"Expanding Heart"

acrylic, handmade paper, fabric, and embroidery thread on canvas

24" X 18"

SOLD

*from the Heart-Mind Series currently on display at 

The Expanding Heart Center, Frederick, MD

This exhibition runs until February 28, 2017

Expanding Heart Center Gallery Page

Heart Mind Series

Happy Holidays! Peace, Love, and Joy to All.

Blessings for 2017

"We Are All Connected By Heart Strings"

acrylic, handmade paper, fabric, and embroidery thread on canvas

16" X 11"

2016

This painting is part of a new series of original mixed-media paintings for an upcoming exhibition, "Heart Mind Series". This exhibition is dedicated to my father who has late stage Alzheimer's. The series centers around the theme of heart-centered awareness and expansion of love. 

This exhibition runs from January 3-February 28.

About the exhibition: 

The Expanding Heart Center website and gallery page

One Love

"Heart Map"

acrylic & embroidery thread stitched into canvas

30" X 30"

This most recent painting is still in progress. I consider it 3/4 of the way completed. Originally, the inspiration came from weekly visits to the nursing home to spend time with my Dad who lives with advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease. Years ago when he was still working he traveled often as a Hospital Administrator. "Heart Map" is made up of "roads" of embroidery thread that are also "veins" of the heart. I created a map so that my Dad would never forget where he was...at the center the words "You Are Here" as a clear reminder. 

Now, as he is slowly losing the ability to form clear sentences I find that my way of communicating and being with him has changed. I am now a companion for him as he doesn't remember that I am his daughter. Alzheimer's is heartbreaking for the caregivers and loved ones. Although I have experienced that intense heartbreak I have simultaneously experienced a profound "heart opening"...one that allows me to hold more compassion and love for myself, my father, family, and friends. This "heart-opening" extends out to neighbors, to the community, and around the globe. So, as this is a personal healing expression I also feel that this can be a universal message as a call to raise our vibration and get into a "heart-centered consciousness" and awareness in order to help heal our planet. The recent tragedy in Orlando is devastating and, at the same time, urges us to come together in unity, in peace, and take compassionate action. Time for Self-Love remembrance, for One Love, and for Universal Love. Time for the Love Revolution! 

current exhibition

"In The Bamboo Grove" (Wood element)

acrylic and handmade paper on canvas

24" x 24"

"Undulating Ocean" (Water element)

acrylic on canvas, handmade paper, and leaves

24" x 24"

These two paintings are from my current exhibition, "Essence of the Elements: Homage to Nature and Healers", at Himmelfarb Gallery of Maryland University of Integrative Health in Laurel, MD. This shows runs until September 19, 2015.

Here is a lovely article from The Baltimore Sun that was written on this exhibition: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/laurel/ph-ho-lt-baer-exhibit-0806-20150917-story.html

my newest creation

-a most blessed creation-

      The experience of being pregnant and watching a "seed blooming in the belly" is one of beauty, wonder, and anticipation. I was convinced that having children was not an option in my life. I was so surprised when I found out I was pregnant in December 2011. What a blessing and gift this has been for me! I cherished every moment during my pregnancy even during the hot and humid August days nearing the due date. 

      The experience of giving birth was both challenging and awe inspiring for me. In August I gave birth of my son, Kiran Sage. I consider him to be one of my finest creations. Motherhood has taught me many things including: patience, be present, a bit of selflessness, and a whole new appreciation for my parents, especially my own Mother. It has grounded and centered me in a whole new way. Each day I get to marvel at my child by watching him grow and discover his world. 

     The love for him is a love that is indescribable. 

(image: photo of an invitation I made for dear friends who attended my "Blessingway" ceremony in early August).

Emerging Spring

"Spring Dusk"
acrylic & leaf on canvas
9" x 7"

"Egg Study"
acrylic on canvas
13" x 10"

 

      Happy Birth of Springtime!

      This year as brought so many amazing opportunities for creative expression. These blessings have arrived in many forms & with many different art mediums. I am feeling truly in touch with creative energy & connected to Source. This is coinciding with the emerging of the Spring season. I've thoroughly enjoyed being present with nature and watching tiny green leaves unfurling, flowers blooming, and seeds sprouting! Five Element Acupuncture and the qualities that are expressed during each season is something that inspires me. 

      Spring is the season represented by the element of wood. It's about productivity and upward rising energies. It is also about birthing ideas that have been incubating over the long winter season. I've recently been asked by a beautiful friend, Sarah, to be part of an expressive painting collaborative community. It is an evolving project and incorporates live painting to connect with others & inspire spontaneous moments of creative expression.

"Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves."

Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness Meditation Retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh

       As I write this blog entry it happens to be the eve of Thich Nhat Hanh's 83rd birthday. My first exposure to the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh was in college around 1992. I had read his book "The Miracle of Mindfulness" which resonated and still resonates with me to this day. Last week, it was such a gift to be in the presence of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh at a five-day mindfulness meditation retreat in upstate New York near the Catskill Mountains. The October leaves were turning bright colors of fiery red, orange, and yellow. The retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery consisted of 1,100 retreatants. The conscious collective energy of 1,100 people practicing mindful meditation had a profound effect on me. All of our meals occurred in silence. I particularly loved the practice of walking meditation through the woods along with a group of 50 others. We practiced synching our breaths with our steps: "I have arrived" on the inbreath & "I am home" on the outbreath. Aaaahhh...peace & inner space which then created a similar peace and spaciousness externally when interacting with others.

      Life at the retreat was slowed down to a snails’ pace that created a sense of calm, peace, and deep space from within and without each of us. The Monastics of the monastery would strike a large bell hanging on a tree at random intervals throughout the day. It was the resonant sound of the Mindfulness Bell. The bell was a reminder to stop whatever we were doing to take deep breaths in and out...to focus on our breath. I came to really enjoy the chime of the Mindfulness Bell and in seeing everyone around me stop what they were doing to practice deep breathing & briefly pausing from life's activities. In the afternoons, we would have Dharma discussions in small groups of twenty people. We also participated in working meditations by pot washing after the dinner meals. Who knew that I could feel a sense of being alive through the simple act of washing a bowl? I discovered that by practicing mindfulness & focusing on being in the Present Moment that everything began to come to life more fully. The grass became alive with its' greeness and in its' textures. The tiny red leaf that fallen to the ground was so bold in its' color. The wind through the trees became such a beautiful movement of swaying and the sound was the wind whispering truth to me. I felt my heart opening up and truth shining forth. I found myself smiling at everyone & making eye contact with everyone that I passed walking around the monastery grounds. I felt a connection and Oneness as a result of practicing our mindfulness together as a collective community.

     Being in the presence of Thich Nhat Hanh (also known as "Thay") was a great honor. He spoke to us about impermanence, compassion, the phenomenon of mental formations, and the importance of "watering" seed-thoughts of loving kindness instead of "watering" seed-thoughts of doubt and fear. Thay says that "our minds can become clear as still water through the practice of meditation" and through this "we reflect like a mirror the things as they are just like the still water reflects the sky & clouds overhead". Throughout the retreat week, I realized that our joy & happiness resides from within all of us. It is not something that we can find outside of ourselves. I have found great joy, happiness, calm, and peace in my mind & body. I look forward to maintaining a mindfulness practice through daily meditation and always remembering to come back to the breath in the present moment.

Peace Project Painting

In April, The Well, a wellness center in Historic Ellicott City, MD had a benefit concert to raise money for Frisky's Wildlife Sanctuary in Woodstock, MD. There was live music and vendors for the event. As a vendor, I set up a 40" X 40" inch canvas and asked people to write their intentions on a piece of fabric to add to the painting. It is a community message board and a "universal brainstorming" activity. I asked people to write down their intentions for creating a healthier future. Also, I asked what they would like to see happen in their lives to create a positive shift. In creating this experimental project, my intention is to instigate a new way of thinking in which we embrace the concept of "Oneness" and team together to raise our level of consciousness. Also, it's a way to affirm our intentions by visually seeing the written words by many people. I was touched to see all the beautiful messages that people wrote and it is a joy to visit it at The Well. This painting belongs to everyone. And we are all creators in it.