Clara Barton National Historic Site - art exhibition

I am pleased to announce that a series of my 2013 mixed media portraits will be exhibited at the Clara Barton National Historic Site.
The exhibition runs through October, 31st, 2013.

"Clara Barton dedicated her life and energies to help others in times of need - both home and abroad, in peacetime as well as during military emergencies.  Glen Echo was her home the last 15 years of her life and the structure illustrates her dedication and concern for those less fortunate than herself.

Visit the historic home of the Civil War heroine and founder of the American Red Cross, and learn stories of her courage, vision, and dedication to public service.  Volunteers and rangers will be stationed throughout the house to answer questions and relate stories of this remarkable person."
- from the National Park Service

Jackie Kennedy & Audrey Hepburn in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park

Each is a 16x20 inch signed, numbered and dated limited edition (1/10) print presented with protective glass and wooden frame, 

ready to hang.  

They are available for purchase at the 

43rd Annual Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park.  

The exhibition features the work of more than 250 artists.  

A percentage from the sale of the artwork is retained by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, so this is truly a wonderful way to help support the magical park.

Admission is free.

Opening Reception:  TONIGHT

Friday, August 30th, 2013

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Spanish Ballroom (behind the carousel)

Glen Echo Park

7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD

The show runs through Labor Day Weekend:

August 31st - September 2nd

12:00 - 6:00 pm

FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY

a single moment changed everything

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

"Why did you let your eyes so rest on me and hold your breath between?  In all the ages this can never be as if it had not been." - Mary Coleridge (1861-1907)

energy

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

"Sexual pleasure in woman is a kind of magic spell; it demands complete abandon; if words or movements oppose the magic of caresses, the spell is broken."

-Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)

what else "demands complete abandon" in life?

sculpting, painting, dancing, writing...these demand complete abandon in my life as well...

creative energy is directly linked with sexual energy...

from my journal

mother courage

- mixed media from MUSAS series -

"I've been through it all, baby, I'm Mother Courage."
- Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

metamorfosis

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

¿De dónde viene esa mirada
que a veces sube hasta mis ojos
cuando los dejo sobre un rostro
descansar de tantas distancias?

Es como un agua de cisterna
que brota desde su misterio,
profundidad fuera del tiempo
donde el recuerdo oscuro tiembla

Metamorfosis, doble rapto
que me descubre el ser distinto
tras esa identidad que finjo
con el mirar enajenado.

- Julio Cortazar

* * *
Exactly where does that look come from
which sometimes rises to meet my eyes
when from a long way off I let them
come to rest on a face?

It's like the water in a reservoir
welling up out of its mystery,
a depth on the other side of time
trembling with some dark memory.

Transformation, double enchantment
exposing in me a different self
behind that person I pretend to be
whose look is focused on something else.

- Julio Cortazar translated by Stephen Kessler

musas

- mixed media from MUSAS series -

"Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called life."
- Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994)

MUSAS is part of an ongoing series of mixed media featuring notable women who have impacted the world as we know it.  The collection continues to be exhibited internationally.

A 16 x 20 inch signed, numbered and dated limited edition (1/10) print of the original mixed media, presented in a protective glass and wooden frame, will be available for purchase at the 43rd Annual Labor Day Art Show, held in the historic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.

7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Maryland 20812
Saturday, August 31st - September 2nd
12:00 - 6:00 pm

Admission is free and there are fun events for the whole family...

entre la sombra y el alma

- 2013 mixed media -

No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio
o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:
te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,
secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma.

Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva
dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,
y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo
el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra.

Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,

sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

- Pablo Neruda

***

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way

than this:  where "I" does not exist, nor "you,"

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

- Pablo Neruda translated by Stephen Tapscott

honor the sacred wildness

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

"You were once wild here.  Don't let them tame you."

- Isadora Duncan

Wildness - what does that mean to you?  

How do you express your wildness?

I paint.  I dance.  I laugh.  I write love poems and stories.  I play.  

I imagine.  I wear feathers and crystals...

May you honor the sacred wildness...

mother earth

- mixed media -

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
- Kahlil Gibran

frog medicine

- a little friend I found in Costa Rica last year -

“Due to the fascinating transitions the Frog goes through in its life, it is a symbol of METAMORPHOSIS…the Frog’s dual time spent on land and water represents duality of the SOUL.  The Frog also symbolizes CREATIVITY and FORWARD THINKING.” – Avia Venefica

mother moon dressed in blue

- 2007 mixed media -

"Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own


Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold

Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own..."

- Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (circa 1934)

...blessings on this full blue moon...

an open mind attached to nothing

- 2007 silks -

"I wish to say what I think and feel today, with the promise that tomorrow perhaps I shall contradict it all." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

do you believe in love at first sight?

- mixed media - ROMANCE series -

"She was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud...
I fell in love with her at once.  She was like a mirage of beauty of the ages, irresistible, like a pull of gravity.  She has everything I want in a woman." - Richard Burton (1925-1984)

mixed media from an ongoing series

pink sunrise with Nina Simone

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

I want a little sugar
in my bowl
I want a little sweetness
down in my soul
I could stand some lovin'
Oh so bad
I feel so funny and I feel so sad

I want a little steam
on my clothes
Maybe I can fix things up
so they'll go
Whatsa matter Daddy
Come on, save my soul
I need some sugar in my bowl
I ain't foolin'
I want some sugar in my bowl

You been acting different
I've been told
Soothe me
I want some sugar in my bowl
I want some steam
on my clothes
Maybe I can fix things up so they'll go
Whatsa matter Daddy
Come on save my soul
I want some sugar in my bowl
I ain't foolin'
I want some - yeah - in my bowl

- Nina Simone

it is one of those mornings...

my wearable sculpture

These photographs are from a series I took at the nursing home in Granada during art lessons organized by Future of Nicaragua Foundation.  The beloved elders are modeling my wearable sculpture...

the healer handed me a message from the elders

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

It was 2003 or perhaps 2004. We were living in the Pacific Northwest. Grand Mother had recently passed away. The Healer handed me a message from The Elders...

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.

Here are the things that must be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know our garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel like they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

See who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves! For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lonely wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

The Elders,
Oraibi, Arizona
Hopi Nation

tea, oranges and lovers

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

"Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength 
And she lets the river answer 
That you've always been her lover 
And you want to travel with her 
And you want to travel blind 
And you know that she will trust you 
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind...

Now Suzanne takes your hand 
And she leads you to the river 
She is wearing rags and feathers 
From Salvation Army counters 
And the sun pours down like honey 
On our lady of the harbour 
And she shows you where to look 
Among the garbage and the flowers 
There are heroes in the seaweed 
There are children in the morning 
They are leaning out for love 
And they will lean that way forever 
While Suzanne holds the mirror 
And you want to travel with her 
And you want to travel blind 
And you know that you can trust her 
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind..."

- L. Cohen (circa 1967)

light

- mixed media from my journals -

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." - Carl Jung

how do you come in touch with your inner light?

the aztec king dressed in dreams

- mixed media -

el rey azteca se vistió de mis sueños,

cantó de cristales y piedras con sedas y palabras,

el arte es aire


from my dream journals

yoga and the rolling stones

- mixed media -

...another lovely Sunday...after my early morning yoga and meditation, a little singing and dancing with my beloved Rolling Stones...

"...am I hard enough
am I rough enough
am I rich enough
I'm not too blind to see
I'll never be your beast of burden
so let's go home and draw the curtains
music on the radio
come on baby make sweet love to me..." - Rolling Stones

pain, pleasure and WILD JOY

- 2013 watercolor -

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin


Every person we come in contact with can be a mirror to various aspects of ourselves.

I don't believe in coincidence.  There is learning in every experience and in every encounter...

We are on this planet to fall in love with ourselves...with our true essence...

We are here to dance, to stretch, to open, to forgive, to love and to learn...

We are here to have the human experience, to FEEL...the pain, the pleasure and the WILD JOY...


notes after a meditation workshop I attended this weekend

healing in her wings

- mixed media from a series -

"Truth, that fair goddess who comes always with healing in her wings."
- Anne Shannon Monroe (1877-1942)

tengo sed otra vez

- mixed media -

"Tu beso fue en mis labios -
de un dulzor refrescante.
Sensación de agua viva y moras negras -
me dio tu boca amante.

Cansada me acosté sobre los pastos -
con tu brazo tendido, por apoyo.
Y me cayó tu beso entre los labios,
como un fruto maduro de la selva -
o un lavado guijarro del arroyo.

Tengo sed otra vez, amado mío.
Dame tu beso fresco tal como una
piedrezuela del río." 

- Juana de Ibarbourou

Mi Estrella Maruca

- 2007 mixed media portrait -

This is a story about a little star who dreams of becoming a mother:

Un día, una estrellita muy bonita fue hablar con el Padre Sol, pidiéndole un gran favor.

- Padre, yo sueño con ser Madre. Quisiera vivir en la tierra para sentir y amar hasta llorar.

--- Estrellita, hija mía, tu lugar es en el cielo, de donde puedes alumbrar y atravez de esa luz, amar.

- O, Padre Sol, te pido que me dejes caminar el mundo. Prometo llevar conmigo el manto de nuestra Madre María, ya que es por Ella que sueño con ser Madre un día.


excerpt from "Estrella Maruca" © 2005 written for Grand Mother, in her honor...I look forward to publishing the story in PRINT one of these days...

Andy Warhol and I...very exciting

- mixed media -

Andy Warhol and I are friends...I call him Andres.  He wears CASIMIRA and likes to photograph me when I dance...

"Everyone must have a fantasy...Fantasy love is much better than reality love.  Never doing it is very exciting.  The most exciting attractions are between two opposites that never meet."
- Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987)

what is one of your fantasies?
do you agree with Andres?
he would have been 85-years-old today...

I loved you without knowing I did

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

"Te amé sin que yo lo supiera, y busqué tu memoria. En las casas vacías entré con linterna a robar tu retrato. Pero yo ya sabía cómo eras. De pronto mientras ibas conmigo te toqué y se detuvo mi vida: 
frente a mis ojos estabas, reinándome, y reinas. 
Como hoguera en los bosques el fuego es tu reino."
 - Pablo Neruda



"I loved you without knowing I did; I searched to remember you. I broke into houses to steal your likeness, though I already knew what you were like. And, suddenly, when you were there with me I touched you, and my life stopped:
you stood before me, you took dominion like a queen: like a wildfire in the forest, and the flame is your dominion."
- Pablo Neruda translated by Stephen Tapscott

tu voz

- a self-portrait of my shoulder -

"...I am like a scorched rock that suddenly sings when you are near, because it drinks the water you carry from the forest, in your voice."

"...soy como piedra quemada que de pronto, contigo, canta, porque recibe el agua de los bosques por tu voz conducida."

- Pablo Neruda

amantes dichosos

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

Dos amantes dichosos hacen un solo pan,
una sola gota de luna en la hierba,
dejan andando dos sombras que se reúnen,
dejan un solo sol vacío en una cama.

De todas las verdades escogieron el día:
no se ataron con hilos sino con un aroma,
y no despedazaron la paz ni las palabras.
La dicha es una torre transparente.

El aire, el vino van con los dos amantes,
la noche les regala sus pétalos dichosos,
tienen derecho a todos los claveles.

Dos amantes dichosos no tienen fin ni muerte,
nacen y mueren muchas veces mientras viven,
tienen la eternidad de la naturaleza.

- Pablo Neruda

sentada en blanco

Last night, I sat on a river rock.

It was smooth and became warm in my hand.

Together we sat in silence.

Together we sat in white.

The river rock confessed mysterious secrets and dreams.

He revealed his veins of gold.

 He showed me the importance of perspective and patience.

He reminded me beauty and wonder are everywhere.