Dear Friends,
A lost racing pigeon bunked in the eave of
our house for a couple of weeks. I tracked down the local
racing pigeon group and after describing the bands on the
bird's legs, the man I spoke with urged me to catch the pigeon
so that it could be returned to it's home. The bird had other
ideas. It stayed comfortably out of my range, and grew plump on
the cracked corn and sunflower seeds I pour into the bird
feeders around my garden. I last saw the racing pigeon flying
towards downtown Bend, Oregon with a wild pigeon friend. It had
discovered it's heritage and took the plunge to live life in
the wild.
That's how I've been feeling lately, like
I'm rediscovering my heritage. Not in a cultural sense, but in
a human/animal sense. It started with learning to surf my SUP
board. After a summer and autumn on the water, I found
something in SUP paddling and surfing that energizes me.
I'm deeply respectful and sometimes scared of open water and
the ocean, so surfing isn't only about fun for me. I'm very
aware when I venture off shore that I'm entering a wild and
impersonal food chain. And when the wind and waves change from
friendly to scary, that only compounds my fears. But, the ocean
has a deeper metaphorical and spiritual meaning for me that
became part of my consciousness as a child growing up on the
California coast, so I didn't let fear stop me. I coped with
the water despite my anxiety and stuck with it long
enough to actually enjoy myself. Crossing over that personal
hurdle has been positively affecting my art. I've gone back to
making large images and continue to explore where my retablo series takes me. My series of
altars (retablos) is growing and is now beginning to be
exhibited as a group.
This month has been an exciting
blend of local, regional and national exhibits. In Central
Oregon, High Desert Gallery is exhibiting my series of
Madonna retablos (altars) at their Redmond, Oregon location.
This is the first time 14 of these ex-voto style retablos have
been shown together. Regionally, Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego, Oregon (a suburb of
Portland) included my large oil, Sentinel Moon - Blue Heron in a show
benefiting the Friends of
Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. And their
Alberta Street Location is showing my retablo, La Sirena (The Mermaid). Nationally, the
ASU Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology is
exhibiting my 16'6" charcoal drawing, Love Always (Siempre Amor) created for
their 9th Annual Dia de los
Muertos Festival exhibit, Oct. 28, 2008 - Jan. 29,
2009.
Along with the art, I continue to write
design articles regularly for
Latina Style magazine, and to color
consult. I like sharing home design ideas with clients,
it's a satisfying way to share my creative skills when I'm not
painting or writing.
I encourage you to continue to explore whatever it is that energizes and enhances your passionate self. It's the best way I can think of to stay creative and positive during this time of economic uncertainty.
Warm Regards,
Cristina
Read more on my blog, www.CreateAndRelate.com.
