our lady of foreseeable risk

everything is new around here.

new life. new color. new adventures.

found confidence. renewed joy.

it starts off with feelings

of being overwhelmed,

fear, inadequacy, so little sleep.

then, bit by bit,

you do the work

and find that love sustains you.

you stop sweating the little things,

you lean in

to the built in moments of just being...

you grow into your true self,

without even noticing,

now that your focus is outside yourself.

welcome to motherhood.

"once we believe in ourselves 

we can risk curiosity,

wonder, spontaneous delight,

or any experience

that reveals the human spirit."

- e. e. cummings

"our lady of foreseeable risk"  30"x40" mixed media on canvas

words to live by

 here to report

on a deliciously exhausting

heartily refreshing week.

the art math:

big chunks of studio time+

dainty stacks of pretty found paper+

inspiring words that stand the test of time+

layering play+

the thrill of quick sketch type work+

sewing machine+

11 or so pots of jasmine green tea

________________________________________

14 new joyful pieces 

in my 'words to live by' series

added to the etsy shop

have a wonderful weekend, friends!

quotes by: rumi, mary oliver,

g.k.chesterton, anais nin, heraclitus,

basho, charlaine harris.

 

progress

 “all there is to thinking 

is seeing something noticeable 

which makes you see something you weren't noticing 

which makes you see something 

that isn't even visible.” 

“one of life's quiet excitements 

is to stand somewhat apart from yourself 

and watch yourself softly becoming 

the author of something beautiful 

even if it is only a floating ash.”

“my father was very sure about certain matters 

pertaining to the universe. to him 

all good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-

come by grace 

and grace comes by art 

and art does not come easy.” 

 

"on some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. 

under the rocks are the words, 

and some of the words are theirs.
i am haunted by waters.” 

all quotes by norman maclean 

burn marks, thread, new work, and a sale

 pausing a moment

to share what became

of the burned papers i showed

weeks ago.

fire. tears. punctures.

found bits. drip drip drips.

memory.

thread. mending.

words tumbling down.

 

a page from the book of go cry  me a river

 

love letter

a moment of silence

 

 lots of new work means

i am now low on space and funds.

so i am hosting a 5-day sale in my shop

everything is 20% off until sunday.

please continue to excuse

my meager participation in e-space these days

and enjoy the gift of this new day!

wrapped in rainbows

 "i have been in sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. 

then i have stood on the peaky mountain 

wrapped in rainbows, 

with a harp and sword in my hands."
- zora neale hurston

 a new girl.

and fragrant late spring as

neighboring linden trees explode

with lime blossoms -

so sweet and green

they make the most soothing

tea liquor.

much needed sips of sanity

in the middle of a delightfully full house.

friends from all over the world

crashing in the spare room

and the couch

and on the studio floor

as we prepare

for our dear friends' wedding feast.

insanity of the most

wonderful kind.

excuse my absence from e-space,

until the joy-filled chaos

subsides.

 lime blossom tea-scented kisses

and a lovely weekend to you,

my friends!

a day's work.

"but tomorrow, dawn will come the way i picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. she will look in at me with her thin arms extended, offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light. 

-billy collins

“hello, sun in my face. 

hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...

watch, now, how i start the day in happiness, in kindness.”

-mary oliver

sketch on my chalk board wall

from memory.  latest completed piece.

how do we become that

detail of new piece:  she defies dot dot dot

once upon a time, in a not-so-faraway land, there was a kingdom of acorns, nestled at the foot of a grand old oak tree. since the citizens of this kingdom were modern, fully westernized acorns, they went about their business with purposeful energy; and since they were midlife, baby-boomer acorns, they engaged in a lot of self-help courses.t here were seminars called “getting all you can out of your shell.” There were wounded-ness and recovery groups for acorns who had been bruised in their original fall from the tree. there were spas for oiling and polishing those shells and various acornopathic therapies to enhance longevity and well-being.
one day in the midst of this kingdom there suddenly appeared a knotty little stranger, apparently dropped “but of the blue” by a passing bird. he was capless and dirty, making an immediate negative impression on his fellow acorns. and crouched beneath the oak tree, he stammered out a wild tale. pointing upward at the tree, he said, “we … are … that!”
delusional thinking, obviously, the other acorns concluded, but one of them continued to engage him in conversation: “so tell us, how would we become that tree?” “well,” said he, pointing downward, “it has something to do with going into the ground … and cracking open the shell.” “insane,” they responded. “totally morbid! why, then we wouldn’t be acorns anymore.”

cynthia bourgeault. 'the wisdom way of knowing: reclaiming an ancient tradition to awaken the heart', as shared by my sister-friend elizabeth

there is
hope.

finding poetry in demolition

'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.

virtual tea tuesday: always poetry

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.'

in their pyjamas eating toast

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

wisdom for dreamers

'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.