Tilly

Tilly (or Matilda) came into my life on November 13, 1998. She was a Toroise Shell Calico (Tortie) kitten that locked eyes with me in her cage (she actually hypnotized me), and has been the love of my life ever since. But her life took some twist and turns as she had to stay with my sister for several years. But that just gave her double the love. Just last week, Tilly was diagnosed with nasal cancer that has eaten through her bone, slowly invading her brain, and pushing on her eye.

In a million years, I never thought this was the way Tilly would end her days...she is a fiesty cat, full of piss and vinegar and won't give up easily. Neither will I. That's why I started this fundraising campaign for her. In return for your donation (however small or big), you will receive a beautiful piece of art that you can remember me and her by. Maybe you have always wanted to buy original art, or would like to add to your collection. Well, here is your incentive.

Tilly and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A furry gift

$150

With this generous donation, you will receive a one-of-a-kind, handwoven scarf of high-quality wool to warm you on cold days, when a cat might not be around.

 

Winter Watermelon, made of cashmere (the wool itself is $100)

Verdura, merino wool

Stones and Snow, made of handspun wool from Isreal and Vermont

Persian Garden

Rhapsody in Pink and Grey, wool blends with handpainted silk

Bhutan

India

 Agra and Jaipur (Taj Mahal and the Pink City)

A new blog comes forth

Today I spotted two fashionable men on the train. I sneaked a photo of one. The other...well, I told this white lie that I had a blog about men's clothing, yada yada, and could I take a photo of his cool ensemble. He was quite dashing, Irish I think, and a good sport. He let me take a couple pics. And then.................he asked what the name of my blog was.

Yikes. Now what? Now, I had to make a blog. So I did. Today. It's called stylish men make me drool.
Check it out. Become a subscriber. Enjoy.

And if you are the Irishmen (or Englishmen?) checking it out: thanks for the inspiration to start the blog. Sometimes white lies pay off. Hope you're not cross :)

Cabo

We were situated at the tip of the Baja peninsula, in between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. The Sea of Cortes and the Pacific Ocean meet at this point and cause a multitude of currents, coming in from, sometimes, four directions. You could see them from the shoreline. At times you would get hit from behind standing on the sand. The water felt alive and playing games with you. Needless to say, this made it less than ideal, even treacherous, for swimming. I went in at the few times the sea was calm enough to wade into. Suddenly though a wave would appear out of nowhere and set me scrambling for shore before being pummeled. 

I painted. Landscapes, seascapes. At first I thought: how different will this be from any other beach or ocean I've drawn? Where will I get the inspiration to make it different? And then I just started to paint...the gorgeous turquoise and sapphire blues in the ocean, the pinks in the setting sky, the shadows, the myriad colors of the unusually-shaped rocks, some of which looked as though carved and sculpted, the work of Nature. Other influences, other artists I hadn't tapped or counted on suddenly found their way into my work. I was only painting. Yet it was just this simple act—of looking at the nuances, the subtleties—that made subtle differences in how I saw and put it down.

The Sea of Cortes 

Sailboat on the sea

Las Sierras

Rocas Vivas
The rocks looked as if they had been tied repeatedly
with invisible string, and their coloration varied from black to pink.

Painting in orange and white

Sunset over the mountains

Seeing

La Sierra (Fierce Mountains)

Philomela II

I'm pleased to announce that Philomela II will be featured in an exhibit titled, 
Threads Bared: Art Inspired by Fiber at the Nave Gallery in Somerville, Mass. 
I'm excited to be part of this talented group of fiber artists. For more details, click on the Threads Bared link.

This woven wall hanging was inspired by the Greek myth of Philomela, an abducted woman who is raped and also suffers the brutal severing of her tongue. Without words, she is impelled to find another way to communicate her plight. She weaves a tapestry of her tale which ultimately saves her life. I was intrigued by this heroine's tenacity and will to live. At its essence, this story relays a dilemma solved through creative means. How our creativity saves us is a powerful idea to me and I find that my art more succinctly and more powerfully expresses what can fail in verbal language. For my weaving, I chose to integrate a watercolor painting surrounded by a tangle of threads, which I wanted to be raw and visceral, expressive of the story.