a n n i e l o c k h a r t

ninety and nude....

time has a way of slipping right through my fingers...with my good intentions right along with it. once in a while i feel like i'm right on track, leaving no stone unturned...not a stitch left undone. but, as you can tell, i'm slacking here in this space. a space that has been so kind to me. a tiny bit of time that i carved out of my week. i get overwhelmed when i try to play catch up with what has been going on in my life...backtracking is way too hard. so...here i go once again...beginning from now...this 26th day of june, 2010 to begin. just begin from what's in front of me. and although the following has absolutely nothing to do with anything...i thought it was just a fun place to begin...it made me laugh. one of the joys of growing old...you do and say things as you damned well please...and get away with it most of the time!

recently heard...and noted from the passenger sitting next to me on a swa flight..."i walk my neighbors dog...she's in her nineties and she and her live in man (also in his nineties...they call him 'brownie') of fifteen years have decided they are becoming nudists. they say it works for them, and it's alot more comfortable. now i'm afraid of what i'll come up upon when i pick up their dog for his daily walk." crazy, huh? whatever blows your dress up would usually be my response...but, in this case...no dress to blow up! i say go for it... nudies 'n nineties!

ps...sorry...no photo op for this post!

gulf coast marshlands

 
this is a shot i took when i first got to galveston....and it remains one of my favorite places to go to. these beautiful marshlands may or may not be affected by the oil spill...but, somewhere along the gulf coast...and in the gulf of mexico...damage is inevitable. damnit!

nailing it...

you know there are things that we sell ourselves short on....sometimes, we just don't believe in ourselves...and sometimes we just let ourselves down to the point of exhaustion. i've done it all, and lately i've made a few decisions that make me fall to my knees. i can't spill it all here in this space...i know that. but, what i'm hoping for is to let it out in some form or fashion, because what i've found, is that when i let it out...somehow or another it frees pent up anxiety. i don't believe in confession, not in the religious sense...but, i do believe in being real.and to put it out here just may hep me to stay in the light.  it's funny how i keep getting slammed with the same stuff....wrong choices...guess what? it just shows up again...only the next time, it takes on a little bit different twist...maybe a different flavor, maybe a more tempting color...but you can bet until i learn the lesson....it will not leave me until i nail it! human stuff...real life...lessons! now don't go thinking the worst...i'm not an axe murderer....just a woman on a journey that would like to learn from her mistakes and triumphs! note to self...it does more than release pent up anxiety...i just read that again...and feel i need to say that the reason i share here is i feel safe...it feels good to journal out loud...i will go further in my own journal to dig deep with what i started here.

artisans for haiti...

 

children in haiti...photo

as time goes by i hope that Artisans for Haiti becomes a very tossed around link and term here in this blog of mine...and by doing so, i hope to lure y'all into this wonderful non-profit organization that it's main goal will to help empower women living in extreme poverty to become self-sufficient so they may provide for their families!please go to the link above and take a few minutes to see what we have put together to accomplish this worthwhile cause. this past week i was in portland oregon, putting on our very first fundraiser, with friend and artists diane who, along with joan, are the dynamic duo of this organization. they both have extensive backgrounds in dealing with and training those with trauma. they are amazing women, and i am grateful to be joining them in this important endeavor. i, on the other hand....offer little in the way of degrees and years of experience in the professional world...but, do bring to the table a deep love for children, and empathy for those in need. i know this is a good fit! i am looking forward to going to haiti in the fall with them and a fabulous team. please read here about the three programs to be offered. diane and i will be working together on an online artist auction in the very near future to help support these programs as well! so be on the watch for an exciting line-up of your favorite artists and more details to come soon! BTW...the auction event was a BIG success! it was wonderful...we had such a great turn out, fabulous donations, danced, great food...a very good time was had by all! thanks to all those who donated items, time, and monetary support! THANK YOU!!!

the soulful journey continues...

hey everyone...if you are on facebook then check out my new 'fan' page a soulful journey! it will be a creative place...this i do know. a place of sharing tricks of the trade, artwork, classes, links...etc. really whatever blows my dress up! so check it out...become a fan...and let's get on this soulful journey together! see ya there!

 

back door to my very humble studio!

sunshine...

good morning, afternoon...wherever you are!

i'm heading out to soak up some rays by the water today...it's gorgeous here, still a little nippy with the wind blowing...but, so nice. i wanted to give y'all a heads up that my website is almost completed, which i am so excited to share with you. i will be sharing more artwork than i usually do...as i've had some requests! if you have purchased my book  Objects of Reflection...a soulful journey then you will notice some of the same artwork on my site with much more detail, along with new art as well.  there will be a place for you to sign up for my newsletter and to recieve updates as to where i'll be teaching and doing some book signings. if you would like to purchase a signed copy, just click on the link above...it will shoot you to my etsy shop. send me a message...i'd love to hear from you!

happy sunday!
 

a balancing act...

 
bear with me....i'm feeling like i need to get this out there...and off my mind. it seems like lately that i'm having a difficult time finding the balance in my life that i need, and it seems like the more i grasp for it, the further it is from my reach. "what's the lesson?"....this journey, this time that i have taken out of my life, just for me has been such a gift, and yet at the same time a struggle to keep it calm, nurturing, and as free from stress as possible. when i say 'for just me'....that's not really the case...i did find a little spot near the beach and near my family in texas, my momma, my oldest daughter and my little bugs...my sisters, and of course extended family as well. to have them visit and make memories has been so wonderful, and it has been so cool to be with them in just a matter of an hour or so. it's so hard to put into words...without sounding like i want to be on a remote island or something. the days are going by so fast...and i swore that when i got down here near the ocean, that i was going to go for a walk every day on the beach...i haven't! but, i have tried to get to where i can at least see it, and listen to it, but still not everyday...and i only live about a quarter of a mile from the beach. i have been gone alot. guilt is an awful thing, isn't it? there have been perfectly good reasons to be elsewhere...but, somewhere along the way i've gotten out of sync, balancing my life, setting some boundaries, and giving myself a break. a real one! ok...maybe i've said too much here...but, i do think it's important for us to accept our soulful needs...not put too much pressure on ourselves and to give ourselves whatever is pulling at us. it won't go away...i know this all too well. give into my heart! my new motto!

dream girl...

 
ok...so here's a photo of my dream car...karmann ghia, baby! it was my goal to have one by my 50th birthday...but, as some of you know that has come and gone by a year or so! but, i'm not giving up...this one i'm sure must have sold a long time ago...but, i just had to keep a photo of it...so i could use it on my dream board! a girl can dream, can't she?

i know there is so much more i can write about. something with substance...but, for me...in this moment...this works. my mind has been fried this week with emotion...so why not just be in dreamland! 

my mom has been ill...but, is making slow progress. progress, nevertheless! and for that, we are so grateful!

have a good good soulful sunday!

good juju...

wanted to do a quickie post here today...just to say hey. it's been a while since i was here. i have been back and forth between texas and mo. enjoying family, quiet time, and traveling down a new path. a journey that has had some unexpected curves...but, always a self accepting smile just around the next bend in the road. you know when you are standing at the waters edge at the beach and the sand begins to shift...and if you look down at it...it can make you a little dizzy? or is that just me? anyway...the point is for me lately...i'm trying not to look down when my path seems a little shaky...i'm keeping my eyes straight ahead and up into the sky...and trying not to worry that i'm not on completely solid ground in each and every moment. i know i'm growing in a totally new way. it feels good. i'm listening to my heart and getting quiet. i'm liking the way i keep moving to whiter sands...& then sometimes just looking out from the seawall securely standing on a firm foundation...taking in all the elements. i have been doing a meditation for quite some time now when i'm at the beach...i take my arms and hands and stretch them to the side of me about shoulders level....bringing them together in front making a big circle and bring them into my chest area/heart center...and take a deep breath in as the waves come to shore...then i do just the opposite, pushing from my heart straight out in front of me making a huge sweeping motion sending my arms back...kind of like swimming. waves in....bring all that is good, true, and calming into your center...water pulls back out...sending anything that i have been holding onto that isn't working so well....i let it go. remember to breathe in....then exhale. i do this meditation on dry land as well...with just the images in my mind of the waves washing in then gently back out. this is also a good meditation when there is bad energy around you...just do much smaller versions putting your hands at your heart center...gently sweeping away the negative vibes...and of course just the opposite when you want to take in the good juju of something or someone...bring it all in towards your heart. no one really knows what you are doing, if they see it at all...and at times just visually doing this in your mind works just the same. i used to do this when i worked at the airport...it seemed to help me stay present. enjoy your sunday!

love mail...

i have been loving getting the books that have been ordered from my etsy shop wrapped up and out in the mail! although, i just found out from one of my all time favorite people that the book rate that i'm sending them on allows the p.o. to open and inspect them to make sure that it's really a book! it happened to sue's...which makes me : (   to know that she didn't get to unwrap it...she did say they put the ribbon back on it. how kind of them! so...i just may have to send them a different way. either way...i'm thrilled to be wrapping these little babies up and sending them on their merrie way! i have recieved some wonderful emails from buyers...and that thrills me to no end! thank you! thank you!

my website is almost completed and that's another thing that thrills me! it will have some pages/links that i'm adding to...but, the main part of it should be ready by month's end! i am wanting to begin a newsletter...so, be sure and sign up for that when the site is up and running!

i just purchased a beautiful bracelet fromhere....this gal, amanda is going to have some more of these listed in her etsy shop soon! i love this one because i'm on a very personal journey right now...one that involves me getting quiet, centered, and calm. the perfect reminder for me these days! aren't they lovely?

 

this is what amanda wrote for the description....(i read this after i knew i wanted it...this only confirmed it!)

These one of a kind bracelets make a statement without being too bold. The bracelet focal was made from copprclay that was fired in my kiln to 1800 degrees. After cooling- each piece is carefully cleaned, antiqued, tumbled for strength, then hand finished for a one of a kind patina. For each piece, I carefully selected the gemstones I thought were best suited for each word. For Journey -I chose small, slightly irregular disks of Amazonite. This is one of my all time favorite stones with it's lovely sea-glass blue/green color. Amazonite is known for it's balancing properties, and is thought to be a good stone for artists to wear. It is also been called the "hope stone, or lucky hope stone" and is believed to help make your dreams come true.

  

have a great weekend! two of my three daughters will be here tomorrow...and my three texas bugs! (grandchildren!) can't wait! sending love and light...as always!