Happy Holidays

We wish you all a Happy Holiday Season!

The Lady with the Unicorn – Photo by Rose Arizmendi

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time”.  – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Goodbye November

Oceanscape Series – Moon Rise

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, . . . manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty.” – Albert Einstein

Thought For The Day

Garden Leaves

“How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.”
– Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

Bird Song In The Morning

The sun was golden and the garden was filled with bird song when I woke up this morning. After breakfast, I took a walk drinking in the fall air as the leaves crackled beneath my footsteps, a haunting reminder of the cold dreary days ahead.

Autumn Leaves

“Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery”  – Annie Dillard

Autumn In The Garden

“The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning and evening.” – Henry David Thoureau

In The Garden

Our Persimmon Tree

I spent the day in the garden raking and cleaning up leaves. I also repotted some plants and cut some Lavender for the house. Whew, I’m tired!

Fall Leaves

“Night is drawing nigh- “How long the road is. But, for all the time the journey has already taken, how you needed every second of it in order to learn what the road passes – by. – Dag Hammarskjold

Clearing Clutter

I spent most of the day clearing clutter from my studio so I would have enough space to work. I cleared out old brushes, empty paint tubes, art books, scraps of paper etc…  Now everything is neat, tidy and my art table is ready to go!

Later, I rewarded myself with an eggnog latte as I sat down in a comfy chair, put my feet up and listened to Nawang Khechog “Music as Medicine”.  I felt so relaxed and uplifted by the music, I came to the conclusion that clearing clutter is a sacred task, it clears out stagnant energy and allows the soul to breathe and creativity to flourish.

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”  -William Morris

Happy Halloween

There are a number of amazing Halloween events happening tonight and I hope everyone has a great time.

Celebrate …  laugh … Dance … Sing … Make Merry … and stay safe.

Halloween – Digital Collage – 3 x 4 inches

The mask I am wearing is made of paper mache, acrylics, metallic ink, and lined with soft leather.

Mosaic Flowers

I took a walk this afternoon and came across this beautiful mosaic memory wall located at a local hospital which has been creating a healing garden on their property.

Over the years they have planted herbs and flowers along winding walk ways and added lovely statues, bird feeders and a water fountain. Most recently they have also begun building a labyrinth and  I can hardly wait for it to be finished.

Mosaic Memory Wall – Artist unknown

Gratitude

Today I am grateful for all the special people who have touched my life, especially my family and friends. We laugh and cry together and with them I feel I belong and am loved.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough,

and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

chaos to order,

confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast,

a house into a home,

a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today,

and creates a vision for tomorrow.-

-Melody Beattie

Art Museum trip

Yesterday was our first visit to the new de Young museum since one about a year or two before the closing of the old one. We had lunch and ended our visit with a trip to the tower with it’s incredible panoramic view of San Francisco.

We loved the New Guinea collection! There are over 400 examples of New Guinea art to feast your eyes upon.

Below are some photos of the Art of the Americas collection which included examples of Mesoamerican and Andean cultures.

Maya Stela

View from the tower