Diving Bell
The title for this piece came from a conversation I had with a fellow artist who creates very poetic names for his artworks. I asked him how he arrives at his titles and he said "By trolley." He then asked how I find mine. I answered, "diving bell." Like many quips,...
read more
Prime Meridian
My great-grandmother left Denmark as a young, single woman to come to this country and find a new life. Her daughter, my grandmother, raised three young kids in a sod hut in the middle of Nowhere Nevada while my grandfather herded another man's cattle on a remote...
read more
Seeing in the Dark
When I reached my 50s I began seeing the arc of my life a bit differently. Instead of ascending towards a goal, I now feel I am balancing on the crest of a breaking wave. I see the path behind me, the people, events and actions that led me here, but I also see the...
read more
Oracle
The word oracle comes from the Latin "rare" which means "to speak." But oracles also employ vision: of the past, of the present and of the future, to formulate their prophesies. Oracles were often connected to Goddesses, and were the channels through which these...
read more
Shelter
Shelter: sanctuary, refuge, home, haven, safe house; harbor, port in a storm... On the night of July 22 2016, my neighbors and I, in Chatsworth, stood on a hill overlooking the San Fernando Valley and saw, with the rising moon, the orange glow of fire on the other...
read more
Un Bridled
Most of my work is not inherently political, but during the election of 2016 I felt the need to create some paintings about the rising trend of very intimidating and violent nationalism that was cropping up in the United States. The reference points for these two...
read more
Cosmic Serpents
This painting, 18" x 24" oil on wood (sold) was inspired by lore from many cultures describing snakes as creative forces. These two snakes are an Earth snake, with flowered scales, and a Sky snake, with feathered scales. They twine together to create the universe....
read more
The Maiden and the Unicorn
In the middle ages the theme of the Maiden and Unicorn was popular and repeated in many tapestries of the time. The Maiden is a symbol of innocence and virtue, representing the best parts of humanity grounded in reality. The Unicorn, a symbol of wildness and passion,...
read more
Raven, the Trickster
Raven, 24″ x 30″ oil on canvas. Obviously inspired by Northwest Native American art, I took a trip to Vancouver a few years ago and was very inspired by the fluid geometry of the artworks I saw. The Raven is a popular figure in many cultures. Ravens are seers,...
read more
Dance of Life
In spring, jade green beetles dance around my yard. In winter their larvae huddle in the soil waiting to emerge so they too can join the dance. Many of my paintings incorporate metaphors for life energy, transition and growth. The emergence of the small, subterranean...
read more
Sacred Datura
Sacred Datura was inspired by Chumash rock art and the native plant of this name. The plant was used as a visionary aid in Native American rituals, and the visions, according to some lore, include clouds of sparkling dots. The Hawk Moth is one of the few creatures...
read more
Life and Death
Life and Death was inspired by a flower vendor I saw in Havana. He was carrying a bucket of sunflowers, surrounded by the bright Caribbean colors of Havana buildings. The color and light of the Caribbean are lively and cheerful, but Cuba's culture is also deeply...
read more
Death, Life, Art in DTLA: Opening @ Spring Arts Collective 10/1/16
The Art of Dia de los Muertos OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION: Saturday, October 1, 6-9 pm DTLA Art Walk: Thursday, October 13, 6-10 PM CLOSING NIGHT PARTY: Wednesday, November 2nd, 6-9 pm Please join me at the Spring Arts Collective, [located above The Last Bookstore] this...
read more
Now Be Here
After participating in an historic gathering of female and female identifying artists in LA, (NowbeHere#1 @hauserwirthschimmel) I had an interesting conversation over lunch with my friend Isabel (under orange umbrella in above photo, I am right behind her) about the...
read more
Animal Evacuation – Sand Fire
If I ever write memoirs, yesterday's activities will be in them. #SandFire [Click here for more pix and video of the animals at Wildlife Waystation and the rescue.] Friday night was hot. Plumes of smoke were rising from the east, visible for 14 miles over the Santa...
read more
Mariposa: becoming the change.
Mariposa started as a sketch of butterfly wings seen through a kaleidoscope. As the wings broke into shards of wings and wing patterns, an idea began to develop. Butterflies are traditional symbols of change, morphing from earth-bound caterpillar to magical airborne...
read more
Strange DNA
"Strange DNA" started with a visit to one of my favorite museums, "La Specola", in Florence, Italy. One display, titled "Anomale de Gallina Uova" showed several rows of deformed chicken eggs. These are the words are scrawled in the paint behind the eggs in this...
read more
Cosmic Serpents
Since the beginning of human recorded history, snakes have played a huge role in mythic symbology. They are underworld creatures, tempters, and creators. The spiral, associated with snakes, is one of the oldest human symbols, connecting the snake with universal...
read more
“Modern Mythology” Art Reception @ TCG 3/15/2015
In her current art exhibition titled "Modern Mythology", LA contemporary artist Sarah Stone opens a book of colorful stories. Inspired by world folklore and mythologies, her paintings (and some assemblages) tell tales of birth, death, challenge, growth, connection and...
read more
Jackalope & Bunnymania
The mythical Jackalope species was first identified by the Huichol tribe in Mexico, a tribe which uses peyote in their religious ceremonies, so it only seemed only fitting that Jackalope should be carrying a baby Peyote Mandrake. Peyotes and Mandrakes are both lively...
read more
TBT: Cannonball
I was recently going through boxes of analog photos when I found this: a photo of rock art I created for a Supertramp video (Cannonball) years ago, shot in Moab, Utah. I was also the Set Decorator. To get to the location we had to take a tiny plane out to a small...
read more
The Myth of Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the Goddess of the harvest. As the story has been handed down, Hades, the God of the Underworld (Hell, Death, "Down There"), sees young Persephone, falls in love and abducts (kidnaps,snatches,...
read more
Tarot Sketches
Tarot is really interesting to me as a means of tapping into what Carl Jung called "the collective unconscious". This is, according to Jung's theory, a place where all living things with nervous systems organize experience into a shared vibration. He used tarot cards...
read more
Rooster Joe
Rooster sketch
read more
Kali
Kali preliminary sketch
read more
Bird Beaks Girl- Leda and Swan
sketch of popular swan myth
read more
Resonant Chambers
Human biology, design elements, fanciful sketch of biological chambers and systems
read more
Evolution
This sketch later became a couple of paintings about Evolution as it may occur on another planet, or...
read more
Creatures of the Realm
Creatures of the Realm inhabiting my imagination. These creatures come to me only when I am not looking...
read more
Improbable Theater
Improbable theater, the garden's verses as sung by snails, a let them climb up my arms to whisper in my ear.
read more
Everything’s Connected
Contrasting Opinions
