SO BLUE

 So not feeling blue as in down and depressed, but nevertheless this piece IS so blue.

Once monthly workshops continue with one tomorrow, March 10th. With a full house, I am looking forward to see what will come from the creative time together.

We have been starting off with making at least one piece using prompts. This month the prompts will be the color blue, a number, text, stripes, and one circle.  I had some time to create while watching the State of the Union speech so went ahead and made mine ahead of time. Actually, this will give me more time to spend with students so not a bad idea.

These workshops really fill my soul and I cannot imagine not doing them. Wonderful friendships have arisen from these times together and some folks return many times. It is a great way to gather together....I think. And the words "far beyond the ordinary lies the unforgettable" is oh, so apt.

THEN... AND NOW

then

now

Way back in the dark ages--2008 to be exact--Suzette Rosenthal and I were co-teaching for the Sawdust Art Festival spring and autumn workshops. These were long days--two of them--that required a day of setting up and tearing down at each end. 

At some point we looked at each other and asked if there was perhaps an easier way. Thus was born the Mixed Media Playtime Sunday Studio Workshop plan. We moved the whole operation (and that includes a multitude of fodder and tools) to my home studio. It  worked well for us and was sooo much easier physically. And when Suzette moved to Broomfield, Colorado I just went on with the program.

Over the years so many wonderful folks have attended these workshops. Always the camaraderie is delightful and the "play" yields a multitude of artwork, friendships, and so much more.

I have to thank Sherry Mitchell for the picture from the past and for reminding me of all the joys that have followed me through these years.

Blessings galore!!

FULLNESS

Making the happy more visible...I feel this is what happens with the coming of spring. And rather than dwell on the horrific of news cycles, the happy that spring brings out is what I will choose.

There's a tingling in the air and in our veins as early signs of spring arrive. The days seem fuller and richer. Joy joins the tingling...and off we go.

Breathe. Relax. Listen. Let go. These seem so much easier to do of late, even as the world and nature and human nature continue to throw the adverse our way. 

Is it just the pervasive birdsong or the flittering about of tiny goldfinches and wrens? Could it be the warm sunshine and cool breezes or the sparkle on the water? Maybe it is the rich deep color of buds on the branch or the whir of the hummingbirds' wings that bring on the delight of springtime.

People are getting out more, to walk, to dine, to mingle (safely, I trust) and this, too, lends some joy to the season. Plans are being made to play, to create, to join together in small gatherings. The longer days seem to call for filling up to the brim with springtime delights. The world begins to shine. SHINE ON!!

FALL OR FLY??

Doesn't this say it all?

 Rain gave way to sunshine gave way to rain gave way to sunshine....It's just that kind of a day. This got me thinking about changes (yes, again) and how often we fear both what is  and change as well.

Seneca, the Roman philosopher, said that if we let things terrify us life will not be worth living. So you are terrified of falling? Well, what if you fly? And there is always that possibility, isn't there?

Sure, we have economic woes aplenty, covid-19, discontent among so many, and more. But how should we approach these?  As if we will fail or is there to be hope that we can succeed in moving toward better times?

Even as we face these challenges there is so much to which we can open ourselves...if only we choose to do so. Hope and optimism can work in tandem with wisdom to surpass the negative. 

Ever hopeful on this changeable day, i look forward to both the sun and the rain. It's all part of an exquisite moment to moment life of joy and sorrow and back to joy, after all.

AND ON THE HORIZON...

Early morning horizon line

As 2019 draws to a close I find myself pondering what there might be just on the other side of the horizon line. What do I want? What do I think is there?

Creative ideas seem to abound. Doubt there is anywhere near the time to fit them all in, but considering all of them is part of the process of choosing. And half (or maybe even more) of the fun.

On the horizon are some things over which it feels I may have little or no control. Still, how they are handled is an area where I hold the reins for myself.

And, speaking of choosing...healthy choices, on so many levels, are right at the tip-top of any list I might make for myself. Continuing with, and adding to, daily exercise. Eating those leafy greens and other good choices could be pushed even further. Blessed with good health, I am reluctant to squander it, that is for sure.

Enjoying more sunrises. Basking in more of the gorgeous sunsets with which we are blessed here on the coast, adding to road trips, more time with friends and family......the list goes on and on.

Bring it all on 2020! I guess I'm ready for you.