A few years ago, I sat in a photo booth and, just for fun, turned my back to the camera. I wore pigtails and pulled each one hard, to emphasize the part down the middle of my skull. The resulting photograph showed a head divided. When I looked at the photos, I realized that I’d …
I love to ponder mysteries. When I hike in the desert, I often feel strong energy fields. These dynamic waves hover above landscape shapes such as alluvial fans (dried earth that crumbled off of mountains in the past), rocky promontories or arroyos (stream beds that may or may not contain moisture). Perceiving these energies enhances …
In Venice, Italy, I gazed upward into St. Mark Basilica’s West Dome, unaware that I would soon receive a revelation. These delightful Byzantine style mosaics – exploding with the raw power of flattened designs without naturalistic perspective – portrayed the Holy Spirit at the top of the dome, symbolized by a dove sitting on a …
In the 1950s and 1960s, the best way to preserve a bouffant hairdo outdoors was to loosely tie a large headscarf around the head and secure it under the chin. This common practice seemed ordinary and timeless to a growing girl like me. In rainy Seattle, scarves provided the go-to protection from rain for females …
I keep my sketchbook next to the phone. When I enjoy a long conversation with a loved one, I mindlessly doodle. My muscles seem to contain a nervous volition, all their own. At the end of the call, I glance at the abstract drawing and label it with the person’s name: “Karen’s Call,” “Jon’s Call.” …
Pictured above: K. Kauffman, Moon Bath, 15″x15″, Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, Ink, Collage Part of my regular hygiene is to allow a big moon’s rays to shine on me once a month or so. I call this “moon bathing.” Fortunately, in Hawaii, during a full moon, it’s warm enough all year to go outside to my …
Boldly striding, leading with the right leg and a protruding belly, my sketched figure seems muscular and strong, forging ahead. However, at the same time, her right arm covers her chest as if protecting the heart, while her head swivels to peer over the left shoulder; these gestures contradict the advancing thrust. While observing a …
As a teenager I took on certain life-long goals, assuming I would succeed: I vowed to create a close and meaningful relationship with my mother and older sisters I committed to having a loving, intimate partnership with the man I loved, for the rest of my life I aspired to become a well-known artist. I …
Nature can astound me with perfect scenes that deeply move my artist’s soul. These aesthetic occurrences are so powerful, I think of them as visual poetry. At their best, poems offer special and intense experiences of feelings and ideas that incorporate distinctive styles and rhythms. On a walk, I discover that a rain storm left …
Above: Singing With One Breast, Acrylic, Oil, Collage, Pencil, Ink, 45”x43”, 2014 Singing With One Breast displays the contrast between inner and outer realities that arise when I meditate. Most of the figure consists of the Expressionism style, wild colors and textures that connote the intense feelings going on inside me, especially when I contemplate …
