About The Artist ↓
May 16th, 2021 : Greystone Mansion. Had an amazing time leading my first Master Class in glass mosaics in Beverly Hills this weekend. The city staff were all amazing and so well organized! Due to Covid, the full-scale Beverly Hills Art Show was postponed, but it felt great to be in a social setting with other artists, creative people and patrons of the Arts. A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who came out. Looking forward to more events!
Photo credits to Tony Diep & Tamara Braun.
“INSPIRATION:
“Envisioning how a discarded relic might rise from the ashes of rust, ruin and neglect fills me with enthusiasm. This process of examining a new find from every angle and then Imagining how its once beautiful facade might shine again is what fuels my creative core. Basically, all my projects begin this way; I’ll stumble upon an interesting vintage ‘base’ that has long since faded from glory and then I start imagining all the possible ways to bring it back to life. The piece might be rusted or have peeling paint and all embellishments that previously added to its spark have usually been stripped by the time I discover it. To me, this is the best part of the creative process, the ‘re-imagining’ of a find. The varied directions a transformation can take are limitless. If you can imagine it, you can make it happen and this exploring of the possibilities is what keeps me continually excited to create.””
The Beverly Hills Art Show
Having been selected to participate in several of the last few year's "Beverly Hills Art Show" festivals, it was extremely rewarding to be recognized by the jury for my work.
The Beverly Hills Art Show winners.
Friends & Family
Marcia, Honor & Daria
I am extraordinarily grateful for the unconditional support of my friends & family. Above all things else in life, for them I am most thankful. I love and appreciate each one more than words can convey.
Beverly Hills, October, 2016
Beth, myself, Carrie & Hannah
Tamara & myself
My Mom enjoying a snow cone - sadly, without rum. (Photo credit: Tony Diep)
Background
The artistic gene definitely runs through the veins of my family. We are a clan of animators, surf-clothing designers, painters, writers, photographers, crafters and much more.
My parents are both "creatives" who always encouraged my brother and I to explore any artistic yearnings that piqued our interest. Growing up we learned that, as far as choosing a medium goes, you shouldn't be restricted to choosing just one. In fact, an artist should absolutely explore every creative outlet they are curious about. My Dad painted (as seen in these photos when he was in his 20's overseas in Yemen), but he also created beautiful stained glass pieces, worked with leather, wood, photography, jewelry, sketching... basically anything that interested him. Even his handwriting is the most beautiful writing you've ever seen. Which reminds me, my father's second book, "Lust, Love, And Grace," just came out last year (click on the link to learn more about it).
When my brother and I were little, our parents would take us on road trips to The Highland Games ( http://www.asgf.org/ ) where we would set up a booth and sell English/Scottish wares as well as small pieces my parents had made themselves. It was always an adventure taking these road trips to different cities and be exposed to a part of our heritage we were still learning about.
We would participate not only in The Highland Games, but our family also set up booths and sold stuff at The Sawdust Festival and The Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. This practice led to the opening of a small shop in San Juan Capistrano.
Mom in her gift shop in San Juan Capistrano
Although the shop started off with more of a United Kingdom theme in merchandise, over the years my mom transformed it into an ocean and seashell-themed shop which suited the area's tourist trade better. She created and sold beautiful jewelry and ocean-themed pieces. During the holidays, my mother would take sliced seashells and seal them together to create fantastic seashell snowflakes to hang as Christmas tree ornaments - they were very popular.
One of my favorite parts of growing up was taking family vacations (often with a group of family-friends and neighbors) down to San Felipe in Baja, California. My parents would plan these trips to coincide with the season's extremely low tides so we could go hunt for shells at the best times of the year. It was amazing to watch the Sea of Cortez retreat what seemed like a quarter of a mile at low tide and then for us to go out and look for seashells on sand that was completely submerged just a few hours earlier.
My Mom has always been a beach-comber... Back then to create items for her shop and now to make gifts for her home, family & friends. (Photo on the right is down in San Felipe, Baja California).
Besides the shell-snowflakes, my mother also crafted beautiful shell mobiles, shell & driftwood boxes to fill with succulents or use as planters, she made shell-framed mirrors, 3-dimensional boxes to house rare shell collections and much more.
Her craft didn't just end with shells. She also made clothes, jewelry, ornate scrapbooks, painted, knitted blankets and scarves... which reminds me of one of the many things I am very proud of my mother about: When my step-father first starting going to City of Hope Hospital for cancer treatments, my mother discovered that many of the patients undergoing chemotherapy would often feel quite chilly during the treatment process. Being the person she is, my mother began knitting beanie caps and scarves which she would put in little gift bags with tissue to be handed out to patients to wear during their therapy (I think at this point she has made enough to fill a small warehouse).
My Mom is awesome, don't you think?
The Sawdust Festival
Besides traveling to sell their wares at The Highland Games, I mentioned that my parents would also participate in the world-famous Sawdust Festival that takes place every Summer in Laguna Beach, California. My dad recently sent me this picture of one of those Summers where I was apparently running the booth. I love this photo because you can see both my mother's jewelry and my father's stained glass creations on display.
I'm grateful for the upbringing I had, surrounded by all sorts of creative energy infused with the unspoken message to explore all artistic whims and not feel like you have to follow the beat of just one drum. My childhood is definitely reflected in my art as an adult and for that reason, I take pride in the pieces I create and am grateful for the upbringing I experienced.
“I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I cannot transform into something marvelous, I let go.”