Once a week, I volunteer with the blind creating art projects and I'm constantly amazed at their talent! We set these projects up so mostly everything is done by the student. The point is to make them feel successful in the art that they are making and let their creativity speak. Last semester we worked on a mural and it turned out great. I still have to post the final photos!This semester we've been working in clay, basket making (kind of hard~actually), and decorating hats.I am working with a new student and she is amazing! We sing Italian arias to each other, she teaches me words in the five languages she knows, and I watch in awe as she skillfully molds clay into birds.This is actually our second bird. The first bird was too wet, the wings broke, and we had to start over. I think this bird is even prettier than the first, as we're really working together to create patterns for the feathers (made from beads). She creates the pattern on one side and I mirror it -- all while singing.She inspired me to set up a singing program for the Greenwich Village Singers to come in and do some volunteer singing. I told her we'd be performing this summer and she was thrilled!**Do you ever have those moments where you realize how BIG the world is?And how each person has their own story?I do, and I love hearing other people's!And of course, sharing my experience from their stories. :)

I'm almost done with a new set of work and I'm really excited about them! This series is about little worlds to escape to from my shoebox.Here's another new piece..I think the sunshine has inspired me to think YELLOW. :) It's now added to the wall of work - which means it will go through some revisions!Either way, my goal is to have a series of 5-6 pieces done by the end of the summer!Once I'm done with those, expect to see more "social issue" pieces! :)

this painting keeps changing!I hang paintings crookedly from the walls of the shoebox, so I can figure out how to finish them!You'll be amazed how many different ways these paintings can turn out...Much like the Ship of Theseus -- is this the same piece OR a new piece?? (Hayden and I pondered this yesterday).I've been working on some of these pieces for a long time, and wouldn't say any of them are complete JUST yet (soon though, very soon). My goal is to have a set of five or six of these.come away with me (in progress)come away with me and details (both in progress)Before.After.I can't decide if I like it better before or after, but the thing is -- this piece started off as a dull, muted landscape (probably two years ago) and adding all of the bright details became confusing. The colors didn't pop as much, so I decided to brighten the entire piece.Details..**Which do you prefer? And keep in mind -- it's not quite finished yet -- so who knows where it could go!?

Last week I wrote about a gray sunrise and morning light at 5:00 am.This weekend I watched a beautiful sunset around 8:oo pm.I started off on the roof...(7:45ish)...but I couldn't see the sunset through the buildings...So I decided to chase the light...(8:00ish)I missed the sun, but stayed to watch the fading sky. (around 8:00)And it was beautiful.All of the subtle changes as each minute passed.I found a bench to lie on and looked up at the cotton candy colors...I also looked out......and thought about the sunrise across the world.I wondered what she was thinking as she looked out...The first star looked so small in the big sky.It still had to compete with the light on the horizon.It did get brighter ~ along with the lights of New Jersey.Two birds glided along the river and I decided to go back to the kitties.I wonder what the sunset looked like for all of you!

Sometimes Lavi likes to rest.Sometimes she likes to stretch......and sometimes she likes to wear shorts.

I finally developed the film that had been waiting for me, and I remembered why I shouldn't neglect my film camera!It takes beautiful shots...and was the first camera I learned on!this is one of my favorite photos..**Last fall I went to Montauk.The sky was gray and it rained the entire time......but I did a lot of painting.thinking of 11:11...and healing...The sea seemed so infinite...but the actual view was much grander...I imagined a stampede of unicorns running to shore...like my favorite childhood movie, The Last Unicorn**It did clear up enough to take a walk...Have I ever told you that I love ditches?I think there are so many pretty colors...Sometimes it takes a gray day to notice them..The beach was filled with ocean treasures!I decided hang out on this big stick...Looked at the sea through a different lens..I was annoyed with all of the cars just leaving their mark...So I found my own patch of sand...And decided to leave a little piece of me...xo

Just finished my Art Explorers project. Today we did torn paper Kandinsky's. The kids loved it!Next week we'll do more with Kandinsky and see how music affects our art!

Sometimes Lavi gives me hugs.She's so sweet!

I...*had my Art Explorers program and did a last minute "faces/vases" activity - thanks Dandy!**made some hanging butterflies as a gift**did henna at a mitzvah with lots of circle lights**spent most of Sunday with my head in the clouds and noticing things**you'll be amazed what you can find if you just look up**or down**and past your toes...**sometimes you find curious animals...**or pretty puffy things**or magnificent rose bushes**we weren't the only ones enjoying the sun*Hope you had a sun-filled weekend! :)xo

I'm not that tech-savvy.I barely know how to add photos to this blog.I just used Skype for the first time...the internet is soooo cool! hahaMy super-awesome-adorable-couple-change-the-world-friends are in Georgia for the Peace Corp and told me I had to get Skype so we could stay in touch. I finally did and noticed that McKinze was online!We chatted and I took her pic! :DAnd she showed me to make Georgian bread in a what looks like a well!YUM!Miss you two lovelies, but I'm soooo happy and excited for you! And I love reading your blog!!!xoxop.s. my desktop background is some awesome paper art by Katie Sokoler

"So what are your plans? Do you plan on going back to Iowa?" he asks. We're in a big group, so I'm not about to blurt out how I actually feel.**What! Why would I go to Iowa? To visit a grave??**"hmm..nope. Just staying here. You?"I quickly end the conversation and run back to my friends. I kind of want to cry, but realize I can't. This person doesn't know - most don't. I can't expect everyone to just know...he was just making conversation and it's just a day, but sometimes holidays can be rough. I do my best to make the most of them, and remember that there isn't a "formula" for how a holiday is supposed to look, but holidays bring up the fact that you can forget the day-to-day-ness of someone. And remembering the forgotten makes you question who you are.Are you "you" because you lost them? And would you be the same with them?These questions and a variation of more will probably be with me for the rest of my life. I'll always "wonder" about things, but I like who I am. So I have to think that she'd like who I am too, and that I would have gotten here regardless.My memories are faded, but we learn to hold onto the best parts of a person. My mother used to love flowers. Maybe this is why I'm so drawn to them. Sometimes, I like to think that she's the moments I stop to smell the flowers and notice beauty.Here are some moments from last week..Hope you all had a lovely weekend and a Happy Mother's Day! :)xo

I recently became a team leader for the New York Cares Art Explorers project. My project is on Saturday mornings at the Ravenswood Community Center.I'm excited about my lesson plan for tomorrow! We're going to make pop up Mother's Day cards. These are some quick phone pics, but I had to share.I've been making art out of all of my office's leftover materials.

I went out the other night and this doggy and I were having a staring contest.I think he won.

what is green? the grass is greenmoney is greenjealousy is greeni don't like green jelly beansi like lime green sherbetgreen is a pretty colorit's the center of ROY G BIVapparently, the heart chakra is also greenis love green?will i find a green glass love? (this is a thoroughly modern millie reference)Last Friday I participated in my first art installation piece ~ meaning it was up for about two hours before I took it down, leaving only rose petals behind.If you were anywhere near Strawberry Fields you probably saw a path of streamers...If you followed it, you were invited to interact and explore my exhibit which represented what "green" meant to me.It was a path to all the parts of love...(from my point of view)......including the bubbly, sparkly parts......and the times when it's a little more tangled.The piece really represented "self love", which I have learned is the most important. If you have this, everything else falls into place.My art piece was only the beginning. A guided mediation was led by Anthony, which encouraged participants to explore "giving" and "receiving" love through touch.There was music...dancing and meditation.It appeared quite peaceful from this point of view...**The event itself was new to me. It was really interesting, but fun. You had to let yourself go a bit, but once you did it was refreshing in a way. A bunch of strangers saying hello with a touch of a hand surrounded by the trees. It really provided a break from the city.There were many people involved, including dancers, artists, healing artists, musicians, and every day people walking by. It was hosted by TREeplays and the ID project.Concept and Direction by Kristen Schifferdecker of Red Novae.Thanks for letting me be part of such an interesting experience, and teaching me to let go a bit.

It is a gorgeous day in NYC! Normally I hit the gym at lunch, but today I decided to go to the park and catch some light.Columbus Circle is a great place for people watching...listening to new music...finding funny mazes...looking at tall buildings..and pretty, puffy flowers.....that look like stars...I also enjoyed a bit of shade before heading back!

Kristen asked me to create a visual piece for this event tonight. The event itself will be interesting. It's a combination of meditation, dance, music, movement, and art. She asked me to visually represent the color "Green" , it's relation to love, and the heart chakra.After a few weeks of struggling, my final "piece" is actually about my creative process in making it.It's a reflection of my thoughts on love, self-love, healing, green, and in the end it's just bigger and happier exploding book.The actual installation is difficult to describe, but it will be a heart hanging from a tree...*the heart*...Which will be filled with thoughts and flower petals...*thoughts*...And underneath it, the petals and notes will fall into a basket and a bouquet of live flowers with be ribbons coming out in six points (the six points of the heart chakra). The idea is that you have to find "self love" before anything else can work.As I get ready for the installation, it makes me wonder if this is art and how it will relate to the "audience" of this event? Since it's really just my "self expression", I may be the only one that can understand it. I suppose we'll see!At least it was fun to make!And I had some great help.Until she was too tired.Happy Friday!

I had the best birthday week and it ended with a bang!Last Friday, Kristen and Anthony took me out to dinner. We went to Tangra in Queens. It was a fusion of Indian and Asian. The ambiance was a little strange, but definitely unforgettable. I couldn't tell if I was in a museum, a palace, or a grandmother's house.Kristen also surprised me with a strawberry cake!It was beautiful and personalized!It even had three-layers!It was also amazingly tasty!The cake was a sweet ending to my birthday week, but the way the cake was presented to me was really the icing of the whole week!**Imagine being in conversation--slightly tired from a long work week--and all of a sudden hearing the background noise stop and switch to a loud-techno-Indian-beat. The waiter brought me my three-layered cake with an enormous candle and an entourage of people singing behind him. That was only the beginning! Once he lit the candle; the flame burst up like a firework, opened up into a flower, and started spinning and playing "happy birthday."**Kristen took some amazing photos and they really captured the moment (and my surprise!)It was really hilarious and I couldn't stop laughing--we also couldn't get the flower to stop singing--until the waiter disconnected the wire.Thank you both very much for an unforgettable birthday!

Hooray for Wednesday sunshine!Lately, I've been learning about self-love, and have been finding ways to brighten my own spirits for the days the sun isn't shining!Like putting hearts on my nails...Which definitely brighten my keyboard..Giving myself big hug in the middle of the day! (and thinking of giving Lavi a squish--she literally squeaks like a squeak toy when you squish her)And encouraging my friends to do the same!Have you hugged yourself lately?If not, give yourself a big hug, squish, and feel the love!xop.s. Squishing someone you love is equally as important! So for all my far away friends, I'm sending you a big squish today!

I found another wall to add some color to!My friend's, Kristen and Anthony, recently moved to a new apartment in Queens. They do a lot of energy work and healing arts, and have been working on the feng shui of their apartment.Anthony helped me add tape to the back of the pieces, and then added them as a color pallete to my arm.I learned a little about elements, color, energy, and baguas!Hopefully these bright colors will bring positive energy!And remind them to love and dream.Enjoy friends!