Weekend of Arts

I spent the weekend immersed in art of all kinds.

First, a trip with my daughter to the Wichita Art Museum where I

was comforted and intrigued by some of my favorite artists. Did you know

that the Art Museum has FREE admission on Saturdays? What a great way

to invest an afternoon. It boasts one of the best - if not THE best - collection

of American Art with artists such as Robert Henri, Carol Wuermer, John Koch,

and of course, Mary Cassatt. I do not know why, but everytime I see the "Mother

and Child" I weep with emotion, so clear is the message of safety and nurturing.

It's difficult, though, to not exclaim when you see Dale Chihuly's Confetti Chandelier.

Go to his web site for an amazing tour de force of one of America's most enigmatic

and creative artists (www.Chihuly.com).

As October's warm weather turns decisively to cooler fall weather, I'll be holed up

with several at the upstairs loft of the shop with Nanowrimo 08. I won the event

two years ago, which means that I completed 50,000 words (novel length) in one

month. This year, I'm taking it a step further and encouraging others to join in the fun of creating their own novel in one month. Nanowrimo boasts several published authors but the

real goal of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) is to encourage "lots of bad writing" so the good stuff can emerge. One well known book, "Water for Elephants" was written (at least the first draft or so) during an installment of this caffeine heavy event.

Go to Nanowrimo.org for more information. I am planning some "write-ins" for other aspiring wrimos so see you in November.

Home and what it means to us

Today's New York Times aptly focuses upon the idea of "home" at a time when so many are threatened with the loss that may incur during the financial chaos on Wall Street. Today's style magazine has a brilliant article by Miranda Seymour which defines home in a way that resonates with me. Seymour quotes from Marjorie Garber:


"...our relationships with our houses are as charged as our relationships with our loved ones. The house we adore, she writes, can represent lover, mother, body or self, fantasy, trophy, history and escape. Lover because a new house suggests "beginning life over again with a younger, more beautiful partner. Mother because a house makes you feel salfe. It contains ou, nurtures you and prepares you for the world outside.."

This week I opted to have a spur of the moment sale at our little shop inspired in part by some of my client's who were wanting a jump start on their gift giving season. I reluctantly arrived at the shop early Saturday morning and was busy cleaning up the garden and generally tidying up when a large car filled with people parked outside. We are busy with many clients so I didn't notice much about the group that arrived until it became apparent that they were more interested in the house than they were anything in it. They approached me and one of the women, Lisa, shared that this was her grandmother and the house was actually her mother's when she was a child. At that moment, I knew that me being at the shop on Saturday was more than about business. I was so honored to see the woman who had grown up at the shop and I was even more excited to hear some of the stories that she could share.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to post some pictures and some stories about one of the oldest existing homes in the Tulsa area and what it may have been..and meant...to a family. I think this is one of the greatest treasures of being able to design spaces -- finding meaning in the environements in which we inhabit.