The Sky Was (by e. e. Cummings)
the
    sky
           was
can    dy    lu
minous
            edible
spry
        pinks shy
lemons
greens    coo    1 choc
olate
s.

  un    der,
  a    lo
co
mo
      tive        s  pout
                               ing
                                     vi
                                     o
                                     lets

Cummings

wrote of a romantic earth, revealing colors and shapes that danced through the string of his words. Mystery was hidden in the formation. Emerging formations, that is what I love to create.

“To be nobody but 
yourself in a world 
which is doing its best day and night to make you like 
everybody else means to fight the hardest battle 
which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” 
― E.E. Cummings

I leave you with my favorite quote from Cummings, I am thankful for all in my life....that would be all of you. I am thankful for this sweet earth. I am thankful for survivors. 

“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” 
― E.E. Cummings

Images by Annie Allen: Emerging Formations

Education and conversation

Education and art walk hand in hand. After teaching in the public education I was gently reminded that the Arts frequently have to prove up...showcase their abilities...speak dramatically in some make or manner. My voice is a soft one, not only literally, but objectively as well. I need time to roll ideas around, time to digest them intimately, and time to develop them in a conducive manner. How can I make a difference for the Arts, for others in the Arts and (along the way)for myself? This seems like a selfish statement but by helping one's self, resources are boosted and one is able to help others more substantially. So I educate myself, share thoughts that could possibly help others and share my sensitive tidbits through the blog... reminding myself that as artists we need one another, as humans we need one another. What other profession demands that you create a composition of shapes or figures, an arrangement of music or color, a written passage of heartfelt stirrings and then (yes...then) put it before the public to pick apart, dissect and deem perhaps worthy for the stage, for the gallery, for the publisher, and many other venues. It is a difficult passage and yet I know I would be totally lost if I could no longer create. There is an amazing blog "Brain Pickings" that left me with thoughts and ideas on great art (or what one might consider great art). This quote hit home, "Something is always born of excess. Great art was born of great terrors, great loneliness, great inhibitions, instabilities, and it always balances them."-Anais Nin 
 Always work with the gifts we were blessed with, everyday challenge one's self,  push in excess and discover what balance is needed to center your personal excess (if any). 
Bless the artists who live among us...

The brain pickings blog 

http://www.brainpickings.org

Augusta

Joyous smiles abounded leaping into my heart from this sleepy western town. Yes...I know that phrase is so overused. Let's see sleepy, perhaps dozy...western, perhaps oater...better yet horse opera! Then the word town, perhaps hamlet...yes I like that. Joyous smiles abounded, leaping into my heart, from this dozy horse opera hamlet. Family, fine food, a hub for fine art and conversation (Latigo & Lace), a western grocery store with all the necessities and of course many eating and drinking establishments! To top all of this off we were introduced to home grounds that my eyes had never seen. Rolling hills, craggy mountain tops, gullies littered with wildflowers, creek beds where birds flitted from one sunny moment to the next, ponds filled with ducks of many cultures living together in harmony, and of course the alien known as antelope. Having grown up in eastern Montana I am always quite joyful to see the sight of a baby antelope. Alas, they were too far for pictures but the vision remains on the big screen in my head. 

Central and eastern Montana display a haunting beauty for the eyes of the beholder. I am always, I repeat always, reminded of my ancestors. Tough scrabble land where tenuous humans place their feet and hearts...working souls from sun up to sun down... making a living, carving out a niche in the big sky country. 

Home Ground and home cooking walk hand in hand. I am never as happy as I am walking the land or soaking up great morsels of food when combined with loving company such as my son Jason and his lovely wife Kezia. 

Another great joy of mine is bullshitting, chewing the fat, picking brains, chit chatting, shooting the breeze about life. What better place to converse than Latigo & Lace, where art fills your senses, great coffee is in the air (Morning Light from Great Falls), and gifts from around the area are to be cherished. While running Roasted I was reminded of the intricate connection that exists between visitors, tourists, locals, small town lads and lasses. These local art shops, grocery stores (such as Allen's Manix Store) eateries and bars provide an area to relax and discuss the life we love here in the great Northwest. Kudos to those who keep it flourishing. I leave you with images of Augusta. Stop and visit, converse, chew the fat...hang out. You will be well served.