In my life I have always leaned in the direction of YES over NO. I do not know if this is a result of being in a family of clever, creative people who were ALWAYS taking on new projects, or, just my own self-direction. Either way, I have found that YES is richer with amazing opportunities, new friends, new skills and places to be. 

As my second "launch" of my Contemporary Oshi-e: Basic Course nears, I am doing my best to place my course in front of people who, like me, love fabric, making things and trying new things. I am asking them to say YES to the course, and to challenge themselves!

The process for ME means that I must be able to allow them to say NO, and be good with that, if NO is the right answer for them.

Is this rejection? I do not think so. Their NO means it is just not the right "fit" for them. That is not unlike having a piece of art in a juried competition, and finding out that what the juror was looking for was not in alignment with what I...

I am so proud of myself for persevering through all kinds of obstacles this summer to "launch" the next Contemporary Oshi-e Basic Course into the world! Where will my next students be from? I wonder, as I make my final plans and refinements, whose lives I might be touching with the same joy I have found exploring this unusual art form?

I only offer this course twice a year, Spring and Fall. That way I have time to enjoy my life AND share what I do in equal measure. Turns out that was fortuitous, as the scope of issues I faced upgrading my home and land over the spring and summer has been just non-stop challenging. But, things appear to have calmed down. Soon I will have a new entry to my basement studio: the cut out area will soon have a versa-block retaining wall, and a NEW DOOR! Woo Hoo!

Although I am now 74, it feels like this project is a new beginning for me as well. I hope to invite folks to a few studio open houses before the snow flies, and maybe even...

Over the decades, every time I faced a problem for which there was no obvious solution, I had to push into the "realm" of uncertainty for my answers. Trial and error became my method for finding a solution. Ripping things apart and doing them over is not fun, but, in the end, I would solve the issue and move forward. It is not a pretty process, and sometimes my studio floors were littered with scraps and bits of that messy process. But that is what was required. Uncertainty has been my companion throughout my artistic career.

For those of you who will be starting your journey of learning Contemporary Oshi-e with me this October, you will learn to befriend that uncertainty, and push through the "not knowing" how things will turn out. I make a promise that if you put in the effort it takes to try something new and different, you will be quite proud of your results for persevering. Because that is what it takes, perseverance.

I hope you are willing to step past uncertainty...

I am really happy for this particular Spring to have arrived! It means so many things, but foremost is it is the time I launch my first online/digital course into the world. My Contemporary Oshi-e: Basic Course is ready to go out into the world. I know in years to come this "new baby" will feel all grown up—but, for now, it is still my wonderful creation!

Also this year, in my garden, the trees I planted in honor of my husband, Lee, have bloomed for the first time since I planted them last fall. Lee was my biggest supporter, and my truest way-shower. He honored my creativity and pushed me to do things that I never imagined I could do. I do miss him for that in particular.

The blue chair in the photo is where I go to sit and ponder things, weather permitting. She needs some new paint, but it is something to watch the mountains and the clouds and the nearby cows from that wonderful vantage point. I am hoping to go there often now that the temperatures are rising. Once...

It was LOVE at first sight! 

The first time I laid my adult eyes on traditional Japanese Oshi-e was in a bank lobby in northern Japan. My husband (#1) and I were in the city while stationed at the adjacent Misawa (US) Air Force Base in the early 1970's.

I waited in the lobby while he went to secure funds to buy a car from a local dealer. When I saw that image, which I later learned was of the adult/parent lion in a famous Kabuki play called "Renjishi" (or The Two Lions), I was stunned by its' regal appearance and brilliant brocade fabrics.

The technique was like nothing I had seen before. I soon heard it called a "padded picture doll". As soon as possible I needed to know HOW to make one for myself.

After several phone calls (by one of the local bilingual secretaries who worked in the office with my husband), the very woman who created the image agreed to come and teach me on a weekly basis.

This began our 18 month-long challenge...