Black Swan

When I saw the movie Black Swan I knew virtually next to nothing about it and went in with a completely open mind. After I saw it I was blown away, and the idea of duality really stuck with me. The film was one thing, but as my Back Swan Brethren sisters know, there is a deeper meaning in the black swan, or black swan moment. The first pages are more of an ode to the film. I loved the illustrated movie posters and printed one for my journal, but I wanted to incorporate it somehow. So I added other images as well as text from the film, and by the end it felt a little like how I imagined the inside of Nina's mind. The second spread holds it's place in my pirate journal. This one loosely represents the contradictions and dualities within all of us. It was fun working on opposites in it's simplest forms.

Holiday Loot

Here are a few of the wonderful things that I got for Christmas. My favorite gift was such a thoughtful surprise from my hubby, that I just stared in wonder at it most of the day. He had a leather moleskine cover custom engraved with one of MY illustrations. A very personal one at that, which represents my mantra, "Be Seen, Be Heard". Importance placed on what I do and on my creativity is also embedded in this gift, which was touching. I also got a ton of great Fossil goodies from my Mama which is so up my alley. And another piece to add to my pirate collection, this awesome skully necklace. I have been eyeing it for ages, and finally got it. The rest of the day was spent, just the two of us, with our sweet sleepy kitties in the sunlight and wrappings, and topped off with a nice meal.

Happy New Year!

Here's a little photo recap of the last 12 months and where they've taken me. I started the year out right in CA, with family, near the ocean for a good long visit. Feb took us to FL to visit more family. Spring and summer were spent mostly close to home with trips into Denver and time at the Boulder Outdoor Cinema and the Rocky Mt Folks Festival. My work was published in the summer issue of Art Journaling Magazine as well as in Real Life Journals: Designing & Using Handmade Books. Next came the biggest journey of the year, a trip to Greece with my Mom and Chad! Some good time with girl friends and our journals at Journalfest and a full blown family Thanksgiving in CT. December was thankfully spent at home, quiet and peaceful.

This new year promises to bring more change, some travel, and greater appreciation of it all. Too much time was spent away from home which made it challenging to fully appreciate all of it, and even harder to feel rooted at home. This year means making more art, selling my art for the first time, spontaneity, and letting things come as the come. Not planning to much, or over thinking, or anticipating everyone else's needs over my own. To just let it happen, and be fully in it. Happy New Year to you all!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all! Hope it was a fantastic year and many great things for you in the future!

The Finale - Athens

Athens is not the reason I go to Greece. Not this time anyway. It's a big, bustling city that unfortunately, beyond seeing the ruins, doesn't particularly speak to me. But we went again because my Mom can't go all the way to Greece and not see the Parthenon! So we went, and we wandered the Plaka, and hit some museums. The new Acropolis Museum was an amazing tribute the the Acropolis itself, in full view from the museum. The top level replicated all the friezes and columns of the Parthenon and was the same size and alignment as the ancient temple itself. Difficult to explain, but sometimes in museums the context is lacking. You see wonderful things without a solid, tangible sense of where it came from. Not so at this museum, with the real deal always in the background and with such thoughtful design choices.

For the first time ever, I got to see the real Caryatids, up close. This made the whole trip to Athens worth it for me. Unlike the reproductions at the site that you just can't get quite close enough too, you are able to walk right up to these. I circled these ancient ladies and pondered the burden they literally bore, as well as my own sense of burden and responsibility. I looked at them from different angles, and marveled at seeing them from the back for the first time. So I stood, and sketched. I took my moment to connect with the past and the beauty of these columnic statues. I was at it for a while, when the young museum guide came up to me. Just to look and to talk. He was sweet and admiring and shared how most people just come, look, snap a photo and leave. They spend more time shooting photos than experiencing, and it all gets put on a cd labeled "Greece 2010", rarely to be looked at again. He told me about the sketches on the top floor that helped them determine how the Parthenon once looked, before looting and fires changed its appearence. Drawings made by "someone like you", he said. That made me feel like a historian, an artist, an archaeologist even. That's me, capturing my little bit of the story with my journals and sketchbooks. Mine becoming intertwined with capturing what I see around me. But isn't travel a little bit like that? Your own path converging with the paths of many. Sharing with those on the same journey, at this present moment as well as all those who came before you. People living in and seeking out this place you have been fortunate enough to set foot upon. The first time I went to Greece I felt so close and so far at the same time. How odd and comforting it is to know what is going on somewhere else, that we are all connected by this time, this moment, regardless of where we are.

The Detour - Delos & Mykonos

One of the places I insisted upon going to this time was the sacred isle of Delos. This barren island was once the center of the Cycladic Greek islands, geographically and otherwise. Going here determined that we would indeed go to Naxos, seeing as boats leave from there to Delos. These boats as it turns out, go to Mykonos as well. Which is how we ended up going to one of the most known and touristy islands, against all desire to do so. The day as it turned out, was a really long one. The boat ride to Delos was peaceful and being on the water is a favorite of mine. Delos holds history and artifacts, but unfortunately the magic was stifled due to the hordes upon hordes of people. I had this fantasy of exploring the island quietly, slowly. But the schedule is firm and only as we ventured farther and farther out did I feel any peace. But we "discovered" ancient wells and mosaics along with temples and homes. My visit to the Lion terrace was heartbreaking. One of my truly guilty pleasure films is the movie, Summer Lovers, and I had the deluded fantasy that I could walk right up to the lion (replicas) just as Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah did. Just like most sites, it was blocked off and I had to admire at a distance, feeling very disconnected to this ancient place. I accepted this and moved on, thinking I could at least sketch the real deal in the museum, but naturally it was blocked off too.

After Delos, the boat took us to Mykonos and we had no plan, no intention other than to not get sucked into mindless shopping while we were there. First things first, we wandered aimlessly along the edge of the port town, through beautiful Little Venice, finally ending up at the windmills. Once the obligatory photos were taken was when the fun really began. We sat upon a high rock, overlooking the coast, marveling that we were truly here again. At last. We walked and wandered to tiny, quiet beaches moving further and further from the crowds. After more wandering through town, and a necessary gelatto stop, we headed back to the Church of Panagia Paraportiani. We stumbled upon this church earlier and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I realize that thousands of tourists "discover" this church in the same way, but it felt like it was there just for me, heaven on Earth. So we sat and looked and sketched. While tours passed by and gave it a quick glance, we stayed and basked in it's simple lines and beauty. Like the adobe churches of New Mexico, the lines were both crisp an organic, standing out against and disappearing into the blue white sky. Who knows where you will find your own sacred spots. When you have no expectations, even no desire, the most magical things can appear. The day was long and hot, windy and draining, but there is something to the trick of being alone in the crowds, and finding the undiscovered among the endlessly explored.

In Between - Naxos

Naxos was new to me, unfamiliar, uncharted... It's one of those islands that is less travelled to in the Cyclades even though its on the main ferry hub. It's a big island too, the biggest of the Cyclades. It had one of the most charming main port towns that I've been to. Sure, there are plenty of things to lure you in right off the ferry, but beyond it there is so much more. The food was spectacular. No kidding. For a place that already relies on fresh food, we ate like kings here. Long stretches of sandy beaches and a curving coast line of lesser explored coves. Ancient temples and Venetian castles. The Venetian influence on Naxos town was quite stunning. In September, on this island, felt...quiet. But it was still warm enough to swim, windy though it may be at times. We rented a car and toured the island, stumbling upon tiny old untouched towns, potter's hamlets, winding vistas, goats, abandoned giant kouros, and the sea, of course. It was a special island, one I would explore more deeply given the chance. We stayed at theAlkyoni Beach Hotel which has lush grounds (for the Cyclades), and is right on the beach (a plus in the off season) and close to town. While Naxos doesn't hold the magic for me of Santorini, or the peace and untouched feeling of Sifnos, it was still a wonderful time. One evening, in particular stands out. Listening to traditional Bouzuki music in the castle, sampling local wines and raki. The sound of the sea in the distance, while the music and dance filled us. It was one of those pure moments, the kind you can never capture and never need to.