Very recently my friend followed her dream. She embraced a new relationship,ย lightened her life byย selling most of her possessions, drove to the other side of the country and is beginning anew. Life teeter totters between fullness and paralysis, praise and self doubt.ย For anyone this can be a daunting thing. This song is accompanied by a... Continue Reading →
The Blooming
Wintertime has passed. Our roots have grown into the solid ground. Now is the time for the shoots to emerge. First one, then another. Then little buds are birthed. Slowly each one unfolds in its own season revealing its unique beauty spreading its own scent. Springtime has brought new life and expectation. Our stem has... Continue Reading →
Sonic Breakfast
What is your sonic caffeine? What sound do you wake up to?* alarm clock? coffee pot gurgling? birdsong? high frequency Bach? harp music? motivating lyrics and tempo for exercise routine? You can design a sonic breakfast for yourself. How do you wake up in the morning?ย What allows you to feel alive, creative and stimulated to... Continue Reading →
Invocation for Change
This is an intuitive song invoking change. My heart is heavy for the world's largest Christian religion. Even though I am not a Roman Catholic myself, I sense a deep yearning for change from so many whose voices are seemingly never heard. I sing invented words or 'vocables' accompanied by a 22 inch 'Remo' brand... Continue Reading →
Altered Map Encaustic Bowl
Today I engaged in some dedicated time in my studio to experiment with new processes. I've always enjoyed working with paper, especially maps*. And I've done coiled basketryย for years. I recently learned encaustic, basically painting with hot beeswax. I thought I would try to combine them all. I came up with an altered map encaustic... Continue Reading →
Looking at the World Upside-down?
Our son lives in Australia. When you look at a globe it's always kind of hidden underneath. So I decided to rectify that. Especially after watching this engaging clip from one of my favourite former dramas, West Wing. The Peter's Projection mapย was an eye opener for me too whenย I was first introduced to it whilst... Continue Reading →
Thrift Shopping – Punkinhead
Thrift shopping is one of my passions, right up there with eating bacon and beachcombing. A Punkinhead Tote is my latest thrift store find. I had one identical to this as a child. I actually didn't really like Punkinhead, found him kinda scary actually. I also had a Punkinhead rocker. Punkinhead, the teddy bear with... Continue Reading →
Hymnody and Theology
I still have enough skill on the piano to at least play hymns. Unless they are in 5 sharps or flats.ย Forget that. To pass the time in a personal care homeย I spent an hour playing a lovely Clavinova for my mother. The playing of hymns I hoped would spark some recognition in her memory.ย Page after... Continue Reading →
Online Selling for Picture Framers
Some of you know that I sell my handwork online. And my husband sells software to picture framers. If you own a picture frame shop and are looking to grab the 30-something demographic who are so reluctant to walk into your store,ย Etsy isย theย place to be to expand sales and attract new clientele.ย Etsy provides you with... Continue Reading →
Winter Feast for the Soul – Day 11
It is day eleven of the 40-day meditation practice to which I've committed,ย Winter Feast for the Soul. Tough stuff, this meditating. Today was about seeking the Divine Presence. Which implies that sometimes it is hidden. This was my mantra today. Calm, Still, Glad, Quiet. This comes from a plaque I have hanging in our home,... Continue Reading →
hard knocks and letting go
The power of labyrinth walking....
Awesome
I spent the afternoon with four Etsy shop owners (and one wanna-be) all eager to learn how to have our work found more easilyย online. Go forth and be awesome! Some awesome women:
Losing the Path
A new piece of my mixed media art entitled "Losing the Path". It's inspiration came from the reading of What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim: A Mid-Life Misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela byย Canadian author,ย Jane Christmas' (2007). The piece is a mixed media machine stitching on a recycled atlas page of Europe with... Continue Reading →
Song for the New Year
http://youtu.be/VSMKlH96fio A intuitive song for New Year's 2013. The instrument is an Oscarยฉ a steel tongue-drum, HAPI drum, created by Tribal Thunder from the original design of Oscar De Los Santos of Ontario, Canada. This particular version is a 6-note Ake Bono tuning.
My Dad, The Joy of Christmas
My Dad represented the joy of Christmas for me. And even though heโs dead now, he still does. From him I learned the immense joy of the Feast of Christmas. When he left home in 1942 and โimmigratedโ to Winnipeg he carried on the Ward tradition and prepared his own little feast, within the Feast,... Continue Reading →
Sylva Belle
Today I am reminiscing about my dear Aunt Sylva mostly because itโs Christmastime and her name sounded like it. She loved to entertain at Christmas. She was born Sylva Belle Carter in Winnipeg in 1926. (Belle was after her grandmother, Belle Stewart). She was my motherโs only sibling. She trained as a nurse. She chose... Continue Reading →
Lament for Wind and Rain
The Destruction of Hurricane Sandy http://youtu.be/qG4UZVhGuPg The massive storm called Sandy is still whipping up tremendous wind and rain. Even on the very periphery of the system we are being affected. In sympathy for those lives which will be forever changed due to Sandy I offer this lament. With these vocables, I hope that my... Continue Reading →
Slobbery Kisses and Gratitude
When I became a โgrandPAWrentโ for the first time last year it was amazing. Our daughter and her husband adopted a Brittany from a rescue society in Michigan.
Earth Hour Lament
http://youtu.be/byCHvVf_t2k Earth Hour March 2012. During the candlelit hour I recorded this little improvisational lament to our Blue Planet home. I hope that my soulful musical meditation conveys a little of my prayer for healing of our world. The 'words' I sing are a type of vocalise, invented words, or vocables in the spirit of... Continue Reading →
Sounding in Sedona
http://youtu.be/n78oZqMYoDo My recent trip to the mystical red rocks of Sedona, Arizona gave me the courage to experiment with recording my intuitive music for the first time.ย The Airport Mesa Vortex was where I filmed this. In my backpack I carried my little G minor pentatonicย kalimbaย and I just set my camera down on the rock... Continue Reading →
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