Blood on the Maple--Itajime

That's what it looked like, when the red dye splattered on the silk. I had already printed a maple leaf on the 8" square piece and was trying to enhance it. Oh no! The red dye looks like blood! Blood on the maple.

Well, Hm. Can I save this piece? Blood on the Maple. Catchy. Reminds me of a conversation this morning with Tim Baer. Tim is feeling really frustrated about the environmental degradation which is destroying our planet. What can we do? What can anyone do?

Seems I heard a rumor that Bill Moyer, of the Backbone Campaign, is doing something. He worked to  put a community solar project on Vashon Island, and ran into so much red tape that investors were discouraged. He is now focused on  changing the laws and codes that make such a projects so difficult to pull off.  Go Bill!

How can I support Bill Moyers's work?

Um.... Blood on theMaple. Show coming up at the Vashon Tea Shop, small pieces, leaf prints on itajime dyed silk. What if I donate all profits to the Backbone campaign? I just need about $80 to pay for materials, and I can donate the rest of the proceeds. Maybe I can sell some of the pieces on line as well. I would like to raise $500 at least.

 I think I have over 100 hours in these pieces. I am quite willing to donate that time. It's a "first fruits" thing, my first project of 2013. You know, that Bible passage where God wants a sacrifice to Him of the first fruits of our labors? Or maybe it's a commandment? I've always liked that idea, and I think supporting work to care for God's creation qualifies as giving to the Divine.

Will you join me in supporting Bill Moyer and the Back Bone Campaign? Good planets are hard to find; we need to care for this one!

Making Bad Art--Itajime

Sometimes things just don't come out right! I'm on a deadline trying to get some new work done for a show, and ....Arg!! Nothing looks good! I have to keep reminding myself: sometimes you just have to make bad art before the good art comes out.

I do get discouraged, though. I want the dyes to behave! and not to seep under the clamps and under the wax! Maybe I just need to do art for myself for awhile and not try to make art to sell. I want to do some abstract work on silk, and use stamps and embellishments.

Real People: Who Says Men don't Wear Silk?

Rifaat is wearing one of my Orca Scaves

Rifaat (aka Rich Osborne) is one true hearted man! He is one of those people who have been through several life changes and manage to come back right. He started out as a ballet dancer , and has been a restauranteur, a contractor, a water treatment  specialist, and is now selling a premium grade of extra virgin olive oil ("orgyvoo") at a price even I can afford.

You will find Rifaat (All Things Rich) at the Freemont Sunday Market in Seattle, braving wind and rain to bring you his products. Here he sits on the stairs he built with my sons, replacing the rikkety ones I didn't dare let anyone use.

Beginning the New Year with Introspection

At the beginning of every year, I schedule time for reflection, introspection, and goal setting. This year, I am re-doing Hello Soul Hello Business, with many of my classmates.

 I just finished the excersizes on peak experience and on people, and compared them to when I first took the class. Last January I used a sailing experience as my Peak Experience, and what jumped out was adventure, freedom, independence, and service. I found that the spiritual dimension is more profound this year, as I have been blessed with some wonderful experiences, both with nature and with other people.

I used my Solstice visit with the Bard (Barred) Owl as my peak experience. It was an inward experience. I had gone into the Place of 5 Cedars with my Love, feeling broken open and extremely vulnerable. Visiting with the owl made me feel honored, connected with the Divine Force that imbues all of life. Trust for my Love who guided me there, trust for the Divine, the owl's trust and openness to us, allowed me to open more fully to experiencing and serving that Spiritual Force called Allah, or Jehovah, or Yawha, or Jesus, or ?

 Compassion, courage, and service are still top. Family is still important. Creativity and intelligence are high. Intuition. Wisdom. 3 words were definitely NOT enough to capture what is important to me.

Now to focus on creating and on business for the next few days--and on family and self-care. My hands have a lot to do!

Journey Through Stories

 I'm basically a storyteller. I fell in love with stories and illustration as a child, and lately my paintings on silk all have stories.

Butterfly Lovers print available on etsy

I began painting on silk late in 2009, when I returned from China with stories to tell. The first stories on silk were Chinese folk tales and poetry, then stories from my life began to appear, and friends' stories: the loss of a child, that glorious walk in a magical madrona forest with my beloved, the death of a husband, the first days when a newborn comes into the family. 

On Friday, January 11, from 7pm-9pm, I will tell you some of these stories -- casually, as people show interest-- at the Pninney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave, Seattle. 

January 11

7-9 pm

Phinney Center, 2nd floor

6532 Phinney Ave, Seattle

Real People: Joanna Weibe

Joanna is wearing one of my shibori dyed silk scarves

 I want to introduce you to some of the people who inspire me, people like my good friend Joanna Last-Wiebe.

Joanna Last-Wiebe is a woman who centers her life in Love and Spirit while working in the corporate world.  She's been through some hard times as a single mom, when food for her children was not a given. She's had her years of living wild, as a young woman. Now she is a home owner whose work as a graphic designer of web sites is seen around the world, and a fantastic artist!

Joanna says:
"There was a time when I was a lonely, scared young woman who had dropped out of college to give birth to a baby I had decided to give up for adoption. Eventually I finished school and became one of the first designers for the World Wide Web, and designed software applications that are used around the world. But I value most of all that I have had a chance to practice the skills and principles of loving and being loved with many people over the years, including my son, with whom I was reunited in 1996. My book, BIrth Mother, is available at http://amzn.com/1463729375"