haiku exhibition: installation photos

With the help of fellow Printmaker Judy Coady and my hubby, I installed my first exhibition at our co-op studio. Each member selected a print and paired it with a haiku. Some wrote their own, others drew from the master, Yosa Buson. I love that my sister, Katie Engen, collaborated with me to write the haiku for Leap Year.

The exhibiit is up until February 28. If you're near Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, stop in and spend some time in our gallery, Studio 325. The haikus take the prints to a whole new level, and it's a nice way to spend a winter's day.

good advice: proceed and be bold

I'm sitting here watching the documentary, Proceed and Be Bold, about printmaker Amos Kennedy. The man is calling my name.

Amos left a well-paying career as a systems analyst at the age of 40, returned to school to get his MFA, and hasn't looked back. He's figured out a way to make a living doing what he loves and apologizes to no one.

Some Kennedy-isms I particularly like:

"What do I have to do in order to make my stuff?"

"Life is short. But as long as you got it, make something of it."

"Instead of being afraid to leave something you don't want to do, leave it and do something you want to do."

"Nothing is permanent, so why are you going to put your faith in something you have no control over? At least you have some control over your own life."

You can catch a local screening of this terrific film on November 6th at 1:15 pm here.