Thanks Audrey Eclectic!

Heather's Lovely Portrait as a Birthday gift!


My photographic self portrait as my ancestor Lydia~


The Necklace Jen Parrish made for me~


Me wearing Jen's necklace(and one of her bracelets) with one of my cats Glastonbury-the baby!


The portrait Heather did of me with my four little cats "The Littles" all so blue-I love this and Heather's spooky take on the portrait. It is one of my favourite pieces of art ever! I am wearing my Parrish Relics necklace and bracelet.

I received a wonderful surprise in the mail from our dear Audrey Eclectic. It was a lovely card based on one of my recent photos I had taken as my ancestor Lydia. What a sweet surprise! It made me think back to another lovely piece that Heather had made for me back in 2006. I love this piece and it hangs in my bedroom. It is a family portrait of me with my 4 black cats only clever Heather coloured them a deep turquoise knowing it is my favourite colour.

I can't even remember how I met Heather now! I really can't! Somehow Jen Parrish of Parrish Relics was a part of it all. After seeing seeing a necklace that Jen had made for me featuring my cats, Heather added this necklace into the portrait and I did my own portrait of Heather with her own kittens. So much has happened since then, but Heather remains the same, sweet friend that I knew back then.

I have enjoyed watching her art grow and as it has become a blooming business. I have been so happy to get the news that a "baby was on the way!" and then to see that baby grow into a beautiful and clever little girl. And guess what? Heather and I have never even met?! Hehe! I really feel like she lives next door. She is just that easy, thoughtful kind of person you can't help but love. I know we are going to fix that someday. I think I might squeeze her to death though!

So, thank you Heather(my 'Tasha Pixie'-she may be tiny but she is a tough one!). Thank you for always thinking of me and thank for you for being you! Wishing you all the best always!
Love you!

The "Poetic Terrorism" Book is Finally Ready for Sale!

The Cover of the Book. Photo by Anna Malina Zemlianski



First page inside book-gorgeous!

Hi All! I am very excited because one of my favourite books is finally ready for sale and I am a part of it! This book is called Poetic Terrorism and features self portrait photographs from 37 different female artists around the world and I am one of them. This book is full of light and beauty and I am proud to be a part of it because I believe we all need to throw some beauty and goodness around in the world today. You can read more about the book and purchase it
HERE.

All of the proceeds of the book go to a Charity in Nepal which you can read aboutHERE.

Here is a statement from the author~

'Poetic terrorism' is a book of self-portraits by 37 international women artists who are professional or not. They have united to share their art and spread beauty, poetry and love with their pictures which often can be read as a visual poem.
This book is made of different soul colors and inspirations.
Poetry is scattered in every human emotions women can feel and I have selected here artworks that talks to the soul, that take you to another feminine world and that tells you stories or reminds you fairy tales.
If you love feminine light of fragile and intense emotions, you will be enchanted by this book & enjoy a travel in each artist's world.'

the author, Hélène Deroubaix

Hope all is well with everyone is blogland! Take care.

Finally, A New Post! And, the New Show is Up!

I had to add this photo because I put it in the collage of Lydia's descents and one woman who was looking at all them said, "wow! who was that? she had quite the flair for the dramatic back in her day!". I just said, "Oh yes, she did." HeHe! It's photo of me! Yikers indeed!




I have been busy working on my altar for the Dia De Los Muertos Altar at the Indianapolis Art Center and finally got it finished last night! Whew! I have been either stuck in my studio or out getting supplies. It seems so small and silly now, but I am so detailed oriented-I can't help myself!

I made this altar for my ancestor Lydia Gilbert who came to the British Colonies from England in the 1620s. She was maybe married there or in the Colonies. She and her husband had 4 sons and lived the areas of Salem, MA and Mystic, CT. In around 1650 she was accused of being a witch and hung for it. She was tried in the Courts of Hartford, CT and obviously found guilty of using witchcraft. I am not really sure about the details of her life or how the courts came to the conclusion that she was a "witch". I do know that I am one of her direct descendants so I felt she deserved to have her story told and in a big way.

I took a self portrait photograph and had it blown up to a large size(the frame is about 3x4 feet) because I felt when a person lived in the past like this a painting or drawing is too easy to see as "not real" if that makes sense. I wanted her to be in a photographic and in full colour-something you would never see of her. I made the frame for photograph and painted the boarder for it. I also scanned tons of photographs of her descendants which eventually ended with my parents, my sisters and me and my little nephews. My family never had much money, but they figured out how to get their photos taken! And, thankfully, they held on to everything(um, yeah, like I do too). I made 2 collages of these photos in old frames and put them on either side of her portrait just to show that the "witch" may be gone, but her descendants live on and on.

So, for her photo, I put in a pretty ivory dress that she would never have had because I wanted to give her a pretty dress. I also have her wearing fancy red slippers with red ribbons(surely only a witch would wear red shoes!). I gave her flowers and jewelry too. On her altar table, she has pretty candles and lanterns, a plate of berry scones, maple sugar candy and apples. I also gave her pretty mug with an "L" on it filled with some nice packets of cinnamon tea.

Here are some photos I quickly took of Lydia's Altar. I hope she likes it! I hope all the descendants that have gone on before me like it as well. The "witchiest" thing I can do is wiggle my ears, but I taught myself to do that as a little kid(my grandpa helped me and it was so cool when I finally figured it out!).

And, yes, I know there is the practice of good witchcraft out there that follows the seasons of the earth and all that is good with it. They weren't accusing Lydia of being that kind of witch. They said she was "in league with Satan" and horrible things like that-that she could kill people by putting hexes on them. Well, if she could do that it sure would be a different world. I am pretty sure she was up to her knees in mud trying to make a living out of nothing and take care of her family and herself and didn't have time to "dance with the devil under a full moon". I do hope she can dance for joy now with all her people that love her.