Sizzle in the Studio

It's been quite the winter in an area where we rarely see the birdbath freeze.

There was a great collection of snowmen in the paper the other day and I thought I'd share this great image.

On the art front it's been sizzling... many great projects percolating in the studio and openings galore.

There was a wonderfully attended multi-gallery opening last Sunday at the new experimental Art Space in Pembroke Mall. My work is in my friend Debi Stadlin Studio where I have one large canvas tapestry titled 'Talking to Trees', a series of mantras and three painted benches.

Tonight my large canvas titled 'The Wish Fulfilling Tree' is being shown in the inaugural exhibition at the spanking new Art/Culinary Institute here in Virginia Beach. Tonight is also the opening where I am invited guest artist in Ohio at the Tri-C/Ursuline College Art Therapy graduations exhibit and 'Simplicity Symposium'.

The opening for Shooting Star Gallery is this Friday and also the opening in Brooklyn, New York for the Art House Sketchbook #4 Project.

Sunday I'll be presenting a talk and a workshop at Unity Fellowship in Newport News.

It's such fun to simply keep on keeping on...lovin' life.

Celebrate the Day

live oaks on the bay

It's been a wonderful time of working on multiple projects in the studio.

Each year I write an article that pertains to the creative energy of the coming year, posting it with my pals David and Sandra over at the wonderful Zodiac Arts.

Finished my first Art House Sketchbook Project sent off on time and completed...whew! I was wondering if that would actually happen. Included here are a trio of sketches.

Next came the completion of the new large painting for Tri-C and Ursuline College Art Therapy 'Simplicity' Symposium...four paintings shipped out via FedEx yesterday for that annual event at which I am the invited guest artist. ...thank you all for including my work once again...it always is a coming home for me.

From FedEx I drove over to the Office of the Purchasing Agent in downtown Norfolk to hand over two hefty packets containing proposals for the Norfolk Light Rail Public Art project. There is a Public Art commission call for 1-9 artists to design windscreen and pavement medallions for the stations. I went to the meeting two weeks ago and decided to throw my hat into the ring. There is a tremendous amount of preparation required in compiling all the necessary pieces and parts to satisfy the commission requirements and of course there is also stiff competition. Now we wait and see.

A new series of studios start this week at the magnificent Contemporary Art Center of Virginia. For the winter semester I'm offering Contemporary Retablo/ExVoto and Saturday in the Studio along with a day long Beginning Blogging for Artists a few weeks from now.

I am grateful each day for all that I have been given in this life and for all that can be shared from a place of creative joy and compassion for all living beings.

May you have a week of walking your path in grace and simple beauty.

Steps and Stages

I'm honored to be invited once again to be the guest artist at the Ursuline College Art Therapy and Counseling Department /Cuyahoga Community College Pre-Art Therapy Dept. Tenth Annual Exhibit, Lecture and workshop. This year the theme is Simplicity: Creating a Vision of Doing More with Less.

This is 72 x 44" unstretched canvas tapestry is in process. It can be seen in an earlier stage in the last post...included here are a few details.

Lately I've been inspired, in my work, to pare things down. Simplicity and simplifying are concepts that I have embraced, in terms of this artist's lifestyle, for many decades.

Even so I have not often applied the idea to my use of color. I suppose more than anything else I am a colorist. I am intoxicated by rich and layered hues. So I'm experimenting and simplifying the colors within this painting. First using a customary riot of color and then applying layers of glazes to 'fog' or quiet down the color range.

I enjoyed realizing that the planet Neptune, which is often thought of as 'a fog' is coming to kiss my sun for the one and only time in my life and, perhaps as a result, I find myself particularly enamoured these days by all things natural... when seen through a veil of mist...the idea of being cocooned and contained within fog simply thrills me.

There are two other canvas that will be traveling along with this one and hopefully they will be posted in the next few days...in bold contrast.

Thank you so much for any comments you may have regarding this unfolding.
Happy day.

Today's Mantra

Hot n steamy here at the beach. Perfect day to be in the studio playing with papers giving a large painting a new kind of life in a small 'mantra' format. I may have about 10 of these babies going with me by the time I'm ready to pack.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park Creativity Salon of September 20 is filling and the night before there's a great group of "Art Junkies" with whom I will share 'HALT, Metta and the Bodhichitta Heart' . I presented a similar workshop at Ursuline College in February during 'Rejuvenation' though I make it a point of not repeating format or exact content so we're all discovering something spontaneous and fresh.

I'm researchin' soft roof top carriers for my little wagon. There's a feeling that all the gear can get there for ten days of fun in Ohio.

Workshop at Ursuline College

Please join me for the REJUVENATION workshop:
'HALT, METTA and the BODHICITTA HEART '
at Ursuline College – Fritzsche Building
2559 Lander Rd. Pepper Pike, OH 44124

1pm. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2008



Call: Ursuline College: 440 646 8139 for information/registration

Conversation and exploration for the caregiver:

· RELEVANT, INTROSPECTIVE AND JOYFUL JOURNALING/DRAWING EXERCISES

· REFRESHING WAYS TO SHARE WITH YOUTH AND ADULTS IN RECOVERY

· WHERE / WHEN YOU CAN PUT HALT, METTA AND BODHICITTA skills into practice.

Rejuvenation

I am so happy to have been invited to exhibit and present at:

URSULINE COLLEGE GRADUATE ART THERAPY AND COUNSELING DEPT. & CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT PRESENT:
THE 8th ANNUAL ART EXHIBIT

REJUVENATION:
RENEWING AND HEALING FOR CAREGIVERS & PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS


INVITED GUEST ARTIST
DONNA IONA DROZDA

OPENING FEB. 7
7-9 PM.


GALLERY EAST
4250 RICHMOND ROAD
HIGHLAND HILLS OHIO 44122

Healing for the Healers

Katie Kern-Pilch and Mary Sender at Ursuline College ArtTherapy Graduate Program http://www.ursuline.edu/academics/graduate/atc/
have invited me to take part in the February 2008 exhibition 'Healing for the Healers'.

Jyoti a spiritual healer and founder of the Center for Sacred Studies in California http://www.sacredstudies.org/index.html and Larry Terkel, author of Small Change: It's the Little Things in Life that Make a Big Difference http://www.larryterkel.com/ will present keynotes.
I'm just beginning a new series and so it will be grand to have a place for some of the first pieces to be seen and shared with my friends in Cleveland.