Raven Crest

We've Packed Up And Moved

2009-09-12T12:58:00.001-07:00

We've started a new blog. Why? Well, we recently revamped our entire website and thought we'd update the look and feel of our blog as well. We have a beautiful new look and links to our facebook and twitter pages — and more! We'll be posting more often, having contests and giveaways, and keeping you up to date on everything Art & Soul!

Gallery Show

2009-08-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

Last year, Jan Harris and Tracie Huskamp organized and invited me to join an art challenge. They named the challenge "Nature Gathered" and each month we had a different nature theme to use as our inspiration. Our pieces are now being displayed at a gallery in Vancouver, WA. I am so pumped!! My first time in a GALLERY!!! Holy Cow --- I can hardly believe its true.

The promo post card

Here is the press release:

FIFTH ANNUAL NATIONAL FIBER ARTS FESTIVAL
A Perennial favorite comes to Sixth Street Gallery

Vancouver, WA, July 22, 2009 — Opening August 5, Sixth Street Gallery presents the Fifth Annual Fiber Arts Festival. Also showing is Nature Gathered, a show of twelve artists from across the country. The show runs August 5 - 30, 2009. Opening reception is during the First Friday artwalk on August 7 from 5 – 9:00pm and coincides with the second annual Art in the Heart Festival.

This year’s Fiber Arts Festival once again shows the vast diversity of the beloved art and craft medium. From weaving to stitching, from wall art to sculpture, from traditional to contemporary, this show has a little bit of everything. Twenty artists from across the country show work that ranges from playful to somber but is always beautiful.

In July 2008, a group of twelve mixed-media artists from across the United States, entered into a year-long art challenge to celebrate their love for all things in nature. Each month, the group chose a different nature-based subject to interpret and create in a variety of mediums, limited only in creating art that fit on, or within, an 8" by 8" canvas. Finished pieces use photography, paint, fabric, metal and fibers to represent the artists' vision of subjects as diverse as birds, seasons and the heavens. Each piece is a unique glimpse into the world of nature. For additional information, please view their blog at http://naturegathered.blogspot.com.

Sixth Street Gallery is an all-volunteer, cooperative gallery located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Since 2004, Sixth Street has been a venue for performance, spoken word, and visual arts as well as providing art education classes for all ages. For more information, please visit http://www.sixthstreetgallery.com/.

Jan and crew just completed hanging our show -- is it fabulous or what????

The postcard sent by the Gallery for promotion

Huge congratulations to all who participated and a special thank you to Jan and Tracie who made it happen.

Summer Highs!

2009-08-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is quite a summer in Boring, Oregon. Aside from the record setting heat wave, life is buzzing. Portland and Las Vegas classes continue to fill and it is most rewarding. The excitment about going Madison and our return to VA continues to thrill me. This has been my 10th year of producing art retreats and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time has passed. I never dreamed that my passion for parties, people and art would eventually become my livelihood. How fortunate and thankful I am for this truly a blessing.

Abigail was just a baby when I first began rubber stamping. I made her birth announcements and was so proud of this feeble accomplishment! Embossing powder and all. (Does anyone else still have boat loads of colors of powders? I still love to use it.)

Now, Abigail is almost 11 and this weekend, she was chosen as the 2010 Oregon Pinto Sweetheart Princess! She and Secret have been in several shows this summer -- two in this miserable heat. Abby has amazed me with her devotion not only to her horse, but to learning everything equestrian. She is not afraid to get dirty or to try anything new. I am very proud of her.

Waiting for the announcement to hear who has been selected for the Court

The honorary lap around the arena

Dressed for the evening ceremony

Wisconsin, Italy, Greece and Turkey --- Oh MY!

2009-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that our venues for 2010 are finally complete. We begin our year in February by traveling to fabulous Las Vegas. Art & Vegas --- what a combo!!

From there, in May, we will journey to the East Coast for our fifth year in Hampton, VA. Hampton feels as much like home as does Portland. The staff is already asking about our return.
Our newest venue will be in the Midwest ---- Madison, WI. Our host hotelier, John Q Hammons, has a spectaular property for us to utilize and we are anxious to bring our instructors to those of you who have been asking for a retreat in the center of our country.

Madison Marriott West
Registration will begin October 11, 2009

And then, just when you think there could not be anything new to excite you -- we have our first CRUISE! We are pleased to announce our affiliation with Walker Travel Agency in coordination with A&S cruises! Lesley Riley and Linda & Opie O'Brien will be our guest instructors on this most exciting venture.

We begin in Venice -- cruising down the Grand Canal. From there we go to Dubrovnik, Croatia - Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey - Santorini, Greece - Corfu, Greece and then back to Venice. We will utilize 2 days at sea for our classes and the classroom will be open in the evenings for our artistic endeavours.

Santorini

Corfu

The classes are as spectacular as the location!

Lesley is teaching:

Ancient Scavenger A Portfolio of Patina, Color, Texture & Treasures

You will learn how to create and recreate ancient surfaces: verdigris, rust, stucco, cracked plaster effects, peeling paint and more. We will create texture and patina sample cards and compile a color compendium using paint and collage, found ephemera, color and samples collected on your scavenger hunt through ancient lands. Yes, there will be a real scavenger hunt. You can work in teams or alone. The only rule will be to have fun. Your mini works of art will find a home in the portfolio case you will construct on your first day of class, a unique container constructed from 2 canvases which you will work your magic on to create texture, patina and color. A unique storage system will be devised and an ancient binding technique will complete the case.

Linda and Opie are teaching:

An Aegean Travel Atlas-Map Journal Sketchbook & More… Oh My!

Over the past year we’ve been collecting the perfect vintage map that shows the Greek Isles, Turkey and even a small portion of Italy, our starting and ending destination. We folded it accordion style so you can work on both sides, bound it with heavy book board and even added a hand-bound coiled sketchbook with heavy watercolor paper to the back cover for additional field notes, sketches, collages or whatever inspires you. Whether you make your atlas-map/journal/sketchbook a doll or not is up to you and a simple process that we will share, but each of you will receive an original vintage map in a handmade bound book to begin our adventure. ... Opie even made everyone a small photo journal to hold your Pogo prints, a very cool process that we will introduce you to. Pogo printers are very small and a great journaling tool and best described as what happens if you crossed a Polaroid snapshot with an inkless printer.
We'll spend our workshop time collaging, painting, pogo printing and embellishing our book inside and out with pop-ups, windows and incorporating the various treasures we collect along the way. Save everything… beginning with your airline tickets and boarding passes.
So let’s create a memory together.
A $20.00 material fee payable to the instructors includes your handmade and bound atlas-map/journal/sketchbook, a pogo photo journal and 5 zinc sheets, materials to add a head, hands and feet, hardware and more.

Registration is now open for the cruise by going to: http://www.artandsoulcruises.com/

And our year would not be complete until we gather in Portland! Our "flagship" event, Portland continues to be innovative, creative and exciting. Hampton is giving Portland a run -- lets see what Madison does!!

VEGAS!!

2009-07-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

We just returned from very hot -- but fabulous Las Vegas. Maria, her husband, Lars, Vonnie, Derek and I were invited by the sales staff at Ballys and Paris to check their properties in order to make certain that they would work for us in February. And boy will they work!!! The classroom space is huge, comfortable and happily smoke free. We were very impressed. The same was true of our sleeping accomodations -- clean, cozy and no smoke. Even walking thru the casinos, the air filtration is so good, that the only time I noticed any smoke was if I were right next to a smoker. It is pretty amazing.

Maria has a perfect spot for the store -- and the room for vendor night is --- well --- delightful.
We had dinner one evening in the tower. It was a 5 courses and we were stuffed. The guys had worn shorts --- it was 105 degrees --- and instead of being told that they needed a dinner jacket and/or tie, they needed PANTS. Which the restaurant provided. It was a hoot.

We took in the Las Vegas revue "Jubilee" at Ballys. The true old fashioned production.

The charming trio on our way to the airport

Lars & Derek -- Art & Soul Security

Summer Musings

2009-06-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Every two years, we venture to Wisconsin for a family reunion. This is Vonnie's dad's family, and I love them dearly. My niece and two nephews have a piece of property just outside of Rochester, MN that they purchased 12 years ago to facilitate hunting. It is 160 acres of paradise with a huge 3 story barn that has been converted into a cabin....the perfect place to accomodate about 100 assorted family members.

Minnesota and Wisconsin -- the land of bratwurst and beer; dairy cattle, mosquitos and lightning storms. Gotta love it. Our family is spread out all over the two states --- we stayed in Onalaska, WI. I suppose there are times in the winter when it seems like Alaska. Not sure where the name came from.
If it is possible to fall in love with a grocery store -- then I did. Onalaska has the most fabulous store I have ever seen. The deli is amazing and produce to die for. It even beats Nature's. They were having a bratwurst sale.

Abby was a good sport. We just couldn't resit the photo op.

Yesterday, I went out to the pond to feed the koi and almost had a heart attack. The pond was filled with suds -- looked like someone had put a whole bottle of Dawn detergent in the water. I frantically called the pond experts all the while worrying that my fish were probably going fins up. As it turned out --- they were spawning! Koi spawning is interesting to watch. The females who are full of eggs are chased up and down the pond by the male fish. Two or three large males push the female up against the sides of the pond and force the eggs out of her. Then the male fish spread milt over the eggs. The "suds" were from the males fertilizing the eggs. We have 6 fish; four of them were pushing and shoving our largest fish, Maybelline----aptly named. The boys are Sushi, Filet, Gorton & Flipper. We also have Mrs Paul. Now Abby and I are anxiously watching the pond for signs of itty fishes.

Flipper pushing Mrs. Paul

Danny Gregory in Portland!

2009-06-17T11:11:00.001-07:00

I am so excited! Danny Gregory has agreed to come to Portland and be our Opening Night speaker! His lecture is entitled: The Drawing Habit: Get it Back and Change Your World. I have loved his books for years and never thought I would have the opportunity to listen to him speak.
Danny Gregory is an author, illustrator, creative director, copywriter and teacher. His books include Everyday Matters: a memoir (lauded by R. Crumb, Chris Ware, Ronald Searle and hailed as one of the best of the Year by Comics Journal; available in hardcover, paperback and even a Korean edition); and The Creative License: Giving yourself permission to be the artist you truly are (one of the bestselling art instruction and inspiration of the last year). Danny has illustrated books for Workman and F+W. His illustrations regularly appear in the New York Times, Black Book, Print, HOW, More, LA Weekly and other publications. He is also a contributing artist to The Morning News. He is an award-winning creative director who has created advertising campaigns for Chase, Crayola, American Express, IBM, Ford Motor Company, Burger King, AT&T and many others.
Danny was born in London, grew up in Pakistan, Australia and Israel, is a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University and lives in Greenwich Village with his wife and son. Every day, thousands visit his website for discussions about art and creativity and a regular dose of his watercolor journals.

Read an interview with him on the artist site: Illustration Friday

He will be here Sept 29 at the Holiday Inn Airport Convention Center. Maria will have his books for sale -- and he will be available to autograph them after the lecture. Cost is $25 for registered attendees and $35 for non-participants. Tickets are now available on line (Merchandise Page) -- space is limited so sign up early!

Some samples of Danny's work.

First Champion Ribbon

2009-06-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

My baby girl was stunning at her first competition. It was a very exciting weekend!!

Miss Tahitian Pearls getting ready to load up.

Yippee!! The first of many to come ---- I hope!

Asilomar 09

2009-06-09T20:28:00.001-07:00

Asilomar is such a wonderful location for a creative retreat. Everyone who attended loved the setting and it truly is quite spectacular. I attempted to have a good time, but had to leave early due to strep throat and the beginnings of a nasty bout with shingles. If you have had them, you understand only too well. If you have NOT --- GET THE VACCINE! I never want to go thru this again -- even after all this time, I still cannot wear a bra and must take a dose of heavy medication to make it thru the day. No fun. But if you email me midway thru the drug dose --- I'm pretty darn happy!

Vendor Night

Michael

Michael and students

Making certain that everyone stayed on the paths and did not litter!!

Could there be anything sweeter?

Can't live without my daily latte. We found a Starbucks in Pacific Grove.....and found more than coffee!!

Look closely in the R and B

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-05-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to head to Asilomar. With a heat wave hitting our area, it will be a nice break being on the coast. Maria is packing a small store to take -- we KNOW how wonderful that is going to be!! We will also have sweatshirts and T's with Michelle Bernard's fabulous logo.

Path leading to the beach

I was very naughty and invited friends in for cookies last year. Shhhhhhh -- dont tell the Rangers. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't work with wildlife on a daily basis. So, please, do not follow my lead!! These little cuties can get a bit nasty if you dont deliver in a timely manner. Actually -- I can get a bit nasty if I dont get snacks in a timely manner -- must be why I am good with animals; we understand one another.

Doesn't this look like a statue?? NOT! Cant wait to see them again, happily grazing as we walk by. Off to pack!

Rock n Roll in Hampton

2009-05-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hampton was nothing short of AMAZING! We had such a good time, it was difficult to leave and return home. This event just gets better and better. The hours flew by each day -- laughter and creativity was everywhere. I rented a mobility scooter and it had two speeds --- turtle or rabbit. Occasionally, I needed rabbit to zip around the Convention Center--and would forget to turn it back to turtle. Needless to say, we had some interesting near disasters as I went flying by a table or nearly took out a pedestrian. Dale Wigley began to refer to me as "Barney Oldfield". For those of you who are too young to recognize the name -- ahem -- Barney was a pioneer race car driver. Fortunately -- we have no photos of me on rabbit/turtle.

Thanks to Ranger Industries, Bonnie Edgenton and Michelle Bernard for another wonderful Opening Night project. Many of you know that Michelle created our logo for Rock n Roll -- which was loved by all! It is going to be difficult to "retire" this one.

In our quest to bring new and exciting elements to the events, Maria arranged for Susan Pickering Rothamel from US Artquest to join us each day in the store/office. Susan demoed US Artquest products and dazzled us with her charming self. She was a fabulous hit and we are hoping she can bring her dog and pony show to Portland.

The calm before the storm. After 3 days of prep Collage is ready to go!!

Susan Pickering Rothamel of US Artquest

Sally Jean's Tiara girls -- each one stunning.

Busy store

The Mechanical Bird class taught by Charlie and Kerin Slaughter

Play time in the store area. The Make and Takes were a hit!

We didn't have a large response to the call for altered Rock n Roll art -- but the pieces we received were incredible.

An altered guitar -- how amazing is this??!!

And the winner is ---- Kathy Cawthon!!

Elvis has left the building! Say goodbye Jennifer and Richard.

Two Heads are Better than ONE!

2009-04-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

It is true!!! Two Heads ARE better than one!! Well, at least when it is two fabulous artists coming together to create a most special class. Stephanie Lee and Misty Mawn are collaborating on a two day class this summer. It will be held at the Portland Embassy Suites in July. All information is available on the Art & Soul website.

Art Fun

2009-04-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to be able take Linda & Opie O'Briens class "Dada Diaries" at Artfest. I say fortunate because I came within nano seconds of not attending. I've never played with metal, have no tools and began to think that I was an idiot signing up for this class. Linda and Opie, however, had other ideas and gave me the gentle nudge that I needed to follow thru. And I can say that I had an absolute BLAST! This is a good example of attending a class having no idea what you want to do and therefore not planning ahead and bringing tons of supplies. There was not a lot of decision making -- I used what was in my stash. And here is the result. The torso contains a small book that can be removed. The arms are those things used to pry up paint can lids -- I have no idea why I had them in my bag, but yippeeee for me! Needless to say, my compatriots made some amazing, envious pieces -- but I am pretty darn pleased!

Big hug from Linda as I finished my project

Mary Stanley and Opie working hard to make our pieces fabulous

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a wonderful day today!! We had brunch at the Sheraton and there was quite a food artist at the restaurant.

Anyone for a class in food animals????

Vonnie, Abby & Mr. E. Bunny

Me and Luke

Vonnie, Wade & Derek

New Classes and ART!!

2009-04-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

So many wonderful things happening --- I hardly know where to begin.
Jan gave me the most incredible camera -- I am thrilled beyond words. She brought it to me as I took some much needed time for myself and attended Artfest last week. I’m still learning how to use it, but how great it was to have with me during this creative time. My classes were fabulous and I had a ball.

This is the view from my bedroom window. I stayed at the Harborside Motel and was able to take my faithful companion, Ginny with me. Getting ready for bed
Of course I had to feed the visitors who came for dinner. He/She actually swallowed the entire piece of bread WHOLE.
Sweet young doe

LK is offering a class at Hampton that is to die for. I saw the sample and wanted to sit right down and get started on it. It is called “Juicy Painted Handbound Journal". The book is totally cool and funky with tabs and mesh and tons of stuff. These pics really don't do it justice. It is amazing!

I also took a class from Linda and Opie and Judy Wise. More on those and pics in a later post!

We have been asked to offer more of the smaller, intimate daily retreats. SO -- in June I am pleased to offer a two day class with Alma dela Melena Cox (check out the OPB video. It was a feature on Oregon artists) and one with Jan Harris. In July, Misty Mawn and Stephanie Lee are doing a collaborative class that will knock your socks off!! All information is on line under the Summer Classes tab.

Time for Portland!

2009-03-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Registration for Portland begins tomorrow at noon Pacific Daylight time. It is a fantastic line up and I'm excited for all of you! If we experience any problems, please have patience with us. My mother was rushed to the hospital yesterday and we are in a bit of chaos around here. A bit of fun as well as stress since the family has gathered. As with my friends, being with my family warms my heart.

My great niece, Libby. Future Art & Soul attendee!

Clay Play

2009-02-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

Portland classes have been posted and the line up is one of the most exciting ones ever planned. Registration will begin March 15 at noon – 12:00 pm PACIFIC time.

Our efforts will now turn to completing the packets for Virginia and Asilomar. My goal is to have them in the mail by March 15. With the Rock & Roll theme, the booklets have been fun to design.

I was able to spend some quality time working with art this weekend -- my new passion is making people and animals with polymer clay. I began this venture under the guidance of Judy Wise -- her clay family is fabulous and hysterical. I love their comical appearances.

This is Gurney. I had more fun bringing him to life. He was created in Bandon and Vonnie later told me that he resembles my ex father-in-law. She was right.

Gurney was always a nasty old man -- here he is trying to get a peek down the bathing suit of Bee's Beach Beauty while being watched intently by my odd beach bird.

Creating a new soul in the studio.

I think she will be a fairy with a hat that is a big leaf. The clay sort of makes a decsion on its own as I continue to work with it. Fun, soothing and rewarding!

Congrats to LK!

2009-01-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

LK is teaching her Story Teller class at Asilomar.....and the Art Doll Quarterly has just come out with her dolls on the cover!! The class should be fabulous -- check out the publication or our website for further info.

A Remarkable Week

2009-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

I am still feeling the euphoria I experienced while spending a most fabulous week with 9 women at the Oregon coast. It was a time of great comfort and peace.

At time of remarkable creativity amongst seeming chaos.

A time to be silly and fill the days with laughter.

A time to kick up our heels and revel in the joy of frienship.

This time and these women changed my life. My heart is full.

LeeAnne Wallace Memorial Scholarship Fund

2008-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

LeeAnne’s husband, David, and I have frequently been asked if there were a way to make a charitable donation in LeeAnne's name. Today,I would like to announce that we are in the process of setting up a tax-exempt nonprofit scholarship fund in her memory. One purpose of the fund, amongst others, would be to offer the experience of attending an Art & Soul retreat to those who are unable to afford it (e.g. students). For those wishing to donate to the fund, checks can be made out to "The LeeAnne Wallace Memorial Art & Soul Scholarship Fund" and mailed to Lee's husband David at the following address:

David Granovetter

209 Sherry Court

San Jose, CA 95119

An alternate way of making a charitable contribution to the fund would be as follows (previously posted to Lee's blog): For Lee, creating art was her soul work. Her passion. Her meditation. Her art was inherently linked to her connection to the endless seasons and cycles of life and to her eclectic spirituality. She would continually encourage our children, other young people who hung out in our garage/studio (and all others for that matter) to follow their life's passion, whatever that may be. To that end, it would also honor her greatly for anyone to do just that: Create a work of art of any type and donate it to the fund. It would later be auctioned off at one of the Art & Soul retreats and the proceeds donated to the scholarship fund.

I am very pleased that we can honor Lee in this manner. A scholarship program is something that I have wanted to accomplish for quite some time. More details will be forthcoming as the fund criteria is finalized. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Lee and have her blessing. She is guiding us through the process.

LeeAnne and Misty at Art & Soul Portland Oct 2008

Boring Weather!

2008-12-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

We rarely get more than a few sprinkles of snow each year in the Portland area -- and it is always a major news event when the flakes begin to fall. Last week was no exception as we all raced to the windows to watch Mother Nature in action. The kids pray for the roads to be covered -- our snow is usually very wet/icy making driving trecherous -- so schools are closed almost immediately.

WELL --- one week later, and it is still snowing! We have almost three feet on the ground in beautiful Boring, our neighboring town has declared a State of Emergency and everyone is going crazy. People have not been able to finish their shopping and the streets are a mess. The cities do not have fleets of snow removal equipment and they have had to call for assistance. It has been 40 yrs since Portland has seen weather like this.

Fortunately for me -- I work at home. No putting a "Closed due to weather" sign on my front door. Heh heh heh. Although, I have been without power for a couple of days, and the phone/cable/internet is off and on making communication difficult. But I am blessed to be able to take care of attendees without too much interruption. It is truly a winter wonderland.

Road in front of the house

A good neighbor clearing my driveway

Covered in snow!

Christmas Tradition

2008-12-17T17:19:00.001-08:00

Abigail has been working on our traditional Gingerbread house. We had much better luck this year than last --- our poor house last year kept collapsing. Vonnie finally used the glue gun and put the walls together. Not edible, but functional. This one IS edible and the boys can hardly wait to devour it.Quality control is a very important part of the process!

Decorated Cottage

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

This year,I actually managed to reduce my collection of Christmas decorations. It was very difficult, but needed to be done. There is a lot less house to decorate in the Cottage than there was in the Lodge! I kept things most sentimental and even then have way too much. It is kind of sad that we only enjoy these things for a few weeks each year -- but then, maybe that is the enduring charm of the memorabilia.

Bee took some fabulous pics of our Christmas tree. I always have birds or an owl as part of the decor.

Life Updates

2008-12-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

We have been working furiously on the classes for Portland 09. The jury completed their selections last month and it has taken weeks to work and re-work the schedule to try and fit classes to classrooms. The result is a fantastic line-up and once again, I am excited about the next Portland event. Vonnie is in the process of uploading the info to the website and our target date to go live is February 15. Registration will begin on March 1.

Pica helping Bee arrange classes for Portland.

Then it is always a daunting task to re-pack and return the samples. Vonnie got lots of help and advice from Annie.

Not to be outdone -- Sophie joined me as the main attraction in the "in box".

Bee has joined us in Nov and Dec at Duck Pond Cottage. This last visit, she brought her camera and got some great shots of our newest family member….Ringo. He is a Gloucester Corona Canary and the funniest bird I have ever seen --- with a perfect toupee. I made the big mistake of going to a bird show (took Bee with me) -- he was in a silent auction and I just had to bid. Happily, I won the bid. He is joined by Pavarotti (so named because he sings like a canary – heh heh heh) and Princess Buttercup. Buttercup is a rescue canary. She has seizures and falls off of her perch. She was given to me as she could not be used for breeding or sold. She needed a home to care for her – and that is our place. Buttercup has been fine since she has been with us and is happy to sit on Abby’s finger. The trio (especially “Pavvy”) makes happy sounds and keeps me company as I work.
My kitties were very pleased with the new arrivals and it was a challenge to keep them off the cages (squirt bottles work well). Now they realize that the birds are not lunch, here to stay and actually are pretty boring behind those bars.

Ringo

Horsing Around

2008-11-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun for Halloween this year. Abigail and Secret competed in their first horse show last weekend. One of the classes was a costume contest and Abby had decided that she and her horse would be fairies. Ruth had given Abby the book Fairy Houses by Barry & Tracy Kane which was her inspiration for the costumes. Gathering the costume items, Vonnie found the perfect set of wings for Secret and we devised a way to attach them to her back. There was only one small complication….Secret was terrified of the wings. It was pretty pathetic to watch a huge 15 hand horse tremble anytime she saw them coming at her. Fortunately, we had two weeks to ease her fears and by contest night, she wore her wings like a trooper. Abby wanted flowers in her tail and mane and we made a flower tiara to wear behind her ears. Getting the tail and mane ready

The two fairies took 2nd place out of 19 – it was a very exciting evening for all of us.

Special Announcement!

2008-10-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to announce that Bee Shay will be joining the Art & Soul Staff. Bee brings countless experience and talent to our team and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her as an integral part of Art & Soul. Bee is making her teaching debut for us in Virginia next May. She has been a Folk artist and oil painter for almost 30 years, and turned mixed media about 12 years ago. She's been teaching some form of handcraft or art since 1978, more on than off. Bee majored in art in high school for all four years and one year of college...self education has been the key from there on. Learn by "doing" has been her basic mode of self instruction. She has spent 10 years actively involved in the Stencil Artisan's League (SALI), an international non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching and furthering of traditional American Folk Art. Working on both the local level (serving on the local board at all levels and traveling instructor); and also on the national board as Educational Chairman and National Convention Chairman. In the early '90's she switched gears and began working in the paper arts world when bitten by rubber stamps and has taught in stores and small private workshops since.

As you can see, we have a lot in common! We love our pets and have a deep affinity for birds.

You may review her work on her blog: www.beeshay.typepad.com

With Marie, Jan, Bee and Vonnie --- not to mention the most dedicated volunteers in the Universe, Art & Soul ROCKS!!

I'm BAAAACCCCCK!

2008-10-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

I’m here --- after a very long absence -- and am almost back to normal – (ohhhh – that might be scary.) During the middle of Art & Soul Portland, I managed to catch the CRUD. Working 15+ hrs a day left my resistance pretty low and coupled with residual medical issues, I was hit pretty hard with the stuff. I continued to try and work through it, but alas, was finally forced to leave the computer/office and stay in bed --- for weeks. It was awful. Many of you know that I am not a patient person --- not a patient patient at all. But today – I feel great and am ready to kick butt!! It is amazing how during a long illness you can forget what it is like to feel well!

I want to thank all of you who have sent well wishes and links to your blogs and photos of the Portland event to me; I am just beginning to review them. The work that emerges from the classes is amazing and I hope that everyone will have an opportunity to review all the wonderful blogs.

Now it is back to work on our events, a fall newsletter and getting ready to jury submissions for next year's classes!

Ready, Set, REGISTER!

2008-09-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

Your feedback continues to be most encouraging and reinforces my dedication to you and Art & Soul events. This economy has shaken all of us to our bare roots, but our art souls realize the importance of our sisterhood and how each of us thrive on our newfound friendships. I am deeply touched by your notes and stories, please continue to send them!
We are getting ready for the Portland event and things are hopping! As if that weren’t enough to keep us busy, registration went “live” for both Asilomar and Virginia this month. Whew – it has been a daunting few weeks – but also exhilarating.
The classes and instructors for the events are, once again, outstanding. We have some new faces and innovative classes that are incredible. I will be showcasing them in my blog during the next few weeks.
And now, it is off to the Embassy. Loading the van, setting up and getting ready for a art filled week with fabulous people!!

New Hobby

2008-09-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

My friends Ruth and Connie belong to a group called “The Inkies”. Can you guess – the group was formed about 10yrs ago as a stamping club. They continue to meet once a week and are a very flexible and fun loving gang. I joined them a couple of weeks ago and the main topic of conversation (other than what was for lunch) was needle felting. Bette had two delightful books showing all types of projects and was talking about roving, needles, etc.

The whole classroom (they meet at Stamp A Dee DO da) was electric with enthusiasm for needle felting. Bette and Ruth were determined to show me one of the publications and get me as excited as they were. I agreed that the projects were nice, but really, I did not need another art vice. REALLY. Honestly, it looks like fun, but NO. My protests lasted about 10 minutes.

I now have a needle felting machine, roving and if you tell me I need it, I’ll have Ruth get it for me. The turning point was the photo of a wedding picture framed with needle felting. I was in the process of making a book for my nephew’s wedding and had been contemplating a special cover. I was drawn to the picture frame and immediately began to gather materials. Five days and a few dollars later, I was knee deep in shades of white and ivory accents; some antique lace, buttons and other family heirlooms.

For those who have yet to experiment with this art form, it is quite soothing and can also give you that immediate gratification that so many of us desire. I have finished the book and am anxious for some free time to play.

The beautiful bride, Lauren, had chosen white/ivory and black for her colors. I used black suede for the spine and back cover to help give the book strength and durability. This is an old lace glove, stitched to the page. Lauren can add something special to the tag.

Lauren wanted a decorative spine so I used an ivory book binding flax for the signatures and incorporated some pearls from my grandmother's button box.

The wedding was held in Las Vegas -- the latest, hippest place to get hitched -- so I'm told. Surprisingly, we had over 70 friends and family in attendance. I made a small Guest Book to fit into THE book. I believe this to be an antique crocheted purse. I sewed it to the page as an enclosure for the guest book.

I like using different types of papers when making my books -- the various textures give them a special, unique feel.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2008-08-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

I just returned from spending the weekend with LeeAnne Wallace and her wonderful family. Many of you may have read Lee's post on the Yahoo group when she learned that she had cancer. She is an Art & Soul sister with a heart as big as a mountain.
Marian McBryde flew from Florida, I came from Oregon and we met at the San Jose airport before traveling on to visit LeeAnne. Well --- not really. I mean – we didn’t really meet at the airport. We were supposed to meet there -- at the Internet Café, by Starbucks. “After all”, I told Marian, “it’s a small airport….you can’t miss me.” I have flown into San Jose a zillion times. Small plane, no covered stairs on the jetway, tiny waiting areas. Piece of cake.
I come from a major metropolis -- sort of. Portland might not be MAJOR in some eyes, but we do have a professional basketball team. Our airport is nice -- and if I told someone to meet me at the Starbucks in the lobby, they would easily find their way. Doesn’t San Jose sound like a nice, small urban airport? You fly there to avoid the craziness at LA or San Francisco, right? So after waiting over an hour for Marian to appear, I began to worry that maybe the tropical storm had held up her flight. Of course, I managed to leave home without any phone numbers, but then, what’s to worry???? It’s a small airport.
I had dismissed the wheel chair dude so to attempt to walk from the café to an information area was a bit daunting. Fortunately, I must have looked pitiful and a business suit offered to help. He checked on Marians flight and graciously informed me that it had landed about 5 minutes earlier at Terminal A. Well – WHEW. She was just late – probably due to the weather. She would come walking by at any minute. 30 minutes later, I knew we had a problem. Can you guess???? Terminal A? I was in Terminal C. This little bitty airport has ‘parts’. You have to take a bus from terminal to terminal. Marian was waiting at the Starbucks in A. And waiting, and waiting – and beginning to worry. She didn’t have my cell number either --- are we good or what? But she did call LeeAnne, who called Marie who had my number.
By the time she got me on my cell, I was in a taxi on the way to our hotel -- where I could call home, regroup and find her. By the time we saw each other, we were laughing hysterically --- 2 small town women trying to find their way around the big city.
Lee insisted that we visit and meet her family that evening. Our main concern was to make certain that we did not interfere with any special family time and that we would not over tire her. She has completed her first round of chemo and the drugs are beginning to take their toll on her body.

LeeAnne

The first person we saw as we drove up was a tall, gorgeous young woman wearing a “Fuck you, Cancer” t-shirt. It was Laurel, LeeAnne’s 16yr old daughter. She not only looks like her mother, she is just like her! Gracious, funny and sweet as can be.
LeeAnne has turned her garage into her studio -- and it is awesome! I took lots of notes for my own space. In San Jose, you can have the door open most year round, I guess. So here is this marvelous open air studio. Certainly not something that we can do in Oregon – and Marian said that it is too humid in Florida, so it was a special treat for both of us to play in this space.
LeeAnne’s husband, David, is quite the character. He kept us laughing with antidotes and played the piano while Marian and I attempted to sing. Her son Porter and his girlfriend Kitty, sat and visited with us – until more company appeared. We were honored to meet two of her dearest friends, Cindy and Helen.

Helen, Glenny, Lee, Laurel

Laurel, Helen, Marian, Glenny

Marian searching for paper in the incredible studio

With such an amazing support group surrounding her, I know that she will beat this. She told me that she wants to get “real sick – because that means the drugs are working”. I still marvel at her courage and fortitude. She has been receiving notes and gifts from Art and Soul sisters around the world. I think this is the most humbling thing of all for me -- knowing how special A&S has become and how many lives it has changed.
LeeAnne and David are planning to be with us in Portland in October. We are counting the days until we can be together again!

Summer at Duck Pond Cottage

2008-08-17T14:19:00.001-07:00

My mom spent 20+ years living in Arizona. She loved it there until the summers became unbearable for her breathing. While there, she grew quite an amazing cactus garden and when she relocated, some of the plants came with her. They never really appealed to me --- ok in their natural setting, but nothing that I would care to have on my patio.

Last winter, she insisted that I take a cactus start. Apparently it didn’t need much care; just leave in a sheltered spot on the deck. So I did. It has flourished and almost doubled in size. Then, two weeks ago, I noticed that some kind of spikes were growing out of the sides of the plant. Since my mother is staying with me, I brought it into the house and she was pleased to tell me that it was getting ready to bloom.

The original plant was the size of these small babies growing at the base of the mother plant.

We watched the plant with amazement as the spikes seemed to grow before our very eyes. Our weather had cooled for few days, and so did the growth. Then our weather heated up and they popped open. The blossoms only last about 24 hrs -- such a miniscule time to enjoy such a splendid display.
I am enjoying my deck this summer– not the same as living in the middle of hundreds of acres, but close enough. The wildlife is beginning to accept us, and that thrills me. Our ducks, who now have names as we can tell them apart as they have matured – Jack & Jill, Hillary and Obama – are quite happy in the big pond. Wild ducks fly into to visit them and I still wonder if they will leave this winter to follow the flock south.

Great Grandma & Abigail

2008-08-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

It’s one of those nights where sleep is illusive. I remember reading somewhere that instead of just tossing and turning, you should just get UP. So I did, I am and its 3:00am. I guess it gives me some time to reflect on many things – probably one reason that sleep did not come – as my mind is very active. In our day to day lives, we take so much for granted. All the old clichés come to mind, especially when sleep doesn’t.

My mother is suffering from the final stages of COPD – the new fancy diagnosis of tragic emphysema. A heavy smoker from the early age of 21 she scoffed the reports in the early 1960’s of smoking dangers. I remember one evening when she and her friends were having a gab fest and the house was blue with smoke. The topic of the latest smoking ‘scare tactics’ arose and they all jokingly reached for another cigarette laughing that it made them so nervous they had to have another fix immediately. After all, they were invincible. Pre-war brides; they were raised during the depression and experiencing affluence that their parents could never have imagined…..new homes with indoor plumbing, husbands with good jobs, 2.5 children, 2 cars and groceries on the table. Nothing could touch them. Cigarette companies preyed on these women and no lawsuit against the companies can begin to pay for their suffering.

Sadly, at age 85, my mother is facing the fate of her love affair with tobacco complicated with asthma and allergies. What makes it even worse is that the only part of her body that is failing --is the lungs. Her mind is sharp as a tack, and if she were able, she could work circles around me. It is so painful to watch her fight for each breath. Anyone who has had asthma can understand the lung spasms – but imagine dealing with it every minute. She has asked God to let her go many times, but in his wisdom, for whatever reason, she remains strong in every way but those poor lungs.

She had a fairly good day yesterday and was able to join us at the barn to watch Abigail take a lesson on her new horse. Memories that we will cherish.

Art Challenge

2008-08-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

I accepted an art challenge from Tracie Huskamp and Jan Harris. The ‘rules’ are simple:

A group of mixed-media artists will enter into a year-long challenge to create one, nature-themed 8" by 8" canvas each month for the next twelve months. Each month a different member of the group will decide the theme for the upcoming month and the members will interpret the theme in whatever media they choose, as long as the finished art fits on an 8" by 8" canvas.

This was an absolute first for me – I haven’t been involved in anything relating to art– no swaps, no round robins, no fat books no nothing – but I could do this. I really KNEW I could do this. So, I graciously accepted the invitation. (my art has been limited to making books – something I love and enjoy)

Our first piece was due July 31 and the theme was “Bird”. Should be simple for me – I love birds; my blog is a bird; my first home is named after same bird; I do wild bird rehab. But what do I DO for art? With all of the latest discussion about copying etc, I was suddenly petrified. I have no style that is my own – I haven’t had time to DO art, yet alone become myself. Everything I know about art is related to one class or another -- Ann Baldwin, Claudine Hellmuth, Lesley Riley, Traci Bautista – each finished piece, albeit having my own flair, is easily identifiable by the instructor from whom I took the class. My challenge piece will not be sold or published, but it will be on display, both on the Internet and in a gallery. Yikes!! That did it…. I decided to quit the challenge, besides I didn’t have time to work on art after all.

But wait…. QUIT???? – I’m not a quitter. I made a commitment and I’d jolly well better buck up and figure it out….time was ticking. I headed to my studio and hauled out paints, palate some papers and began. It was an agonizing task, but after repeatedly tearing off pieces of paper and re-painting the background – I finished….and only 2 days late. Hopefully everyone will see a combination of all my instructors in my first piece and I will continue to grow as the challenge continues. There is a blog dedicated to our challenge: http://naturegathered.blogspot.com/

Raven Lodge

2008-07-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

We all know that the Universe works in wondrous ways but when it hands you a perfect solution, you can’t help but be awed by the process. I have had my fabulous Raven Lodge listed for sale since last year. Many have loved it; offers have been made, but nothing had come to fruition. With the market so incredibly sour, I decided to take if off the market and look for a caretaker for the property, knowing that the economy will rebound with time.

On Monday, the realtor de-listed the property. One hour later, she received a phone call from a woman who had just driven by, looked in the windows and had fallen in love. She and her partner wanted to see the property as soon as possible. I didn’t get too excited as I have “heard that song before” – but a small part of me had a glimmer of hope.

As only fate can make things happen, it turns out that four women are forming a partnership to hold special retreats. When they saw Raven Lodge they knew it was THE location for their dream. I was instantly a puddle as that had long been my dream for the house and property. Now I know that the reason the house had not sold is because it was waiting for their vision to become a reality.

And that vision fits perfectly with Art & Soul! A coach offering Writing for the Soul, another for Yoga and

Reiki. Horse therapy and other soothing soulful classes are just the beginning. It will be such a joy to see where they will go and how we can be a part of the process!

I can only offer abundant gratitude to the Universe and Powers for guiding these women to me.

Some updates

2008-07-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

I’m still waiting to hear from those two metal masters as with a class description and pricing. Life sometimes gets in the way of business – so hang in there a little longer! I will send an email to all of you who have requested information and we can finalize the class at that time.

We should have all class information for Nova Scotia by the end of August! I’m thrilled with your enthusiasm about this event and can hardly wait to go myself. It is going to be as great as Italy – and we are not losing money to the Euro! Yippeee!

Jan has helped me to set up a new newsletter for Art & Soul! The first one went out a few days ago and we hope to send one monthly. The goal is to highlight different instructors as well as giving updates on Art & Soul events.

We have had to change our date for VA and CA registration. Instead of in Oct – Virginia will be Sept 15 and Asilomar will be Sept 20. Many factors go into the timing so sometimes we have to make adjustments. We will send a group email and announce on the Yahoo site when the time approachs.

Busy Days

2008-07-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

We went “live” with the new website yesterday and I LOVE it. I think it is fun, arty and reflects me and A & S very well! My web designer, Lisa Gray, did a fabulous job!

Today we had the jury for Virginia 09. What an amazing group of proposals we received! The talent in our mixed media arena is incredible. As usual, we have many more submissions than we have room for at the event – which makes the selections extremely difficult.

The next step is for Vonnie to gather all the descriptions and photos and begin working to upload them onto our new website. This takes quite a bit of time, but we plan to have the VA classes ready to review by Sept 15. Registration for VA will begin Oct 1. It will be another wonderful line-up and I am thrilled to be able to offer them to you.

We will be getting the Portland packets ready to mail the first week of August. It is a daunting task, so please be patient!

An update on our critters.

Quack 1, 2, 3 & 4 are growing rapidly. They have all their feathers and continually test their wings by stretching them out. Take off, however, has not occurred. Abby runs with them flapping her arms, and they wildly run after her – not flapping their wings. She gets quite discouraged. We have two drakes and two females -- who still peep --- occasionally, we will hear a small “quack”. They are quite contented in our big pond and come running when we call them.

Amy, our abandoned mamma kitty, is doing great. She is a little hunter and is taking care of the mouse population in and around the barn. We still have two kittens, Lily and Lucy and it looks like we will be keeping them as well as Amy. I brought Lily into the house with a bit of concern, thinking that she would be intimidated by my 3 other girls. She couldn’t have cared less about them. Sophie and Pica hissed and growled at her – Annie was just curious. Lily wasn’t nervous, didn’t hide – she just took over and did whatever she wanted to do. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Amy

We have had one other animal rescue -- a bird visitor – a small flicker. He got caught in the mouth of the cat. Fortunately, the kids found him before any serious damage was done and we were able to save him. I gave him antibiotics and in 24hrs he was ready to head back to the forest. So that is one gone and 4 ducks, one colt and one mare to go!!

Keith & Michael together in Portland -- Holy Cow!!

2008-07-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Michael deMeng and Keith LoBue team teaching -- can it get any better??? Our two "studly" metal masters are developing a special 2 day class just for Portland Art & Soul. The date will be Oct 7&8, 2008. I don't have all the particulars as yet -- we are waiting for Keith to finish a workshop and then he and Michael will send me the details. If you are interested in taking the class, email me and I will put you on the list.

More great news -- some sold out classes are being repeated!!

Judy Wilkenfeld is going to teach another session of her 2 day "Just in Case" class. Judy has been sold out for months so this is a special opportunity for those of you who could not get into her classes. The date is also Oct 7 & 8. Registration is available on line.

Traci Bunkers is teaching another "Gocco a Gogo" class on Wed October 1. Many of you have expressed an interest in the Gocco system. It is a lot of fun, I've used mine often when mass producing invitations or announcements. Registration is available on line.

Special Announcement!

2008-06-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Half of the fun of Art & Soul for me is planning future events. Everything from researching locations to watching the jury evaluate class proposals is quite fulfilling. I can’t stress enough how wonderful our 2006 jaunt to Pienza, Italy was. Not only did we have a marvelous instructor, Ms Lesley Riley, but the city and atmosphere were amazing. We longed to return again, but the decline in our poor dollar has made International travel all but impossible for many of us. I desperately wanted to organize a small event somewhere out of the ordinary – and yet charming. And by gosh – I think we’ve done it!

I am happy to announce that we will have a small retreat in Nova Scotia! The date will be Aug 10-14, 2009 and will feature only 3 instructors: Lesley Riley, LK Ludwig and Judy Wilkenfeld. They will each teach two 2/day classes. Our proposed schedule is to have classes Monday & Tuesday then Thursday & Friday, with Wednesday off as a day to explore the area. The retreat will include: classes of your selection, six nights lodging, six breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners. Transportation to the island is not included. We will be staying at the Old Orchard Inn which is in the Annapolis Valley region and the Bay of Fundy.

We will be saving the dollar from the Euro – while still enjoying an international retreat! Yippeeee!!!
The instructors are currently busy working on their classes/descriptions. Registration and all information will be on-line Aug 15, 2008. Size will be limited to 60 attendees – I hope you can join us on this wonderful adventure!

New Hotel for Portand attendees!

2008-06-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

We have completely overwhelmed the Embassy and the Sheraton in Portland. Both room blocks have sold out --- there isn’t a closet available at either property. However, good news prevails! The Sheraton has just built a brand new art deco property called: aloft. It is located in the new Cascade Station shopping center – which is just down the street from the Embassy. Cascade Station features IKEA, among other trendy shops and restaurants, is on the MAX line for easy access to downtown Portland and brings another fun element to Art & Soul.

This hotel looks incredible. Although I am not personally a big fan of art deco or anything modern – I can certainly appreciate what they have achieved. Here is an excerpt from a press release about the new chain:

As a Vision of W Hotels, aloft hotels are shaking up the lodging industry with urban-influenced design, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. aloft hotels offer a total sensory experience, with guest rooms featuring loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment. The centerpiece of each aloft room is the ultra-comfortable plush platform bed, and large stylish bathrooms complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss® spa. Each aloft room is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple
electronic gadgetry such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops - all linked to a large flat panel LCD television for optimal sound and viewing. aloft offers atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends. Guests can read the paper, work on their laptops via hotel-wide wireless internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix SM communal lobby area and bar w xyz SM. The re:charge SM fitness center and splash, the indoor or outdoor pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize; while re:fuel by aloft SM, a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.

The BEST part is that Art & Soul attendees are being given a huge reduction in the rate! The Sheraton is honoring our $124/night – so if you haven’t booked a room – go for it. Here is what the sales manager says you have to do: call Aurie Cacho (503)-335-2854 at the Sheraton to make reservations at the new aloft Portland Airport Hotel at Cascade Station! Do not have call the hotel (aloft) directly yet as it will confuse the process. The actual reservation process should be settled sometime next week. Please indicate that you are making an overflow room reservation at the aloft Portland at the A&S group rate and she will manually put in the reservations.

Sounds exciting. I am anxious to know what you think! Who enjoys the upscale, trendy hotel and who is happy lounging in our old diggs?

A Callous Act

2008-06-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, we discovered that someone had dumped a mamma cat and 7 kittens at the Corbett house. Fortunately, we had been at the house a few days earlier, so we knew that they hadn’t been there long. The poor things were starving and thirsty and they greedily pounced on the food that we put out. Mamma and babies are not feral, so obviously someone had been taking care of them before deciding to get rid of them. The babies are about 4-5 weeks old and cute as a kitten can be.
I don’t understand this behavior. First of all, be a responsible pet owner and have your animals spayed/neutered. There are countless programs to assist with payment for the procedures. And secondly, what kind of person does this? What a selfish, shallow act. Driving to Corbett is about the same distance as driving to the Humane Society. This coward knew that the house was vacant….and took the opportunity to relieve him/herself of a responsibility he/she no longer wanted. With the kittens being so small, they could never have made it to the front porch on their own so we know that they were “hand delivered”.
During the 20 yrs that I lived in the lodge, we could always count on numerous “stray” dogs and cats appearing each summer. Many had been attempting to forage on their own before finding their way to the house – others were quite healthy and had just been thrown out of a moving car by our driveway. I’m glad that I was there to help them, as we are with this new family. I would certainly like to get my hands on the creep.
So –anyone in the Portland area who would like a kitten – I’m the person to contact! We moved them to the barn and they are occupying Zahara’s stall. As long as the weather is nice, the horses are outside enjoying fresh pasture. Abby has her hands full taking care of baby ducks, baby kitties and baby horse. She loves every minute.

The Menagerie Grows

2008-06-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Ah Spring. Babies are beginning to take up residence. Aside from 5 week old Dexter, we now have 4 mallard ducks – and Abigail is mamma duck. They follow her in single file as she leads them from their enclosure to the pond for a daily swim. When they were only a week old, they swam in my bathtub. Jada, our Rottweiler was quite concerned when they peeped and would look at Abby as if to say – “help them”. They also enjoy sitting on her lap as she watches TV with Jada at her feet. Herding 4 ducks is no easy task – Abby has informed me that she does NOT want 4 children when she grows up – but Jada tags behind and helps scoot them along. It will be fun to see if they take up permanent residence in one of our ponds when they are fully grown and released.

Dexter is doing quite well, and mom Zahara is beginning to show her weight gain and is looking really nice. Dex is our little clown and should be a great horse for the right people. Vonnie calls it the “Pee Wee Rodeo” whenever we have to hold him down for a check up. Most of the time he just follows us everywhere – until its time for some serious business – then he shows us that he is a horse after all. We hope to find them good homes later this summer.

Annie, our mauled kitty, is having difficulty with her leg. Arthritis has taken a nasty toll on her elbow and after she races around the house – she suffers for a couple of days. It breaks my heart to see her in pain. She endured so much to keep her leg but we may have to amputate after all. She and Pica, our other ‘found’ kitty are best friends.

I'm busy working on retreats for 2009. We are getting ready to go "live" with Abigail's Art Retreat. The classes are wonderful for adults and kids alike. The cost will include your choice of 3 days of classes, three lunches and two dinners. AND - most all supplies will be included. Some classes WILL have an additonal nominal supply fee depending on the type of materials required for the class. The cost will be: $1300 for adult + child and $650 if an adult wishes to attend alone. For those that stay at the Embassy, we will have some special activies in the evening to keep the kids busy. I'm pretty excited about this new venture and can hardly wait to get it uploaded!

Animal Savior

2008-06-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for my friend and attorney, Scott Beckstead. He has just been offered the career of a lifetime (well it is to me and HIM). He will be the Director of a new horse sanctuary being set up by the Humane Society of the United States. The sanctuary is located just outside of Roseburg, OR on an 1120 acre property that is an absolute paradise. They will take in a large number of PMU mares from Canada who were rescued as they were being shipped to slaughter, as well as a couple dozen mustangs. These horses will live on the property for the rest of their lives. After that, they will take in needy horses on a case by case basis, with the hope of rehabilitating them and finding them loving homes. I can’t begin to tell you the chills of joy that I feel for him and his family. They have dedicated their lives to the care of unwanted animals – especially horses – and this opportunity is well deserved. My deepest congratulations to them!

To learn about PMU mares, go to: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/programs/domestic-feral/horses/pmu.html
It will make you very angry that the practice continues across the country. Hot flashes are indeed unpleasant, but what is done to these magnificent creatures is criminal.

Whirlwind Spring!

2008-05-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

My blog has a new look. As you know, I am totally techno challenged so Jan helped me understand the necessary steps to get started with my blog a few months ago. The banner was a watercolor that Jan had given me for my 60th birthday. (She knows about my bird rehab, and how much I love blue birds & ravens in particular....so it was a logical choice for a banner.) Now I've decided it is time that the banner reflect a bit more of me -- does that make any sense? And I felt like a fraud using someone else's artwork on my blog. I DO make art -- just not very often anymore. So until I actually create something of my own -- I asked Susan Tuttle to design something with my spirit. She asked me about 10 questions and ZAP -- I had a new banner! I love it so much, that we are working to create a new website using the format. Cool, huh?!

What an incredible whirlwind we have been on! Just before leaving to go to Asilomar, Vonnie & I decided to rescue a very pregnant mare. She was on pasture, extremely skinny and in desperate need of immediate care. We returned from Asilomar on Thursday, April 16 and on the 17th we brought Zahara to her new home. She is a beautiful little Arab, just the right size for Abigail.

The vet examined her and we immediately got her on decent food and supplements. It didn’t take her long to learn that Abby was the key to the treats and she would nicker when Abby entered the barn.

Vonnie & I were scheduled to leave for Virginia on the 28th and as the week progressed, we began to realize that Zahara was ready to foal. The vet confirmed that delivery was imminent and we were in a quandary! A malnourished mare could have complications, or the foal could be sickly. Poor Derek didn’t sign on to be an animal nurse, but he was willing to learn and do whatever necessary to help us.

At 12:30 am, April 27, DEXTER was born. Our little 14.5 hand mare gave birth to a whopping big stud colt. My first grandhorse. We watched in awe as he struggled to get his gangly legs under control and to stand up. Zahara encouraged him to get into positon to nurse and he immediately began to suckle greedily. Our vet arrived in the late morning to examine both patients and we learned that Zahara was not producing enough milk for the baby. This was due to her poor condition, but it was imperative that something be done immediately. It is not recommended that you bottle feed a foal—first of all, it is very time consuming – but most importantly, the horse can become a bit unruly as it matures. The solution was to locate a very expensive and rare supplement to give Zahara and begin the treatment that day.

Now we were really in a pickle. Due to fly out the next morning, we couldn’t leave the horses without someone who understood the situation to care for them. I desperately needed Vonnie with me for the first few days in VA – and then I felt that she could leave me to head for home. And then, as life happens, everything fell into place as we were able to find an actual “horse sitter”. (Derek was hoping that she would also cook dinner – but no luck for him.) It was a fabulous solution and I’m happy to say that Zahara and Dexter are doing great.

Dexter at 4 hours old. And poor Zahara -- she was so skinny.

Hampton, VA

2008-05-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Virginia has just been the BEST! Each event is special in its own unique way – its hard to describe, but those who are fortunate enough to attend Art & Soul at different locations will understand what I am saying.

Maria has outdone herself with the store! We have everything but the kitchen sink – oh wait a minute – I think we have a miniature one in the vintage ephemera section. The hottest item has been the new DG3 art gel. She has sold over 400 bottles. The make-and-takes have been a huge success. Attendees are grabbing lunch and then rushing to the store to make something new and fun. It has been a great place to gather, make new friends and review the day. Our thanks to US Artquest for donating the supplies for our projects.

The weather has been very cooperative after the tornado on Monday. Suffolk is only a short 20 minutes away and they were hit hard. The proceeds from our Silent Auction will be donated to the Suffolk Tornado Relief Fund.

As with the Asilomar attendees, our VA gals have outdone themselves with the ‘special project’. I am continually amazed at how everyone interprets each item and the creativity that is expressed. Portland – you have a challenge ahead of you!

And once again, Vendor Night was amazing! It was a purchasing frenzy and exciting to watch. There was no room for me and the scooter to navigate the room – it was wall to wall women (with a few very tolerant husbands thrown in). There was so much incredible art -- wish I had a bazillion dollars to spend.

Sadly, it is time to begin packing for the return home. But we will have fond memories of 08 and fresh ideas to implement for 09!

Asilomar

2008-04-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Vonnie, her darling husband, Derek, Jan and I enjoyed the magnificence of the Pacific Ocean while at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA. It was chilly and windy, but absolutely beautiful. The ocean in central CA is similar to our Oregon shoreline….and so is the weather. Not conducive to sunbathing as they do further south. People who attempt to swim in the northern part of Pacific Ocean need to wear wet suits or are members of the Polar Bear Club.
I saw many grazing deer including a couple of very pregnant does. Wish I could be there when the fawns arrive. They were not at all frightened of my scooter and just watched with wide eyes and huge ears as I went zipping by. Well “zipping” is hardly the word --- my scooter does not zip. It chugs….and it hates hills. But it gets me from point to point as Asilomar is spread out all over the place.

The attendees had a marvelous time and enjoy the rustic atmosphere of the venue. They dressed warmly and were thrilled when I told them that we would return in May 2009. Since I live in the woods in rural Oregon, I have to remember that not everyone has the country at their backdoor and that Asilomar is quite a special treat. Its too bad that I don’t have sleeping rooms for 200 people – then we could have retreats at home.

Two special and lovingly goofy ladies, Marian McBryde and LeeAnne Wallace entertained us each evening at dinner with their “Art & Soul Food” masterpieces. They had us all in hysterics including the serving staff. It warmed my heart to hear the laughter and to see new friendships develop. My ultimate passion for the events is to nurture these relationships. Our longing to create art and the experiences we share give us a life-long bond with one another. I have many friendships that have endured for years, based on family, business, sports --- but my art friends are special. They seem to have come at a time in my life when I was searching for something. Can you relate? Most of us can – and that is why our retreats are so important to us. I love reading your interactions on Yahoo; to hear that you are making arrangements to meet; starting new off shoots based on your locations or interests. It is what I had envisioned when starting this venture. We are truly a sisterhood and we are strong and loved.

Abigail's Art Retreat

2008-04-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve received many requests to allow children to attend our events. And also have had many suggestions to offer a retreat just for kids. I would love to take Abby to a place where we could take a class together -- that wonderful bonding time with a child. Something really creative instead of just attending a movie or a theme park. With that in mind, we have developed the first mixed media art retreat for adults and children. Abigail’s Art Retreat will be held in Portland, at the Embassy, Feb 14-16, 2009. The retreat is open to artistic and creative children when accompanied by an adult. It is NOT a camp – it IS an opportunity to enhance a creative experience with a parent and a child. The classes will be taught by Art & Soul instructors and will be of that caliber. We will accept ages from 6-14 and will offer both all day and 3 hour classes. Adults can attend without a child with the understanding that there will be kids in the classes!
The Embassy Suites is going to prepare kid friendly meals for us and we will have a pool party plus some other fun things in the evenings. All the info will be on the website July 1. …… I’m excited about this new addition to Art & Soul!

Abby & Jan taking Tracie & Marylin Huskamp's class

Technology

2008-04-09T14:11:00.001-07:00

I have been reading blogs and each time I review them I come away feeling very antiquated. Lesley Riley is talking about a new MAC – I haven’t mastered the PC. Technology frightens me. When I look at how far we have come in the last 10yrs I can’t help but wonder what is in store for us in the near future. On-line journals for communication and sales, on-line classes and SHOPPING! – will we become a nation of people who never leave home? Or worse, never leave their computer?

Don’t get me wrong, I love most aspects of my computerized life, but there are some areas that make me crazy. I needed to purchase some canned dog food, the expensive prescription blend, for my mini schnauzer, Ginny. We were out of town, so I located a vet clinic and asked for the food. Because I wasn’t a client, it took the receptionist about 15 minutes to make the sale. She had to futz with the computer invoicing system to get it to allow a general purchase. I don’t call this simplifying life. I guess I should have purchased a case on-line before I left home.

Ginny and Sophie

Boxes, Beavers & Birds -- oh MY!

2008-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Packets for Virginia attendees will be going into the mail this week – so watch for those! I don't know why we call them "packets" -- they are BOXES! I love dreaming these up – but getting them in the mail is a daunting task. The worker bee crew was here over the weekend – so laughter was rampant!

The boxes spilled over into the hallway and down the stairs.

And it will take 3 to 4 trips to the Post Office to get them all mailed. Its always a great relief to finally get the job DONE!

We are getting excited about heading to Asilomar. The event begins April 13. And where our brains were when we scheduled the events for 2008, I have no idea. But I get home from California on April 17 and then leave for Virginia on April 28! Back-to-Back events -- it will be an adventure!

Unfortunately, Cindy will not be joining us. She has moved on from her role with Art & Soul. Her numerous contributions to the events, her calming manner and her detail to organization helped things run smoothly. She was a tremendous asset and I know we all wish her the very best on her future endeavors!!

Do you have any idea what it costs to hire someone to use a live trap for a beaver? I was flabbergasted. They want $295 to set the trap and an additional $150 for each animal that they catch. I’d set the cage myself, but am not too keen on wading into the pond. I would be over my head before I could get to the dam. I have lots of trappers who want to kill the little family…..(I’m certain that Bea & Bobby are about to be parents)…..but that is definitely not an option. We disrupted their dam as best we could, and according to my wildlife manual, that should discourage them enough to move along. We shall see.

Last week, Marylin and Tracie Huskamp joined a group of us for a wonderful class. We learned how to paint birds!! Actually, I was so ill, that I could only join them for a few minutes at a time. A major disappointment -- but as I was in bed, it warmed my heart when the house vibrated with laughter coming from the studio! The gang had a marvelous time – including my Abby who produced some pretty great art. Check out Marylin & Tracie’s blogs to see more pics of the gals & their artwork.

This is one of Abby's paintings! She is 9yrs old -- and had a ball.

Spring Activity

2008-03-13T12:44:00.001-07:00

I’m finally feeling almost normal! Thank God for good drugs. The weather is beautiful and after being housebound for so long, I was feeling a bit ‘antsy’ for some fresh air. I wanted to explore the property to see what wildlife was present, but knew that I didn’t have the stamina to walk ---and then -- Abigail to the rescue! My 9yr old granddaughter came over to get me in the Easy Go – a rancher’s answer to a golf cart. She handled that thing like a pro and carted me all over the yard.
We drove to the back of the property where there is a large pond/small lake. The water seemed to be a bit high to me and as we explored further we found that we have a very active beaver. This little guy has been busily taking down small cedar and alders and plugging the fish ladder. It is amazing how much they can accomplish in a short time. Abby & I sat quietly by the water watching some wood ducks when I noticed a fairly large ripple in the water. I pointed it out to Ab & we inched closer to the bank. As we continued to watch, a beaver swam past us and circled the pond. It was hard for us to contain our excitement and remain still. The beaver made three passes – and then -- WHAP WHAP WHAP --slapped its tail on the water. Boy – guess he was telling us!! Get away from my home! At that point, Abby & both giggled with glee and the beaver dove out of sight.
Unfortunately, we will have to trap the little guy and destroy his new house. He can’t block the fish ladder. I’m hoping that we can take him to my old house/property in Corbett. There he has 100’s of acres, Trout Creek and the Sandy River to play with. I will try to get a photo of him -- in the meantime, Abby got some good pics of his latest work!

Ready, Set, CRASH!

2008-03-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well – what an exciting day we had yesterday! We should have had a premonition of things to come when Cindy learned that Comcast was replacing their cable lines in her area and she would be without Internet service. AWK!! She quickly packed her laptop and files and headed to Starbucks where she attempted to set up a temporary office in a quiet corner. Did I say “quiet”??? An Internet café is not the best place to set up an office – her headache had just begun.
The past two weeks, Cindy and our web people have tested, run and re-tested our new on-line registration system. All glitches were found and addressed and we were ready to go for Portland registration on the 11th. Web management did tell us that they had some “possible” concerns about our server, but they thought it would be minimal. If only it had been minimal.
I don’t understand all this techno mumbo jumbo -- and I don’t care to learn. I just want it to work. Sort of like my car. Don’t bother me with pistons and carburetors -- I’ll change the oil, keep the tires up, fill her with gas and expect perfect performance. Cindy deals with the web crew – she gets it. So – here she is, sitting in Starbucks, computer at the ready. The background noise is about to drive her crazy and she is on pins & needles waiting to make certain that all goes smoothly. I’m sitting at my computer, at home, wrapped in blankets surrounded with antibiotics, cough syrup and lozenges…. as I have pneumonia. Coughing, wheezing, nauseated (and that was from the anticipation of the registrations!!) knowing full well that I can’t do a thing but offer support if things go haywire.
You know the rest. Ultimate chaos for the next 3 hrs. Actually – for the next 16 hours. It took that long to sort thru the mess and to get everyone organized. I can’t begin to explain to you the technical problems that occurred. Basically as I understand it, we have 200 sites on our server and all of us together use about 5% of ”it” daily. When our attendees kicked in at 1:00 – it went up to over 100% of usage and crashed everyone on the server. Our web people felt the only solution was to get a mega server and move all 200 clients. A tremendous job that took all night.
We are now back on line and ready to go. Portland registration will pick up again on Thursday at 1:00. We have so many fantastic classes that interest in them is spread out pretty evenly so I don’t anticipate that people will have trouble getting their preferred classes. Cindy and I sincerely appreciate all the support, understanding and patience from all of our great attendees.

New Family Member

2008-02-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

I have just adopted another kitty. Her name is Annie. (more on her name later) We have an animal menagerie - a revolving door of rehab critters and the residents: 2 horses, 3 dogs and two cats; Sophie the Queen – a Himalayan Ragdoll and Pica the Kid – found as an emaciated kitten hiding in the bushes at a 7-ll store. Three weeks ago, I had taken Pica to get her dates cancelled (aka spaying). The Vet is a good friend and we work together with rescue and release for small mammals and birds. We were in the back clinic and I saw a cat with an elaborate piece of wirework on her leg. It was a terrible story… Annie had been attacked by two pit bulls. Her leg was broken in three places and she was mauled badly. I guess the dogs were really out of control as police officers were called to the scene. Both dogs were so aggressive, that one was killed immediately. Annie was alive, barely, so the County took her to the closest vet – mine – to be humanely euthanized. The staff carefully cradled her as they examined her wounds and she responded by purring and snuggling deeper in their hands. Dr Monica decided that she would do everything possible to save her – she was just too precious to euthanize without trying.
The elaborate metal sculpture was pins holding her leg together. All of her internal and external puncture wounds and rips had healed – that was a miracle in itself. And the pins had done the job in keeping her leg together. Annie was almost ready for a new home – but one where she could be monitored closely. Monica knew I couldn’t resist. And…well --- what is one more cat? After all – just another litter box to scoop. My granddaughter, Abby, was with me and she had already fallen in love—it was mutual. We chose the name “Annie” due to the endless rounds of anesthesia she had had to endure for surgeries.
Last week, the main pin was removed and I could bring Annie home to meet the rest of the family. She and Pica are about the same age and became immediate playmates. Sophie doesn’t like her much yet, and my mini schnauzer, Ginny, hates all 3 of them. But they all co-exist and tolerate each other. The rest of Annie’s pins will come out in 2 weeks. She will always have a limp but she is alive and a happy kitty!

Back at Work!

2008-02-17T19:16:00.001-08:00

I have been a bit “under the weather” these past few weeks. Interesting terminology – does that mean that if I’m feeling better, then I’m “over the weather”? Funny language we have. I am not a good patient – have no patience (heh heh) for being down. Some braniac inventor needs to design a high tech computer that reads my mind and will accomplish all that I cannot. That would be so awesome…a way to continue being productive while having to stay in bed.

My friend, Jan Harris and a wonderful 13yr old girl named Marissa, have just finished a marathon package stuffing for Asilomar. Our theme, By the Sea with Art & Soul was fun to work with…but also proposed a challenge. I have to remember that the special item after being altered/decorated needs to be easily packed for transport to the event. One year, I wanted to send umbrellas. I could visualize the hotel hallways covered with 100’s of hanging, artistic umbrellas ---that was until Cindy reminded me that the attendees would decorate them open – and how in the world would they bring them to the event. Oopsie. … I had to re-think that one. We fondly refer to the item as a “doodad” or “thingy” and try to keep it as much a secret as possible. It is always fun to receive an email from someone who has just opened their box and had no idea what to expect inside!

Now it's time to concentrate on the packets for Virginia. It is quite a task to assemble them and I am grateful to my friends who continue to help me. This is a photo of Lane Goodrich, Tammy Vail and Gloria Christensen -- 3 of the dedicated A&S worker bees.

More Italy Adventures

2008-01-29T16:32:00.001-08:00

Sunday, May 20, 2007
The attendees are beginning to arrive. Glenda and her husband from England, Yvonne from NY and Annette from Australia. It is going to be a fun International week.

Lane’s stocker has returned to AU. He continued to be friendly, but no longer invited us to share wine or champagne. However, I think if Lane had shown the tiniest bit of interest, he would have bowed at her feet. She found him entirely repulsive.

I’ve decided to lose 20 yrs and 100 lbs and then pursue our Italian dandy. He now smiles and greets me warmly – and he has such a delightful smile. I’m certain he is convinced that I’m some wealthy old American broad who may purchase his condo, and therefore it is necessary to give the appearance of being nice. He spends the entire day pacing with a cell phone glued to his ear. Mafioso comes to mind when watching him. It makes for fun conversation with Lane.

Last evening, we had dinner at a little family restaurant in the heart of Pienza. They were busy with mostly locals – it was interesting to watch and listen. Our housekeeper from the hotel was there. She is elderly and so pleasant; always smiling. I would like to know if she lives in one of the beautiful old houses in town – but she speaks NO English and my Italian is limited to food requests. Hmmm – that doesn’t seem to fit with losing those 100lbs.

As much as I love it here, I could not bear the summers. The weather has been very pleasant (by my standards) until today. It is warm and the sun is beastly. I believe I would enjoy the winter and early spring – making me a perfect candidate for that time- share system I’m working on developing. I would be happy with the off season.

Monday, May 21, 2007
We had our first dinner together as a group last evening. A total of 26 and it was delightful. I’m thrilled that they are pleased with Pienza, the hotel and this area of Tuscany. The countryside is beyond picturesque. It defies description; most have never traveled and they are in awe.

At the hotels in the States, we are accustomed to having coffee service and water in our sleeping and meeting rooms as standard procedure. This is a new and foreign concept to the Italians. Coffee is made by the cup – not pot, and it is an art form. Some of the women are having difficulty being patient in the morning. There is no Starbucks here, no drive-thru, and no immediate caffeine stimulus. By this time, Lane and I have grown to love the staff as family, and we were a bit disturbed when we noticed some of our people being a bit abrupt when coffee didn’t appear immediately.

To get an immediate early morning coffee fix, Lane purchased a coffee press. It was quite the adventure as we visited the local hardware store and attempted to communicate with the proprietor. He looked at us with complete disdain as we entered the store. It was obvious that he was not happy with tourists and felt that his business was for the locals only. I had learned that Italians do not ‘window shop’ as we do. They enter a store intending to make a purchase and often we Americans are perceived as rude when we blow thru a store – just looking. To be accepted graciously, we need to ask permission to browse. Posso guardare? As soon as I asked the elderly owner this question, our attempts to communicate with him continued with smiles.

We began our class with Lesley this morning and spent the day painting pages and backgrounds for our books. The project is fun and will be a great journal/memento of our trip.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lane, Julie and I had a great time in class today. Lesley is such a marvelous instructor. She has a very calming presence. We do have a great group of women, some I’m sure will be life long acquaintances. I reminded the group that we are in Italy –to please be patient and enjoy the different culture. Breakfast went better, and all are happy.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
I had organized a bus trip to Siena for today. It is market day in the city, and there are also many interesting shops and churches to visit. I worried that the bus would not arrive on time, and fretted that I would have a group of unhappy people. The bus was late, as is the Italian way, but I could finally relax after my people were on board and heading for their ‘field trip’. Since I have been to Siena twice, I elected to remain in Pienza and to have a day to myself.

I learned that the hotel owner, Carlo, who now speaks & is more gracious to us, is married to Annarita who works in the office and restaurant. She speaks no English, but she is wonderful and works very hard to make everyone happy. They seem like an unlikely pair, but who am I to judge. Annarita is friendly, and down to earth – full of hugs and smiles. So unlike Carlo. He still remains the stiff business man.

Borjana is like our daughter, she is 40, tall and sexy. She was born in Sarajevo, moved to Italy when she was 12. She also speaks German and French. She has no time for slackers and runs a tight ship. I guess you would call her the hotel manager.

Claudia and Nico are our servers in the restaurant. Claudia is cute as a button and Nico works his butt off taking care of my group. Our chef is Elena and her meals are amazing.

We are becoming very spoiled; can pretty much order anything and Elena will fix it for us. The restaurant and hotel are still so new to the city, that business is slow, so we can be easily accommodated. Here is an excerpt about the hotel’s history:

In 1935 the Pienza community decided to put up a recreational building; in its first years, thanks also to the patronage of the Pienzan baritone Benvenuto Franci, the theatre has moments of true splendour.To inaugurate the theatre Franci gave an unforgettable performance of the "Rigoletto", which was followed by a series of operas, including the "Barber of Seville".
These superb performances by Benvenuto, together with those of his brother, the tenor Tommaso Franci, another famous Italian opera singer of those days, brought fame and glory to the theatre, that became the most important theatre and dance hall of the town until the Second World War, when it was completely destroyed by a bomb. After the War, the building was partly restored and transformed into a cinema by the local veterans, and remained as such until the end of the fifties. Having been abandoned for several years, the building is now an important part of a large reconstruction project, which is turning the entire surroundings into an area for tourist reception. The first part of the project has been completed and this building is now a modern, efficient hotel residence, with elegant and refined fully serviced rooms, suites and apartments.

Thursday, May 24, 2007
Today I skipped school and accompanied Borjana into Arezzo to shop for hotel supplies. We went to a wholesale restaurant/hotel business – quite different than those at home. The items were all displayed in showrooms that were elaborate and gorgeous. More like a department store than wholesale. I would have loved to spend a few hours there, but as most businesses, they close from noon until three and we had to hurry. I did purchase a beautiful Italian platter and salad bowl and a set of flatware for the new house.

From Arezzo, we drove to a high fashion outlet mall. Even at outlet mall standards, the prices were ridiculous. A pair of shoes was €160. Regular price was €320. The Italians are such fashionistas. And I dress as though I am ready to plow the fields.

We finished our class session with Lesley on Friday the 25th. By this time, we have all become quite close and it was a bittersweet ending. Saturday for our last day together as a group, I hired a tour guide and bus to take us into the country.

We visited an incredible Monastery, Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore in the Provience of Siena approximately 1hr from Pienza. Unfortunately for me, it involved many stairs and a long walk down a steep cobblestone road. My scooter is wonderful, but it does not have enough ‘oomph’ to climb up hill. For a short distance, my companions get behind me and give me a boost --- but I was not about to let them suffer this great distance, so I remained in the entry plaza. Everyone took wonderful photos of the frescos, so I am able to enjoy the experience thru their eyes.

From there we ventured to Montalcino, which is another lovely hill village that is known primarily for its Brunello wine. Brunello, is the signature wine of Tuscany's tiny commune of Montalcino, and it holds a special place in the hearts of Italian wine aficionados. Its broad structure and harmony of unusual aromas distinguishes it as a truly noble wine exempt from imitation.

In the pantheon of wine judging, the recognition Brunello receives in the international press generally ranks it among the world's - not just Italy's - best wines. And by the prices willingly paid by collectors - bottles have sold in the hundreds of dollars at recent auctions - its cachet is undisputable. Here is a link to the site that further describes the wine in interesting detail: http://www.thewinenews.com/octnov00/cover.html. There were wine shops and tasting galore. I like it all and could purchase cases to bring home.

We returned to Pienza in time to refresh before our last dinner together. It was a wonderful evening with a great feast prepared by Elena. I was thrilled that my group wanted to gather tips for Elena, Claudia and Nico. I always include a generous tip to the hotel staff as part of my A&S budget for events, but to have something come directly from the attendees is very special. We asked Borjana to bring them into the dining room after dinner and to translate what I said. It was quite an emotional moment, obviously something that has not happened for them in the past.

We all got a bit teary as we said ‘arrivederci’ to one another with sincere promises to re-unite in 2009.

ITALY !!

2008-01-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last summer, Lesley and I, along with 19 others went to Pienza, Italy. There, we experienced the most fantastic, creative and relaxing week imaginable. Lesley led us in making a unique one-of-a kind book in which to keep our travel memories. This was a rare opportunity for me to take a class and I was so excited. We had such a marvelous time that we decided to go again this year. All info is one the Art & Soul website and I encourage you to sign up right away. There is room for only 5 more and we must have a committment by the end of February. We will not be returning to Italy in the future.

I kept a journal and will share it with you now.

May 14-16, 2007
ITALY! The excitement once again has gripped me and reality has finally begun to sink in. This time I am visiting Pienza, a small Tuscan Village steeped in history. I have contracted with Lesley Riley to teach a 4 day class and 18 attendees will be joining us for 7 days.

I left home on Mothers Day after enjoying a wonderful brunch at the Sheraton with Vonnie, Derek, Luke and Abby. Arriving at the airport, I was sorry to learn that there was no curbside check in for Lufthansa, nor was there a wheelchair available. Derek left the car unattended (illegally) while he helped me schlep the scooter and gianto suitcase to the counter. After waiting in line for hours (or so it seemed), I was told that I didn’t have a valid airline ticket. Impossible! I had a paper ticket – the kind the travel agent sends in the mail, with a confirmation agenda. Unbelievably, the ticket agent insisted that the confirmation only guaranteed a seat, but that payment had not been received. Did I have my credit card receipt - she asked? Naturally – I always carry the statements from 5 months prior with me. Of course not. The plane was booked; there was one seat available (MINE) and the price --- $8,000. I had no alternative -- Lane was waiting at the gate; we had a car and driver waiting in Florence; I had a meeting scheduled for the afternoon of our arrival. I had to take it – and pray that the travel agent could find and correct the error.

The rest of the trip was uneventful --- the driver was waiting for us with a VAN – just as if he knew how much stuff we were bringing. He spoke no English, so it was fun attempting to communicate during the 2 hr ride. It was a hot and muggy day, the van had little AC and we were both dying to get out and settled. We arrived in Pienza around 3:30 in the afternoon, unpacked, surveyed the hotel and were determined to try and stay awake as long as possible. Borjana, the hotel sales director, made reservations for us to have massages at 6:00pm after which we could fall into bed. It was a delightful experience, much different than a massage at home. Let me just say that Italians don’t cater to modesty.

We crashed and didn’t awake until 10:30 on Tuesday morning. After a quick shower, it was time for lunch and coffee at the hotel restaurant. I had forgotten how much I enjoy, and missed proscuitto and melone. Then we fired up the scooter and headed into town. I am in heaven. For the first time, I have total freedom to explore. The scooter works perfectly on the uneven cobblestones – the only thing that slows me down are steep inclines. At those times, Lane gives me a push and I “pedal”! Works every time. We saw ½ of Pienza today and have decided that we want to purchase an apartment here. The town is charming and the scenery exquisite.

The room next to ours is occupied by an Australian gentleman who is quite taken with Lane. She is gagging as I write this – he is definitely NOT her type. He invited us to share a bottle of wine at the Wine Bar tomorrow evening, and just now he spotted us in the lobby (where we have Internet access) and suggested that we join him this evening and enjoy some champagne. He is a travel guide and has a group with him. He let us know that they are a dismal bunch and that he prefers women who are in their 50’s. Quite the rounder it seems. He left to attend to his flock and shortly thereafter, we saw the hotel staff take a chilled bottle of champagne and three glasses to the elevator. Our minds were in a whirl – seemed like too much of a coincidence. Did he really assume that we would join him in his room?? Laughing like silly teens, we dashed to our room & stuck the “do not disturb” sign on our door...jetlag you know. Fortunately, he leaves for home in two days.

Borjana and I planned the menu for the week and I hope that all will be pleased with my choices. I want them to have an authentic Italian experience.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
We are having difficulty adjusting our internal clocks to the time change. Neither of us is getting a full, restful night of sleep and then we crash in the afternoon. Although for me, I realize that it is all a part of learning to relax. I feel uneasy if I am not rushing at full steam accomplishing something – no matter how trivial. Lane has to continually remind me that we are in no hurry; we have no deadlines and my life can exist without being in front of the computer all day. A concept that is difficult to enforce.

We explored Pienza again today, taking more time to enjoy the history and beauty. I find it to be much more enjoyable than Cortona; there are fewer tourists; the town is much flatter and easier to navigate, and, most importantly, it is not as hot. Of course, scooting around makes an incredible difference for me -- what a delight. I am quite the oddity and garner stares and double takes wherever we travel. And then they look at the scooter. We have already made some friends of shop owners, most of whom are elderly. I think I see some scooters coming to Pienza in the near future.

The flowers are amazing and the homeowners take such pride in their town. Everyone snaps photos of the doorways and windows. Our hotel is under major refurberation/construction. It appears that this little sleepy village has been ‘discovered’ and is experiencing growing pains. We sit atop a hill, as most old towns, with incredible views of the valley below. Pienza is approximately 100 miles from Florence and off the beaten path which keeps the tour buses at bay.

Friday, May 18, 2007
The owner of the San Gregorio is quite a dapper Italian. For three days he did not acknowledge us and for the most part looked away if we were approaching. He is impeccably dressed, complete with pointy shoes. I would guess that he is about 40 something. I’m not certain if his demeanor is due to the Italian perception of women, his inability to speak English or if he is just plain rude. His staff, on the other hand, is wonderful. Most do not speak English, so we have a delightful time attempting to communicate.

Our main contact at the hotel is a tall, beautiful young woman from Slovenia, named Borjana. She and the owner drove us to Castiglione d’Orcia to look at a new condominium. We found it interesting that Borjana never introduced us to the owner and he maintained his distance from us. The town is approximately ½ hr from Pienza, further into the country. It is an incredible area, preserved as an historical ‘park’. No homes can be built – ever. It is rolling hills and farm land. The condos are the last construction allowed and reasonably priced. I find myself thinking of ways to form a time share with 5 others so that we can purchase the property. This part of Italy is growing rapidly and it is an incredible opportunity for investment. The homes here average 2 million euros -- who can afford such luxury? Apparently the English and Japanese – to the dismay of the Italians. The condo is 2 bedrooms, 2 baths with a garage and swimming pool for €280,000.

We returned from Castiglione d’Orcia and then spent the afternoon in Siena. What a contrast to Pienza! The crowds/tourists were almost stifling. We only stayed for 2 hours and were anxious to return to the slower paced country village.

Saturday, May 19, 2007
Today there is a race of sports cars – just like the ones we have seen in the movies. They are literally on the main highway – in amongst regular traffic, passing in front of the hotel. This is the first time that I have seen tour buses in Pienza – people coming to watch the unusual vehicles. They look like antique roadsters --- only very LOUD. The race began in Rome but we have not been able to understand where it ends. Not that it matters – just curiosity. They would buzz into Pienza square, register or something and then be escorted back onto the highway. Cars passed for over 4 hours – it was huge. There were also fancy Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s and some that were quite eccentric looking. These were not racing, but apparently going along with the flow. The crowds had small race flags and cheered their favorites – be it driver or car – who could tell??

I am somewhat dismayed that the swimming pool has not been completed. The website says that it and the spa were to be finished in May 05. Not a whole lot of concern or activity around here when it comes to construction. They were literally putting our chairs together today. The room is enormous – we certainly can spread out and not feel cramped.

Art at Heart

2008-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

It is now the year 2000 -- we have survived the millennium scare and rubberstamping is at an all time high. I had dabbled a bit, teaching in OR, WA & Canada; met some wonderful people but decided that having to continually develop new classes wasn’t for me. During that time, I attended two more retreats at very rustic camps – one in Canada. My friend and I ended up sleeping in the back of her van because three people were having a snoring competition in our dorm. I swear, the walls vibrated. Other than that and continually being served special gray meat (aka "guess this food")-- I still couldn’t get enough of the camaraderie and excitement of creating together.

While taking classes and “retreating”, I met a fantastic group of new friends. We 50 something’s and one 30ish baby chick – bonded almost immediately. We have become a family and I can’t imagine my life without them. They were willing to try one of those weekend gatherings that I continued to blab about -- as long as I would do all the work. Not a problem! Organizing a party is my kind of fun -- and bingo -- Art at Heart was born. Being 50 ishes – we wanted to be a bit pampered, therefore a woodsy church camp was out of the question so I booked us into The Inn at Spanish Head on the Oregon Coast. http://www.spanishhead.com/
At these retreats, we don’t have an instructor or classes. In fact, there is no structure. You come, you set up your spot for the weekend, you play, you eat, and you sleep. Wonderful….we were hooked. A bit more spendy than church camp, but then we had room service…..and incredible FOOD….and heat. Art at Heart continued for three years and left us wanting something more.

I began to think of an art retreat in a broader scale. What if we had some instructors? Could we attract attendees to a larger function? All those coming to Art at Heart were acquaintances – how would I advertise a major venue? I had planned, directed and organized events for years---but never for myself. I didn’t have to promote them – that was up to the individual, county, state or business that had contracted with me. I was fully aware of the expense and commitment necessary to produce the caliber of event that I wanted to start. This was scary. My friends thought I was nuts, but were incredibly supportive. My family didn’t understand the art that I frantically made in my studio anyway – so attempting to explain my ideas to them for a new career was a total waste of time and energy. I was on my own.

In the middle of the night, while at the beach, I made a decision to go for it. I contacted my friend, Doni Meyer, who owned First Impression. She too thought I had lost my mind, but was willing to help sponsor the first Art & Soul. First Impression had a mailing list of over 7,000 and they became my target audience.

In between owning a pharmacy, working in politics and organizing events – I had also worked in a hotel. Many parties were contracted thru hotels and it was a logical mix for me. Thus I had good contacts and the JQH Portland Embassy Suites was selected based on their reputation and staff training requirements. (as you know --- the staff is amazing -- they think of you as family and look forward to us returning each year)

Having the infrastructure set – I now needed instructors. Fortunately, again thru First Impression, I had great contacts. To this day, I am grateful to those instructors who took a chance on me and Art & Soul that first year. We had 194 attendees and I was thrilled. The hotel was thrilled. Instructors were happy. Attendees were ecstatic! It was all that I had hoped for – and more.

I soon realized that in order to maintain my standards of a high quality event that I needed to quit my "real" job and make Art & Soul a full time career. Another very scary decision to make. Art retreats held in a hotel do not generate a healthy income....they are very expensive to produce...thus it became apparent that more than one Art & Soul would have to be held so that I could live.

Once again, in the middle of the night, I made a decision. I decided that we would try an event on the East Coast. I hadn't traveled any further east than LaCrosse, WI -- so I had NO idea what I was doing or where we were going. The JQH Embassy Suites had just completed a new hotel in Hampton, VA and it seemed to be in the middle of the East Coast --- easily available to everyone???? I closed my eyes and signed the contract. We are returning to Hampton for the 3rd time this May!!

Art & Soul is truly a blessing and I love all aspects of production. We are now in our 6th year and because of marvelous instructors, incredible attendees and devoted friendships everything just keeps getting better!

Retreat in the Woods

2008-01-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement! This is certainly a new avenue for me to travel and with your help I should find my way easily. So…onward…….

In 1998 I discovered rubber stamps and EMBOSSING POWDER!! It was a miracle! Where had I been? Artistic freedom….I didn’t have to know how to draw and I could create wonderful things. It became a serious addiction—I had to have everything. And stamps – one could never have too many. I took every class that was offered – so many and so quickly that I couldn’t retain what I learned. It was heaven.

During one class, the instructor told us that she was organizing a weekend art retreat. The location was a short drive from Portland -- it sounded like fun, so I convinced two friends and off we went on a road trip. Laughing and giggling like high school kids, we excitedly arrived at our destination full of anticipation. As we located the address and drove down the road, it was like we had run head first into a brick wall. All three of us just sat there in the car with our mouths open. We were deep in the woods – it was dark, dreary and damp. The buildings looked ready to collapse and most had blue tarps on the roofs – why were they not condemned? No paved roads. As I recall, not even gravel roads. We were escorted to our sleeping room which turned out to be a cold, drafty cabin with 2 bunk beds. That’s it -- bunk beds. Not a table or chair in sight. Well, that was ok, after all – we would only sleep there. But what about the other amenities – like sink and shower and toilet? Oh, yeah, they were a short hike thru the woods and were shared by anyone and everyone staying at the facility. Upon closer inspection, the toilets had no doors. They did however attempt to hang a curtain in each enclosure to give the illusion of privacy. The showers were old metal units that snapped and popped as you moved and scrubbed. There was no heat and this was March. OK – it’s only for 3 days, we are rugged women and we are energized with new creative juices – this is an adventure! We unpacked and then went looking for the dining room and the rest of our group. It was time for dinner.

Dinner was prepared by a crusty, gray haired lady who had to be at least 102 yrs old. She could barely carry the pans to the table and most of us felt that it was our duty to assist her. She looked as if she would drop dead any minute. I do not remember her name, but I do remember that she wanted no part of any help from the likes of us. She had a “no-good bum” in the kitchen that was her assistant, thank you very much. The bum finally appeared and took over the buffet line duties – thank god. As he removed the cover from the chafing dish, we looked at the selection and then at each other. Then back at the food. It was slices of meat kind of a pasty gray/green color smothered in matching gray/green sauce. To this day, I’m not certain what we ate for those 3 days, but my legs would swell to the size of an elephant each evening.

After dinner, we moved into our classroom which was actually an old, fragile looking storage building. The organizer had done her best to set the room beautifully with tables, ample lighting and candy. Did I mention that it was March? …. in the Pacific Northwest mountains…..probably about 40 degrees, raining and windy with a temperamental antique heater cycling off and on. But we had a ball!! We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, stamping, embossing, painting, cutting, laughing and freezing. We dressed in layers, put on three pairs of socks, ate chocolates and warmed our hands around cups of hot tea. I couldn’t get enough.

We returned to Portland exhausted and energized. I was determined put my event planning experience to work organizing an art weekend!!

2008-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

I am one of those foolish, non-techno savvy individuals who were certain that blogs would be a short term fad. Lesley and Claudine have been after me for over a year to get with the program. "Blogs are the future!” Lesley would say. "Blogging is one way to have a personal connection with people around the world" chimed in Claudine. "But it’s just a journal", I would lament, “I don't get it….who wants to read about me?” Did I mention that I was foolish? Well -- here I am--beginning my blogging journey..
I suppose I should explain WHO I am and how I got to this place. While in school, I tried art classes. The art teacher was not impressed with my endeavors. My clay sheep got a D; sculpture and pottery were not my forte. How about Calligraphy? The teacher says – practice, practice, practice. My hands shake and I have no patience with ink. Got C’s in that class. (I also have warm hands so I couldn’t be a cake decorator either – the frosting melts). I tried oils. I painted. 4 times. My mother has them all. They aren’t bad – you can tell that the ship is sailing and that the apples aren’t tomatoes. But they weren’t “in my head”. Doesn’t a true artist envision an object and frantically fill a sketch book? The best grade I got in art class was a C – obviously I should try choir instead.
As an adult, in my first life, my husband and I owned a pharmacy. This exposure gave me ample opportunity to explore all aspects of retail operations, business associations and event planning. Event planning? In a pharmacy? Yup – always the consummate organizer, it wasn’t long before I was involved in the local Chambers and developing business associations. Flower arranging for annual banquets soon led to becoming a planner of weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs and other private parties.

Soon, all of these events brought me to 1987 and my most proud achievement: the direction and organization of the first Festival of Lights at The Grotto in Portland, Oregon. http://www.thegrotto.org/events/lights. The Festival of Lights has continued and is highlighted as one of the premier Holiday events in the city.

All my business contacts soon led me to a short bout in City Hall, but I quickly learned that politics (although challenging and most interesting) was NOT for me. I liked the organization part – but there was no opportunity for artistic creativity. Stuffy old politicians. So I continued with special event commissions and worked part time for an attorney.

My creative outlet was satisfied by designing special ‘theme’ parties, arranging flowers and all that goes along with producing a successful extravaganza. I once hosted a traveling family circus as they were transitioning from an event in Washington State. I wanted them to participate in the grand opening ceremonies of Portland’s Light Rail. Someone had to give them a spot for the lions, tigers and bears….oh my. And since animals are my all time passion – of course they would stay with me. It was quite an experience and one I will never forget.

Stay tuned for the second installment of the road I traveled in the creation of Art and Soul.