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 …
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 …
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 …
When I visited rural Japan in late fall, many windows in ordinary houses were filled with drying persimmon (fuyu). They’d become wrinkled, brownish-rust ovals the size of oranges. The large stem had been pared off and the fruits were hung with the former stem on the side, so their shapes became a flattened egg-shape. Outside …
The knee can sprout wings and fly. Ask any runner. Being curious about what a string, wet with paint would do on a knee joint, I begin a process of investigation. I first apply a circle of wet paint, as can be seen on the right leg. The model, a dancer, moves her knee and …
Little did I know that my decision to examine the middle joint of one finger would lead to a twenty-year creative exploration that would reveal deep parts of my life for all to see. A personal adventure would ensue, a unique journey. At first, I noticed that the pointing index finger is a symbol of …
When we move, six separate muscle groups interact in the human back. My model, a tolerant dancer with a string dipped in wet white paint across her shoulder blades, shrugs, humps forward, raises each shoulder up and down, then bends side to side, creating an image that depicts what these movements look like: wing-like designs. …
Fling your arm wide, up and around. The shoulder is the only human joint that rotates 180 degrees. I asked Joan, a dancer, to do this after I’d tied a string, wetted with paint, under her shoulder. After she’d completed her task, the wet paint made complex swirls. I found the design intriguing, resembling, to …
