bones

Smells of lemons and clean sheets

Crinkled paper that rustles

Grandmothers

Falling snow

The sound of the fog horn

My mother’s button box of tin

Simplicity

That there is no answer

I wrote this earlier in the year for an artist book I am filling with things I love. The book is called The Color of the Moon and Other Small Things.

some things you love about yourself (go ahead, brag a little): 

I like that I am a curious explorer of life. I likethat I notice small things. I like that I am in love with life. It keeps me reverent. 

what you're working on at the moment:

I am working on some small personal work. The aforementionedartist book, some small collage. I have also just returned to painting after abreak for the holidays.

where do you draw inspiration from?

Being alive. The beauty of nature. The patina of age. Thework of other artists. Good conversation. Poetry read aloud. Most inspirationalto me is the creative dance. 

I must also mention tumblr, and pinterest and the blogworld. I love the connection with other folks who find similar beauty. I learnto see through someone else’s eyes. I learn to recognize another artist’swork. The gift of beauty and poetry is shared, along with a love of books, ofcreating, of being. 

what is your creativity nemesis?

Over thinking. (It’s an invitation to the nastycritic who nitpicks….that critic needs to go fold the socks or something.)

and our most effective weapon against it?

I have found that stepping back, perhaps tryingsomething very different for a while really helps bring back that explorer’smindset. I recently worked with polymer clay. Because I didn’t have aclue what I was doing, it was all exploration. It was very good to bring that experienceback to my painting. 

something you've learned the hard way:   

At the end of a long studio day,leave it. The painting and I both need a rest. Don’t paint over it. Comeback in the morning with fresh eyes. 

would you please recommend a book?

Theelements of design; rediscovering colors, textures, forms and shapes by LoanOei and Cecile De Kegel. 

This book is like an artist’s date with one ofyour favorite artist friends. Full of images that show us how to see thealphabet of our creative language, this book takes us all over the world to seedots, lines, cross marks, circles, textures, grids and patterns. “Look atthat! Look at this!” the book says. We see; we learn again to see. I love this book.

favorite natural food to snack on:

Right now it is a cracker with goat cheese and some ofthe chutney we made this fall from our apples and plums. And always herbal tea.My favorite is African Nectar by Mighty Leaf tea. Unless it’s later inthe afternoon, and then it might be a glass of crisp white wine. 

when i say feminine you say... juicy

something you need to doless of:  hesitate

something you need to do more of:  follow my intuition

your perfect day:

Today: It’s snowing. The studio iswarm. My husband has gone to  

the store and later he will make our lovely eveningmeal. I have 

the day to create, to ponder, to be. Space, time, beingness.  

thank you, leslie, for your time, kindness and generous sharing of life, wisdom and creativity!

to see more of leslie's work and be inspired by her writings,

please visit her blog, textures shapes color. 

images via texturesshapescolor used with leslie's permission. 

mood board for a frozen monday

2012-01-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

images via eldrids, grassdoe, augustrussh, loveandoliveoil, theoldredhen, ralfbohnenkamp, bauxi

a short list of inspiring visual poetry

2012-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

being down with the cold and subsequent sinus infection turns out to be not entirely devoid of excitement.  allow me to share a brief list of wonderful video discoveries.  

if you have:

1 minute:  watch the behind the scenes from valentino's spring 2012 campaign.   feminine.  dreamy.  delightfully lacy. 

10 minutes:  witness sylvie guillem be marvelous in this mats ek ballet with music by arvo part.  intimate.  expressive.  graceful.  moving.

100+ minutes:  see this extraordinary film.  castaway on the moon is the best story i've watched in a long time.  part social commentary.  part romantic adventure.  thoughtful.  visually delectable.  filled to the brim with hope.

any lovely discoveries you've made of late? 

photo via valentino

on fruit and being time

2012-01-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

i was supposed to be blogging about art, the creative process, my inspiration.  

perhaps a lovely tutorial, for a snowed in thursday.   

instead i made a fruit salad.  and felt compelled to share the life-altering experience.  

to be fair, i don't believe anybody ever broke open a pomegranate and not been enlightened to the secrets of the universe in the process.

do try this deceptively simple fruit salad at home.

pomegranate.  grapefruit.  banana.  

it will take at least half an hour to prepare.  bloodbath kitchen in the aftermath.  and yet you will have no regrets.  health and deliciousness have rarely met quite as elegantly on your plate before.  it may even erase some of past year's regrets.

but i digress.  this whole thing got me thinking about seasons.  remember i had time on my hands and fruit on my mind.

no fruit tree is expected to bear fruit out of season.  yet we people are expected to do, make, produce, accomplish 'round the clock.  perhaps we should take a clue from the way nature runs it course.

a cherry tree doesn't feel guilty for not making cherries in february.  

perhaps there is a time to bare all.  to let go of all that showed the world who you are.  and to do it with a flamboyant show of color, while you're at it. 

a time to feel the storm rather than fight it.

a time to be nourished rather than nourish.

a glorious time to burst with the exuberance of being alive.

indeed, there are few things quite as glorious as a cherry tree in april.  

so slurp up that juice and relish the season you find yourself in.

virtual tea tuesday

2012-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

i like a slow start to my day. tea. reading. journaling. quiet time with myself.

solitude.  meditation.  spacing out.  whatever you choose to call it, it is needed.  

jotting down ideas is also needed.  the easiest way to declutter a busy mind. 

today, what seemed necessary was writing down the big things on the horizon for 2012.

     feb - signing the closing contract.  renovations to the house. 

             moving in.  setting up the new studio.

           - trip to L.A.

     mar - inspiration corporation art auction

     apr - submit entry to art prize in grand rapids

     may - randolph street market

     jun - trip to kentucky 

     jul - indianapolis solo exhibit

          - turning 30

     aug & sep - randolph street market

     oct - art prize/ grand rapids

lovely and exciting as these plans may be, i realize i can't count on them materializing.  i can not  take tomorrow for granted.  all i have is today.  here & now.

i need to focus on one day at a time.  and this is what i want for today:

     1.  to make art

every day i sit down with a blank canvas and create something new is a successful day.  

every day i sit down with a time-worn book page, and slash and slash ruthlessly at words until poetry emerges is a successful day.

to be creative in my decision-making counts as well.  so does creative use of resources. 

     2.  to be extravagantly,  un-strategically generous

i do believe we live in a world of abundance.  there is plenty to go around if we are only willing to share.  i tend to try and arrange for myself a lot, to scheme, to grasp, to hold on tightly.  the antidote is giving away, rather than letting go.  i am not just referring to material things.  more to give: my time, understanding, grace, a listening ear, respect, little acts of service, great acts of service, the right to be right, the need to control, words of encouragement, hugs, the gift of presence.  and to let go of the expectation for gratitude.  if we all put that kind of a generous spirit into action, it would turn the world right side up.

    3.  to surf the waves of grace

i get discouraged on a regular basis.  if i've gotten three quarters through my impossible to do list for the day, i feel a failure.  perhaps i demand too much of myself.  regardless, i get quite bogged down with all the things i want to accomplish that i don't and all that i want to be that i am not.  i recently discovered a hope-filled perspective on grace from john ortberg.  he says "the good news about surfing is this: if you miss one wave, if you fall off, if you wipe out, there's another wave coming right behind it.  god just keeps sending them."  we never run out of waves.  so, no more letting fear of failure bully me. i will just try to catch the next wave.

recap.  to do today: make art, give generously, accept grace.  tomorrow, if i'm lucky enough to get one, repeat.  and so on.  

how about you?  what are your big plans for the year?  how about the essentials for today? 

mood board for a sick day

2012-01-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

images via lepetiteatelierdeparis, thekittycage, woolandthegang, vineetkaur, and ignitelight

the seed of your next art work

2012-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

"the seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. such imperfections (or mistakes, if you’re feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides - valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides - to matters you need to reconsider or develop further.” - david bayles and ted orland, art and fear

some days in the studio just flow.  there is confidence, excitement, brain so teeming with ideas that i wish i had a few extra sets of hands to bring them to life with.

this isn't one of those days.  it hasn't been one of those weeks actually.

whatever i add or subtract doesn't feel right.  spending quality time with the work just doesn't help.

perhaps i need to take some time to just be.  read a book just for fun.  cuddle.  

roast something.  see?  some beautiful things in life do come easily.

how do you beat your creative ruts?

in their pyjamas eating toast

2012-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

i am working on putting together a regular friday feature, a series of quick interviews with strong creative confident women that inspire me.

in the meantime, let's talk about tilda swinton.  i love this woman!

she exudes a quiet joyful confidence while being completely open about the her own sinuous journey of self discovery.  she is boldly herself, a timeless true beauty outside of trends.  magnificent facing the boringly uniform critics.  humble facing the accolades of well-earned success.  a hard worker who doesn’t take herself too seriously.

she says this about her work: “i am a soldier.  i lead a soldier’s life when i’m working. that’s how it feels to me, except i’ve got a slightly  greater chance of survival.”

she established her own film festival, “the ballerina ballroom cinema of dreams”, with dirt-cheap tickets, beanbags for seating and free admission to those bringing a tray of fairy cakes.

this woman is a muse.

“another magazine” published an article on her a couple of years ago.  it mentions the environment she is creating for her family.  this quote makes me cry every time:

“one of tilda’s many ideas about having the big house in nairn was that people would come and be around; interesting people for her kids to meet. like a salon, i suppose. it’s peaceful out there but often at weekends there’s a whole variety of people. it’s quite variable and chaotic. there’s no television. you can get a lot done and you’re in very pleasant company. it’s never boring. the guy who does their decorating is fantastic, really interesting to talk to. you’ve got a huge continuum of people who may or may not be high powered in the outside world, but you don’t know because everybody’s just in their pyjamas eating toast. which is how you should meet people.”

everybody’s just in their pyjamas.

eating toast.

with everything that i make, that is what i’m working towards.  thank you for the inspiration, tilda.  you’re wonderful!

photo by murdo mcleod via tildawinton.net

try this at home: torn radicchio salad

2012-01-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

super quick, insanely delicious, can-hardly-call-this-a-recipe.

tear a few radicchio leaves, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and basil on a plate.

add some cubed or balled honeydew.

a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic.

a sprinkle of kosher salt & freshly ground pepper.

try to contain the moans of pleasure from the explosion of awesome happening in your mouth. 

wisdom for dreamers

2012-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

'you are so young; you stand for beginnings. i would like to beg of you, dear friend, as well as i can, to have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. do not now look for the answers. they cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. it is a question of experiencing everything. at present you need to live the question. perhaps you will, gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. perhaps you are indeed carrying within yourself the potential to visualize, to design, and to create for yourself an utterly satisfying, joyful, and pure lifestyle. discipline yourself to attain it, but accept that which comes to you with deep trust, and as long as it comes from your own will, from your own inner need.'      

- rainer maria rilke, letters to a young poet 

resolutions.  goals.  forming habits.  plans.  to do lists. 

i am constantly trying to recreate myself into a better version of what i am.  to build my perfect creative lifestyle.  to live the best possible life.

it isn't just me, is it? 

what if...

perhaps life is perfect just the way it is.

i get to embrace the journey.  to stay curious and hungry. to find my real self in the waiting, the knocking, the seeking, and love it for the rascal that it is.

to accept grace, as well as freely offering it to others.

to stay alert and open to finding the magic in unexpected places.  

to live poetry.