Walking into the Middle Ages...

Laughter mingles at the tavern... Friends gather and celebrate, while the candle flickers and drinks are plenty... Images from the Baroque period come to mind, with dramatic lighting and composition such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrant, Frans Hals and Judith Leyster. 

Tales are told and spirits are let loose...

The fire dancer, gypsy, nomad and story teller... He is here to share his adventures from the the world abroad...A man of many stories with the gift of magic, laughter and tales to tell.

Friends, family and new faces come together for a night... For a moment we all share together in another time, another place...

What is it that draws us to knights, honor, romance and chivalry? The pre-raphaelite artists of the mid 1800's such as John William Waterhouse, Evelyn De Morgan and Edward Burne-Jones were all drawn to this era of maidens, knights and honor and were inspired by the medieval age. 

Two days of jousting, hand to hand combat and equestrian skill...I watched with awe and admiration.

Chuck Davenport from the Seattle Knights

Ryan Heflen & Karl Hohnstein from the Seattle Knights

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

I recently finished this book and really enjoyed it. I am a fan of Barbara Kingsolver and have read several of her books. This was probably one of my favorites, but it may be because Frida Khalo is one of the main characters and I have always been in awe of her.

The story is about a man by the name of Harrison Shepherd who's mother is from Mexico and father from the U.S. The book spans his life from a small boy to his death and is told mostly in the form of his journals that he keeps. In his earlier years he comes across Diego Rivera and becomes one of his plaster mixers but eventually becomes Frida's cook and friend. The character Harrison is a very beautiful writer which makes his life story interesting and eloquent but my favorite parts are the insights on what the day to day life of Frida and Diego may have looked like. The whole book looks at the world of art, culture and politics of both countries during the thirties into world war II. It is an in depth study of how the U.S. and Mexico viewed life during this turbulent time through Harrisons eyes. Throughout his life he moves back and forth several times between the two countries discovering how he is similar and separate from both cultures. The story and his life are filled with beauty, tragedy and the personal struggle to find a place to call home.

I definitely would recommend this book. It is a very personal and poetic experience.

Painting renovations!

Do you ever look at a painting and say, "Hmmm, this doesn't look quite right."?

Well, here are two of my paintings that made me feel that way. So, this last weekend, I played with them a bit more and this is what I came up with!

"Learning To Fly"

"Magnolia & Beetles"