It's that time of year again

Every year around the solstice I begin making these little amulet figures. I'm not really sure why, maybe it's like making soup something to warm the soul? These are just a few of many...

Looking forward to the return of the sun

Totem

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At long last we installed the mosaic (beads) before the ground frozen and just a day before it snowed. It stands just over 10 feet tall and sways just a bit in strong wind.

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The top piece looks like this

We also installed the hand which was a little community project from last summer, it has a whirligig center that spins in the wind, I am planning attaching a mirrored disco ball to the top of the fingers and more...

Healing...

What I learned on my adventure....

You can build community Anywhere.

Opening your heart and mind changes everything.

Beauty and love can be found in the most unexpected places.

I can write a long string of one liners about my experience but than that's all it is.

I spent last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in prison with 24 male inmates and 3 female outside facilitators. In a program called AVP http://www.avpusa.org Alternatives to Violence Project. In the weeks preparing for going to prison I was excited and nervous. As it got closer I felt fearful, I had knots in my stomach and I could not sleep. I questioned myself why was I going, what did I expect, why would anyone want to give up three days of their lives to go and spend it with criminals? 

A good friend of my mine who is an amazing story teller, told me about her experiences doing AVP,  she has been doing this for 5 years. One weekend a month. I knew I wanted to do this from the first time I heard her stories- but my life is very busy, I have children, I own a business and I am always working on numerous projects at the same time. But over the course of the past year it has become clearer and clearer to me that this program fit in with all the other things I do...

The experience is person to person, small group to small group talking and listening. One person talks and everyone else listens. We talked about violence. We talked about things we liked to do. What and who we care about. We talked about our experiences, positive and negative. We also played games and than there was lots of laughter. Everyone was open - telling very painful stories of abuse, neglect and violence. People talked about depression and loss and everyone listened. It was a safe and sacred space we were all in. Strangers in prison together.

I am still processing what I learned. I will be going back for the second part of the training in November. Where this is leading I do not know or exactly how it ties into my art. It's still a work in progress. I don't have any answers. I just know talking, listening and being vulnerable are really important.

One of my friends commented that I probably went there just as much for my own healing as anything. This was a painful thing to hear and probably quite true. 

This is a piece I made in response to my experience. It's not as simple as black and white.

Peace

Going on an adventure

I am off on an adventure, unlike anything I have ever done before...

I will only be gone for three days but I know it will seem like forever... Both for good and bad.

I hope to have something constructive, interesting or insightful to say upon my return.

Or at least maybe I will make some interesting art?

I made these two pieces seperately yet I like them together, I was just playing.... So I don't know what they are about yet..

Head, shoulders, knees and toes

Knees and toes,

Knees and toes,

Knees and toes,

Knees and toes!

Installation begins this Saturday, with mores feats.....

Bam!! African violet

We are rapidly descending into fall here in Minnesota after an exceptionally short spring and summer.i spent a few hours with the flowers in my garden. 

Which led to this

Which led to this

Playing

Still playing ...

I think of these pieces as beads each one is approximately 12 inches tall by 10 inches wide. Each has a steel pipe running through it- eventually they will all be stacked on top of each other with another rod running through them. For right now I am just playing.