the wind cries mary

I haven't blogged in a while. It's not because I've been lazy. It's not because I've been flaky. It's not because there hasn't been anything art-related going on. It's because my mom passed away. Just seeing those words on my screen is making my eyes fill up. I wasn't sure if I would write about this or not since it is still very raw and real, but I couldn't imagine coming up with a light-and-breezy blog post as my next contribution and I've been feeling like it's time to get back on the horse...so here goes.

My mother's name was Mary Castellano. Like my dad, my mom made it to the ripe old age of 87. When my dad passed in 2009, my mom lost her mojo. She had about one good year in her before things started going downhill. Her passing on May 1st wasn't completely unexpected simply because of her age and her health, but it is still rocking me in ways I wouldn't have imagined. The wake and the funeral were difficult, of course, but it was really nice to be able to celebrate my mom with people who knew her when she was young and happy and in her prime. Family, friends, and loved ones came together to share stories, enjoy photographs, laugh, cry, and hold each other. We remembered the woman with an incredible capacity for love. We remembered the phenomenal cook. We remembered the sweetness, the kindness, the patience, the generosity, the strength, the faith. My mom was a devout Catholic, and she prayed for just about everyone she ever met. If she loved you, she prayed for you. If you were loved by someone who she loved, she would pray for you. My mom loved everyone, and everyone loved my mom.

About a week or so before my mom passed, I had an image pop into my mind while I was meditating. I sketched it out on a piece of scrap paper and set it aside. I kind of forgot about it until we were on our way to the funeral home for the wake. Terry was driving, and I took out my sketchbook...and the first thing that popped into my mind was that image. If you've ever had to deal with making funeral arrangements for a loved one, you know there are a lot of moving parts involved, and things come up that you might not think about. One of those things is the process of sending out thank you cards to all the people who paid their respects once the services are over. The funeral home offers cards, and when the subject came up, I asked my siblings (Frank and Addie) if it would be okay with them if I had cards made up on my own. I wanted to pay tribute to our mom with an original painting, and I had a feeling that the image I had been sketching out was meant for her. They were completely on board with the idea, and when I showed them the sketch, they smiled. Addie said, "You know, this looks kind of like a cross...maybe you could lengthen this bottom part?"

The day after Terry and I got home from New York, I got to work on the painting. I knew I needed to get it finished quickly so I could order the cards in a timely fashion, so I chose a fairly small canvas size (5" x 7"). My mom was 4' 11 3/4" (the three-quarters was very important), and my dad always called her "small but mighty," so I think the painting's dimensions were appropriate. Thankfully, I didn't have many work-related obligations that week, so I was able to spend a lot of time working in my studio. I finished in three days, and the title came easily as well: "Eternal Love". Here's a picture of the painting's evolution:

the evolution of "Eternal Love"

After my dad passed away and before we moved her in with Addie and her family, my mom was living alone. I would call her every day to check in, and usually I would be painting while we talked ("What are you doing? Painting? Of course!"). Even though she never set foot in my studio (she wouldn't have been able to climb the stairs), it feels like she was with me for many hours while I worked. I can only hope that she was with me as I worked on "Eternal Love", and I can only hope she finds it a fitting tribute: a "small but mighty" expression of my love for her, and a "small but mighty" representation of the love she had for her family, her friends, and the world. 

black magic woman

WOW. What a night! Altered Couture was SO much fun! In case you missed it, the 5th Annual Mid-Coast Altered Couture contest was Saturday, April 4th, and it was a hoot. Here's the summary, as advertised on Frontier's "events" page: "Now in its 5th year, the Mid-Coast Altered Couture Contest is a wonderful opportunity to see local creativity on display. 25 participants will walk, strut, and dance their way down the runway, modeling their designs constructed around this year's theme challenge, 'Enchantment and Fantasy'. Each year, the proceeds go to community-based programs that benefit youth and art. This year, we will have a special treat, as the Portland Youth Dance will present 2 dance pieces to share with our audience. This popular event sells out quickly, so get your tickets early for an enchanted evening!" Sounds interesting, right? It was!

Now, I am not a fiber artist. I am not a seamstress. I am not skilled at sewing or anything like that. If I lose a button on a coat, I can get it back on, but it's not going to be pretty or neat, and chances are, it will be a temporary fix...so, when Christine DeTroy asked me back in January if I would consider being a part of this year's event, I thought about it for about two seconds before I said, "YES!" Some of you might remember that I was a last-minute model for one of the designers involved in last year's Altered Couture. When I say "last-minute," I mean last-minute: I was asked to participate 48 hours before the event. This was good because I didn't have a lot of time to freak out or get nervous. Don't misunderstand me- I was nervous, of course, but since it was such a last-minute thing, I wasn't dwelling on it for weeks.

Anyway, when I heard that this year's theme was "Enchantment and Fantasy," the ideas started flowing. The inspiration for my costume came from one of my favorite cards in the Tarot deck, the Temperance card. I started to think of ways in which I could incorporate some of the elements in that card into my outfit. I knew I had to have wings...but how would someone like me figure out how to do that? One word: PINTEREST! Now, I typically only use Pinterest for recipes, but I know there are tons of ideas for crafty projects on there, so I started hunting around...and sure enough, I found a tutorial on how to make wings out of an umbrella! This was cool for a couple of different reasons: 1. One of the themes of Altered Couture is to use recycled or repurposed materials, and 2. the wings looked like bat wings, and I love bats! So, I found a couple of umbrellas at Goodwill in Topsham, and I got to work. I wish I could tell you that I was able to whip those wings out quickly, but I was not. There were a lot of late nights, a lot of long afternoons, and a lot of mistakes. I was way out of my comfort zone and in over my head. I'm glad I picked up two umbrellas, because my first attempt was rather botched. I kept at it, though, and with the help of black electrical tape, the finished product was not half-bad!

What do Paul McCartney and I have in common? WINGS! 

I already had a black nightgown that came from Estilo, the women's consignment shop in town, but I felt like that wasn't enough. I scored big-time when I found an underskirt in wedding dress section of the South Portland Goodwill! It had more material than I needed, so I just scrunched it up and safety-pinned it into place. No sewing necessary! Bringing the black-and-white elements together was another item I already had that came from Estilo: a silver sequined scarf could easily become a cummerbund for the evening. I knew I needed some sort of headdress, and I wanted something that gave the feeling of emanating light. Once again, the answer came in the form of a Goodwill purchase! I found a wreath with silver and gold sequined balls, so I cut it up and affixed the plastic branches to some wire. I already had a bunch of rosary beads in the house (they had belonged to my parents), so they became necklaces and bracelets.

getting in the zone

The angel in the Temperance card is barefoot, so I figured I ought to be barefoot, too. The song I had chosen to walk to was "Black Magic Woman" by Santana, so the only logical choice for nail polish was- you guessed it- black. I felt like I was having a high school flashback! 

photo by Susan Perrine

I was the third person to walk the runway that night, which was good...I was able to get it out of the way fairly quickly, and I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the show! I had a wonderful support team cheering me on (Terry, Heather, Sarah, Trish, Esther, and Annie), and their hooting and hollering put a smile on my face and a spring in my step! 

On Monday, I was thrilled to see that MaineToday covered the event, and two photos of me managed to make it into their article! Check it out: http://mainetoday.com/photos/altered-couture-coleman-burke-gallery-brunswick/. Lauryn Hottinger really captured the evening beautifully! 

I am so happy to have been able to participate in this fun and diverse community event. Major props to Susan Perrine for snagging first prize with her incredible submission, applause for Louanne Schoninger for stepping in so beautifully to cover for a last-minute bailout, and, of course, I bow down to the one, the only, Christine DeTroy, whose creativity, humor, poise, and out-and-out ass-busting hard work made the entire evening possible. Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who participated! Hope to see you next year! 

                                                                                                             

just a little light

"Eternal rest grant unto them, Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." 

Anyone who has been to a Catholic funeral has heard these words. Since I was raised Catholic (and my parents took me and my siblings to a lot of funerals when we were kids), I've heard these words a bunch of times, but they never really registered until recently. 

“Neither time nor distance can break the bonds that we feel.”

Anyone who has seen "The Big Chill" has heard these words. Unlike a prayer said in a monotone, those words registered the first time I heard them. I bring up these quotes because both are related to a painting I recently completed, entitled "Perpetual Light". 

My oldest and dearest friend, Julia, lost her dad just before Christmas. Victor Villacara (or "Big Vic," as we liked to refer to him) lived a long and full life, filled with love, purpose, and service to others. Victor was a lot like my dad, Frank: large in stature, large in presence, and large in personality. They both had big, booming voices, and neither man was shy about sharing their opinions. Both enjoyed driving giant cars (naturally, Julia's dad's car was referred to as "the Vic-mobile"), and both were active in the community. When my dad passed away in 2009, I found out about some of the kind things he had done for people on the sly...this is another quality that Victor and Frank shared. 

Many people attended Victor's wake and funeral, and quite a few of them had stories of kindness to tell that Julia had never heard before. The quote that Julia had chosen for her dad's "in memoriam" card proved to be apt: "We cannot do great things. We can only do little things with great love." The story I found most moving was told by Bernadette, an elementary school classmate of Julia's. Bernadette hadn't seen Julia for many years, but she felt compelled to attend Victor's wake to pay tribute. She said to Julia, "When my sister and I were little, we lost our dad...and your dad took us to the Father-Daughter Dance at school that year." Naturally, Julia was floored, as was everyone who heard the story. "Little things with great love," indeed. 

Riding on the ferry on my way home to Maine after the funeral, I pulled out my sketchbook. The experiences of the previous several days were fresh in my mind and in my heart, and I started drawing. On the left is the sketch I did on the ferry that day, and on the right is the completed painting. It's a 3" x 3", and it's only now that I'm realizing that the size is fitting: "little things with great love". May perpetual light shine upon you, Big Vic. By the way, you raised one hell of an awesome daughter. Nice job. 

"Perpetual Light"

my kind of march madness

Good things have been happening lately! Allow me to share my version of "March Madness" with you...

It's official: my painting, "Prentiss' Owl," has been accepted into the Ekphrastic Poetry Cafe show at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick! Yay! This show runs from April 1st through April 30th in The Collaboratory. Come celebrate National Poetry Month! Curious about this show and ekphrastic poetry in general? Click the link for more information: http://www.curtislibrary.com/poetry/

I'm happy to say that both of the paintings I submitted to this year's Maine Open Juried Art Show were accepted! If you're not familiar with the Maine Open Juried Art Show (otherwise known as MOJAS), it is a same-day jurying process: artists drop off their work in the morning, and the results come out mid-afternoon. This is a great opportunity to explore Waterville, so Terry and I took the day to hit the spots we enjoyed visiting last year: Mainley Brews, The Colby College Museum of Art, and, of course, Holy Cannoli! If you find yourself in Waterville during the next month, please stop by to see the Maine Open Juried Art Show (it runs from March 22nd through April 24th). While you're there, do a little exploring for yourself, too! 

While we were driving to Waterville on Saturday morning, I got a call from Robin at Mister Bagel in Brunswick to say that I had sold another "El Camino" print! I told Robin I wouldn't be able to stop by with a replacement until Sunday because I knew we wouldn't be back from Waterville until after Mister Bagel had closed for the day, which she was totally fine with ("No rush!"). So, before we headed out of town to celebrate Maine Maple Sunday, I dropped off another "El Camino" print. 

me on Sunday...

On Monday morning, I received another call from Robin: the replacement "El Camino" print I dropped off on Sunday had already sold! Thankfully, I had another copy and another frame on hand, so I was able to drop off a replacement on Monday afternoon. My solo show at Mister Bagel will be up through the entire month of April, and it looks like the next artist will be hanging their work sometime the first week in May. If you're in the Brunswick area and you'd like to see my show, please stop by! Mister Bagel makes fantastic bagels, and their staff is super-friendly, too! 

...and me on Monday!

Here's something kind of cool...I got the following text from Walter (my boss) yesterday afternoon: "Just retweeted something from @sethalanjacobs. Check out the link, your picture is under photos." WHAT??? Sure enough, the picture of me with my "El Camino" print at Mister Bagel on Sunday made it onto "The 207," an online publication focusing on all things Maine! I guess that's what happens when you have a public Instagram account! 

Another cool thing that happened recently as a result of having a public Instagram account: on Monday, I shipped out an "Old Fat Boy Sign" magnet to a guy who had been scrolling through Instagram while he was AT Fat Boy, waiting for his food! He came across one of my photos, and left a comment saying, "I HAVE to have one of these magnets!" I directed him to my Etsy page...and, sure enough, he placed an order! Hot dog! #hashtagsreallywork 

It has been a busy March, indeed! What will April bring? Stay tuned! 

more library love

I am happy to report that I was able to finish my "Curtis Creative Spaces" painting by the end of last week as I had hoped! I didn't want to go into too much detail regarding this project because I didn't want to spoil the surprise...but now, the cat is officially out of the bag! Please check out Mike Gorzka's wonderful blog post outlining the entire process...he did a great job! http://curtiscreativespaces.com/the-story-behind-the-new-logo-for-curtis-creative-spaces/9/

woo hoo! 

I am thrilled and honored to have been chosen to re-design the "Curtis Creative Spaces" logo, and I am hopeful that everyone at the library is happy with the finished product. I had fun working on this little assignment, especially since "Curtis Creative Spaces" is such a wonderful way for local artists to easily show their work to a large audience. If you're reading this and you are an artist living in Brunswick, I encourage you to consider submitting your art to "Curtis Creative Spaces". It's beautifully done, Mike is easy, professional, and pleasant to work with, and it's FREE! What have you got to lose? Click the link to see for yourself.

art + the workplace = a boost of positive energy!

Speaking of libraries, my paintings from the "Joy of Art" show at Topsham Public Library ended up in last month's issue of The Cryer and I didn't know it until just the other day! What a nice surprise! Don't you just love libraries? I know I do! 

The Cryer, page 10, February 2015 issue! 

fun-filled february

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it has turned out to be a very busy month for me! Here's a quick recap:

Last weekend, I was a part of the first-ever FebFest group art show in Freeport! I haven't shown my work in Freeport much, so I was happy to have the opportunity to do so. Traffic was a bit slow (it was cold out there!), but I'm glad I participated. I was able to sell some magnets, I was able to meet some new artists, and I was able to reconnect with some other artists who I don't see very often. Not bad at all!

my FebFest display!

Back in January, I was asked to re-design the logo for Curtis Creative Spaces, the online gallery that is run by Curtis Memorial Library! I don't want to give away too much just yet, but I can safely say that I have been hard at work, and I am hoping to have my painting finished by the end of next week! Fingers crossed...

Another "fingers crossed" event: I just sent in my entry form to have a painting considered for the Curtis Memorial Library's "Ekphrastic Poetry Cafe"! I love this idea: "Ekphrastic poetry is a poem inspired by a work of art. The writer interprets a work of visual art and then creates a narrative in verse form that represents his or her reaction to that painting, photograph, sculpture or other artistic creation." How fun is that? I hope I get in!

About a week and a half ago, I got a call from Robin at Mister Bagel in Brunswick: I sold an "El Camino" print! I've sold a few prints of "That Heavenly Coffee" through Mister Bagel, but this was the first one of the "El Camino" prints to sell there, so I was very excited. Later that same day, I received an email from a gentleman asking me how he could get his own "El Camino" print. Sure enough, he had seen my work at Mister Bagel! We met the other day, and not only did he buy a print, he may have some commission work for me...we'll see what happens there! Can I use "fingers crossed" three times in a row? I think I just did. 

Lastly, I have been having a lot of fun on Instagram this month. I've been participating in the "#dangerdiarychallenge," which is a month long, photo-a-day project I wrote about in my previous blog post. If you've been following along, thank you! If you'd like to see what you've been missing, then please follow me on Instagram! 

Thanks for reading this! I hope you've been having a fun-filled February, too! 

blog-spiration

Inspiration comes in many forms. Sometimes, it can even come in the form of a blog post (or two)! I've recently been inspired by a couple of blog posts by Veronica Varlow, and I thought I would share them with you here. To be honest, I've been inspired by a lot of Veronica's blog posts- I am a fan of her writing and her approach to life- but for the purposes of this particular post, I'll limit myself to discussing these two. I have a feeling you will likely add her Danger Diary to your "regular reading" list! Is "blog-spiration" a word? Hmm...

The first one has to do with how you start your day (http://dangerdame.com/2014/12/15/2-things-you-need-to-know-to-change-the-entire-course-of-your-day/). Yes, it's true: I love my iPhone, and for a long time, I had a major habit of starting my day by lounging in bed, playing around on my phone (Facebook, email, etc). I say "had" because I was able to break this habit, thanks to the "no electronics for the first 20 minutes of your day" challenge posed in this blog post. Now, I begin my day by writing in a dream journal, followed by heading upstairs to my studio to paint. Isn't that so much better? I've even been making the effort to get up a little bit earlier just so I can be sure to get in some early-morning studio time if I have another morning commitment. This is major, because anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person. I've been spending at least 30 minutes in my studio every day that I'm home for several years now, but this early-morning time slot not only allows me to start my day off right, it makes me want to try to get into my studio more than once per day. So, if this helped me, maybe it can help you, too!

The second one is the "#dangerdiarychallenge" ( http://dangerdame.com/2015/01/29/the-28-day-danger-diary-instagram-photo-challenge/). This is a photo-a-day assignment on Instagram, and it has been so much fun to participate in! Each day has a theme (a view from a window, a favorite thing in your room, etc.) and the basic premise of the challenge is something I love to explore in my art: the beauty that's all around us, finding the divine in the ordinary, and celebrating how you see/feel/experience your world. Curious? Here's a link to my Instagram page: http://instagram.com/brushstrokesbymaria/!

So, now I'll ask you: are there any blogs that inspire you? Has anyone "challenged" you to begin a new and positive habit that has made your life better? I'd love to hear about it!