From Peace to Soul & Around the Volcano!

Wow! I feel like a beautiful red maple leaf caught on the surface of a lively river~ flowing downstream with the sound of water splashing against the great sandstone banks and the well worn granite boulders and stones below.

The photo I open with today comes from the 2010 International Day of Peace event which The Mandala Center presented last week. This was a beautiful event and I am so grateful to the visiting monks for making their prayer for peace on the planet right here in our corner of the state. Thank you to The Mandala Center for presenting this experience.

I'm still zinging from the amazing concert I saw in Santa Fe Monday evening. My friend Katherine met me at The Lensic Theatre to see Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. What an amazing show. This is a show to get your dreams up and into get down and move mode. WOW! Thank you Sharon Jones for being so generous with your talent and so righteous with your songs!!!

Earlier in September I spoke of the 2010 New Mexico Arts ArtsLink conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in late August.... thought you might like to see some images from the workshop I presented. They can be viewed here: Mask-making - ArtsLink 2010.

On the way home from that conference I stopped in Cimarron, New Mexico to visit my friend Yvonne O'Brien, a photographer/writer, and her husband. Yvonne shared the exciting news that she has been accepted as an Artist in Resident at the Petrified Forest National Park for April 2011. She'll be there for a month, making images and writings immersed in an amazing place. In exchange she will present to park visitors and make a work that will become part of their collection. Congratulations Yvonne! You can see one of her images in Des Moines Village Hall which houses the local EMS 1% for art purchase.

We had a lively show here for our last Live @ Studio C! Many thanks to Jaecke & Ruby for presenting some local history on Emma Adams and also to George Greco for sharing his wonderful poetry with us. ~And who should walk in the door just now? Ruby & Jaecke! They came with a copy of the current enchantment news, in which our local paramedic Jan Pryor is featured in their Nuestros Vecinos series. They also brought the news that our very own Senior Citizen Center is hosting a show of art from the New Deal. On Wednesday, October 6th, there will be a talk about the New Deal presented by Kathy Flynn. For information or to register please call the Senior Center at 575-278-2144.

The next Live @ Studio C! will be on the night before Halloween... thus, I've decided that we simply must go with the season and offer a Halloween Costume preview get together.

Yippee! (Pardon my gleeful enthusiasm but I love costumes!) Only one rule applies: You must have created your costume yourself. You can get out the sewing machine or raid your closets and attic drawers to put together something wonderful. Costumes are not mandatory for entry, just a spirit of fun and frolic and a contribution for the peoples' choice 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place awards. Details to come. So, put on your creative thinking caps and get out your imagination. There is plenty of time to make a wonderful costume you can be proud of for years to come. Mark the date: October 30 - Halloween Eve Costume Party~ 5:30 p.m. Potluck and dance.

And finally, I come round to The Volcano!

The 2010 Capulin Volcano Run Around the Rim to benefit the Folsom Museum was a big success! You can visit Tim Keller's blogs (he has two) to see more photos from the run, the peace event and other happenings our corner of New Mexico.

So~ even as I swirl around in wild eddies of experience I seek peace and continuity and yes, sustainability. I am working on time management skills, scheduling in the tasks I want to maintain and striving to make it all come together. Stay with me, dear readers, I will achieve my goal of a weekly update. I appreciate all the support you give me and I reflect love and compassion back to you.

May you be imbued with happiness and all of its causes.

Till next time~

Christina

Good Bye Tom Fool Paisley

Today has been a grand day. Anna & Marissa stopped in on their way back to Dallas. They were on a road trip to show Anna, visiting from Scotland, the sights in TX, OK, KS, CO & NM. They did some shopping and thus, goodbye to Tom Fool Paisley. He is a handmade horse figure made by New Mexico artist Amy Caldwell. Amy's horses are so cute it's just crazy!

I am excited about the Old West Days being held in Clayton, New Mexico tomorrow. (Clayton is the next town 40 miles east of here.) Read about the event here. I can't go but I hope you will, and if you'll be driving through town stop in to visit.

I'm swimming in Endangered Species chocolate thanks to the new order I recently made! big bend coffee roasters' whole bean organic fair trade beans are here by the pound for your morning java pleasure... or take a cup to go as you head on down the road; east to Clayton, west to Raton.

Gabrielle Louise will be here with David Rynhart on the 29th to wow you with her original songs, expressive playing and warm generous spirit. Kathryn Engel will be here too, she's bringing an heirloom letter from her great grandfather and will give a dramatic reading which is sure to inspire you! I encourage you to bring something of your talent to share with us as we start the show with our open mike. You'll be glad you did!

A big shout out to new friends Sherry Wolf & Steve Knight at knight/wolf studios in Cimarron New Mexico. Yvonne O'Brien introduced me to Sherry & Steve during the reception we held in celebration of her show. Yvonne's photography is available at their gallery, Old Town Gallery located at 114 East 17th Street in Cimarron and here at Studio C in Des Moines New Mexico.

I'm headed out to watch my swallowtail butterfly worms...... hope you too are enjoying this fabulous late summer weather!

Blessings and Salutations~

Christina

Switching Lanes

Today is a perfect summer day. Warm and sunny with a breeze blowing the scent of honeysuckle across the land.

I'm getting ready for tomorrow night's show with Tim Keller and Karyna Cragin. Karyna is coming up from Santa Fe to share her wonderful musicianship with us. She plays the African balafone, marimbas, piano, guitar and her lovely voice. It's her first show as the lead act and I am honored to have her grace our ArtSpace with her talents. It's always a great evening with wonderful stories told, laughter shared and sometimes even tears shed. I invite you to come on out with a friend or two.... Sign up for the open mike and tell us what you did for Fathers' Day or how your family celebrated last week.

It's looking like the fancy colored corn seeds that friend Tom brought me are doing well here at Studio C! Knee high by the fourth of July is looking good!

I've cut mint and am about to brew some tea for the iced mint tea that I'll have out tomorrow evening... I love the smell of mint tea as it brews... it is so uplifting!

I've also got some empty walls to fill! Yvonne O'Brien came to pick up her show leaving three pieces for the gallery. We had a nice visit while she waited for the light to get lower in the sky... she was looking forward to driving across Johnson Mesa and taking pictures on her way home.

So, that's what I mean by switching lanes! We've got change all around and love to make it all good.

Hope we see you here soon, or hear from you soon. Drop an email, come by and read tomorrow evening during our open mike, or just come on by to enjoy the gallery.

Good Road!

Christina

Finding Flow

Happy Fathers Day!

It's a lovely summer day here in northeastern New Mexico. The smell of BBQ wafts in the gentle breeze telling of fathers all around celebrating their day.

I'm working on the blog when I want to be outside working on the landscaping, or painting, or kicking back with my love who is a wonderful father to a very special daughter. We'd make a toast to my father and the life he gave me and my siblings. Speaking of siblings, my sister just had a very successful reception for the artist, she being the artist, down in Santa Fe. Mom threw the reception at El Museo Cultural Center where her show Blue is hanging. The work was made in part to help her mourn the passing of dad. Karyna will be here next weekend as our featured act for Live @ Studio C! and I would love to have the house filled for her performance. The theme will be Dear Dad for the open mike. It will be a great chance to honor and share your thoughts on fatherhood, your dad, and life in general.

I've got a lot of new items to put into the gallery so that keeps me busy too.

I'm switching out artists in the gallery over the next ten days. Yvonne O'Brien's show ends officially today. She'll pick up her work Thursday or Friday so you have a chance to meet her. Give me a call and I'll let you know when to be here. We'll be keeping some of her work and her cards as she becomes one of the gallery "regulars".

Nathaniel Franklin, local sculptor and painter, will be bringing his work the next week. His show is titled Facing West. I am pleased to be able to show his work and look forward to what he has to bring.... he's still working on new pieces so I'm not sure exactly what we will be getting! We've decided on Saturday August 7th for his reception. Check back for more details as it gets closer.

I'll be headed south to deliver artwork created this spring at Des Moines Schools in the Art Plays Its Part! program for display in the 48th annual New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair next weekend in Albuquerque. If you can see the show please do!

Have a great day and a wonderful week. Find your flow. Share your Joy!

Christina

Skipping Across Streams

Convergence and conjunctions abound as I figure out how to balance my ambitions with my aspirations and inclinations. My cousin Debbie sent me this YouTube video of an amazing young pianist... watching him play inspires me.

The gallery is vibrating with Yvonne O'Brien's photography show: light, structure, space. Her work hangs through June 22nd. If you've not seen the show please come by to see these images. I know you will be glad you did.

We'll be hanging a new show next week: Facing West. Local artist Nathaniel Franklin brings his sculpture and paintings into the gallery. We're still discussing the date for his artist's reception and I'll let you know what date to put aside as soon as I can.

I'm really proud of the work I've been doing with Des Moines Schools. We're working on funding efforts and just completed an application to the NEA for Learning In the Arts funds. The grant reads well and the program samples look great. I'm impressed with how much we've progressed since our first attempt last year. The NEA is looking at receiving an increase in it's budget of $15 million which would be very helpful. Please support the arts and let your legislators know that you are making arts your priority.

I want to thank Russ Ballew and Karen Anderson for coming out to entertain us last Live @ Studio C! The theme was Compassion and we enjoyed a great show which left everyone talking about the roll of faith in their lives and also celebrating our many blessings. Thank you too to everyone who came out to hear these wonderful musicians. If you've not heard Karen play her harps you simply must plan on coming to our show in November when Karen will be our featured act.

Our June theme is Dear Dad. The date is June 28th and the show starts at 5:30. My sister Karyna Cragin is the featured act and returns with her African balafone, her marimba, and hopefully a guitar and some songs for our piano. Tim Keller is in the spotlight singing his songs and reading poetry or stories from his growing collection. Bring your stories of and for your fathers or father figures in your life and sign up for our open mike. Remember there is a piano here and we welcome all forms of creative expression. It will be a fine summer night to bring a friend with you too. I'm making some nut breads and will have great coffee freshly perked and iced-mint tea. Should be a great evening! Come on out.

Summer Art! class schedule is now available. Next week we will be working with pastel on paper.... this is one of my favorite mediums. Some of my current "in-progress" work can be seen on my Flickr site here. I like to call my pastel work painting since the chalk moves so well on paper and is easily blended. Working with the sticks of pastel usually leads to smudging with my fingers. Edges are places to explore as colors meld or bounce off of each other depending on the desired effect. Call 575-278-3517 or email to enroll or to ask questions.

Chocolate is back in stock. We've got 77% humidity and a 21% chance of rain so we are getting on our rain dancing shoes and looking forward to a prime rib dinner at our annual EMS FunFest dinner & dance tonight.

Life is Beautiful!

Christina

Rain ~ Dancing ~ Answering Prayers ~ Prayers Answered!

It is a lovely rainy sky day, thunder rolling in the distance, gray skies getting closer, and coffee freshly brewed keeping me happy. The rains have just begun falling and we are dancing with gratitude for the much needed moisture and the forecast for more!

Yvonne O'Brien's fine art photography graces the gallery now. We are getting ready for you to join us to see this new show. I'd love for you to come to the artist's reception to meet Yvonne Friday May 22nd from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Coffee will be flowing as well as iced mint tea, along with other goodies we've got to share. I hope you will make time to come celebrate with us. Purchase one of Yvonne's framed prints this weekend, May 22 - 24, and you'll receive a 10% discount.

I'm feeling really good about the way the energy is flowing in the gallery and want to thank Sasha for helping me with displays and other painterly tasks. I'm open, to remind you, Thursdays - Saturdays 10:00 am until 6:00 and Sundays noon - 4:00 pm. 

In the community news: A Community Yard Sale happens on Saturday May 23rd from 7:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the corner of Clayton Hwy 87 & Folsom Hwy 325 in Des Moines. It's a great opportunity to buy, sell or trade your trash, treasures & goods. Call Jalane Osborn @ 575-278-3402 for more information. There will be a concession stand with BBQ, hot dogs, drinks & snacks so you can come out, show your wares, buy others wares and get to know your neighbors. Vital Roads is a sponsor of this event which will happen annually from now on.

The other thing you can do this Saturday is to take the Dry Cimarron Scenic Byways Tour. Sponsored by the Folsom Museum in association with the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Month. You'll meet at the Folsom Museum at 8:00 am. Bring water, good walking shoes, a light jacket, sunscreen and a hat. (Do I sound motherly?) The tour will take all day so make sure your car has a full tank of gas. Lunch will be BBQ at the Cross L Ranch.... donations are always appreciated. Call 575-278-2122 for more information.

Live @ Studio C! is next Saturday May 30th. We start at 5:30 with the open mike which now has three people signed up. Karen Anderson will be here to play her Celtic harp which leads nicely into Russ Ballew's original songs. Get out your creativity and take up this challenge: write. Write about anything... or if you prefer... draw, dance, sing, or play your instrument. If you can't think of anything to inspire your creation I have a suggestion: Share your experience with compassion. Then sign up for open mike and share it on the 30th with our audience here in Des Moines New Mexico.

So, there it is!

May the Rains fall gently and generously all across our parched lands.

Christina