And I'm Back!

         

        After two months of distractions, I am back to it! I have finally settled at my home in Maine for the summer, and I am committed to working a lot here. It has actually been good, in a way, to step back from such an intense month of doing art, and be able to pick up fresh. I must say I was surprised at how easy it was to continue on the same journey through these new and excited danced drawings. Check out what I did this morning on my heavenly porch. I would love to hear feedback if you have any.

         

Farewell Thailand... Hello Home!

(This is a little late, but I finally had the time to post it. I have been home now for a week, but I wrote this the day before I left Thailand...)

My trip has come to close, but I will bring back with me so many beautiful memories. As incredible as my trip has been, I am excited to return home. From a month of doing art, to a 10-day detox retreat, I am full of new life. I feel like my batteries have been re-charged and I am ready for whatever will come next. I will definitely not be returning the same person

          I look forward to arriving home and getting back to work in my studio. It has only been 3 weeks since I danced across my last piece of paper, but I am itching to start work again. It will be lovely to look at what I created in Bali with a new eye, and see what new inspiration will come. 

            My last week here in Thailand, I went North to Chiang Mai, which was a lovely way to end the trip. I went on a 2-day trek up a mountain outside of Chiang Mai, where our group stayed in a Mung village for the night. That was quite the experience. I cannot begin to describe how breathtakingly beautiful the mountainous Thai jungle is. Every few steps, I wanted to stop and take it all in. It was an extremely strenuous hike up to the hill tribe village, but getting to the top made it all worth it. From our very basic thatched house, we could look out over the mountains, where there was many small villages sprinkled across the mountainside. Farewell to Thailand, I will hold this time in my heart forever!

From the Ocean to the Big City

A cove just around the corner from the retreat center.

The beach I swam almost everyday

On the ferry from Koh Phangan to Surat Thani

 

The most amazing raw zuchini pasta with pesto and sundried tomato. Yum!

Just before the rain, Bankok. I swear I didn't touch this photo in photoshop.

       What a transition it has been leaving my inner journey on Koh Phangan, to a journey that lead me up to Bangkok, one of the craziest cities ever. I felt like I was having serious culture shock, even though I was in the same country. The energy of the 2 different places were completely the opposite! Koh Phangan was so calm and serene. There were very few people around and everyone was so friendly. Bangkok was full of energy and there was never a rest! I actually found it surprisingly unfriendly... People were short and at points even rude, but I was still glad to have the experience.
       Last night I took a night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, where I will finish out my trip. I have really come to like the night trains here, they are so clean and a real window into Thai culture. It seems like everyone and their grandmother goes on the night trains.  I met a fellow American woman on the train, and we have decided to be travel buddies. She had already done research and found a great hostel for us to stay in the old city. It's only 120baht ($4) a night! What a relief to be here! I have only walked around this morning, but I can already tell I will love this city!

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View from where I have my broth

     


      What an experience this has been! By far the hardest thing I have ever put myself through, but also the most rewarding. I now truly see the connection between my mind, body, and spirit and how important it is to take care of all 3. This has not been just about not eating food, but it goes so much deeper than that. I now know that I am the healer that I have been searching for. How empowering!
      Over the last week, I have been reading a book called "Cleanse and Purify Thyself" by Robert Anderson, and it has rocked my world. I would highly recommend it to everyone, but especially those who suffer from chronic dis-ease, cancer, heart dis-ease, epilepsy, leukemia, skin conditions, well just about every sickness there is! It is a gem and shares so much knowledge about dis-ease and the root causes.
       I send so much love to all of my readers. Thanks for your support and encouragement!

In Thailand but out of touch...

I arrived here in Thailand a couple of days ago. Wow what a beautiful place! I am on the island Koh Phangan where I am doing a 9 day detox program. I will probably not be posting much throughout this time because I will be low energy, but I will be back on in about a week. It would be lovely if you all could send me love and healing energy. Thank you!!!

My Last Day in Bali... Thailand Here I Come!!

        What a bitter sweet day it has been. I have packed almost everything up, shipped my tube of work home, and I leave this morning for Koh Phangan island off the coast of Thailand. What a month it has been! Looking back, the most amazing thing about the whole month was having the freedom to do my art day in and day out. What a blessing! My soul feels energized and renewed... There is something about the process of creation that feeds a part of me that nothing else can even touch. It's like adding logs to a fire, the more you add, the brighter it gets. I feel like I am burning bright!
       Bali has been a beautiful place to be and has also been an interesting eye opener for me. While here, I have  realized, surprisingly, that there are actually some wonderful things about my country that I had taken for granted. I wont miss the everlasting smell of burning plastic from the neighbors house nor the massage therapists that text while they work but I will miss the beauty that is overflowing here. Everywhere you turn there is another vista, an ornate temple, or an absolutely adorable little Balinese child the giggles with her brother at the tall blond as she says "Hello". It has been quite the oasis here at Bali Purnati. I have gotten used to this luxurious lifestyle and it will certainly be hard to leave. I am off to another paradise....

Photographs of the Holy

Yesterday we went to see the holy volcanoes and did a tour of the top temples of Bali. It was so beautiful I took almost 300 photos!! Here is a selection of some of the best....

 There was a huge line of people waiting to bathe 

in the holy water at the Pura Tirtha Empul

 

Finding Balance

Over the last 22 days, a lot of this culture has permeated my being. One of the greatest things that has touched me is their recognition of both darkness and light. They believe that there would be no “white” magic if black magic didn’t exist, and visa-versa. Their ceremonies all seem to not only include both light and dark, but fully embrace it as an important part of life. This has been amazing for me to witness because I used to not even acknowledge darkness. In my mind, light was the only way to peace and love, and people who recognized the importance of darkness or heaven forbid, embraced darkness with open arms, were the problem. But it was upon me truly respecting the darkness and realizing that their needs to be a balance that my true path as an artist began.

           I once had an astrologer tell me I needed to do some “dark art”. At first I thought she was crazy, but I know now why. It is in the moment when my feet first dance and the beautifully dark charcoal disrupts the white of the page, that I wholeheartedly embrace the Balinese mindset. The paper would just be a sheet of paper if I hadn’t combined it with the dark as night charcoal. It is in the balance and the contrast between the white page, the black charcoal and the middle tones of gray that breath life into each piece. 

 3 DRAWINGS IN STAGES

 

 

We went textile crazy!

        Phew, what a day! We left at 8:00am got back at 7:30pm and must have stopped at 6 different villages throughout the day. Our mission was textiles and boy did we see some textiles. We were lucky enough to go to a few ikat weaving factories and see it all being done. It was amazing to see how much work was going into ikat fabrics. The steps seem endless but the result is so beautiful.The hills were something to behold with the striations of rice fields right down to the sea. Another lovely day...