spaces to create and spaces to speak.

i'm called to be in a variety of spaces creating these days. there have been other spaces where i've been writing and my voice is present. visit these spaces for a glimpse of why i've been more silent on revartmom. there is certainly a flow to the way our spirit and voice is used. there are many spaces in which we live and work and have our being. here are a couple of spaces where my wandering spirit is present:

On Feast 2010, BWIM's blog Part 1

On Feast 2010 & our voices, BWIM's blog Part 2

And in the spirit of voice & where my attention has been gathered in the past weeks: another's voice of testimony of last weekend's Creative Renewal & Silent Retreat (parts of the retreat were spent in individual silence, while other parts were spoken. the blue bucket was a gift for each participant, including coffee filters & watercolor crayons):

Through your emphasis on one's creativity, I left the retreat feeling that the Lord "handed" me a handful of markers and gave me permission to explore and have fun with my artsy self. I could never draw, but I love to play with colors, fabric, papers, etc. and with your encouragement, I look forward to playing with my new crayons furnished in the cutest little blue bucket. ~Linda Williams, Virginia

sometimes it's as simple as thread & cloth

sometimes a task seems so large, that it will take so much time that you don't even start it. as it turns out, once you begin you realize that you've spent far longer thinking about the task than actually working on it's creation. such is the case with this project i've been working on this week.

i have wanted to have a handmade sign for the spaces where i display my art: at markets, shows, and retreats. i speak to the importance of naming (read more about naming on calledtocreate) and wanted to offer the same for myself by creating my own banner. it may seem to another not as significant, but for me, i'm amazed at how lovely something so simple can be. i love the simplicity of my concentric circles in all their forms: hairpins, brooches, bobby pins, mixed media, and especially on this banner. i will wear this name proudly: the name of my art/studio and my name.

i continue to reflect on my name: moving from my maiden name to my middle initial in most spaces now (but not all). moving to using my name more and more in my art. it's important to say our names to one another. to speak the words of who we are into the world. to use our voices and say our peace. sometimes it's as simple as cutting & sewing fabric onto a piece of cloth.

weekend retreat: green spaces & trees

returning after creating space on the edge of a mountain for creative rest, silence, renewal, and peace. guiding myself and others into this process with the Creative Spirit, receiving goodness from their presence. eating good, wholesome, local foods prepared by a culinary artist. truly, truly a good time away. thankful for these opportunities to lead, using the gifts given to me through my ancestors and life's experiences. thankful to my loves for giving me the space to go and the space to return.

trees bring a wandering spirit home

simple beauty.

sweet play.

capturing life stories

a fun new photo program to share, thanks to soule mama for introducing me to it. amanda's recent posts of wandering are so lovely. go, have a look & read. ah, the name of the photo program: hipstamatic iphone app. i love taking photos of our daily life. sometimes i take them for the act of taking them, often for the photo journaling. i love looking at the scope of our photos, the simplicity of each moment captured. i love the gentle reminders of our home, our life, our shared space.

in honor of such a lovely intention, i'll spend some time wandering in my thoughts and in my yard, in my home and in the woods (on an overnight retreat i'm leading this weekend). i'll take some pictures with my camera, but more with my mind. i'll allow those images to feed my soul, to create a space for rest in my mind and body. days like this, i love the moments stillness in the house, but more the moments of stillness in me.

today i record the stack of fabric squares with this handy new app. i record the love from many hands and the love that's to come, as color stories are created in small ways, one and two and three pieces sewn together...and the continuation of sewing until these squares becoming one side of a quilt.

the way i look at our life is much like that: one and two and three becoming stitched together into our life quilt...with stories, art, images, friends, food, and family all playing into our life story. lovely.

thankful for green spaces

today i'm especially thankful for the green spaces...

where my feet travel,

where my creativity is met with color & texture,

and where the work of my hands meets the green earned by others in a mutually beneficial transaction. (i'm thankful that folks enjoy purchasing my art.)

of these spaces and more i am thankful. while i am offering thanks for the spaces that create life and energy, i am reminded to invite you again to visit my photo journaling blog which records a creative act a day in 2010: calledtocreate. become a part of the journey & join in the story. peace.

a prayer for you

one of my favorite prayers, prayed today for a special one. it's often used iSoul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers. Edited by Lyn Klug. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. page 147. deep peace to you.

Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you.

Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you.

Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you.

Deep peace, pure gray of the dew to you.

Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you.

Deep peace, of the running wave to you.

Deep peace, of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace, of quiet earth to you.

Deep peace, of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace, of the Son of Peace to you.

~Fiona Macleod, Ireland (1855-1905)

(shared in a previous post May 2009)

bread making in all sorts

in a variety of forms, bread is taking shape this week. bread is baked for a family welcoming their fourth into their home. bread is baked for our family as we ate with others in our church community tonight. bread dough is made for the upcoming festival, with more and more to be made. bread is taking shape in words, thoughts, and actions that lead to a festival that's meant to be a feast for the mind, body, and spirit.

words are rising within me. the dough is taking shape. the rhythm of writing, reading, and creating forms. my work will be among others in a festival gallery friday and then sold at the Richmond Craft Mafia's Spring Bada Bing THIS Sunday.

though there are holy pauses between what's shared, there will also be bread for the journey. as i was graciously reminded, the pause in writing allows others to read what hasn't been read through the more hurried days. thus, enjoy the archives of these two years of blogging. there is bread here and certainly more to come.

a tale of trees, birds, and blooms in image

[photo taken by my 4 year old son who loves where's waldo books: find the frog.]

an introduction to something new: i'll want this flower in my garden as well as virginia bluebells which were fiercely blooming.

bird watching.

a day's trip to the State Arboretum of VA. well worth the visit. we loved the space & enjoyed our time there.

oh, the life of trees