I haven't shot anything since Sunday because I had a small accident on Monday. I went to step off a curb to cross a busy street at work, and the metal plate I stepped on flew up and I fell, face forward, flat on the street. The only reason I didn't smash my face into the concrete is because I landed on my palms. And my knees. My right shin smacked into the edge of the curb.

I was a mess. Really shook up, not only from the shock and pain but also because if I had fallen another foot out into the street my head would have been smooshed by the cars that speed up that hill.

Bleeding from 5 areas, bruised shin bone, and very, very sore, I've been taking it easy for the last few days. Today my coworkers decided it was because I haven't had any alcohol since last Wednesday and need to be "retoxed" as they put it so we are grabbing a drink after work tonight.

Yesterday afternoon, the bulk of the pain dissipated but it's still a slow challenge getting to my third floor apartment.

Sometimes I'm such a dork.

This photo is from Saturday. We had highly unusual frigid temps (for Seattle) and our wading pool at Cal Anderson park froze over. Walking past I smiled because I imagined an ice skating rink, which, for Seattle, is unrealistic because it rarely drops below freezing.

It reminded me of one of my very happy moments back east. My good friend Nanc has a little home in NH on a pond. One night, we hung out at her place. She had been out on the pond making a massive...(with a larger footprint than her home) ice skating rink. I used to skate when I was little and hadn't in years. It was a clear, cool night. I think the moon was out. It was late...maybe almost midnight? We spent quite a while skating.

Gee I really miss skating outdoors. Inside rinks just aren't the same.

It was a weekend of needed alone time, most of it spent in the studio. This is one of the four paintings, again for the "Bleeding Vessels" series, that came from a very productive 2 days. Because of it, I am behind on email and hope to catch up in the next day or two.

On Friday evening, after spending a wonderful day with Matt, Pete, Roger and David, and receiving a really fabulous early birthday gift from Matt & Pete, I headed to the Henry Art Gallery for a slide presentation for painters by painters. There were about 50 of us crammed like sardines in a small room. 24 painters had been asked to select 5 images each of paintings from other artists that moved and influenced them. We spent an amazing hour and a half where each of those folks got up, and briefly talked about each of the works. 120 slides, each at 30 seconds. It felt like speed dating. The energy in the room was palpable. Invigorating. A magical evening.

Today is a much needed rest day. It's been a busy, fun and good, but full few weeks. Alone time has been pretty much nil and so I hit a wall this morning. It was time to hole up and spend time with myself...doing pretty much nothing.

It's also satsuma season and I've been chowing down, two or three a day. I've kept a stash at work and at home. On top of it I'm immersing myself in pears. And apples. A trip to the grocery store an hour ago means a now overflowing fruit bowl.

The weather has been startlingly cold. Yesterday evening I needed to put on a very thick wool turtle neck cable sweater. The last time I wore such a sweater was in the winter of '98, back in New England. It's invigorating.

The bunny's birthday is being celebrated this weekend but he and I have a birthday date next week: Auntie Mame in a queer-filled cinema. We'll splurge on a bottle of wine and wood-fired pizzas brought to our seats while we screen the film. Bunny's Auntie Mame cherry is getting busted.

There will be some good painting time in the next few days. I'd hope to get back into my routine but between Monday's all day staff meeting, odd work stuff, friends in town, and an afternoon of back to back tests (mammogram and bone density stuff), everything feels a little off kilter. So I'm going with it, enjoying the time and not fret too much about lack of studio time.

It's also been a week of immense rawness and extreme vulnerability.

A wonderful time spent with good friends visiting from Boston.

It is a busy week...

The view we had during today's work session.

(Click on the image for a larger view.)

Very full day ahead and I don't really see any breaks until tonight. We have an all day staff retreat with our regional folks who are in town and then it's off to paint.

Here are a few little sketches I did on art walk night while folks were passing through the studio.

C'est la vie...

...c'est ma vie.

Full day.

This was shot on the bus late afternoon after I left the studio and headed up the hill to meet a friend at Septieme. I was enamoured with his hat.

Walking home this evening while putting on my gloves, I wished I had my hat. It's been freezing cold...so unlike Seattle and so very much New England.

The corner of my drawing table, graciously loaned to me by Craig.

And, this is the view directly in front of me when I sit there and work. It's a late afternoon shot. The water is just to the right of the viaduct.



Today I finally was able to go back into a painting I've been stuck on and therefore haven't touched in 6 months. Although it still needs more work, it's beginning to come to life.

Here is the stuck piece:



And after today's session:




(You can click on the photos to make them bigger)

Yesterday was a day out with friends.

We saw the Calder exhibit and Michelangelo's drawings at the Seattle Art Museum. The drawings were wonderful because I tend to be partial to the first ideas...and the sketches. Some are very small. Going through the exhibit I longed to see the drawings in one room, with nothing else. No extra visuals...nothing about the finished works. I think the museum missed a perfect opportunity to offer a more intimate experience of some private drawings.

Then it was good food and drinks, soaking in a little more of the holidays as we headed back up the Hill with a few stops along the way.

Fun. Visual. Filling.

Without the donuts and hot chocolate.

This is Gracie. She was one of the many who filled the 619 building to view art. I first had a peek of her while she held court outside of my door, on the couch in the hallway. She decided to come in and look at work and so it gave us the opportunity to meet. I asked Gracie's mom for permission to shoot her because well...she captured my heart. So sweet. And she happily devoured a few of the "cat cookies for people" cookies.

She also loved all the art she saw.

The skies have been clear for the last few days. Very early yesterday morning, a bank of clouds at the base of the mountains was a joy to behold. Although it was freezing out, frost everywhere, my hands were shaking as I shot this.


And…tonight is Art Walk in Pioneer Square. In addition to the canvases, I've been working many little paintings on gessoed paper…with oils, and at times graphite.

After 26 years, one of my favorite bookstores has closed. When I was on Broadway for dinner with no plans afterwards, I would wander into Bailey Coy and peruse their selection. It's how I'd do my impulse book buying. If I'm looking for something specific, I'd go online for details and then take the info to Bailey Coy and order it from them. Tomorrow night they are holding an event with an auction (to assist with their debt) and a chance to say goodbye.

I thought it would be nice to also have another way to show them our appreciation. So I came up with a call for an informal "show the love". With the prodding and help of a friend, he created a facebook event and it was also posted to put up Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. In addition, if you scroll down the CHS blog entry, they've received and added the auction item list. Pretty sweet stuff, including the signed underwear of David Sedaris!

From the event page:

Show The Love

Bailey Coy Books is holding a wake on Thursday, Dec 3rd at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online from Brown Paper Tickets and more information is available at BaileyCoy.com.

For those of us who can't make it to the wake, how about showing them a little love? Flowers, signs, cards.

On Thursday during the day, what if you left a note at the entrance with the name of the favorite book you've purchased or your favorite Bailey Coy memory?
Let's bring these tokens of appreciation to show Michael Wells and the entire Bailey Coy staff how much we value and will miss them.

And remember to please continue to show the love by supporting your local independent bookseller!


And speaking of tomorrow night, it's a busy one. In addition to the Bailey Coy Books wake, there are some great openings for First Thursday. Much I want to experience it all, other than having the time to check out a couple of them, I will be in the studio from 6 - 9 pm hosting our art walk. Some of what I'm showing is found here.

I've been lax on the daily photo since September. Something inside was fried...spent....and I didn't have enough creative energy to work on paintings, figure out illustrations and push myself to shoot a daily photo. But this week, other than yesterday's cello pix, I've begun again. This photo is the couture shop next to our studio entrance. It was a gallery which closed and then a fashion designer took over. At times, 3 or 4 sewing machines are in the front windows and you can watch them making the clothes. It's an interesting space.

World AIDS Day

I don't have any words and so this morning sought out music created in response to AIDS and found this article in GLBTQ Arts. From the article, here are youtube links of some of the songs.

Tori Amos: Not The Red Baron

Patti Smith: Death Singing

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson: Halloween Parade

and more some Laurie Anderson: Love Among The Soldiers

A complex piece by The Jams in 1987 about the media's response to the AIDS crisis: All You Need Is Love

Yesterday was a cool, grey winter-ish type day. It's one of those days where I really enjoy being in the studio because that kind of weather makes it feel extra warm and cozy inside. The only thing missing was a crockpot of warm cider with tequila and Trader Joe's ginger cat cookies.

KPLU, NPR's jazz station, was on and their weekly program "Piano Jazz" had just begun. And...I had a treat. Sheila Jordan was the guest artist this week. My niece who sings and composes jazz studied with Ms. Jordan and spoke highly of her. Until yesterday, I'd never heard her sing. I was blown away. In some of her songs, listening to the notes she effortlessly strings together blew me away.

If interested, you can listen to the program here.

A couple youtube videos of Sheila Jordan singing:

Baltimore Oriole

Humdrum Blues/Let's Face The Music and Dance

The good jazz really added to the comforting ambiance in the studio. And, more importantly, not only did it prompt me to spend some time connecting with my niece via many texts but also felt strongly moved to put up the little hot pink feather holiday tree.

'Tis the season...

Wonderful concert last night.

One of the funniest holiday things I've seen thus far: zombie reindeer dancing to Thriller (with revised lyrics) sung by 250 men. I still chuckle imagining the dead fabric dripping from their antlers.

One of the best vocal experiences thus far: Betty Buckley singing "Memory" from Cats.

Here's the big - I've never seen nor have had a desire to see Cats. Why? I hated that song. Maybe because it was overplayed. Maybe because I'd hear it out of context. But it always bored me. Ms. Buckley surprised us by performing it as her final encore. Listening to her voice, her energy, the passion she sang with...I had tears rolling down my cheeks. It's was incredibly beautiful. Rich and substantive. It pierced my heart.

Thanksgiving day was a wonderful time...filled with family, friends, loads of great food, laughs and delightful conversations. Silliness abounded. 15 of us gathered close.

Yesterday was a total regroup from such a full people day. Spent a little time with a friend in what is quickly becoming my new favorite public living room. We shared intense conversation while settled into a large comfortable leather couch and enjoyed good lattes.

Today, I finally returned to the studio after a week of being sick. Rusty, but I began with painting on paper. From there I worked a few paintings on canvas. Tentative, but it's alright. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long spell of working that won't again get disrupted by becoming ill.

And tonight...I'm looking forward to dinner with good friends and then an evening with the Seattle Men's Chorus with featured guest Betty Buckley.

Remember abundance.

To put it mildly, the last few years have been challenging. One thing I've continued to do to keep me stable was listing off the many things in my life that I was/am thankful for. And it's not only in an "I'm happy to have this" but it's actually an "I'm still in awe that this is a part of my life" kind of list.

Nothing is perfect including these , but still...

Kickass apartment in a perfect part of town.
Kickass studio space in a seriously groovy building
Kickass job that I've been at over 10 years
Kickass coworkers who still blow me away
Kickass best friend who mutually shares their dark, bloodied spaces
Kickass shrink
Kickass friends & play partners
Kickass family

There are a few places in my life where I feel a huge tangible hole. Deep longing. But it'll all come together. It's all coming together. And in the moments when despair and pain feel insurmountable, diving right into the blackness without shame gets me through and then mentally and sometimes obsessively checking this list offers balance.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Changes...long overdue. Please note the new url of this blog. Thanks!