As an art student I quickly became frustrated. There seemed to be no way I could capture the infinite details that comprised the glistening vitality I perceived in trees, lakes, forests, rivers, animals and humans. Several frustrating years later, I concluded that I could not adequately capture the natural world’s breathtaking beauty. So, I gave […]
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When I met with the board of The National League of the American Pen Women (whose members are professional artists, writers and composers), I volunteered to lead members on a meditation tour of various Hindu and Buddhist sculptures in the Honolulu Museums of Art. The Board members became enthused, positing ideas of which statues the
“Vulnerability is the best place of innovation, creativity and change.” Brene Brown The problem with Brene Brown’s statement is that it feels terrible to be vulnerable. My hands get clammy. I sweat and think I can never pull another drawing off again. Yet, according to Dr. Brown, I’m in a good place when I begin
Singing in my choir last summer, I focused on mastering the tricky syncopated rhythms in our new song. Ah-ha, I thought, I got it. At the same moment, the choir director said “No, no, no! You didn’t get it.” She explained, one more time, how it should be done. I concentrated, trying to understand. My
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“I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” Jerome K. Jerome I assume Mr. Jerome’s comment is tongue in cheek because I giggle, imagining him staring at a computer screen while he daydreams about his date later that night. As an artist, my job is to see the
In the painting, Spirit Tree, I pay homage to the invisible forces around us. In the foreground, three smaller trees blow in the breeze, green, full of life. They might be the offspring of the huge tree-shape above. Like a parent, the enormous gray tree looms over them. The larger tree’s absence of color implies
When I’m at the ocean, I stare at a long roll of water. It’s already built up to a swell, reached the apex of its rounded height, and now begins to break as it moves onto the shore. Often the beach is curved, so when I gaze at its entire length, the waves seem to
I don’t have to meditate to increase awareness; if I set my intention to do so, it can happen no matter what is going on. Traditionally, meditation is seen as the best way to enhance reflection on thinking patterns. When still, one naturally notices thoughts drifting through the mind and can observe them, rather than
In Kauffman’s painting, Autumn Trees, yellow and orange branches blow in the wind, arcing in obeyance to the earth’s raw power. The two trees seem related to each other. Perhaps they are older and younger sisters. It appears that the large tree shields the shorter one from tempestuous gusts. In between the two, an intriguing
Root Energy Turquoise is an ink drawing of a tree, including its underground roots that expand toward a water table at the bottom of the picture plane. The drawing employs an intense use of lines. Thousands of tiny ink lines comprise the trees’ leaves, trunk and root system as if all are bursting with visible
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