I Believe...

I believe in super heros

and never being too old

to put on a batman cape.

I believe in red radio flyers

down a grassy hill

and swinging still,

toes to the sky.

I believe in the smell of crayons

and the wisdom of childrens books.

I believe in the hearts

ability to break open

and return to itself...

super sized and broken open.

I believe in good good friends

for playful gatherings,

with great hilarity...

and good food,

faces that grow older beside me

ones that say I see you,

and love you always...

I believe in flowers that grow

despite chewing bunnies,

skies that never end

and moons that are always full.

Rivers that teach

and oceans that pull,

drums that beat

my heart out loud,

beauty that takes my breath

all this,

for a life lived large and loud,

bold and breathless,

sweet and still.

I believe in still being ten!

And You?

What do you believe?

Pam Piper Rain

Ode To Seuss

Of course, artists need a studio ...

but they also need an office!

for me, one place for painting with colors,

the other for painting with words...

(and yuck, paper work)

My office with computer screen,

a mini studio

for the graphic creative side,

The hallway between them

worn and trampled.

An office is not a happy word, it seems!

So mine had to be a playful

and inspirational space.

Being a long time fan of Dr Seuss and

all children's books...

it already looked like a Children's Library.

Remember how the Librarians

would stand books

upright and put a correlating prop, toy

or stuffed animal next to it?

I had loved that!

My office came with a wall

of shelves to do just that.

Next to Harold's Purple Crayon

is a box of crayolas,

Stellluna's stuffed self

hangs next to the book,

and Winnie the Pooh sits next to his

color edition.

Cat in the Hat is well represented,

with an antique version of him,

and my own tall red and white striped hat

(tho still not my favorite character,

I am still reviewing why that is so.)

A limited edition print of the

Lorax 'speaking for the trees.'

(my most beloved Seuss figure.)

and a Sam I Am quote about not liking,

Green eggs and Ham.

A few summers back,

someone whose love for the same

found her way to the desert and me.

Her collection of Children's books

unparalleled to mine or anyone else.

Evenings were spent reading them

out loud and wondering over the illustrations.

And there was 'Ping'

the little Chinese duck that

misses the Chinese boat.

I was surprised when,

I nearly wept,

having it in my hands again.

Not much a story, really

but I hadn't seen it since I was six

when I evidently knew every image

and page by heart!

(If there was ever a time

I was tempted to indefinitely

borrow something?

...it was that book!

But I didn't and am glad for

the continued opportunity

to look at it when visiting!)

Don't we all have a book like that?

Or three or four?

The lessons and images, timeless.

When was the last time you read

Horton out loud, not to your child

or grandchild but to yourself,

or a friend for her fiftieth birthday

or to a sleeping feline?

It's rhythm and rhyme magic!

So in operation revamp my home

the Seuss theme expanded into

a red striped wall

(for you know who,

who I still don't really like)

and a painting completes the wall

that I call Ode to Seuss

or Sing, Cindi Lou Who, sing!

Influences of Suess show up everywhere

I am certainly not his only fan!

I know someone who reads Green Eggs and Ham

annually, to inspire her sales people.

And recently on 'Grey's Anatomy'

(a brilliantly written series...

and I only watch those that are.)

A young Dr. hears Meredith complaining

about what she wants and is not getting

in life,

he reminds her of Cindi Lou Who singing

around the empty Christmas tree

after the Grinch took everything, still happy.

He smiles slyly and says to her,

"SING, Cindi Lou... just Sing."

Pam Piper Rain

Just Say Yes!

Months ago,

I gave a little boy a hula hoop,

tonight, I drove four hours

to see him perform with it...

and was amazed!

My paddle board friend and I,

send texts back and forth

in the a.m.

Paddling? The P word

no one can resist,

when, where, who?

Then one that's states

she's bummed to be missing

Caden's (her grandson)

talent contest that night!

Hmmm?

A tug, a pull

having been the one to give

this cute little guy

the hoop in the first place.

This is a no brainer.

Well, actually it was

a gift to his mom

for the hospitality

of a May stay at their

lovely accommodating home,

while doing a show.

But when Caden got a hold of it,

and created his own moves

without instruction or help,

he was a natural,

I was enchanted.

We smiled a lot at each other

over that week end

for our mutual "hoop fascination."

(And the last time I had

something in common with

a eight year old boy?

...I was probably,

the same age and trying

to beat him up a tree...)

So, yes, enchanted!

Later that month, he decided to

hoop for his 3rd grade talent contest

but "mom" was concerned...

(like most moms would be)

Was it just for girls...?

(well, it was when we

were growing up)

Would he get teased?

All valid and common concerns,

according to my hoop instructor!

So I looked around

and found the coolest male hooper,

who hoop dances blind fold...

now there 's an idea!

Secretly, I was cheering Caden on.

I wanted him to perform

and was certain

he would show the school

hooping is cool for boys too!

He's that kind of little guy!

That was the last I heard

of it until this morning's text!

My immediate response was

"I don't want to miss it either,

Road trip? Let's go!"

Hours later, we are on the way

to Henderson (two hours away)

to a third grade talent contest,

My new friend,

(his grandmother,) and I,

(okay...so when, did this happen?

That my friends now have the

title "grandma"

attached to their names?)

Tho, its a lifeless trek across

the hot landscape

we manage to jabber

every mile away,

with colorful, insightful

and unending subject matter...

a perfect adventure...

Caden doesn't know we are coming

...and it's his mom's birthday!

Even Better!

Now, it's been sometime since

I have been to any kind

of third grade event,

let alone, elementary anything.

What a surprise...

the presentation was cute, hip!!

Not the stuff I remember ours being,

with yawn worthy dance numbers

and dusty old songs!

This was cool kids doing

cool dances

and singing cool songs

(okay, I have overused the word, cool)

Lady Gaga, a big favorite.

The teachers doing a

fantastic job making sure every kid

got a chance to shine.

We don't see Caden

until he's on stage,

No one has seen his routine yet,

...not even mom,

all his own idea!

We sit in nervous anticipation.

His dance is to a popular

country western song,

with cowboy hat and the hoop

whipping lasso like around his waist,

there's even a couple linedance moves,

and his cowboy hat waving in circles,

rodeo style.

It is so COOL!

(promise, thats the

last time...well maybe not)

and the crowd thinks so too...

cheering uproariously.

I have to turn away

cause, geeeeez,

my eyes are watering.

(What a Baby.)

But so proud to be a part of this!

The best part is his face when

he sees his Grandma Lou Lou

afterwards,

so lit up and pleased!

Makes me think of the

10,000 Maniacs song

These are the Days.

these are days,

you'll remember,

never before,

and never since,

I promise,

will the whole world...

be as warm as this.

And as you feel it,

you'll know its true,

that you are blessed,

and lucky,

its true that you

are touched

by something

that will grow and bloom!

We had to pull out

our reserve stories

for the return trip

back across the desert,

its late and staying awake

a challenge

but for fairly new friends

there's still so much to say

while agreeing over and over

how glad we were

that we went,

how important it is to

at times to say, lets go!,

to give into things that pull,

make it an adventure!

If I hadn't...

If we hadn't...

we would have missed out

on something

that made us both cry and beam

this young man's shiny moment

on taking a chance,

doing something

so cool,

other boys will want to do it too.

( I am hoping so anyways)

So if you get a chance

to go across the desert late at night

for something out of the ordinary,

attend something elementary,

or try something unconventional

feeling a tug...?

just say YES!!!

Cause these are

the days to remember.

Pam Piper Rain

100 blogs later...Art or Art of Life?

This morning, as I sit to write

a blog about a little boy and a hoop,

I notice this is my 100th blog

Really? Really?

How DID that happen?

Last June, when I started this,

it was intended to be about art

and primarily to create a following

for the Wild Women picture book

I was creating and would

"someday"publish.

(hopefully, while I was still

walking the planet.)

My first entry was the "what and why"

of "Heart of a Wild Women."

A playful fable written lyrically

in a Dr. Seuss style about

a women's transitional adventure

and search for the wild heart

she once had...

and the women she meets

along the way who guide her.

Illustrated (of course) with the widely

popular stick figured

Wild Women series.

(Once just one design,

now numbering

at last count... 60!!!)

This idea came to me

about nine years ago,

but it was missing the characters,

the friends, the teaching women.

I needed real life inspiration.

Then... I became a part of a

paddling team and there they were...

Mismatched Mollie, Joyful Jill, Captain Clair

Humble Hattie and Dashing Deliah.

Colorful, wonderful women

with tons of material to work with.

(and outfits, I couldn't resist copying!)

Lucky me!

The words had to rhyme

I decided, in a whimsical

and silly language

but with hidden meaning!

A book women could give their

own wild women friends

and read a out loud

at wild women gatherings.

(Okay, I was getting carried away

but my vision was big.)

I wrote for two years,

not much of a rhymer

I had to get a rhyming dictionary.

Many chapters later

with the rhyming books'

pages tattered and taped together

from over use... I was done.

(sort of.)

Just when I thought I had finished

the story,

a few more significant women

come along

So Seamless Sue and Princess Piper

were added.

Next the illustrations,

which I labored

over and at times came very easy,

until here were 24 of them!

(Which I nearly lost in a taxi

one year, after a flight from Kona!

Thanks to Captain Clair,

who I was traveling with...

I got them back! Whew!)

Next was the question.

Would I paint them

(to have an original painting of each

to show in a special showing after the

book was published and wildly successful

...again getting carried away)

or do them on the computer?

Both tasks daunting...ugh!

The paintings required cutting the wood,

blowing up the sketches,

priming and papering the surface

gluing, sealing and painting

and painting!

Another year or so later

I had twenty five 18 x24

paintings lining my studio

(finishing the last one this month!)

Here are some pics of the technical process!

Starts with a sketch!

After I blow it up with a projector onto the wood piece,

I redraw image in marker.

The Thai banana mash paper is glued down,

over the marker drawing!

After it is sealed, the image is drawn for third time

faintly visible thru the paper.

Then painted in acrylics and sharpie outlined!

Then digital pictures taken,

imported into the computer,

cleaned up and another

couple months pass by,

pages are laid out in template form,

and more and more word editing!

Finally, it comes together,

and my heart pounds with excitement.

for the first time print run

in a loose book form!

The words and illustrations

on 48 pages together

is beyond what I thought

it would feel like!

Sadly, most of the women in the story

have all moved on and away,

for one reason or another

(reason and season stuff)

so...I show and read it first...

to my dog,

she is mildly impressed

until she sees a rabbit

run by the window!!! Geez!

Don't know what this will bring,

but it feels important,

my most significant work to date

and such a project of love.

Dedicated to Dashing Delia

who passed away before

I could show her the finished product!

Next step?

handing it over to my editor

who happens to be

Princess Piper in the story!

I am sure there will be

some debates over words and length

but I will hardly notice...so close now

I am catching my breath

at every turn!

Although my blog was supposed

to be about art

it became more about the "art of life,"

and living the adventures

of being a wild woman,

sweet, funny and trying.

In this, I have found a new voice

and a storytelling quality,

I didn't know I had.

100 blogs later

I return to the original intention

and discuss the art of the wild women or...?

About a dreams taking shape

and the energy it takes,

the work and the devotion

that often goes beyond

the measure of time

cause when its time

...its time and everything is in motion!

Can't wait to see what the ride brings!

Happy Birthday, Blog!

Pam Piper Rain

also Cosmic Cathy