Different Voices, Similar Songs

 Different Voices, Similar Songs

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

we look different from one another on the outside,
but on the inside, we yearn for the same respect,
we hope for kindness to fill the world,
we pray for the safety of our loved ones and our children,
we celebrate accomplishments,
we believe in goodness,
we dream big,
we survive life's challenges,
and we laugh at silly jokes.

we are similar in more ways than we are different.

We all long to be accepted, just as we are . . .

Be True, Be You

 
Be True, Be You

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

THE INSPIRATION

Who are you?  Who do you want to become?

Teenagers, young adults and mature adults spend many dollars and hours finding themselves in clothes, toys, entertainment, shoes, homes, boats, tattoos, etc.  They explore and discover new ways of thinking and doing things that are different from previous generations.

They are the young at heart and the restless.  They are searching the world for something that makes them feel whole, feel accepted, feel understood.  They emulate rock stars and models and businessmen and businesswomen and journalists and politicians hoping to find something, some element, a special character or something magical that will make them feel at "home."

The search for self is good.  Everyone's search is uniquely personal.  It is a part of growing up.  One person's journey is different from another person's journey.  It's supposed to be that way.  If you travel by twos, it's only a temporary trip until one person takes a side road toward his or her path.  But that doesn't mean you cannot travel together any longer if you want to.  You can still travel together on the same road but the way you each see things along the way is one of the many elements that will be different, and that's okay too.  Different is okay.

Being different is what makes each of us special.

Discovering who you are, learning what makes you dance, searching for what makes your music blend with the heartbeat of those around you, and finding your way through mountains and over bridges that make your feet stronger and your vision wider--these are some of the keys that unlock the door to "home."  And when you finally discover that "home" is found within the vessel of your being, and you realize that your travels throughout the world were a necessary step to going "home," then you are able to live with generosity, to offer grace, and to share gratitude.  Your journey will have filled your soul with a magical sense of who you are and a knowledge of what your potential in this world can be, and you live each day to elevate those around you, you celebrate each day dancing your dreams and singing your songs knowing that the abundance you share will be returned in kind, and you feel "at home."

Welcome Home.  Be True, Be You.

Blue Cat

 Blue Cat

THE STORY OF BLUE CAT

My cousin Blue Cat doesn't like Mondays.  

He likes Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but he absolutely, positively doesn't like Mondays.  I don't know why he doesn't like Mondays.  It couldn't be because he doesn't like working because he's one of the most hard working cats I know.  In the day time, seven days a week, he keeps the house clean of mice and rats for the Farbers, and at night, seven nights a week, he hops into Mrs. Alice's laundry basket and rides in the back of her bicycle all the way to the Bauble-Q for his nightly set with the other cats playing his sax in the jazz band.  He works hard and plays hard and enjoys each day to its fullest, yet I don't know why he absolutely, positively doesn't like Mondays.  

I've asked him why he doesn't like Mondays, but he purrs sweetly and looks the other way.  I know he doesn't like talking about it, but I can't help it.  I'm just a curious cat.  Aunt Betsy told me not to be so curious and to stop asking so many questions.  

Perhaps some day Blue Cat will tell me why he doesn't like Mondays.  But today, I'll just be satisfied knowing that he's happy working hard and playing hard.  Uh-oh, gotta go.  No time to chat.  I don't want to be late for my appointment.  After all, it's Monday, my weekly luncheon date with my most favorite cousin in the whole wide world--Blue Cat.

THE INSPIRATION

Blue Mondays . . . feeling blue . . . who coined the phrase and meaning of Blue Mondays?  Why do we adopt someone else's phrases and meanings?  These are just a few of the things that make me go "hmmmmm."

I've always been a curious cat, always bothering my mom and asking her questions about anything and everything.  I would ask so many questions that she oftentimes responded to me in Hawaiian with words that meant "Shhh, be quiet.  You talk too much."  That made me ask yet another question:  Can a person talk too much?

You get the idea, right?  ;-D

At 50-something, my curiosity hasn't stopped.  I think my curiosity has increased and that curiosity has led me to reading many books and searching for my own answers to the whys and hows of the world.

My little story of the Blue Cat is a humorous short story inspired by my curiosity and my imaginings about how I must have affected my mom and everyone else in my life with my endless questions.

Blue Cat was made from my original mixed media painting.

So . . . can a person talk too much?  How much is too much?  Can I learn all the answers I need from books, or must I ask questions to get some of those answers?  So must I appropriate a certain amount of questions to each person each day?  Hah!   ♥♫♥

Geisha

 Geisha

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

"Geisha" was inspired by the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" and my own memories of growing up in a multi-cultural community in Hawaii.

EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY

I grew up in a small community and went to school with friends and teachers of many cultures and religions.  We went to each other's cultural festivals and churches.  We played together, swam together, studied together and ate lunch at the same table.  Acceptance was not an intangible word with complicated meanings; it was a part of our lifestyle.  It was what gave us a sense of community, a sense of belonging.  It was simply "simple."

DIFFERENT SHOES

When I left the islands and found a new home in California, I experienced the effects of knowing that I was different.  I had difficulty comprehending this new experience, and for many years, I didn't know what to do with it or what to do about it.  All I knew is that I was in a different place that recognized me as "different."

When we experience a change of any kind, 

we symbolically put on the shoes of another; 

we erase the lines of division and expand the space of understanding.  ~Fannie Narte

I LIKE TO SING AND DANCE

Over the years, I've come to realize that being different isn't something that needed to be fixed or changed.  I've learned that knowing who I am and liking me as I am is important, and trying to make sense of the senseless was a waste of energy.  Instead, what if I simply chose to live my best life by sharing, caring, giving and loving; what if I simply applied the ideas of grace, generosity and gratitude to every spoken word, to each thought and behavior, to my music, to my art and to my silliness; and what if all these things elevated just one person sometime, somewhere--then that would make my heart sing and dance.  And I like to sing and dance.

SAME HEART'S SONGS AND SIMILAR NEEDS

We may speak different languages, worship differently, dress differently and our appearances may be different, but our heart's songs and needs are the same regardless of our zip codes.

Let's sing and dance . . . together . . . and talk about butterflies and birds and bunnies and rainbows and sunshine and . . . magic.

Violet Eyes

Violet Eyes

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

THE INSPIRATION

The inspiration for this piece came from the title of a song by Jewel, "Violet Eyes." The lyrics to her song did not provide inspiration to the message of my painting.

The message of this painting was inspired by ideas of hope, courage, truth, love, and friendship. It is also my response to overcoming life's challenges and the effects of losses such as the tragic events reported in the news.

VIOLET EYES

She lost her footing in the rain
and slipped
into a pool of mud and jagged rocks.

She could not see
the color of truth
because she was blinded
by the curtain of rain,
lost in the darkness of life.

She could not feel the color of love
because she was shattered; she was broken.

She sang her songs of agony and
danced her way through despair.

The night winds came as friends and brought hope.
The night winds came as friends and brought courage.

Nature’s tears had cleansed her soul.

In the silence of a new day,
she saw
the blessings of
hope.

In the silence of a new day,
she felt
the blessings of
courage.

In the morning of her new day,
she sang songs of truth.

In the morning of her new day,
she sang songs of love.

She could trust again. She could love again.

It was a new day. She called herself “blessed.”

In her new day,
she saw the color of truth, and
she felt the color of love.

She was Violet Eyes.

I'm grateful for my eyes. I hope to always see through violet eyes.

Two Sets of Wings

Two Sets of Wings

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

"She had two sets of wings to help her fly." ~Fannie Narte

The messages of this piece are based on the ideas of hope, encouragement, love, family, friendship, faith and possibilities.

When you wear a second set of wings, you’re stronger, you’re better able to walk through the storms of life, through daily challenges.

When you wear a second set of wings, it offers you clarity of mind to choose your next step based on your heart’s songs. Your journey becomes one that is in tune with your faith, beliefs and dreams.

Where do we get our second set of wings? From faith, from hope, from family, from friends, from love, from words that make our hearts dance, from dreams of possibilities.

I wish you a second set of wings . . .

Truth

Truth

This fabric panel was produced from my original hand painted journal.

THE INSPIRATION

Sometimes the truths we collect throughout our journey become distorted through life's experiences.  Journaling can help us reconcile the past, understand the present and prepare ourselves for the future.

How we see changes over time, luring us closer to truth.

Live truth.  Honor truth.  Celebrate truth.

Surround Yourself With Magic

 Surround Yourself With Magic

This fabric panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

THE INSPIRATION

Magic, miracle . . . miracle, magic.
Magic, mystery . . . mysterious, magical.
Magical surprises.

Magic is hope. Magic's twin is miracle.  Magic's cousins are mystery and surprise. Magic evokes curiosity and wonderment.

What does magic look like?

Magic is all around us. It appears in many forms. It's in the air and reveals itself in the forms of birds, butterflies, rainbows, the sun, trees, the sky . . . .

Magic is within us.  It appears in many ideas.  It's in words like hope, smile, please, adventure, possibilities, love.

Magic can be found in your imagination, in my imagination, in her imagination, in his imagination, in their imaginations. It's in your voice. It's on my canvases. It's in your thoughts. It's in my fabric. It's in our conversations with friends and family. It's in a book. It's in a hug. It's in the garden. It's in laughter. It's in music. It's in healing. It's in handshaking. It's in friendships and relationships. It's in the birth of a child. It's in the phrases "I Care," "You are special," "You're Welcome," and "Thank You."

Magic.

Magic makes you believe that anything is possible.
Magic helps fear find another home.

Magic offers hope.

Magic encourages you to dream . . . to dream big . . . to dream bigger.

Magic.

Surround Yourself With Magic.

Kindred Spirits

 Kindred Spirits

This panel was produced from my original mixed media painting.

 THE INSPIRATION

Someone you connect with, someone who reads your thoughts, someone who finishes your sentences, someone who enjoys your passions, someone who dances and sings with you, someone who blesses you with ideas, and tangible gifts that elevate you . . .

When kindred spirits journey together, two hearts are blessed.

Celebrate the kindred spirits in your life.

Journey

Journey

This panel is an image of my original mixed media painting.

THE INSPIRATION

My journey is unique.  As long as I can sing my own song and dance to my own dreams and travel to imaginary places and discover mysteries and surprises, my journey will be extraordinarily magical.  I hope that your journey is as extraordinary and as magical as you can dream it to be.