In the early morning of September 24, 2018, it will be one year since I lost my beloved parrot, Asterix. Recall: Losing him was deeply
Category: Quote
Quote of the month/week/day… (multiple sources)
Bird School: The first rule
I am obsessed with birds. I have this strange belief that I will not uncover truths that I seek in my art without first understanding
Bird School- Parts of a Songbird
I am obsessed with birds. I have this strange belief that I will not uncover truths that I seek in my art without first understanding
I can feel the planet churning…
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. – John Muir When I am in the forest in Stanley Park,
Every stitch a thought- problem solving embroidering drawings.
I’ve got a lot to think about these days. (Not really any different from other days, I guess, but seriously, there is some amazing stuff
Books are life rafts. I climb into them to keep moving forward…
Books are life rafts. I climb into them to keep moving forward when life seems in limbo and my energy is fully depleted. Here is
I promised myself a library…
When I turned 10, my parents gave me this book– Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales illustrated by Jiří Trnka (published by Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd, ©1959,
Journal entry April 16, 2018 San Jose Airport
Journal entry April 16, 2018 San Jose Airport [unedited] It is so odd to take time out from the trajectory of every day in these journeys…
Staying in process…
Just when I think– Oh shit, I put myself out there, and now I am all vulnerable and shit and feeling old pangs of, oh shit,
The third letter home. November 18, 1968
Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — Previous posts: Package of letters to
Writing exercise.
1. Put the timer on for 10 minutes. 2. Write stream of consciousness about whatever- whatever comes out of the pen onto paper. Keep the
Ear to the ground… Another recurring theme…
There are repeated themes in my work and obsessions that satisfy my creative process and my explorations into grief. Like human faces, birds, dead birds…
Secrets and mysteries
Great, invisible stories are being written all around us, every day. The language of the world is full of ineffable secrets and mysteries. – Brian
Practicing neutrality.
I know anxiety. I know depression. And now it seems these days like I am practicing neutrality. Allowing things to be. Just be. Letting fear crumble
Until we meet again… dropping off Asterix
Letting go In order to hold on I gradually understand How poems are made… – Alice Walker Recall September 24, 2017: Well, I did
The crown ripped away. Journal musings.
My head hurts. Not the inside of my head. The outside. The muscles on top of my skull. The ligaments. I sat under a young
My @TwinPeaks fan art helps me hold on to the dream
We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives inside the dream. I process my obsessions through creativity. And there is a lot to
SOLD: STUDIO CLEARANCE SALE: Painting entitled “The House,” 1998
Raising FUNDS, clearing SPACE and LETTING GO. STUDIO CLEARANCE SALE (Vancouver BC) FOR SALE: A favorite piece from my 1998 solo exhibit: Asta Sollilja of Summerhouses
The Mulberry @ParcLiving Fox Panels
Without art we do not die. But without art we do not live. – Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society participant, 2012 I have the
Happy birthday, Frida.
I am celebrating Frida Kahlo‘s birthday! Although her birth certificate says she was born on July 6, 1907, Frida Kahlo told people her date of
From the heart- a 15 day journal exercise Part 12: the moment of death
I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A Year to Live- how to live this year as if it were your last as a personal exercise schedule to take
From the heart- a 15 day journal exercise Part 11: Fear of Dying
I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A Year to Live- how to live this year as if it were your last as a personal exercise schedule to take
From the Heart- a 15 day journal exercise: Part 10 Fear of Dying
I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A Year to Live- how to live this year as if it were your last as a personal exercise schedule to take
From the heart- a 15 day journal exercise Part 7: Fear of Fear
It’s been a while. It’s been a lot lately. But let’s see how this chapter unfolds. What it reveals. I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A
From the heart- a 15-day journal exercise Part 6
I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A Year to Live- how to live this year as if it were your last as a personal exercise schedule to take
From the heart- a 15-day journal exercise Part 5
I dedicate today’s post to my soul-sister Patti Henderson and to our deep HEART chats. — I am re-reading Stephen Levine‘s A Year to Live-
Anticipation: revisiting a journal exercise
Standing on the edge of the unknown, we anticipate. We over-think. And create anxiety that has no place to land. There is no terror in
My Stanley Park observations find their way into “Molly” at unexpected times
Our usual spring awakening is late this year. I recall a walk around Beaver Lake a year ago… I was infused by the profound beauty of nature. Warm
My ugliness, my solitude, my experiences have built a protective wall
Diary entry April 17, 2017 Once I have reached my energy limit- my body/mind/spirit experiences a type of fatigue migraine– it comes on when I
Teachable moment during drawing session!
I have been incorporating How to Draw an OWL in my creative engagement for years. My must-bring tools always include: The china marker is the essential drawing
“To prepare a face to meet the faces…” the Williams Lake portraits
There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet… – TS Eliot — On my
What the sock pigs taught me…
This past Sunday morning- hanging out on Vancouver Island, my 4 friends and I had a hankering to create sock pigs. There is such magic
Routine? No, ROOTine.
The word ROOTine came up for me the other day when I was texting with my daughter who is on a life-changing journey, travelling in SE
Release attachment to the outcome…
To feel the anguish of waiting for the next moment and of taking part in the complex current (of affairs) not knowing that we are
Is this where they’ll find me?
Is this where they’ll find me? In the tub, laying back, my neck resting on the edge, my face covered with a book? Is this where
She is filled with secrets. Journal exercise.
In honour of Laura Palmer, central character in Twin Peaks, who disappeared on the night of 23 February 1989 after a date with her boyfriend, we
Still willing to eat that shit sandwich!
It’s been a year and a bit since I came across this article by Mark Manson that asks 7 fabulous and profound questions re: finding your
Recalling a declaration from “my future self” on July 25, 2015
Working on my graphic novel, I pull out research and reference materials from my files and come across a journal entry from July 25, 2015
Three years ago, with shaky hand, I signed…
Three years ago, with shaky hand, but empowered to move my life forward, I signed bankruptcy papers. And my grown children and I signed a
Celebrating 95 pages with a vulnerability hangover…
I am workshopping my graphic novel through a weekly online serial. So far… we have been witnessed a crime: Looked at the original headlines: I’ve
For I need to SPEAK FREELY. Without restraint…
So, I’ve been doing a lot of chatting in the past few days about my passion project: Molly- a true crime analysis: I’ve been chatting,
Traditional craft: handwoven treasure by “Domestic Intervention Co.”
Being Swedish, I was raised surrounded by beautiful handwoven cloths. When I think about Sweden, I see looms. Textile art is in my DNA. My
Slithering pancreatic serpent. #griefprocess
In November 2007, Dr. Ebrahim sat knee to knee with my mother. I was on the other side of the little examination room. I recall
Here’s to us crawling to the finish line…
Touch me life. Not softly. – Maya Angelou And my GOD, life has touched us this year. Here’s to us crawling to the finish line,
Eliza’s Story
“210 years later, Eliza Hamilton’s orphanage — now a family services agency called Graham Windham — is still helping kids get their shot. Graham Windham
The creative life putters on with audacity and hope.
China marker, pastel, linseed oil on wood. Based on Edvard Munch’s “Puberty.” (author of quote unknown) I have been quiet on here for a while.
Art Sale: Frida and the Wounded Bird #fridakahlo
ART SALE: A special panel from my DRAWING ON PAIN Frida Kahlo is an icon and muse that I return to again and again. I am
‘Asta Sollilja of Summerhouses’ exhibit
My 1998 solo exhibit: Asta Sollilja of Summerhouses ONE OF THE PIECES FROM THE SHOW: The House, 1998, Katarina Thorsen It was a house and a
I’m back in a stall- some kind of school washroom… #dream #innercritic
I used to have a recurring dream— it started in my adolescence and continued into my early 40’s- I would dream that I was getting
You are motherhood. You are the greatest mystery. Karin 17/09/36-08/11/08
Only do not forget, if I wake up crying it’s only because in my dream I’m a lost child hunting through the leaves of the night for
I’ve given myself space-time.
This week started with some bristling uneasiness. But instead of falling into fear and trying to figure out next steps, I decided to give myself
Journal exercise: I Found My Way Home
I have been ruminating on the concept of home. The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go
Delicious book! ‘Awakening Joy- for kids’ by Michele Lilyanna and James Baraz
I reconnected with a sweet friend/soul-sister/colleague last Friday, sharing sacred hours at my kitchen table. When I lived on the Sunshine Coast 1996-2003, I was
Digging deeper, the secrets become aviatic.
Working on Molly, and I remain fascinated that I find it easier to dig deeper into the story by using the image of birds. Somehow,
Ode to the carnation- “nature’s bastards”
A flower is a miracle. A carnation certainly so. Did you know carnations are “banned” as decor in certain facilities? They are supposedly cheap, low class,
Love letter to Toronto
6 AM Despite living in Canada most of my life, I had never been to Toronto before this year and now I am on my
On Autumnal endings and beginnings in October
This is such a beautiful tender time of the year for me. The autumn is both a time of loss and renewal. My parents passed
What being ace means to me. #asexual musings
Being age 54 and “single” I am often asked (by people my own age), Are you dating anyone now? When my response is one
‘Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.’ Journaling exercise
Today you are a newborn and you are starting fresh! Draw a baby. Draw brainstorm bubbles above “your “head. Write about what it may be
