Life Update

Since the last time I posted I've had two amazing art fairs, started tentatively jogging again, hired a full-time person, created a couple pieces of new art, and have been living life to its fullest.

A few weeks ago my physical therapist added jumping and some brief jogging, skipping, and lateral ski jumps into my routine.  I have also been doing some very brief jogging outside of PT.  Currently, I'm doing four to five sets of one minute of jogging and three minutes of walking.  It's been a slow journey.  I'll do one day then have some pain for a few days and then try again.  The goal is to be able to advance to two minutes of jogging after doing three of these jogs in a week with no pain.  I have some deeper pain (normal), and surface pain - bursitis over the scar tissue, cracking, and a wicked, persistent blister.  Though the deeper pain is the one to keep to a dull roar, the mixed bag of angry sensations in my heel has been unpleasant.  On days I'm not doing PT I walk around the house for a bit to see if I should do a jogging session.  No deeper pain and Robert and I drive up to the track at a local school.  I have not been cleared to jog on hard surfaces. If it's deeper pain with no surface pain I go for a walk with the dogs.  If there's any surface pain at all I do my mixed bag of yoga, pilates, strength training and some elliptical, which I can do in crocs (pretty much anything I can do without shoes or with the crocs so I'm not irritating all the boo boos).  I've also been swimming when everything is dry.  Sometimes all it takes is one short walk with the girls to get everything irritated again.

As you can imagine, this takes up quite a bit of time.  I feel like I can actually see tennis in my future again, so I am up for all of this weird, time-consuming exercise.  I am SO thankful it's summer and I can wear backless shoes a majority of the time.  Hopefully by the time it gets cooler I can wear shoes with backs without any misery involved.

When I haven't been focused on all the weird exercise, work has consumed much of my time.  We had a bunch of interviews, hired someone I feel hopeful about, and have been busy, busy, busy.  We are in our final week of getting all the swim and dive trophies, plaques, medals, etc. ready.  Hundreds of these awards!  We are also still moving things around, improving spaces, organizational methods, and processes.  We are keeping our part-time person, so the new full-time person needs my desk.  So where to put my desk?!?  I am going to sit out front in our POS area, which will work out just fine.  I mentioned to Robert about wanting something for my desk, and he made a really good point.  He asked, "when do you actually sit at it?"  We are very fortunate to have a job that keeps us on our feet.  I still want to nest in my new spot, because I am a nester, but I don't have to give it 100% of my devotion.  

I've also been making art!  So much art!  I found a couple new entryways into the mystery so to speak, and have been trying out different techniques and also having an easier time telling the part of me that demands order and organization to shush it.

It's been a lot of very intense, in-depth, all-consuming work, and I think I'm ok with this.  When I sit down it's usually to sleep.  I'll try to post some pictures, reviews, and other this and that soon!

Wings and Knots

I have two new pieces that I have not shared yet.  One is a collage made with painted papers that came together easily and was a joy to make.  I have started three collages since then and all three have been on and off difficult.  One may be destined for timeout.  Another will need lots of 2 AM epiphanies to fully reveal itself.  And one is just a beautiful pain in the tush that's a lot of teeny tiny tweezer work.  So it's always a win when a piece just comes together with no fuss.

I think it's on a 10 x 10 wooden canvas and is titled, "Growing Wings."

I also finished a new zen piece that went from a tiny blob to fully done after one weekend where I found myself unable to walk away from it.  This piece has already sold.  I used multiple needles and broke a few in the process.  After some trial and error, I can say I officially love doubling up on French knots.  It took an upholstery needle to make the piles of French knots happen, but it was worth it.  This was also my first time using an oval hoop.  I usually use circular hoops and am also not a huge fan of plastic hoops, but I found this oval hoop at an art recycling place.  I enjoyed it so much I am now on the prowl for other unusual shapes.  I think the reason I didn't like plastic hoops was due to constantly adjusting the fabric because it slips more.  I was definitely adjusting the fabric the whole way, but it didn't bother me this go around.  Growth!  The family who bought this piece are planning to keep it in the hoop.  When the person bought this piece he sked me to take a picture with his family!  Naturally, I did not think to take a picture as well, and there were kids in the picture so it wouldn't have been a good idea.  But now I'm thinking that I will ask artists to take pictures with me when I buy their pieces.

I titled this one, "Fingerprint."

I am preparing for the first art fair of the season - Artsfest in Springfield, MO, which will be May 2nd & 3rd.  And by preparing, what I mean is that I am still moving at my normal snail's pace but spending as much time as I can working on my current pieces.  Hopefully at least one is spared the fate of the dumpster! 😆

I am determined to keep up on book reviews of the best books I read this year.  I have had pretty good luck with books so far in 2026.  How is everyone else fairing?

Here are my recent favorites:

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (Adult Fiction)

Libby Page also wrote The Lido, which I loved.

This was an incredibly sweet and cozy read despite the premise centering on a woman grieving the loss of her husband. The idea of a loved one buying a year of books to help their spouse process and survive their grief and even flourish, is brilliant. Libby Page takes this idea a step further with the found family and friendships that Tilly finds through the bookstore. How her relationship develops with the bookstore owner, Alfie (what a name!) is tastefully done and oh so sweet and genuine. Tilly's life changes multiple times throughout this book, and I was rooting for her every step of her multiple journeys.

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (Adult Fiction)

2026 is turning out to have some very adorable, warm, fuzzy reads. Even if the cuteness stops right now, I would have enough to carry me through to 2027. In addition to being adorable, this book is also incredibly imaginative. I felt like I was right there in Shpelling with Aurelia and Certainty, sorting through the magical items, getting to know the people who lived in the village, and watching the unwanted magical items transform the village in a big way. I was initially a little horrified by the use of magic to help the villagers. I know it sounds terrible, but I'm a bit of a rule follower, and I wanted Aurelia and Certainty to succeed, so I thought for sure they were going to be in trouble! And they kind of were, but how it all played out, especially Certainty's job (HOLY MOLY WHAT A JOB!), made me realize this was one of those times rules were meant to be broken.

I loved being taken on a wild slingshot ride of both both foul and poetic language, cursing that was always hilarious, things like "typical guild cowshit," and "no matter what-what fuckery they forced me to sign," completely new words like, "Thaumaturgy," and many, many metaphors like this one:

"Shpelling looked as though the gods had picked up a handful of cottages and shops and trees, shaken them in their fists, and rolled them like dice over a game board of hill fields."

Oh and there's a catdragon named Hope! I love my dogs, but I'm ready to level up if anyone knows of any catdragons who need homes.

Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa by Marilyn Chase (Adult Biography)

I started out reading the physical copy, which was a little heavy and just large enough that dragging it to bed was too much of a workout. I bought the Kindle version, which was the right move, because this book is meant to be savored, pored over, and liberally highlighted. Ruth Asawa was an amazing woman. I read a children's biography of her, and I knew an obsession was forming. Not just for Ruth Asawa but also for Josef Albers, who was one of her teachers and was very focused on how colors change based on what other colors they are with and also how important it is to transform something in art but keep its roots intact.

Naturally, I checked out all the books I could find on both artists from the library and dived in. This particular biography is a treat for the soul. My only complaint is that Marilyn Chase would talk about something (like Ruth Asawa's wedding dress) and not include the picture. This happened a frustrating number of times.

No matter. What I hoped to glean from this book was Ruth Asawa's artistic practice, more information about her family's internment at the concentration camps and how it shaped Ruth, how much living she managed to cram into every day, her efforts to make art accessible for children, and anything relating to the different techniques she used. This book has all of this and in so much detail with so many artifacts such as letters (even the letters her family wrote to the government to free their innocent father, who was imprisoned in a different camp), it's staggering. I am now ready to purchase the hard copy of this book, so I can spend the rest of my life rereading it.

Here are my favorite moments:

"Albers's views on the relativity and interaction of colors were fresh and daring - he argued that colors changed when placed side by side, like people who change in relation to each other."

An excerpt from an interview with Ruth about Josef Albers: "One of the problems that he gave in school, was never to see anything in isolation; that you can define space and you can define an object by defining the space around it."

From a letter written from Ruth's husband, Albert to Ruth prior to being married: "I will take no more love from you until you have given your own work the love it deserves." How romantic is that?

Ruth even put Josef Albers's color theory to practice when making a red and green tomato sign for their roadside stand. "Putting contrasting colors of the same intensity side-by-side creates a vibration - making viewers blink."

A quote from Ruth: "Insomnia is nothing more than a fear of losing time."

Someone who received one of Ruth's sculptures wrote Ruth that "her new sculpture was mounted in her apartment, and breathing elegantly."

Ruth talking about bronze casting: "Ruth still adored the slow-motion ballet of found-rymen in silver fireproof suits, tilting the crucible to pour molten bronze heated to 4000°F into ceramic molds. After the shimmering heat cooled, and the bronze relief was cleaned of impurities, a rich coppery brown patina was applied and waxed for luster."

Ruth and Albert's ashes were incorporated into clay that was used for ceramic pieces for family members. "True to her teacher Albers, Ruth made sure her earthly matter was not destroyed but rather transformed until, in the end, Ruth Osawa herself became a work of art."

The Good Kind of Busy

It has been a busy, busy past few weeks.  We unfortunately had to let one of my employees go, and we continue to have an abundance of orders.  There was one week in February where we slowed down, but that has been our only break since October.  The good news is I have one employee who is a go-getter and just an all-around amazing person.  We also both enjoy the work and have a good sense of humor about the moments when the shit hits the fan.  We also have someone who is interested in part-time work who is starting soon.  This has enormously lowered my stress levels.  It gives us time to spread the word about the open full-time position, eases the workload, and this person is someone I think N and I are going to work really well with.  

On that note, if you know of someone who lives in the Kansas City area and loves learning new things, problem solving, building and creating awards, gifts, and pieces of art, and most importantly is someone who is accountable and really going to care deeply about our customers and projects, I am hiring!  It's also a really fun place to work.  Both N and I bring our dogs to work, we usually have music going, and are really collaborative in spirit.  Plus the customers and their stories are everything. 

I also had an art show that I just wrapped up literally today!  I don't know if this is the typical artist experience, but I just keep having these incredibly amazing experiences with showing my work.  I have been so fortunate to meet such beautiful, artistic, and caring souls with each opportunity.

Having an art show at Beggars Table was an experience I'm never going to forget.  The whole setup and how they do it is a dream.  It is both a church and gallery, which is quickly becoming my favorite combination.  This is the third church I've seen recently that also supports the art community.  I was so nervous for the First Friday reception!  But Beggars Table has "hosts" for artists, who seem more like buddies than hosts. My two hosts, Andrew and John, were there for every question I had and super supportive.  During First Friday, Andrew (who has the unicorn job of bookmobile librarian) and I chatted off and on the entire evening.  It was so nice to talk about books with him inbetween all the times I worked up the courage to thank people for coming.  

In addition to First Friday, Beggars Table invites their artists to a Sunday service during the time their artwork is up and gives them time at the end of the service for an artist talk.  It was a beautiful place to have service, and the music was particularly lovely in the space.  I had lots of opportunities to talk to people about anything and everything relating to art.  Robert and I then took down the artwork today.  I will be encouraging all the artists I know to apply for a show at this gallery.  In addition to prints, I sold five originals, which I'm over the moon about.  I even got to meet just about everyone who bought an original, with the exception of one piece.  

As with a lot of moments where I'm trying to be fully present, I failed to take pictures.  But I do have a couple from our setup day.

Aside from work and the art show, I have been spending some time getting ready for my first art fair this year - the Artsfest in Springfield, Missouri.  I so enjoyed going last year with Robert, I told him there's no way I'm not applying again.  It's such an artsy town that's very dear to me.  When I was growing up, it was the place my family went to once a year to visit their mall (a mall that is still standing surprisingly), and it was the first place I lived when starting my college journey.

This year for Artsfest I will have new prints, a few new originals, stickers (which I've had many requests for and finally caved, and now hell I get it), and hopefully notebooks, but we are struggling to get the details finalized on these, so I may bring them out at my next art fair.  We shall see.

It's been very busy but the good kind of busy.  I should be able to devote some time to blogging and time to reflect and relish all the good that's come our way.

Come see my work at Beggars Table!

For those in the Kansas City area, please join me April 3rd at Beggar's Table.

My work will be up for a few weeks, and the gallery is also a church that has service on Sundays.

I'm super excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to be a part of the magic of this gallery and the excitement of First Fridays!

Soaking up their sunshine

It has been a whirlwind here.  I flew to Tucson at the end of February and spent a few days with my brother, Scott and his family, and before I got back Robert left for a week to do a couple jobs in Colorado.  We are both back home and getting caught up on life.

Getting to see my brother and his crew was much-needed balm for my soul.  I adore them all, and it's tough to be an aunt and sister form afar.

I finally got to meet my nephew, Grant, who is just over a year old.  It was a wild time, and we lived it up like we always do when we get together.  

Here are a few moments from our time together:

My first day there we went to Tohono Chul, which is one of my favorite places on earth.  It's this magical botanical garden filled with incredible art, more desert beauty than you can possibly see in one go, and passionate docents who are eager to share their knowledge.  Tohono Chul also has an art gallery, a crested saguaro who is one of my soul mates, and a lovely children's area.

Savannah, who is four, has that same sideways look and smile Scott wore in so many of his childhood pictures.  Grant, who is just over a year old, is ready to drive!

Here is Gumby, the crested saguaro.  I met him in 2021 on a visit out there, and he's become a presence in my dreams.  I've had some great conversations with docents about this saguaro and have been working on a poem about him for a few years.

We also visited the Children's Museum, which is another Tucson treasure.  We had a lot of fun pretending to shop, playing with blocks, making bats zip across the room, and pretending to drive things like a real fire truck!

We went swimming, moseyed around aimlessly, and spent a lot of time just enjoying each other.  Autumn, who is twelve, and I worked on her journal, which is a Wreck This Journal.  We painted pages and then destroyed them.  We sewed some things into her journal using the most haphazard stitches so it would be perfectly ugly.  The journal is barely in one piece at this point and would never be something I would enjoy but I love that Autumn is so into it, and I was happy to wreck it with her after watching her wreck it over FaceTime the last few months.  I also got to see the last few minutes of one her rehearsals at the musical company she's a part of.  Savannah and I spent plenty of time playing outside on her slide and swing, and we even drew chalk creatures together.  I held Grant every chance I got, because I'm sure he'll be walking next time I see him!

Autumn is as tall as me!

It's tough to be so far away from my family - I have an Arizona brother, Texas brother, and Florida brother.  Leaving any one of them and their families completely wipes me out.  Scott is the brother closest in age to me, and I've pretty much spent my entire life looking up to him.  I wish we could live closer to each other, but life has taken us to different places.  I cherish every moment I get to spend with him.  Watching him be a dad is a whole new side of him that I treasure, and I'm so stinking proud of him.  I'm so thrilled I have a handful of pictures and videos to tide me over until I see him and his crew again. 

Blinded by the light (and also golden retrievers)

I started this piece a couple years ago and walked away from it because it was too bright.  Too much.  I felt like it was punching me in the face every time I got it out of my sewing bag.  There's only so much abuse I take from inanimate objects, so I chucked it into timeout.

Recently I heard the call of its Lisa Frank colors and decided to revisit it.  It was about halfway done, and I sat down with it during one of those lulls we all get where there isn't a morsel of creativity to be found.

I ended up finishing it in one sitting.  I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes what I create isn't what I thought it was going to be.  Sunrise colors don't always create a sunrise!

There are quite a few artists that influence my work, and always at the top of that list is Lisa Frank.  For better or worse, she is one of the reasons I love color so much.

I just realized Lisa Frank may also be the reason I love golden retrievers so much. 😂

This piece feels like taking a peek into my ten-year old self.  Blinding, ferocious energy lacking any kind of direction, aiming for sun, waiting a touch too long, but happy to sop up the remaining light.

only sweet and adorable books so far this year

A few good books to share:

The Silver Hills Boarding House by Linda Lael Miller (Adult Fiction)

I enjoyed Lizbet's character and the instant community that comes together for her just when she needs them the most. Though some characters were one-sided, I thought Lizbet's strengths and vulnerabilities were portrayed in such a way that the reader feels instantly protective of her. She handles the role of taking care of her much-younger siblings with aplomb and devotion. I also thought Gabe's strengths and vulnerabilities, which were sometimes the same thing, were also beautifully portrayed.

Though this is the eye-rolling "man rescues woman" trope, Lizbet had to rescue herself first! And she also rescued her brother and sister from God knows what.

I browsed other books by this author and was disappointed to discover that she mostly writes modern day cowboy romances (which is a little too far off the romance path for me). Thankfully there are a few historical romances she has written that I plan on checking out.

This is another win for those looking for a romance that's on the mild side of the spicy scale. It's a gentle read that will have you rooting for the main characters to open up, not just to each other but to themselves as well.

Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse by George Mendoza and illustrated by Doris Susan Smith (Picture Book)

I'm not sure who recommended this.  I usually take notes of recommendations, but failed to do so this time.  Thanks to whoever recommended it!

The illustrations are magical and absorbing and so incredibly detailed. Ms. Mouse is an architectural genius. I completely lost track of time poring over each animal house and all of their incredible details. I think I like this book almost as much as I like Richard Scarry books, and I think other Richard Scarry fans would love this.

If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall (Picture Book)

I think it's fair to say that most of us have experienced both sides of this story. I know it's easy for me to get carried away by my enthusiasm, both for something I'm excited about but also for another's excitement as well. It's a nice reminder to listen to ourselves and others, a tricky thing to do! Blackall's illustrations are once again, ridiculously perfect. The reader can easily relate to both characters thanks to their expressions. It's a great book to discuss how emotions affect our body language. I imagine how delightful it would be to mirror the emotions of the characters and talk about how each character's body language changes as the book progresses. Oh and the focus on empathy, advocating for oneself, and acceptance of differences! It is with much sadness I return this to the library! Thankfully I have a niece who is just about ready for this lovely book, so I will be revisiting it and buying her a copy soon.

Whether you read the book or not let me ask you all a question.  Do you see yourself in one of these characters?  Which one?

Dreams

A fellow blogger asked me to share some of my art that comes from dreams.  I often have dreams about roaming the microscopic textures of things such as wood grain, lichen, the veins in rocks.  I also often have dreams where the paint is still wet, which leads me to believe I'm actually a part of the painting.  I also have a strange teapot who keeps appearing with silent advice.  And since I was very young just before I get sick I have dreams of descending steep stairs that are too small for my feet.  It doesn't happen every time, but I take it as a warning when the stairs appear since they have never been wrong.  Many years ago I was fortunate enough to experience, climb, and touch the ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.  They were the exact stairs!

Both my art and poetry are sprinkled with my dreams.  I love working through the layers, examining the symbolism, and I use each dream as a guide.  I'm equally interested in the dreams of others as well.  There are a handful of surefire ways that always make me lose track of time.  Talking about dreams with others is one of those things.

My favorite poem I've written is a mishmash of my thrift store dreams, which is a common setting.

Mixed Media

Here are a few dream-inspired art pieces:

trying to learn from the dogs

Not much to report, which is a very good thing.  I was sick for about a week with food poisoning and then less than two days later a sinus infection.  Thankfully I'm quite familiar with both and know how to handle them - mostly lots of bitching and whining is the best way.  

Work, I believe, is finally slowing some.  Still not quite ahead, but our heads are above water.

I haven't spent much time on my art, but I had some interesting hallucinations while I was sick.  At least I hope that's what they were...Processing dreams is one of my favorite avenues of inspiration, and I also enjoy hearing about other people's dreams.  It's always such interesting fuel for art.

Most importantly, the dogs are happy.  I officially started driving again on February 1st and a few days before that I started taking small walks.  Uneven ground still completely unravels me, and I haven't really been cleared for it yet.  But I can get into the shower and stand there without shoes (as long as I use shoes to get into the shower).  This has been such a huge mood booster for me.  I also stopped wearing my boot at night.  At some point during my food poisoning my self pity reached its peak and I flung the boot off in complete and total misery and suffering.  What an injustice to experience food poisoning and a cumbersome boot at the same time!  Robert and I call these moments first world problems, which is funny after the fact, but nothing's worse than hearing your husband ask if you're experiencing a first world problem, the mock sympathy in his voice making you think twice about whether you threw your boot at the wrong thing.

I was actually cleared to sleep barefoot a few weeks ago, but only if I could have the presence of mind to put the boot on if I got up in the middle of the night.  I no longer have nighttime hallucinations or sleep paralysis thanks to removing dairy from my life, but I am an active sleeper.  A year or so ago I took off running straight from sleep.  I found myself on the floor with my hand completely sliced up.  One of my brothers is a sleep walker and my mom used to have entire conversations with us when she was sound asleep.  So it's likely a family thing.  

My next big challenge is to be able to do 25 single calf raises.  Not sure who has tried this, but it's actually pretty challenging.  It's a step closer to getting back to jumping and running, which are still months away.  But I'm pleased with my progress.  Thrilled to drive.  And thrilled to take some very slow walks (when I'm not doing calf raises or working).

Here is my sweet Goper at work.  She has two of us taking her on walks at work now!

Josie laid like this for almost two minutes.  Talk about some serious dog yoga!  As you can see from the background, we have still not celebrated the holidays here.  Robert's mom was sick for quite a while, Robert and I have been working most weekends, and then I also got sick.  We may have to wait until the end of this year at this point. 😂

They both really know how to relax.  They are definitely experts at it.