Boat in Forest #3

Life is full of mysteries, discoveries on the road, absurd things that seem pointless right now but are wisely stored or remembered for later. The bird gave the young prince three flowers. The old crone gave the traveler a mirror and a comb. The princess saved her father's ring, even when she herded geese.

Juggler with Raven

 Small stage, small audience, a few dropped balls...

Hesitation

Where do ideas come from? Is it right to return to themes again and again? Do I need to always paint new? Or are certain images so hard-wired into my soul that honesty requires that I repeat those themes again and again?

Ravens

Consider the ravens: they don't sow or reap, and they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. Luke 12:24

Art Auction

This painting was inspired by a walk with my friend Jennifer. We were both sorting through the next steps in our careers, and Jen spoke so longingly of how she missed the stage.
Well, a couple of years have passed, and Jennifer is exploring a new type of stage. She has just moved to Pasadena and is attending Fuller Theological Seminary to prepare for ministry. It only seems right that this painting be auctioned off to help her pay for tuition. The painting is 24"x24" on wood panel and is valued at $1000. We are asking that bids start at $350. If you would like to place a bid, just leave your name and amount in the comment section below with some sort of contact info if I don't know you, or you can call me at (510)655-1988. Bidding will close on Oct 16th. All proceeds will go to Jennifer.

• Update: I've received the first bid at $350. (Oct. 15, 9:00 p.m.)

Red House

Saw this doorway on an evening walk up by Indian Rock. It felt like a homecoming kind of place.

Birthday Blessing

It's your day-of-days. I'm glad you were born. You make the world a better place.

Burning at Both Ends

She's not too worried. She's done this a lot before.

Birthday Cake in Dark Woods

I met with a neighbor to pray about our kids' upcoming tuition bills. As we finished, we heard the doorbell... Her husband was there to say that he had just gotten news of an inheritance check that would fill the gap for what they needed the next day for the fall semester. "But we still have nothing to put towards the spring semester!" he moaned. Oh, the candles burn bright in this dark wood.

Long Distance

Last week I took my 18 year old son to college. Then I got on a plane and flew across multiple rivers and cities and mountain ranges and deserts and came home. I'm not hearing from him much, which I think is a good sign...

Just Paper

Birth certificates, social security cards, tax forms, college applications, FAFSA paperwork, bios, resumes, artist statements, visitation records, medical releases, TB test documentation, orientation dates, boarding passes, confirmation numbers, maps, weekly planners, living trusts, power of attorney forms, obituaries...

Blindfold #2

 When someone dies, does their spirit linger for a few days? Do they hear the comments about the unfinished business, the unpaid bills, the long-suppressed feelings?

Tango #2

It's Monday morning. It's a dance, making lunches, finding the coffee, warning a kid who's in the shower too long. An efficient pivot and spin, and it all gets done.

Rowing Hard (diptych)

Another boat. Life is a lot of work, you know? You row hard, and sometimes there are beaches, and you do what you thought you couldn't do.

Overboard

Hmm. Not much to say about this one... Simplification, letting go, realizing what is important... Maybe I wrote too much already.

Birthday Solo

I started this painting with lots of faces crowding around the background, but eventually they all seemed unnecessary.

Precipice

For the thrill of it...

Curve in Path #2

We bought the plane tickets last night to take our son to college. His toes are barely touching the ground, and the whole world is opening up before him.

Looking Back

 Doubletake. Torn between two directions. I was so certain I was going the right way, but something caught my heart...

At Sea

Every painting these days is of the ocean. I've got sand in my shoes and a beach bag by the door.

Two at Table

I've been sketching a lot in cafes this summer. This couple was from that. I ended up removing the other tables and people; only the door seemed necessary.

Traveler in Forest

Another painting started in Redwood Park. That's the park I went to when my labor contractions wouldn't start and the first walk I took my babies to. It's where I celebrate birthdays and baptisms and clear my head after a tough week. So. of course, it's where I would paint about the changes in my life right now, my first kid leaving home and me starting on a new journey, too.

Island #2

I went with a friend to Point Richmond and saw this beautiful island. I wish I was there.

Campfire #6

Many thanks to everyone who came to my open studio on Sunday. It was definitely a spot of light, a warm flame. Afterwards we had a salon with poetry and art and dancing and chocolate.

Taking Flight #3

I sketched this painting at a meeting that was going too long.

Flying Away

Monday morning. How I would love to transcend the old patterns.

Party on Stage

Pause, celebrate, ignore the ever-present audience...

Solo #2

"The black clamshell"--out on stage, singing into the invisible audience. Not unlike painting every day and wondering if anyone will see, or raising kids without the big picture, or casting a vote and wondering if it matters.

Woman on Beach

It's that beach time again, sand in the shoes, the old plaid tablecloth drying out in back. This time I took four teenaged girls who dug in the sand like puppies.

 

Four of my paintings will be on sale at half price at the 17th Annual Artists Warehouse Sale at the SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason, San Francisco, Wed. May 5 - Sun. May 9. The staff hangs the work salon-style with more in the racks, and the first night is especially hectic and exciting. Preview them on the Artists Gallery Facebook page.

May 16 - Dinner and Salon

I will be hosting an open studio on Sunday, May 16, from 1:00 to 6:00 at my home at 655 63rd Street, Oakland. I am half a block southwest of Shattuck and Alcatraz, just 15 minutes from downtown San Francisco. I will be showing here rather than Hunters Point this year.

I am following this open studio with dinner and a salon, my thank you to all of you for suppporting and encouraging me for another year. Dinner is at 6:00. Please bring a song or a poem or a piece of art to share. RSVP in the comment section of this blog or give me a call at (510)655-1988. I hope to see you all!

Work

Solo Applause

I went to three high school drama performances in the last two weeks. One more to go. At the last one, a radiant mother led the standing ovation. I keep seeing her in my mind. I hope God is like her.

Six Mountains

The years of paying college tuition stretch before me...

Woman with Arm Raised

New work is going up at the Studio Gallery at 1815 Polk Street, San Francisco. Stop by and say hello to Rab and Jen if you're in the neighborhood.

Keeping Score

I wish they were at least consistant.

Campfire #4

In this rainiest of winters, it's good to dream of summer.

Post-Auction Update

Many thanks to everyone who came and bid at the Valentines auction for Global Strategies for HIV Prevention. We raised $1200 for navarapine vaccines that cost a buck and have a 50% success rate in preventing the transmission of AIDS from mothers to newborns. In this picture I'm with Dr. Art Ammann, the founder of Global Strategies and my hero.

Dinner Out

There's a double ring of redwoods nearby in Tilden Park; it's so magical. And what's more magical than a group of friends lingering after dinner, conversations splitting off, everyone forgetting about time.

Helping Hand

Rowing Hard

I'm not sure which way this woman should be looking. I'd like to give her some heavenly gaze, but those waves are just too distracting...

Bedtime Story

Red Ball

You've got to admire her determination and skill, but is she a very fun person to be around?

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Suitcases, Four Hands

Suitcases full of treasures--extra underwear and chocolate bars, dogeared novels and savings accounts, old resentments, dusty drams, obsolete rules. Do I hold on or let it go?

Time

Is she counting the minutes or slowing the clock?

Art Auction on Valentine's Day

These three paintings are up for auction. 100% of the sale price will go to Global Strategies for HIV Prevention, saving lives in Africa.

• The painting on the left is "Fresh Wind." It's the largest at 36"x24"; the minimum bid is $500. 
• The middle painting is "Embrace #9." It's 16"x12" and we're asking that bids start at $150.
• The painting on the right is "Mountain Pass." It's 12"x12" and the opening bid needs to be at least $140.

If you'd like to bid on any of these, leave the amount, the title, and some sort of contact info in the comment section below, or call me at (510) 655-1988. Bidding will continue at my Valentine's Day Open Studio on Feb. 14 at 655 63rd St., Oakland, with bidding closing at 4:45 p.m.

See you there!

Backstage View

10 days ago I got to watch a performance backstage at the opera house. It was crowded with instruments and performers and lights, and the audience was totally invisible. One performer told me, "This is the hardest place we perform, because we get absolutely no audience feedback here. We can't hear any laughter or applause in this theater."

Under the Bed

Sophie thought this should be titled, "Silly, There aren't Any Monsters!"

Dancer on Rock

Avery small rock, but it doesn't matter.

Late

 I wasn't sure what to title this. Insomnia? Late Night Worries?But when I can't sleep at night, I don't just worry. I take the night shift on the prayer chain. I remember hymns my mom sang as lullabies. I think about food...