Category Archives: my studio notes

“every now and then
the darkness tries to chase me
and my legs are getting tired of running
oh please don’t
please don’t let it get to me
oh i don’t want to give up that easily
but the darkness keeps chasing me”

~grace vanderwaal
 
 

 
 
unraveling, stitching, weaving
original vibrant colors and unique intricate patterns

i’m feeling very lavendery
a subtle mix of melancholy blues and fiery reds
angsty sadness with a touch of anger
and a ribbon of hope stirred in

upheaval and evolution are both synonyms
for the word transition
though the first sounds a bit intimidating
the second clearly holds a hint of promise

inhale courage
exhale fear
inhale serenity
exhale confusion

dreams, shifts, passages
boldness, growth, new ways of thinking
continuous fresh-start beginnings
stirring motivation and brave possibilities

real strength comes in many forms, we are
surrounded daily with its swirling beauty
 
 

 
 
 
 

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the photo below features two special anniversary champagne flutes:

one still has the peach and cream ribbons from our 1988 wedding tied around the stem, and the other is from our first anniversary. no, they’re not a matching pair. because there is a funny story, that evolved into a valuable lesson, behind these two cherished glasses.

leaving italy november 2020

there are many in italy
throughout the european continent
and going through one
becomes a commonplace event
when traveling anywhere

i think they’re interesting
even strikingly beautiful at times

they remind me of spy novels
and they make the best photos

i don’t always love being inside a tunnel though
especially when it’s miles long

oh, it’s not horrible, not impossible, to be in there
and the darkness offers a unique perspective
but it can be slightly uncomfortable

emerging out the other side
back into the bright sunshine
always seems to elicit a silent sigh of relief

a tunnel is such a metaphor for life

leaving your past, heading towards your future
a symbol of the paths you might take
and the challenges you might encounter along the way

moving through darkness
pushing through obstacles
beginnings and endings
with light and hope, reassurance, waiting just beyond

evolving over the course of your journey
your very own metamorphosis story
 
 

my return to italy september 2022

today i’d like to share a poem that i wrote four years ago, in august 2018, when i was facing down my dark side . . . i was struggling a bit with loneliness, which was spilling over into questioning the entire trajectory of the path i was on.

le maestose alpi apuane, from sunrise to sunset

i long to take the perfect snapshot of the apuan alps and embed the image upon my very soul

so that, no matter where in the world i may be, i can reach out and grab that centered peaceful feeling they give me

housing the white gold of carrara, their majestic marbly perfection makes me feel both calmingly grounded and wildly alive

stunning and magical, panoramic and historic, interesting and wise

the awe-inspiring scene before me ever-changing, never static

yet a hushed reverence for solidity

such an apt metaphor for life

i’ve missed these mountains so very much

 
 
 
 

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