A Visual Winter Getaway

When winter in the Northwest gets to be drab, it is time for a getaway.

With warm sunny days by the sea and flowers always in bloom, 

a trip to San Diego will knock out any winter blues. 

I invite you to join me on a visual winter getaway.

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“	What a change in weather! It was sleeting when I left St. Louis.                                        Here, on the 23rd of February, palm leaves flutter in warm wind and sun.	”
— Charles Lindbergh, 1927  ________________________________________________________________________________

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“	You only live once,                                                          but if you do it right,                                                                                                                          once is enough	”
— Mea West   ________________________________________________________________________________

   

   

   

   

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season. 

All the best in 2016, let this be the year of your dreams.

A Nice Welcome Home

Usually when I return home from a trip overseas, I am received by mail that leaves little inspiration or excitement. This time was unexpectedly different. I was surprised to find a painting created for an annual art show was featured in the local news paper. 

I have been actively working outside the digital design realm, as another way to process my own grief after the tragic deaths of my family members in 2013. Art has an amazing ability to  help process emotions and thoughts that cannot be otherwise expressed. Many issues in life are too complicated to be simply summed up in words. A picture can whisper a thousand conversations, to those who are willing to listen.

Last year, I was honored to be invited by a panel of international judges to show work at the 21st annual, Dia de los Muertos exhibit at Maude Kerns gallery. The opening of the show was a bright and joyful celebration of life, loss, and love. I dedicated my work that year to the recent death of my little sister and her two children.

http://starbunnystudio.blogspot.com/2014/10/dia-de-los-muertos-day-of-dead.html

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  Frances Ann Day summarizes the three-day celebration, the Day of the Dead—

“	On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.	”
—Frances Ann Day, Latina and Latino Voices in Literature     ________________________________________________________________________________

This year, I had just the piece in mind to be entered for consideration by the Dia de los Muertos art jury. I was beyond thrilled to be invited back for the 22nd annual show. The piece above is one that I created at a live painting event, hosted by The Whiteaker Tattoo Collective last year. Working within the theme of  loss, I created the painting entitled "Death By Flowers". http://starbunnystudio.blogspot.com/2014/10/its-that-time-of-year.html

The style of piece reflects the lively environment that it was created in. The night was just before Halloween, it was a rambunctious gathering fueled by provocative people and locally brewed alcohol. The rain fell non stop however, that was little concern to the party goers. I kept a drop that fell from the sky and ran the paint on the wet canvas, I figured it was meant to be there. Art, just as in life -another thing I had no way of stopping so I worked with it, welcomely embracing what had been offered. 

As this time of year lends its self to mentions of gratitude, I would like to give a special Thank you to Maude Kerns Gallery, The Register-Guard Newspaper, and The Whiteaker Tattoo Collective for all your recognition and support of local artists. A big Thank YOU to the world wide network of readers and visitors to Star Bunny Studio! Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday.

http://www.mkartcenter.org/exhibits/2015/2015%20Dia/2015_Dia.html

http://registerguard.com/rg/life/weekend/33583580-289/walk-to-celebrate-past-lives.html.csp

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteakerTattoo/

Fade Into Fall

October is a month marked by change.

I created the image above a year before I really knew what change could mean.

October now tows painful memories of family birthdays and my little sister death. 

My nephew would be turning 4, if he was still alive. 

My mother would be turning 60, if she was still alive.

In the past October was always a month of anticipation.

Halloween was me and my sisters favorite holiday. 

We never had store bought costumes, instead my parents would make up our outfits.

One year my sister and I dressed as Care Bears.

My mother used our footed pajamas and put a heart on the tummy of my pink PJ's, 

my little sisters blue PJ's had a crescent moon. With our hair in pigtails, little hearts on 

our noses, and whiskers drawn on our cheeks. 

We looked absolutely adorable.

On the 29th of October 2013, everything in life changed. 

My little sister faded away.

http://katie.lumsden.muchloved.com

Know That In September....

Honestly, September was once one of my favorite months. 

I enjoy the feeling of change and the excitement of filling every last second with memories of summer. 

I created this design just before everything changed.

Now September is one of my most difficult months. 

It marks the start of the birthday and death anniversaries of my father, sister, nephew and mother. 

My father and sister had the same birthday of September the third. 

My dad loved german chocolate cake and my sister loved cheesecake. 

This date was always the last grand celebration of summer. 

Everything changed when my father died unexpectedly of Leukemia eight days after his 61st birthday. 

This event lead to an immediate domino effect of death and the loss of my biological family.

The quote above means more than ever before. As I now find my self actually wandering through the

 warm winds of summer wreckage, and learning to welcome the ghost like memories of a family lost.

Dinosaur National Park

With so many amazing National Parks in the United States it is hard to pick a favorite.

A recent visit to Dinosaur National Park, proved this park is a absolute slice of natural splendor.

This amazing desert landscape displays pieces of the past, that tell a story of time.

With so much diversity, one visit is just not enough time to explore all there is to offer.

Here are a few highlights! 

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Another trip is already in the works!

I hope these photos inspire you to go out and explore the wonder held in nature.

Visit a National Park near you and discover how amazing our natural treasures truly are. 

The Dog Days Of Summer

Here we are in the "Dog Days" of summer. 

Named for the sunrise viewing of Sirius, the dog star 
within the constellation Canis Major.  
These late summer days can be sweeter than heaven, and yet hotter than hell.

I have been invited by Parachute.com to compile my own list of summer sleeping essentials. 

 Here are my MUST HAVES for sweet dreams on hot summer nights.

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My favorite way to beat the heat is to have a soak in cool water.

  Take 2 cups epsom salt and 1 cup baking soda, add bergamot oil and chamomile flowers, 

or eucalyptus and rose petals for a refreshing way to end the day. 

Next, get the air moving! 

Open the windows and get an awesome fan. 

I prefer the look and power of a classic vintage fan. They just don't make them like this anymore! 

If you have kids or clumsy adults around, you can always paint a safer modern fan to look more "vintage". 

In my option, bronze and matte black are always a classic combination. 

We humans are about 75% water. 

Staying hydrated is key to staying cool and healthy during the summer months. 

Freezing fruit or herbs in ice trays is a great way to add flavor to water and stay refreshed. 

Top off you glass with H2O or coconut water, rather than soda or alcohol, in order to avoid dehydration.

 Still too warm to sleep? 

Try wetting a cotton top sheet and wring dry, so that it is damp but not dripping.

The moisture will help keep you cooler during long hot summer nights.

I hope these summer sleep essentials help you to find sweet dreams.