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This is a picture of the Angel Card I drew on New Year's Eve, 2017. I thought it auspicious the angel called Inspiration was painting a scene on her easel, but little did I realize what Inspiration had in store for me! So, I stuck it in the mirror in my bathroom and waited to see what would happen....

2018 kicked off with more than its share of intense, infuriating, frustrating moments in our country—so many that by the time I made a trip to Atlanta in mid-February, the entire world seemed on edge.  Driving around the city that I'd called home for most of my life, everyone seemed particularly distressed. The traffic alone was enough to make anyone road rage-full!

My own stress seemed related to the unrelenting rapidity of news cycles, and I could only imagine how this was compounded by the pressure of high-speed and/orb congested driving and other demands of urban life. I was so glad I'd moved to Michigan—away from that horrible traffic—ten years earlier. Ensconced in my Studio & Gallery, in tiny Frankfort, on the corner of 4th and Forest, I'd found that doing my art gave me the ability to cope with situations that before might have destroyed me. And, since the 2016 elections, my art had become increasingly filled with birds—I felt certain those intuitive messengers of hope and healing did not arrive by accident.

I hadn't visited Atlanta for a while, but now had enough good reasons to make it worth my while: I wanted, of course, to visit friends—old friends as well as new ones I'd met in Michigan who, it turns out, live in my old stomping grounds. I had a list of old fave restaurants where I wanted to eat. I also had in mind to meet Faith,  a woman who'd purchased one of my favorite bird paintings online a few months earlier. My main agenda, however, was to find an art gallery to represent my work.

All of these things occurred. I met up with Gail, a friend I'd met in Frankfort who lives in Atlanta. First stop was an art store on Peachtree Street and, around the corner we stopped into the Academy of Medicine, where the church I'd pioneered as a minister met for 10 years. What fun to share a bit of my old life with a new friend! After a nostalgia lunch at Mary Mac's, I wanted to show Gail my friend Timothy's elegant Tew Galleries. To get there we drove past the David Nielsen Gallery, the first place I ever showed work; I'd just pointed this out to Gail, when we pulled into the parking lot at Timothy's and David Nielsen himself was pulling out. After more than ten years, I marveled, what were the odds ....?!

After leaving Tew Galleries, Gail and I visited 5 or 6 other art emporia. However, the more I looked around, the less inclined I felt to consign my paintings to hang in one of these attractive but cool—too cool—spaces. I realized how much I love showing my work in my Frankfort Studio & Gallery. I love that its very personal here and not at all cool. Gail seemed to agree. We'd spent a lovely day together (she drove, thank God!); and, while I did eventually find a place in Atlanta to show my work, in the end I decided a distant gallery simply wasn't for me.

While I hadn't come to Atlanta as a savior, one morning driving on the expressway to Marietta, my old hometown, I became aware of a burning desire to help relieve the stress I observed all around me. Churches used to offer sanctuary, a place of respite; but in this new world, religion was being co-opted for partisan ends. Plus, I'd already done my bit with church .... Perhaps now art could better offer people a refuge from the craziness of the world.

As I let my mind wander, I began to imagine a  space, filled with paintings to which a person could withdraw to contemplate and connect with intuitive wisdom. As birds had spontaneously flown into my art, enlightened ideas might fly into anyone's mind who made space for them. And, those ideas might translate into spiritual solutions for political and other problems. Thus I was inspired to create the art installation project now called "Birds Fly In: A Human Refuge." (And, yes, I also ate at my favorite Thai and Mexican restaurants, and connected with Faith....)

Since last February, inspiration has been a constant companion. For example, at dinner one night while I was still in Atlanta, my friend Sherry suggested a soundtrack for "Birds Fly In." What a wonderful idea! In April, when I first heard David Mendoza playing violin in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, he reminded me of a bird. I knew immediately there was kinship between my art and his soul-filled music. A few months later, I intuitively knew it was his music that I wanted as the soundtrack for the installation. When I first showed David some images of the paintings I'd been making for "Birds Fly In," he exclaimed that this is what he sees when he closes his eyes while playing violin. Now I paint to music my birds have inspired David to create. Inspiration guides us unfailingly!

Inspiration is also a taskmaster. I never imagined myself as a music producer, but now having commissioned an album of David's composing, I am learning how to be one. I've also started collaborating with an architect on a design for the "Birds Fly In" installation, am writing a catalog to accompany the installation, enrolling poets, and learning how to use a camera to shoot hi-res photos of my paintings that are suitable for publishing. And, I'm sure there's more to do as I cooperate ever more fully with the idea behind this project. This is what is meant by good stress, for sure!

Immersed as I have been in "Birds Fly In," I remain ever mindful of other very tangible good that has come my way in 2018. For instance, I'm very grateful to the patrons who chose to purchase "Dune Dream" for the permanent collection at Grand Valley State University, as well as to each other one of my collectors who found value and inspiration in my art. My art life requires and appreciates your generous support. I pray assured that whatever good comes my way is multiplied and shared with you!

With much love, gratitude and wishes for a New Year filled with inspired stress,

Ellie

Dear Art-Loving Friends,

I know some of you may be feeling pressure to produce a holiday gift for your significant other. If like so many, you're not anxious to accumulate more STUFF, consider that Art is NOT STUFF. I'm biased, of course. I not only get to paint my art, but I also get to live surrounded by paintings that please me on a daily basis. That's why I'm always glad when a last minute shopper finally settles on an art purchase. I know they'll be giving something that will be enjoyed long after the Tree comes down!

 Check out the paintings pictured here and other  Smaller Works in my website Portfolio. (The smaller paintings are often ones I've painted on site outdoors ....) If you act soon, we can still ship in time for Christmas! And, in the case of Very Last Minute Deliberations, I can also create either a Gift Certificate or a Gift Card with an image of the painting you select.

Please let me know if I can help ....

With warm wishes,

Ellie (aka Christmas Elfie)

P.S. It's not too late to order items from my Holiday Gift page either!

I am by nature a Luddite. I'm the kind of person who reads Thoreau's Walden and can't stop saying "Amen." I like things simple. Yet, my creative ambitions repeatedly draw me deeper into the tech-complexity that characterizes contemporary life. And since I am currently in the process of composing a catalog of recent works for the Birds Fly In: A Human Refuge art installation project, and high quality printing requires high-res images, I've realized my iPhone simply won't do the job. A new camera is in order! 

A bit of history: I obtained my first camera by collecting my parent's empty cigarette packs (forcing them to smoke Marlboros instead of Old Gold for several weeks) and redeeming them for an easy-to-use Instamatic. All you had to do was plop a film cartridge in the back of the camera, and then point and shoot. Easy-peasy! A ten year old could do it and I did!

It's been downhill from there. From a more sophisticated SLR requiring hand-threading of film spools to cameras with memory cards, I've always been challenged to learn from a confusing manual how to use the camera. Truly, one reason I don't sell prints of my works is that, for me, it's much easier to paint a picture than to photograph one. As you can see from the equipment stacked on my studio coffee table, I'm about to embark on a task I'd much rather avoid.

Typically, I'd rely on my tech supportive husband, but he has a lot on his plate at the moment and I'm eager to get on with it. I've decided, then, to let Roo off the hook and take on the beast myself and see what I can do. I love Roethke's lines: "I wake from sleep and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I need to go." When it comes to technology, you can hear me snoring from a mile away; I am, however, willing to walk as far as I can to master this new machine.

My first step has been to write my intention on a list in my journal this morning. The bullet point reads: "Study camera." Step Two was to open the box and take everything out. (Putting hands on everything is my way of making friends with the different parts. Seeing the thick user's manual took my breath away, so I stuffed it where I couldn't see it for a few minutes; opening it now I see it's written in several languages, so it's not really as thick as I thought.) Step Three is to use my cell phone to take a picture of the mess of stuff and, well, to procrastinate by writing a blog instead of reading that manual .... You get the idea! Eventually, I will tire of this and, remembering my commitment to Birds Fly In (see image below), begin to master the task at hand by actually opening up all those boxes. I'm so glad I wrote it down! And, I'll keep you posted.

Last night the Birds Fly In music collaborator, David Mendoza, sent me the title for a piece he's working on called "Flying Free to Love." I used his words as a sort of mantra as I drifted off to sleep. I woke up feeling in love with life. Now, if you'll look closely at my pile of camera stuff, you'll see a small card. Whenever I need to bolster my inner support system, I reach into the box of Angel Cards I keep close at hand. The one I pulled at random this morning reads "Love." I'm guessing that, indeed, Love will once again, guide me through my resistance to learning something new, Something More. Glory be!

Thanks for reading and helping me be accountable to my project! May your resistance always be futile, resolve sooner rather than later, and, always, in the fullness of Time!

With Love,

Ellie