Pixie Dust

Sadly, that is a cigarette:0(

I have the cutest pixie of a daughter in the world. She's 18 and has her own most adorable style of dress that I guess could be best described as if you took a punk rocker and ran her into a wall of color and then had a mind meld with a hippy and then sent her to live in some bohemian tribe, she would fit right in. Sounds wild and crazy, but she wears the outfits that she puts together with such style that women have stopped her on the street over the years (she started this as a tween) to admire and compliment her. I so love this about her. When I was young I too had my own style of 80's hip, but my girl has it all over me. I never sported fairy wings as she has been know to do either :0). She has always been her own person, eeking mega brains and personality and an off the wall sense of humor. She is not only intellectually brilliant, but is a very talented musician and writer and not surprisingly, an artist. She had  always amazed and delighted me when she was little with her bright, detailed drawings brimming with joy and the observations of a busy young mind.

I suppose perhaps the museum visits and the bed time stories of Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt, Degas, and one of our favorites "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" might have had something to do with her love of art.
Or maybe it was "Please Don't Eat The Pictures" (Sesame Street at the Met) that we watched over and over together. Maybe her Dad and I had something to do with it, he also being a musician. She has always had a lot going on in her mind and emotions and being a very strong willed and independent only child, can be difficult to parent at times. We are also a lot alike in many ways, and at times, the mother -daughter relationship has been painful for both of us as she struggles to break away and become her own person and I struggle with letting her go. 



When she was little I looked forward to the time when I thought she and I would spend time making art together, maybe somewhere between 12-17. Little did I know that her fiercely independent teenage personality would want nothing to do with me in that realm. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. From the time she was small she always wanted to find things out for herself and thought she should know everything, which is why I let the desire to home school her pass. 

First Place HS ArtShow Painting

I had never "taught" her art. I purposely never sat her down and said, "this is how you do this." If she asked, I shared, but I never wanted to impose my vision or style on her.  I never wanted anyone to look at her work (if she pursued art) and say, you're good just because of your Mom. In that, I was successful, as she is such a wonderfully talented artist with a personal style and visual narrative that surpasses her youth.


To my delight, something wonderful happened this week. The time I have been waiting for came. She asked me to teach her pottery! She asked to come to the studio! She was letting me in! We can now learn and share in each others creative processes. I want to sing, I want to shout! It means so much to me to have this opportunity to share and bond with my daughter over the processes of art that have saved me.

What a delight it is to see her beautiful designs in clay coming out of her so easily.I love looking at her in her funky cloths and exploding with the creativity and specialness that is my daughter. Everyone in the studio comes over to admire her work and compliment her. I have always been proud of her for so many reasons, but this is a special kind of proud, and I am feeling an excitement about our new budding artistic relationship and us sharing where each of our artistic journeys might take us together. :0)

In the Clay Studio

Ceramic Incense Burners

My Magic Pen

 This pen and pot sist on the table next to my books when I am at an art fair, book signing or show. There is always a curiosity about it and adults and kids a like always walk up and quickly pull the pen out of the pot and ask "What is it?" and "Did you make it?

It is made out of sculpey clay or fimo and I did not make it. I bought it in 1994 at a craft fair from a parapalegic woman. She earned her money by making all sorts of animal pots-frogs, giraffes, dogs, you name it.

If I remember correctly, I think she sold them for a pretty cheap price and having just started out myself doing art shows and such, I thought it was a fitting and great utilitarian item to have for my display.

 I have decided that this lady must have gotten some magic blessing from God on her pens and here's why:

The pen is just a regular ball point pen wrapped in the sculpey and baked in an oven. Since buying it and using it regularly since 1994, IT HAS NEVER RUN OUT OF INK OR BEEN REPLACED!

Think about the ball point pens that you own or have owned in your lifetime. Do you have any that are 18 years old and still writing?

The BicWorld FAQ says that a bic pen will write for about 2 miles. Ezine articles says 5 miles. I don't know what either of those figures equates to in years, but I think that most of us would be hard pressed to find a bic pen even in our junk drawers that has lasted that long. And that is why I call this My Magic Pen ....