Building Neighbors

First quarter moon rising over the frame of Andy and Ocea's new house..

It's really coming along!

A snowy hideout...

...with sleeping bags inside!

A saw that's seen it's share of dust...

Grampa and Nikkea checking out the latest construction...

The little house in the woods - temporary lodgings while the big house gets built...

The winter workshop...

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go...

This dog knows the way...

First quarter moon rising over Garry and Martha's house.

Fabricating

I've been up to my knees in snowflakes - paper ones and real ones! Here are some of my daughter Lisbeth's shirts, hanging in the big pine tree out back and on the clothesline, waiting to be photographed, yesterday and today. Today was not a day for fingerless gloves - we have a wicked wind chill happening here in Maine, and I nearly got frostbite taking these pics!!! Lisbeth's shop is doing well! We've had 22 sales already! I am so pleased, and so is Lisbeth.

And look what came in the mail this afternoon! My two fabric swatches from Spoonflower! These are designs that I sent in about a week ago. I am very excited! Infinite fabric possibilities!! I just sent in single mandalas for these sample swatches, but Spoonflower can do repeats and patterns - I can make layers of them in photoshop with some opaque and some transparent - they can over lap - I can take fragments of the mandalas and play with those - I can play with scale....agh! So many ideas!!!! But to start, I like the single image. This will make great throw pillows, table napkins, QUILT SQUARES! Imagine a quilt made with all different Lisbeth mandalas, in all different colors!!!!! Or, in a more subtle monochromatic color scheme! Ahhhhh, fun times ahead...

Stationary (But Moving!)

Playing with color combos in Photoshop, designing some cards for Lisbeth's Etsy shop, Brain Storm Studio. ENDLESS possibilities. A bit overwhelming! So I just started with some of my favorite colors...

Sex and Death

Received this card yesterday from an old friend and fellow MECA alum, Joe McVetty. For those of you who live in or near Portland, go see Joe's show in February! His drawings are phenomenal!

Vision

Saint Jerome contemplating the Trinity...

My daughter Lisbeth experiencing a seizure aura.

Lisbeth's Mother and Child mandala.

Lisbeth's Passion mandala.

Lisbeth's Love Flames mandala.

Lisbeth's Lantern Flower mandala.

Lisbeth's Four of Hearts mandala.

Lisbeth's Flaming Oak mandala.

Lisbeth's Heavy with Child mandala.

Lisbeth's Birth mandala.

And these are my Tarot cards today. Above is the card representing my project with Lisbeth. The Wheel of Fortune. I love the mother and child in this image, and the mandala/wheel/angel thoughts over their heads! And the fire beneath them!

Card representing Martha. (This happens to be my Soul Card!)

Card representing Lisbeth. (Bless her heart ~ she is built just like this!)

Card representing the gift of this project. Two of Cups. Deep Connection between two individuals. Sharing. A Collaboration. A Happy Compromise. This feels so true. After taking a long break from one-on-one caring of Lisbeth, I am at her creative service right now. Her art is becoming my art. I am like one of the eleventh century artists who drew for Hildegard de Bingen her visions as she dictated them from Spirit.

Mystical Mandalas

Multitudinous, miraculous, magical. Lisbeth's marvelous and magnificent mandalas. Mmmmmm, hmmmmm.