It’d been way too long since I saw this man:
It was so nice to reconnect with him. Thank you, Yoni. It’s been a wonderful week of feasting, meditating, partying, gutting punkins, giggling with Sam, beachin’, talkin’, walkin’.. All the goodest, bestest things in life.
I made a flotsam maiden at the beach while he chi gonged, too.
See more pics here.
Finally got my wind back and finished the painting I was commissioned to create at my gallery show a few months back.
The client, Dianna, bought my painting ‘Nap’
(click for larger version)
and she really liked a larger painting, ‘Renew’
(click for larger version)
but wanted one the same size as Nap, so she commissioned another work, born of the first Renew.
Hence, Renew 2 came into being.
(click for larger version)
Not as strong as the original inspiration, but still sweet and.. Aaaaaaaaah, completion is good.
My show opened last weekend. It was glorious and fun and delicious.
So cool to see all the paintings and sculptures I’ve been working on all spring proudly sprouting up on the walls next to Sophie’s haunting impressions of dilapidated industrial spaces. So wonderful to be surrounded by my friends and community.
I’m a lucky girl.
The performances were awesome, passionate and inspiring. My momma read my favorite poem of hers while Maris played the flute and Jean danced. My chi gong/meditation/massage teacher, Svadesh honored me with a participational chant and a reading on the Tonal. Cody and Amy danced a delightful, hilarious routine on love and bologna sandwiches, Alex and Vanessa did a wild yearning butoh piece, Courtnee sang her lovely Last Breath song and Jean finished us up with another gorgeous dance. The food was luscious and abundant(thanks Kim!)-indeed, so abundant that we’ve been eating it happily all week! Mmmm… Cherries and chocolate.
Yay for creative friends! Thank you all SO MUCH! I love you.
Oh, and I read my artist poem:
I’m an artist.
Or so i remind myself
when i get those looks.
Wrinkling with incomprehension
as things fall out of my mouth
in less than discernable order.
It’s all grippable though,
I have to believe that, even if
so much fertility is hard to handle.
Winter’s frozen poetry thaws
on my tongue, trickling a thin line,
tart and sweet across the canvas.
Big, strong, veiny hands spreading,
stroking, caught in their
fervent reverie.
The squirming painful surges
every bit as dynamic as
pleasures hottest urges.
Don’t worry my bones into
a semblance of sense,
just look, touch, taste…
Soak it up or leave it
flapping vexatiously in the periphery
of your week’s routine.
Until you’re ready to yield
some part of yourself,
some of that nagging conviction perhaps?
Don’t fret, you can always snatch
it up and put it on again
(if it’s not too tight).
Take my hand for a moment,
Perhaps it will help to know
I’m here too.
Playing in the dark.
There was much art viewing, mingling and sparkling conversation, I sold three paintings(woot!), we cleaned up(hurray for Delayne , king of dishes and humming), goofed off and then, came home and had a wonderful bonfire party! D got the fire blazing whilst I threw together a lamb spaghetti sauce and pasta(I’m told I can’t call it spaghetti iffen it’s not actually spaghetti noodles) dinner and we all toasted our toes, drank sake and port and told silly jokes(really silly-we had to ban poop as a subject-much to Jason’s chagrin).
More show pics here.
It’s almost here!
If you’re in Seattle May 18th, come and see what my three month long painting frenzy has yielded.
Sunday, May 18th, 1 to 6pm
You are joyously invited to ‘Invoking Drala’ at the Little Red Studio Gallery. The art of Zan Edson and Sophie Brunet.
Trees, roots, rocks, earth, water… The natural world calls me and collects me, bringing my often furiously swirling human mind back to the moment, back to the breath filling my chest, the ferns tickling my legs, the warm rock, or rough bark against my cheek.
In celebration of this intimate, priceless, abundant, endless source of connection and in gratitude to Drala(a Tibetan word for natural magic or the spirits of nature), I’ve created a series of paintings and sculptures.
My friend Sophie Brunet will be gracing us with her Industrial series-paintings of crumbling industrial spaces-which both compliment and contrast the rooty glory of mine and remind us that beauty is also found in the least likely places.
Please come and enjoy! The opening will be from 1 to 6pm,with performances beginning at 5pm, so stop by at your leisure to peruse the art from 1 to 5 and stay if you like, for some amazing dance, music and poetry. Refreshments will be provided by Chef Kim, so they’re sure to be yummy!
Love,
Zan
Invoking Drala
Sunday, May 18th, 1 to 6pm
The Little Red Studio Gallery
406 Dexter Ave N
I painted kisses liberally amongst the guests, but Sharon got the extraspecial birthday Wargoddess armbands!
We rocked the sleepy neighborhood of Lake Forest Park last night, celebrating Love and my dear friend Sharon’s birthday… So much awesome live music, massage, poetry(I got to read my ‘Creation Porn’ and several other macabre/juicy pieces). The food was veganly delicious, the conversation was… very accupuncturial, and the lovin’ was awesome!
I love you gorgeous girl! You are a rich, juicy, strong treasure of a woman and I’m so proud of you, so happy and grateful to know you… I look forward to seeing your path unfurl, your practice open, your spirit bloom and thrive in the midst of life’s challenges, loves, lights and sorrows.
You are so loved.
I finished the companion piece to the River goddess, just in time to deliver it to Heather at the Norminapalooza(deets and pics on that spectaculiscious event coming soon…)…
She looks nice in the bathroom. I thought she might be a little overpowering, too dynamic a contrast to the peacefulness of the smaller River lady…
But it’s really a pretty nice combo.
Heather says it’ll help her wake up in the morning! The placement is pretty perfect too-you see the energetic splendor of the Moongoddess when you walk into the room, then, as you assume your throne to do your bizness, you can gaze upon the sublime serenity of the Rivergoddess…
Nothing like a satisfied, return customer to warm the cockles of my artistic heart.
When a paint-clad firegoddess asks you if you’d like a card.
The Fremont fair was awesome. I had a blast working(if painting gorgeous naked people can actually be called work?) the festival with LRS.
I love my art.
No, this isn’t one of those cheesy online quizzes where they explain how we’re all goddesses inside… Sure, metaphysically speaking, I get it. And when I’m feelin’ all radiant, snarkysparkly, or SacredEarthMotherish I can feel the Holy spirit shine on, but what about all those other times, all those other mes? The puny, crawly ones who aren’t so bright and shiney? Who slog along despondantly, or want to curl up in a crack under the bedcovers in a weepy little ball ’cause there’s no one to hold them and say: ‘It’s all gonna be OK?’ Or the mean, mad ones who just want to scream and lash out, hurt and break things?
I know there’s Kali energy for the really serious shit, but all the petty moods and moments, all the crappy little things, all the confusion, delusion and dissatisfactions, add up too and need some kind of eruption, burnt offerings, holy redemption, breakthrough-something to sizzle and crackle and flare, to ignite them, to burn through the whole clotted, tangled mass.
Meredith Brooks’ song ‘Bitch’ captures some of what I’m talking about:
‘I hate the world today
You’re so good to me
I know but I can’t change
tried to tell you but you look at me like maybe I’m an angel
underneath
innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you’d be so confused
I don’t envy you
I’m a little bit of everything
all rolled into one
I’m a bitch, I’m a lover
I’m a child, I’m a mother
I’m a sinner, I’m a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I’m your health, I’m your dream
I’m nothing in between
You know you wouldn’t want it any other way
So take me as I am
This may mean you’ll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous
and I’m going to extremes
tomorrow I will change
and today won’t mean a thing
Just when you think you’ve got me figured out
the season’s already changing
I think it’s cool you do what you do
and don’t try to save me
I’m a bitch, I’m a tease
I’m a goddess on my knees
when you hurt, when you suffer
I’m your angel undercover
I’ve been numbed, I’m revived
can’t say I’m not alive
You know I wouldn’t want it any other way.’
Well, I’m certainly alive, that’s fer sure*rueful grin*. So, for this week of my life, I offer up my most heartfelt prayers to the supraliminal Goddess of Crappy Little Things.
Burn baby burn!
And, unlike Batman(the king of gloom and dissatisfaction), she’s not only happy, she’s inspired, inspiring and eloquent.
I spent the afternoon sketching swans, listening to Suzanne Vega and Andre Feriante(he’s got a big valentines concert coming up at Benaroya hall for all you Seattle folks), sipping tea, blogging, pondering answers to ponderous questions and evaluating my neck(it’s a bit sore, but I was able to do most of my chi gong exercises).
It was high time to throw some paint on the canvas, so I roughed in the background.
I wish I had a couple or ten more hours to work on it, but I’ve got to start getting ready for work.
Ah well. It’s a good start.