i keep returning to this image, taken walking down the steps of a tiny village church at the seaside on the island of lesvos, greece. always seduced by materials first, i respond to the natural stone of the steps, the wrought iron railing (seen here as a shadow) and the patchy concrete providing contrast.

then the color gets me. that floating rectangle of blue-green stands out, yet is perfectly at home. i identified with that rectangle while in greece...not a native, yet i felt so at home there.

finally, what makes me smile in this image is the human element. the simple yet powerful design of the railing, which casts a shadow of the cross at your feet. i imagine the blacksmith that made the railing and each hammer fall was a tiny prayer. bam, bam bam, i'm making a railing for the church. then there is that magical blue-green rectangle, i am guessing it is remnant of an earlier railing made of bronze. i picture the old railing being cut off with great difficulty, so it's anchor remains stuck in the rock, wearing a beautiful patina that matches the sea.

this odd photograph continues to inspire me as it tugs on my heart. 

as you can see, i spent some time this weekend doing a bit of a redesign on the blog. i'm pretty happy with it, though certain i will continue to tweek it here and there. this image was taken in greece and is one i keep returning to, over and over.

soon i will have some of my best photo images for sale as prints in the bread + butter shop. 

in the tiny greek village of skala sikaminias, on the island of lesvos stands this wonderful building. just one street off the charming harbor, bobbing with colorful fishing boats, it looks primed and ready to become something. i love the marble blocks in a row out front, they seem to be waiting for a mysterious event as well. passing by, i dreamt of staging an installation of sculpture there, of turning the building into a gallery/studio...of staying forever.

i threw my back out unloading freight at the day job (which really just means unpacking boxes) last friday and have been moving slowly since then. getting better each day, but sitting is the worst thing for it, so working in the studio isn't ideal. which logically makes me long for vacation.

i've been thinking alot about vacation in a conceptual way since my trip to greece. i realize i need to figure out how to integrate "vacation" into my daily or at least weekly routines. working seven days a week just sets me up to get hurt, sick or both.

how much better off would i be if i took mini-vacations for an hour at a time, here and there? i am thinking of things like these, i can do right here in portland:

~take a blanket, drink and book to the park for an hour in the afternoon.

~take a lingering stroll through the rose gardens (in portland, our rose test gardens are in the top five, nationally).

~spend an hour sitting on the dock, watching boats go by in the river. 

i welcome any and all ideas along these lines. please leave me a comment with your thoughts. something in how i arrange my days has to change, because i am burning out fast. even though i intellectually tell myself to keep working, push through each week, my body is clearly sending me a message of rebellion. 

just a yummy plant image from my trip to greece i hadn't posted previously. i used a section for my bread + butter banner  in the etsy shop. it's like a giant flower made from the softest flannel or boiled wool. i'm a big fan of this chauky pale green color, too.

i'm suffering from too many ideas at the moment in the studio. it's got me making things, but feeling like i am spinning in circles. i am like the white rabbit, running along with his pocket watch, always behind schedule. the more jewelry i make, the more excited i am to create and the ideas pour into my head like champange. i'm drunk on it! and so it's often hard to know which thing to do first.

honestly, this has been a life-long problem - having more ideas than i know what to do with. some wouldn't consider this too much of a problem. but i am aware it gets me stuck sometimes. a few years ago, i got unstuck(and i was really stuck) by choosing just to concentrate on jewelry. to put aside for a while my painting, photography, printmaking, fiber arts, installation and sculpture. just to focus on one thing.

here i am and that one thing has expanded into so many ideas, i am swimming in them. how glorious and rich! as i go back to the day job today, i am whistful.

i want more. more time in the studio. more time to just be.

i thought i would close my series of posts on my inspiring trip to greece with couple of photos of me. the one above was taken, obviously in athens at the acropolis. i had a wonderful personal guide and the monuments were awe-inspiring. did you know that originally they were painted bright colors? below is a snap of me in total relax mode, after several ouzos and many hours of sitting on my balcony, looking at the deep blue aegean sea off the coast of lesvos.

these two images don't necessarily directly inspire art-making, but they do keep the sights and sensibility of the trip fresh. however, looking at them does inspire planning another trip out of my portland reality and into another magical world, far away. i trust you've enjoyed my stories and images from greece as much as i have enjoyed sharing them.

i hope you are inspired to plan an adventure of your own... 

stay tuned for developments in my new studio. i have it set up now and this week began to work on a new collection of rings. there will be lots of exciting projects to post about as i dive into this next phase of my business!