What a phenomenal experience, sharing in the Pecos Art Studio Tour this weekend, at my friend Laura Tarnoff's art studio.
About eleven of us showed in the weekend long, open studios exhibit, all artist friends of Laura's, up at her ART CENTER, in Rowe, New Mexico. Our group included Steven A Lucero, of Vulcan's Forge, a blacksmith & bartender, of old Brumby's fame, and Amy Shure Nelson, www.AmyShure.com, sharing her colorful sunflower-filled, oil on canvas, still-life paintings, and Barry Milner, a raucous, Buddist vaudevillian, singer/songwriter, Shambala Meditation Teacher, traveler, and painter of zen paintings. Also appearing was Willie Brown, a photograpgher/lawyer, originally from back East, who loves schooner ships. And no this Willie Brown is not the former mayor of San Francisco! Amy Shure also added great art to our lunch, Sunday, with fresh salad, and grilled vegetables... Yum!
Laura Tarnoff shared her monumental figurative paintings, that always seem to whisper, "Atlantis" in my soul, along with beautiful copper framed prints and small original paintings. See www.LauraTarnoff.com In the studio itself, was Norman Allen, sharing his hand carved wooden sculpture, always a big hit! Also showing, outside, was Miriam Feder, Norm's outgoing Jewish New Yorker wife, sharing soulful abstracts and various styled oils on canvas. I met Miriam & Norm, originally in the paper department of the old Artisan, art supply store, on Canyon Road. Now we are dear neighbors and friends, all thanks to Laura.
I say I am enjoying a Jewish revival, as I now share friendship with many Jewish artists and friends, in Eldorado. The only challenge is, I am such a non religious soul, that I tend to drastically disrupt all Jewish Holidays, I am graced to be invited to. Sorry Levi!! I am always the one questioning, the lines about smiting our enemy, elevating a male LORD GOD, and so on. I slip in concepts like the Goddess, and the Divine Feminine Energy, & our Mother/Father/God/Goddess. I Ask questions like, "what about the period of the Goddess, that our religion grew up out of?" I share stories of the Jewish face of God, Shekinah, as it became famous as the "Live long and prosper," gesture of Spock, on Star Trek, through the Russian Jewish Rabbi's in Leonard Nimoy's family upbringing!
While I have not as of yet, gotten kicked out, I am always surprised when I am invited back. Sometimes Levi, our host, changes the chosen prayer to reflect more peace, unity & positive energies, than the old smite and be smited, eye for an eye, old paradigm, concepts.
As a hypnotherapist, I always point out, how, as we gather and repeat old religion out loud, we are in fact, entering a trance, enhanced by wine, ceremony, food & candles, that locks all these programs into our psyches! "Let's update it all to reflect the divine feminine energy, the new paradigm, global unity, & galactic family, " I suggest. Sherwin responds by requesting whiskey, informing me, "You're a witch, ya know that?!" I smile proudly in praise of the goddess, gods & spirits alike! I'm an animist at heart!
Guest, friend & artist, Brigette Bruggeman, www.BrigetteBruggeman.com noted nameless emotions triggered by Miriam's paintings, which reached into shadows, unnamable by words alone! Claudia a very cosmic Art Therapist and energy healer, shared pastel drawings of animals, on Saturday. On Sunday we were joined by Britt Hager-Lewis, artist & owner of www.GoddessVerde.com. Britt is a third generational artist, specializing in figurative paintings, prints, large sculptural pieces, murals, & web design, and a new line of organic potions & lotions, as well as sculpted goddess soaps! Also see: www.ArtByBritt.com
I took up a very vast expanse, filling the space with my large, medium & small, colorful abstract expressionism style paintings, painted very much from the inside out, and about 25 prints, that I stayed up all night, Friday, preparing and enclosing in plasticine envelopes.
Matananda Ben-Shmuel, of www.Matananda.com was scheduled to join in, yet opted out for other musical endeavors with family.
Also opting out, yet still visiting the show, was artist Leah Saulnier of www.SantaFePainter.net
Children of the artists also had a ball, digging in the earth, catching lizards, ants, wasps, and grubs, and painting abstract paintings inspired by the studio tour's featured artists!
Saturday night of the show, we were joined by two amazing humans, artists, & more, James Koskinas & Julie Schumer, www.SFAbstract.com, who show at Selby Fleetwood Gallery, on Canyon Road, where I once worked, before officially meeting them, www.SelbyFleetwoodGallery.com. Also joining in were Desiree Granado, and her talented partner, Chiropractic Physician, & Author Vito Hemphill, www.VitoHemphill.com, and more. Sherwin Tarnoff, and his Daughter Laura Tarnoff, our gracious hosts, served up BBQ, & beer, and we shared in wonderful conversation, laughter and fun! Many Dena's and one Diana joined in too!
After many of the guests left, as twilight came on, two unique looking men entered the property, baring a guitar & harmonica. One of these was Roark Griffin, a friend and painter of predatory birds, who shows at: www.KivaIndianArt.com, another gallery where I once worked, yet was not all that welcomed to stay, in the capacity of sales associate, seven years ago. Roark and a friend came, and sat down, around the dining table, as Roark and Barry tuned their guitars.
They played some great music, and some very heart felt original songs. I announced that Devorah is a singer, guitar player, songwriter too, and so they went round passing guitars, and all tuning in, playing along, to many beautiful, and some quite hilarious original songs! I sang along with Roark to "Yellow Bird," which I sang for the class, back in 2nd grade, wearing my hawaiian grass skirt. It was fun to sing this and be celebrated, in place of ostracized, as in childhood! Barry sang Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," and the men pressed Devorah to sing a dirty song. She obliged, with only one condition. She sang the "dirty" song in hebrew! This was a priceless sharing, we will all remember for many many moons to come!
Sunday was another grand, sunny, art filled day, filled with friends, old and new, surprises, and even some sales & good trades!
I wore my Trailblazing Transformation hat, from the Fulani Tribe in Africa, as is pictured on my new cards and promotional materials, on my head! I tuned in with interested guests and made a few connections with others who are eager to transform old trauma states and reactions into new states of reSOURCEfulness! I took requests for new appointments from both old and new friends at the studio tour!
It was a magnificent weekend! Next year we will explore new and better ways to attract visitors. Barry wants to invite Peter Max!
Aslo helped my friend Devorah Lotzar, by substituting for her, in her after school program, in Eldorado, on Monday & Tuesday! This was a divine experiment, reminding me of the beautiful mastery involved in leadership of any age! We had a sweet time. In between, I shared in Alien Movie Night, a two year + tradition, at Lynda Star's Studio, with our regular circle of mystics, seers, scientist's and artists! The movie was delightful, as was the vision into so many of us blooming individually and collectively! Beautiful!
Thanks for sharing in my blog.
Some great quotes for the week:
"There is a soul force in the universe, which if we permit it, will flow through us and produce."
- Mohandas K. Ghandi, 1869 - 1948, Indian Nationalist Leader
"An integrated, well balanced mind vibrates at a frequency that is immune to negative influences."
- The Pleiadians through Barbara Marciniak
"I always was a rebel. On the other hand, I want to be loved and accepted by all facets of society, and not be this lunatic loud mouth musician. But I cannot be what I am not!"
- John Lennon, 1940-1980
Posts
