Love Abounds

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Returned home completely exhausted and utterly happy from a wonderful weekend at Bedlam Farm and the Anointing the Goddess show at the Pig Barn Gallery. This picture of Jon Katz, Maria Wulf and their dog, Frieda, shows the love that was shared throughout the day -- this couple's love for each other, the farm they will soon be leaving, art, creativity. This energy flowed through them, but also through all those who attended whether they came out of a love for Jon's stories, the animals, the artists or their work, you could feel the goodness in the air. It was palatable. I sold some of my photo collages and a number of pug greeting cards and returned home to experience the love of my forlorn pug, Alfie, who had to spend the weekend at home. Her love came in the form of big, wet, sloppy kisses and much tailwagging. The kisses continued for quite some time and I fell into bed, totally exhausted with pug slobber on my face.

A Day at Bedlam Farm

Unfortunately, no pics tonight. Too tired and my iPad camera connector is in the car, but I took a lot of photos of the Anointing the Goddess show and will be sharing them when I return home. It was a wonderful day. I sold some art, got to see a five-day-old lamb named Monday. Received so many wonderful comments and questions about my collages and got to see my niece and nephews interacting with the donkeys and Lenore and Red. Everyone's work looked great and Maria and Diane turned the hanging and presentation of it into a piece of art itself. Ended the day with a wonderful meal and a sheep herding demonstration by Jon and Red, followed by some nice conversation with Red curled up next to me on the couch. He is an amazing dog so intense when he works and a cuddle bug when he's not. Lenore worked hard all day as well being the consummate hostess. she would be in the middle of being doted upon, see a car drove up and dart to the door to greet the next guest. Tomorrow we do it all again. What a lucky girl I am!

Off to the Pig Barn

I'm on my way to the Anointing the Goddess Show at the Pig Barn Gallery in the morning. I can't believe the day is finally here! No, Alfie is not coming with me, but there will be plenty of dogs there -- Lenore, Red, Frieda and of course, sheep, donkeys and chickens. And, even though Alfie is staying behind, I have a feeling we are going places together and this show and the new writing workshop is just a start. I hope to soon have my new web site and blog up and running with lots of great pug stories, so those of you who love pugs, get ready and those of you who don't, well I invite you to come and check out what you're missing! I'll let you know when it's up and ready. In the meantime, if you're free come to the Pig Barn Gallery this weekend. It's the last art show at Jon Katz' and Maria Wulf's Bedlam Farm.

Hand Collage-Casting a Spell

I wanted to post more tonight, but ran into computer problems and had to rely on my I-pad. I did want to share this photo collage, however. It did not make it to the Pig Barn Show (It was difficult choosing which ones to bring there), but it is in keeping with some of the images that I have been sharing lately. I seem to have become obsessed with children's hands and the way they hold objects. I was looking through my collages tonight and realized that my niece's hands were a focal point of this collage. Here, she holds a looking glass with a little witch inside. It was surprising to see that this theme has been showing up in my photographs and artwork so often. To me her hands are so relaxed and yet so composed in this picture. They were just waiting for something to fill them.

Doodling

A group of friends and I used to play Magic the Gathering. Because some of these friends and especially my brother, Mark, would take an exceptionally long time to contemplate their next move, I would doodle on these card boxes while I waited. Listening to artist, Donna Wynbrandt (www.donnawynbrant.com) talk about her work and how the images flowed one to the next, I remembered how I used to doodle these drawings, freeform, non-thinking, letting one image meld into another. I went and dug up the boxes tonight, which was not too difficult. I still play Magic the Gathering with my nephew on occassion and have even started to doodle on the boxes again. It's relaxing.

Anointing the Goddess

See the full gallery on Posterous

It's a busy week. Spent tonight getting my collages ready for the Pig Barn Show. When I first started creating them, a friend told me my collages reminded her of bookcovers so I've been sending them out into the world with short descriptive stories ever since. Had to create tags for those tonight as well as price tags.

The theme of the show is "Anointing the Goddess" and if that means celebrating the feminine than I believe my three pug collages do just that. First, they are of the three female pugs that I have owned. Second, these pieces are about body image and celebrating one's body and one's ability to dance. Many people consider pugs ugly. I know, shocking, right?! I think they are beautiful. It was partially this and my own insecurities with my body and those nightmarish gym classes that led me to combine the pug imagery with these little ballerinas. The three can be viewed as a set or individually so I decided to offer them both ways at the show. They are entitled "Come Dance with Me," "Don't Be Shy," and "You Know the Song."

Painting the Gnome

See the full gallery on Posterous

My friend, Joan, has been after me to paint her garden gnome for a year. It is an important project to her. Charlie, her gnome, named after Charlie, her late husband, has sat in her driveway for years, guarding over the place. Now, she is moving. Only down the road, but symbolically it is a big move. Gnomes were her husband, Charlie's, love. The house she is leaving, she shared with him. This is a big move, sifting through her memories and possessions deciding what she can throw or give away and what she absolutely must hold onto. Charlie, the gnome, is making the move down the road with her and to celebrate their new chapter, Charlie is getting a coat of paint. Joan chose the colors carefully, consulting me, the encyclopedia of gnomes, the man at the hardware store and I got to painting. We had to repair Charlie's hand in the process as it fell off moving him, which meant some epoxy. He is too heavy for us to lift, so his move thus far was to a new stump. He still has to make it down the road aways. He is not finished, but it's a start. Sometimes creating a new life is a matter of baby steps, just like painting a gnome.

Lunch

They say the life of an artist can be lonely, the artists luncheon for the Anointing the Goddess Show at the Pig Barn Gallery (see www.fullmoonfiberart.com/events for more details) proved that it is anything but. Today, writer and photographer, Jon Katz, prepared a wonderful lunch of pasta and roasted vegetables for those of us exhibiting in the show while his wife, fiber artist Maria Wulf, videotaped us talking about our work. At first, we were all a little bit embarrassed to have the focus on us, but soon we were caught up in all the inspiring pieces that the others were sharing and we forgot our self-consciousness. The conversation was stimulating, the spirit generous, and we began to see and form connections with each other and our art. We couldn't help but share a laugh as well when we saw how wonderfully Jon's gourmet meal complemented artist Joyce Zimmerman's fascinating sculpture. I left feeling inspired by the art, the food, the conversation, but mostly the warmth of new friendships.

Ch...ch..changes

After years of trying and talking about it, I am in the process of actually working with someone to get a web site up and running. This site will also feature a new blog, one where I actually write in addition to putting up pictures. I have so many new and creative opportunities on the horizon. I'm getting ready to start a writing workshop with Jon Katz -- a chance for me to actually concentrate on some of my own stories outside my freelance work and teaching -- and will be having my photographic collages on exhibit at his wife Maria's Pig Barn Gallery. I will also be attending a workshop on creativity this next month. With so many exciting things ahead I thought I'd start blogging more on my current blog (www.pugsandpics.com) until the new web site and blog is up and running. I hope you join me on my exciting adventure and thank you to all my friends, family, coworkers and mentors who have been so supportive of my journey thus far.

Where Fairies Hide

One of the photo collages I will be exhibiting at the Pig Barn Gallery "Anointing the Goddess" show in Hebron, NY on June 23rd and June 24th. More details at www.fullmoonfiberart.com.