wordless and white 7.15.2021

remembering peter 7.1.2021

I spent the last couple of weeks in Denver, Colorado, where both of my daughters live. It had been a long time since we'd been together due to COVID, and I'm happy to have my daughter tank re-filled:) And while I was out there, we were together to celebrate and remember my son and their …

on grief 6.17.2021

You see, love and grief are two sides of the same precious coin. One does not—and cannot—exist without the other. They are the yin and yang of our lives… Grief is predicated on our capacity to give and receive love. Some people choose not to love and so never grieve. If we allow ourselves the …

new painting 6.3.2021

In my most recent series of paintings, I'm still using oil pastel and wax markers and graphite and charcoal. And I've added another element - paper. I've had an old dictionary for years and almost gave it away to charity last year. Instead, I kept it, and decided that I should finally just DO something …

perennial seed starting update 5.20.2021

Last fall, I collected seeds from and started several types of perennials. The containers of planted seeds stayed outside all winter, and I opened the tops of the containers when the weather got warm enough this spring. The containers sat all winter in one of my raised garden beds. This photo was taken March 1, …

poem – Wellwood 5.6.2021

 The Dakini Speaks by Joyce Wellwood My friends, let's grow up. Let's stop pretending we don't know the deal here. Or if we truly haven't noticed, let's wake up and notice. Look: Everything that can be lost, will be lost. It's simple - how could we have missed it for so long? Let's grieve our …

neighborhood art walk 4.22.2021

I'll be participating once again in the Marquette-Atwood Art Walk this year. It's Sunday, May 2nd, from 11am-5pm on the near-east side of Madison, Wisconsin. My address is 2802 Center Avenue, and I'll be selling my ceramics out of my garage, on the Miller Avenue side of the house. Visit the Art Walk website to …

art quote – Barlow 4.8.2021

Art is full of ambiguity. Our response is often undefined, unexpected and perplexing. Being willing to embrace the mystery—and to do so outside the domain of language—frees a viewer to experience the work without any explanation or validation. That personal response can frequently link directly to the thrill of being intimately enthralled.Deborah Barlow, http://www.slowmuse.com/2021/03/04/intimately-enthralled

window gallery 1-year anniversary 3.25.2021

Last Sunday was the one-year anniversary of my home window gallery! I named it the Center&Miller Window Gallery, because my home is at the corner of Center Avenue and Miller Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. The gallery is in a medium-sized window right next to my front door. You can read about the opening one year …

prose – Erdrich 3.11.2021

“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. …