Creatively Thinking

 Featured image: Celebrate Innovation “Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.” — Arshile Gorky

  Featured image: Nature's Truth Rich earth, remarkable trees… woods, sky, nature. They offer a healing that is a natural process, something that goes beyond anything reasonable. And yet, it gives you a remarkable, comfortable, real sense of satisfaction and strength—a gift that helps fill you from within, if you allow it to. And the wonderful, glorious thing about nature is that it is always there. It can always be there, no matter what color it is, no matter what state it is in. It can always give you strength. It can always fill those empty spaces in your heart, if you allow it to. The sounds nature makes, or the sounds it does not make, become part of the alchemy—that magical transformation between you and nature. It is always mysterious and transformative, changing the ordinary into something very wonderful for you. Really, you make this transformation yourself, if you are simply silent and listen to all those sounds around you. Far away, the green leaves twist with the wind. ...

  “There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who… transform a yellow spot into a sun.” — Pablo Picasso Featured image: Checking Things Out

  Featured image: Tree, Tree, Tree Trees Early morning, it is a nice time to speak to the trees and connect to them and they to me as we together connect to the sky and the earth and start our day. Listening to the wind twisting the leaves in the aspen trees. I can’t imagine not being able to hear this sound in the mornings. I can’t imagine not being able to see the leaves twist with the wind, and hearing this sound and this movement. They are such a blessing. They are so beautiful to me. You are so beautiful To me You are so beautiful To me Can't you see You're everything I hoped for You're everything I need You are so beautiful To me — “You Are So Beautiful,” written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher Earth. Trees.

  Featured work: Airplane sculpture In the new work I have been creating, the word assemblage has been creeping into my vocabulary. So it makes sense that I began reviewing the history of “assemblage” in the arts. Needless to say, I also ran across the word in academia. I shouldn’t be surprised—but I kind of was. AI briefly states that assemblage theory was developed by two Frenchmen—of course—Deleuze and Guattari, and then popularized by Manuel DeLanda. They view assemblage theory as social and material reality as fluid groupings of heterogeneous elements rather than fixed entities. Assemblages are formed by interactions between people, objects, and ideas, creating properties greater than their parts. But artists already knew that. Assemblages are the relational system of things, practices, habits, bodies, concepts, and environments that give rise to an emergent and coherent logic. The first assemblage artists I came across were Louise Nevelson and Robert Rauschenberg. I ask myse...

  Featured image: What Lies Beneath Stepping over the line—most of the time, we are led to believe that isn't a good thing. That is the bottom line. But for me, like so many things in life, not everything is as it first appears. Stepping over that line—be it red, purple, orange, yellow, or blue—is the place where discovery and adventure begin. It is stepping outside my comfort zone and into the playground. It is where true growth happens. It is the place of being on the edge. And it is where the light of your potential and mine awaits. Perhaps that is simply another way of thinking about stepping over that red line.

  Featured work: Little Bird “I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.” — Pablo Picasso

  Featured image: Summer Winds Sat with the wind today—what a blessing. It brought abundance after the smoke and heat. I so embraced this abundance. It was like dancing with a whole new universe, and I opened my arms with gratitude to the wonderful possibilities and fresh flow of life it brought after all the smoke and heat, creating a new cycle of joy and growth. It's as though the smoke had stifled all things, and now its curtain has been lifted, and a new day has begun. I am cultivating this new mindset and feeling blessed, opening my heart to these infinite possibilities. Imagining... vibrant gardens, tending and nurturing these new seeds I am planting in the wind, with the wind.

  Featured work: Yellow Bird At this moment, this very moment, I wish I could be a tiny warbler and answer the call of a male warbler singing his heart out. Calling, calling for a mate. His song is so glorious and pure on this sunny morning. Now I hear another. Glorious morning. In the weavings I am currently doing, I hope I am showing that everything is connected. Everything is like a weaving, whether tightly woven or loosely woven. The papers are woven together one way or another. Adornments are added, stories are told as I work. Things are connected, like the warblers, their song, and me this morning. Glorious morning.

  Featured work: Blackbird Lyrics: Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free Blackbird, fly
Blackbird, fly
Into the light of the dark black night Blackbird, fly
Blackbird, fly
Into the light of the dark black night Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise Source: Musixmatch Is this not a powerful song? For me, it is like the message of Christ. It is a song of hope. It is a song of freedom. It is a song of struggle. And it is a song about life. It is a song about life that applies to all of us throughout history. In this song, the symbolism is a blackbird,...

  Featured work:  Whirly - Gig I have a magnet on my magnet board that says Why Be Normal? I have always thought that artwork that matches the pillows on your sofa is a normal thing to do. As an artist I often find myself asking, WHY do people like to be normal? Like a wind-up toy. Someone winds up your key, and you just waddle about like everyone else. You don't have to think for yourself—it is easier if someone else thinks for you. Just take the blue pill like in the movie The Matrix where taking the blue pill means the story ends, and you wake up in your bed believing whatever you want to believe. It allows you to return to the blissful ignorance of everyday life and avoid having to think about or question reality. Everything is blissfully normal and boring. Normality doesn't celebrate differences. Normal rarely changes. But things do change. We are not merely different; we are unique—one of a kind, one in a million. There are millions of us, yet each of us is singular. We ...

  Featured image: 002 Stories Series I have been creating different things lately from new ideas that have come from new thinking. This, for me, is always wonderful and exciting. It’s the weaving of paper in my work that is triggering this new thinking. The weaving is abstract, like life, like history, and each thread of paper represents a time and a place in history. Wherever/whatever may have come next, this thread weaves a wonderful tapestry of time. The tapestry of time passes by so quickly that we often don’t even see it. We miss it. It is invisible, but it connects us. It feels like a divine glue that connects us. It is there—perhaps it always was—and when we look back, we can describe it. The tapestry's purpose was to create a connection to whatever is next. Most of us, like myself, can look back and create it.

  Featured image:  Coffee With a Little Yellow Bird At The Bird Bath Coffee in the garden this morning. Hummers buzzing overhead. One turns its tiny head, looking cautious. Another comes. Their buzz is so distinctive. The phlox is in full bloom; the colors are so prolific and wonderful. A much-needed shower seems to have just passed by, as everything is wet and glistening, covered with raindrops and rainbows. Birds chirping in the woods. Chipmunks scampering underfoot. I am not feeding them as much this summer, so there don't seem to be as many of them. The same goes for the red squirrels. I guess I have learned my lesson. As much as I enjoy them, they really are destructive. The gray squirrels let me know they don't like the change. They climb the screens and eat my red plastic lawn chairs. I wonder what it is in the plastic that they like, or if they are sending me a message. I wonder what I could put on the chairs to stop them, because they really are destroying them. I tru...

  Featured image: Our Stories Lately, I have been thinking about how important it is to tell our own personal stories. After all, they are our history. Many times—often, for that matter—we feel shut down. We feel shut down for various reasons, often very petty reasons. For example, recently I was told I couldn't do a particular something because, listen to this, "we haven't done it before." Really! Now, if I was breaking a major rule or something, I would consider it worthy of discussion, but I wasn't. I was merely telling the story behind one of my works of art. I was told I couldn't tell the story because it hadn't been done before. That only made sense to me if it would harm others in the process, which it wouldn't. The other reason was that others weren't allowed to do it. I couldn't understand that reasoning, but at the same time, I said to myself, if others wanted to do it, then let them see my example and ask if they could also do it. I ...

  I’m honored and grateful to share that my artwork Ringmaster’s Coat has been invited to exhibit in INNOVATIONS 2026, the 35th Annual International Open Juried Exhibition presented by the International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA), at the Tubac Center of the Arts in Tubac, Arizona. My work often explores the space between the real, the imagined, and freedom. Ringmaster’s Coat continues that exploration, inviting reflection on identity, transformation, and the stories we create about ourselves and the world around us. I’m deeply honored to have this piece included among the innovative work of artists from around the world. My sincere thanks to juror Ash Dahlke, the International Society of Experimental Artists, and the Tubac Center of the Arts for this meaningful opportunity. The exhibition will be on view November 6, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Thank you, as always, for supporting my work and sharing in this journey.

I’m feeling especially grateful to share that three of my works— Rosie , Wings , and Water Falling —have been accepted into Wisconsin ART from the NORTH , presented by Wisconsin Visual Artists at ArtStart Galleries in Rhinelander. This exhibition received 176 entries from 70 artists, with 73 works by 52 artists selected by jurors Tom Uttech, Kelly Jean Olm, and Kyle Knoke. I’m truly honored to have all three of my pieces included. Nature has always been at the heart of my work. Whether inspired by the quiet presence of birds or the ever-changing movement of water, I continue to explore the connections between the natural world, imagination, and the stories they invite us to discover. My sincere thanks to the jurors, Wisconsin Visual Artists, and ArtStart Galleries for this wonderful opportunity. It is always a privilege to share my work alongside so many talented Wisconsin artists. The exhibition will be on view August 27 through October 31, 2026 , at ArtStart Galleries in Rhinelander,...

  Three years ago, I planted Claret lilies in my garden. After waiting so long, I had convinced myself the squirrels had claimed the bulbs, and that I would never see them bloom. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I walked out my front door, and there they were in all their glory—a beautiful surprise waiting for me. Aren't they just gorgeous? Nature has a wonderful way of reminding us that not everything unfolds in our time. Sometimes, the most beautiful gifts are simply waiting for the right moment to appear.

  Featured work:  003 Stories Series Every time I cross paths with another person, be they someone I know or a stranger, like this past weekend during the Northwoods Art Tour, where many art lovers visited my studio to reflect on the treasures art gives, I approach them, take a deep breath, and try to embrace their spirit. I trust there will be a wonderful shared exchange of energy that art always brings. I just trust that art will do that. Thank you to everyone who visited my studio during the Northwoods Art Tour. Whether we shared a conversation, reflected quietly together, or simply crossed paths for a brief moment, each encounter became part of the invisible thread that art weaves between us. I am deeply grateful for your openness, your curiosity, and your willingness to step into my creative world. It is through these shared moments that art continues to remind me of our connection to one another, and for that, I thank you.

  I’m grateful and honored to share that my painting Ringmaster’s Coat has been accepted into the Studio Texas International Online Competition 2026. The real, the imagined, and freedom continue to shape my work, and Ringmaster’s Coat reflects that ongoing exploration of identity, transformation, and the stories we choose to tell. I’m honored to have this piece included alongside the work of artists from around the world in this international online exhibition. My sincere thanks to Studio Texas and the jurors for this meaningful opportunity. I hope you'll take a moment to explore the exhibition and discover the wonderful variety of work on display. View the exhibition here: Studio Texas International Online Competition 2026 💛 Thank you, as always, for supporting my work and sharing in this journey.

  Featured image: Birthday Cake My half birthday was on July 21. I am hoping that the next six months, and the years that will follow, will bring no fear, no worries, no hatred, no hesitation—just love, just wonder, and the sheer joy of exploration and discovery. Of course, I have always had that dream, but as I move closer to having fewer days on earth, I want to think of those days as treasures, as days of always finding …………………. God's grace, beauty, and love, and walking away from everything that isn't that. I just read something that says what I am trying to say so beautifully. Calling myself an "artist" is not something I am comfortable with lately. It feels like a judgment call that I prefer those who view my work to make. For convenience, I call myself an artist, but, you know, for me it is either a "huge" word that carries a lot of mystery and wonderful meaning, or a very small word that has lost all its meaning. Lately, I don't know which one fo...