Joe & I zipped (and I mean zipped- down on Sunday after work & back on Tuesday) to Santa Fe to meet up with my brother, Win, who is selling his house there & wanted to give me a carved post from India-shown here and a carved panel from a Pakistani dowry chest and a set of mesquite doors. My son Paul asked, “What are you going to do with those!?” (implying that I have too much stuff already!) but as Joe 2 says “That is not the point!” (one of the reasons I love him- he “gets” me!)  I did make plans though, for everything on the 8 hour drive home- mostly revolving around making a new garden- using the doors for garden gates & the Pakistani carved piece for the front of a garden tool shed- the post will go in my kitchen. I love to just sit & think & plan while driving in the car with wide open spaces all around- it gives the head a chance to “breathe”! And this time of year out in Colorado, we are all obsessing about gardening- which for me, at 8,000 feet, can’t really happen until after Memorial Day- unless I want to take the chance that everything will get frost bitten!

We spent the night at the old (right on the Old Santa Fe Trail)Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico- newly renovated & beautiful with 14 foot ceilings, antique furniture, old photos of the area- quite charming!

If I had 5-6 million dollars I would buy up a bunch of cool old buildings there – like the Navajo Textile Building & turn them into galleries, artist studios, antique stores and restaurants.

We poked around town in the morning & discovered a coffee shop/weaving studio, a lovely book store and an antique store filled with all sorts of goodies. My heart raced faster when I found a 1950’s red leather bound book with “wonders of the world” maps in it, for assemblages. One wonder was a picture in the state of Iowa of an old farm truck spraying insecticide on the rows of vegetables- now that does make you wonder how that got into a wonders of the world (!) book!!

On to Santa Fe where the trees were in bloom and

the margaritas & green chile were savored down to the very last bite! I was happy to get a chance to catch up with dear friends & family.

As we headed out of town, my heart & prayers went out to the families & friends who lost their loved ones- teenagers- at this roadside site that is marked with these typical New Mexican memorials. When I pass them I say a prayer for them and one of gratitude, for me, for still being in this beautiful world. I also want to put it out there that if I do die in a car accident that I would like to have one of these memorials with lots of pinwheels!!

My energy is back & I am all over the map- I have 4 color swatches painted 1 foot by 1 foot on my family room wall- it’s spring & time for a color change. I look at all the books, paintings etc. that have to be moved and wonder hmmm..maybe I’ll just live with big color swatches on the wall- its not the painting part- it is the prep- moving stuff, taping off all of the wood etc. that is sooo time consuming!! But by putting the color on the wall I have kind of forced myself into committing to a paint job! I work best under pressure- even if it is only from myself!

I have 3 projects going in the studio- one an assemblage about HOME- home as that place where one is loved, safe, warm- sheltered from the storm; the other a painting about dispelling fear and then a piece about memories which has taken me back on a trip through time. I don’t usually spend much time thinking about the past- in fact I have a little sign above my desk at home that says “Don’t Look Back”. Past is past, no regrets etc. I’ve always felt that looking back pretty much brings up sadness- of kids grown up, grandparents dead, places and friends left behind…but my art piece has to do with really wonderful memories of an annual gathering that we used to do with family and friends & it has been fun to relive them- though a little sad too.

When I was in Hawaii I bought a pendant of a Tree of Life- it made me think that it would be cool to make some pendants from my art images and photos I’ve taken of my folk art collection- I just finished making a bunch that I am selling for $15.00. I have engraved words on the back like dream, love, hope, wisdom, beauty, grace etc.:

and medals too- I love all the ribbons & objects that hang off of military uniforms or those old track medals on ribbons that you can find in flea markets- I thought it would be fun to fool around with making medals for women. I have written affirmations on the back like:”All is Well” etc. :

This is one of my favorites- the woman is from a photo I took of a colonial painting- she looks strong and has a knowing little smile on her face. There is a metal crown piece hanging down that represents inner strength. On the back it says “Life takes care of me in miraculous ways.”

So… though I am a bit over whelmed with all the “To Do”s” I am also really happy that I am back “in” life rather then hanging out on the fringes- thank god for thyroid meds- life does take care of me in miraculous ways!!

After many days of crawling up perilously high stalks of Hollyhocks to chomp on their bitter leaves, while beautiful butterflies danced in the air above her head or daintily sipped flower nectar as she clung on tightly, afraid to fall, the caterpillar finally called out “How does one become a butterfly?” “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” was the reply. “You must be willing to go into the darkest depths & liquefy your very essence before the beauty of your butterfly being emerges into the light.”

This piece is comprised of 5 metal canisters,that come apart to reveal affirmations, colors and elements that relate to their corresponding Chakras. The caterpillar head corresponds to the 6^th Chakra: the Eye of Wisdom or the Inner Eye; and the emerging transformed butterfly corresponds to the final, 7^th Chakra- the Crown Chakra. I chose to use Chakras as symbolic elements in this piece about our path to transformation into a more enlightened being- or just a happier, more balanced human being.

Very simply, a Chakra is a concept referring to whorls of energy permeating from a point on the physical body. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Seven major chakras or energy centers -also understood as wheels of light or color- are generally believed to exist within the subtle body. If you are interested in this concept please do more research because I have simplified the concept greatly.

1. First Chakra: Root Chakra; color: red
   Located at the base of the spine.
   Earth, survival, grounding, stillness.
   It grounds us in the physical world.

Affirmation: I am rooted and grounded in Life. Second Chakra: Sacral Chakra; color : orange

Spleen: Located just beneath the navel, and
related to our sexual and reproductive capacity.
Blockage manifests as emotional problems or sexual guilt.

Affirmation: I am co-creator with the Divine. Third Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra; color: yellow

Navel; Seat of Emotions. Gives us a sense of personal
power in the world. Blockage manifests as anger or a sense of victimization.

Affirmation: I trust the Divine in me.

Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra; color: green

Blockage can manifest as immune
system or heart problems, or a lack of compassion.

Affirmation: My heart is softened and filled with love. Fifth Chakra: Neck or Throat Chakra; color: blue

Communication Center; Tied to creativity and communication.
Feels pressure when you are not communicating your emotions properly.

Affirmation: I express myself. Sixth Chakra: the Third Eye; the Eye of Wisdom; the Inner Eye

Color: indigo; center of forehead
Clairvoyance, psychic abilities, imagination, dreaming

Affirmation: I allow myself to see clearly. Seventh Chakra: Crown Chakra; color: purple

Connects you with messages from higher realms.
Spiritual connection, understanding, knowing, bliss, God

Affirmation: I receive inspiration and spiritual illumination this day.

The Butterfly’s “hair”(felted wool) represents the crown expanding out

The metal embossed back side:

After many days of crawling up perilously high stalks of Hollyhocks to chomp on their bitter leaves, while beautiful butterflies danced in the air above her head or daintily sipped flower nectar as she clung on tightly, afraid to fall, the caterpillar finally called out “How does one become a butterfly?”   “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar” was the reply. “You must be willing to go into the darkest depths & liquefy your very essence before the beauty of your butterfly being emerges into the light.”

I am currently working on an assemblage, “How Does One Become a Butterfly?” The head is attached to a series of metal boxes. I plan to keep it so that one will still be able to open the boxes to reveal the secrets inside. What will be the secrets inside?

I wanted the piece to have segments like a caterpillar and decided to make them out of sheet metal with embossed flowers & vines & birds & butterflies on the segments. First I made patterns out of paper to see how it would fit and how to attach them so the boxes would still come apart.

I think of caterpillars as being green so green she is:

Here she is from the front- right now she reminds me of the Virgin de Guadalupe- with her plump caterpillar legs looking like the Virgin’s rays of light:

and from the back:

next I will work on the butterfly emerging from her crown chakra.

wondering what a fabulist is? please see my previous blog.

I was thrilled- positively thrilled- to set up the 1950’s vintage, aluminum, 93 pom -pom -on -the -branch -ends Christmas Tree with revolving 4 color wheel that I got on E-Bay a few nights ago. It is gorgeous- it makes me giggle- it even came in the original box. And the person who sold it to me, Beth, is awesome- check out her site.

Anyway, with a tree like that I feel like it needed a special ornament. As you know, I was influenced by the Bird Women carvings that I saw in Bali & Java from previous blogs. So…I chopped off another doll’s head (actually from my Burning Man Bike) & inserted it on a glittery, real feathered styrofoam bird body. A little more paint, glitter & sequins & viola:

She needed a friend so I created a smaller one:

I turned her Barbie pony tail into a head tuft- fun!:

This one looks a little more serious, intent on being present!

Sunday I will be hosting my 24th annual Ornament Exchange Party- all of my women friends & I wear vintage dresses and hats and gloves, drink champagne and play a raucous numbers game that involves trading i.e. “stealing” coveted ornaments. I call it the “Non Attachment Game”! My little bird woman wants to join in the fun so I think she will be my ornament this year! The thing with being passionately in love with making & altering things is that it spills over into all of life doesn’t it?

I thought I had embarked on a new series of fable paintings and assemblages when I realized with my latest painting, “Pity the Blind” that I have been there all along. A fable imparts a lesson or sage advice and unlike a parable it often involves animals, plants, inanimate objects and forces of nature that are anthropomorhized- given human qualities. An author of fables is called a fabulist & the word “fabulous”, strictly speaking, pertains to a fable or fables though it has taken on the meaning of outstanding in recent decades.Don’t you just love that word “fabulist”!?

I just finished “Pity the Blind” this week- (and will have professional photos posted on my website soon)

It all began with my trip to Bali & Java last spring & the beautiful relief carvings that I saw of Bird Women with a Tree.  Please see my previous blog for a photo of one of the carvings. What was their story- their meaning? Not knowing, I made up their story: the Bird Women represent the sacred feminine & the tree became the Tree of Life. I chose the postcard “Pity the Blind” because metaphorically, for me & my story, it represented pity for those that are blind to the sacred feminine, to the beauty of this earth & the knowledge of the Tree of Life. The sage advice- given by the Bird Women-”Don’t be blind to all that is part of the Tree of Life including the sacred feminine & have pity for those that are”.

There is a sensuous feminine lotus bud in the center of the tree that blossoms into a lotus flower at the top. In Buddhism the heart of all beings is like an unopened lotus- representing love & compassion.  In Tantrism it is the symbol of the feminine principle. The pink lotus is reserved for the highest deity.The Bird Women are the guardians of the Tree of Life & the messengers of its knowledge for all beings.

The eyes see the knowledge- they are not blinded by ignorance, anger, prejudice or self absorption.There is a lot of texture in this painting- I used stencil paste to create it.

The background has animals- birds, insects, reptiles, water life and plants -painted so that it looks like a worn fresco.

When I was done with this painting I turned my attention to an assemblage that I have been wanting to create that centers around another fable. I took one of the doll heads off of my Burning Man bike & attached it to this old rusty can.

I also began creating another bird woman out of a bird body & a doll head.

I’ll tell you the fable & show the paintngs on the sides of the can of a fierce dragon & silly white unicorn/cow animal next time. I love being a fabulist- how about you!?

Last week I had the good fortune to go to the Loveland Museum (Colorado) to see Laurie Zuckerman’s altar show: Memento Mori and to hear her speak about it. Wow- it knocked my socks off!!! The altar’s are beautiful,disturbing, touching and sometimes funny!! Most of the altar’s are personal, domestic altars that Laurie lives with in her home. I was particularly touched by”Donna’s Altar”-

It is a memorial altar for Laurie’s closest cousin, that died in a car accident just 1 week after her fairy tale wedding and for the sister of her father that died in a flu epidemic. If you get a chance see the show!

I was inspired to go home & revamp my own domestic Memorial Altar-I like being reminded of my loved ones who have gone before me! here is the BEFORE shot:

I’ll share the AFTER shot after I’ve worked on it a bit.

Yesterday my friend, Jolee & I went assemblage artifact hunting in Denver.We drove past the vintage Lakewood Amusement Park: We started at a catholic religious store- very clean, white, dust free, everything in glass cases, priests singing a capella on the music system…I picked up a few things there:

Then we ventured into a different neighborhood to seek out Botanica Yemaya- barred windows, a giant scorpion floating in fuchsia liquid, amulets, rows of candles with magic powers, soap to wash away your sins, signs in Spanish…very, very cool!!! there was an obvious catholic voodoo sort of infusion which I asked the owner about. “No, no voodoo- it is Santeria“and she explained her conversion from Catholicism. I bought all kinds of cool things to use in altars & assemblage pieces.

Candles:

The deep yellow one says “AJO MACHO/GARLIC” on it and on the back it says something in Spanish & then this in English:”Marvelous Male Garlic. Miraculous Garlic that was planted on Mount Calvary where Jesus died to give eternal life and protect us from evil, protect me from demons, enemies and those which intend to kill or hurt me. Assure me of the love of those that surround me. Amen” I love this kind of thing!! my only regret is that of the 12 I bought I didn’t get the one that keeps the “cops” from coming around- I guess I need another visit- though I was assured that they ship if I am in need!

Then there was the jabon- soap- hundreds of varieties but I limited my choice to just three: one to keep away enemies, one to clear out bad luck and another for reversal of fortune:

close ups:

I was a bit careful with the amulets- I did not want to bring any bad juju home- so I chose a good luck one- the hunchback- apparently in Mexico you rub the hunchback’s hunch for good luck- sort of like patting the Buddha’s tummy, the owner assured me.

Last stop of the day was the “Unique Thrift Store” where I found the perfect addition to my Halloween costume (I’ll blog on that later) and these awesome little collectible spoon & fork hors d’oeuvre  servers from Italy- each had a unique figure on top- everything from angels to winged lions. Can’t wait to see what assemblage calls out for their use!!

So, I’m off to Disney World with my Mom & my sister to celebrate our birthdays on Sat.- I find it hilarious that I get to go to Burning Man & Disney World within a month of each other!!

In my previous blog I talked a bit about a book I had read at Burning Man that explained that our lives are basically a hologram that we create- now that I have been home for awhile I have grounded myself in my reality- home, studio, family, friends, work, the Rocky Mountains and I am feeling really grateful!!! I came across this Rumi quote (in a novel by Lily Tuck, “The Woman Who Walked on Water”) which captures how I think our reality works:

“O brother, you are your very thoughts

As for the rest, you are only hair and bone.

If your thought is a rose, you’re a garden of roses.

If it’s a thorn, you’re but fuel for the stove.”

I am really grateful that I am surrounded by so much creativity!! We went to the Bead Show in Denver last week for work, to buy about a third of our annual bead inventory:

We lay the beads out in color families- their colors and textures are gorgeous:

It was the annual Estes Park Open Studios Tour this past weekend- I met some delightful people!!My heart was warmed by a vivacious 80 year old woman who loved my painting “Golden Memories” because it struck an emotional chord in her. She has a daughter with stage 4 melanoma and they had just spent the summer together reminiscing. I had painted this piece right after my youngest son had moved away from home and my dear grandmother, Mimi had died and I was in a swirl of Golden Memories. I feel so blessed when one of my pieces of art work evokes an emotional response in the viewer!!

I turned my living room into a mini gallery:

and I had the opportunity to go through EVERYTHING in my studio and organize it into baggies, drawers and plastic containers:

my Burning Man bike assemblage sort of fell apart so I pulled it off- check out all of the white Playa dust!!:

I washed all of the doll heads off- I am not sure what they will reincarnate as!

Now that my studio is cleaned up and cleared out I can’t seem to stay away from it- I’ve resumed painting on my sacred feminine painting; have started on a new proverb painting:”the higher the monkey climbs the more you can see of his behind”; and I’ve also gotten pieces together for a new assemblage. My Art Process really benefits from having my studio organized yet it is always so difficult to motivate to do it!!! Fall is such a good time for clearing & cleaning & preparing for the inner life of winter don’t you think?

Speaking of fall- it may be over already here- we had a thunder & lightening storm followed by hail & then SNOW!! and it has been cold ever since!!I am sorry to say goodbye to my flowers until next spring!:

Which makes me REALLY grateful that next weekend my Mom & my sister & me are heading down to Disney World in  WARM Fla. to celebrate our birthdays!! It will be fun to compare the Magical Kingdom of Disney World to the magical world of Burning Man all within a month of each other!!

In my last blog about my bike, “Time Flies”, I left off where the doll heads were ripped off their bodies & installed on the copper wings. I have a small collection of lady head flower vases that i love!!

I didn’t want the doll heads on the bike to be gruesome- I wanted them to be pretty in a flower head vase kind of a way yet Burning Manish- yes that is my new word to refer to all things that have the “Burning Man look”.

So I took a bunch of silver metal flowers that are used In Bali for their dancing head dresses- painted them pretty-in-pink

and antiqued them a la Michael deMeng: I needed some lime green to tie in with the wings I will be wearing at night that look like they are flapping-( synchronized electroluminescent lights that Joe made for me on a lime green gauze wing base.  A woman at the last Burning Man came up to me and said:”those are the coolest wings I have ever seen- you look like you are flying and I am not even high!”) so I used some green curly wool that is normally used for felting for hair. It’s done now except for the night lights- can’t wait to ride her out on the playa!!

This assemblage was created especially for “The Common Box Project” as proposed by Abecedarian Gallery in Denver, Colorado. The exhibition opens Thursday July 9th with an Artist’s Reception &CD Listening Party from 7-10 pm on Sat. July 18th – I’d love to see YOU there!!

I was invited to take part in this project, which was created as a way to celebrate the release of the latest music recording of John Common and the Blinding Flashes of Light. The artists were given a box and asked to create a piece inspired by John’s new music. A collaboration between artists!! My inspiration came from one of John’s songs called “The Fall”. This is a song about a man named Jack who did what he was told “…and he moved right in to that typical suburban mold” until “…now he’s smiling and falling. It’s the fall he knew he needed. …But no box could hold Jack’s pearly white soul when he falls for the very last time…”

I interpreted “the fall” as Jack’s release into a different path and better choices in life for him. I used metal embossed labyrinths on the sides to represent the paths we choose in life.

The weight of the world inside the cage presses down on Jack’s head, the bird’s feet are nailed to the floor & bleeding- BUT the ladder symbolizes freedom & escape from oppression. Jack is painted grey to represent “the gray hairs are comin’” . On top of the box Jack’s pearly white soul is falling into a soar of flying, as well as the bird. Falling=Flying.

The back of the box will house the CD and all of the boxes will be for sale. To see more about other participating artists check out the Common Box Blog.

On Thursday July 9th, 2009 the exhibition opens at Abecedarian Gallery in Denver, Colorado at 910 Santa Fe, Unit #1. On Sat. July 18th there will be an Artist’s Reception & CD listening party from 7-10 p.m.