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My goals for the new year always seem to formulate early, so it comes as no surprise that the last few weeks have been filled with thoughts of what needs attention or change in 2015. My goal for this next year is to address the fear that comes with a certain kind of uncertainty. Some …
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One of the many talented women to take my recent Gelli printing workshop was Helen McGill, San Diego Book Arts member, yoga instructor and mixed media artist. Helen is currently enthused about combining textile and paper, and was able to demonstrate this cool technique at the workshop. The other day, she sent us a note …
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I can remember when I heard my first episode of This American Life in 1997. The episode: Food Chain in a New York City Apartment. I specifically remember the story from it about a woman raising bugs in her New York City apartment. The story was told in a way that was both interesting and disturbing, the …
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Earlier this month, I had the great fortune of seeing Marianne Williamson speak in person at a Chopra Center event in Carlsbad. She is one of my most loved teachers. I often find myself turning to her books for comfort through crisis or to ease my everyday worries. But seeing and experiencing her in person …
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When I started scheduling Gelli print classes to teach last summer, the classes seemed to fill without even announcing them. My first class practically filled as soon as I mentioned it to one of the San Diego Book Arts members at our first community potluck. Word spread quickly. For the first class, long time SDBA …
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We often make art an individual experience, but over the years, I have found that my best work comes out of collaboration. Working with other artists stretches you to try new things and allows you to see your work from the perspective of others. It also gives individuals the opportunity to blend their abilities with the insight of others. …
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I am beyond excited to share my new panels with you. After the success of the designs I released this summer, I decided it was time to get back into the studio and create even more images that mix spiritual elements with fun and fabulous colors. Over the years I have cultivated a style that …
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Getting more than I bargained for! That should have been the title for this amazing workshop. I’ll admit, I was hesitant about taking this class. I’m into paper, not fabric, and my sewing machine was a little dusty from lack of use. (I wasn’t even sure if it would work). I like constructing books but …
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Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust The other day, we received this thank you note in the mail from a customer. This sweet note made us truly grateful to have customer’s who love the work we create. Thank you …
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Every great business, has great partnerships. And we’re always excited about the new developments in our relationship with The Chopra Center in Carlsbad, CA. After having great success with our hand-finished, individual Sutra panels, we are happy to announce that we are now offering these designs as greeting cards. The series was designed as a limited edition and …
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Lovely presentation now in stores. We are now carrying individually wrapped bookmarks to accompany our greeting cards. These clear bags make it easier for customers to display their inventory. Bookmarks can either be hung on a peg board or placed in a container. If you would like to purchase these or any of our other …
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Held Friday October 3, 2014 at Joan Crone’s Lark Street Studio in San Diego, this was the second Gelli printing class that I offered to members of the SDBA. San Diego Book Arts, an organization that I belong to, and seem to be very involved with these days. The group is made up of folks …
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I am so excited. The first order for 108 greeting cards happened today. 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. Having personally experienced the effects of the purification ritual of 108 sun salutations, I can vouch for the power of that number. After the process I experienced such clarity of …
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Fellow SDBA* member Gina Pisello gave a mini workshop on folding. This is the sample I made in her workshop. It’s called a Blizzard fold. It’s quite complicated and even with instructions I am not sure I’ll be able to duplicate it. But it was so fun. And dear, patient Gina is so adept at …
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High on a hill, overlooking the coastline of north county we gathered to share, learn and play. Since I cannot contain myself, I am now showing others what fun it can be to play, be spontaneous and see what happens. All in the name of Gelli printing. Eight attendees came to my first class… it …
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According to Pema Chödrön, “To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” This speaks to me deeply. Learning new techniques, new processes and new materials keeps my creative engine sharp… constantly thinking up new things to make or how to adapt. I love “LEARNING“. Pictured …
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Friends complain that I am never available, always busy doing or learning something new. This weekend was no exception. I spend the whole day Sunday learning “Dyeing Silk Shibori Style with Indigo”, in San Diego with Ruth Eileen Dorn. What can I say… I love learning new tricks. I will photograph my scarfs (and t-shirts) …
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See the video! I am so excited to announce that starting July 1, 2014 we will have 36 greeting cards and 12 bookmarks available for purchase and for sale (wholesale vendors). Details to come. Stay tuned. You can also see all the card images.
How many times have I uttered those words! It’s the way I view the world… everything is a sign… even when it isn’t! HA! But this will be a sign… I have just started putting together a bunch of images and as soon as I return from New Orleans I am going to start this …
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Madness… yes, madness. What else could it be? From the time I get up in the morning, until I go to bed at night! All I want to do is make Gelli prints… it’s a phase, right? I haven’t had this much fun in years. It’s frustrating too, don’t get me wrong because I end …
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Rather than fret about why I haven’t posted in ages… let me just say this… I have a new addiction that is consuming me. GELLI PRINTING. I am LOVING the process. Whenever I have a free moment… I get into the studio and start printing. It is meditative and allows me to simply “play”. I …
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If you’ve practiced yoga, the “practice” generally starts with an Om incantation. We chant Om to align ourselves with our higher self, God and the Universe. It is calming, centering and energizing. It is often chanted with “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” meaning peace. Pranayama (breathing asana) then follows… Om has it’s roots in Hinduism. This symbol …
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Imagine my delight when Roger arrived with this canvas wrap today! He was so excited and I was thrilled. The color (which is better in real life), looks almost identical to the original. We are going to have these available in teal, a gold/brown and red! The original is about 16 x 12. The fine …
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Is the Bodhisattva, Buddha? The figure in this image is a Bodhisattva. Is it Buddha? A Bodhisattva is the “not yet awakened” Buddha, an ordinary seeker who has decided to live his or her life on a path to Buddha. Most people follow their desires or karma. For a Bodhisattva, the motivation for living is …
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From a very young age, spiritual and intuitive matters have intrigued me and held my interest. I come from a family of “sensitive” women who were always telling fortunes and reading cards. My mom was extremely intuitive, read cards, and always had an uncanny way of “knowing” things. She passed this “sensitivity” down to me. …
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Today was a glorious day in San Diego. Perfect weather and a perfectly good time… spent with fellow artists (12 of us total) taking a 2-day workshop with Laura Wait. I am really looking forward to completing the book project tomorrow… lots of ideas, new methods and approaches, which will surely show up in my …
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The art of “letting go”… continues at a mad pace, here in the studio. I haven’t had this much fun since I was kid. Really! I have been practicing letting go of fear, a little at a time. I read about this in Pema Chodron’s book, Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and …
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Letting go is the motto of the month. Not just “any” letting go, but specifically letting go of “making mistakes”. It is truly impossible to express oneself through art without the willingness to MAKE MISTAKES!!!! But I caught myself, and on more than one occasion, wanting to lay down a line of ink, or scribble …
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Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, says “By opening access to the part of your mind that works in a style conducive to creative, intuitive thought, you will learn a fundamental skill of visual arts; how to put down on paper what you see in front of your eyes …
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The following quote was offered to me by a fellow graphic designer/artist (Janice McDonald) to assist me in cultivating patience when being an “artist” is a struggle for me. “…it is reasonable to imagine that there are many artists living under cover, in a kind of witness protection program, in the realm of design. I’ve …
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Mistakes. Making mistakes, the lack of making them and the being okay with making them. Letting go. Seeing what happens. Work in a new medium, and test the boundaries. Being okay with making something that no one likes, needs to have or wants to buy, it’s all okay. It’s even okay if I don’t like …
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Playing with color, new materials and experimenting with friends is the name of the game… Saturday, I needed a boost… to offset the contraction of the opening of my show “Luminous” (which was a blast, but the aftershock is always a bummer). So I headed to San Diego and met up with Kathy and Lydia …
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The life of a “visual creative” seems expected to me, having always lived my life this way. We creatives, have certain tendencies which make us comfortable with one another. We feel at home in each other’s living space, generally filled with hand-made things, walls covered in art and bric-a-brac collected from our travels. We love …
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Click here and listen… while you read this post. The rain always signifies a fresh start to me, a clean slate. The sounds of the rain falling, gushing out the drains, splashing as cars drive by and the constant, steady drone of sleep inducing sound. The color; vibrant, intense, altered pigment of plants in the …
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At the Encinitas library, one evening, last year, I overheard Greg Brown talking about cyanotypes and asked if he’d teach me how to make them. In exchange, I offered to teach him how to make monotypes, my specialty. We struck a deal, and an instant friendship was formed. Over several months we learned each others …
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The unveiling. I am overjoyed to be sharing this with you. I spend my life communicating through images. The work presented here is informed by my exterior travels to exotic places like India, Morocco and the desert. The overlapping layers in my work represent my travels inward on the path to self knowledge. They express …
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Anything is possible… don’t “qualify” yourself. Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) was recommended by a printmaking friend, as an artist I should research, because of the breadth of style which he explored and mastered throughout his career. Not one to dismiss his muse, Diebenkorn allowed the process to change course radically, and often. He was a master …
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As promised, some lucky so-and-so would take home this lovely Giclée on Valentine’s day. The winner is “Pol Stafford”. His name was randomly selected and I know that Ganesh will have a good home with Pol. Thanks to all of you who entered… and be on the lookout for our next give-away!
See the Video: I love to travel. I wish I did it more. Sometimes I just get in the car and go. One of my favorite places on earth happens to be close by, so I feel gratitude for having Joshua Tree within driving distance because it’s one of the most magical places on earth. …
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The news came, while I was en route from Joshua Tree to Encinitas yesterday morning. A sadness came over me. “Leonard Knight died in his sleep early this morning”, the voice announced. Leonard created Salvation Mountain. He dedicated his life to God, his message of Love and creating this magical place. Salvation Mountain, just east …
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I love Ira Glass. I can remember the first time I heard Ira’s voice on This American Life (for those of you who don’t know who he is… he hosts This American Life out of Chicago). I can remember the show (although not the title)… and the story about a guy who raised bugs in …
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