Art

Quelled

rapid little heart so undone thrashes fragile feathered chest, wings frantically fan fiery fear seen and unseen so in need of just one word held quelled in tender hands cupped and quiet

Of Birds and Parenting

Scampering around in the grass barefoot, my son suddenly squealed and leapt for the concrete patio.  I went to inspect the source of his alarm:  a quivering huddle of feathers. He assumed it was dead like another hapless victim, a naked nestling, we found earlier that evening on a nearby rock. But as I knelt…Read more Of Birds and Parenting

Do Dogs Go to Heaven?

If dogs wore clothing, Rico would have been a tuxedo-clad gentleman. I'm sure he would have played the saxophone in a jazz band. Rico, a brindle greyhound, came into our lives most unexpectedly. A co-worker rescued him after he retired from racing, but shared her concerns about keeping him in her apartment. My husband and…Read more Do Dogs Go to Heaven?

Summer Has Come

Time and space for painting and writing is scarce this summer. Without accessing those deep creative parts of my being, at times I feel dry and out-of-touch with myself and with God. But I am simultaneously aware that my heart is storing away moments like treasures from a far-away land. Moments in time that, when there…Read more Summer Has Come

New Things I Declare

I tried, I really tried. Inspired by the beautiful traditional watercolors exhibited at the 2014 Sunny Vista Art Show in Colorado Springs and by some brilliantly-hued tulips, I tried to paint slowly, intentionally and in a sort-of-traditional style. I couldn't completely control my spontaneous bursts of energy, so I knew I wasn't going to fully succeed…Read more New Things I Declare

Limited edition fine art prints (new prices and sizes)

I make art to express my heart and to touch other people’s hearts. I long to capture those “fragments of light” I see lying all around me in the everyday world; and if I can help you see them, too, I fall asleep happy at the end of a day. Art speaks to my soul, and…Read more Limited edition fine art prints (new prices and sizes)

Buried in Beads!

Piles of beads are slowly but surely transforming into mounds of jewelry around here as I prepare inventory for the Texas PTA conference store. You can check out their article, "Pamba Toto spotlight," here. Danny Philhower, the store director, traveled to South Africa a decade ago with my friend and Pamba Toto co-founder, Debbie Lee and her…Read more Buried in Beads!

Light & Dark – Artist Process

For the last year-and-a-half I've walked an artistic tightrope, balancing between the delicate, spontaneous vibrancy of watercolors, and the dramatic, expressive quality of black charcoal line. I love both. Neither feels complete to me without the other. I “killed” more than a few pieces when the charcoal reared a more menacing head than I intended and over-powered…Read more Light & Dark – Artist Process

Long Road Home

Sometimes hope stumbles on the rocks and shatters. We give all we have, and it is not enough. We climb a steep, uphill trail, straining with all our might towards a goal. Willing to pay the price, we breathe the sharp thinning air of high altitude; feel the ache in our bones of pushing harder…Read more Long Road Home

Canopy of Hope

Day by day Haiti seeps into the sea. Deprived of any other reliable energy source, her citizens harvest what they can find. Food today or soil tomorrow? When a belly roils with hunger pangs, the tree is felled. Peasants charcoal the wood in shallow covered pits, then bag and sell it. Experts say Haiti is…Read more Canopy of Hope