living in a broken world

The tears flowed down my face when I heard there was another school shooting.  Like any other parent watching Friday's tragedy unfold, I thought of my own children.  And on the heels of a Portland mall shooting just three days prior, it's hard not to fall into a dark place of hopelessness.
 
The recent devestating news reminds me of a similar tragedy- the school shooting at Thurston High School in May of 1998.  I was a high school art teacher at the time, but at a school across town from Thurston High.  There was a district-wide lockdown, and I spent the five hours in a locked classroom helping students process a gamut of emotions.   

A year later, there was a mass shooting at Columbine High in Colorado.  My husband's friend happened to be in the school's cafeteria that day.  He helped get kids to safety.

Thurston, Littleton, Newtown- these are small communities, yet so many of us have been personally impacted by their tragic stories.  I want to believe that we've seen the last of these senseless killings, but we live in a broken world.  So I turn to God for hope, for He brings light into a dark world.  In fact, He willingly entered a dark world to love it and save it. 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:5 

Rembrandt, Adoration of the Shepherds, oil on canvas, 1646. National Gallery London.

 

for the love of calendars

Growing up, we used to have a calendar in every room of the house. These poster-sized calendars were given out to customers by Korean businesses.  My Korean grandparents lived with us, and it was my grandfather who was the biggest fan of these calendars.  They were used as his appointment books, so it was commonplace to see circled dates and Korean notes on the side. 

My family would have a small stash of these free calendars rolled up and ready to give to visiting friends and family.  When I moved into my own place, not a year went by without my grandfather or mother offering me a new calendar.  I would try to politely decline, but then my husband would make a nice comment about the calendars.  And this always led to,  "Oh, you like?!  I give you two."

It's been 13 years since my grandfather passed away.  I still think of him whenever I see a Korean calendar.  If he was alive today, he would be the first to receive my new calendar that I finished this weekend.  And I know he'd be pleased.  (Although I would have to supersize the dates for him!)

First Thursday event in London

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Three of my paintings are now on display at the Vyner Street Gallery in London! The group show is from December 3 - 16, with a First Thursday event planned for this week.  Images of the three paintings are in this post.  For more information on the exhibition, go here. 

A number of my latest works have also been uploaded into my Etsy shop, including a few weavings and smaller paintings on cedar wood.  Click here to see what is available. 

     

my week

it's been 15 years since we've brought a puppy home

she's a lot like our first dog- so very sweet . . . but a tad more fearless

she didn't even cry her first night with us

the day before thanksgiving, we took her to the beach

she chased the waves and climbed the dunes

we named her Scout

the november rain has been relentless

but we caught a break at the beach

when the sun was setting, the sky looked like it was on fire

a young man pointed to the colorful display and remarked, "heaven's a million miles that away"

well said

i've amped up production this week

in preparation for the holiday market nov. 30 - dec. 1

whatever doesn't sell goes into my etsy shop on sunday

tomorrow's feat: designing a 2013 calendar

i think i can, i think i can

Limited-edition linocut giveaway

I nearly forgot that it is my Etsy shop's anniversary today!  I've been quite busy these past few weeks helping out with a church art project and spearheading the Holiday Market at my daughter's school. Oh, and did I mention we got a puppy?!  Pictures to come in the next post.

In all this craziness, I've managed to eek out some me-time at my art desk. . . sleep is over-rated, I say.  My latest creative output resulted in a batch of hand printed linocuts.  Printmaking was my focus in college, but it's been years since I've tackled a hand printing project.  My daughters watched me this time as I hand pulled the first lino print, and all the oohs and ahhs from the peanut gallery just added to the excitement. 

I used turquoise ink for the first few prints and then switched to a deeper blue (and oil-based) ink.  There are only three of the turquoise available, and I thought it would be fitting to give them away in celebration of my three year Etsy anniversary. 

If you'd like a chance to nab one of these limited-edition prints, just leave a comment below.  On Wednesday, November 28th, I'll randomly choose three winners and post the names here.  

I am also giving away these prints with every order in my Etsy shop.  You can check out the details here.

11/28: Congratulations to the three winners! David Thurston, Emmel Prutsemieke, and Emma-Lee

weaving 101

In September, I finally signed up for a weaving class at an arts center in my neighborhood.  For years, I have looked through the windows of the weaving class and have long envied the folks working on the looms.

The last time I took a weaving class, I was nine years old.  We never got to floor looms, which, as I've been learning these past few weeks, involves a lot of mathematical calculations and tedious threading.  I thought that I had decent math skills (and patience!) up until now.  Adding and multiplying allowances, shrinkage, fringe, ends per inch . . . huh? 

I did manage to finish my weaving sampler, which I had been working on since the start of class!

One of the things that spurred me to sign up for a weaving class was the purchase of a vintage miniature loom at an artist's estate sale.  Knowing very little about weaving, I bought the loom on faith that I could get it to working order.  I brought the loom to class, and my instructor pointed out that it was missing a heddle, which is the part of the loom that holds the threads in place to create an open space for the shuttle.

After scouring the internet for a heddle, I decided to make my own.  I figured if the loom was 80 years old, surely I could macgyver a working heddle.  So, I did, out of quilting plastic template and craft wood. That's it, the piece hanging from the top bar.

Here are some photos capturing the process.

You can imagine my excitement when it worked!  I finished my first weaving on the little loom just a few days ago.

And I'm almost done with my second piece! I'm planning on selling these weavings at the upcoming Holiday Market in Portland,  November 30 thru December 1. 

hello london!

I'm excited to announce that my art will be part of a group show at a new London gallery called Lilk.  For the last few weeks, I've been working on new originals for the show.  The three paintings are on paper and are a bit larger than my usual works on paper.  Here's a look at the finished pieces.

Autumn Sun, 15 x 20 inches

left: Black Forest, right: Timberline, both 11.75 x 16.5 inches

I've uploaded a couple of work in progress pics on instagram.  If you live in the London area, I'd love for you to check out the show at Lilk.  The group show runs from December 3 - 9, with the late night event planned for Thursday, December 6.  For those who live outside of London, my new works will also be available for viewing and purchase on Lilk's website.

supporting the arts at a local school

Last year, I helped launch an arts fair at our neighborhood elementary school, and somehow I ended up chairing the event this year.  (Note to self: avoid eye contact at next parent volunteer meeting.)  So part of my crazy fall schedule involves after school meetings, event planning, and networking.  I also managed to eek out an illustration for the poster design.

There will be about 30 local vendors (a number of Etsy sellers) participating in the Holiday Market.  For the next few weeks, I'll be working on new inventory for the show.  I'm thinking more paintings on cedar wood slices and rocks.  And I'm hoping to have a 2013 calendar ready by then.

If you're in the Portland area at the end of this month, please stop by and say hello.  The Holiday Market is a great way to shop for handmade gifts and support a local school. Twenty-five percent of all sales goes back to the arts program at Capitol Hill- yay for art in schools! With the proceeds, we are hoping to update the kiln and stock classrooms with art materials.