Last evening I was invited to partake in a mask making class… to be honest, I have never created a mask before… at least a physical one, I have created my share of symbolic and invisible masks, but that is a completely different topic and blog… one not to be explored this evening.

At first, I was not sure what the mask was going to look like… a piece of cardboard formed in the shape of a face, not mine… but someone’s as I was surrounded by pieces of yarn, and ribbons and shiny objects that sat back quietly waiting to see if they were to be chosen. The setting was a beautiful studio overlooking Lake Michigan, what better place to let the creative thought develop and run freely.(How can you not gaze out into the horizon beyond the water and not feel inspired!) The setting was very different… to be creative while being part of a small group. I am accustomed to sitting alone in my studio and working on art alone…working in a group setting was a welcoming surprise it was fun to see what others were creating the and dialogue between the “mask makers” and the mask.

But after a little over two hours I was putting the final touches on my mask. My thought process you ask? I wanted something that reminded me of the earth and being grounded within my world, earth goddess or of the Druids. I picked green for the likeness of leaves and plants and the copper for the conduction of energy that connects everything. The seed pods on the forehead are the connection of the third eye to the seeds of nature. The brown yarn is for the brown of the earth and the softness that the earth cradles us. The gold represents the power of alchemy to change all things to gold. Although she/he does not have a name yet… the mask represents the creative element that we all inhabit as we create our lives each and every day.

So now I have a new mask to watch over me and protect me in my studio. Thank you Carole and Ari

The time has arrived for me to share with you what I have been working on in the studio, for the last couple of months.  The canvas is 36 x 36 with a 2 ¼ profile. I have been working mostly with a #1 and #00 brush to make the details very hyper-surreal. When this is finished there will be no white visible unless it is used in a flower. The inspiration of this piece is “Mutant Flowers” posted on the gallery page under paintings.

The underlying thought process is that great beauty can sometimes be harmful. These flowers give the illusion of being beautiful and colorful… but after a more careful inspection, you may question if they might have teeth and could bite you at any given moment.

Buddhism teaches that life involves suffering and that individuals can never escape from it. But everyone has a different definition of suffering, to some great beauty is suffering to some great pain and still for others it is the blending of the two. I am searching for the balance as beauty and pain are only for the moment and then it fades. Past …Present… Future… it is what you allow it to be, nothing more, nothing less.

Would you like to take a walk in my garden with me?

In the Valley

Gray is the tone of my day, white slowly darken

Gray is my cloud that hangs in the sky

Gray matter is located in the brain to the left of center

twist and turns to make sense of the random

not your average silly slip and slide

not your average amusement park

admission is free but the ticket can be very expensive.

It is the tone that fills this day of mine black and white meet half way.

A duel at sunrise to see who wins…

It feels not cold or hot… it is

Void of feeling

Void of action

Void or reaction

Void of thought

This is not the warm gray flannel that you wrap yourself up in

to keep you warm and safe

This is the gray smog that pilfers each breath

To steal and even try to conceal…

that you were ever here to begin with…

red, blue, green make white light

yellow, blue, red makes black.

Hey twig, “You want to come home with me?”

The question that I was internally (and sometimes externally) asking as I walked around Warren Park yesterday, collecting twigs for my newest installation—
This outing seemed very different then when I was a kid and I had the chore of going out and picking up the sticks and debris out of the front lawn after a big storm… here, I was actively searching out those random twigs…on purpose.
This whole madness started when I found a book at the thrift store on the artist Chris Drury and his environmental works. I loved how his pieces had a very organic feel but things were placed in a different order and shape, maybe even a  nature redirected.
I liked how his pieces felt alive and  filling their lungs with air in their new space and shape and I wanted to explore that experience… although his scale is too large for my apartment. I craved to play with the twigs and see what  could happen.
So hence, going out on Tuesday afternoon, two empty bags and I setting off to go “Twig Hunting”
Who knew how many twigs would be waiting for me- I planned this piece to be able to fit on the coffee table-otherwise I would be moving my bed out for the piece to fit in my apartment…sometimes I do need to place limits on the size of my work…and  this is why the four foot long twig could not come home with me, sorry twig.

Pile of Twigs

So here I sit on the floor in the middle of my studio… a big  pile of twigs and a tube of super glue…let the fun begin!

My intent in maintaining this blog is to create a venue to share my thoughts and my creative process- both the good and the more challenging ones… to use to as an open dialogue connecting my internal and external creative processes with the outside world, allowing you to explore with me.

My goal is to post here at least once a week (unless there is something that is burning in my mind that I must put down in words in order to stop it from consuming my mind) I am interested in learning how it resonates with you and I welcome your input.

I must admit to you this is my first time doing a blog, so it will be a new experience for me to learn how to assemble what is swimming around my head and to translate that into words… and hopefully into the words that will make sense.

This is a work in progress that will grow from within and be shaped by my human experience. How I am influence by things that range from the most amazing to the less thrilling common place. Allowing me to share the exploration of how these evolve into elements of my artwork… in which ever medium it feels appropriate to be expressed.

I extend this invite you to visit my blog often to check out what is going on in the studio and share this journey with me.