in my dreams

It's one of those things that I "should've (don't you HATE that word?!) written it down as soon as I recalled it. I did share it with Scott to give it some weight in my waking life (if you can call it that at 5:45 am) but anyway...my dream had to do with new beginnings. I was with a group of people that I knew (though not sure how well) and I remember something to do with sticking out my hand and saying that I am ready for my next step in life, and I usually know what it is - but right now I don't know and figure I just need to be patient. Unfortunately, for me, that is all I recall at this time. It may come back to me....I do remember something to do with architecture - more of the architecture of the space of my dream was interesting to me. Kind of like when I was in Florence, Italy in 1991. I had been having house dreams back home in Hawaii at the time. We were renovating a run down old plantation house and my dreams were filled with dark old spaces with lots of nooks and crannies - filled with potential. Then I got to Italy, a visual, historical, gastronomical feast and I dreamed of a Palace. It was incredible. Then of course I got back to Hawaii, took one look at the pile of old construction debris that was still left on my front lawn, hired my friend's sons and a truck and had it all hauled away and after that - split with my ex. ! Ah change....none of that type now....more on a personal and spiritual level. With a makeup pencil I wrote on my bath room mirror the following words: Choose to be at Peace with Yourself. Just saying that out load feels good. Now to live it....

I did cut out and save my horoscope from the local paper around Thanksgiving because I loved what it said.....

Believe in the magic of hunches. You may get mental images or bodily sensations that further inform this feeling you get in your gut about what to do next. This is the way your heart talks to you.

I like that.

Thank you for sharing, now go sit down

I want to make note of something I wrote to a student of mine after reading his thoughts on making art ( futile, frustrating, and other art school trauma scars):

I "hear" that you are "scarred" from your (former art school) experience - that said - "MOVE ON!" You have a sharp mind conceptually and intellectually, are definitely capable technically, so LET GO of all the "stuff" and just dig. I would rather see you take a risk in our remaining short time together. Heck - there are times I think maybe I'll "stop being an artist" and do something else, rather than fall short of my own expectations, but I keep showing up... because when you get down to it the act of creating is exhilarating.

Remembering these thoughts will also be helpful when I find my old demons raging against me!

Wrapping it up

This month marked the 5 year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis and with that came some reflection and closure. It has been an interesting ride to say the least and probably because I can look back knowing I am healthy and cancer free and say that it has been kind of wonderful which I know sounds weird but I am sure other people who have been down this road have said the same. Family and friends have been incredible, I have met people like my doctors who are truly a gift in my life - brilliant, compassionate and generous...and all the paths that came out of that experience - the Art of Survival with Dr. Beth Deutch, Claudia Ansorge, Christine Burke, Charlotte Scherer, Amy Puccio, ....and our book Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings with my cousin Ellen McVicker, Fran Waldman, Leslie Nicholson, Robin Pack, and Nadira Husain to name a few.

And my studio work- the images from the Art of Survival and Chrysalis, the Targets on wood with encaustic.... the opportunities that came from that work and continues to. So what next?

I finished the commission of the Navesink River for Christine and yesterday printed a linocut as part of a portfolio exchange with my Print 1 & 2 students at MSU. We each chose a card from a Tarot deck and did a contemporary approach to it. I chose the Ace of Pentacles. As I searched the web I found different interpretations of it but all said that it relates to a symbol of potential in the material world. The card also speaks of nature; planting a seed- though you may not recognize it, and a turn for the better in terms of fortune and wealth. It can also be a time of good fortune with indications relating to nature and fertile soil.

I need to get my boys off the bus, so I am going to post this for now.

The Demoiselles Revisited & Tribute/ Drawing

I just figured out where in cyberworld one of my other posts are....in my test blog...go figure!
And since I don't know how to get one into the other I am attaching the invite for the upcoming show at Francis M. Naumann Gallery. The exhibit is titled The Demoiselles Revisited and is a group show of artists responding to Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'Avignon on the 100th birthday/ anniversary of the painting. Champagne and cake on Friday, November 16th, 2007!

Frustration seems to be the word of the am...just wrote a somewhat interesting witty blog and now it is somewhere out in cyberworld!?!?!!? Same thing happened yesterday when my efforts to down load photos from my trip in May to Israel...where are they out there? But I remind myself that it is time to go out to the studio and let this all go....it will fall into place eventually and if now what the heck...I haven't been doing my "morning pages" as of late so consider it done....

September 29, 11:37 p.m.

Went to an opening last night at the George Segal Gallery at Montclair University. Contemporary Printmaking at the Crossroads curated by Catherine Bebout (my department chair) and Mary Birmingham, curator for the Hunterdon Museum was all about artists using digital along with traditional printmaking methods. Some really wonderful work and right along my interests as I love the process of traditional printmaking but have really been exploring the digital world in my own work. Remains to be Seen (Still) is a piece that I first saw in my mind's eye 3 or so years ago, and with the help of my friend Jeff Clapp, digital and web master created the first "state" of the piece. Here it is in its current carnation (is that a word? think re-incarnation only different) Now I am thinking this image needs to be on a shirt!