September, 2021
My husband and I are dedicated no-car people since we moved full-time to downtown Chicago five years ago. Unfortunately the pandemic had different ideas and rental car prices forced us to make the responsible choice and buy a car again. The good news is, it has removed the friction involved in taking spontaneous day trips. This morning the high heat and humidity backed off and we headed for the Morton Arboretum. There’s always something great in over 1700 acres at this “tree museum”, but seeking out Daniel Popper’s installation of enormous sculptures – the Human Nature series – gives a sense of destination to our wandering.
I especially liked this one. I’m drawn to labyrinths and mazes – I’ve used the term “wayfinding” to describe my approach to my consulting business for several years – and this woman actually has one carved into the inside of her brain!
September, 2021
Most of the posts here and on my Instagram til now have been art-focused, but we are all multi-dimensional, right?
I am pretty open about the fact that I meditate. In fact when I would go to conferences and conventions for my regular gig, and someone would propose an early morning group run, I would offer an early morning group sit as an alternative (no one ever took me up on it).
In 2020 and 2021, one of the things I was particularly grateful for is having formed the habit of daily meditation years ago – I’m not ever sure how many years ago, maybe 7, maybe 10.
When you meditate, it is said that you “sit” no matter what your posture, which is what we were all called to do during the COVID times – to pause even as our thoughts are racing.
There are plenty of places you can go to read about mediation – how to do it, why to do it, the mystical things that happen. That isn’t my purpose here. My purpose here is to share my experience, not my wisdom. I study up on it a little bit, but I don’t worry a lot about how it is supposed to be. For me, it is a very practical magic for any time in your public and private lives, and we can all use a little magic, so from time to time, you’ll see this different kind of post. If you like them, you can filter the feed with the search bar above, and share your email below for regular updates and some free treats.
August, 2021
This is one from a while back but I still look at it every day because I really like the technique that helped me get those smudgy shapes in white and black. It’s a technique I learned from Chery Baird, who I mention here often. It involves a torn edge of a magazine or some other kind of shiny slippery surface that you covered with oil pastel, then smudge off with your fingers on to your substrate. Lots and lots of possibilities
August, 2021
I’ve posted about this group before, the paper pals collage club hosted by Lucie Duclos and the Winslow Art CenterIt’s one of those things that turned out to be a blessing during Covid, because I don’t think I ever would’ve had access to this group before we all needed to figure out how to come together online. The art center is located in the state of Washington, and I am in Illinois, and the group seems to have people from all around the world.The first three months were an experiment with new projects every week and a monthly meeting, and now it’s converted to a monthly subscription. The exercises are a great mix in flexing my composition muscles, and there are always new techniques to learn or at least be reminded of. I am in! Just hope I can keep up.
