These three collages use the image of white horses from a Vogue magazine fashion spread. The top one incorporates the painting of the Madonna of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, a place very close to my heart. Painted by Leo Neufeld, it shows the Immaculate Hear of Mary, the patroness of the Hermitage. The second has a bittersweet aspect to me , combining the ancient statue in Copan   and the modernizing capital of Uzbekisthan, Tashkent.. The last collage is a distillation  of the sacred with nature  shown in its many aspects. I was very happy to sell this collage to a friend in May; just returned from several weeks hiking in Zion National Park shown as background ,she is a Wood Horse in Chinese astrology.  I have since put the image on my credit card.

  After a prolonged hiatus in posting,  I'm able to post images again. These were made in January, shortly after my beloved 16 year old cat was diagnosed with kidney failure. These icons focus on healing mind and body for both of us.The top image show my cat in a Vietnamese community house, with symbols of the five seasons surrounding her The next one depicts powerful tiger goddesses in a Vietnamese  Cao Dai temple. The third one takes place a Vietnamese Daoist temple with  polar bear and  bison bearing /being offerings with a "cost me an arm and leg" reminder at the bottom.  The last image of the turtle brain is a metaphor for the calming effect of meditation and. hearkens back  to my earlier undersea painting.

These are my Christmas or Solstice creations. A red Tara surrounded by flames dominates " Majesty" while the peace of Yosemite in winter reminds me to "Observe". I've created three more panels to midwife my cat's fragile health. She's 15 now and need sub Q injections of fluids every other day. I'll post those as soon as I get phots taken professionally. She's doing well - the icons are doing their part to comfort and inspire my efforts.

I'm amazed to discover I didn't post photos of my Open Studio in early November taken by my good friend and helper Denise Minter. The top photo is of a 12" x 12" panel titled " Burning". Come to think of it, I switched to a new laptop in November too so figuring out the new Windows photo gallery has been a hassle. I cant even crop my photos.

 This was the first painting where I glued photographs onto the work - from my collection taken at the British Museum.  The painting on the top is the original version with my attempt to render the diaphanous jellyfish with ink and acrylic paint. Once I got rolling with collage, I decided to try enlarging the source photo and pasted it over the painted part. I like the result. The photograph is of the Shah Cherag mosque in Isfahan, Iran that inspired the painting. My whimsical touch was replacing the chandelier with a jelly.

  This one is unusual because I went back to the original version by lifting off the nautilus image to reveal the pool of light in the center of the amber disc. The eye of the nautilus look hokey to me and I like the simplicity of the final version. It feels serene to me. I call it "Nautical Map." It's 12" x 12" ink and paper on wood panel.

  I took the top one to the photographer last week. I was working furiously to finish it in time for my appointment. I kept looking at it when I brought it home, wondering what was the matter with it. It wasn't done yet. I listened to what it wanted to tell me, much like a character in a novel taking on a life of its own as the author writes. A thoroughly delightful experience. It told me when I was finished as well. I call it "Follow ".