Living Large ~ Learning, Listening, Loving & Leaping!

Lightning strikes! I'm ready to listen.

Studio C will host Live @ Studio C! this Saturday starting at 5:30. We'll have our monthly reading from Mrs. Click's "Us Nestors" and our open mike and then take a break to refill our coffee cups, tea glasses and maybe take another slice of banana bread and then we'll turn the stage over to Tim Keller. Tim sent out a humorous email earlier this week promoting his show telling folks that I force him to play every summer as one of our featured acts. Maybe you don't know that Tim was just about to record an album, No Stranger to Wishes, when I first met him... so in my heart he is a musician. The fact that he has turned his creative and artistic expression to writing and photography does not end my admiration for his music. I ask him to take a show each summer and he always accepts. I know you will enjoy this show and look forward to sharing this evening of live entertainment with you.

I'm feeling excited about August coming up. It'll be a busy month with inspiration flowing and art happening. I'm not quite done with the Road to Kindness series but I am excited to report that I've already sold one of the images to a collector of my work.

I'll be spending time at Ponder refilling the well of inspiration. I cherish the time I spend on our place south of Kiowa. The absolute beauty of this land heals my heart and gives free range to my soul.

I've got a new order of luscious Endangered Species chocolate bars coming in this Friday with more coming in next week. Endangered Species chocolates have added a new line of dark chocolate covered nuts and berries... yum!

So many reasons to come by the gallery and spend some time enjoying the creativity of all the artists and artisans showing in the gallery... and a great cup of organic free trade coffee.

August's Live @ Studio C! will be on Saturday August 28th. Karen Anderson will bring her harps for a show she is calling "Cha cha cha!: A World of Dance on the Harp". We'll be going up against The Shuler Theater's presentation of Juan Siddi Flamenco Company. I mention this because I LOVE flamenco dance. But I also LOVE Karen Anderson's harp performance. So it's not that hard to choose. In fact it's really wonderful to have such wonderful choices to make here in the northeastern corner of New Mexico.

And so I leave you with loads of love and leagues of joyous laughter ~for that is good medicine we can always take benefit from.

Leave a comment here at the blog or send an email to StudioC@bacavalley.com.

I'd love to hear from you!

Christina

Peace Through Culture

Today I'm in the studio getting ready to work on the fifth and final piece of my current pastel series, The Road to Kindness. I've been struggling to finish this series for months now; the last piece is ready for my attention. I'll look into the fourth piece to find my focus then make those shapes and colors fill the last sheet of grit coated paper. I've spent time looking for the place to focus, which I've posted today... still, I have not decided. I let that happen when I finally do sit down to my drawing board. The Road to Kindness series has reflected my quest to find myself. Realizing that I cannot be compassionate to others without realizing compassion for myself has been a long time in coming. I've been reading many different texts on the subjects of becoming enlightened, realizing personal authenticity and awakening to compassion. In my search for my "true north" I've realized that compassion must begin inside. That is why the direction, "physician, heal thyself". I'm very grateful for all that life has brought me. Without trials good and bad we cannot become the people we've always wanted to become. I'm feeling strong again, waking up excited about the day ahead, finding I have more energy than I've had in years.

Imagine if you will... that time, that strangely plastic concept, might not be the way we think of it. Perhaps we wake to our dreams while in our dreams we are as we are meant to be. Now this might not be so good if one is having lots of anxiety dreams or nightmares I admit. Why this thought you ask?

Well, time is an enigma, it is said.... in fact it is said so frequently that the phrase has become a cliche.... but the riddle is real. What is time? Why does it flow so erratically? Do our clocks measure it or do they shackle us? I looked up the meaning of enigma and found several interesting sites. This one caught my attention: an artist & photographer in Zimbabwe musing on time, nature and our collective relationship. So, I'm philosophical today. Yesterday my husband Tim was. I spoke over his announcement and never did let him share his philosophical thoughts. I noticed it an hour later... I must have been lost to my own frantic rush to get in a "good productive" day.

The day was a good one, with important tasks accomplished, and also with quality time spent with family, and a long walk along the railroad tracks. I was able to accept that those things that did not get done, this blog for instance, would not make the day less than it was. The riddle of time was not solved... Maybe in dreams the answers were forming...

On August 31st Live @ Studio C! will feature Tim Keller. He's asked me to let you know that he prefers to focus on his songwriting for this show. I know you'll enjoy exploring his songwriting web pages. You can check out his past musical touring schedule and hear some of his music. Hearing him live is a treat you won't want to miss. We are looking forward to having you here on Saturday July 31st! The show starts at 5:30 p.m. We'll have the open mike so bring along some songs of your own... or poems and pictures. We've got several people on the list already and hope to have several more share tales and inspiration.

And with that final note~

Be Inspired!

~Christina

Returning, Reunions, Revelations & Rain ...Please?

I hope this post finds my readers happy and enjoying the fruits of these glorious summer days.

Oh, dear me, is that too vibrant an opening for you? It's just that I find myself feeling delighted, amused and delirious with Joy today. For those of you not able to handle this exuberance: Have some watermelon and cool off~ I say!

Just returned from Ponder, having taken some time-away-from-it-all where Tim & I enjoyed the blissful sounds one encounters in remoteness: crickets, nighthawks, a family of elk, a variety of melodious bird songs and not much else besides our own breathing. The time was well spent, reading, listening, hoping to hear... revitalizing and renewing.

So now we are back. I'm in the studio getting the business side of Studio C caught up. Promo first:

Coming up on July 31st is Live @ Studio C! which will feature Tim Keller with his mix of songs, poetry and stories. Tim has been newly inspired to sing thanks in large part to requests made by his brother, daughter and our friend Mike. While we were in Los Angeles over Fathers' Day weekend, Tim's brother Terry shared his new songs with us and his daughter Darcy made some requests for songs (She used to sing along when she toured with Tim when she was a little girl). Don't forget that we have a place for you too! Our open mike is always a treat and folks have already begun signing up! You'll be able to see some of Tim's framed photographs in the gallery but in the meantime check out his website. I like to link to his blog which is a fun place to start in his site.

Future Live @ Studio C! Events: August 28th will feature Karen Anderson with her harps, George Greco with poetry and inspiration form a life of running on September 25th, and a halloween costume contest on October 30th. November 27th will be the 4th annual Show of Gratitude. It's easy to remember which day to plan on coming out for a great night of live entertainment: the last Saturday of the month, except in November when it's the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Mark your planners and book a trip out to lively Des Moines New Mexico. You'll be glad that you did!

Aside from the wonderful art on display in the gallery, we now have freshly roasted coffee beans for sale, and freshly ground coffee perked daily. It's a real pleasure to have big bend coffee roaster's beans here for sale. I'm carrying four beans all of which are fair-trade, organic beans. I've also got free wi-fi. It's a lovely place to visit and be inspired. I look forward to sharing it with you. Mention this blog title when you visit and I'll give you 10% off this week.

Yes, that means I'm back on weekly update schedule. You can count on it. I've been working with some new ideas and find my creative juices are flowing once again. I've realized a need to take care of my creative self. I am on the Road To Kindness for myself as I work to grow my capacity for kindness to others.

Speaking of creating a better world... Reducing and reusing come before recycling. When I send customers home with their purchases I am reusing bags... you'd be amazed at how many of you have bags of bags stored somewhere looking for something to do with them... It's sexy to conserve resources and Studio C is a place to be, not only creative, but also conservative.

So~ thunder speaks in agreement. I hope you enjoyed the post, and will share your thoughts in the comments... or send an email to StudioC@bacavalley.com.

Thanks for your support and remember to speak with encouragement to your own inner artist.

Til next week~

Be Glorious!

Christina

P.S. It's raining now! Praise Be~