THE LITTLE OTTER

I birthed my younger son at home. Labor had started at 10 pm, but I went to bed anyway, exhausted from canning tomatoes all day. I awoke with a bang at 3 am, though, and somehow, as daddy went to get the midwife, I clambered clumsily and carefully down our … Continue reading

TAKING TWO to TANGO

When I first moved here to California, I went through a bit of culture shock. The air is grey, not yellow; people wear mostly dull browns, greys and blacks, not bright aloha shirts, sarongs and bright-colored clothing; friendly greetings in stores on the street are regarded as suspicious and either … Continue reading

CAVE CANEM – BEWARE the DOG!

When my parents built their beautiful self-designed house, they embedded a 4-tile Italian design of a growling dog, in lovely ceramic colors, into the wall next to the stairway. It wasn’t just a regular stairway – oh no, can’t have that! It was a curved stair, open, with huge, thick … Continue reading

FREEDOM BIRDIES RULE

You know how when you watch a movie and you end up rooting for the little guy? Well, I do, anyway – such a common theme – well this is the little guy who’s fed up with the shenanigans being pulled by the supposed ‘good’ guys (in this case, the … Continue reading

REBEL

What happens to kids who just don’t fit the square, round or even triangular holes in society? They end up like I did, seething inside, wishing for friends, afraid of the certain mockery when I opened my mouth, envying the easy friendships others had. Finding solace in art and reading; … Continue reading

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR FAVE ARTISTS

People ask me how they can support their favorite artists if they can’t buy from them. Here are a few ideas. • Do you know any gallery owners? If you think your fave artist’s work would fit the gallery, send the gallery owner or acquisitions manager a link to your … Continue reading

WALDO DREAMS of TANGO

in the late 90s, I was living in Cerrillos, New Mexico, and had a friend named Bin. She was also a stone carver, and had an enormous Newfie/Lab mix dog named Waldo. The top ridge of Waldo’s back was level with my hip. He loved to lean. If you weren’t … Continue reading

INTO the LIGHT

When I left New Zealand to come back to Hawaii in 2002, I was delighted to be back in the States, but also terrified that I wouldn’t be able to make it. I had almost no money with me, so I had to take a job. The only one I … Continue reading

JOURNEY MASTER Painting

When I lived in Gore NZ as Artist-in-Residence, I was 3000 miles from home, alone, with almost no money – yet somehow I was able to get by and even have lots of fun, in spite of the several emotional whammos I went through. I kept having these dreams of … Continue reading

Made of Day Painting

When I was a little kid, I saw a wedding on television. There were the usual people – bride, groom, best men and women, and then – the Maid of Honor. “What? What is that,” I thought. “Made of honor? How could anyone be made of honor?” Ever since then, … Continue reading