![]() My husband often asks me what items I have on my bucket list and I consistently reply that I’m a pretty content gal but my one wish would be to spend a month or two alone on the Greek Island of Icaria where my paternal grandparents grew up. Knowing that Icaria is a very “laid back” place, I could picture myself there in the port city of Agios Kyrikos just relaxing and soaking in the sounds and sights and smells. I visited there once about 20 years with my father and my daughter, then again about five years ago for a family reunion. Ikaria has gained notoriety in recent years as being one of the 5 “Blue Zones” in the world where people live the longest … a nice bonus. My husband who had been to the island for the family reunion said that he would “go nuts” being on that island for a whole month and could not understand my interest in traveling there again. I dismissed the idea of actually following through with the trip because of the cost and because the self-indulgent aspect felt uncomfortable. He dismissed the idea because of the cost and because he couldn’t imagine that his non-Greek speaking wife actually want to do this all by herself. After several subsequent “bucket list” discussions the island trip remained the only item on my list. I began thinking more and more about actually making that trip. I had cared for my father the last few months before he passed away in 2009. Dad very much wanted to travel to Icaria one last time but was too ill to make the journey. When all of his medical bills and expenses were paid my brother and I split what money Dad had left and my portion was still sitting in the bank waiting to be spent on something meaningful … perhaps my bucket list trip. I began researching the trip costs on the computer and speaking to folks who had been to the island recently and found that my dad’s funds could cover the cost. I presented my findings to my husband who did not exactly share my enthusiasm for the idea. I knew that I could not feel good about making the trip unless he was completely on board. I did not want to be sitting on the island by myself feeling guilty … that was not my bucket list wish. I had enjoyed my researching exercise but put to rest the idea of following through. A few months later my husband sat me down and told me that he thought I should make the trip. I said no, I couldn’t be happy there knowing he would be unhappy here and that I am perfectly content with my life. He told me that he had thought a lot about it and he did not want me to one day resent him for preventing me from fulfilling this wish. He really wanted me to go. Two months later, I found myself sitting under an umbrella at the port in Agios Kyrikos, Ikaria looking out at the beautiful Aegean Sea and enjoying a tasty Greek meal. My eyes watering … my whole body tingling … I was actually there. ![]() I started several paintings while in Ikaria ... still working on some of them. Many others are in my head. I painted when I felt like it ... did lots of reading and pondering the ever- changing beautiful sea.
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I was just informed that my two paintings (below) will be part of the initial "Art at the Airport" exhibition at the Akron Canton Airport from April through July, 2012. This new exhibition program will feature six local artists, (three from Summit County and three from Stark County) every 4 months. I'm very pleased to be part of the exhibit.
![]() Exterior view of my temporary studio space I am fortunate to be able to return to the Tannery Row Artist Colony periodically and rent temporary working space while in the Atlanta area visiting family and friends. I was formerly a resident artist at this unique historical facilitly when I lived in Georgia. ![]() Interior of my 2012 temporary studio TRAC is a "gem" of a place which houses 18 working artsits (all with an open door policy)and a gallery where there is always something special on view.
![]() KAWS sculpture, High Museum courtyard Visiting an Art Museum is always uplifting and energizing for me. I come away renewed, reflective, and inspired to push a few of my creative boundaries. The High Museum in Atlanta is a gem in my book as is its current show, "Picasso to Warhol", featuring 14 notorius boundary pushers. The weather is getting cold here which inevitably directs my inner compass toward the south and I start looking forward to reunions my southern friends and family members. ![]() "Five Amigas" - mural painters During the coldest portion of the Ohio winters, I unashamedly hightail it to Georgia. I regularly rent a temporary working space at the Tannery Row Artist Colony where I used to have a studio. This past winter I was approached by a fellow resident of the colony, Sabrina, about painting a large mural on the outside wall of a warehouse in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Sabrina and her husband head up an organization which does a variety of wonderful things to Nicaraguan people. Armed with a variety of innoculations we headed to Nicaragua for our ten day adventure. My four artist companions, Judy, Sabrina, Judy, Soonie (all Tannery Row Artists) and I planned and pounded out a mural approximately 60' x 13'). Our subject matter reflected the good works being done by our commissioning organization to make life safer, healthier and happier for Nicaraguan people displaced by natural disasters. We drank gallons of water (it was VERY hot and humid) and lunched on peanut butter sandwiches. Breakfasts and dinners always included tasty beans and rice and wonderully sweet fruits. We commiserated about our increasing physical ailments, stiff necks, bug bites, sun burns, joint problems, dizziness, bad knees, etc. and we laughed, sang songs, climbed up and down ladders and scaffolding, danced, and painted on and on when we felt like we couldn’t lift another brush. Our experience was unforgettable and life changing. We pushed ourselves to our limits; we tearfully observed people surviving in unimaginable circumstances; we laughed and communicated with local folks using our limited language skills; we got lost in our work, and we formed a poignant professional and personal bond with one another. |
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