As I approached the Taos Pueblo it was -13 degrees and dark. Venus hung high in the sky, above a crescent moon. The sun would be rising soon and I was arriving for the 7AM Turtle Dance on New Years Day. Bernadette and Robert’s son, Pollen and Shell’s brother, AJ, was dancing today. He’s been […]
Among the Ancients, Part 2: Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo)
I have lived near the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo for almost three years now but, until accepting an invitation to watch their Turtle Dance with Pollen and her family, I’d never been there, nor did I know anything about it. Although fewer than 1000 people currently live on the Pueblo, it once had nearly 6,000 residents. […]
As We Think, So We Become — Buddha
I have carried this quote around with me for decades. It’s most often been on my refrigerator. There was a time when it was confusing to me, as well as challenging. Now I totally “get it” but it’s still, of course, challenging: The thought manifest as the word; The word manifest as the deed; The […]
Among the Ancients, Part 1: Taos Pueblo
I was blessed with a remarkable holiday weekend and I hope you all were as well. I spent Christmas Day and the day after that attending the dances at the Taos Pueblo and then the Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo). I was in the company of my friends Bernadette Track, Robert Shorty and their daughters […]
Beginning to Paint at 77!
Today the sun rose and the sun set but, oh, can you guess what happened in between? My private student, Betty, BEGAN TO PAINT–to really paint! She’s 77 years old and has wanted to her whole life. She’s dabbled in a little watercolor before, but nothing focused or ongoing, nothing she’s felt was meaningful or […]
Happy New Year!
I don’t remember where I first saw this beautiful piece of writing. Probably many of you are already familiar with it, but it holds within it the wishes I have for all of us as we move into a new year, so I wanted to share it with you today. The Invitation It doesn’t interest […]
Finding Time for Your Art
One of the challenges you’ll face as you try to get to your art is finding the time. Aside from the various excuses you’ll manufacture from pure fear and avoidance, life does ask a lot of us and there are genuine tasks we must address before we can paint (or sculpt, or photograph, or throw […]