last weeks theme for the blogging e-course i'm participating in, was on authenticity.

to be honest i came to dislike that word after the start of a new relationship many, many years ago with a man named david. he bounced that word around in every conversation, and guess what...he turned out to be one of the least honest and authentic persons i had ever met. 

i can honestly say that finding my true or authentic voice on this blog has not been easy...at all!! 

but then i realized that i am like a fine strand of baroque pearls! each individual pearl is me...how i act at a party where i only know the hostess (very quiet) is me, how i am when i am out in nature hiking with josie (contemplative) is me, how i am when my family and friends gather on a friday night playing board games (loud, laughing till my belly hurts, goofy) is me, when i'm with my boyfriend (silly, loving) is me, when drivers won't let me in, it's getting late and my daughter may not make it to class on time (super pissed off! swearing!) very me!

so how do i possibly find the sweet spot in writing posts on my blog when i am all of those unique things?

i don't really know yet.

i know that i want to dig deeper, stay true to my blogs purpose, and not hide or shrink in fear of revealing too much. i really do need to step out of my safety zone, tell more stories, knowing that it's all me, that i have many voices...all of them true and unmistakeably me!

photos taken yesterday at the japanese gardens in van nuys, california

chalk festival

blue taped boxes 

red, white and blue umbrellas

 worn boxes of chalk

 sweltering artists

tangerine, red, lilac

 half full water bottles

colossal crowds of onlookers

white chalk marks

 drawings of clowns, divas and dragons

 cameras clicking

adele remix blaring

 indigo blue, black and lemon

straw hats

turquoise sharks, apricot fish and purple octopus

 knee pads and cardboard

the smell of freshly popped popcorn

june gloom and other things

it was sooo chilly on sunday morning that i could barely hang around the mountain tops too long soaking in all that misty beauty. but i so lucked out and for the first time saw a large buck...although josie chased it, so it was gone in a flash, but was that ever a treat!! then she ticked off a rattlesnake hidden deep in the tawny weeds, thank goodness he warned us with his rattle so i could get josie away in time.

a new commission i just received of peni.

(c) Under the Shadow of the Oak  2011 Kathryn Hansen

i finally finished my oak tree drawing and have entered it in a competition. hopefully i got the resolution correct so it doesn't get kicked back. the few editing programs i have make it a huge guessing game. i think it's time to invest in photoshop!!

i rarely write about my daughters on my blog because i don't want to intrude on their privacy but i am just sooooo darn proud of my daughter allie and the end of this long, long chapter in her life! her high school graduation ceremony took place last thursday evening...and let me tell you, i really choked up when she entered the field to pomp and circumstance! it's very bittersweet...i am so fired up for allie to now really start living her life and yet sad that this is it...it will never be the same. her journey has started and she's off and running!

and finally...i signed up for liv lanes e-course a few weeks ago and even tho i am so totally behind in the class, it has proven very valuable so far with more material to read than i can keep up with right now!! the course is closed but i highly recommend looking into the next session, or just check out her lovely blog here!

Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.

~Ray Bradbury~

wild parrots caught my attention with a cacophony of screeches in my front yard early saturday morning

 saw this sweet hummingbird on the way to the hiking trail that misty saturday morning

 

reflecting

 i am one who always sits quietly and reflects on the meaning of my experiences...so i've been thinking a lot about the art show last weekend. and i realized just how much i have grown and changed over the last few years. normally not doing as well financially as i had hoped would have set me into self-pity for awhile, wanting to throw in the towel, but this time i noticed that instead i thought about all the things i had learned, new ways to improve my booth and enthusiastic for what i want to accomplish in the near future with my photos and drawings. more than ever, i am really sure of my direction with my art and life. and i love that through metaphysics i have learned to be way more aware and mindful, looking for deeper truths, which in turn makes me feel soooo much happier than ever before. and when my happiness lifts me like that, it opens up my life to way more possibilities and opportunities. all very exciting!

a fair to remember!!

 most photos taken by my daughter emily.

i feel like i am slowly starting to come back to life after this past week and a half of prepping for my show and then participating in it. anyone who does art shows know how exhausting they can be! i confess that both sunday and monday nights i fell asleep on the couch before 8 pm and slept the whole night through!! my family room looks like a tornado hit it...hopefully tonight i can unpack and put away a little bit more!

my show wasn't as financially successful as i had hoped it to be but i learned sooo much again from prepping to set up and have made some good decisions for next year's show. i'm going to change out my whole booth to make it more "gallery" like...have more framed pieces and organize my prints way better. plus i'll have a lot more drawings finished to display as well.

i moved my booth location this year to a different block to see if it made any difference, which it didn't...but i so lucked out and got incredibly wonderful booth neighbors!! in fact i LOVED my neighbors, linda and ron sadon, who sold really awesome jewelry! and i was so grateful to see sooo many friends and family that stopped by to see me, plus a lot of people i knew from school, soccer, work and past clients.

my fabulous daughters and boyfriend helped me out so much again this year...i am super grateful for that!!

 

and so, all in all it was a wonderful and memorable experience...a tremendous amount of hard and exhausting work...but all well worth it!!

getting ready for the big show!

a lot of framing and preparing for the upcoming art fair this weekend in montrose. it's an exhausting process but i highly enjoy it. it's easy to sit behind a computer and just sell my art that way, it's a whole different energy being at these fairs...connecting with fellow artists around me, meeting people, being outside all day...just a very cool experience you can't get any other way! this year i'll be selling both my photographs and drawings. stop by if you're in the los angeles area, 3 blocks of wonderful art, music and yummy food, not to mention all the great shops and restaurants there too!!