Most of the Christmas decorations are put away and last year is over. Our home became quite the salon last month. We are abundant with friends and our walls have been bursting with creativity and lovely gatherings of eminent folks. I have been blessed in the friend department. Though, I am still cleaning out the residue of unwelcome energy that lived in my studio a year ago. Clearing the space with sage and incense, laughter and good vibrations has been an on going task. Schlepping furniture and organizing art supplies, cleaning with natural concoctions of lavender and vinegar have made it possible to restore order and reclaim my sacred space so the creative inspiration is able to flow with ease. Everything is illuminated and even though I have only managed to complete half of the cleaning process I can already feel my world coming together again and I am reaping the benefits of letting go of the old and embracing what lies ahead, as well as being in the moment ~ one moment at a time.

Everything has an ending so beautiful new beginnings can occur. I have completed most of my commissioned paintings and am ready to ship them this week. I am now looking forward to the next project. My creative cup is full and overflowing. The amount of inspiration that my friends have brought to me is too big to capture in a single drawing or painting. I am so grateful to be on this journey, full of love and light.

Between creative projects and socializing I have been baking breads and cooking up a storm. We have shared the most magnificent meals with some of the most magnificent people who are dear to our hearts. I couldn’t ask for more at this point. While the bread doughs are rising, it gives time to paint and play.

In a world full of challenges and difficulties it is possible to gain and maintain balance through finding the extraordinary within the ordinary. Moving within each moment mindfully, gently and slowly has great rewards. Whether singing my heart songs with my art or cleaning, cooking, or kneading bread dough, every movement taken is enough reason to celebrate.

Ah…. LIFE….. with it’s ups and downs and all around.

Still I rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

~Maya Angelou

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~

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!

“Fish in the sea, you know how I feel ~ River running free, you know how I feel ~ Blossoms on the tree, you know how I feel”

I apologize to my close friends and social circle for not being available very much lately. As much as I would love to keep on top of things, I am having such a difficult time achieving that goal. Many things are changing in my home life. People and things are shifting around making way for changes in the flow and rhythm of my life. This is all good. I am doing my best to stay balanced in a raging river. My focus is on my art and I’m channeling my energy into that full time.

There is an abundance of art shows to prepare for and projects lining up, so this has left little time for my social life. The good news for me is that painting and creating is my passion. It is PURE BLISS. I LOVE getting lost in the whole dance of painting and creating something that I have not created before. I am always surprised at the completion of each painting, as I rarely know where I am going with it as I wonder through the creative process. Each painting is a stranger and we become acquainted as the images emerge and begin to form its story along the way. It is definitely a trippy journey. Even if I reproduce a painting, they are never quite exactly alike. The messages or words, subjects and designs may be the same, but they always morph into their own uniqueness. ~ In an artful journey there are so many metaphors to life ~ Very similar to gardening, I find.

So……. I can’t really say too much at this time, but there are some changes occurring around here that will enable me to move into my new, bigger studio space. That will also be key to a BRAND NEW, EXCITING opportunity! Until then, I am just enjoying the flow and my life in it and waiting on the Universe to guide me to the next place.

~*~

“Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don’t you know
Butterflies all havin’ fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That’s what I mean

And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel”