Art Talk

Safety is a rock.

2012-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Abandoned cabin in a forest

It's been a while since I've spent the day in the woods. I forget that, when in the forest, one is in the moment. Later, it is in my mind.. Thinking about it brings out feelings I can't explain.

Front door

The cabin was one part of the whole of this day.

I wondered about the person who stayed there

cold and wet in the winter

but especially grey

living or just staying?

High up looking east

Beautiful view of the river before the trees grew up.

The writing on the wall said 1958.

Artifacts of a life of another time

strewn about here and there

Built next to a boulder

Safety is a rock.

View from the front door

Everyday is a Beautiful Day in Paradise

2012-01-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

Snow on bamboo

We had our first snow of the season.

In the beginning, I walked up Mt Erie. Later we were all restricted to our homes. Later still, I tried for a walk but just managed to fall. It seemed, this year, giving it up to snow was a lot easier for generally everyone. We simply shut down. No use to fight it.

Snow people laugh at us.. jokes are told.. we are considered pansies. In our defense I must remind the laughers that, here in the Puget Sound area, we don't really have the funds to support a major snow clean up.. not to mention the hill factor.. Imagine San Francisco with 6"+ of snow and ice and you get the picture.

There is a saying: 'If you don't like the weather
just wait awhile and it will change'.

Today is a clear, cold, beautiful day.

View from Skyline looking southwest

Some goals..

2012-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

Untitled Neckpiece 30x1.5" sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner

Another year.. Art Talk is two years old this month. I must admit that I'm proud of myself for sticking with it this long.

Someone said that every drawing is a self portrait. I tend to believe that to be true of all mediums and, if that's the case, I've put myself out there to the whole world.. as all artists do when their work is viewed by the public. The good news is that this blog is a vehicle for connection. I feel like I'm talking to a friend when I write these posts.

I have two goals for this blog: a place to view my work and think about art and a place to be reminded, now and then, of the mystery and beauty of wild places.. vital, living environments that should be allowed to exist simply because they exist.

My hope is to move someone, somewhere,

a millionth of an inch*

*HOW TO BREAK THROUGH:
“Have big dreams but focus only on what you can control: your own thoughts, words and actions. This was Gandhi’s way … in the words of poet Gary Snyder,
our job is to move the world a millionth of an inch.”
Eboo Patel

To the New Year!

2011-12-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

'Hope' sign in the window at the Lucky Dumpster in Edison, WA

Here's to strong friends, healthy family, good cheer and happy life.

Here's to the time, energy and inspiration required to tap into our potential..

May we all catch a glimpse of enlightenment as we save our earth and live happily ever after

Cheers!

thoughts on a new year

2011-12-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

'Marsh Time' 8x8" oil pastel, medium; Kathleen Faulkner

As 2011 comes to an end, some of us may be looking back on it and thinking about various amazing events, good and bad, that have taken place on our planet..

Although Earth has a mess on it's hands, many good things have occurred and

it sometimes seems as though a shift might be happening..

..you know, that light at the end of the tunnel..

Someone once said, 'change doesn't need everyone to make it happen, it just needs enough..'

I am and will remain hopeful for the future.

Ode To Enchanted Light

Under the trees light

has dropped from the top of the sky,

light

like a green

latticework of branches,

shining

on every leaf,

drifting down like clean

white sand.

A cicada sends

its sawing song

high into the empty air.

The world is

a glass overflowing

with water.

Pablo Neruda

Things that go bump in the night..

2011-12-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

'Bandit' linocut, 4x6"; Kathleen Faulkner

I grew up on science fiction and Twilight Zone.

The first time I heard a raccoon in the night, it scared me.. and, of all the urban wildlife in this area, raccoon is still my least favorite.

There's something about their presence in the dark that makes me

nervous.

I stay inside when I know they're around.

The Toast

2011-12-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

***

May you always have art to charm

your days, a sensible hearth

and friends as dependable as gravity.

May the wind and creatures be as music

to your evenings alone and may your dreams

leave you renewed. May you have an appaloosa

to ride the outline of blue hills, and nothing

that sickens, and no black sticks.

James Bertolino

*** unknown artist

Ode to OWS

2011-11-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

'Small Fry' colored pencil; Kathleen Faulkner

Never forget that not all the 1% are bad and not all the 99% are good.

That being said, Viva La Revolucion!

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Steve Jobs

US computer engineer & industrialist (1955 - 2011)

The View from Here

2011-11-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

'In My View' 25x36" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Fir

indicates high views

with clear vision of what is beyond

and

yet to come*

*unknown author

Forest for the trees..

2011-11-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

'Forest' 20x20" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

The rains have begun.. first storm of the season will be blowing in later today.

A long, cold season begins and, to add insult to injury, the season before was not that fulfilling.

The good news is that it is a most creative time.

The ideas are starting to flow and I look forward to the dead of winter..

cold

yet satisfying

Thoughts on the under appreciated

2011-11-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

'Alder' 18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Ah, yes.. the 'mighty' alder... another bit of nature that is under appreciated.

Alder's favorite place to live is in the Cascade Mountains.. we are very lucky because, without this tree, erosion happens. After a fire, Alder is the first on the scene using it's roots to stabilize river banks and mountain sides while also providing shade protection for evergreen seedlings.

Another excellent attribute of the Alder is it's nitrogen-fixing nodules that are located on it's roots. These nodules improve soil fertility and make it a perfect solution for reclaiming degraded soils and industrial wastelands.

The indians used alder to make canoes since the wood will never rot in water: as a matter of fact, water preserves alder wood whereas air eventually rots it. Different parts of the tree have been used to make dye, health remedies and many other things.

When the whitish wood is cut, it turns red.. as if it's bleeding. I always wonder what the world of a tree is like from a tree's perspective..

Ready, set..

2011-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

'False Pass II' oil and soft pastel, charcoal, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

The weather is changing. I'm back to sweaters again.

Last night was an opening at the Edison Eye.. the last of the year. As usual, a fun time was had by all with good art, good conversation and perfectly cooked salmon. I came home inspired and ready to start a new series.

There's a chill in the air today. With sweater in hand, I'm on my way down Whidbey to see what I can see and, we'll see where it goes.

West Side story..

2011-10-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

'On the West Side' 34x28"; oil and soft pastel,
charcoal; Kathleen Faulkner

The weather is different over on the west side.

The fog stays longer.. wind blows harder and the temperature coming off the water is usually a couple degrees cooler. The west side looks out to the San Juan Islands.. an area protected by the rain shadow. Less rain, more sun. I've seen cactus on some of the islands further west.

Today is all about the same. Grey day, not too cold.

A good day to walk on the west side...

no wind.

I never walk in those woods when it's windy.

Greetings from Whitehorse Mountain

2011-09-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

'Greetings from Whitehorse Mountain' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

The mountain we now call "Whitehorse" was originally called So-Bahli-Ahli, (The Beautiful Woman From the east) by the Stillaguamish.

One day, a long time later, a pioneer lost his white horse. His neighbor, looking up at the mountain, saw a patch of snow that looked like a white horse and said jokingly, 'There it is, up there."

From then on this mountain was called Whitehorse.

Speaking of Gods..

2011-09-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

'Jellyfish' 5x5" colored pencil; Kathleen Faulkner

God of the Jellyfish

The god of the jellyfish

must be a luminous, translucent bowl

the size of a big top,

drifting upside down

in an unbounded sea.

Surely this god, hung

with streamers and oral arms,

ruffled and lacy

as thousands of wedding gowns

and Victorian bodices,

created all the jellyfish of Earth.

Male and female, god created them

in god’s own image:

the cross jellies and the crystal jellies,

the sea nettle and the golden lion’s mane,

the sea wasp and the Portuguese man-of-war—

and gave them nerve nets instead of brains

to ensure their humility,

put statoliths like tiny pearls

in their sensory pits

to give them balance,

and placed spines on their nematocysts

so they could capture food

and would sting and burn any

living thing

that would harm them.

And the god of the jellyfish

gave them ocelli

that shine like the eyes on a butterfly wing

when they turn toward the light,

and now their god watches over them

with god’s own great ocellus

as they swirl and dive

in glistening cathedrals, and does not

expect worship or even praise:

the iridescence

of their umbrellas will suffice.

— Lucille Lang Day

From God of the Jellyfish, first published

in The Cloud View Poets (Arctos Press)

The Sky's the Limit

2011-09-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

'Skyworld' brooch, 3x4" sterling silver, moonstones;
Kathleen Faulkner

Early morning.. sun coming up over the Cascades.. another beautiful day here on the Salish Sea. This is the time of year when things change. A substantial shift is taking place in my world.

We humans are a sensitive lot. Hopes and dreams and inspiration.. It takes little to crush our egos; a disapproving look, a slight.. a vibe.

In the end, we all just want to be able to survive and be happy..

It is good to know that things change. It is good to make them happen.

Another beautiful day in Paradise

2011-09-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Jewelry in process; Kathleen Faulkner

September has arrived.. and we are finally experiencing summer. That autumn feeling is in the air, though and I like it.. a very creative time.

I'm in the midst of a jewelry mindset yet, looking out my window, I think about the light and I feel myself shifting gears..

It will be a good morning to head down to the beach..

Early morning looking East; Kathleen Faulkner

The whole equals more..

2011-08-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love the fog horns.

The thick white blanket slowly burns off

slivers of lovely sunshine warm the back of my head

I pick the blueberries in the garden..

It's been an interesting week.. all weeks are but sometimes life becomes Enhanced..

Artwork created at Smoke Farm: artist unknown

I recently spent a day at Smoke Farm. The experience opened my mind; pried open an area I haven't visited for awhile.. reminded me that the world of ideas is very large and anything is possible and the world, although small, can be quite large as well.

I've been thinking about it all week. I want more.

Neckpiece; 18" found glass, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

I spent the rest of this week finishing up a body of jewelry work for Artisans on Taylor Gallery whose grand opening in a new location is September 1st in Port Townsend. This is a new gallery for me and the pressure has been on.

Of course other life events such as a broken computer, again.. distractions.. sad news.. happy news.. surprising news.. all mixed together to create a unique reality.

A new week, new day.

A bowl of blueberries from my garden.

Inspiration and a mind full of new thoughts and ideas..

Living by the Salish Sea: fog, sunny, sweet, salty sea smell.. my favorite.

Life is good.

Organic blueberries from my garden.. yum

Ode to a Bird

2011-08-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

'Ode to a Bird' sterling silver, brass, graphite, patina;
Kathleen Faulkner

There is an owl that graces my world now and again... it's been awhile since I've heard it's hoot. It is always an excellent surprise.. I wake this morning wondering if I remember, in the night, a dream or the return of a friend.

In the Ether world, Owl is medicine and clairvoyance.. Owl can see that which others cannot.

Owl helps us see the truth which is always helpful.

Living in Paradise

2011-08-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

'High Water' 17x17" oil and soft pastel, charcoal

It's mid August.. coolest spring and summer I remember. This morning offers a glimpse of fall.

The rest of the country is wilted from high temperatures and no rain and some say that eventually 'environmental refugees' will migrate here because we still have an abundance of water and reasonable temperatures.

The weather forecast is for rain yet I watch as the neighbor waters his perfectly green lawn..and wish for that water. I am very careful with my allotment. I have rain barrels that water my garden..and we all know I don't water my 'lawn'. I pay attention to every drop. I imagine the future possibilities..

In the town where I live the city council is pushing through a bottled water plant. When I ask why they say, "It'll bring jobs."

Someday we may dream of the old days.. the days of water abundance and wish we had taken better care..

An Opportunity

2011-08-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

'Root Beer' Necklace 20" fine and sterling
silver, seed beads, glass shards

September will grace me with jewelry representation at Artisans on Taylor Gallery in Port Townsend.

It is a great spot with a fine selection of jewelry as well as other excellent art and craft.

I am quite pleased about it all..

Here's to a long and prosperous relationship!
Cheers!

Artisans on Taylor Blog

My Excellent Adventure

2011-08-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

July was an interesting month. My computer was dead but I didn't miss it one bit. Instead I spent 60 hours carving a 3x4' linoleum block (among other things) to be printed by a steamroller during the Anacortes Arts Festival..

Upon receiving the linoleum, I immediately went into shock: the largeness of it was a bit overwhelming.. so, I started carving.. and carving.. and carving...

Virgin linocut

The bottom half is starting
to look like something.

Here I'm adding Mt Baker to the mix.

Finished and ready to ink..

Then the day came for the printing.. We worked in teams. Jean Behnke and I were the scheduled artists for our two hour time slot and had help from many friends, without whom, it would have been much harder and definitely not as successful.

Here we are inking the lino.. a dirty job,
but somebody's got to do it..

Ready to print

We are placing the linocut and will then
cover it with the paper.

Here comes the steamroller!

Artist Proof

A friend generously offered space in
her workshop to hang my prints while they dry.

Looking up at a couple of prints drying.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Anacortes Arts Festival. Nine artists participated in this two day event. All materials were provided including, of course, the linoleum, the best oil based ink (Daniel Smith) and Lenox paper... not to mention gloves, aprons, rollers, the steamroller and everything else needed to make this happen including lots of encouragement!

Two prints from each artist will be auctioned off by the Festival to provide funding for future events such as this. For anyone interested in viewing all the different artist's prints and possibly bidding on any, I will post the auction details when I receive them.

It was a great experience and I'm so glad to have been a part of it all. I'm looking forward to next year!

Update

2011-07-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends,
Unfortunately my computer is down and has been for awhile now. I'm hoping to have it fixed by the first part of August.
Thank you for your patience and thank you for viewing my blog. I will have a lot to say when I'm back up and running.
Cheers,
Kathleen

Bits and pieces..

2011-06-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Neckpiece; 7"+ chain; found objects;
Kathleen Faulkner

An old friend is on my mind a lot lately. He has been gone at least a decade yet I still run into bits and pieces of him here and there.. when I least expect it.

Yesterday evening, for example, a dear friend of his (that we all thought was dead) came walking down the dirt road where I live..

Earlier in the day I had toasted his memory with a friend in Bellingham.. that encounter, too, was serendipity..

I found these shards recently at the beach by his old house..

It is the same every time I walk by: I always remember and it always aches a bit.. but I would rather have an aching heart than an empty one.

Friends make us fuller.

When friends leave, their light stays behind.

It is like the blue sea

that supports the white breakers

that come and go.

No matter how far I go

I long to return and be with friends.

It is never the same fire I left,

but beneath it are the ashes

of all our meetings that have gone before.

Robert Sund

Weather forecast

2011-06-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

'Weather Series' 12x12" each, oil and soft pastel, charcoal; Kathleen Faulkner

Here in the Northwest, there's something about heavy weather that, although it can be hard to live with, has a bit of a comforting effect.. It is what we know.. it is a factor of our being.

Orchid interviews Scott Schuldt

2011-06-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

Scott Schuldt in his canoe.

Hello Everyone. My name is Orchid and I am the guest blogger today on Art Talk. I recently had a nice visit with Scott Schuldt, a Seattle based artist working in a variety of media including, but not limited to, beadwork, mapmaking and video.

Orchid: "Hello, Scott. It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to share some of your thoughts with us and allow us a glimpse into your world..

So, let's begin.

Will you tell the audience what it is you do?"

Scott: "It turns out that I am a self-taught interdisciplinary artist. It took me a few years to figure out that is what I do. So, I bring a lot of content-science, history, politics and nature into my work."

Orchid: "Why/how/when did this all come about?"

#1 of 3 panels; Scott Schuldt

Scott: It's actually a rather natural thing for me to do. I am fairly well balanced in a left brain - right brain context and I am very comfortable going to either side. I have a degree in mechanical engineering, so my math and science skills are up to snuff enough that I can plow through data and technical papers, but being a jack-of-all-trades in my core, it would be hard (dull) for me to specialize too much. I've learned to tap into the emotional side as well. That is when the wild ride happens...I love the feeling of hanging on for dear life to an artwork in progress that just has a mind of it's own."

#2 of 3 panels; Scott Schuldt

Orchid: "Why beads?"

Scott: Pure chance, I was studying native american art forms and found that the art historian's texts made more sense when I was actually making the work - I's started with NW coastal carving, and when I moved on to look at some apparel designs, I decided to sew some beads so that I would understand what the various stitches were... I actually don't get all that worked up about beads, they're kind of like paint to me."

Orchid: "Why canoes?

#3 of 3 panels; Scott Schuldt

Scott: "I grew up in Minnesota. I always liked canoeing, but when I got to be 17 I started mountain climbing and did that more or less until I moved to Seattle (1985). I'd moved out of my climbing social circle and found it not so easy to find someone that I both liked and that climbed at my level. Instead, I bike raced for several years, built some sea kayaks, got bored with them. Then, 3 years ago I bought a used canoe, Got in and loved it. Loved everything about it. To me, there's no better view than there is when I am kneeling in my canoe. And, more than probably any other vessel, it is the jack-of-all-trades, which is who/what I am also. It's easy to jump in and out of, easy to carry, fairly seaworthy (but not so much as a sea kayak), great for paddling in the shallows and in tight narrow places. You can carry some substantial stuff in one, also. I've hauled out of the marsh, a 100+ lb truck tire and a 150 lb block of foam. it's also a great boat to sit in and write or photograph, explore, etc. My canoe has about 360 trips on it in the last 3 years."

'The View From the Canoe

Orchid: "Why video?"

Scott: "Pure chance again. I was recording my daily trips, because I was making observations on a daily basis that I thought might have some value to somebody at some time, especially with climate change. So I started a blog, started shooting lots of photographs, Then, I wrote my daily piece in the canoe.. and that was better than anything I'd yet written. So, most everything is written in the canoe. Then, I decided to podcast a couple of good pieces,,, and then it made sense to make those into slideshows.. and my friends said, "those are great, but you need some video." So, I shoot video. They were right, of course. I'm also doing photography, hand-surveyed and hand-drawn maps, a series of technical engineering drawings of beaver structures, and I'm up to about 20 hand -carved functional art canoe paddles."

Installation of the paddles at
Maude Kerns Art Center

Orchid: 'Will you tell us a little about your thought process?"

Scott: "Everything is connected. You know, you spend most of your educational life having subjects neatly compartmentalized. It's math only, history only, art only, science only.. Yet, the real world requires a person to know history, be able to metabolize creative endeavors, be able to forecast a budget, build things, understand a little about nature. There aren't any boundaries. I really like finding those complexities and getting them into a piece of art. When I'm on some art thing,,, I collect and amass images and facts. I just keep going - following the subject wherever it is going until I have so much information that I can't help but to make and finish a piece of art."

'The Outpost' Scott Schuldt

Orchid: "How's this art life working for you?"

Scott: "I'm happy, very happy. I quit my engineering career in 2005 because the company I worked for decided to maximize profits by making a crap product. The stress of that was killing me. I got beaten up pretty bad trying to save their knuckleheaded asses. I've had great support from my wife and we've grown closer since. I'm not a good salesman, so I don't sell much. Most of my sales have been to public art collections, Seattle and 4Culture, and the Museum of Arts and Design bought a piece, Seattle has been a tough place to get started in. It's a lot of sales galleries, a lot of don't call us, we'll call you.. and, most art people haven't seen beadwork like mine anywhere, ever. so they don't get it until they see it in person. Last year I did a 60 piece solo show - they promoted my photographs mostly, until they saw the beadwork in person. It was great fun. I saw some people crying while looking at the beadwork... it doesn't get better than that."

Anorak, 2011;
Scott Schuldt

Orchid: "Where do you see this going?"

Scott: I don't work that way. Someone, who I hadn't seen in 5 or 6 years, was interested in my transition from engineer to artist and asked how that came about. I replied, "I don't know, I just go where I end up." ..He caught it.. that line came right out of my subconscious and, of course, what I said is backwards. Most people end up wher they are going. So, I had no idea where the canoeing thing was going, except I trusted that it would go someplace,, and I knew I would be okay to go there. I finally have enough stuff that it looks like I knew what I was doing. I can't tell you how much trouble I had when I was doing aptitude tests when I was 15 - the teachers just kept harping about 'having a plan' and I just couldn't figure out why anyone would want to live their life following a plan. I just do the best that I can at whatever I am doing. It does make it hard for me towrite proposals and grants - I have a hard time bullshitting myself.. making it look like I have a plan. The grant process thing in art is very contradictory to the way that most artists work. If it wasn't for the money, artist just wouldn't tolerate that nonsense."

"Calving Season" 2006
Scott Schuldt

Orchid: "One last question, Scott. If you had to choose another profession, what would it be?"

Scott: "I don't even like to think about that. I probably would just go off of the grid instead."

View from the Canoe
Scott's website

Scott's Art News

Signal Fire Residency

For R

2011-06-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

'Out in the Field' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Out in the field we sit.

It is a place where

watching grey clouds slide by

while breathing summer sounds

is a good thing.

Livin' low

2011-06-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

'Livin' Low' 18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

I seem to be in 'lowlife' mode.

I've always been partial to the underdog

all those under-appreciated irritants.

Let's continue our talk about barnacles, for example. They are really not appreciated on manmade things and seem to be not good for much of anything.

Whales appreciate them, though, because they clean the wounds on the whale's body ... their own personal health care practitioners.

Then, of course, there is the little known fact that scientists are now making use of the barnacle's ability to absorb concentrations of heavy metals from the water. One could say they are victims of service to their country .. Hail the lowly barnacle!

Maybe sometime in the near future we will be appreciating those barnacles more than we now know.

postscript:

Thids doesn't like her name so she is changing it to Orchid.

Today is a partial solar eclipse.

Progress

2011-05-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Thids in progress..

Thids' bezels are soldered now. She can, technically, wear clothes but there really is more to do. I think the next step will be to get rid of the excess..

Thids is dying to interview for the guest blogger position.. who knew. She mentioned how she's always wanted have a radio show.. or to own her own station.
That tells me something..

Interviews won't begin until the characters are finished.

I forewarned her, "no politics".
She asked, "Is being an advocate for the earth political?"

Aliens

2011-05-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

'Barnacles' 18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

The lowly barnacles

We see them everywhere around here.. on rocks, piling, boats.. little aliens that we don't think twice about.

The barnacle attaches to hard surfaces with the top of it's head ..

to live there forever.

When the water rises, the dancing feather 'legs' come out and wave the food in ..

amazing if you think about it

The plot thickens

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've started work on another shadowbox and thought it might be fun to share the process and the story. More about the story later but, first, let me introduce you to our characters.

Meet Thids. She is being clothed with an old pottery shard and a piece of circuit board found out there somewhere. I'm planning some graphite work on her as well as movable arms.. maybe.

I'm thinking she would be a good fit for the 'Guest Blogger' position I'm starting to think about.

I guess we'll see what develops.

This is all a work in progress..

characters

A listen

2011-05-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

'Rockweed' 18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

I lean into the piling. It is covered with a banquet of life: seaweed and kelp, barnacles, mussels.. and billions of creatures, right down to the most basic, who call this spot home. I close my eyes and, with my ear close, listen to the sound of it. Water sounds, bubble sounds, scurries, tiny scratches.. the sound of an eagle, the lapping of water.

It is a city, a country, the world.. a universe.

Altered internet image; author unknown

'Flex'

2011-05-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

'Flex' 18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Mussel is a bivalve and my favorite to eat.

I first encountered the lovely mussel while living in Astoria, Oregon. We would drive to the ocean whenever possible.. only a short jaunt away... build a bonfire and collect ocean mussels.

Later, with wine and song, we'd eat those mussels and have brilliant dreams later in the night.

The key to great steamed mussels is to Not overcook them: three or four minutes at the most.

Place cleaned mussels in a pan with garlic or onion, wine, salt, pepper.. cover and shake. When mussels open, they are done. Serve with large portions of bread for sopping up the broth and generous amounts of wine to bring out the song.

I live next to a Universe

2011-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

'Salish Neighbor' 18x18" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

Walking to the water's edge I spy the kelp and barnacles.. the water ripples gently.. cormorants sit on pilings.

Just like where I stand, there is a whole world under that rippled surface.. a universe. In the ocean world there are areas that have never been seen, species yet to discover..

Here on the Salish everything has pretty much been discovered, scientifically, at least that's the thought.

Here on the Salish I discover something new everyday and, as I look out over the water, I think about that universe below and that I've never been there.

Variations on a theme

2011-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Variations on a Theme Neckpiece 18" fine and
sterling silver, beach rocks; Kathleen Faulkner

Silver is close to $50 an ounce, spot. Spot is not the price I buy my silver at.. I buy sheet or wire so the refining fee brings the cost up toward $60. This time last year spot was around $18.

This neckpiece is made from remnants and parts of other things. I'm using up my bits and pieces hoping the price of silver will go down.. but I doubt it will.

I'm focusing more on painting these days. It is the medium I prefer and, at this rate, I may be priced out of the jewelry profession. The good news about paintings is that, if materials get too expensive there are all kinds of things one can use to make marks.. charcoal, dirt, berries.. I even have a jar of dried octopus ink. I've used it before and it is a beautiful sepia color.
Of course I've been stockpiling art supplies for years so it would take quite awhile to use it all up.

Change is a good thing. I'm going with the flow.. we'll see where it all leads..

An original

2011-04-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Necklace, wallpaper, sterling silver, elastic;
Kathleen Faulkner

During the last several months I've been working more with found and recycled materials. The wallpaper I used for this necklace is something I found at a garage sale several years ago. I had no use for it at the time and wondered why I was buying it.. aside from the fact that it was beautiful. It sat folded up in a corner of my workroom waiting for the day.

In a previous post I mentioned that the original material of paper beads was wallpaper.

So, why not make an original?

Auction for the Artist

2011-04-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Matzke Fine Art Gallery
Presents the Second Annual Art Auction for the Artist
Saturday, April 23rd.
Preview April 16th, 17th and 23rd from 11am to 5pm
Bidding starts promptly at 6pm

'Landscape' brooch, sterling silver, paper,
colored pencil, mica; Kathleen Faulkner

'Webster's Woods' 17x17" oil and soft
pastel, charcoal; Kathleen Faulkner

With over 50 artists, this live auction has something for everyone: Great art, wonderful conversation, tasty bites and an amazing sculpture park and gallery.

Please support the Arts, Artists and this event.

Homonymy

2011-04-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

'The Basics' 16x16" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Basics: essential facts or principles of a subject or skill..

Please double click on the video to get the whole image.

Basic: common to or required by everyone, primary and ineradicable and inalienable..

as in human rights..

something that seems to be missing in China.

Evergreen

2011-04-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

'Evergreent' 17x35" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Lately I wonder if Spring will ever arrive. Waiting for the late one.. I've always thought lateness a sign of rudeness.

I wake to rain.

Things have been intense lately.. friends on the skids.. politics.. Japan..

I need to be in the woods and the good news is that I have this day.

I am grateful for the rain that offers what I need:
a cloak of invisibility, solitude and a feeling of softness not available on a sunny day.

Someday, when the rest of the world has dried up and blown away, we will be thankful for this gift.

Gallery Row

2011-04-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

looking west toward the islands;
Kathleen Faulkner

While traveling to Edison I took note of the flooded fields. It had been raining heavily for days.
Other places might envy us for being blessed with an abundance of water, a resource that is becoming like gold, but we were sick of it.

Abundance is usually a good thing.. when it has been raining so much, it's hard to see it that way.

Shortly then, I arrived in Edison and started thinking about the abundance this town has: five venues for art in this block long town.. and an artist behind just about every tree, rock, building..

Edison Eye Gallery

The Edison Eye Gallery is the Grampa of them all, the Elder, the Big kid.. Dana has been running this gallery for many years.. lots of history.. many stories.. absolute magic... and, speaking of..

The first show of the year, 'Friends of the Fish' will open April 16th with over 60 artists participating. This is in conjunction with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is going to be Special..

Brick Gallery

The Brick Gallery, a new addition to Edison, is located across the street from the Eye. Small yet satisfying, this month's show consists of Photographs by John Sedgwick and Jason Wardenburg; Multi media collages by Elise Lazzari; Felt hats and scarves by July Andre; Jewelry, pottery and dolls by Sue Andre; Pottery by Chris Wardenburg-Skinner. Hours: 12:00-5:00, Saturdays and Sundays.

Shop Curator

Next stop is Shop Curator, a real treat for those looking for something 'different'. David has a knack for finding rare NW art and curiosities. He also shows his own inspired work. Although finding him open can sometimes be a challenge, it is worth the effort.

Smith & Vallee Gallery

Across the street is Smith & Vallee. This month's show is 'Re-Art'. There are over 20 artists participating with art made from salvage. This show is in conjunction with Re-Store . It's a fun show that's worth a visit. The gallery (and what a beautiful gallery) is open Thursday through Sunday, 11:00-5:00.

The last stop is the newest: Three Ravens , located two doors down from Smith & Valley and showing a selection of international artists. We welcome this new addition and look forward to many more openings in the future..

Some might say that poor little Edison is getting too much attention and it's worrisome. I say, the more the merrier. We artists need all the help we can get and more galleries help that happen. Fortunately for Edison, there is no room for new housing growth.. that should ease some angst.

Slough looking west from behind the Edison Eye;
Kathleen Faulkner

Here's wishing All the artists and All the galleries much success.
Cheers!

Geology lesson

2011-03-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

'Rialto Beach' series; oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

'The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.' Bernard Shaw

'A stone is ingrained with geological and historical memories.' Andy Goldsworthy

'The finest workers of stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.' Henry David Thoreau

'But which is the stone that supports the bridge?' Kublal Khan

'Leave no stone unturned.' Euripides

'The poets' scrolls will outlive monuments of stone. Genius survives, all else is claimed by death.' Edmund Spenser

'Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.' Frances Bacon

'Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?' William Butler Yeats

'What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.' Pericles

Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.'

Richard Lovelace

'The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.' Sigmund Freud

'Never treat anything you do as a stepping stone. Do it fully, and follow it completely.' Mira Nair

'Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.' Ansel Adams

Bone food

2011-03-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Earrings; sterling and fine silver, calcite; Kathleen Faulkner

Once upon a time, while hiking up in the northern New Mexico mountains, we came upon an old calcite mine. It had been closed for years but the rock was scattered everywhere. The sun, filtering through the trees, and a slight breeze made those rocks sparkle.

I felt like I was in a dream as I sat on the ground picking up pieces of rock. The day, the sun, the smells of pine and pinion.. and all these beautiful stones sparkling like diamonds..

Calcite comes from the shells of dead marine organisms. That means that at one time, long ago, that area in Northern New Mexico was ocean.

Many things have come from those bones of the dead: cement, limestone, marble, medicines, fertilizer and the most amazing of all: lenses. The now extinct trilobite used clear calcite crystals to form the lenses of their eyes.

All that and more from shells.

Imagine what we haven't discovered yet..

what we don't know..

Paper Trail

2011-03-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

'Paper Trail' necklace, 60" magazine paper,
sterling silver, elastic; Kathleen Faulkner

Paper beads became popular in Victorian times. Women in England would get together and make beads by rolling wallpaper on knitting needles. They would then string the beads on long pieces of yarn to use as room dividers.

As a child I would make paper beads for bracelets and necklaces. When thinking about what I would do for this show, I remembered those paper beads I used to make and thought it would be fun to revisit.

This necklace, as well as 'Message in a Bottle', will be part of 'Re-Art' at Smith & Vallee Gallery, in conjunction with the Re-Store. The show runs from April 2nd through April 30th.

This should be a great show. I'm looking forward to it.

For Japan

2011-03-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Please remember our Japanese friends who need our help:

Artists for Japan

Something's fishy

2011-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

"Smelt" oil pastel, ink; 17x17" Kathleen Faulkner

The Edison Eye Gallery, in conjunction with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, presents

'Friends of the Fish'.

The show runs from April 16th through May 1st with the usual

wonderful opening on April 16th, 6 till 10pm.

I heard from a very reliable source that this show is going to be Good! 60 artists are participating and Dana is in a very good mood.

'Edison Eye' photo; Kathleen Faulkner

An important message:

2011-03-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

'Message in a Bottle' 36' found objects, poem by Gary
Snyder, sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner

An owl winks in the shadows

A lizard lifts on tiptoe, breathing hard

Young male sparrow stretches up his neck,

big head, watching-

The grasses are working in the sun. Turn it green.

Turn it sweet. That we may eat.

Grow our meat.

Brazil says "sovereign use of Natural Resources"

Thirty thousand kinds of unknown plants.

The living actual people of the jungle

sold and tortured'

And a robot in a suit who peddles a delusion called 'Brazil"

can speak for them?

The whales turn and glisten plunge

and sound and rise again

Hanging over subtly darkening deeps

Flowing like breathing planets

in the sparkling whorls of

living light-

And Japan quibbles for words on

what kinds of whales they can kill?

A once-great Buddhist nation

dribbles methyl mercury

like gonorrhea

in the sea.

Pere David's Deer, the Elaphure,

lived in the tule marshes of the Yellow River

Two thousand years ago - and lost it's home to rice-

The forests of Lo - yang were logged and all the silt and

sand flowed down,

and gone, by 1200 AD -

Wild geese hatched out of Siberia

head south over basins of the Yang, the Huang,

What we call "China"

On flyways they have used a million years.

Ah China, where are the tigers, the wild boars,

the monkeys,

like the snows of yesteryear

Gone in a mist, a flash, and the dry hard ground

Is parking space for fifty thousand trucks.

Is man most precious of all things?

- then let us love him, and his brothers, all those

Fading living beings -

North America, Turtle Island, taken by invaders

who wage war around the world.

May ants, may abalone, otters, wolves and elk

Rise! and pull away their giving

from the robot nations.

Solidarity. The People

Standing Tree People!

Flying Bird People!

Swimming Sea People!

Four-legged, two-legged people!

How can the head-heavy power-hungry politic scientist

Government two-world Capitalist-Imperialist

Third-world Communist paper-shuffling make

non-farmer jet-set bureaucrats

Speak for the green of the leaf? Speak for the soil?

(Ah Margaret Mead... do you sometimes dream of Samoa?)

The robots argue how to parcel out Mother Earth

To last a little longer

like vultures flapping

Belching, gurgling,

near a dying doe.

"In yonder field a slain knight lies-

We'll fly to him and eat his eyes

with a down

derry derry derry down down."

An Owl winks in the shadow

A lizard lifts on tiptoe

breathing hard

The whales turn and glisten

plunge and

Sound, and rise again

Flowing like breathing planets

In the sparkling whorls

Of living light.

'Mother Earth: Her Whales'

by Gary Snyder

'Life is short, the Art long..'

2011-03-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Somewhere between LaConner and Stanwood; Kathleen Faulkner

I started with a plan. I would visit LaConner first, head over to Camano Island and then, finish the day in Edison. An afternoon and evening of adventure and visual enjoyment.

As I walked toward the gallery I knew this show would be good. Looking around at all the images I was reminded of the recipe for a good exhibit: that the whole equals more than the sum of it's parts.. this small gallery filled with black and white photographs of the art history of the Magic Skagit: very Large and very Powerful..

Truly a sight to behold.

As I left I knew I would be back to look again.

Camano Island is long and narrow. The next gallery I was headed to is at the south end of that island. I had never been before. It was a beautiful drive, a Beautiful gallery and a beautiful show. I felt honored to be a part of this group, showing in this fabulous gallery.

Wondering around in the sculpture garden, impressed to death, I decided to name the place, "Artland in the Woods".

It is good to find some magic.

The last call was in Edison. I love that town. I always look forward to spending time there.

The opening was packed, the artwork stunning, the conversation stimulating.

An unknown, a 'phantom' as Dana calls him.. a one man show of outrageously good work. I imagine he won't be unknown for long..

It was a good plan. It worked quite well. It was one of the best 'art for your soul' days I've had for a long, long time.

Somewhere near Edison; Kathleen Faulkner

Greetings from Birdsville

2011-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

'The Return' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

The geese have returned.. a highlight of late winter.

February was a cold, snowy month, the way I used to remember it as a child. Indians named February's full moon the Snow Moon because of all the snow that would arrive. It's hard to know if this is unusual now or not.

The eagles are down in the valley waiting for food. I have seen more birds than ever lately. Ducks, hawks, eagles, swans, geese, and on and on..

It is a wonderful thing!

Adult and immature eagles near Edison;

Another angle..

Everything is wet, cold and beautiful It is good to live here.

looking northeast toward Mt Baker..

What's Up?

2011-02-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

'Pod' necklace; sterling silver, pods, pigment; Kathleen Faulkner

This necklace is the companion piece to the Pod brooch. These two pieces will be in the upcoming Northwest Designer Craftsmen show at Matzke Fine Art Gallery opening March 5th from 2pm - 9pm and running through April 10th, 2011.

'Pod' brooch; sterling silver, pods, pigment; Kathleen Faulkner
photo: David Scherrer

Fun Facts

2011-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

For those of you who feel yourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place...

'Rocks' 36x9" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

...walking along West Beach listening to the waves tumbling the rocks in the surf..

it is all constant movement..

nothing stays the same.

Every action has a reaction..

2011-02-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

'On the Way to Edison' photo; Kathleen Faulkner

I stand in the middle of my studio and hear the world outside. I am surrounded by manmade objects and materials that, once living, are now dead.

I stand in the middle of a forest and become part of an interaction with an energy that isn't in any house, studio, building.. except for maybe a barn.

I stand in the middle of a field and feel that I am a part of it all.

Observation can be a participatory sport

The favored one

2011-02-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

'My Favorite Weed' photo; Kathleen Faulkner

I grow in her yard.. almost everywhere. I guess that doesn't say much about the state of her yard: I prefer poor soil, abandoned areas...

In her defense, she grows a fine garden of vegetables and flowers, she allows for wildlife habitat, there is even some grass in the back. She could pull me out by the roots and that would probably be it. I think she likes me, though. Sometimes she comes over and rubs my leaves, she's taken many photos of me.. she lets me grow.

I have some useful qualities, although I was brought over by the Puritans..

Dipped in tallow my flower stalk can be used as a torch. Mullein stalks were used in ancient Greece as funeral torches.

I can cure leprosy and, if you have asthma, you can get relief by smoking my leaves.

A tea made from me is good for catarrh or as a sedative.

Maybe she keeps me around just in case..

or maybe my leaves remind her of something

or someone..

Buddy

2011-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

'Buddy' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

Crow is another well adapted urban resident that irritates more than it inspires..

although, in mythology, Crow is highly regarded.

It is always a good idea to be nice to crow.. he never forgets.

I have a friend that will not go outside when crows are around. He is continually buzz bombed by them whenever they are around. He says he doesn't know why but my guess is that he wasn't nice a time or two..

Wiley

2011-01-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

'Rabbit's View' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

If you look up coyote on the internet you'll find that most of the information is about how to kill them. No one seems to like the coyote.. especially the smaller urban critters.

Coyote is one of the most adaptable animals in the world. Good for them, bad for the critters.

Since we humans are taking up all the habitat we should expect that some cats, rabbits and other small mammals will become food for these guys.. gourmet food.. plump and juicy from easy living..

There is one that hangs out around here now and then but, so far, the cat and the rabbit are alive and well and I still see the squirrels digging around the yard.

I like to think of coyote as the transformer: in the mythological world, he is heroic with attributes such as transformation, travel, high deeds and power. His job is to change the ways of rivers, the standing of mountains and create new landscapes. He is also the one that gets sacred things for people.

I have the utmost respect for coyote.

Anniversary

2011-01-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

'Mindscape' 7x9" oil and soft pastel, charcoal; Kathleen Faulkner

I started this blog one year ago today.

The plan was to have an alternative to a website. What happened is that it took on a life of it's own leading me down some other paths.

I made a conscious effort to keep personal business out of it. That didn't work. I had planned to concentrate on calls to artists, show reviews and, of course, showing off my work. That didn't happen except that I have shown off my work.

What I discovered is that I enjoy telling the stories that inspire the artwork: the full picture, so to speak.. I also discovered that if I just go with the flow it will go wherever it goes and that's ok.

One great benefit to me has been the feedback. It is good to know that someone is out there. One never knows who or what awaits once the publish button is pushed and the post is thrown into cyberspace..
It is also good discipline.

Now, just for fun, here are some statistics from this last year:

'Solstice: full moon lunar eclipse' was the most viewed post. 'in addition' was a close second.

Besides the US, Canada and Germany gave me the most hits.

'Neckpieces' and 'Water' were the most visited pages.

Monday has the highest viewing numbers with the most hits between 10am and 2pm.

The image from 'A Fairy Tale' was included in Regina Hackett's blog post, 'Foot Fetish'.

My blog was listed in two international jewelry blogs and dumped from one painting blog.

All in all I'd say it was a good year.

So, here's to another year of story telling and art making.

Thanks for viewing.

Cheers!

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
Mohandas Gandhi

Meet my friend and neighbor

2011-01-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

'Octopus', bracelet; sterling silver, fossilized walrus ivory,
printer's ink; Kathleen Faulkner

Shy octopus glides through the water looking for a hiding place...

One of my all time favorite critters, the octopus: shy, intelligent, curious and an intricate member of the underwater ecosystem.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's the Giant Pacific Octopus growing up to 23 feet and weighing as much as 150 pounds. These beauties make their home territory from northern California up the coast along the Aleutians and down along the coast of Japan. One could say they are a part of the 'Ring of Fire'.

If you've ever seen a live octopus up close and personal, you probably remember the eyes.. intelligent eyes that look right back at you.. maybe even through you..

so much more than just another sea creature..

Work before play

2011-01-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

'Let's Play' 21x23" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's raining.. has been for a few days. Some places are flooded. The yards have evolved into ponds..

I've been thinking about some fun things I'd like to do. The version of play around here often involves being outside. Fortunately, rain is not a deterrent for me.

Today, though, I have a project to finish up and, as much as I'd love to play..

It will have to wait for another day.

Deer Prudence

2011-01-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

'Prudence' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

'The sun is out, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you..'

Lucky

2011-01-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

'Lucky' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

I'm working on the first project of the year. Just for fun, I thought I'd make prints of the animals that live on my property. Since soon it will be the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, I decided to start with this critter.

A friend said that rabbits are chewers and cause trouble. Probably so but, the rabbit and I have made a deal and..

in the ether world, rabbits are considered lucky.

Canada Post greets the Year of the Rabbit with new stamps

How I spent the last day of 2010

2010-12-31T23:10:00.000-08:00

'Frozen Slough' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

We took our time and drove the Bayview road.

The sun was shining and the air was cold. We spent too much time in Edison.. it always happens. There are people to see and time to spend.

It was late when we left. The cold winter sun was going down fast.. as we headed home we noticed the slough.. frozen top layer left high and dry when the tide receded.. groaning and cracking sounds of the ice giving it up to gravity.

Later, good food, good friends, hopeful toasts..

We can make this new year anything we want.

'An eye for an eye will make us all blind' Mahatma Gandhi

2010-12-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

This is the season of love and joy. We are different: as we wish our friends a Merry Christmas we are full of good cheer.. we give to charity and think of others. We do good deeds..

Small things make us cry.. it seems as though we become the people that we've been waiting for.

Maybe this Solstice Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will have a hand in changing the time frame.. maybe we will carry on the love and joy and peace from now until forever. It is my wish for us all.

Happy Solstice, full moon lunar eclipse, Merry Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, HumanLight and Diwali to all.. and to all a good life..
in Peace.

Solstice: full moon lunar eclipse

2010-12-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

'Nightscape' 12x12" oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

Winter Solstice:
Out of the darkness we move toward the light

This 'holiday' really works for me. Just knowing that we will now be moving away from the darkest hour gives me hope.. and brightens dark places.

This year, there is a full moon lunar eclipse during the Solstice.. an event that we have never seen in our lifetime and will never see again. A once in a lifetime opportunity to make it anything we want and a chance to move forward with a little help from the Universe. That puts a smile on my face.

Happy Solstice, Friends! May we move forward with love and peace and inspiration, Cheers!

The Winter of it

2010-12-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

'The Winter of It' oil and soft pastel, charcoal; 8x8"
Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Winter of it. Darkness, rain.. and the mentally ill.

I think about a painting I did. Title: 'It's Good to Have a Running Start'.
It is hard to have a running start in the Winter of it. Friends are falling and Life is challenging. I'm giving things away. It helps.

It will soon be the Solstice. Then, the days will grow longer and we will move toward Spring.. the favored season .. and we shall all carry on.

'The Winter of It III' oil and soft pastel, charcoal; 8x8"
Kathleen Faulkner

Trees: 1 Neighbors: 0

2010-12-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

'Morning' 23x21" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's been pouring rain.. my property is soaked.. my walkway, underwater. I live on a hill so flooding is not something I worry about too much. The wind uprooting my trees when the ground is so saturated is the bigger concern.

I live in a neighborhood that does not appreciate trees. They distract from the potential view that some neighbors are intent upon having. I've been begged, shamed, cajoled and threatened but to no avail.

There are two things that would do the trick. My death and/or a major windstorm. I've lived here through several wind storms of historic proportions but still the wind is always able to make me nervous. In the end, though, it will probably be my demise that will seal their fate.

So, for now, here's a toast to my excellent Tree Friends: May you live and grow forever.. and may I live a very long life.

The morning after

2010-12-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

I wake to winter sunshine. The frost lingers. I've been working for months, intensely, but today I can breathe. I am free.. I can do anything.

Should I clean my house, workshop, yard? Should I go for a long walk and take photos? Should I visit friends that I've neglected all this time? For an instant, I feel at a loss for what to do: my focus is confused. I could keep doing what I've been doing: I have three panels ready to paint, a couple commissions, some jewelry I could finish.. but it seems a waste to let a beautiful day slip by while I'm indoors.. I have time on my side for once.

I guess I'll go with the flow and see where it takes me..

'Near Edison' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

The story I told the tree

2010-12-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

'False Pass II' oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

There are several garbage islands out in the oceans.. huge masses of plastic where nothing lives except previously owned stuff, re-morphed into garbage that will last forever and that the fish and birds and animals eat because it looks like food.

It's all made from oil and contributes to our potential doom.

Of course, there are other ingredients in the doom recipe: clear cutting and the destruction of natural resources to feed humans' need for stuff. Many more, too many to mention.

Everyone that has something to sell hopes that someone will buy it. I am an artist. I create work because it fulfills me and it supports me. It's still stuff. I often have conflicts about it all. We all contribute to the doom recipe but less really is more and, as much as I can justify Art as a quality of life necessity, it still requires materials, some more destructive than others, to make it. I wonder if I have any right to feel that what I do is worthwhile.. or to be able to do what I do.. maybe I'm just using resources for my own selfishness..

Recently a friend read this story to me: Global Warming and Art

It changed my perspective a bit and eased the angst.

Bounty

2010-11-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

'Jack Island' necklace 20" sterling silver, slate;
Kathleen Faulkner

Thanksgiving 2010.

I am grateful for the snow I woke up to this morning.. even though it will alter my plans.
I am grateful for the people in my life.

memories are good, too..

Jack Island.

We took a small boat and circled. I remember the north side: large weathered, living rocks, entangled kelp along their base and the shade from the trees.. water calm.. sunny day.. good light.

Then to the beach and, while landing, I noticed a carpet made of slate and shells.

Someone said there was once a fox farm on the island.. and I was noticing the trees.

Later, sitting on the south side facing North Beach, on rocks warmed by the sun, eating lunch, playing with rocks and shells, I remember thinking how interesting life is.

and with that memory I look out my window

photo: Kathleen Faulkner

Death by handling

2010-11-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

It seems that art jewelry is slowly making it's way into the valid realm of 'art'. Galleries want it because it sells and museums are starting to include it in shows. The Tacoma Art Museum has had several excellent jewelry shows in the past, as has the Bellevue Art Museum. There is a growing interest.

That is all good for the jewelry artist.

There are problems, though. Since jewelry is made to be worn, many galleries have their staff wear the pieces during working hours to show it off to the customers. Sometimes jewelry is displayed openly on walls or counters and potential buyers are encouraged to handle the work.. to try it on.

Handling jewelry is not good. Here's why: fingerprints consist of water and salt: very bad for metal. If fingerprints are left on a piece, they can actually etch into the silver. Every time a piece is cleaned some silver is removed.

Displaying jewelry in the open air and sunlight is not good. Here's why: sunlight will dull silver quickly and open air will corrode.

I don't know about you but, the thought of buying a pair of earrings that someone has tried on before me makes me nervous. This would be fine if the posts and wires were cleaned properly afterwards. I don't see many galleries standing by with alcohol and Qtips to clean them.

When hanging a new show in a museum, the white gloves are always worn. Water and salt from the fingers are death to artwork.

So what makes art jewelry any different?

photo: blog.makezine.com

photo: cci-icc.gc.ca

why fingerprints are bad for silver

Change is good.

2010-11-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

'Strategy is the Craft of the Warrior' 2.5x1.5" Belt Buckle, sterling silver overlay;

Kathleen Faulkner

Once upon a time, a long time ago and far away, Artists were considered assets. Anyone who was anyone was a Patron. Artists worked on projects for years and were funded. Real jobs, what a concept.

America is very young and so has very little respect or appreciation for the Arts. Some might say that there are big collectors and that is true. But, just like the wealthy, it's a small percentage.

Artists just want to make art. These days, that becomes more difficult. Patrons are worried, keeping tight grip of their money, artists need money to live so they can create, materials used for creating are becoming more expensive and the general public doesn't understand any of it.

Personally I've been doing some thinking about the materials I use. On one hand, I want to do my part to leave a small footprint but on the other, I want to create. This is an issue for me as all art is made from and becomes something.

Silver is a natural resource. * Spot is at $26.01 per oz today. Last year it was $17.00. When I started working with silver in the early 90s it was around $4.00. As you can see, price has become an issue.

This buckle consists of almost three ounces of silver. At around $30 an ounce my cost, that's $90. The formula for pricing is cost of materials times three which would be $270. This price includes designing, materials shipping costs, electricity, heat, water, acetylene, solder, buffing materials, cleaning materials and solutions, polishing materials, boxes, pricing, advertising and a whole lot more.. including labor. I then take that price and double it because the gallery will take 50%. Now this buckle is up to $540.00. Needless to say, I can't afford my own art.

This piece took around 15 hours to design and create. After deducting the cost of silver, I'm left with $180 to cover everything including labor. I will make about $10.00 per hour on this... if it sells.

Since galleries do mostly consignment, artwork is not purchased.. there is no money up front. The artist must wait for their work to sell then, as is the usual, wait 30 days for payment.

You will not see this much silver in future work. I am re-thinking my designs - I have a new strategy. Natural and recycled materials are calling. I think it is a better way for me: less guilt, less cost and, hopefully, more creativity.

Any artwork takes materials, time, energy and inspiration and the result, if it works, is food for the soul. I will always make art.

It's about quality of life.

*Spot is the unrefined price of precious metals. Charges are added when ordering sheet, wire, tubing, etc.

My two cents

2010-11-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

'Halibut' 2x1.5" brooch, sterling silver, fossilized walrus ivory, printer's ink;
Kathleen Faulkner

Art's Alive is over now. It was a long yet inspiring weekend. I heard a lot of comments.. about many things..

As an artist and appreciator and, once in a blue moon curator, I get to see three different perspectives in the art world.

The Deciders
Three of this year's Art's Alive shows were invitational. In this case it was mostly committee rather than a curator selecting a group of artists for each show. They factored many things into their decisions: space, theme, compatibility and, most importantly, artists whose work they had seen and knew about .

If an artist sits back and expects the world to find them, it may not happen. This is one reason why exposure is a good thing.

As with most everyone, this committee works within a very limited budget. The committee is volunteer and their goal is to pull off a good show and make some money.

The Creators
The artist strives for recognition and inclusion. Some get it and some don't. Sometimes, the ones that don't, get hurt feelings, wondering 'why not them'. I've found that, if an artist is not invited to be in a show, 99% of the time it's for reasons that have nothing to do with emotion, that is if the curator is even aware of their work. Artists, on the other hand, tend to take it personally.

The Viewers
Then there's the adoring public. Absolutely handy to have around. More would be better. There are those who know and appreciate the arts.. and there are those who don't understand art but 'know what they like' and then, there are those that have no interest. A good percentage of the appreciators are other artists.. We would be great art collectors if we had money. The largest percentage, I think, are those who don't really understand art but 'know what they like'

Bottom Line
We need to educate the public about art and it's processes and why it is an important part of our lives. It is food for the soul but many never taste it.

There is a reason art is expensive. Most people have no idea of the time and expense that goes into the creation of art. Knowledge of the process helps people understand.

Artists need to toughen up. Someone of importance once said that if you don't have a pile of rejection notices on your desk you're not trying hard enough... add invitational to that, as well.

The Deciders need to keep up on the art scene, think out of the box and take chances.

That's my two cents.. just for the halibut.

R.I.P.

2010-11-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

'The Long Walk' 17x17.5 mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

My friend died. She took her life. She finally made it work after having tried a few times before. The whole story is one that could happen to anyone and it's so very sad. It makes my heart ache.
Struggles, strife: some are more sensitive than others.. some just can't take the rawness and ruthlessness that life dishes out. It is a cruel world that can leave us with nothing.

We tend to shun those that are different. They scare us.. we don't know what to say, how to interact. It's easier to be afraid, to run away, ignore.. or bully.

This is the day we celebrate the dead. I will celebrate you, my friend, and I will miss you, sweet lady. I'll always wonder if anything could have changed your outcome.. may you rest in peace.

Who is Coleman Barks?

2010-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

I had planned to leave a comment on the last post explaining the Coleman Barks link but found that, somehow, I was not able to comment - maybe that post was too long? .. another downside of the computer world..

I first heard him read at the Museum of Northwest Art's annual Poetry Festival in LaConner, Washington, several years ago. I then had the opportunity to hear him again in San Francisco. This man can read a poem in a way that takes your breath away. He writes his own poetry but he is mostly known for reading and translating the poems of Rumi.

In the video in the post 'Sacred Mountains' below, Coleman is the narrator through most of it. For me, it adds to the spiritual quality of the piece. I hope you enjoyed it.

www.puremusic.com/assets16/coleman.jpg

'Water From Your Spring'

What was that candle's light

that opened and consumed me so quickly?

Come back, my friend! The form of our love

is not a created form.

Nothing can help me but that beauty.

There was a dawn I remember

when my soul heard something

from your soul. I drank water

from your spring and felt

the current take me.

Rumi

Sacred Mountains

2010-10-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

'Kulshan' 24x36" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

'In the olden days, so the old folks tell us, Kulshan was a fair and handsome youth who grew apace to man's estate and then espoused two wives. One of these wives fully equaled her husband in beauty — she was the favorite wife and her name was Duh-hwahk. She bore Kulshan three fine sons. The other wife was no match for Duh-hwahk, in beauty but she was very amiable, very kind and very attractive in manner. This wife was named Whaht-kway. Eventually it came about that the kindness and consideration of Whaht-kway so completely won over her husband that she supplanted Duh-hwahk in the affections of Kulshan.

This, of course, aroused furious fires of jealousy and resentment in the breast of Duh-hwahk, who constantly kept the entire household in dissension and strife by means of her temper and her jealousy. Finally Duh-hwahk resolved to regain Kulshan by artifice. Relying confidently on her beauty and on her former firm sway over her husband she conceived the plan of feigning to desert him. So, one day, when it happened that by chance she found Kulshan in amiable and mellow mood and more pliant to her purpose, she complained to him of the coldness and harshness with which she, Duh-hwahk, had been treated in the household, even more by Whaht-kway than by Kulshan. She assured her husband that she loved him but that the burden was more than even her great love for him could bear her all of her possessions.

Kulshan resolved to be master of his own household and without hesitation informed Duh-hwahk that she could go as soon as chose and as far as she liked. Duh-hwahk was dumbfounded by this unexpected reply. She felt that she must make things appear to him in a more serious light. She felt confident of his love and sure that at the last Kulshan would relent. Indeed she could not believe that he would really permit her thus to desert him. Founding her faith in this imagination, she gathered up her possessions and made ready to go at once. She prepared her pack thoroughly, putting therein plentiful supplies of berries, fruit, sweet bulbs and even of beautiful flowering plants of many varieties.

Thus amply provided with all that she desired she then said farewell and fared forth, leaving her three children behind. The children bewailed the going of their mother and with many lamentations besought her to remain. This greatly pleased Duh-hwahk at heart for she now felt assured of melting the indifference of Kulshan. She was sure that he would call her back before she had been able to go any very great distance. With this in mind she managed to set forth on a course that would take her the longest way. So also she traveled down the valley between the mountain ranges so as to be always in the sight of Kulshan as long as possible, thinking to give him ample opportunity to recall her.

She had not gone far, however, before she realized her mistake and richly repented her hasty action. So, as she went along, she would ever and anon look anxiously back. Her heart surged tumultuously with a fond hoping and a vain longing to see Kulshan wildly signal for her return — how she hoped that he would do so! Alas, she had gone too far for that, perhaps, and, besides, many little hills and valleys now intervened between her and home where she had left Kulshan and the weeping children. Therefore she must needs climb the knolls and pick out the highest hills from which to gaze back with longing eyes and sinking heart.

Standing on the very summits of these hills she would strain with all her might, up to the very tips of her toes, seeking some sign from her loved husband. Sometimes she fancied she was not quite high enough and she would raise to her tip-toes and stretch forth her head in anxious gaze, yearning all the while and striving all the while to be just a little taller. This oft-repeated wish and effort soon began to have its effect upon her and she forthwith began to grow taller. At last she had gone so far that she must of necessity make camp. She selected for her stopping place one that seemed most satisfactory to her because from it she could have a clear view of her dear home so foolishly and uselessly abandoned. Here she removed her packs and cast the contents broadcast, blessing the place with all the stores of fruit, of berries, bulbs, tubers and beautiful flowering plants of many wonderful varieties, all of which she had taken away from Kulshan.

There, looking ever and longingly northward, Duh-hwahk remains to this day and you may see her if you wish — look to the south and east — it is Mount Rainier. Therefore we know why all these beautiful things abound about Mount Rainier where Duh-hwahk took with her. Look to the north and you will see him, but the white man calls him Mount Baker, not Kulshan! All about Kulshan too you may see the deserted and weeping children.

In time the faithful Whaht-kway felt the premonitory pangs of childbirth. She yearned for the comfort and company of her people, and especially the advice and assistance of her old mother. None other than that old mother could give the needed care in the hour of trial. Kulshan listened to the pleadings of his faithful wife and yielded to them. Full well he knew, however, that the journey would be a hard one for Whaht-kway if she had to climb the mountains and journey over all the intervening heights and valleys. Therefore Kulshan engaged all of the animals with paws, from the lion to the mouse, to dig a long ditch from his home down to tidewater. This was done until the flow of water from his place was at last sufficient to enable a good-sized canoe to float down in safety. This stream we now know as the Nooksack River — adown it softly floated the canoe of Whaht-kway in these olden days when the river itself was new.

At last she reached her beloved Hwulch or Puget Sound, her own country. Down between the many islands the canoe made its way and in passing each of these islets Whaht-kway made sure to leave here and there certain edible things — where they may be found to this day. When Whaht-kway at last reached home her parents greeted her fondly and asked her what position she chose to assume. She remembered how the jealous Duh-hwahk had reared herself up, up, up into the air until she became a mountain peak. Whaht-kway would not do so. She chose to lie down so that coming people would be able to reach her head without great trouble or without climbing — with Duh-hwahk, alas, it is different. Whaht-kway is now an island low lying, to the north of San Juan Island. Whaht-kway is now better known by the name of Spieden Island [also spelled Speiden] and just a little north of it is the baby island which was born after Whaht-kway reached this place. At present all of the small islands between Kulshan and Whaht-kway bear the names of fish or some of the other edible things that Whaht-kway placed there as she passed by on the journey home. Many have cause to this day to remember with gratitude the generous thoughtfulness of Whaht-kway.

During all this time Kulshan was lonely indeed. Instead of having two wives he found himself with none. All the while he kept straining upward to see if he might not catch occasional glimpses of his departed wives. The children saw him and did likewise, profiting by the example of Kulshan. Today Kulshan and Duh-hwahk are mountains and the children are the mountains south and east of their father Kulshan. We have told you what the word means — but what does Duh-hwahk mean? It means, and how fittingly, "clear sky." So too Whaht-kway means a maiden who has just reached womanhood.

This is the story of Kulshan, his two wives and his many children, and of how they came to be what they are and where they are.'

Washington West of the Cascades, Herbert Hunt and Floyd C. Kaylor, 1917

Coleman Barks

Nectar of the Gods

2010-10-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

'Gyokuro' neckpiece, 30x1.5" sterling silver, tea bag images, mica
Kathleen Faulkner

I live on green tea. I drink it throughout the day, every day. It is my one necessity. I prefer Japanese green tea for it's flavor and since I buy my tea loose, I have to travel to Seattle when I start running low.

I buy my green tea from the asian grocery store in Chinatown. Uwajimaya is a wonderful place to shop. It is a bit of visual overload, at times, with all the color and activity and a lot of the food is unknown to me which makes the experience all the more interesting. My first stop is always the tea aisle.

There are many different kinds and grades of green tea. Prices can range from $3 to $20 and up per package of about 3 ounces.

Back in the boom times, I'd buy Gyokuro now and again. It is the finest green tea and was my reward for finishing difficult projects. These days, I stick to the lesser priced, but still good, Sensha and lately, I've also developed a taste for Machagenmai-cha. This tea is blended with roasted brown rice giving it a roasted, slightly meaty flavor. mmmm...

Time to have another cup of tea. Cheers!

image: washokofood.blogspot

In Japan, one can get a cup of tea from the vending machine!

Why I wear a hat

2010-10-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

'Owl' 5x1.5", sterling and fine silver, glass, plastic, snakeskin,
fossilized walrus ivory, printer's ink; Kathleen Faulkner

Anacortes is home to the amazing Forest Lands Area. Many miles and many assets: a lake, beaver, hundreds of birds, deer, coyotes, raccoons, porcupine, owl and every other small creature one could imagine. Trees, moss, mushrooms, you name it, the Forest Lands has it.

I love to walk there: it's in the middle of town yet a world unto itself and a good place to decompress.

There is a particular owl that lives there who has made a name for itself. This owl may be a tad bit 'off'. It thinks hair is potential food and has been known to attack walker's heads. I've seen this owl because it doesn't try to hide and makes no bones about being seen. It sits and watches, ready to strike when the moment is right.

This is why I always wear a hat in the Forest Lands.

'Anacortes Forest Lands' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

John's Trees

2010-10-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

'John's Trees' 17x17" mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

We walked for hours. It was a grey day; the ground beneath our feet was spongy, muddy, wet. No sound but the slosh of our feet and birds.. birds everywhere. Lost in the thoughts of this place, smelling the salt, the mud, the sea.. breathing it in deep, feeling the healing..

The week had been tough. Deadlines, overextended commitments, drama and worries. I had been looking forward to this day.

We stopped for a minute when David said, 'Those are John's trees. He planted them. His energy is still here'. 'I can feel it', I said, and it was true. The wind suddenly swept up through the trees singing a song of long, lost memories.. Then we continued on our way.

The business of staying alive

2010-10-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

'Good Sound Quality' 21x23" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Here it is October and winter is close behind. Time is slipping by. I'm working constantly, preparing for 'Arts Alive' coming up the first weekend in November with the opening on the evening of November 5th.

I am pleased to announce that I will be in the 'Emerging Artists Show' with my mixd media paintings and, new this year, the 'Jewelry Show' which I will be a part of, as well.
Shortly thereafter is Whatcom Museum's 'Art and All That Jazz' on November 12th. Work for that is due the end of the month.
Of course, then Christmas is right around the corner which means inventory for my galleries and a couple of Christmas shows.. whew.

I worry that I won't get it all finished.. same thing every year.. silly, really, since I always do manage to make it all work, but..

'when it all gets too heavy I go down to the sea'

There is nothing better than spending some time near water. It clears my mind, is inspiring and I leave feeling like I can actually manage things. I will be needing to head that way in about a week.. for about an hour.. then, back to the business of staying alive.

Happy to be home

2010-10-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

'Sauk Mountain' 17x23" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

When I travel away from the Pacific Northwest I am always happy to be home. Don't get me wrong. I miss the friends I visit, I miss the excitement of traveling but, something about our little corner of the world has me.. forever.
Yes, the winters are cold, wet, foggy.. a damp cold that chills to the bone. The summers, especially this summer, less than satisfying with temperatures that compete with the winter temps of California.. northern, that is.

There is a reason we are called the Evergreen state.. it's called rain.

Rain is my inspiration. It can be depressing at times but it is also a big part of the reason I create. Art is what I taught myself to do at a very young age to keep the demons away. It works well.

In the woods above Issaquah
near a grey farmhouse
we pick plums in the rain.
Another day, on Sauk Mountain,
we lie in a meadow. A bird
jolts a stalk of fireweed
so the light seeds drift over us
   and down the slope.
Far below, the Skagit River
winds toward the sea, turning
   like a pattern in old jade.
At home you put some tomatoes
on the window sill to ripen,
and I think of jade again.
Nights,
while a bird outside the window
begins to budge the night away
   with a single sound,
your breasts, your lips, your eyelids
are delicate as petals of
   winter poppies.
I don't know what happened,
One night, no use knocking on your door,
I stepped down from the front porch
as rain fell through big leaves and the grass woke up,
   and your face was
   a small round stone
   falling through dark water.

'In the Woods Above Issaquah'   Robert Sund

Quality of life

2010-09-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

'Every Dark Cloud' Shadowbox 12x10" brooches: sterling silver, graphite,

colored pencil, mica; photograph, wood, plastic; Kathleen Faulkner

Sometimes I wonder if we'll make it. Mother has cancer, we are losing whole species everyday... and there's a lot of fear and hate out there.

Struggle, strife.. everyone I know is struggling. The artists really have it tough. You can't eat art. There is no barter system to pay for health insurance or the electric bill. Some days it seems overwhelming.

It is a time when one has to decide on priorities. There's a fork in the road. One path is smoother, easier.. the other path may not go all the way through and the terrain is steep and rocky. The smooth path has it's downfalls, though. Younger is better, college degrees help, and, of course, a stable partner.. still, it's not a given. The rough path really asks nothing except to be true to oneself. Older can be better, degrees don't matter but passion is a must. The rough path has absolutely no guarantees and it's steep terrain is dangerous. It is a precarious yet intensely inspiring path.. if you make it.

My silver lining is called freedom: the independence and the joy in doing what I do... I'm not talking about Apple Pie here. This isn't an American Dream.. far from it. I have chosen the steep and rocky path and it's hard and I get worried and wonder if I'll end up falling off the cliff but, I wouldn't have it any other way. On my death bed I will NOT be filled with regret.

Digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

'I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living' Hans Hoffman

Welcome to the 'Fair Witness' store

2010-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

'The View' 23x21, oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's mushroom season and the last day of summer. Now everything is changing.. soon, the nights will be as long as the days.. grayer and grayer, colder and colder.. and so it goes, like old age, the beginning is not so bad: things start to make sense and life is still doable; deep into it everything becomes aches and memories.

It is spitting rain as I hike around looking for those golden beauties. I'm wet and hungry and find myself distracted, lost in thought, thinking about a friend I used to know. He was a farrier who lived in the woods. His uncle was Robert Heinlein.. so, then I think about the book. It always happens.

'Stranger in a Strange Land' has become somewhat of a cult classic: popular during the sixties and an influence on that generation. It's basically a story about a different perspective. I read it years and years ago and bits of it have always stuck with me..

More than once I've found myself wishing for a Fair Witness.

The Fair Witness is trained to observe events and report the truth of the matter. One requirement of the job is a photographic memory and the Fair Witness is prohibited from drawing conclusions.

..a very useful asset in our world today. Imagine hiring one to review the week. The 6 o'clock news could interview the Fair Witness to know and/or expose the truth.. It would curb the lying and cheating that abounds..
Maybe it could change the world..

...and then suddenly, there they are: the little chanterelles in all their beauty!

Chanterelle; photo: Chevalier

The crows get it..

2010-09-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

'Pod' Brooch, sterling silver, pods, pigment; Kathleen Faulkner
photo: David Scherrer

I live in the middle of town: Police station, hospital, elementary, middle and high school, pool, national guard.. all within two blocks.

The walk to old town is twenty minutes or so.. I go almost daily to check my 'good' mail at the Post Office. I only receive art related mail there.. hence the 'good'.

I enjoy the walk and usually find interesting things along the way that, sometimes, are incorporated into my work..
The journey is not as beautiful or peaceful as in the Anacortes Forest Lands but it can be just as interesting and sometimes more useful.

The 'pods' are dogwood fruit found over by the hospital and the 'sticks' were found within a block from my house.

I guess that potential and opportunity are everywhere if one just looks..

'Stick Pins" various woods, manzanita berry, sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner
photo: David Scherrer

The Pod brooch and other Stick Pins from this series will be on view at the Whatcom Museum's "Art and All that Jazz' show.

in addition..

2010-09-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

'The View From Here' Kathleen Faulkner

Don't get me wrong.. Life is pretty good in my world.

..but, being that today is one of the few events that we haven't forgotten, all kinds of thoughts float through the air.. I could write all day.

Where's Gandhi when we need him?

'Gandhi's seven sins:

Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Knowledge without character

Commerce without morality

Science without humility

Worship without sacrifice

Politics without principle'

Thoughts on Wealth

2010-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

'I Used to be a King' 18" sterling silver, seed beads, pottery shard, slate, copper, rocks;

Kathleen Faulkner

Fall is upon us. Crisp mornings, great light.. They say it will be a hard winter.

I live and work in an old drafty house.. I keep the heat consumption low so as not to waste it. I've learned how to dress for the upcoming season: long underwear, wool socks, wrist rockets and layers, layers, layers..
Up in my workroom, in the winter, I work with a little portable heater at my feet. I worry about getting by and wonder if I'll sell enough work.. going the art route is a struggle. Sometimes I dread the winter season.

If I were to be transported into a third world country with what I have today I would be considered a King.

Property Available..

2010-09-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

'Property Available: Humans Need Not Apply' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

What if there were realtors that worked for the Environment?

George Soros just donated a hundred million dollars to US based, Human Rights Watch. He stated that America has lost it's moral high ground and that our human rights record has basically gone into the toilet since Bush took office (remember him?). Now, with this donation, the organization can go international..

Well, that's good. Now we need the billionaire that steps up to the environmental plate. Any takers?

The Toast

2010-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

'Spider Web' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

It is a wonderful time, Autumn..

Light becomes the beautiful, moody, shadow producer.. spiders are out in force and there is a feeling in the air: crisp and clean.. change is on the way.

Summer is great for vegetables and hikes and eating outside but Fall is when the real work begins.. This year I want to produce heavily. I have some new ideas and I'm finally feeling the inspiration.

So, here is my toast to YOU:

'I wish us inspiration in abundance, faith in ourselves, hope for our future, change for the better..

and lots of patrons!'

Cheers!

'Robert's House' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner