First Open Studios Today

I participated in my first Open Studios today for Arts Benicia, here in Benicia, California. I didn't show any of my collage art. I only had my altered books which worked out just fine because my space was limited.

Since my "studio" is a spare bedroom about the size of a postage stamp, my husband's boss, who owns a contemporary furniture store, was nice enough to allow me to show my books in the store. It was perfect place for displaying my books because there are so many surfaces to place them on: coffee and end tables, dining room tables, etc. I even mangaged to get my hanging books on the walls, using nails and screws that were already in place....[Continued on Artful Journey, my new blog.]

Altered Book Pages

I recently updated my Altered Book Pages for A Cup of Sky.

I really love this book a lot. I have gotten so many wonderful responses from people who have read it that I have often wondered how I could publish it into its own little book....[Continued on Artful Journey, my new blog.]

Stuck

Here I am, working on another reliquary. This will be my fourteenth. [You can see my other reliquaries at Reliquaries at my web site Karen's Whimsy], so you'd think I'd have the hang of it by now. But noooo . . . I've been sitting here for an hour and a half surrounded by paints and papers and trims wondering how to coordinate everything for this book. My mind is a muddle. Maybe it's the daylight savings time thing. I'm feeling just a little off and very indecisive....[Continued on Artful Journey, my new blog.]

A Cup of Sky

I guess it was almost two years ago now that I finished my altered book A Cup of Sky. Here are two poems that I like from the book.

Water
drops fall
in the sweet sweeping rush
of the rain
into the sea
in to
the cup of its shining waters.
Or
down
to a tranquil,
brown-eyed little river
or the brook
that plunged
over the edge of the cliff
and froze to a stalactite of crystal
it
became
my waterfall.

....[Continued on Artful Journey, my new blog.]

Listening to Anne Lamott

One of my favorite books about writing is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She writes in such an engaging way, making everyday struggles seem sweet and sublime.

When I saw that she was going to be speaking in Berkeley, near my home, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hear her. She spoke for about an hour, mixing her wry humor with simple truths about her life as a mother, daughter, and writer. You can read my reflections on the evening in my essay Anne Lamott :: Tender Words.