by Alison

Her sculptures

populate our house -

Soon, spring!.

This is a sculpture that Penny did a year ago. You can see that it includes: one package of paper towels, an assortment of blocks + one ring box. That is the ring box that once contained my engagement ring.

This is one of my favorites of Penny’s sculptures. She calls it “A Book Bridge” which she built by pulling Ben’s books off of his bookshelf. There is a certain amount of flexibility that is required with the creative spirit.

And this is a favorite “art actigity”, as Penny likes to call it. This project was created last year, after we explored our garden while taking clippings of new spring blossoms. So Penny is awaiting spring again!

I wanted to share these pictures to somehow document Penny’s creative spirit as well as the “look” of our house, which we try and make sure is conducive to art! All children love to make things and it’s wonderful to see Penny explore. And with two creative parents, we both understand what it means to her. The other day my husband threw a pile of laundry into our closet, unknowingly  knocking over one of Penny’s sculptures which was made of: a pole used for opening and closing the skylight, christmas stockings, ribbon and beautiful fabrics. Penny cried with the most heartbreaking tears at seeing the destruction of her sculpture. So Ben spent the next hour with her recreating her masterpiece. Because it meant so much to her and he remembered what it meant to him when he was a child!

.

by Alison

At night, in bed

we whisper of our daughter:

“She’s an artist…”

by Alison

winter’s first snow falls

lace weaves into the landscape -

I want to paint

by Kelly

Her teachers told her:

“You have a narrow talent.

Stay in comedy.”

Sigourney Weaver

didn’t listen. She proved them

wrong time and again.

Now her goal is to

be a better teacher to

tomorrow’s actors.

“Mentoring is one

of the great joys of getting

older,” she believes.

Young actors, she said,

should get a degree. “Learn how

to read a story.”

“Learn how to see the

beginning, middle and end.

How characters fit.”

“Learn how to be a

good communicator.” Then

she paused and added:

“Art is feeling the

sharpness of someone else’s

experience.” True!

For decades, Sigourney Weaver has been a Hollywood star. While she continues to act, one of her newest endeavors is a small Manhattan theater called The Flea, which gives new actors a stage to practice and perfect their art.

Ms. Weaver recently traveled through Minneapolis as part of the Smart Talk lecture series. I had the pleasure of going to hear her speak.

As an official “Smart Talk Blogger,” I attended each of this year’s events and penned haiku about what each of the visiting speakers had to say.

Even though Ms. Weaver was the last of this year’s events, you can read all of my Smart Talk haiku and start planning to attend next year!

by Alison

Her teacher tells me,

“She shares her voice with music.”

The shy princess sings.

by Alison

the scent of kumquat

on the back of my hand hours

after crafting soap

by Alison

piles of unfinished

quilts litter my closet - I’m

craving completion

by Kelly

haiku has become

my way of life — I notice

subtle loveliness

This haiku was inspired by my reading of The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

by Alison

watching toddlers paint -

quick brush strokes, invented browns

mix with the cool spring

by Alison

each morning I look

at my neighbor’s farm and think

of Andrew Wyeth