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Have you felt lately like you are living a profound paradox, where two opposing ideas are true at the same time? My Libra nature always inspires me to view both sides of things - the agony and the ecstasy, as they say. That's what inspired the above artwork titled, Being Held in Deep Grief and Unbearable Beauty. The painting illustrates the heartbreak of living with an uncertain future of not knowing whether we are headed into the Great Unraveling or the Great Turning, and the exquisite experience of falling in love again and again with what the Earth brings us, especially in the autumn season. Read more ...

It seems I have become the golden joinery fix it lady -- the creatrix of Kintsugi. Bowls and platters have found their way to me for loving repair, each with a story to tell. Everything in the mending and painting process has become a metaphor, and each vessel has offered me a valuable life lesson. Here are some of their stories. Read more... ...

I have a confession to make. When I was in my twenties, I felt threatened by smart, creative, and attractive women. I think subconsciously I saw them as competition, a threat to my own intelligence and creativity. Thankfully, trough the decades I've learned that what I see in others is a mirror of my own potential. I owe this change in perspective to the many marvelous mentors I've had in my life -- women who have shown me how to live in connection with others in supportive and loving relationships. Read more... ...

Offering HeART and SoulCollage(r) Classes to inspire your creative spirit. Spring flowers, Summer Solstice, and 3-day Breaking and Mending and Retreat. Read on ...

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In January the astrologers warned us that 2020 would be a wild ride. If you are skeptical about astrological predictions, here is one summary from astrologist Gray Crawford that might turn you into a believer: “2020 is the beginning of not only a new decade, but a new astrological era. As with any birthing process, the year will involve enduring labor pains in order to introduce a new life. The year 2020 is a threshold to cross, a pause between the way it has been and the way it will be, necessitating a confrontation with all the difficult challenges in need of a remedy within civilization. There is nothing easy about the transits of 2020, yet they also contain a potent force within the dissolution and volatility they will incite." Read more. ...

With everything that's going on right now finding small miracles in my life seems more precious than ever. Here is a story of one of those miracles -- one that pulled me out of brokenheartedness and reminded me that there are still many wonders out there in the world just waiting for us to find them. I hope my story will inspire you to watch for the miracles that might be waiting in your life, too. :) The Messengers The scalloped edges of rich green oak trees lined the rolling hills of Basket Slough Wildlife Refuge. Behind the oaks, billowing white clouds mimicked the curved arboreal flow of the trees. Stretched out in front of the oaks was a gold and brown field of dried Queen Anne's Lace. I stopped on the path, took a deep breath, and let my eyes receive the landscape: honey gold, nutmeg brown, olive green, and dove white, all opening under a mantle of blue. It was a joy I'd taken for granted - clear views and breathing clean, fresh air. Wildfires had raged in Oregon over the past week and burned many of my favorite mountain hiking trails in the Santiam wilderness, and the ...

We are in the aftermath of emotional turmoil and great losses from the wildfires that raged here in the Pacific Northwest over the last several days. I thought something upbeat might be welcomed. So, here it is, a bit of happy news to share with you from my Down to Earth Studio. Maybe this newsletter will somehow help you keep your heart open to possibility. Read more... ...

"Are we there yet? How much longer?" Who doesn't recognize these questions from impatient children in the backseat of the car when the journey is long and tedious. That's how I'm feeling five months into The Big P. How about you? I have my routines and not all of it is unpleasant, quite the contrary in fact. I feel blessed and fortunate in so many ways. But, I also feel deeply nostalgic for the good old days of gathering together and creating art, leading retreats at Breitenbush, and long, close hugs from friends. I wonder how much longer it will be before we can feel comfortable together in person again? read more... ...

I've always loved my home, but lately I appreciate her even more because of The Great Pause (the pandemic). I have stayed home more in the last few months than ever before in all the sixty-eight years of my life. Being home has deepened my gratitude for my humble abode. And the pièce de résistance, down in the basement of my house, is the santuary where I spend hours creating art and crafts -- GG's Down to Earth Studio. Your response to the May newsletter invitation to send me your art tells me many of you have been busy creating, too. I miss having you here with me in the studio, but love that you have sent me your creations for this months' newsletter. So, without any further ado, it is will great pleasure that I announce...(ta-ta-da-daaaa!)... read more ...