Rachel Carson for Earth Day

Here's an excerpt from Strength in Words for Our Times for Earth Day. The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement by Mark Hamilton Lytle is an excellent book about Rachel Carson's life and influence.

Words For Our Time posters and the Words For Our Time book are for sale in my etsy shop.

Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

from the Words For Our Time series: Love 

Love Poster for Valentine's Day

I don't seeValentine's Day as reserved for romance but rather as a celebration of love. I like to think that my Love poster from the Words For Our Time series makes a perfect gift. Available in my etsy shop, the posters are printed on a heavy 12" x 18" stock and cost $15. plus $5.00 shipping. I purchased this simple plastic Format frame from Michael's at a very reasonable price. They also have another brand, Studio Decor, in a package of two. The posters are available for order through February 9 and then my shop will close for a two week vacation. I'll be sharing up close images of each quote in the coming days.

Love Poster on etsy

Words For Our Time Posters on Etsy

The Words For Our Time series is now available for order online from my etsy shop. They are 12" x 18" and printed on 100# glossy cover stock. I framed my set in inexpensive format frames from Joann Fabrics.  The individual posters are $15. each with $5. shipping. The complete set is $100. with $20. shipping. I'm really pleased with the way they have reproduced.

JUSTICE–COMPASSION–STRENGTH–LOVE–COURAGE–PEACE–TRUTH—HOPE

Words For Our Time Posters on etsy

Words For Our Time at Tiny Gallery Under The Stairs

Tiny Gallery Under The Stairs

First  Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church

26 Pleasant Street

Newburyport, MA

(Gallery is in the lower level. Entrance is from the Unicorn Street parking lot.)

Gallery Hours: Mon–Fri 10–3

and after Sunday Service

Eight Words For Our Time Posters & Spirit Book #41

on exhibit for the month of October

Posters are available for purchase from my etsy shop.

Studio Sunday-Words For Our Time Posters

12" x 18" Posters of Words For Our Time will be on view and available for order at my Open Studio on September 16. I put them in inexpensive format frames purchased at JoAnn Fabrics. We're working on a nice wall display of them for the front of the studio.

Paula Estey Gallery

It has been such a pleasure and honor to be part of the current show Pretty As A Picture with Karen Tusinki and Jan Roy at the warm and welcoming Paula Estey Gallery in Newburyport, MA. I have four Spirit Books and two framed originals from the Words For Our Time series on display until July 29.

The gallery is made up of several small rooms. Every nook and cranny holds another surprise. The experience is one of discovery. You walk up a couple of steps and enter the main gallery room. Here's some of my work. I especially like the way the Words pieces look on the brick wall.

You then go down a few steps to the Sitting Gallery. Two of the Spirit Books are in the sculpture nook under a painting by Karen Tusinski.

There is a winding hallway filled with art,

leading to more work in the Vault,

and even art on the walls of the bathroom.

Paula is warm, open, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. Her gallery is always joy to visit and it has been wonderful to work with her. She believes in the power of art to enrich lives and her passion is palpable. In a blog post, she has written eloquently about her journey to gallerist and curator.

I bring my artist's soul to Paula Estey Gallery; to her artists and patrons and visitors. I know what my artists go through to create. I know what they hope for, dream about and desire.  And I know now from experience that there are many people who collect art! 

I have absolutely no qualms about selling art now and no real idea if I will return to creating full time. I seek only to spread art's beauty on the walls of your homes. I understand both sides now, and there's nothing that brings me more pleasure than to complete this circle of creativity in my own life.

Pretty As A Picture continues until July 29
th. A show of Brooklyn artists is up next. Visit if you can!

Words For Our Time Book

I am so excited! Words For Our Time, my election inspired series of text-based pieces, is now available in book form. Each art page is followed by one with the texts of all the quotes on that page and their sources in type. People quoted include Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jr, Audre Lorde, Albert Einstein, Ursula K. Le Guin. There are 58 inspirational quotes in all.

Words have always been my ballast and my anchor. I believe in their power. While I understand the saying “actions speak louder than words,” I believe that words can be where actions start. Throughout history, words have provided the spark to begin change and the sustenance to carry it through.

Words For Our Time is a series of artworks based on eight words: strength, hope, truth, peace, justice, love, courage, and compassion. Each was created from one large sheet of paper that was torn into separate sections. After the writing was complete, the pieces were sewn back together in an act of healing as I mended the torn paper and made it whole. They remind us of what is important in our personal and civic lives and provide encouragement and support in these difficult times.

The paperback book is $15. and can be purchased from amazon (buy the book here) and at the Paula Estey Gallery at 3 Harris Street in Newburyport where two of the framed originals are on exhibit as well as four Spirit Books.

You can take a closer look at the individual pieces here on my website.

Studio Sunday-Words For Our Time Continues

Words For Our Time continues. Finished: Courage, Hope, Love, Truth. Being stitched together: Peace. Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., Ursula K. Le Guin, Maya Angelou, Saint Francis, Erich Fromm, Fred Rogers, and Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Still to come: Freedom, Justice, Compassion. My deadline is March 3 when I have an appointment with photographer Kevin Harkins. He'll be photographing them on white plexi with lighting from behind. I know the photos I've been sharing are less than ideal and look forward to the quality ones to come. After that, it will be time to figure out some form of reproduction (posters and postcards if they are not too small) and distribution as well as a way to exhibit the originals.

Studio Sunday-Courage

I have a new series underway called Words for Our Times that has grown out of the current situation in this country. I made this over the last two days. The lettering is far from perfect but it adds a sense of urgency and reflects the rawness I feel. It is made from one sheet of paper from Chino Crafts in Nepal that was torn, lettered, and then reassembled with stitching. There are quotes from Michelle Obama, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martin Luther King Jr., C.S. Lewis, Robert Green Ingersoll, and Jane Austen.

I have six words definitely chosen and several more under consideration. I also have to figure out how they will hang. This one is temporarily held up with masking tape. I will be looking for places to display them, preferably non-gallery settings with public access, in windows (the light accentuates the texture of the paper and the stitching), and for short periods of time. Any thoughts you have would be most welcome.