I finished the painting of the young mermaid riding with the bull. The "flying Mary's," which are angel-like shapes are in the painting, and are a language I often use in my work. These angel-like shapes are repeated in a grid for an older work, pictured below. I have been making these angel shapes for as long as I can remember and today I had an astonishing insight into why. The detail below is a close up of one of the angel-shapes pictured above, and some of the words in this section or surrounding it are: Light, devoted, current, powerful, electric, exhibit. I was feeling really joyful a ..read more

"Has" the bull, "holds" the bull, "grasps" the bull... I have started a new painting. The imagery is of a young mermaid with her hands around the horns of a young bull. The surface is a panel, 4x4 feet masonite; I am using oil paint. I chose the word "grasps" instead of "has' or holds" within the title of this post because the young mermaid has her hands on perceiving, she grasps a crescent moon-shaped outgrowth imparting both live-giving and life-destroying energy, and she wants to ride it! Many believe the bull is able to communicate directly with the gods, and in my painting the young merma ..read more

I have been noticing that a small patch of dry skin on the arch of my right foot itches on and off. I will feel the itch, focus my attention on it and the itching stops. It just stops. Back and forth like a game of hide and seek the itch starts and stops, and seemingly my awareness affects it. I start to notice this with other parts of my body... not just itches, but all sorts of subtle tingles, whispering throbs, or instant twitches will get my attention and then disappear so fast it's like they never happened and I forget about them... except for when I decide to stay present and focus on al ..read more

Why in the world would you do a Dakini Deck Reading? I can't answer that for you because your experience of actually doing a reading is the "why." So I have decided to make videos of me playing with the cards to illustrate "how" it is done, but the experience is something that must be felt by you and the benefit grows with each reading. So I hope the videos on my YouTube channel inspire you to buy the book and deck so you can have an experience for yourself and I'd love to hear about it in the comments. I use the word "play" because it really is exactly that! When we play we are relaxed, we fe ..read more

My paradigm has shifted. Like really shifted. Like being super clear after disorientation shifted. And while confusion is still lifting, here's an example: I am getting ready to make sculptural paintings to put in the fields and woods around my home. At first I thought it was simply because of covid-19 and staying put at home as the virus rages on. But it's more than that. I thought it was because galleries were shutting down and so I might as well exhibit right where I am. But not just inside...I wanted to exhibit outside - in the rain and snow, with the insects and animals, in the dirt and ..read more

Pandemic sheltering in place at first was weird but ok. That was March. Airbnb shut down so no rental income. Art shows shut down so no art sales. April, May, June, same same same. Then a booking in July, and Aaron's collector called, but things are still pretty much shut down. And what has especially shut down is the part of me that just wasn't working "for me" anymore. At all. When things got really quiet I started listening to the cracks in my thinking. I opened up to the voice, which had been tugging at me for so many years it was beckoning from the inside of my skin - sweating out the fa ..read more

I have been obsessed with the fantasy of uncovering all the blueberry bushes on our land, and there are lots, maybe hundreds of them scattered across what was once an old farm over 50 years ago... it's now our home and the blueberry bushes still stick to my imagination with juicy promise of succulent fruit while I birth heroic images. I see myself saving them from disappearing altogether. From slipping away and dying into an alternate fantasy replacing the bushes with a new forest that takes over and obliterates the fields. ... are they wild? Were they cultivated by farmers decades ago? For m ..read more

Susan's Airbnb's: Nectar Farm view . Airbnb at Nectar Farm Our lovely place has great views on 35 beautiful acres, is close to art & culture, hiking, and restaurants & dining. You’ll love Nectar Farm because of the views, the location, ambiance, and the outdoors space. Our place is good for couples, business, travelers, week-end getaways, retreats, small groups of artists, nature lovers, yogis, and families (with kids) for short or extended stays. Antique Farmhouse view . Airbnb at Antique Cape Our charming c. 1784 farmhouse has fantastic pastoral views with fields, rolling hills, sw ..read more

The light is oceanic today... with wet air the mist and magic are held by the falling water sounds. Florescent green grass appears to swim along the dark spring earth outside of my studio and two yet-to-blossom trees look like spirit nymphs to me ... and also maybe like seahorse bones dancing back to be cradled in the depths. And the mermaid is pregnant and praying. It wasn't my idea, she birthed herself that way in my underpainting sketch. I like her. I love her sketchy oil pastel presence. She is so vital and strong; it is a miracle she appeared like this - with fully formed bones and ready ..read more

I am excited in the studio... another mermaid just happened and it is obvious that the Niagara Falls series of paintings are far from finished. She is part of the series. Good... the subject holds deep veins of exploration for me... it's where I was conceived and where my family landed from Italy via my grandparents more than a century ago. I am moving my studio ... again... thankfully just down 2 flights of stairs... but back to where I can work all year without interruption from Airbnb... for the most part. I have a large canvas, 4x6 feet, ready to move down stairs with me on the first, Apr ..read more