January 30, 2022
The Immigration Project
Case Study The Immigration Project is a non-profit organization that provides legal services to immigrants in southern Illinois. I connected with them while working with Catchafire, the organization that matches volunteers with organizations in need of assistance. At our first meeting, The Immigration Project folks brought these thoughts to the table: They thought their WordPress site looked “old” It ...
March 15, 2019
Happy Year of the Pig!
Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the Year of the Pig! The Pig is always a sign of good fortune; she simultaneously embodies the down-to-earth aspects of human nature, a joie de vivre, and a love of exploration - everything from introspection, to creative pursuits, to travel. [This natural-born Pig says - Don’t forget our sense of humor!]. Because everyone can access these qualities during the Year of the Pig, we each have ...
February 18, 2018
Behind the Scenes: Phalanges
Introducing something new! For now, I'm calling these "Phalanges"...I often work with mixed media and found objects - recycled artwork, packaging, various papers, and more. These are small (3" x 3"), unfinished mixed media collages. I set aside 10 to give away at February's Art Attack, and I'll do it again in March. Pick your favorite, and write your name, mailing address and email on the back. When I finish the collage in ...
February 04, 2018
Behind the Scenes with Coco Montoya
Have you ever wondered how the art gets made? Let's lift up the hood for a second as I introduce you to Coco Montoya. Yes, that's Coco there. We met through OfferUp, after my old tabouret/storage system ended up leaning like the Tower of Pisa. I knew that perching my palette on a hastily arranged mash-up of chairs and file cabinets (like I was doing) was eventually going to lead to some kind of studio disaster. I decided ...
Don't Look Now, 1973, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie Going from US Pacific time zone to Venice, Italy was a nine-hour time difference, and I was struggling. My journal states, in a mix of Italian and Spanish: "Io sono en una guerra contra il jet lag!" This meant sleeping half the day (not my style, but I simply couldn't help it!) and staying awake until 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00 ...
January 20, 2018
Midnight Mass, San Marco style
Being in Venice on Christmas Eve, I had to attend Midnight Mass in the Basilica di San Marco. I was attending not as an active parishioner, but out of a deep sense of curiosity: how would one of the largest and most famous cathedrals in the world "do" Midnight Mass? (Catholic roots run deep!) For those who don't know: Midnight Mass happens just once a year, on Christmas Eve. It's a very special occasion to usher in ...
