Life

8/31/6
Three years ago I returned to Burning Man for the fourth time.
I wasn't planning to go. But come Monday, when the gates of Burning Man were open, I heard the call so loudly. I HAD to return. It wasn't a want. It was a need. That day I looked for tickets. The next day I told my clients I was taking the week off. The day after we were on the road.
The year before had been amazing for me. I had made several big wishes, which were promptly granted.
Wish #1: To travel internationally and finally get a stamp in my passport. Four months later I rang in the New Year in Tokyo.
Wish #2: To find true, solid, strong love. Three and a half months later, my husband-to-be and I crossed paths again. This time, love ensued.
Wish #3: To finally forgive my father. 11 months later, I flew to…

9/1/6
"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"We are like the mechanism of a watch: each part is essential."
- Nathan Meyer Rothschild
Each of the pulleys you see there was put into motion by people pushing turnstyles on the ground. As I took this shot they were in the process of closing the Machine down. I watched it burn later that day but didn't take any pictures of it.

Burning Man 2005
"A fantasy of mine is to be tempted by the devil with a miraculous machine, a machine that could be hooked up to my brain and instantly produce finished art from the images in my mind. I'm sure it's the devil who'd have such a device, because it would devour the artistic soul, or half of it anyway."
- Chris Van Allsburg

2006.05.09
"Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,
Stains the white radiance of eternity."
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Adonais. lii.

From the title page of Circles of Influence: Inspiration
Pug photo taken on November 28, 2003.

2005.04.29
"The orbit of human vision has widened and art has annexed fresh territories that were formerly denied to it."
- Max Bill

2006.04.29
Friday night I brought out my supplies and began to solidify my vision for CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE: INSPIRATION. Ideas came in parcels that I have begun to weave together in a physical manifestation. THIS IS ART.
As I sat in the shower letting the creativity run wild even as the water poured over me I had a realization. I have an incredible collection of art supplies. The implication of this is simple yet profound. Once again I am surprised by my reticence to realize the obvious. I AM AN ARTIST.
Yesterday Dustin and I went back to the art supply store to pick up some items missed in the first shopping spree. They offered me an annual savings card. The cost of my purchase offset the cost of the membership so I joined. When the clerk was entering me into the system I heard her say, "ARTIST". It felt like the…

4.28.
"I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path."
- Dalai Lama

2005.04.28
"I affect their imaginations. It is the strongest power."
- Anais Nin