How are you holding up these days? What growth opportunities are present for you? What is stirring you creatively? Are you following a thread, or have you lost the thread? 

I'm reporting in after my whirlwind trip to Southern France that was marked by visiting medieval towns, seeing some dear friends who live part-time in a mountaintop village in Cordes-sur-Ciel, and attending an 'Altered Books' retreat led by my colleague and artist friend from San Francisco, Tanya Wilkinson. This is a tale of two trips...

The magical side of the trip included visiting the incredible sites and landscape of the area, the delicious French food (yum – croissants and French cheeses), and appreciating the opportunity to make art. I learned new techniques using found objects. decorative papers, tearing apart books, and was taught how to put together origami and accordion art pieces (see my first pieces and the art studio below).

On the other hand, as many of you know travel can be difficult. We were plunged into cold and rainy weather the day after I arrived, and this shift made the atmosphere at the Chateau (medieval castle) where the retreat was held rather gloomy. Jet lag seems to be getting harder to manage as I get older, and after generally feeling exhausted on the way home, the airline lost my luggage. Luckily my luggage was retrieved so I could enjoy my new art pieces that were carefully packed inside. Phew! My perspective after the fact is knowing how lucky I am to be able to continue to adventure in this life and expand my horizons. When art is a part of my experience, I know I have a trusty companion.