I first learned about artist Ficre Ghebreyesus after he died at the too young age of 50. His wife, poet, Elizabeth Alexander penned a memoir called Light of the World and painted such a picture of her husband that I needed to see more of his art. I’ve written about Alexander’s memoir and there’s a… Continue reading The Art of Seeing: Ficre Ghebreyesus
Category: Art
Chasing the Light at California Food Photography Workshop
Michael Waters pulled out a small notebook during workshop one day. He pointed to it as the repository for ideas, quotes, scraps of life that he might need a lifeline to find later on in his poetry. I still remember him talking about reading articles about art in the New York Times, how one form… Continue reading Chasing the Light at California Food Photography Workshop
Spread the Sun Creativity Quote
Creativity begets creativity
In a word
Adrenaline courses through me. Even as I tried to shut my eyes for a whole 20 minutes, my mind transported me back to Oaktown Spice Shop and the cooking with tea workshop that I led there tonight. We are on the cusp of my favorite holiday—not the one all wrapped in ghoulish attire, but the… Continue reading In a word
Well Said Quotes: Vincent van Gogh
Cooking with Georgia O’Keeffe
After a brief summer hiatus, I’m back, and so is the fog. We had actually been experiencing summer-like temperatures in San Francisco, which is completely unexpected and requires copious amounts of cold confections to withstand the 80 degree heat. My Texas self would shake its head in shame… In our last exploration, we dug our… Continue reading Cooking with Georgia O’Keeffe
Painting a Portal to Another World: Notes from the Georgia O’Keeffe Lake George Exhibit
What happens in the unseen world? It is a question artists have tried answering through their media since the beginning of time. Perhaps it is one of the reasons Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings have always pulled at me. While we try to remember to “stop and smell the roses,” she is examining their inner caverns, the… Continue reading Painting a Portal to Another World: Notes from the Georgia O’Keeffe Lake George Exhibit
From the Stacks: The Art of Fasting
Close your eyes. Squeeze them tight. If I implored you to think of just one thing that sets your heart alight, what would be the first image to shimmer into view? This is an easy one for me to answer and a hard item to give up for 21 days. Bound in hardback or pliant… Continue reading From the Stacks: The Art of Fasting
Upcycling: Found Object Art and the Art of Recology
Perhaps you’ve heard the adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” If you consider the amount of trash that works its way into the rubbish bin and out into landfills each year, the statistic is quite staggering. According to Spencer Michels, “Each year, Americans throw away about 250 million tons of garbage. That’s roughly… Continue reading Upcycling: Found Object Art and the Art of Recology
Deepen Your Creative Practice
A cubby waits outside a room. Each cube holds tennis shoes or emptiness. My hands untie the stringed bow to let my feet slip out. A shoe deposit for the cube, feet pad into an empty room. If we were honest, emptiness scares us. We want to be full of whatever it is that we… Continue reading Deepen Your Creative Practice
Do What You Love: A Story in Parts
What is that one dream or goal that feels just out of reach? You know the one- perhaps you pull it out of its secret drawer kept lockbox shut to regard it from time-to-time. Maybe, it’s an open secret- something the people around you know you enjoy but don’t understand how fully you would endow… Continue reading Do What You Love: A Story in Parts