goddess in cuba

detail from mixed media, circa 2006-2007




The bare-breasted goddess walked through Cuban villages looking for antique silks...

from last night's dreams

personal zen master

detail from mixed media cards at NMWA, 2008
Empty the cup.

- Zen Master Nan-in (1868-1912)

How do we empty our cups?

Last night I had trouble sleeping. After I prayed and meditated I was finally able to sleep - until baby woke up giggling...he is my personal Zen Master these days...

what sustains us from the INSIDE?

detail from a photograph of Lydia's orchids, 2009
excerpt from the book The Invitation by Oriah Mountaindreaming:

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

© Oriah Mountain Dreamer, from the book The Invitation, HarperSanFrancisco, 1999

what sustains us from the INSIDE?

younger and younger

2007 "PETAL FAIRY" mixed media self-portrait




















she was born an old woman,

but with each year,

through every smile,

she grew younger and younger...

for anyone forgetting to smile today

originally published in February 2007

are you satisfied?

detail from mixed media, 2009
Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold...

Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

- Bob Marley (1945-1981)

are we satisfied with the life we are living?

as juicy as usual

2009 mixed media
BANANO: Buenos Dias, you two...how are you?

LIMON I: OK, I guess, but I'm not feeling as juicy as usual.

LIMON II: Me either. Do you know what they did to LIMON III? They put him in the microwave for 20 seconds and then rolled him on the counter and finally sliced him in half - and all for a can of tuna.

BANANO: Well, they are waiting for me to get really old and sweet - just to mash me up and make a loaf of bread.

excerpt from "Conversations with Fruit" a series in progress

healing wings

detail from mixed media on cloth, 2007
Truth, that fair goddess who comes always with healing in her wings.

- Anne Shannon Monroe (1877-1942)

how does truth heal?

con corona de cristal

2007 mixed media

con corona de cristal

con arete de brillar

la fresa caminaba las calles

sin darse cuenta que era fresa

from "Conversations with Fruit" a series in progress

originally published in January 2007

earth day

detail from pen & ink
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children. - Native American quote

in pearls from neck to foot

2007 Untitled study
she dressed in pearls from neck to foot

her eyes sparkled when she spoke

she told me to continue on the path

towards beauty

towards greatness

towards peace in the heart

from my dream last night

originally published in July 2007

the heat of our souls' desires

2007 Untitled study for sculpture series
stars have secrets to tell us
- can we silence our minds and hear their whispers?

mother moon flirts with our emotions
- are we brave enough to feel?

great sun burns with passion
- can we stand the heat of our souls' desires?

oh what galaxies exist within us!


originally published in September 2007

she wears butterflies

2007 photo & mixed media depicting a fellow artist who lives in Granada and participates in art courses taught by Robert Barberena De La Rocha through Future of Nicaragua Foundation in association with Arts for the Aging
She wears butterflies in her hair and sings old love songs never forgotten. She sports a vintage pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars and tries not to use a cane when walking. When I hug her, she smells of fresh roses and baby powder. Once upon a time, she loved to cook and occasionally shares secret recipes. She is one of the greatest artists I have ever met, teaching me about the Art of Living.

originally published in November 2007

kissing...almost biting him

She was beautiful and she knew it.


Her skin was alabaster with mother-of-pearl iridescence.


She dressed in layers of flowing, transparent chiffon veils that floated around her long and slender ethereal body.


She pouted thick, sensual, hungry lips resembling only those of Angelina.


Her enormous dark eyes bulged out just enough.


She chased after him.


Had she no pride?


She pursued him, kissing him desperately, almost biting him.


Was she ready to mate?


Do fish have sex...?


notes upon observing a fish tank in a waiting room2007 quick sketch of the dangerous beauty

originally published in June 2007

for the wise women

2007 detail from print
Who are the wise women in your life?

When do you seek their counsel?

The wise women speak to me through dreams and symbols.

There are no coincidences...I am being guided, moment by moment.

"In the ancient way of being, the earth not only creates, feels, and protects life, but like a mother, whispers through natural signs and images the secret knowledge of how body, mind, emotions and spirit work upon each other in an intricate, invisible weaving." - Johanna Lambert from "Wise Women of the Dreamtime"

originally published in December 2007

no time to love

mixed media
Human beings judge all of the time.

We judge other human beings.

We judge politicians and actors – similar professions.

We judge restaurants and fashion.

We judge books and artists.

He is an excellent judge of character.
She is an awful judge of character.

She is overweight and must be depressed.
She is underweight and must be anorexic.

He is lazy.
He is a bohemian dreamer.

The baby is so cute.
What, are you having a fourth, fifth baby?
What, you’ve been married how long and no babies?

How many languages does your child speak?
Only one, barely one…why?

You don’t go to church.
God will punish you.
Shame on you.

She has had many lovers.
She is a whore.
She is confused.

He has had many lovers.
He is a healthy, virile man.
He celebrates his manhood.

She is a virgin.
She is a pious nerd.

He is a virgin.
He is gay, perhaps in the closet.

Human beings judge all of the time, when perhaps we should LOVE all of the time...

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
- Mother Teresa

originally published in December 2007

a woman expects a man...

mixed media, circa 1990's

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect
the man to build the world she wants,
rather than to create it herself."

- Anaïs Nin

...and how SAD for that woman...giving up her power to man...
giving up her creativity on deMANd...

originally published in December 2007

celeste-mente

2007 color studies


celeste
cielo
laguna
mar

celeste
pétalos
uno por uno

celeste-mente
te quiero

celeste
es mi amor

celeste y fresco
celeste y puro

celeste-mente tu
celeste-mente yo

originally published in October 2007

my body moves in waves

2007 Untitled
waves

my body moves in waves

when I dance...even when I walk sometimes

waves of laughter...waves of grief...waves of waves

"I love waves; I wish I had some in my hair. My daddy did, but I guess I didn't dive into that end of the gene pool. Virginia Woolf wrote my favorite book, The Waves, and I have a son who surfs them. I danced a thousand dances to Patti Smith's song "Wave" and I've waved a thousand good-byes. I've seen waves come and take my house, flood the same bedroom where they accompanied countless nights of lovemaking. I have ridden the waves of labor, of sorrow, and of bliss."
- GABRIELLE ROTH

from her book "Sweat Your Prayers: Movement as Spiritual Practice" which I am currently reading and practicing

originally published in November 2007

pétalos familiares

2007 Untitled mixed media color study
una familia de pétalos

salieron a bailar

uno por uno

fueron cayendo

...lluvia de pétalos familiares

originally published in October 2007

born from crystal waters

2007 "WARRIOR" mixed media
I was born from crystal waters
baptized by Thee

I genuflect
and pray

A Warrior Crystal I might be...

originally published in October 2007

casimira - the queen

2007 mixed media, self-portrait

In every woman there is a Queen.

Speak to the Queen and the Queen will answer.

- Norwegian Proverb

She does not believe in failure, only obstacles which make her stronger.

Her kingdom is her imagination.

Her loyal subjects are her talents.

I love the queen in me...I respect and honor her...

I also fear her just a bit...


originally published in December 2007

guided by moonlight

2007 Untitled self-portrait, mixed media
I am rooted in peace and forgiveness.

I am able to sit in silence and stillness.

I am guided by moonlight.

I am one with nature as I embark on yet another journey...
originally published in August 2007

Last night I took him on moonlight stroll...Mother Moon blessed us with her light, showered us with her majesty, infused us with her grace.

diamond ego

2007 study for sculpture
Given the choice between receiving a fig or a diamond as a gift, which would you prefer? He asked.

The fig, of course. She answered.

I thought you would prefer the diamond – a fig-sized one – still rough with vibrant earth energies, unpolished and raw. He challenged her.

A diamond does not nourish my body yet has the power to harm my soul. She replied.

How can a diamond hurt your soul? He wondered.

It is not the actual diamond, but what it represents. Today, a diamond represents wealth and poverty -- the wealth of earthly possessions and the poverty of spiritual enlightenment. A diamond represents ego and attachment to the material world. She bit into one of her breakfast figs.

Are you saying you will never use diamonds in your sculptures? He smiled.

On the contrary, I will use diamonds just not make them the center of attention. Plus, you asked what I would prefer YOU give ME as a GIFT. She laughed.

this excerpt was originally published in November 2007

governed by ideas

mixed media in progress, 2009
We are governed not by armies, but by ideas.

- Mona Caird (1854 - 1932)

I have been playing with so many ideas lately...

escape

mixed media 2009
how do we escape?

remembering
forgetting
eating
dieting
running
working
shopping
parenting
cleaning
praying
meditating
dreaming
perfecting
judging
saving
worrying
sleeping

why do we escape?

adoring adornments

2005 Untitled hand-dyed silk detail








ribbons in her hair
a flower tucked behind an ear
rubber bands as bracelets
mother’s pearls - what pleasure
a crown of paper and a feather
oh nymph - oh fairy princess !

Always adoring adornments, from daisies to diamonds, if I thought it magical I was wearing it. Grand Mother initiated me by personally piercing my ears with gold when I was but two weeks old. Since then, adornments developed into a form of silent, almost sacred communication. Every piece I conceive carries a bit of my soul, paying respectful homage to my Muse, Mother Nature. A decade ago, after creating the first wearable sculpture I wrote, “…like the human soul, no two are alike…” It is still true today.

orininally published in January 2007

coral queen

2007 mixed media sculpture study


...dressed in a gown of coral draped with pearls and diamonds, she sat on her throne in the balcony of the great Parisian palace...

excerpt from Dream Journal, August 16th 2006, inspiration for sculpture and short story in progress

originally published in March 2007

red thread

detail from mixed media, 2007
An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.

- Chinese Proverb

Yesterday, this proverb appeared to me in three different situations...

somos volcanes

mixed media

We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains.

- Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)


my Spanish translation:

Nosotras somos volcanes. Cuando ofrecemos nuestras experiencias como nuestra verdad, nuestra verdad humana, todos los mapas cambian. Existen nuevas montañas.

- Ursula K. Le Guin (n. 1929)

we are volcanoes...
nosotras somos volcanes...

any fool

2009 study for a sculpture
Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.

- Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

CHARACTER and SELF-CONTROL

to FORGIVE and UNDERSTAND

THE FOOL

who criticizes, condemns and complains...yes, I agree...