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....almost ready


One of a series I'm calling, 'celebrate!"......
she's ready for company!



The Art Bomb Explosion.....I had to stop and clean up......I could no longer find space to work...isn't it awful? Geez!



The Empress waits...



A little Christmas Spirit!


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......no denying her spirit

Valerie Runningwolf will also be sharing a space with me during Sierra Art Trails....
I remember the first time I saw her work, I loved it....
the second time I begged her to jury into Timberline Gallery.....so I could see her wonderful, heartfelt work on a regular basis....
but also because I wanted her for a friend.





She brings to mind ancient times.....there is wisdom in her work......
she explores both spirit and material.



.....our Diva of Words and Color


My friend, and mixed medium artist artist Kathleen Mattox, will be showing with me at my studio for Sierra Art Trails, our area open studio event this weekend...I'm not ready.......she says, 'come see some new work, older work and one of a kind pieces plus Show Day Specials'.....I can't wait...I'll have those things too.





I've loved her work since first look..
She is the Queen of Color and Words.....


Her work is joyful....like she is....

If you can, come see us
.

........artists reception and butterflys

Me and Peace Seeds at Sierra Art Trails artist reception....



For the life of me I can not remember what it was we were laughing at....

Art receptions are always kind of outer body for me....

I get nervous, butterflies in my tummy....

It's all very high school....

the, 'do I belong' thing.....

and then of course it's the do they like my Spirit Figures?
Parties and group things tend to leave me feeling a bit off center.... most of my life I've felt like I'm the odd one and everyone else fits in.... gatherings always bring up old feelings.... but I am coming to realize that almost everyone feels the same way... they don't necessarily know any more about fitting in than I do...
I think this may be especially true of artists...
we prefer to speak through our art.

All that said...the reception was a lot of fun...
good food, good music, good people and great art!

The show runs through next Sunday, art trails weekend.
It's an opportunity for people to see one representative piece from each of the 90 or so artist participating in trails....Visiting the gallery is a good way to map out the artist
studios they would most enjoy visiting.


I'm hoping to see some of you at mine.
Ellen Carnese
Kathleen Mattox

and

Valerie Runningwolf

will be showing with me.

.......fabulous fairies, fabulous friends




Ellen Carnese,
fabulous artist and creator of these delightfully whimsical works, will be showing at my home studio during Sierra Art Trails open studio tour.
I'm so happy to have her here for the weekend event.
I've loved her ceramic pieces since the moment I laid eyes on them.
They make me smile and think of fairies with attitude working magic in the glen.
I like Ellen a lot too.
She is a beautiful, full of life woman...
She makes me smile.
She lives in Coarsegold and is a member of Timberline Gallery in Oakhurst, CA.








I'm in the final days of preparation....It's crazy all the things I still need to do....mail post cards, make signs, clean my studio & ready it for guests, a bit of gardening (I have no green thumb but I can grow Cosmos),
art, I have to create more Spirit Figures,
plan refreshments, etc.


Although my muse has returned she seems to be sleeping until 3 or 4 in the afternoon before she graces me with her presence.
And for one reason or another my family seems to be in need of me more than usual.

Thank Goddess for friends....I need to get 3 figures to Arts Visalia
(about a 3 hours round trip),
between now and the 28th.
Bless my friend Kathleen for agreeing to do it for me...
I just have to pack them for a short trip and a much kinder one then they would have going ups.....
The say to pack things as though they will be dropped from a 3 story building and then stomped on by elephants....that's harsh and definely causes me to say a few prayers when ever I send a figure off with them.
The reception for Arts Visalia is is on Oct. 9th, 6 ~ 8 pm.
Trails is October 3 &4...10am ~ 6pm.

.......this is the international day of peace


Let's pray for peace on this International Day of Peace
Let's hold in our hearts the brother and sisterhood of all
Let's visualize no war, no hatred, no hunger, no greed

I can't not cry when I listen to this beautiful song...I cry for what could be






.....Tuesday morning blessing, for me & you

Blessing of Change

Bless this day and all who live it
open my eyes to ways of helping
give my heart over to my humanity
connect my spirit and my powers
spur my best self into action

I bless this day and all who live it
touching one heart spreads joy
sharing freely expands my heart
listening to others opens my mind
respecting others fuels my hope

I bless this day and all who live it
in small ways I am growing wise
in quiet ways I am learning now
in openness my spirit grows strong
in sharing, my life makes sense

I bless this day and all who live it
the essence in you is my essence
knowing our similarities frees me
feeling the sameness at our cores
unites us all as family of billions

I bless this day and all who live it
I reach out in kindness and spirit
you may learn to reach back in time
if I keep true and strong to being
the change I want to see in the world

Bless this day and all who live it

~ Abby Willowroot © 2008



....Tarts for the Arts and other fun stuff





Peace Seeds



Here is the 'official' invitation to the opening preview for the kick-off of Sierra Art Trails...I really hope to see you there.
Timberline Gallery will be open too...
we are receiving the, "Keeper of the Flame Award".
The Eva Scow Trio really puts out some good sounds.
And of course there will be 'Tarts for the Arts'.

Stellar Gallery Hosts the Sierra Art Trails Preview Exhibit
Come meet the artists and view their work at a gala opening reception!

The Sierra Art Trails Preview Exhibit
at Stellar Gallery in Oakhurst, CA
is now open to the public.
The exhibit runs for one month prior to the Sierra Art Trails
The opening reception will be held this Saturday
September 12, from 4 to 9 p.m.
Stellar Gallery is located at “Gallery Row,” 40982 Highway 41, Oakhurst, CA.
"Tarts for the Arts" Sierra Art Trails annual fundraiser will take place during the Preview Reception. There will be a silent auction and art raffle and live music by the Eva Scow Trio.
Admission if free!

Sierra Art Trails Open Studio Tour -
October 3 and 4, 2009
Catalogs will be available at the preview exhibit.




.......explorers



This is my Beloved Grandson (front) and his friend playing on the river over Labor Day weekend......
We spent two days just hanging out...
so good for the soul.
The log was pretty waterlogged but some how they made it work...

The river was so clean and clear & icy cold,
Note BG trying to suck up his tummy to avoid getting it wet...
silly boy......
but I did the same when I finally got hot enough to venture in.
This is what childhood should be...
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Compassionate humans need to make this a national issue. A world issue.

"The Horrors of Sexual Trafficking, American-Style"

By John W. Whitehead

"Jaycee Lee Dugard's case is every parent's nightmare, a troubling reminder that the evils of this world are not confined to dark alleys in big cities. Behind Suburbia's illusion of safety lurks an often seedy and troubled reality. It is a world of sexual trafficking, where children are sold as sexual commodities. Eleven-year-old Jaycee was hurrying to catch a school bus when she was snatched off the street by convicted rapist Phillip Garrido. For the next 18 years, Jaycee was held captive in Garrido's backyard in a nondescript neighborhood in Antioch, Calif. He allegedly fathered her two children.

But this type of tortured reality doesn't stop with Jaycee Lee Dugard. For example, Debbie, a straight-A student who belonged to a close-knit Air Force family living in Phoenix, Ariz., was 15 when she was snatched from her driveway by an acquaintance-friend. Forced into a car, Debbie was bound and taken to an unknown location, held at gunpoint and raped by multiple men. She was then crammed into a small dog kennel and forced to eat dog biscuits. Debbie's captors advertised her services on Craigslist. Those who responded were often married with children, and the money that Debbie "earned" for sex was given to her kidnappers. The gang raping continued. After searching the apartment where Debbie was held captive, police finally found Debbie stuffed in a drawer under a bed. Her harrowing ordeal lasted for 40 days. Three of her four captors have now been caught and charged (one awaits extradition).

Miya was 19 years old when a man and a woman, posing as agents for a modeling company, kidnapped her and forced her into a life of sexual slavery. Her captors also advertised her services online. Miya was eventually able to escape but not before suffering the trauma of captivity, prostitution and other harrowing abuses. These young women somehow managed to escape the underground world of sexual slavery and trafficking in the United States. Others, however, are not so fortunate.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), approximately 797,500 children go missing every year. That works out to roughly 2,185 children a day. Many of these young people never find their way home again. Too many become victims of sexual trafficking and prostitution.

A 2009 report by Shared Hope International indicates that more than 100,000 children under the age of 18 are currently being trafficked in the United States. Equally disturbing, the United States Department of Justice reports that approximately "293,000 American youth are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation." This scourge affects more than just runaways, children from broken homes and those forced out onto the streets. As Debbie's case illustrated, even the most well-cared-for children can fall prey to sex trafficking and become global sexual commodities, a source of disposable income for the men and women who profit from their exploitation. Incredibly, the average age of girls forced into prostitution and the sex trade is between 12 and 14.

Numerous efforts have been made to combat this growing problem. In 2003, the FBI and Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section joined with NCMEC to launch "Operation Innocence Lost." At the time of its creation, 14 field offices in high-volume trafficking areas were opened, specialized training courses were offered, and over 350 agents were trained. As of October 2008, Operation Innocence Lost had grown to 28 task forces and working groups, recovered 577 children, seized over three million dollars in assets, and achieved 365 convictions.

One of Operation Innocence's success stories involved cracking a large sex trafficking operation in Houston, Texas. In late August 2009, five men and one woman were indicted on 16 counts of conspiracy and sex trafficking of children, as well as forcing and coercing adults to engage in commercial sex acts. Girls as young as 16 were held against their will, prostituted and beaten. The captors operated behind various business façades, including modeling studios, health spas, massage parlors and bikini bars, and promoted the girls' services through sexually-oriented websites and print publications. Unfortunately, while Operation Innocence Lost has experienced some success, the sex trafficking industry continues to flourish and does so under the auspices of legitimate businesses and through internet advertisements.

There are things that can and should be done to put an end to this atrocious and perverted business. One way is to introduce much harsher punishments for the clients of these services. For example, in 2008, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act was enacted. It imposes harsher criminal penalties for traffickers and provides increased resources for victims in the United States.

These are steps in the right direction, but efforts to crack down on traffickers should be reinforced with longer prison sentences, higher fines, and the reach of the law should be expanded to include even minor accomplices in these crimes. But we must move beyond merely passing laws. Putting a stop to the sexual trafficking of young people must become a top priority of federal and local police agencies. It can largely be eradicated if the full force of the law is focused on ferreting out those who prey on young people.

Also, more needs to be done to raise awareness of the dangers posed to children. This means that the media must publicize the issue on a wide scale. Moreover, children should be further warned of the dangers of these situations in school, in our religious institutions and our homes. This means that parents and communities need to be informed as well. Hearing the chilling stories of victims like Jaycee, Debbie and Miya not only provides insight into the inner-workings of the sex trade in this country, but it may also encourage other survivors to speak out.

The only way to truly combat sex trafficking is to expose its seedy underbelly, harshly punish perpetrators and bring justice to the victims. Yes, as collective communities and as a nation, we must make sexual trafficking a priority. The future of our country hangs in the balance."

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His latest book "The Change Manifesto" (Sourcebooks) is now available.

.....makes me laugh


I love this award...it came to me from Sue at Barton Originals...a very talented witch indeed.
This award makes me smile and laugh out loud.
A witch maybe.....
magical sometimes, but not so domestic........
I'm honored to join this coven.
Thank you Sue for thinking of me, what fun....
I wish I could twitch my noise and have my studio become orderly right before my eyes.
Oh, what a gift that would be....
the rules are to send this on to 3 other bloggers...
My friend Vivian at River Wind comes to mind immediately
and the dear and talented Griselda at Spirit Art Dolls....so many witches in need of striped socks...this is hard....
I'm also going to pass it on to Nat at Art Dolls by Nat...I'm not so sure she accepts awards but this one is a perfect fit...If you haven't already, you need to go to her blog and check out Rosie...love her!
Off to tell these ladies.




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