Astrology: The fingerprint of the Soul

I have always been fascinated with Astrology and have always wanted to know more about it and how it can be applied. I really enjoy my monthly horoscopes from Susan Miller, Astrology Zone and have always left it pretty much at that except for getting a few free printouts of my birth chart with a small general analysis on the many websites that offer such things.

Photo by Alicia Hunsicker from the Boston Science Museum

Today I had my Natal (Birth) Chart interpreted and a Solar return for this year as well and I must say I was BLOWN away with the information I received. It was a map of who I am, the fingerprint of my soul. A story of my life, its challenges, aspirations, & manifestations, exact and to the point.

In a way, it was nothing I didn't all ready know or intuit about myself but the context of the info and how it all goes together in relationship to each other gave me such a clear picture.
What were vague feelings now are verbalized and understood. It was a lot to take in but I appreciate knowing I am on the right track. I found it most centering and insightful which is really what I needed. THANK YOU M.W. you gave me such a wonderful gift!

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Rose Window Painting in progress

This photo looks a bit dingier than the actual painting....It is much better in person but will give you a good idea where I am at with it. In the studio this week I have been listening to and enjoying Soyna Kitchell "This Storm" and the audio books Inkheart by Cornelia Funke & Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire.
I have some cleaning left to do in the studio for my studio visit tomorrow but really I would rather paint today as I ended up doing yesterday as well. Painting Vs. Cleaning.....Painting always wins! :-) at least with me. On another note I will also be getting an astrology reading tomorrow...that should be interesting~ What will my birth chart reveal?? Hopefully some insight and fresh perspective.

Yesterday's Adventure: attending the Broadband Roundtable with Governor Patrick

I attended the community round table with Governor Deval Patrick in New Salem, MA yesterday with my neighbor Kristen Nicholas who is partnering with me to spearhead efforts for broadband service to the unserved Verizon customers in Leyden.

Photos Courtesy of Kristin Nicholas

The place was swarming with police cars, residents, and other "End of the Road" people who had driven in from all over the State and are desperate for broadband Internet service.

We were impressed with Governor Patrick who was compassionate, caring, smart, and seems committed to all residents of MA having Broadband Service by the end of 2011. Although this seems an eternity, it made us feel a bit better to see and hear personal stories of so many others who are in the same situation. We were Unimpressed by the Blanket Statement that the Verizon Representative read which was just a lot of nothing......Did you know that The State spent 395 thousand dollars to collect information that Verizon had but refused to give them? I am Disgusted!

I was also impressed by the new MBI Director Sharon Gillett. I believe she will be a great advocate for unserved Massachusetts residents and will be able to attain a high ratio of Federal Grant money that will be available to States.

The question still remains....will I get high speed Internet at a competitive price in the near future? or at all? I am still praying!

The MBI and the Connects are updating there Mapping of Western MA.

If you live in Massachusetts and are are unserved by high-speed Internet service, sign up here to help the State map your location: Mass Broadband Mapping Survey for Dial-up users

Painting Commission & Memorial Day weekend fun

Well, where to start?, so much has happened over this Memorial Day Weekend. Here are the highlights.

First a funny story about going to see the movie Star Trek........or at least trying to!
I have set up a babysitter now 2 times .....dropped my son off, gone to the Cinemark in Hadley, which is a bit of a hall from Leyden, only to be turned away the first time with a sold out show. This past weekend, our second try we bought our tickets went in and ...NO SEATS! a full house.......we had to get a refund and will try again this weekend....geeez!


My son Ben, who just joined the Cub Scouts marched in his first parade for Memorial Day in Colraine a neighboring town. It was a small event. We marched from the Foundry Village Church to the Cemetery with a very official ceremony which included an honored Military Fly By (two fighter jets). He was beaming with pride as he carried the Scout flag!



I attended a really fun 40th birthday cookout for my friend Donna and took some photos for her. Happy Birthday Donna! I had to go to at least one cook out over Memorial day weekend.


In the studio I am preparing to start a newly acquired painting commission.
A few years back I did some photography work and will use a photo from that shoot as inspiration. I am really excited to get into some figurative painting again and to play with the white-pink & blue skin tones that I have wanted to learn. I love doing classic (like) figures in a contemporary way. I had fun today picking out colors for a Dick Blick paint order for this painting... and will try a Transparent White for the first time....Anyone with experience painting with it?? I also thought I would try a Chromatic Black...I am sick of the dull Ivory....and not a fan of pains grey.....but again I have no experience with this black so will see if I like it soon enough!
I hope I will have all that I need to start when the order comes in but will have to take another paint inventory to make sure. I am going to clean up the paint tubes and palette today.....Its Quite a mess!


I am cleaning the studio as well today to prepare for a Studio visit this Friday, going to print out some show applications to fill out, will be updating the blogs...etc... all good rainy day catchup stuff:-) And hopefully will have some time to get some painting done on the rose window which now has a blue band of color around the outside. (will post an updated version soon)

Also I want to mention a fascinating Art Blog that I am loving at the moment.
Self Vs. Self (the artist Hazel Dooney)

Painting in Progress

I organically emerged back to a full time painting schedule today and I have to say it was great!
I haven't decided on the outside colors of this rose window and still have some details in the yellow and Iron oxide red that I am using. but the stained glass effect (glow) is starting to happen. I also spent the day pondering my next Canvas Project painting.....Liberation.....
I am thinking of the word liberation in the spiritual sense for my piece and am going to go through some photographs tomorrow from the Leverett Piece Pagoda. I remember taking one of a statue of Siddhartha under the Serpent. In this case it was a multi-headed snake. I think that might be a good starting point for the painting.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the Target piece and think that maybe my graphics/illustrator side was at odds with my painting side but for now I will leave it as is.

Painting #2 of 5 for the Canvas Project, Art House Gallery, Atlanta

tar·get
Pronunciation: \ˈtär-gət\
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive

Etymology:
Middle English, from Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe light shield, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse targa shield
Date: 14th century



1: a small round shield
2 a: a mark to shoot at
b: a target marked by shots fired at it
c: something or someone fired at or marked for attack
d: a goal to be achieved
3 a: an object of ridicule or criticism
b: something or someone to be affected by an action or development
4 a: the metallic surface (as of platinum or tungsten) upon which the stream of electrons within an X-ray tube is focused and from which the X-rays are emitted b: a body, surface, or material bombarded with nuclear particles or electrons ; especially : fluorescent material on which desired visual effects are produced in electronic devices (as in radar)
— off target
: not valid : inaccurate
— on target
: precisely correct or valid especially in interpreting or addressing a problem or vital issue

MCC, Partially Recovers State Funding

Senate Returns $4.3 Million to MCC, Reduces Cut to Cultural Funding

(Boston, MA) The state Senate last night returned $4.3 million to the budget of the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), reducing a proposed cut to arts and cultural funding for the coming fiscal year.The Senate plan now calls for an appropriation for MCC of $9.7 million - roughly $2 million less than the House of Representatives approved in its version of the FY 2010 state budget last month. The two chambers will now have to reconcile their spending plans in a conference committee before sending their budget to the Governor for approval. The new fiscal year begins July 1. The state appropriation for MCC in the current fiscal year is $12.65 million."This is a critical investment in vital jobs across the Commonwealth," said Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director. "We are very grateful to our leaders in the Senate who recognize that the cultural sector is a key part of an economic engine that will return prosperity to the Commonwealth."
The vote to restore arts and cultural funding through MCC came after the Senate approved an increase in the sales tax to help offset a steep decline in state revenue caused by the current economic downturn. The House approved a similar measure in its budget.

About the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.

Guardian Spirit found a home today

"Guardian Spirit" found a new home today.
There are some paintings that are so pivotal to an artist both as a painter and as a person.
Derived from a profound spiritual experience,this is one of those pieces for me. I am so happy to have had time to live with this work and to now to have a patron who also has had a deep experience with the image..... Truly a Special night.

Stephen Knapp: Lightpaintings at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center

I went to the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center yesterday on a whim and saw the Stephen Knapp: Lightpaintings show. It was AWESOME........and original. I Loved it!!

April 5 - July 26, 2009
Stephen Knapp: Lightpaintings
http://www.brattleboromuseum.org/

Rainbows are magical. Whenever a rain shower bursts on a beautiful sunny day, I always wheel around frantically to make sure I don’t miss nature’s most ephemeral show. The first time I walked into one of Stephen Knapp’s installations, I experienced the same spontaneous elation at seeing pure color spilling across the room as I do when a rainbow streaks across the sky.
Each lightpainting is generated by white light which travels across a series of cut and polished glass shapes. The pieces of glass have been treated with layers of metallic coatings that split, reflect, and splay color across the surrounding environment. Overlapping veils of color, in turn, create saturated blocks of color. Added to the interplay of colors are streaks of black, where the edges of the glass plates or hinge mechanisms throw shadows. The third dimension comes into play when our eyes acclimate to the darkness of the viewing area and our mind begins to integrate the glass plates into the composition.
As with abstract painting, I approach Knapp’s lightpaintings with the same attention I give to music or poetry. This keeps me from being too literal in my interpretation and allows me to be open to sensations and emotions. Thus, as with music, I can experience the syncopated, lyric, or noisy, and as in poetry, I can enjoy that which is evoked but not described.

—Mara Williams, Chief Curator

to see more of Stephen Knapp's Lightpaintings go to
http://www.lightpaintings.com/

...........................................................................................

Other Current Shows:

Lisa Hoke: Colot Wheels

Beth Krommes: The Poetry of Lines

Joseph Fichter: Winter Thunder

Playing Around: Group Show that incorporates Toys or toy imagery

Optical : Painting #1 of 5 for The Canvas Project

op·ti·cal
Pronunciation:\ˈäp-ti-kəl\
Function: adjective
Date:1570

1: of or relating to the science of optics

2 a: of or relating to vision : visual
b: visible
1
c: of, relating to, or being objects that emit light in the visible range of frequencies

d: using the properties of light to aid vision
3 a: of, relating to, or utilizing light especially instead of other forms of energy

b: involving the use of light-sensitive devices to acquire information for a computer

4: of or relating to optical art
— op·ti·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Group Dynamics Reception Photos

Here are some photos from the
Group Dynamics Reception.

I forgot my camera but received

some photos by Hana Skirkey

a gallery assistant at Hampden Gallery.

It was a well attended opening and I was
happy to get lots of positive feedback

about my piece which is on the right in

the photo below. ( its kind of hard to see)

Studio Progress while listening to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This week as I have been working in the studio I have been listening to and enjoying The Historian (an audio book version) by Elizabeth Kostova. It is just the kind of book I enjoy, a little mystery, symbols, and explorations of the dark and light aspects of human kind.
It reminds me of the Dan Brown novels Angels and Demons and

The Da Vinci Code

During consentrated studio time, which I am working back up to, I keep a running list of audio book titles with our leyden Library so that I always have something to listen to while I am painting.

This week I am working on the color version on the Rose Window image and I have started to pencil in a large work on canvas that I am excited to start.

Today however I will be working on my mini canvas project for the Art House Gallery, Canvas project 2. I lost the brainstorm ideas, definitions, and image possibilities I had collected for this project when I had my computer problem fixed/wiped clean two weeks ago. So I have to remind myself and do a little internet searching on my words again.

Parthenogenesis, liberation, optical, malignant, & target

I also lost the high res. digital image of the rose window image and my updated resume - bummer! I am sure as I need things I will realize what I lost in the wipe clean, but I am hoping that is the worst of it.

Senate Panel Proposes 57% funding cut to the Massachusetts Cultural Council

News of interest from the MCC email list.

Senate Panel Proposes 57 Percent Cut to Cultural Funding Through MCC

(Boston, MA) The Senate Ways & Means Committee today released its version of the Massachusetts state budget. Its plan calls for an appropriation of $5.39 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) - a proposed cut of 57%.
The Committee's budget plan for fiscal 2010 would cut MCC's appropriation to $5.39 million from its current $12.65 million. That would reduce funding for MCC and its grants to organizations, local cultural councils, education programs, and artists to 1992 levels.
"The Senate Ways & Means proposal would cause more pain to a cultural sector that is already reeling from the loss of jobs and income," said Anita Walker, MCC's Executive Director. "Nevertheless, it is one step in the budget process. We must continue to make the case for why state investment in this sector is critical to the economic future of our state and the quality of our communities."The Senate Ways & Means budget reflects a continued sharp deterioration of state revenues. The Senate used a consensus revenue figure of $17.9 billion - $1.4 billion less than the one that the House used in April.Starting next week the full Senate will debate the Ways and Means Committee's proposal. That debate is likely to include amendments to add revenue and spending.The Senate budget must then be reconciled with the House spending plan, which proposed cutting MCC's budget by 10 percent after an amendment to restore some MCC funding failed to pass.The budget is then sent to the Governor, who can sign it or veto sections. The fiscal year starts July 1.

About the Massachusetts Cultural Council The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.The MCC is committed to building a central place for arts and culture in the everyday lives of communities across the Commonwealth. The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists.

Revelation

I Am

I Am The Fire within you...The Spark of Life.

I Am That Which Sustains.

I Am The Source Divine.

I Am immanent and pervasive within all.

I include all.

I Am You inspiring, aspiring, and being.

I Am beyond you, transcendent and cosmic.

I reveal myself progressively and cyclically as you are ready.

I Am The Answer to all problems and questions.

I Am All That.

I Am Here Now.

Group Dynamics Opens Today!

Yes! I have my computer back and its working again and I was able to get photoshop...........so all is well.

The only thing I can complain about is again the SLOW dial up I have here in Leyden.

Through out the week I got used to going to the Library or using other peoples DSL connections....... it was great!! Imagine 10 minutes to check your email, read and reply....

I have finally given in a bit and bought/ordered a laptop with WiFi........I will have to travel with it to get service but it may be better than struggling all day tring to get things done. The local coffee shop with wifi, Cafe Koko closed a while back.........but as I was driving in Greenfield yesterday I noticed that Cafe Siren will be opening soon in its place. I hope it has good coffee and wifi too.........I would love to nurse my coffee addiction while working somewhere interesting.
( I also recently got my own car again....so can travel!!) Wow, how life can change fast!


Today is the Opening Reception for Group Dynamics
at Hampden Gallery 3-5 pm.
It is going to be a great opening with a variety of strong work.
I hope I get to see some of you there.
Directions at http://www.umass.edu/fac/hampden/directions.shtml

Temporarily off - line!

My on-going computer glitch problem has finally escalated and its off to get wiped clean.....
I am so glad I bought an external hard drive recently to back up my art and photography files.
I don't think I am going to loose much and hopefully I will be able to find another copy of Adobe Photoshop to use. Be back soon!

Hampden Gallery Critique Group & Show

I am not usually a last minute person but the last few days have been full of hustling to get my piece finished for the Group Dynamics show at Hampden Gallery. I finished the painting, touch ups, varnishing, and mounting on the cradle board which I had painted the sides black. The deadline was yesterday at the group meeting where we brought our prospective pieces and decided on their placement in the show. I am happy with how the show looks and where my work was hung and am excited about showing the first finished painting in my new series of work. The look of the piece is very different then my other work and it has taken some time for me to "Claim" it as my own but I finally got the image to incorporate the new and the old....and I am confident about it. Anyway I hope to see you all at the opening on Sunday, May 10th, 3 to 5 pm at Hampden Gallery. Directions and more info. at www.umass.edu/fac/hampden