Mother’s Day Weekend Art & Garden Tour

I’ve been volunteering with San Dieguito Art Guild for about a year and a half as their board secretary and most recently as the Chair for this annual fundraiser.   We’re in countdown mode, just weeks away from the event.  Everyone in the guild has been so wonderful, volunteering their time and energy (and homes and artworks) to make this year’s event a success.

It’s going to be a wonderful celebration of local art and gardens and of course, moms!  Go to www.offtrackgallery.com for more information and tickets.

9 Spectacular Gardens and Nearly 60 Artist Displays

Mission San Luis Rey

Retreat Center Courtyard

Had a great retreat experience this past weekend in Oceanside – of all places!  The Mission – which was the second of its kind, offers peace and quiet and probably the best food I’ve experienced at a retreat center – ever!

There were lots of nooks and crannies to explore including a graveyard with headstones dating back to the mid-1800s.  Kind of humbling to think about all who had come before me to visit as well as some who chose to stay.

I also had an opportunity to spend a little time to shoot.  All in all, it was a good weekend!

LOVE – The art of love…is largely the art of persistence.

Happy Valentine's Day

Anticipating Valentine’s Day caused me to take some time to ponder what I believe is truly important about love. What came to me is that my job while on this planet is to love the Me that I am (treating myself in a gentle and forgiving way) and to love others (being present, letting go of snap judgements, really listening, and contributing a sense of joy and fun wherever I go).

So when I read Albert Ellis’ quote, “The art of love…is largely the art of peristence,” I felt compelled to express it creatively. Because isn’t it persistence, a dedication to evolve, to learn, to change, to “do better” that informs our art as well as a happy life? That is, at least, what is true for me. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Carlsbad’s Lake Calavera – A Place To Inspire Artists & Photographers

View from atop Calavera Lake Dam

Share
I’m always ready to find a new place to hike or find inspiration for my art. And wow, did I hit a little jackpot yesterday after exploring the trails along Carlsbad‘s largest nature preserve. With more than six miles of trails of mostly flat terrain, Lake Calavera offers easy access from the road (you can download the city’s park & rec pages for a detailed map of entry points) and several scenic (aka paintable/shootable) spots along the way. (more…)

10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For

A friend sent me a link to the Sylvia White Gallery website where I found amazing gallery images and a few interesting articles.  Given the season, here’s one I thought would be worth sharing:

10 Things Artists Should Be Thankful For

By the time most artists come to see me, they are usually beaten down and depressed by the struggles of the art world.  They have been abused by their galleries, taken for granted by their collectors, misunderstood by their families and exhausted from juggling real life with creative need. It is so easy to forget how special you are, when there is no one around to remind you, but you. (more…)

Diwali – Indian Festival of Lights

I’ve never been to India but recently enjoyed a glimpse of its culture when my friend Kathy and I decided to venture to Balboa Park to take part in the 3rd Annual Festival of Lights.

Co-sponsored by SDMA, the Mingei Museum and the Indian American Society, the event offered us all the high points of any major festival.

Crowds of people meandered through the Prada promenade and took turns peering at the display tables showing unique arts and crafts.  Young girls danced in regional garb, musicians moved through the crowd tinkling their cymbals and food vendors filled the air with fragrant scents of every Indian delicacy imaginable.

At dusk, we joined the crush of colorfully dressed people who pressed their way into Spreckels Bowl to watch the evening’s entertainment – a variety of musical troops lip-syncing to music while performing ancient ritual dances.

The evening turned out to be a potpourri of unexpected sights, smells and sounds and it reminds me of how lucky I am to live here, not just because of San Diego’s gorgeous beaches and abundant sunshine but also for its rich cultural treasures.