HELP PROTECT  ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES- How to get involved

HELP PROTECT ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES- How to get involved

As we enter what scientists are calling The Sixth Mass Extinction endangered plants need our help more than ever. Loss of species is happening at an alarming pace due to climate change, pollinator decline, mining, and human activity.  I’ve put together some resources to get involved quickly and easily. 

read more
An illustration for The Lever

An illustration for The Lever

My recent illustration for Lever News and the LeverTime podcast: How Ecological Justice Advocates Are Holding Fossil Fuel Polluters Accountable for Climate Change

read more
PART 1: Art prints featured on the set of The Curse: “Green Queen”, Season 1, Episode 10. Symbolic art used in the finale explained!

PART 1: Art prints featured on the set of The Curse: “Green Queen”, Season 1, Episode 10. Symbolic art used in the finale explained!

Framed prints from Whitney and Asher’s house on The Curse show, specifically featured in the nursery and their bedroom. Wall Art prints featured on the set of The Curse: “Green Queen”, Season 1, Episode 10 are by Santa Fe artist Rebecca Lee Kunz of Treeoflifestudio.net leave clues or Easter Eggs about the show’s ending. Symbolic art used in the finale explained! Rebecca’s artwork was featured on the set of The Curse, starring Emma Stone as Whitney and Nathan Fielder as Asher. Spoiler Alert: In the last half of episode be on the lookout for my framed prints on the walls of Whitney and Asher’s home, specifically in the bedroom and the baby nursery, where my prints serve as visual Easter Eggs, or clues, about the meaning of the show and hidden messages about the ending. Art by Santa Fe artist and owner of Tree of Life Studio appears in the bedroom and nursery scenes of The Curse by Paramount Plus and Showtime. Subscribe to view with your Amazon Prime account.

read more
2023 A Year in Review

2023 A Year in Review

Artist Rebecca Lee Kunz shared her 2023 events, including the announcement of her illustrations for the upcoming picture book with Andrea Rogers “Chooch Helped” published by Levine Querido. Her 2023 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Shop Lloyd Kiva New Gallery, her upcoming 3D work Selu Monument that was chosen to be part of the permanent outdoor exhibit on the Cherokee Cultural Pathway in Tahlequah, OK, and the feature of her art in the Yale Climate Connections article.

read more
“Carrier :: Entwined”: A story about Wren, the messenger

“Carrier :: Entwined”: A story about Wren, the messenger

  Carrier :: Entwined   Gouache, Ink, Monotype on linen   18 x 18” This piece tells a story about Wren- the messenger, the carrier. Wren flies from house to house singing out messages, carrying stories, according to Cherokee mythology. Our job is to listen I, as the...

read more
“Alarum :: Cradle“: What does the Wren’s nest teach us?

“Alarum :: Cradle“: What does the Wren’s nest teach us?

Alarum :: Cradle   Gouache, Ink, Monotype on linen 14 x 14”According to Cherokee legend, Wren is the messenger. Through song, she calls out the news of the day. Wren shows up in this new body of work, posing inquiries, warning us of what is to come..What does it mean...

read more
THE MESSENGER, HOW WREN DELIVERS NEWS

THE MESSENGER, HOW WREN DELIVERS NEWS

.According to Cherokee legend, the wren is known to be the messenger. Through song, the messenger tells her people what is to come in the future. She is known to announce such things as famines, wildfires or ceremonies in neighboring villages.In this piece the...

read more
WHERE TO LOOK FOR HAPPINESS

WHERE TO LOOK FOR HAPPINESS

As much as I love running my creative business, I also love a good vacation. But now I'm back and the online shop is open again!Traveling to another culture can be such a refreshing reframe. It can also remind us of our values. Right? On a recent trip to Belize I was...

read more
Yale Climate Review features Tree of Life Studio

Yale Climate Review features Tree of Life Studio

I'm honored to have my work featured in the story by Yale Climate Connections 8 Artists who are Grappling with Climate Change and Imagining a Better WorldRebecca Lee Kunz runs with myths in her ‘Story Paintings’ Rebecca Lee Kunz, an artist and citizen of the Cherokee...

read more
“Call it Owl’s Song”, lessons from an owl

“Call it Owl’s Song”, lessons from an owl

A Story painting by Rebecca Lee Kunz from her 2021 Exhibit STORY PAINTINGS: A Mythological Narrative told by the Creatures of the Anthropocene  at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ©2021 .“Call it Owl's Song” is a mixed media...

read more
“Skyward Return”, messages from our skyward friends

“Skyward Return”, messages from our skyward friends

A Story painting by Rebecca Lee Kunz from her 2021 Exhibit STORY PAINTINGS: A Mythological Narrative told by the Creatures of the Anthropocene  at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ©2021 .If you have been following along with the...

read more
“Blackberry to Cotton”, the fall of Cherokee matriarchal power

“Blackberry to Cotton”, the fall of Cherokee matriarchal power

This wall art print is featured in the set of show The Curse. It appears in the nursery of Whitney and Asher’s house in Episode 10, Season 1. From Santa Fe artist Rebecca Lee Kunz’s original artwork, and from her Story Painting series. Find this print at Treeoflifestudio.net/shop.

read more
PRINTS FROM MY STORY PAINTING EXHIBIT NOW AVAILABLE

PRINTS FROM MY STORY PAINTING EXHIBIT NOW AVAILABLE

It’s official! You can now buy Archival Museum prints from my current exhibit on both my website and in my Etsy shopEach of the prints comes in 2 sizes and each image has its own unique story. If you'd like to learn more click hereThe inks that are used in the...

read more
“Sky Guides ” Coyote guides from the Sky Vault

“Sky Guides ” Coyote guides from the Sky Vault

A Story painting by Rebecca Lee Kunz from her 2021 Exhibit STORY PAINTINGS: A Mythological Narrative told by the Creatures of the Anthropocene  at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ©2021 . If you’ve been following along with the...

read more
“From Cinders”  A modern proverb: Grief as Transformation

“From Cinders” A modern proverb: Grief as Transformation

A Story painting by Rebecca Lee Kunz from her 2021 Exhibit STORY PAINTINGS: A Mythological Narrative told by the Creatures of the Anthropocene  at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ©2021 . After we’ve gone trough the murky depths of...

read more
EXHIBIT OVERVIEW AND MORE EXCITING NEWS

EXHIBIT OVERVIEW AND MORE EXCITING NEWS

Hi friends, my exhibit at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery has been a great success! I couldn't have done any of it without the unending support from my family and community.The exhibit is still up in Santa Fe until October 20, 2021! I invite you to visit if you haven't...

read more
SOLO EXHIBIT IN SANTA FE

SOLO EXHIBIT IN SANTA FE

Please join me for my upcoming exhibition Story Paintings at the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery at MoCNA in Santa Fe. map An opening reception will be held Friday, August 20th, 5:00-7:00. The exhibit runs through October 20, 2021.In these Story Paintings, Cherokee mythology...

read more
NEW THINGS ON THE HORIZON

NEW THINGS ON THE HORIZON

Hello my friend, we made it to spring, hallelujah! It has been a difficult 12 months for many and I hope things are looking up for all of you.I have exciting news...Save the date for my one-woman gallery exhibition running August 20th through October 20th in Santa Fe...

read more
COYOTE SKIN

COYOTE SKIN

Of the evenings when I’m out on my favorite trail with my dog Nalii and we hear the coyotes start to call. They’ve been speaking to us. Sometimes their call sounds distant. Sometimes they sound like they are on our tail. Coyotes have come out for their nightly prowl....

read more
THE COLLECTIVE CREATIVE

THE COLLECTIVE CREATIVE

As I have developed as an artist I have come to believe that our creativity is not something we can necessarily own, or take credit for. I find it to be something of an impulse, something living within us. Like a deep well, is it is something we can all can partake...

read more
GATHERING STRENGTH

GATHERING STRENGTH

It has been 10 years since I had a really good visit with my dear friend, my painting easel. AND, it has been 10 years since my first child was born. It's no coincidence that my easel has been in the dusty corner of my shed for these past 10 years. In this time I have...

read more
PIONEERING OF THE SOUL

PIONEERING OF THE SOUL

Sometimes I find myself wondering "how did we come to walk this path...out in these high hills, surrounded by dirt, removed from the green landscapes and comforts we grew up knowing"? My husband and I left our families some twenty years ago, left our homelands and all...

read more
DIY VALENTINES SEED BOMBS

DIY VALENTINES SEED BOMBS

Need unique DIY Valentines Day gifts for him? Easily create your own heart shaped Valentines seed bombs! These eco valentines are a fun and easy Valentines craft, and wonderful diy valentines for kids! Hey, when was the last time you heard of using a bomb for a good...

read more
DIY PERPETUAL CALENDAR

DIY PERPETUAL CALENDAR

New year, new calendar! What fun my daughter had creating this perpetual calendar.  This finished calendar now hangs on the wall in our homeschool room. Here's how to make your own.First draw 5 different sized circles on large paper by tracing round objects.  Just go...

read more
BURIED TREASURE

BURIED TREASURE

Pink quartz scattered at our feet, we walked up the rocky hill.  Past the old tree house, criss crossing between junipers and piñons, we made our way through the golden autumn light.  We had been on a hunt for piñon pine resin, or cured pine sap, found on the trunks...

read more
QUINOA RICE CRACKERS

QUINOA RICE CRACKERS

This recipe came from an attempt to copy a favorite cracker that we buy a lot called "Mary's Gone Crackers". These crackers have no flour, and only a few simple ingredients, including two super foods, quinoa and chia seeds. Wonderful with goat cheese or by themselves,...

read more
A WALDORF HOMESCHOOLER’S SECOND GRADER’S PORTFOLIO

A WALDORF HOMESCHOOLER’S SECOND GRADER’S PORTFOLIO

I have had some requests to share work from our Waldorf-inspired second grade home school.  I became much more comfortable teaching this year, and because of this and the wonderful subjects we studied, we had a lot of fun! In the second grade traditional Waldorf...

read more
MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH~ A REVIEW

MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH~ A REVIEW

Every once in a while we come across something so inspiring, that we have to pause and take a moment to take it in.  This happened to me when I found the art of Meredith Woolnough. It is difficult to successfully mimic mother nature's beautiful organic motifs, and do...

read more
HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

  I have been working on this recipe for a while and I finally feel like I have found a great balance of flavors.  It is very mildly spicy, so my can kids eat it.  This recipe makes a good quantity, you will have enough to to save in a jar for many taco nights to...

read more
LIKE A CAVEMAN

LIKE A CAVEMAN

Well sorta like a caveman...only a little more sophisticated. My most recent love has been painting stones.  Lots of stones. They are everywhere, these sweet little stones... I seem to be finding since I began my love affair with adorning these natural beauties. The...

read more
HOMEMADE DIY MARSHMALLOWS

HOMEMADE DIY MARSHMALLOWS

Looking for DIY Valentines Day gift ideas for kids school? Make your own heart shaped marshmallows at home . . . We decided we would make these heart shaped marshmallows for Valentine's Day this year.  Did they turn out to be light and fluffy? Not exactly, but they...

read more
SAINT BRIGID, KEEPER OF THE HEARTH

SAINT BRIGID, KEEPER OF THE HEARTH

PRAYER OF SAINT BRIGID Brigid of the Mantle, encompass us, Lady of the Lambs, protect us, Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us. Beneath your mantle, gather us, And restore us to memory. Mothers of our mother, Foremothers strong. Guide our hands in yours, Remind us how to...

read more
THE PIÑON PILGRIMAGE

THE PIÑON PILGRIMAGE

One September, when my first born was just a baby, we started noticing masses of cars parked on our roadside.  Alongside the cars were people crouched under trees with buckets in hands.  They seemed to be doing something very important, but a mystery to us. We came to...

read more
HAPPY MARTINMAS

HAPPY MARTINMAS

"I carry a light within me A brightly burning flame Though dark may try to win me It ever shines the same It guides me through uncertainty It warms the wintry weather And brings to every burden The lightness of a feather"  

read more
BEING MADE WHOLE

BEING MADE WHOLE

From time to time we are asked to face something unexpected. When this happens, we are often made to look at uncomfortable realities. Last week I was told that my grandmother may not live more than a few days.  If I was to see her, I had to make a decision to leave...

read more
FLOURLESS PIZZA CRUST

FLOURLESS PIZZA CRUST

This recipe will make 2 medium size pizzas, with very thin crusts. Here are the ingredients you will need for the pizza crust: 1 large head of cauliflower 2 large eggs 1/2 - 3/4 cup goat cheese (or cream cheese) 4 Tbsp parmesan cheese (optional) 3 cloves minced garlic...

read more
FIRST GRADE, A REVIEW

FIRST GRADE, A REVIEW

The end of our first year homeschooling, and what a year we had!  Happy to say we fared well. Here, our weather tree is a symbol of our journey. We started in September with a bare tree on a very clean blackboard, which you can see on this blog post. Leaves were...

read more
DIY CLOTH BABY WIPE SOLUTION

DIY CLOTH BABY WIPE SOLUTION

Here are the ingredients you will need to make your own cloth baby wipe solution: 16 oz apricot oil or almond oil 16 oz liquid castile soap (I use lavender scented) calendula flowers (found in bulk at herb stores) First you need to infuse your oil with calendula.  Put...

read more
HOW TO MAKE A FELT STRAWBERRY, WITH PDF PRINTABLE PATTERN

HOW TO MAKE A FELT STRAWBERRY, WITH PDF PRINTABLE PATTERN

As promised, I will be posting my felt food tutorials, with printable PDF patterns. I thought we would start with the cutest felt strawberry! For strawberry you will need: red and green felt red, yellow and green embroidery thread embroidery needle wool roving or...

read more
HEART PATCHES

HEART PATCHES

Anyone have some holey jeans that need some love? Here are some love patches to solve your woes. Simply cut out some hearts, add some sweet sweet stitches, and a little bit of love.  Now patch up those brokenhearted jeans with a little love.  Happy Valentines...

read more
PROMISE OF THE RAINBOW

PROMISE OF THE RAINBOW

My children come to me each day and hand me a rainbow. They beckon me to come. The path has been paved, they know the way. We can choose to go. The chasm of popular culture, the badlands of everything-at-our-fingertips right here and right now, is there as well, every...

read more
DIY WATERCOLOR PAPER LANTERN

DIY WATERCOLOR PAPER LANTERN

These watercolor paper lanterns are easy and fun to make.  Children will love to watch the light dance and glow as they carry them through the dark night. You can find the pattern for this lantern in my Etsy shop First start with 2 sheets of watercolor paper, 11" x...

read more
FIRST GRADE HOMESCHOOL

FIRST GRADE HOMESCHOOL

Well, we officially started first grade homeschool today.  What fun!  "Big" kid circle time games include clapping, stomping and using beanbags to learn numbers, letters and poems.  Learning verses and songs through movement.  Beginning our year with form drawing, an...

read more
FELT FOOD

FELT FOOD

Fried eggs anyone? Or maybe a fresh fruit platter? For my four year old daughter's birthday last week, I made her some felt food to add to her play kitchen.  You would be impressed by the meals she cooks up in there.  Her creatively prepared food could rival some of...

read more
FLOURLESS PROTEIN PANCAKES

FLOURLESS PROTEIN PANCAKES

I love trying less processed, real-food versions of traditional recipes, but the rule in my kitchen is...they MUST also be yummy.  If not, why bother? These pancakes are delicious and are a welcome change to old fashioned pancakes, which taste so good, but leave some...

read more
HAPPY DAD’S DAY

HAPPY DAD’S DAY

Just thought we would share a few ideas for Fathers Day gifts. Love on paper Take You Ridin in My Car massage shirt Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful daddies out there.  How we love you so!      

read more
ODE TO PARENTHOOD

ODE TO PARENTHOOD

Lately I have been feeling like a marathon runner.  With three children under the age of 7, life is full!  Very happily full, but full nonetheless. Much of my day is spent preparing meals, cleaning up messes, doing dishes and laundry, along with sprinklings of damage...

read more
SIGNS OF SPRING

SIGNS OF SPRING

Finally, after a long winter, signs of spring are popping up through the leafy remains of last autumn. Grass baskets have been planted with our homeschool group. Following my Mom's tradition, the Easter Tree has been decorated, with freshly dyed eggs to add to the...

read more
ROASTED BEETS

ROASTED BEETS

I haven't met a girl who doesn't like beets.  Is it the blood red color, the earthy flavor, the sweetness?  Who knows?!  But, what I haven't met is a man who likes them, or I don't know of many anyway.   You can try this experiment too, I bet you'll get the same...

read more
HOW TO WET FELT A PIECE OF FABRIC

HOW TO WET FELT A PIECE OF FABRIC

For valentines day we decided to make felt heart garlands. First we needed to make a piece of felt. This is one of the finished pieces we made. It is about 1/2" thick. To begin, you will need a selection of wool "roving". It is basically fluffy, un-spun, dyed wool...

read more
GRASSHOPPER SMOOTHIE SUPERFOOD GREEN DRINK

GRASSHOPPER SMOOTHIE SUPERFOOD GREEN DRINK

Ok, so there aren't real grasshoppers in the smoothie, but my kids like to pretend that they are because that makes it more fun to drink. The green color and the grassy smell could fool you though. I make some version of this smoothie a couple of times a week for my...

read more
HOW TO MAKE A FELT MUSHROOM HOUSE

HOW TO MAKE A FELT MUSHROOM HOUSE

This is the finished mushroom house, which my girls got for Christmas this year. First, you will need a concrete tube.  Cut the tube to be about 8" high with a hacksaw.  Then, draw the doorway and windows.  Use a serrated knife to cut these out.  Cut pieces of ribbon...

read more
CROWN OF SANTA LUCIA

CROWN OF SANTA LUCIA

Through the brightness of Saint Lucia, light and hope are celebrated on Santa Lucia Day. This holiday marks the longest night of the year, as well the beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden and many other countries.  Light, on this long dark night, is celebrated....

read more

LANTERN SPINNING

This year for our home school lantern walk, we made paper mache lanterns.  We blew up balloons, then covered them with colored tissue and crepe paper, which had been dipped in a water and glue mixture.  After they were dry we punched two holes in them and strung them...

read more
HANDMADE TYPOGRAPHY

HANDMADE TYPOGRAPHY

I recently worked on a project for a friend's website where I created a bunch of handmade letters. His logo had a collaged look before, but he wanted a more funky hand-made update. This was one of the most fun projects I have ever worked on.  Each letter became an...

read more
DRAGON BREAD

DRAGON BREAD

As part of our home schooling each year, we make dragon bread for Michaelmas, decorating the monster with dried fruit and nuts.  We like to use pumpkin seeds for spikes! Michaelmas is celebrated in honor of Saint Michael, who was known to have slain a fierce and...

read more

STAR CHILDREN

Upon a recent trip to a nursing home to visit family in Oklahoma, I was struck by the very visceral memory of experiencing a nursing home as a child.  The fragility and hopelessness.  The masses of elderly souls in the hallways, bent over, sleeping in their wheel...

read more

PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE

I have not ever forwarded someone else's blog post, but this story is too amazing to not share.  For all you ultra sensitive parents (like myself), brace yourself, then go and give each of your children a big...

read more

OUR LITTLE BABY BIRDS

Two enormous ponderosa pines tower dutifully over the back corner of our home.  I have always thought of them as our guardians, poised tall and firm throughout strong winds and heavy snows, protecting our humble home. It was under these trees where my daughter found a...

read more

HOW TO MAKE A TISSUE PAPER ROSE

First find a sheet of colored tissue paper and fold it into a 2" - 3" square.  Any old wrinkled tissue paper will do, in fact the more wrinkled, the more character your rose will have.  Next, you will need to draw a freehand flower shape, with about 10 petals, onto a...

read more

PALOMA GRACE KUNZ

An angel was brought here to us last week.  A soft pure spirit.  Warm and wet, placed upon my pulsing stomach.  Her peace untouchable. As she is held in our arms here on earth today, her spirit seems still to hover, at times, in another realm. Each day though becoming...

read more

NEEDLE FELTING MAGIC

I wanted to make a keepsake gift for our coming baby and decided to design this blanket.  I bought a soft merino wool blanket and needle felted the design onto it. Needle felting is a process where wool roving (or batting) or wool yarn is attached to a wool surface,...

read more

MYSTERIOUS LIFE

The soft snowy afternoon light streams in through the window as I read to my two girls, one under each arm.  We stop reading to watch the baby move, the shape of my belly taking on strange forms, like some alien being inhabiting my body. We laugh as tears fill my...

read more

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

My great grandmother made each of her 14 great grandchildren a felt pieced stocking. Each one was came from a kit, but was hand stitched, embellished with beads and sequins. These served as an inspiration for my own children's stockings.  It is not my style to use a...

read more

HOMESCHOOL TREASURES

The decision of educating our children crept up on us. When our first daughter turned three, we were faced…

read more

APPLE BOUNTY

Beautiful soft autumn day; listening to sweet banjo and fiddle play as we pick apples from the orchards at the Santa Fe Community Farm.  Warm sun on shoulders, warm laughter from the children, bobbing for apples as we pick the fruit. Fifty five pounds of apples...

read more

MOTHERHOOD, THE FIRST FIVE YEARS

For my daughters' birthdays this year I made them each a birthday crown.   Made of felted wool and embellished with tiny seed beads, these crowns were stitched of love, a little elbow grease and some tears. As my older daughter neared her fifth birthday, I began to...

read more

PLANTING HOPE

To the garden we wander,                             the soil moist with dew.                               We come this spring with open hearts renewed.   All heartaches forgiven, all winter's travails absolved.  Spring becomes for us a channel from which to draw new...

read more

SPRING BUTTER

Spring is finally here.  Birds have come out to sing, fruit trees are in bloom and cows are grazing in fresh green pastures.  What could make this time of year feel even more joyful?  Making home made butter, of course.  This is one thing that is so simple to make and...

read more

DYEING FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

It's dyeing day at our house and the colors are inspired by Saint Valentine's Day.  The palette: hot colors, shades of love: pinks, corals, and peaches.  Into the pot go old faded shirts, uninspiring shades of pillow cases and some jammies that needed a love boost. In...

read more

FELT FLOWERS

My newest obsession: felted flowers!  I made these pincushions for Christmas gifts in  December and fell in love with felt.  I love the soft earthy texture of real 100% wool felt.  I love how it feels to cut and work with.  I love that the edges can be left raw,...

read more

NEW BLUE NIGHTIES

For Christmas I made two flannel nightgowns for my four year old.  One was for her, and a matching one was for her rag doll, Charlotte.  Brilliant, I thought, when I came up with the idea.  Sofia has had mostly two piece pajamas all her life.   She deserves a...

read more

JOSS PAPER!!!

This beautiful Joss paper, or Spirit Money, which is usually made of bamboo or rice, is burned by the Chinese as an offering to ensure that the spirit of the dead has abundance in the afterlife.   I hope they won't mind if I use their Joss paper for a few projects in...

read more

PAPER MACHE LUNA

This year for Halloween my 4 year old daughter said she wanted to be "La Luna" (the moon!).    Since she was able to talk, she has always called the moon "La Luna, My Friend".  She has had a loving relationship with Her Friend and always looks out for her on any given...

read more
THE OLD HOMESTEAD

THE OLD HOMESTEAD

My great grandmother, Thelma Muskrat Lee, was born and raised in Oklahoma on what is now called the Grand Lake of the Cherokees.  This is where my great grandmother and great grandfather met and lived out their lives.  They lived on this land before there was a lake. ...

read more

SOFIA’S LOVE QUILT

Almost 4 years after passing out blank quilt squares to family and friends, my daughter's "baby" quilt is finally finished. Before the birth of my first daughter, I decided that I wanted her to have a community quilt.  I wanted her to have a tangible reminder of...

read more
A DREAM OF A LIFE

A DREAM OF A LIFE

Arriving in the dark night in Rincon, Puerto Rico, I was greeted by the silhouette of two sand palms standing majestically side by side.  My skin soaking up the moist tropical air, I took in a very deep breath.   The night was anything but quiet, abuzz with the...

read more

DEAR SUE

Dear Sue, How you are missed                                        You were like a mama to many of us            with your soft guiding hand                          With your wisdom you lit a path, so that  we could see what was already there With such a gentle way,...

read more

THE MAY POLE DANCE

May flower crowns in plaited hair, the young girls watched admiringly as the older children danced around the May Pole.  Ribbons of pink, blue and yellow being woven around the pole ever so skillfully as the warm May sun shone overhead, finally warming our shoulders....

read more

SPRING CHILD

A tulip unfolds it's petals                          The grass is sprinkled with dew                    We watch with hopeful eyes                        as sprouts push their way up through the  cool earth Where does spring find its courage?         Where trees have...

read more
ELSITA MORA, A REVIEW

ELSITA MORA, A REVIEW

Rarely in life are there people who touch you so deeply that you are utterly stunned.  This happened when I first came upon the work of an artist named Elsa Mora, or "Elsita".  This incredible woman, originally from Cuba,  is the definition of an artist to me, with...

read more

SOAKED GRAINS

I am not traditionally one for mixing sweet treats and "health food".   It always seemed like an oxymoron to me.  Often healthy treats are laking in flavor and are just plain plain.   If I am going to indulge on a treat, I want it to give me something back.  I do love...

read more

LEARNING TO PAINT

As I sat down to paint with my three year old the other day, a great shift had taken place in her sensibility. Circles, lines and shapes were appearing, where only scribbles existed last week. Seemingly effortlessly, her hand would create groupings of abstract shapes...

read more

UNASSUMING OBJECTS

Why is it that when I see a piece of bare wood, it calls out "paint me"? Not just "paint me" a simple color, but "decorate me... elaborately and colorfully". This not only happens with wood or furniture, but with bare walls, doors and other unassuming objects. This...

read more

ROASTED GARLIC WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD

Heading in the direction of handmade gifts this year, off to the kitchen I went to make my holiday goodies. I decided to make an artisan mustard as one of my gifts to give away. This mustard recipe is delightfully spicy, tangy and a little sweet, with a texture that...

read more

A NEEDLE AND THREAD

These days I find myself returning to simple forms of creative expression. As a child I learned to embroider and cross stitch. I would spend hours in the craft store looking over the colorful pallet of threads, painstakingly deciding which colors to choose. Which...

read more
IN MEMORY OF RAUL UGALDE, 1980-2010

IN MEMORY OF RAUL UGALDE, 1980-2010

Raul was the kind of spirit who would light up the room, light up the world. His love was actual and pure. His beauty infectious. His embrace came with an ease we are unlikely to see from any other. His creativity spun a thousand webs. With his passing we are left...

read more

FEAST OF ST. MARTIN/MARTINMAS DAY

Saint Martin is known most for cutting his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. In many countries, St. Martin's Day or Martinmas celebrations begin at the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of this...

read more

LAST HARVEST

Watching my daughter’s face light up as she pulls a carrot out of the ground, I am reminded why we keep a garden, year after year. The pride and pure joy are overflowing. There is no greater gift I can give my children than to teach them to grow their own food, from...

read more

EXPLORE AN ARTFUL WAY WITH ME

Join my newsletter to receive news, exclusive offers, and An Artful Way blog. Receive 20% off your first order.

* We respect your privacy.

You're signed up. Thank you!

Pin It on Pinterest