bats in the belfry

'Love Me'  Necklace 18"long, bat 3x5"; sterling silver,
colored pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Here's what the average human thinks:  Bats are ugly and scary and carry rabies.

Here's what scientists think: Bats are necessary for pollination of over 300 species of plants.  A single brown bat can consume 500 or more mosquitoes in an hour. The economic impact of the loss of bats in North American agriculture is anywhere from 3.7 million to 53 million annually.

Here's what the bat thinks:  I'm as afraid of you as you are of me.  I won't hurt you.  I just want to take care of my babies and eat bugs.  

Thoughts on community

'Our Town' Necklace 30" sterling silver, colored
pencil, paper, glass lenses;  Kathleen Faulkner

This is about another type of community: the one most of us don't see much or think about. 

We really can't say what a hungry white tailed deer's thoughts are as she's run out of someone's urban garden.

Can you imagine the stories and memories a spotted owl might have as he watches his home be destroyed so we can have toilet paper?

Consider the wolf, running for her life from the giant flying monster that's shooting to kill.   Maybe she's thinking,  "Please don't murder me.  I deserve life just like anyone else."

Everyone has a story to tell.

We do what we need to do

'Her Eyes a Bashful Azure'
sterling silver, colored pencil,
paper, mica; Kathleen Faulkner

I read Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, 'The Brook'.

I had been working on the Dictionary Necklace.  Azure was the last word of the 'a's' and I was trying to figure out how to draw the word without using the color.  I didn't figure it out and ended up drawing the word as it looked in the dictionary, all the while thinking about a line in Tennyson's poem.
I kept thinking about it.  I liked it so much I decided to make a necklace about it.

'Her Eyes a Bashful Azure' Back;
sterling silver, colored pencil,
paper, mica; Kathleen Faulkner

building blocks

'Construct' Necklace 36"
found materials, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

One day, while walking home from town, I saw a pile of construction debris in an alley.  It looked interesting so I had to investigate.  I found these shards of concrete lying in the rubble.  

They made my day.

'Construct' back; Kathleen Faulkner

Museum of Northwest Art's annual auction is coming up
June 15th.  This is my contribution courtesy of the wonderful Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle.

requiem

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

Farewell, my friend

May the journey be gentle

'Death is a Dialogue between, 

The Spirit and the Dust'

Emily Dickinson

Ode to the wood

'The Wood Poets' 16x20" oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

As for poets

The Earth Poets

Who write small poems

Need help from no man.

Gary Snyder

Turtle Island

Blood is thicker than the mud

'Family Affair' 16x20" oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

"All that we did was human,

stupid, easily forgiven,

Not quite right."

                    - Gary Snyder

a little history

'Afterlife' 16x20" oil and soft pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

I did some hiking through the woods at Smoke Farm with my good friend, Scott Schuldt.  Being the Artist in Residence there,  his job was to document the area.  He was drawn to the 'Mother' stumps, as he called them.   I developed a great appreciation for these stumps.

There are currently ten old growth forests in Washington State.

and now a word..

'Webster's New World Dictionary,

Aardvark to Azure' Necklace, 38"

paper ('a' words), sterling silver, ink,

colored pencil, mineral glass;

Kathleen Faulkner

Webster's New World Dictionary: my companion for many years.

One day I open the book and the spine splits apart.  I stand there with a piece in each hand.  I continue to use it this way for many months.  I think about replacing it but I wonder what to do with this 'two part' book.  No one will want it.  I can't throw it away or even throw it in the recycle.  That is not what one does with a book.

I'm thinking about all those words.  I'm preparing for the show 'Women Working Words'.  I decide to recycle in a manner that does not leave me guilt ridden.

The story continues

'Dickinson' necklace 5.25x1.25" Chain: 24" doubled,
FRONT; sterling silver, paper, oilpastel, mica,
Kathleen Faulkner; photo: David Scherrer

When I am working on a body of jewelry, there is no such thing as planning designs as a group.  Ideas are scattered,  designs sometimes don't mix.  It is a conglomeration.  I just start with an idea and end up wherever it may lead.  Because of this, I sometimes end up over my head.  I guess that's good for growth.  

Fortunately this body of work came together and the overwhelm was overcome.  

The inspiration for this necklace began with a piece of scrap from an old oil pastel painting and a snippet of a poem by Emily Dickinson. her lovely words tell the story.  

'Dickinson'  necklace BACK;  sterling silver,
oil pastel, ink, paper, mica, Kathleen Faulkner;
photo: David Scherrer

'Women Working Words' at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery will open February 6th. Lecture at 4pm (RSVP) and champagne opening from 5-7pm

Short story

'Forest' earrings; 2.75x.75"; sterling silver, paper,
oil pastel, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

'I have gone to the forest.' 

Knut Hamson          

I found this quote.
It reminded me of how I manage in this life.

Forest, the place that shakes off worry, stress.. feeds the soul, clears the mind.  Forest, the place that cleans our air, filters our water, keeps us cool and is home to most of the flora and fauna on earth, some we've not even discovered yet.

Forest is dwindling.

One and a half acres of rainforest is lost every second.  Over half of earth's forests are gone.

Magnetic Poetry

A portion of the refrigerator door;  Kathleen Faulkner

I've never owned 'Magnetic Poetry' but, still, bits and pieces have managed to find their way onto my fridge.  

'Magnetic Poetry' earrings; 1x1.75"/1.25x1.75",  sterling silver,
paper, ink, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

These earrings are included in the show 'Women Working Words' at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle, WA. Please join us on February 6th for a lecture (RSVP) at 4pm followed by champagne opening from 5 to 7pm.  This show runs through February 26th.

photo: Kathleen Faulkner

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest

It is Christmas.  The year is winding down and I've been thinking about all that has happened in twelve short months.  One thing this last year was not and that was milque toast.   It has been a challenge, a real roller coaster ride but I've managed to come through it and I'm grateful.  

I am especially grateful to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  

I feel safe here.  I was born here.  My daughter is here. My parents were laid to rest here.  I spend my adult life painting here and I will probably die here.  There are worse fates. 

     

The view from the top of Mt. Erie, Anacortes, WA; Kathleen Faulkner

The view from my studio, Anacortes, WA;  Kathleen Faulkner

Forest Lands, Anacortes, WA;  Kathleen Faulkner

Eagle Convention, Edison, WA;  Kathleen Faulkner

Geese, Skagit Flats;  Kathleen Faulkner

Skagit Flats;  Kathleen Faulkner

Cormorants, Guemes Channel, Anacortes, WA;
Kathleen Faulkner

Guemes Ferry Dock, Anacortes, WA;  Kathleen Faulkner

Heading back to Anacortes from Sinclair
Island;  Kathleen Faulkner

http://kathleenfaulkner.blogspot.com/2010/02/magic-skagit.html

Winter Solstice

'Woody' 8x8" oil pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

And so, now is the time we come out of the dark and head towards the Light.

Here's to Happiness, Joy, Love and Nature.

"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

The birds have it

'Welcome to Birdland'  8x8" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/94364/play

No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.

                                                                                          William Blake

Life is short

Myself with three of my paintings and one sculpture
by Louise Warner;   photo: Susi Watson

I am delighted to now be represented by Simon Mace Gallery  in Port Townsend.  Currently, I have five paintings in the Small Works Show which will run through December.  This show includes work by nine painters and one sculptor and is worth a visit.

During this holiday season and every season please support your local artists and galleries.  

I do believe that art is necessary for life..  food for the soul.  

So, eat up.

'Life is short, and Art long; the crisis fleeting; experience perilous, and decision difficult.'

Hippocrates

A little holiday cheer

'Polar Bear' ornament 1.5" diameter, sterling silver,
paper, colored pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Every year during the Holiday Show opening,  Facere Jewelry Art Gallery conducts the Ornament Give Away.

I am honored to be a part of this show and the Ornament Give Away.

If you are interested in joining us in celebration and possibly winning an ornament, please RSVP to Facere Jewelry Art Gallery

Holiday Show opening is this Wednesday, November 28th,  5-7pm.  Champagne will be served.

Holiday musing

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.

It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

                                                                                             Dr Seuss

'Ribbon' earring (side view) sterling
silver;  Kathleen Faulkner

A story of unkindness and murder

'Birds of a Feather' Neckpiece, 20" sterling silver,
 colored pencil, paper, glass lens, onyx beads;
Kathleen Faulkner

A shrewdness of apes

An exaltation of larks

A battery of barracudas

A troop of monkeys

A kaleidoscope of butterflies

A parliament of owls

A quiver of cobras

An ostentation of peacocks

A murder of crows

A rookery of penguins

A convocation of eagles

A prickle of porcupines

A charm of finches

An unkindness of ravens

A skulk of foxes

A shiver of sharks

A troubling of goldfish

A pod of whales

A smack of jellyfish

A descent of woodpeckers

A mob of kangaroos

A zeal of zebras

One more

'Low Tide'12x12"  oil and soft pastel, charcoal, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

It rains.  The wind blows and  

we lose our light as the days grow shorter.

It is a good time to make some art.

and another..

'High Tide' 12x12"  oil and soft pastel, charcoal, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

The big lesson I'm learning this Fall is, yes, everything really does change.  Nothing stays the same.  The only constant Is change.

This can be a hopeful reality.  Maybe things will change for the better.

another marsh picture

'Wiley's Marsh' 12x12" oil and soft pastel, charcoal, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

My first oil pastel of the fall season.

This piece is part of a series of studies I'm working on before attempting the very large (for me) 3x5'

painting.  

It is very dark but I think like it.  

Alive, Dead

'Alive'  27x15" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

What if trees carried the souls of old poets 

or Enlightened Beings?

'Dead' 27x15 oil pastel,  graphite;
Kathleen Faulkner

Some say that the trees are key to saving the world,

that they are Earth's lungs.

Long live the Trees!

Thoughts on time management

'Octopus' length 36", diameter 2";   sterling silver,
paper,  colored pencil,  mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Octopus has four pair of arms.  Less time needed to accomplish things.  

Octopus is intelligent and uses tools.  More gets done.

Mysterious and beautiful, in my view.

I am envious.  

Then I remember: the life span of an octopus ranges from six months to five years.  

Maybe

'Hemingway' sterling silver, paper, ink, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner;  photo:  David Scherrer

I look out my window at the school playground.  It is empty except for the girl.  I watch her swing in the hard rain,  singing

Another day I work in my garden. Evening approaches and I hear the girl singing as she swings,  alone

She is there often, most every day, for long periods.

I hear the swing as I write this.  I look.  She is there.  It is getting dark now.  It rains hard.

Something about it makes me sad.

I wonder.

a musing

'Re-visit'  oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Thunder.

I'm grateful for the down vest that I wear over my long sleeved flannel shirt which I wear over my t-shirt and, of course,  the wool socks under sturdy pants.

Time for a hot cup of tea.

A mental picture

'Flood Tide'  oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Memory is such a slippery slope.

Hiking up the trail, we couldn't help but talk about the beauty of the place, the abundance of green,

 the smells,  the sounds

  

I remembered the day and the conversation 

but not as it was.  

I remembered it as I was.

What IS on top?

'Memory'  oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

This is the piece I started as a demonstration during the MoNA Auction Preview Party.  I didn't get very far with it that night so finished it at home.  From this,  two others were later done as part of the series, 'Seasonal Pattern'.  

Below are the three together.  I'm putting one of them in the Edison Eye Show coming up  in July: 

'The Permanence of Pattern: What is on Top?'

July 21st through August 5th, 2012

Opening July 21st, 5-10pm

Edison Eye Gallery

Edison, WA

'Heading West' oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Looking East' oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Memory' oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Side thoughts

'Looking East'  oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

June has come and almost gone then July arrives 

and the year is half over.   

I have yet to be warm.  

If I had a choice between time on the coast or time east in the heat,  I would usually pick coast.  Today though, I'm thinking about how nice it would be to warm up with some sunshine east of the mountains.

Summer fun

'Heading West' oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

It rains and rains

but then I think about other places and it reminds me of how lucky we are.

Last night

the rain

spoke to me

slowly, saying, 

what joy

to come falling

out of the brisk cloud, 

to be happy again

in a new way

on the earth! 

That’s what it said

as it dropped, 

smelling of iron, 

and vanished

like a dream of the ocean

into the branches

and the grass below.

Then it was over.

The sky cleared.

I was standing

under a tree.

The tree was a tree

with happy leaves, 

and I was myself, 

and there were stars in the sky

that were also themselves

at the moment

at which moment

my right hand

was holding my left hand

which was holding the tree

which was filled with stars

and the soft rain –

imagine! imagine! 

the long and wondrous journeys

still to be ours.

Last Night the Rain Spoke to Me by Mary Oliver