This past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of working with kids at a few elementary schools. The kids very dutifully put their hearts and souls into their work. I loved how these children instinctively brought the right amount of light and seriousness to our project. These hearts were created from their hearts with a big intention to send love out into the world.

Many thanks to Jefferson Elementary, especially Mrs. Dunbar and Mrs third and fifth grade classes.

What would I do for free? My friend put it this way. ‘In kind.‘

We have been working away at kid collaborations for weeks. They are for the Kids for Peace gala auction. I’ve already donated two paintings and sent over all the written information. It’s a tad more complicated with the gallery representation, but an honor to be featured.

I helped my friend at two other schools, on top of my two classroom visits. Now we have to put it all into projects. Literally hours of work. It was fun to have a friend to be exhausted and excited with. We have ideas.

Sometimes work I do for free is lovely and meaningful. Being with other high energy, good intentioned others, working towards a common good, is rewarding.

Kids for Peace was founded on ideas of children for how to make the world a better place. Cofounder Jill wanted to help children see how they can do real things to make the world better for others.

I’ll never forget the boy who raised $1000 for a rain catcher water tank for an African village in Kenya. He and his grandmother flew with the group to work on the school. He got to see for himself the people he was helping, in very real time. He said this to me on the bus one morning, “It was a lot of work!” He told me how he had to be at school early every day for months to collect and advertise for his cause. Seeing him standing in front of the giant water tank was one Kenyan experience I’ll never forget.

Cool to see so many people come together to help one boy see precisely how he made a difference. It’s one of the things I love most about Kids for Peace. Not to mention the families and children with the new school, or all the school children in chapters all around the world.

The other day I spent most of the day helping out with more gala related projects. Spending time with this focused, talented group was a pleasure. Truly, if you want to find quality people to hang out with, I recommend doing a little work for free for a cause or two that you believe in.

There is a book called “Your Brain on Art”. It explains how the brain works better when it gets to experience art. Lots of scientific findings showing how neural pathways are enhanced and healthier when art is introduced.

I’ve always suspected. When I taught I would often collaborate with the teachers so their lessons would have the impact of art. It would help kids remember. I saw so many kids who got into a lot trouble in class, settle right down and work on art. I saw how interested and intuitive kids were when discussing art history.

I’ve done many community art projects over the years in many different cities and counties. It’s always nice to see the fun and lightness of everyone participating.

How would I improve my community? I would bring more art opportunities for kids of all ages.

A swan is symbolic.

This painting painted itself while I was enjoying experimenting with my Italian paints.

Clarity, beauty, purity, love, and strength, swans also represent the one of a kind, once in a lifetime unique nature of each life, each moment. Strong feminine energy, intuition and loyalty. These are a few things I learned about the swan as a symbol.

This painting is one of my favorites. It fell into place so perfectly. I wasn’t thinking about a swan. I wasn’t thinking at all. I was lost in the color, the creamy nature of these paints, my beautiful Italian paint brush. I was having a lovely artistic experience and this happened.

There was a time when peace seemed far away. I was inspired to paint intentions into several paintings. Doves symbolize peace. I like to believe that peace starts in the hearts and minds of each one of us. I believed then and feel like I know now, that it’s true. These doves flying up symbolize our hearts finding higher places of lightness and peace.

These two paintings were painted together. Doves represent peace. These doves represent the energy of peace and with olive branches in their beaks, hope. Energy lifting higher and feeling lighter is always helpful. My wish for everyone is light peaceful energy. Hope is the beginning. Peace is coming, peace can be conjured, we are creating peace with our kindness, with our love.

What was the question again?

Yesterday I was leaving my kid’s kid’s school and was driving past my sons house. He was in front about to get out of his truck. I stopped beside him to say hi.

After a handful of cars passed awkwardly, I pullled over so we could continue talking. A minute later G stopped across from us going the other way, driving a brand new Bronco. All three of us burst out laughing.

You probably had to be there.

None of us were where we planned to be at that moment. It was the middle of a workday. How and why the Bronco? I should have been on the freeway heading to the gallery, but got finished with my in class kid collaboration early. The other two had their explanations. Something was hilarious about not knowing any of it and randomly ending up in the middle of the same road at the same perfectly random time.

I guess you had to be there

I wanted to be a cowboy or a horse, mostly a horse

A blue bird showed up. I thought it was a dove. ..

Again with my painting (the one that’s not working), I’m not surprised. It’s still not coming together, but that did.

Blue birds everywhere lately.

We have two couples of actual live blue birds nesting somewhere nearby. They are right outside our window. How often do I ever see blue birds in real life? I haven’t seen one in years, lately it’s daily.

Maybe this painting will make a perfect back drop for one of my kids calibration project.

Or maybe not.

I wonder how this will work itself out. I wonder how a lot of things will work out. (In the best way)

Interesting times. Definitely interesting…