I Love Lucy is my very favorite tv show.  I can watch the same episode a million times and never tire of it, but the obscure 60's sit com of The Hazel Show has been on my mind these days.  I think my long time bud, Debbie Hereford Miller was one of the few people I ever met who shared my true appreciation of Shirley Booth as Hazel.  (Funny that we both have looked to mixed media art to express ourselves.)  

So, while Lucille Ball is pure comic magic, Shirley Booth as housemaid really  offers me something that I aspire to and it isn't about shiny silver and whiter whites.  Shirley Booth had a voice!!  What a concept.  She spoke her mind. It made no difference whether she was speaking to Mr B (her boss)  or the butcher...if she had something to say, she found the words.  And the words she found were words you could hear.  They weren't strident or overwhelming.  Her words were uncensored, heart felt thoughts, concerns & feelings... & while sometimes misunderstood--they were raw, real and present.    

I have spent a large part of my life finding my voice.  I am a work in progress.  It seems to be a universal struggle, at least among my friends both young and experienced:  If I say what I think, feel, mean...express who I am...will I be judged, discriminated against, outcast.  

In this context: a blog--in the midst of creating art, I could not be more vocal...what a wonderful and daunting  petri dish for finding my voice.   At the same time, having a voice (point of view, truth) is an essential ingredient in art.  But really, having a point of view, is an essential part of living an authentic life.  I say this to myself as I approach my canvas today:  be real, say it, don't second guess, who you are is who you are, the only voice that you should hear at the moment of your expression is your own--be true to yourself--joy will follow...

May your day have a bit of sass and Hazel to it.  Namaste'

After five weeks of hardcore energy, Artomatic 2012 closed Saturday night. Since selecting and preparing my site back in April, I found myself bathed in the creativity & excitement of more than 1,100 artists.  I entered a bit anxious and leave with  joy, some new friendships and a direction in my art that feels unexpected and so welcomed.

What a perfect  journey:  

I had a beautiful Brash poem written about Surrender
A  syndicated  article about my art in the Examiner
A Blog interview by Tammy Vitale
Scores of personal mantras  & (one Tootsie roll)  left by visitors to my space
The Tootsie roll lasted a week & then was eaten by a passerby
Someone wrote a nasty note in my guest book that stung for a bit & then didn't 
I got a note from the Benefactor encouraging my art & inviting me to pay i t forward
I bought two paintings from Cris Ianculescu
I got an invitation to display my art in an upcoming reception
Someone left a small gift bag of shampoo & conditioner at my space (homage to the locks of my women?)
I did an awful impromptu & unexpected youtube interview (where I did not expect the camera or questions, ugh--forever etched in cyber space)
I tended bar with my daughter Lindsey & discovered I make a great bartender & could learn to love that life (only just ask for beer cause I can't mix drinks & am terrible with a cork screw--but I make great conversation)
In a moment of serendipity, I met Sarah Gilbert Fox & Mark Tolson--love their art & energy
My daughter, Lindsey took my breath away with  an amazing stop action animation to go with her display (The Moments Project) & is now working with some documentary filmmakers

If that doesn't say, springboard, I don't know what does.  So, open yourself up!! Take that path that leads through the jungle...paradise may be on the other end.  Or at least a Tootsie roll and some sundries. Namaste'.