I've moved...

I've moved beyond the fitful starts and into launching my dream.
It all picks up at Nyssa, Ink.  
Please visit when you can!

art and life, then and now

"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." 

quote by Erica Jong 

Original art by Richard H. Dawson. All rights reserved. 

What do you think of when you see this image? 

At this stage of my life (thankfully) I no longer believe that talent is necessitated by suffering... it is indeed possible to be wildly creative and, yes, happy. I once believed otherwise.... but I now know that suffering is the human condition; in no way reserved for just artists and misfits.

For me, there is a release in this, a freedom-- no need to fear the dark places our talent may lead us. We are headed there anyway... willingly or otherwise, such is life.

So, I will laugh. I will create. I will mourn. And I will be happy.

But, like authentic blues singers, the ones who have seen the darkest shades of blue can sing it like no other. The piece above, done by my father, reminds me of the dark places his talent led him, symbolizing for me, a chaos of the mind. Dark? Yes. And beautiful, still.

"Each day comes bearing it's gifts. Untie the ribbon."
 quoting Ruth Ann Schabacker

A thank you card to Blogger

Before my father unexpectedly passed away, almost nine years ago, he mentioned to someone that he imagined his art would end up in a dumpster after he was gone. His life's work. His life's passion. As his only child, I could never let that happen. With the help of his dear friends in North Carolina, we were able to ship the lion's share of his work out to me in Oregon. It was many, many boxes and took months to complete. 

I have often wondered how I will share his work and honor his memory.... but wonder no more. 

Thank you, Blogger. 

Original art by Richard H. Dawson. All rights reserved. 

Self-taught and shy of his talents, his art was presented mostly as gifts to friends and family. Over time, I will continue to post his works and honor his memory here with that hope that someone may be moved by what he left behind.... 

infancy of a blog...

It's been almost a month since I started my blog and I already have that bloggers guilt of "oh, I haven't blogged in two weeks now!". I only have 5 posts in my first month! Bad Blogger!

Which is pretty irrational and somewhat hysterical considering I have only given my blog's address to one single solitary person (are you there, my friend?). But it raises the questions that other bloggers before me have had to answer for themselves. Why blog? For whom? When and how do I put myself "out there" as a new blogger? Why would anyone even care to read my blog? How often would I like to be blogging? And how often will I actually blog?

For myself I think the answers will come in time.... and I can answer the first two questions with one easy answer: I am blogging for my own inspiration. So for right now, the answers to the other questions are largely irrelevant. There are no rules here. I will blog however often I blog. I didn't start blogging to add another "chore" to my to-do list. Or to add something to my "worry list". Worrying and being inspired are mutually exclusive in my world. I trust that I will put myself "out there" to other bloggers in my own time, in my own way....

But today, I feel like an infant in this world... a little baby blogger just getting her sense of herself in this new blogging world.... learning to crawl before walking.

late bloomer

I am a late bloomer... to the land of blogging, and admittedly in some aspects of my life. I read my first blog, oh, maybe a bit more than a year ago. I married at the age of 38. But here I am now! Blogging. Married. And I'm happy to be here. The truth is, I am just not a "computer person" but I found myself so inspired by the first blog I read (thank you Amy at angry chicken) that I began seeking out other blogs... one blog lead me to another and then another. Whether I am able to inspire someone else over time remains to be seen... but I feel confident that blogging will, at the very least, inspire me. I intend to share bits and pieces of my life here... my love of Astoria, thrifting, antique and vintage treasures, taking pictures, art, sewing, cooking... It is my hope that someday someone will stumble accidentally upon my blog and find something that makes them smile, or think, or do-- as the bloggers I follow have done for me.