friday evening list

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i am still playing catch up~ i finally uploaded all of my squam photos here! (better late than never!)

preparing for weekend guests~ today i did 7 loads of laundry. please note that we live on the third floor and the laundry is in the basement. yup, got my exercise today.

rewarding myself~ tea and a chocolate croissant. i earned it.

preparing for TWIST~ my favorite show is here again next weekend!

crossing things off the to do list. feels really good. that list is just way too long.

wishing i could be at the dinner party at her house tonight! it's a pre-CORE celebration!

i'm so thankful that i made it a quiet (online) October~ feeling much more refreshed and ready to share lots more with you next week. still more news to share and catching up to do!

loving our new couch~ at last we have a non-hand-me-down cozy couch! our new place is beginning to feel more like a home. ready to nest in for the winter already i think!

looking forward to showing our friends around our neighborhood and campus. i think we'll eat here too.

i'll be thinking of all of the ladies out in L.A. at the opening tomorrow night! if you are in the area, hope you'll check it out the amazing show! oh! and if you go, please, have an extra glass of wine for me!

wishing you a fun-filled weekend and i'll see you next week!

xo *s

psst...

look! this is what i've been working on in the studio. some info over here.

new little piece to share

hello again!

thanks for your comments on my photo shoot! i'll share more on that here too, but i just loved how thea summed up the magic of that day we had together over on her blog, so i had to share. i'm so thrilled with the photos... my favorite detail by far is the way the sky and clouds are reflected in the windows behind me... how amazing that she was able to capture that! wow.

today was a gray, rainy day here. i stayed in all day, and, i confess, even took a nap! cozy cozy. i think i needed a little color though, so i wanted to share one of my new little pieces that sold at my last show. this butterfly appeared out of nowhere as i was working, but i really love it. perhaps more butterflies will follow. prints will be made available soon of this on etsy too.

see you tomorrow for more catching up! xo *s

a quiet october & photos to share

hello and happy monday!!! i've missed you!

as you may have noticed, it's been pretty quiet around here! i've been taking some off-line time... i didn't really plan it, but it just sort of happened, so i went with it. hope you understand. : )

i have been busy elsewhere, enjoying the fall, visiting some favorite friends, finishing and starting lots of new painting projects, and trying to pull our new place together (still!). can't believe how fast the leaves are changing and how fast this month has flown on by...

so, without further ado, i have piles and piles and piles of things to share with you, missing this space and looking forward to catching up!

so, while i try to organize some posts for this week, i thought i'd lead you over to THIS! i had kept it a secret, but last month, i had a very special day with the most lovely, talented and sweet new friend, thea coughlin. LOOK what she did! *blush*

see you tomorrow for lots of catching up! xoxo *s

getting ready...

painting in pajamas...

i'm in the midst of prep for the Paradise City Arts Festival which is this coming weekend here in Northampton, MA. it's one of the biggest shows of the year for me, and even though this is my 4th fall being a part of it, it's always a frantic rush to get everything ready right before. tomorrow i'll take the whole afternoon to set up my booth space with my dad (i'm so lucky!), we basically will build it from scratch so that by saturday morning it will look like a nice little gallery space to show my work. i'll spend most of the day on friday hanging freshly painted paintings and arranging things for the weekend, which is my favorite part of the set-up. the show is 3 full days and it's a lot of work! but, i'm really looking forward to seeing friends and favorite customers come through my booth for a look and a visit!

if you are in new england, come on by, it's so worth the trip! an amazing event, full of wonderful art and crafts, food and fun... you'll find me (sitting pretty and smiling...) in booth #145.

info at www.paradisecityarts.com.

i'll report in on the flip side!

xo*s

high in the clean blue air

today is brown.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

mary oliver

she read this one the other night. she was funny and quirky, touching and thoughtful, and so very kind and honest. it was a lovely night that felt very intimate even though there were just over 2000 other people listening along with us.

oh! i wanted to wish you happy october! & i just made this connection to the poem!

it's a green, fall day.

hello!

i've been riding my post-squam high and totally procrastinating on work that needs to get done! anybody else having the same issue?! i have my biggest show of the year here next weekend, and i am not quite ready yet! today is the day to get in my studio and lock the door, but i wanted to say hello to you first. (more procrastinating?)

i so love hearing from all of you about squam... THANK YOU for your sweetness! i've had some requests for my ipod playlist~ that will be coming soon... stay tuned. also, to my squam students~ i haven't forgotten about the two minute list, but it will have to wait until after my art show. (it will be worth the wait, promise!) more squam pictures coming soon...

i'm participating in poppytalk's Autumn Color Week, today is green. you should come and play too! i'm loving the fall so far...

also, tonight we're off to see Mary Oliver. she's doing a reading just down the street! very lucky us! (i'll be scribbling away in my sketchbook... )

see you soon~

xo*s

ps: jenny doh was the guest speaker at squam on opening night. i sat behind her on the stage as she shared her story, tears running down my cheeks. it was just magical. you can read what she shared with us here. i highly recommend reading it in full. i also just love the picture she took of kate, jess and me one night durning dinner! thanks jenny, it's really special.

class portrait from day two at squam

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from left to right: heidi, tracey, melissa, sarah, amy (back row), stacey, me, gail (back row), stephanie, mary (back row), cheryl, jennifer, jenna, kelley, peg and kate. a BIG thank you to the lovely and talented tracey for the picture and to laura for taking it.

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i'm still processing my squamagical experience, but i wanted to show you this class portrait from day two. i taught three full days at squam, which is why, i know, i have a bad cold today, but it was all worth it. i feel so lucky to have met all of these amazing ladies, to have them to "play" with all day was an unbelievable treat for me. i wish that i thought to take a class portrait each day, but alas, i did not. i will be downloading more of my photos once i find my camera cord. no, i still haven't unpacked.

more soon xo *s

ps: hey- if you are in this picture OR were one of my students, will you let me know if you have a blog/website that i can link to? i'd love to include you or your posts about squam and/or about your experiences in my class here on my blog. thank you thank you thank you! xo