For weeks there has been all kinds of noise. And yes, I do mean that in multiple senses of the word, and places in the world, but most especially — meteorologically. Today raindrops accompany the raucous rumbles and flashes from the heavens for a change, at least for a little while. It feels good to me and I’m guessing also to the trees and plants that have been patient and parched and just a little too crunchy for many days now. Mother Nature’s water therapy. Vital. Nurturing. Sustaining. Reminding us all of how good flow can feel, how it even sounds like floating. (And I do love to float, big boat, little boat, sailboat, motorboat, no boat, inner tube, water noodle… You name it). Despite the sky drama, the rain (pluie in French, which let’s face it, is fun to say) is light, easeful, a moment of holiday in a spring-summer of something else entirely. Today negative ions are bringing positive energy. And for that, I am thankful.
Whoosh x4 aka Time Warp
Alright. There is no excuse. I can only say, my intentions are generally good. And then things happen. They usually happen quickly, and the quicker they happen, the slower I am to wholeheartedly respond.
What have I been doing for the last few years? Excellent question. First, there was a tarot reading workshop… or two. And then, a comedy bootcamp, culminating in a live performance with an equally live audience back when you could do that in good conscience — cram 250 people into a small, dark, cool space, and encourage them to laugh out loud repeatedly, in especially close quarters. It was very much the “thing that scared me.” And I did it anyway, meeting a handful of people who enjoyed being brave and laughing together. While my motive, in part, was to mark the end of a relationship and the beginning of… as cliche as it sounds, expansion rather than contraction, the whole experience was fun — and transformative.
After bootcamp and some venturing out with classmates to stand up in local open mics, I enrolled in another class, this time voice-over acting. I hoped it would help me to relax with a microphone inches from my face; to feel more physically present onstage because, trust me, three feet higher and amplified can feel pretty wild. Like the comedy workshop, this class was challenging and surprising, too. People of all ages and backgrounds stretching out, testing themselves. I was out of my comfort zone and into that growth space where life is less predictable, emotions heighten, yet most importantly, fear gets some pushback.
And then, well, everything escalated.
Taxes and Rainfall - Not exactly the same thing and yet...
Both such a relief.
Quite sure I could be somewhere else and otherwise occupied, but the rain is soporific and I am slowed as well by dental pain, a mushy lunch and the urge to misbehave.
I have not been checking in here, she typed sheepishly, and there is no good reason why not. If I have learned anything in this past year, it's that if you want to do something -- anything, really -- it's up to you to make some time & allocate some energy in that specific direction.
Though despite today's inclination to lay low and lounge-ingly (is that a word, can it be please?) I have been engaged in all kinds of curious activities of late.
Again, this was written on April 10, 2018. Perhaps I meant to publish then. Or…
Happy New Year! The year of the Fire Rooster! And I don't mean t.p.
Chinese New Year. This year it's fire-y, but you knew that!
*t.p.” is short for The President. That’s all I’m gonna say. I will not feed that voracious ego by stating his actual name.
Somehow I neglected to publish this way back in January of 2017. So, apologies. Don’t be confused.
Rooster, chicken… Either way, it’s a sad fowl. What happened to the gate keepers?
Time Whoosh!
It goes and it goes and hopefully it flows. How can it be August of 2016? How can it have been so long since I checked in on my website? It is what is is and all that. I have been painting, writing, kayaking, gardening, reclaiming space, exploring Tarot, and working. That bill paying work that sometimes enhances productivity without necessarily enhancing balance in our individual and oh-so-connected universe.
And so here we are in the second week of August. The fireworks of the 4th of July well behind us. The Perseids about to shower us with the magic of quick and colorful light. The Olympics and its wonders shining from Brazil. Lighting and thunder and sometimes even rain, tumbling from above.
Time passes and is always present. And then there's matter. And what matters. Bringing light to those you love. Being love. Aiming for balance and doing the best you can.
Let the summer days warm you up and any storms that break give you a fresh perspective.
What's next for me, here? I have been sketching out ideas for what will most likely emerge as paintings about night and light. Soon enough, I'll post pictures of the work as it flows..
Boom chakalaka! Summertime sounds, energy building.
Now Showing at The Players Theater
Yesterday with the assistance and expert eyes of my go-to picture hanging posse, the equally effervescent and articulate Mmes. Gina Tebrugge and Sue Keating, I installed an exhibit of nineteen paintings in The Players Theater. These works will be shown, along with works by two other local artists, while Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has its month long run. The theater and its box office are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. most days and an hour before evening showtimes. If you are in Sarasota, please stop by to see my work -- & the play, too.
You'll find my paintings featured in the northeast lobby.
The Players Theater is on the east side of the trail just north of Blvd. of the Arts at 838 North Tamiami Trail. The exhibit will close on November 17th.
Indian Beach, High Light -- One of the works featured in the exhibition. Photo Credit: Susan Keating
Yoiks! October, already.
A female cardinal has been chirping in my backyard each morning. An unexpected visitor. A gift. She visits for the sunflower seeds and repays me with a song. Chip, chip, chip she seems to say, as she forages low, beneath the magnolia tree that shades the patio. I hear her and move to the window to catch a glimmer of the warm reds, soft browns, and orange tinges of her plumage as she hops about, delicate and determined. A bit of magic in my own backward. A bit of wonder. A small god who won't linger and doesn't have to. The light, lively feeling she offers brings a smile that lasts for hours. And a reminder. Offer what you can and see what comes back to you.
Something Rotten and Something Wonderful
A quick trip to New York City in the summertime. Inspiring. Refreshing. Ten degrees cooler and eighty percent livelier than home sweet home. I love the jolt of energy that flows through you the minute you hit the sidewalks. And the graceful wave of it that comes with a walk through Central Park. Ying yang. And walla-walla-bing-bang.
Wanted to see the new Whitney Museum and the marvelous Metropolitan with my best, fast walking friend. We covered a lot of ground and pretty much enjoyed every minute of it.
I left the Met thinking, If I could sleep over for a week, and see all I wanted to see at my leisure, I would be skippy happy. (Literally, I would skip everywhere until the excitement wore off). The Whitney I had no problem leaving, even though I am looking forward to exhibitions to come.
The new Whitney's location by the Hudson and the High Line, all of its vast exhibition space in the shiny, formidable Renzo Piano designed building, feels more than just right. Sitting there so close to the Hudson waterway and to the High-Line which both allow distinctly fresh views of the city's changing skyline, the Whitney claims its oh-so-American territory. This is what our art reflects. This energy, our propensity to move on, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes boldly.
The picture below is NOT the new Whitney or the lovely Metropolitan or something rotten. It's Midtown mayhem. Something Rotten was the Broadway play we were lucky enough to see. And it's actually something quite wonderful.
Layers of substance and surface. Historical past and present tense. NYC. It's a crazy collage.
Year in review. Year to renew. It's all good.
I am not going to rattle on much here. The new year is suddenly the month of June! I am leaning into change and loving the people I love and doing the things that are calling to me. Painting, writing, kayaking with my favorite man in the universe. Walking over the causeway bridge and watching the light shift and the moon rise and knowing I am lucky to be here now. Dreaming surprisingly big, bold, fiery colored dreams about warrior patience -- how being aligned with purpose is powerful. Dreaming about being in a swift moving river feeling wide awake and and the inevitability of moving forward even when facing another direction. Letting go of fear and discovering curiosity, appreciation, fascination.
Works in Progress -- Holding on to dreams
On the water, no land in sight. A wooden boat, small, broad in the beam, with giant translucent umbrella for a sail. I'm alone, without a clear idea of how to navigate this unconventional boat in these swift seas. Me and the elements. It's exciting and scary and so beautiful.
Light is everywhere, filtering through the pale golden yellow umbrella and dancing off the water. I reach for the only line I can see...
Look for a new series of works based on this dream soon.