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I had an appointment with the doctor this morning and after that was taken care of, my friend and I cruised over to the Cosanti Foundation to take a relaxing stroll through the property. Surrounded by the beauty of the structures and sounds of the bells, we sat under the olive trees immersed in our thoughts. This place takes me completely away from the hustle and bustle of the city and reconnects me with Arcosanti, where my heart always lies waiting for me to return. Whenever I have to make an appointment or run an errand I believe that going somewhere outside of the mundane task at hand always adds spice to the daily grind. It helps to time travel a little and create a beautiful memory along the way. Above, are only a few photos captured, but if you are interested in watching a slideshow with music that fit the vibe of the experience,  you can CLICK HERE.

Remember to take the scenic route the next time you have to go somewhere routine. Your heart will be happy and it will thank you for it!

Tah Dah! I met my deadline and the “En El Jardin De Frida” is hanging in the Phoenix Frida’s Folk Art Exhibition at 500 south Mill Avenue. It runs from March 5th through July 14th. It was next to impossible to take good photos through the windows of the installation and it was still in progress when I left, so no actually photos of the finished installation. Sorry!

Today I am back to making more coloring books. I have a couple of huge wholesale orders. Thank goodness for good friends ~ a dear friend is coming over to help me put these together and get them on their way. I think that I have some of the best friends in the world and am very fortunate to be surrounded by the light and love of wonderful people. One friend, in particular, is always there to lend a helping hand. She has been with me all the way through the brain surgeries and beyond. When I am feeling discombobulated, she is there to keep things going smoothly. ~ I feel a retreat coming in our near future!

A basket of my cards with paper mache ornaments hang by one of the studio doors.

A row of small paintings also hang by the door above the basket of cards.

Today was spent in the studio painting my Frida (”el jardin de frida”) painting that will soon be hanging at the downtown Tempe post office window in The Phoenix Fridas folk art installation. A couple of friends visited and broke up the day a little, it was a lovely break hanging out with friends in the studio. And, of course, tonight I turned to find Harvey sleeping peacefully in the big chair. It is said that when you cast a spell under the watchful eye of a cat it is certain to work. Well, I don’t know how watchful Harvey was but I would like to think that my paintings are my way of casting good spells on the planet!

So, I will keep painting along until I arrive at a stopping place. All of the details are painted last. That is when the real fun begins! I will keep you posted on the final piece.

~Viva La Vida~

I’m feeling domestic and I am LOVING my home today, more than ever it seems like. I made a red velvet cake from scratch and it is DELICIOUS. My main motivation was that I really just wanted to heat up the oven and fill the house with great kitchen smells. I have been cooking a lot lately and having a wonderful winter while it is still here. Just thought I’d share this moment of what taking a break from painting looks like in my world! Ha! This is actually the first time that I have made this from scratch and my first butter cream icing. It was a very grounding experience.

MMM… winter white looks good with red.

Last Saturday at the Farmers Market was a delightful experience. The rainclouds were building by early morning when we arrived and refrained from bursting open until we left. Because of the weather the attendance was low, which made for easy grocery shopping and a larger choice of veggies. We usually get there when it opens so we have a better choice of produce. My bag was so heavy in no time and I was so delighted to pour out the beautiful array of this week’s meals when I got home.

Before returning to my house, my friend and I had a long visit at my sister’s. We had breakfast and sat on the patio while it was raining. It was a chilly rain with the wonderful aroma of breakfast wafting from the kitchen. LOVED IT!

It is supposed to continue to drizzle and dump throughout the first part of the week. Absolutely my favorite kind of weather. It is perfect for cooking, painting, and most anything that relates to ‘home’.

We have a winner! Jes McCullough ~ http://saharaskydesign.blogspot.com/ ~ Hilo had a great time choosing from so many “paper balls”! he pulled out the winning paper and the weirdest thing of all is that I won Jes’s giveaway! Insert the Twilight Zone music here. Wow. I won her beautiful handmade bag that I really wanted. It took my breath away when I opened the paper that Hilo grabbed out of the basket and saw that it was from the same person who pulled my name. Life is so strange sometimes. I really love it when these kind of things happen.

Thank you to all of you who visited my blog and entered my OWOH giveaway. It was so fun visiting so many blogs that I would have otherwise probably not found. I have met some truly delightful and wonderful people through this event. I look forward to following my new found blogger friends.

I am guessing that I will be playing a lot of paper ball games with Hilo this week!

~Peace, Love, Dove~

Monday, Feb. 15th my cat, Hilo (named after the city in Hawaii) will be choosing the winner of the OWOH giveaway.

The random number generator is too confusing and technical ~ so, instead, I printed out the comments, numbered and named, cut them into strips of paper, wadded them up into over 100 balls and tossed them into a basket. If you are a last minute entry, your name will still be included, you have until midnight Arizona time, Sunday, Feb.14th! Hilo loves to play “paper ball”, this is when I crumble up a piece of paper and throw it and he brings it back to me. This is repeated until I get tired! Sometimes, when he wants to play, he brings me a wad of paper to throw for him. His eyes were as big as saucers when he saw the huge pile of paper balls on my desk this afternoon! Of course, he grabbed them and picked them up in his mouth, having a hay day. Monday I will let him have the basket and pull one out. I’ll take photos and post them with the winner’s name.

This just seems like a lot more fun and much easier than the computerized method. I know that Hilo will love it!

Good luck and I’ll contact you if you win and post your name, blog site, etc on my blog on Monday.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S Day!

Hawk medicine flew into my stormy, Tuesday morning as I prepared my gardens for flowers and planted bell peppers and strawberries in containers. Hawk is “The Messenger”, teaching us to examine life from a higher perspective giving us a broader view as we circle over our own lives. The Red Tail Feathered Hawk is my earth totem. Hawk medicine people are aware of omens and messages from the spirit. I am mystified and in great awe whenever I see a hawk. I feel some kind of deep connection to them, feeling that there is something that I need to pay attention to when they fly into sight. Although they are quite common in Arizona, they are not as common in the big city. Occasionally you will see them circling overhead caught in a tailwind or searching for food in the middle of Phoenix, but they are much more abundant in the outlaying areas, in the low and high deserts. Shortly after this great morning magic, I retreated to my room and pulled out my Medicine Cards. Medicine in the Native American tradition is “anything that brings personal power, strength, and understanding.”The number 2 card in the deck begins with the poem;

Hawk…  Messenger of the sky,

Circle my dreams and teach me

The message as we fly.

“Hawk has a keen eye and a bold heart, for Hawk flies close to the light of Grandfather Sun.” Although I did a short “Butterfly Reading” and the Hawk card was not pulled during the reading, I still felt that it held some significance due to Hawk’s morning visit as it circled over me for quite awhile. Generally, the first sign of a nearby Hawk is the scattering of all of the smaller birds. ~ just fascinating ~

After I did the reading, I laid down for a short nap thinking about the Frida painting that I need to complete for an installation window display in downtown Tempe with the Phoenix Fridas. The installation date is March 4th, I have a 36″x36″ blank canvas. After falling into the dream time, I awoke with creativity raging through my veins. AH! Finally, I knew that some sort of inspiration would appear at the perfect time. Up until this morning my head was as blank as the canvas. The ideas and designs flowed through my little pencil stub, only stopping for a moment to realize how different this painting is materializing than most of the others. The process feels familiar, yet foreign at the same time. I am chalking it all up to Hawk medicine, giving credit where credit is due. There is even a deer in the painting, the first time that I have ever painted one. Deer medicine is “gentleness”, but that is a whole other story and I won’t go into that! I LOVE taking cues from animals and nature. It definitely adds magic to the journey.

“Have the colors of the morning inspired you to create?”

After the end of the turmoil of disgruntled boarders, I spent the morning repairing the neglect and damage done in my garden outside of the new studio. I gave up control of my garden along with the studio space to the people staying here and it was a huge mistake, other than the fact that I have a new starting point again. We are expecting more rain today, so I moved our compost  and discovered the most beautiful “black gold” at the bottom, lots of lizards and decay. It was a glorious, little eco system at work. It will take some time but I am determined to have the most wonderful flower garden ever! The space used to be an abundant cottage garden and has taken many turns since I was put out of commission in 2006. Little by little it will come full circle. I am just a little slower now.

The completion of my new studio sign is a confirmation that I am here to stay and create and be free again in my sacred space. The wee hours of the morning call me into the studio quite often where I can fall into my art. After the roosters in the neighborhood begin to crow with the breaking of the dawn, the gardening begins. I am in the preparation stage but a trip to Baker Nursery yesterday motivated me. I will replace the ten year old rosemary plant that once flourished and then met it’s demise under the ignorance and carelessness of the last, less than ambitious, “gardeners”. This is truly a new beginning. A morning spent at the nursery is pure inspiration, dreaming of all of the possibilities that will soon be in place. However, the work is a part of the journey and I am grateful to be able to take these steps.

It is a magical mystery tour on the planet, baby…… roll up!