Paradise- found!

The flights were long, but oh so worth it.
I'm back at Maluhia Farm- and it feels like I never left. It's a magical place that has taken up residence in my soul. It is so good to see my Dad and Jan and Joanna again.
This was my morning inspiration... love how I wake up at 5 and it feels like I've slept in...

To start the morning Dad and I  moved 29  baby chicks to their new home outside.
Yesterday the ewe Gardenia had given birth to twins-and my stepmom Jan, and neighbor, friend and farm hand Joanna had to pull them out with snares. It was a miracle that the lambs survived but they did. Here they are...

                                                      Baby Gabriel.

                                 Gabriel , Gigi, and Mom Gardenia
She's not into nursing yet as you can see...so there's a bit of bottle feeding going on until they catch on. Poor Gardenia is so sore....

                               I love the  chickens! Especially how they run.

                                 Here is Thistle and her two, born March 1.

                             My morning sketch-watercolor...view from the lanai.

And my first oil painting in a while.8"x8".This is the back veiw of the property- the horse paddock and Norfolk Island pines.

Dad helped me get a good plein air set up together- he is so creative with tools and wood and hardware. He may live in Hawaii now but he still has yankee ingenuity.

I will show you my set up tomorrow.

His woodshop is so organized- it's a dream. Inspiring.

I'm in heaven here!

drawings from my stay at Alice's house

In the old closet under the stairs at Alice's house there were so many treasures- and I took a few out and drew a few. The chair below was a tiny little one- the house was always lovingly decorated for the seasons.

                                                      of course there was wine involved (-:

I am leaving for Hawaii tomorrow  and will be posting from Maluhia farm!
ALOHA

Love never dies

I made this driftwood wreath in early November 2010 at Alice's house on Humarock beach . 

Alice's house was destroyed by a devastating fire last week that took out 4 homes.  The house at 112 Humarock Beach Front was owned by a nonprofit group that provided free space to people in search of spiritual enlightenment. Recovering addicts, artists and grieving family members were among the hundreds of people who occupied the home over the years after the nonprofit bought it in 1997.

“There was very healing energy in the walls of that house,” said Janet Gibson, president of Alice’s House, right after the fire.

My time, like so many others, has special meaning.

My dearest friends and I had stayed there on a couple of weekends. I was lucky to have been there with Kate DiSantis, who died the following month after a battle with brain cancer.  Sitting at the old kitchen table with Kate's family playing old maid with her sisters and nieces and nephews I felt as if we had time traveled back to Kate's own childhood home- it truly resembled the Norwell home. Kate couldn't speak, but eyes told me she was  there and we were able to laugh a lot.  Later we all sat cuddled up to Kate in the beautiful living room where a big driftwood wreath like this one adorned the old fireplace. Laughter and sharing and love are the memories I keep of her because of this time and place. On another weekend my friends and I were there and lit lanterns on the beach to honor the universe- it was 11-11-11 at 11 :11 PM. I'm not going to go into it but there were some crazy antics that night! I would have never been able to be there if not for the love and generosity of my friends who provided the space for us. 

My dear friend Kim took the above picture and wrote this the night of the fire "Janet has been so amazing on so many levels.  So giving.  As I watched the last flames flicker, the firefighters raking the coals and tossing remains aside... the washing machine barrel,  the dryer - bent, flattened and blackened shell, I thought of the many little things like the journals in the basket on the little table in the kitchen that held a piece of the story of all who had visited, the amazing vintage tablecloths hanging so perfectly in the kitchen closet, the beautiful driftwood wreath over the fireplace, the altar with stones and shells...."

People who stayed at Alice's wrote in the journals that were there in the house- many many words of love and healing. Heart shaped rocks were left around the house by the families.

Janet Gibson is the kind of person who makes things happen. I am so lucky to call her my friend. The house is gone, but the love and healing spirit will last forever. 

Zendalas with kids

Yesterday I tried these out with the kids with Aspergers. They loved it and got into it right away!

above is my  helper Lindsay, on at the bottom is mine..

Macombers Ridge -oil vintage 2008

I sold this a while ago-actually bartered it for my heat out in my studio( thanks Mark and Michelle)
Thanks for all the cool titles- so many of you responded with such great ones- hard to decide...I love them all and will tuck them away for future possible titles...

"Come Hug Me In My World"


Celebrate the Light (or Celebrating the Light) 


tiptoe to nirvana..
lift me, light me...
up, up and away...


City of Gold.

'accessorize, accessorize...' "Voila!" Love is Light              All things come together.      We are all part! "beacon"  "The Exuberance of Life". "Twenty-First Century World"  "Dreams, Close and Distant"? "beckoning"  "COME GO WITH ME? "  hmmmmm....I think I will do "Celebrating the Light" because I like the sound of that.

untitled 20"x20" acrylic

Any cool ideas for a title?
You guys never disappoint...

JUST DANCE this friday at North River Arts

Do you love to dance? Join us for a dance  at the North River Arts Society this Friday, March 9, from
7-9 PM (ish- it might go later!)
Come alone, with friends or partner. Doesn't matter. No rules. We have prepared some great play lists and will be taking suggestions for future dances. Wear comfy clothes!
It's only 5 bucks. Hope to see you!