Half Moon Bay

I forgot all about this photo I took on our night away...I love the beach, love the rocks,even on a cold rainy day I'm just happy to be at the beach.
The Odd, Unusual and or Interesting facts about me? I'm borrowing this meme from Suki and giving out some bits of information about me. I'm private in so many ways so this is a stretch but why not?! It's a way to share myself a little and to allow others to get to know more about me. So here are my seven:
1. I'm afraid of escalators...actually hold up crowds during the holidays.
2. Never took a computer class...can you tell?
3. I've forgotten how to swim, lost my confidence, I can still float but I can barely paddle around?
4. Took my only cruise "Path of the Vikings" which began in England and included stops in France, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Newfoundland, Halifax and Boston. It was wonderful!
5. I met Tony Bennett in the Palm Springs airport and we had a pleasant conversation.
6.I moved alone to this beach town in 1995 and only knew the real estate agent, I would go to coffee houses every morning just to be around other people.
7. Pablo and I worked three blocks apart in SF in 1966. We both married New Yorkers and many years later met on Yahoo personals in 2004

Thanksgiving Recap

It's all good! In the photo is my pumpkin soup which I now need to admit, I overloaded with cumin.... too smoky. The table setting looks like springtime but the sun was shining, I had the door open for air flow and too lazy to put out the good china for just the two of us. Also used a throw away roasting pan for the turkey breast so I wouldn't have the heavy clean up. Unfortunately, Pablo inserted the thermometer and unknowingly punctured the bottom of the pan. An hour later the pan was dry and the oven was smoking!! After all that I transferred the turkey to a real roasting pan and the turkey actually turned out tender and juicy. We drank champagne and carried over our gratitude throughout the dinner. My pie was good and thank goodness perfectly spiced. All in all I kept the dinner as traditional yet simple as possible.... Joyful for sure. Tell me about your dinners?

I've got to go now and clean the oven! ha Actually I'm going to do some framing the oven can wait. Happy Weekend.

Forgive me box

I created this and four other boxes awhile back...this one is about forgiveness and I thought I'd share...not exactly thankfulness in honor of this holiday but forgiveness is as close as I could get for today. I created this with foam core, tape and gesso. The top is a series of photos of Spanish tile with copper leaf and the sides are acrylic with the words "Forgive me" and "I Forgive you" in all different fonts, also copper wire and copper covered cork legs. The inside is wallpapered with red, purple and yellow photos of the human heart...very dark - just color. I sold two, "Death" and "Prayer" so I can only show two more, I didn't think to photograph the others before they sold. Making these with personal and important themes took me out of just crafty box making and I believe, back into art making.

I have the pumpkin soup prepared and I'll start the pie next. The rest of the cooking tomorrow. The house is clean and already smells of the holiday cooking. I have some Baileys Irish Cream, I'm not much of a drinker but it seems perfect to sip a little while in all this kitchen effort. I am so thankful for this year, it has been both light and dark but truly it has been life well lived and there lies my gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving

Surprising Blooms

I've regularly neglected this plant, a little water now and then, some sun but in spite of my neglect it has bloomed itself with the prettiest pink blossoms. I think it is a cactus or a succulent?

I'm loving my new banner! Patrice of makinpeace offered to create a new banner. I believe she did an outstanding job...using my imagery against the night starlit sky with the romantic yellow type! She created a celestial/mysterious,dreamy quality and I'm so pleased. Patrice and I had an almost sell-out show together here at a local gallery. I'll put that story together and post our wonderful postcard sometime after the holidays.

Received a wonderful award from Suki this morning and I will do my best to post it later this week...Thank you Suki. I am starting to get busy with shopping, house cleaning so studio time is limited for sure. Great Monday to all!

Evening Tea

A romantic notion of mine...tea brewed on an ancient samovar, served on a hand woven carpet. An evening tea accompanied by sweet dates or figs before sleep and early morning departure back out into the desert...into the unknowable. Our dented and banged up samovar sits in the dining room as a reminder of such times. There are remains of charcoal inside and the brass teapot on top has long disappeared but the spigot still turns and once a year I shine it up with Brasso.

The piece measures 18"x18" and is on a foam core base, acrylic, silk fabric, photo collage. I plan on framing this one and the one before in black wood frames and the lighter ones in natural wood. I have a slide show in the side bar and if you click on the left corner Oasis Series it will show all the pieces together. With the series feeling complete for now, I'm going to play in the studio through Thanksgiving. I'll try out some exercises and revisit techniques so as to guide myself into the next vision. I know I'm pretty interested in continuing squares within squares and I think I'd like to get my sewing machine out again so we shall see out in the unknowable!
Looks like so many will have a white Thanksgiving....so pretty to see the dusting of first snow. Pablo and I will have dinner alone and youngest son will come over on Saturday for his turkey dinner.(he has a remote on "black Friday"as it goes with his job... he is a disc jockey and the holiday sales are ON)) We have had sunshine and the awful winds and fire down south. I lived in LA for six years and we were caught in one of those awful fires years ago... packing the car, the thick smoke and seeing flames on nearby hills. We were lucky and spared but it was an awful experience. I have a site in my sidebar favorites The Big Picture and the photos of this year's fire are heartbreaking.

Inside the Walls

Back to the oasis and this time to the interior, the real rest recuperation. Represented by ancient markings, floor plans, secret windows, doorways with the palm tree views. Under it all crumbling tile flooring. This piece is on a foam core base, photo collage, acrylic, lace, joint compound and wire mesh. It measures 18"x18" and I like the mix. During this time of the oasis series, I have taken personal time to eat better, meditate, exercise and write. I've come to a peaceful place in my life...the past has it's place and the future doesn't seem so dark (not counting the times I look at my money situation) and I'm finding myself able to stay in the present for longer amounts of time..I've found a more manageable pace for my day. I've also been looking at what is next in art as I'm just about ready now to choose a new focus.

Weekend begins tonight...the weather is so warm and I've packed away all my light weight clothes? We are going to rent a few movies...last weekend we went to see the "Changeling" but left in the middle...upsetting asylum scenes that didn't sit well with us so if anyone has seen this movie...let me know how it ends. I just leave movies when they are too upsetting...I'm so visual that I can't shake the images.

The Wedding Song

It was our day to remember always. The beauty of ancient rituals, chanting and friends and family reading prayers, signing marriage contracts...all to support us. So important to us were my two sons and Pablo's son and brother standing at each corner of the wedding canopy (chuppah) symbolizing the four corners of the Universe and the covering itself symbolizing Spiritual presence. Most important was my husband's poem:

Wedding Song

Be still and you will hear our song-

The song of an artist and a poet,

Of a woman and man who found

In each other new lyrics for loving

Late in life, two lights within a home

That summon all to come who know God.

From the day we met until today

When we exchange vows and rings,

It's like time has frozen, and all things

Measured have ceased: Only the lull and hum

We hear, only the strumming of distant stars.

Old, dark promises relinquished,

Now we are free to embrace

Tomorrow's brightest moments

--Truly uncommon hours--

When the pendulum stops

And our heartbeats begin.

Listen again, so strong our song

Sung to the tune of kindred spirits,

Played softly and sweetly and slowly,

A song of love like a blossoming flower

Foretelling of marvels as each petal opens,

A song of wonder--our wedding song!

The reception was champagne and refreshments in the Mediterranean style: dolmas, hummus, breads, olives, cheeses, persimmons, figs, dates and nuts. The three layer cake was a gift and the filling was lemon and ollalieberry! Music- piano. The scroll above was our guest book created by friend Florie. Deena was my angel throughout, photography, watchful eye and all other angel activities. One of my happiest days!

The Wedding Invitation

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This was a collaborative creation for sure. I painted and collaged the imagery and Pablo wrote the text. My dear friend Deena photographed and combined our efforts on her computer and worked her magic creating these 4"x9" invitations which fit perfectly in a packet type envelope. On the back of the invitation were two easy to follow maps for out of town guests. She used a program that created a jagged edge on the painting which I think looks great. I believe I was expressing young new love, the robes for me, signified the patchwork of memories and the wine for celebration. In the original you can make out the cardboard, nude drawings and favorite cloths and lace in their robes.The covered heads represent ritual and the moons are for cycle of life. Tomorrow is our anniversary and we will celebrate with a great dinner out! Also tomorrow I will post Pablo's Wedding poem. I'm surprising myself with this blog and all my sharing. Not like me, I'm usually content to reveal through my work...words, expressing in words to the big world is new to me! Never too late!

Can't seem to enlarge the invitation enough to read the text so here is the second paragraph.

You are invited to join us

when we marry the one

we laugh with, dream with,

and deeply love.

We have chosen to continue

our growth through marriage.

Shelter Me

Although I wanted to create more abstract pieces, I seem to be working out oasis as a metaphor with more imagery than I had expected. I had such pleasure putting this canopy (chupah) together using scraps of trims and lace with photo collage. I was married under a beautiful chupah but I think there was a little wish to have created my very own....now I have...at least in collage. This piece measures 18"x18" on a foam core base, potato print, added foam core, lace, acrylic, pencil, colored pencil, soft pastel and photo collage. I have two more large pieces and they are a little more abstract.

Pablo and I had our own journey yesterday, it was an hour drive through the mountains, crowded freeways to our destination...IKEA. Yes, with our cart rolling we picked up Lingonberry jam, mustard sauce, Swedish meatballs, dishtowels , picture frames and a new bread knife. We finished it all off with two $1 soft ice cream cones! On the picture frames...they carry a couple of sizes of square natural wood and black frames...perfect for these foam core pieces and the frames include matt and glass. My clever Pablo bought me two lovely grey metal mesh waste baskets for my computer area and work table. A long hard drive but Oh, the shopping!

"Southwest Wall"

Entering the first oasis for me...placing the water jugs and walls with dark windows...a less than friendly stop but necessary when moving in the unknown wilderness. Metaphorically through my wilderness of regaining my health...an uncharted area for me.
I started to do series with personal meaning years ago. I find a subject that draws me into research, historical, geographical as well as attracting my strong tie with myth, story and spiritual imagery. One series awhile ago had me visiting Venus...love myth, planet info, also visited Mars...planet colors, textures, war God, endings and forgiveness. All this loaded into a few paintings...for me it's a rich experience. My best hope is the viewer of my work be fully engaged in their own story!
"Southwest Wall" measures 17"x17" and is on a foam core base. Photo and cloth collage, acrylic, joint compound, potato print and soft pastel.
Speaking of oasis...Pablo and I are setting off to travel about 50miles north along the coast to a small town, Half Moon Bay where we will take a few days to eat well, read, sleep and enjoy the scenery. We expect rain so that will make the trip even cozier. We will return in time to vote!