However, recently I cleared out and rearranged the bits and pieces of things that adorn the fride door and it so happened that Frida nd The Buddha ended up right next to one another.  Consequently, my husband pointed out to me just how similar the two images are; it is, in fact, quite uncanny.  Not only are the two figures seated in the same posture with the same calm, direct, and knowing gaze, but there are some striking resembleances in the facial features as well, especially the iconic eyebrows of both Frida and The Buddha. 

Take a close look and see for yourself!

A few months ago my husband Scott and I watched a great documentary film about The Young @ Heart Chorus, a group of talented older performers who sing their hearts out to their own versions of classic rock and roll songs.  The group began under the direction of Bob Cilman and Judith Sharpe in 1982 right here in Northampton.  Young @ Heart Chorus has toured extensively in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia, produced the CD “Mostly Live,” and the afore mentioned film “Young@ Heart” was featured at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006.  After learning all this about the group, we were so inspired that we knew we had to see Young at Heart  perform live.  

I have been keeping an eye out in local papers and such for about 6 months and we finally got the chance to see Young @ Heart do a live show at Chapin Auditorium at Mount Holyoke College last weekend.  The group performed a concert, with special guests Unit 7 and Nate Fuller and the Dukes, to benefit Hospice of the Fisher Home, an orgaization providing compassionate end of life care to people in the Pioneer Valley.  

The current members of Young @ Heart range in age from 73 to 89; some of them have previous stage experience, but many had never been before an audience until they had turned 80.  The show opened with Nate Fuller and the Dukes, a group of young performers who knocked us out with their covers of classic rock tunes and their unbounded energy.  After the great warm-up, we were really excited to see Young @ Heart and the group did not disappoint!  They came dancing up through the aisle of the auditorium and had the packed house on their feet immediately singing grat songs like Dancin’ in the Dark, Walk on the Wild Side, Road to Nowhere, and I Wanna Be Sedated.  Midway through the show Unit 7 played some great tunes, which they describe as “Speakeasy Music for the 21st Century,” then Young @ Heart took the stage again to finish out the night.  We had such an amazing time at the concert and came away feeling happy, inspired, and wanting more!

The Sleep Dragon

Last week my husband and I made a trip up to Maine so that I could get a new tattoo from Cyndi Lou at Squid & Whale Tattoo in Portland.  I met Cyndi Lou a few months ago while we were in Maine for a few days.  Scott and I wandered into the new tattoo shop Cyndi Lou, Kapten Hanna, and Nikki recently opened on Congress St.  I spoke with Cyndi Lou for a few minutes, looked at some images of her work, and immediately felt a connection. I have wanted a tattoo of the Hindu God Ganesh for a long time, and after emailing back and forth, we set up an appointment, and I felt confident enough in her skills to allow Cyndi Lou to come up with a design and surprise me with the drawing on the day of my appointment.

This is the stencil Cyndi Lou had made for my Ganesh Tattoo.  I could not have been happier with it; it was as if she knew exactly what I had envisioned! 

In this photo Cyndi Lou is applying her stencil to my arm.  This is a really important step, as the stencil will serve as a guide for the outline of the finished tattoo.

Here, Cyndi Lou is preparing her needle.

The ink is actually being applied in this picture.  The tattoo is quite large and intricate, so it took Cyndi Lou a little over 5 hours to complete the outline of the piece.

This is the finished outline for my new Ganesh Tattoo.  Since it is such a complicated design, it will take more than one session to complete, and Cyndi Lou will be adding color in a few weeks…I can’t wait!

In order to help Kimberlee’s Bikes for Kids goals of providing new bikes free of charge to as many 2nd and 3rd graders as possible, Dan has organized a very special auction of bicycle themed art.  Artists from around the country have donated original, bicycle themed art, and the gala-event will be held in San Diego on November 7th, with a separate e-bay charity auction of any remaining work to be held later.  After doing a little research on Kimberlee’s Bikes for Kids, I decided to jump onboard, and have donated my original collage, entitled “Speedy Bicycle,” for sale at the auction.

I strongly believe that it is our duty as citizens of the world to find ways in which we can give back, and contribute to our greater community.  As artists, we often represent the term “sporadic income,” however, it is possible to use our work or our skills to help others, without digging to deep into our pockets. 

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