My writer's group has embarked on various ways to promote the books we've published. This event was organized by Gloria with the library in her town of Exeter.

I arrived early to help set up the room. The expectation was that a Book Group that met in the library would be the audience. At the appropriate time we had two people as guests. The husband of a woman in the Book Group said his wife would be late. There was a fund raiser in town she must attend, but will be here soon.

It was decided I would go first. I introduced myself. I shared the two books in front of me quickly, then read a five minute excerpt from The Donkey Song. Gloria went next.

Gloria told the story of the five books in front of her. Close to the end of her presentation five women showed up, so Gloria stopped and waited until they found seats. She then proceeded to begin again from the beginning to catch the late comers up. It occurred to me, for a second. that going first put me at a real disadvantage.

Then Irene told the stories of her four books in front of her, plus the children's books that she didn't have with her but are available on Amazon. She added that all of our books are on Amazon. 

Judith took over and  presented her books. But just before she started, one of the late ladies interrupted and asked me to tell her my name. So I introduced myself and then did a little presentation, similar to what Gloria and Irene did, for my memoir, But What About the Children. Then I picked up The Donkey Song, and the same lady stopped me mid-sentence.

"I don't want to have the people who were on time have all of this repeated."  

Judith went on with her presentation.

I admit, my feelings were hurt. Gloria had gone through her presentation twice, fully. No one in the room stepped up to help me, and now the disadvantage to me was quite clear. It was shocking. So I sat there listening to Judith, who did the same thing Irene and Gloria did, tell the stories of each book. I thought, I shouldn't have read, just told the story like the others did.

I was not going to sell my books, I thought, because I obviously did not handle this small crowd of people well. Was it because I described the diversity of my family? I didn't think so. There was an Asian woman who was the one woman on time. And she was in their Book Group.

Questions were asked, but only of the others, not me. My humiliation was complete.

The evening was at an end. The guests moved up to the table and were buying from each of the others. And there I sat, smiling, and watched.

The woman who stopped me mid-sentence came to me. "I am sorry. I was rude. I get way too controlling. I was rude. I am so sorry." I responded, "Well, your lucky. I am one who likes very direct people. So I accept your apology," smiling from ear-to-ear, but seething inside. She looked down at my books and asked the price of The Donkey Song. "$5.00."  She handed me a five dollar bill. I signed it to Patty, her name. 

A minute or so later, another of the late ladies stood in front of me. She looked at The Donkey Song and asked the price. $5.00. She handed me the bill, and yes, she wanted it signed, too. Geraldine was her name. I almost told her my new great-granddaughter's middle name was Geraldine, but I didn't say a word. I signed her book, handed it to her and she left. My emotions were rocky and I just didn't feel free to speak. 

I sold two books, which was better than I had thought earlier. So be happy, I said to myself. And I was.

NORA

Looking through Facebook I noticed a photograph, Nora Lago in Puerto Rico. Leaning against a wall on a stone lined street, one foot up on the wall, and no people as far as you could see. Dark glasses hid her eyes. She smiled ear-to-ear. I thought, How happy she looks, relaxed, at home in her parent's birth place. I asked Nora if I could have a copy of the photo to paint. She emailed it to me.

    After I painted Nora, I sent her a photo of it. If she liked it my plan was to send to her. She loved it and when she received it she found a beautiful corner to display and sent me a photo and asked if I approved. Of course, I did. 

    A friend back in the Synanon days that I helped raise her daughter in a boarding school, asked if she could use the painting for the cover a book she was putting together. I asked Nora if she minded. It is her image on the painting, and I gave her the original painting so I felt permission from her was needed. She said of course.

    About two months later my friend sent me a photo of a book. Lo, there was my painting. She sent both Nora and me copies. Mine got lost in the mail for a while, so Nora had time to read the book, rave about it, and she even read it a second time before my copy finally made its way to me.

The title of the book caught my interest, "Ekphrastic Workbook." I had never seen that word before: Ekphrastic - Greek for vivid word descriptions in poetry or prose inspired by works of art, thanks to Wikipedia and Oxford Dictionary. 

Sandra Rogers-Hare edited this workbook from her San Leandro Writers Workshop in 2023. She provided writers with images of art from the famous to me, including an artist in the group and another friend. The writers were asked to view the various pieces of art over the year and write what the artwork inspires, mostly poetry but some prose. She timed them for fifteen minutes, so they were immediate, in the moment, no edited thoughts, just let the pens flow. She then place the art on the left hand page, the writings on the right. 

She invites the readers to try their hand at this exercise by placing a piece of paper over the right pages, enjoy the painting and write for fifteen minutes, thus she calls this a workbook.

You can find this treasure on Amazon.com. 

Sandra Rogers-Hare, Editor

Cover art Shirley Keller

PORTRAITS by Shirley Keller

FAMILY THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARTIST AND WRITER: Shirley A. Blair Keller ©2022

From left to right: Levi, Skye and Ford Jones, and Granny.

The event is to celebrate the marriage of Skye and Molly Jones, Long Beach, CA. 

 I sat at a table with their grandfather Buddy, step-grandmother Lori, daughter-in-law Carla, and granddaughter Annie Mae. The grandsons grabbed both hands and pulled me up a step to a chair, sat me down, and posed behind me for the official photographer. 

JOY! That is the only word that comes close to what I was feeling. 

ARTS WITH ELDERS

As the pandemic became a reality of life in isolation, I was contacted by family who lived in the Bay Area. Some of them lived in a retirement community that held art classes for elders. Artists taught classes in not only retirement communities but in hospitals and full time care homes.The organization that sponsors these classes is Arts With Elders.  

The fear of the contagious virus was every where. The classes moved from in person to zoom to keep artists and students safe. The wonderful side effect was that someone like me who lived in other cities, or even other states, could join the class from where ever they are.

Darcie O'Brien is our talented and knowledgeable artist and teacher. When I think of her the first word that comes to mind is compassion. Her students range from people who spent lifetimes doing art in one form or another, to people like me who came to art very late in life and did not have a history of formal artistic education. Her encouragement, critiques that feel like hugs, pushes us so gently we do not even realize we've been pushed, until we look at a piece of art we accomplished and are astounded that we actually did something new in nature for us.

This blog post is about a recent assignment in the Arts With Elders zoom class: to do a self-portrait. That began a process that I have become obsessed by - attempting portraits of my children, grandchildren, children-of-the-heart, and daughter-in-laws. Below are the results in progress.

I began with pencil. And then added designs around edges with ink. At some point I realized I am having problems with hand-eye coordination. Photography captures the exact person, but I am not interested in doing that with drawing. If I could just catch the essence of why I love that subject, that would be more than enough. So a more cartoon style began to emerge. I love the look of black ink on white paper, so after doing the pencil drawing to my satisfaction, I then applied ink to the work. I also love dots, so where I could use them I did. We had an assignment to try out zentangle design work, thus developed the edges of the drawings. The last couple of pieces craved colored pencil. It remains to be seen how that develops.

Self Portrait by Shirley Keller ©2021

Pencil on drawing paper.

Annie Mae Jones by Granny ©2021

Charcoal, pencil and ink on drawing paper

Drake Jones by Granny ©2021

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Richie Jones by Mother ©2021

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

JP Jones by Mama ©2021

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Levi Jones by Granny ©2021

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Levi Jones by Granny ©2022

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Ford Jones by Granny ©2022

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Ford Jones and Gillianne Litvack by Granny ©2022

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Skye Jones by Granny ©2022

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Molly Jones by Granny ©2022

Pencil and ink on drawing paper

Carla Jones by Mother ©2022

Pencil and Ink on drawing paper

The Winner by Mother ©2022

Pencil, ink, colored pencil on drawing paper

Richie and Carla took kids to Montana. They held a fly fishing contest. Carla is bragging about her catch and release making her the winner.

Carla and Brigid by Mother-of-the-Heart ©2022

Pencil, ink and colored pencils on drawing paper

Photographs are taped to my work shelf that I plan to draw. Andrea, my daughter-in-law is next. I found an amazing picture of Molly I will attempt. Annie Mae and I roomed together at the wedding reception and I took a picture I cannot wait to draw. Drake and his girlfriend Cloie sent me a photo that is on the list. I have a couple of sons-of-the-heart that have grown children and I will include them in future drawings. And two very important daughters-of-the-heart and their families must be included. So this post is to be continued.

The Donkey Song is Published on Amazon.

The Donkey Song

                                                 A Novella Inspired by a True Story

By Shirley A. Blair Keller, Author and Artist

Illustrated by Gary Williams

amazon.com in paperback and Kindle 2021

Derrick Johnson has dreamed about traveling for years. Finally, he was on his way. Before he left the mainland for Hawaii, Derrick stops in San Francisco to visit a childhood friend, Julia Chaplin. Torn between their new found love and his desire to travel, they make a decision. If their love is real, it will endure the separation.

What neither of them could know, the universe has other plans…

Shirley Keller's favorite place to be: Spirit Hill Meditation Garden and Art Studio, where the creative energies have the day. Keller's art work grew out of her love of writing, which she does every morning. The Donkey Song is her second published book. She lives with her husband and parakeet in California.  sblairkeller@sbcglobal.net

Gary Williams is the artist for the cover of The Donkey Song. Williams is a semi-retired businessman who has been drawing and painting since the age of six. He describes his style as eclectic. He is a self taught artist and to the extent that his work pleases, his gratitude rests in the lap of The New York City Public Schools System. He lives with his wife and fresh water fish in Florida.

The FBI: As I Knew Them As A Child, And Updated

The last of the FBI files for my stepfather, and mother, arrived. As I went through the papers, I remembered how my parents thought communism would solve the social inequities they fought so hard against. But, when discovering the horrors of the real Stalin, they were disturbed. Their focus always had been on ending segregation in America, so they joined Civil Rights groups and were activists for the remainder of their lives. Most of the FBI paperwork reflected that change.

    The FBI wasted tons of money, year after year, following my folks. A form appeared on top of each year. The manager of their cases filled out this form requesting funds for the coming year, or termination of the case. To quote him, "The Mosley's do not show behavior that would over throw the government of the United States, therefore I recommend ending these cases." Hoover ignored the recommendation and signed off on one more year anyway - 42 years against my pop and 32 years against my mother.

    Hoover, and his lawyer Roy Cohn, were such bad characters, spending their time figuring out ways to intimidate and threaten and control people from nobodies like my pop, to Presidents of these United States, and got away with it for 50 years.

    Informants were more than likely friends of our family. Intimate details I recognized through out the reports could only be known by people close to us. Page after page of blacked out names, over years. Reporting on my parents at meetings about integrating a local skating rink, or police brutality in the integrated neighborhood where we lived, or protests over wars, or stop sign fight where needed because a child was killed by a car. The agents even appeared in my high school classroom, scaring my teacher and classmates. They tapped our phone. They followed us every where we went. Abuse of power at its weirdest, but not violent, thank goodness.

    Now I find myself defending people who are the FBI agents of modern United States, 2021. The Trump administration denied the 2016 election was interfered by Russia. The Republicans lined up behind him to defend the idea that the election was not meddled with and called the accusation a hoax. It doesn't seem to matter how many people who worked in National Security through the FBI, CIA, or Justice Department, or how many Congressional committees interviewed government officials, even the military, who testified that Russia did indeed try to mess with our election, the Trump administration said it didn't happen, and a third of our country still believe him.

    Another election took place in 2020, but this time adding violence to the mix. Instead of a peaceful transfer of power, which is a hallmark of our democracy, on January 6th, 2021, the Trump people incited a violent mob to stop the Electoral College from certifying the fair election for the new President, Mr. Biden. More people voted in that election than in our history, in the midst of a pandemic, no less. The loser, Trump, cried foul and created The Big Lie. 

    I am stunned at this turn of events when I find myself rooting for the FBI team. During my childhood, the very same Republican party that led the Un-American Activities Committee to root out those they accused of defending Russian values, are now defending Russia and the Big Lie. My mind is boggled.

    One of my new heroes is a man named McCabe. He was an FBI agent, I kid you not. He was apart of the process that led to the discovery that the Russians were interfering in our 2016 election cycle. He told the truth when congressional committees asked asked him details about the interference. Instead of being treated as a hero, former President Trump had him fired just a day before McCabe's retirement. 

    I saw this happen to a father of my best friend from childhood. This time the FBI were the tyrants. His livelihood destroyed, and even sent to jail, because of the abuse of power. All you had to do was call a person a communist and his reputation destroyed with no proof needed. All the former President had to do was call the Russian investigation a hoax and he destroyed McCabe's reputation and took away his retirement from a lifetime of work. 

    This week in June, 2021, the media exposed secret spying of Trump and his so-called justice department, on reporters, Trumps own lawyer, congress members and their families, including a child. Ah, brings me back to the good old days of my childhood. Shades of the likes of Roy Cohn, who had the morals of an alley cat.

    The day McCabe's retirement benefits are rightfully given back to him, retroactively, is how I dream it. I will then consider this mind-boggling time to be woking its way to a better path. I will conjure up the memory of my parents and point out to them, justice does prevail, eventually. And those that tried to overthrow our government this very year, including the former guy, before our very eyes, will be held accountable because there is a new group of people in government, like my folks, who have the capacity to care about other people, and will right as many wrongs as they possibly can.

    A system without good people cannot do good work. That is my conclusion.

WOOD AND DOTS - Jim Zeissler and Shirley Keller partnership 2020-21

 If you see anything described below, give me a call at 559-561-3463 and if it is still available, we can discuss price and how to get it to you. I ask customers to pay for shipping, if needed. And if you are within reach I have been known to deliver in person.

HEART TABLE 

Jim Zeissler made this table with repurposed wood. He gave to me to paint dots. I used the heart theme he used as design for table. Took around two weeks to paint. It is the first piece to be finished in our new year of 2021. As I painted I thought of LOVE and HOPE for this new year to end pandemic. I thought of LOVE and HOPE that the new administration will be able to address so many problems they face all at once, with grace and competency.

My husband grabbed this piece to display his plant in our living room. I smile.

PIANO STOOL - SOLD

The piano stool was the first piece Jim brought to me to paint. It sold within minutes of being posted on Facebook. I didn't even get to appreciate it. :) 

BLACK BOX - SOLD

Black backgrounds I learned to love in the Arts With Elders. "Do not be afraid to try all colors, especially black," said Darcie.

BROWN BOX - Sarah's birthday gift

10X6X4 Wooden box made by Jim and painted by me. 

SQUARE BOX - SOLD

Found a home very quickly after posting on Facebook.

HANGING SHELF - SOLD

This piece was commissioned for color and hanging posts. 

BLUE WELCOME SIGN

13x7x1

BURGUNDY WELCOME SIGN

16x7x1

Both of these welcome signs began years ago when Jim found the metal welcome signs some place in his travels. He had no idea what to do with them, nor the time to do anything with them if he had an idea. So they lay in a pile in his workshop for years until he recently retired. He decided to play with wood and these two beauties are the result, using recycled wood from another pile.

RECTANGLE BOX

12x6x5.5

Rectangle box awaits a home. Kellogg Monkey Flowers live along highway 140 into Yosemite Valley during spring according to the Wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada and Central Valley  by Laird R. Blackwell. We have other colors of monkey flowers in our foothills but my eye caught these and couldn't resist. 

HALF TABLE

25"Tx19"Wx10.5"deep

This half table was made by Jim, and I painted it. This is one of my most favorite pieces so far. Then I always feel that way with the last piece I made. Turquoise is my favorite color and the black background pops it so beautifully, I guess I cannot help loving the piece. Dots used to make areas that remind me of beaded jewelry.

  https://www.facebook.com/CentralValleyTalk.tv/videos/2737111779869317/?t=2494

September, 2020

KVPR Talk Radio did another interview for my art and writing. See link above.

Art with Words 2020

APRIl 2020  Chapter One:  The Beginning

Back in the 1980's I attended an exhibit at the Oakland Museum. There was a woman who painted in oil, adding words to her pieces. But you could not read her words because she scribbled them. I liked the overall paintings but wished I could read her words.

Later, I attended College of the Sequoia's to take a Calligraphy class. I did not think of myself as an artist, but I did write in journals every morning, and out of those writings came stories of my growing up. I dreamt of a quilt. At close range, I realized it was not made of cloth, but of collages, each illustrating chapters that I'd been writing. The next morning I began to make what I call Ink Quilts. I was doing art, just not thinking of myself as an artist. 

At some point I re-married, and we bought a home in Three Rivers. A studio was built in what as a garage type room outside of our house. It became my home away from home. Eventually, I made friends with local artists, joined their groups, and began to show what I had done over time. I began to think of myself as a person who came to art late in life. My artist friends did art starting from when they picked up pencils. Many went to college and have degrees in art. Most became teachers of one kind or another, able to support themselves and afford to do art in their spare time because making art as a living is very hard. I know only one woman who has done it, art her only job, and raised four children by herself. An amazing feat. To compare myself with her seems wrong headed. Still, I sell the work I make. I keep my comparisons to myself. I've published a book out of the stories I began to write in the 80's, that contain the ink quilts I've made over the years. I am also published in a book of short stories. Amazon Kindle Direct published both books. Self publishing turned out to be the best way for me to see my own book on the shelf. It is not traditional publishing and secretly I am not sure it really counts, although it has been a way for even famous writers to keep control of their rights by publishing themselves. I call my self an author now.

At the beginning of 2020 I realized words were more important to me than ever. I showed up to Women's Marches, marches to protect immigrants, marches for voting rights and more. The signs I made reflect the bottom line for me: Words Matter. Truth Matters. A choice of words demonstrate good governing. Words say whether you represent all of the people. A new determination to produce art that reflects the kind of country I want to live in sent me to the studio.

Maria Gaston (my daughter) and me Shirley Keller at a march in Visalia Ca.

Words Matter      16x16           Shirley Keller

My favorite medium at this time is dot art. I use recycled items as a canvas. This is a Ford plastic hubcap found in the streets and given to me by a friend. Ford is also my grandsons name. It was the first piece of art I did this year of 2020 to combine words and dot art. The words are Truth Matters and Words Matter. I am struggling to find ways to say how I dislike the tone and direction our country has taken. So I search for the positive.

At some point, Yokohl Valley owned by a private party, was to be developed into a 29,000 person town, on a two-lane back road. This land has enough water for the existing ranches but to add thousands of people would mean they'd have to get water from some where else. The rumor was they bought a thin piece of land up to one of the rivers in Three Rivers, and would pipe water to this new location. So the 2600 plus or minus people who live up there would not have enough water to exist. It made no sense.

A bunch of artists got together to have an art show to share with the Central Valley how beautiful Yokohl is, how much wild life comes and goes all year long, especially Spring and Fall during migration events. There were others more scientific who presented papers and proof that this was not a good idea, but we artists hoped we aided their efforts.

2008 the economy crashed. Since it was clear buying houses was probably not going to happen, the project was delayed. As of today, April 2020, Yokohl Valley is the same empty space for wild life to enjoy along with the livestock that live on the various ranches. Lately, I heard the owners changed their minds and decided not to build. I have no idea if we made the difference. I suspect the economy did the trick. And now, even as the economy was fine, COVID-19 has hit us all across the globe. So the birds and critters live on. Spring flowers fill the valley in abundance. I am glad.

eyes on Yokohl Ink Quilt  2007-2020 16x26     Shirley Keller

I started eyes on Yokohl Ink Quilt over a dozen years ago. This piece is a clay mono-print, a little known medium. It is made on a tray of clay and transferred on to remay, a cloth used to line suits in the good old days. The colors are made with liquid slip (powdered clay mixed with water) and stains of various colors. It is a time consuming, labor intensive medium, to make with as many available tools as a kitchen might have. The piece had no dots in the beginning. But as it hung over the years in my studio I felt drawn to add dots. I worked on it for two more years at every art fair I attended until I felt it done this year, and I consider it an Ink Quilt. The joy I feel every drive through Yokohl Valley I hope comes through this piece to you.

A Taste of Gibran       Shirley Keller    14x14 Plastic Toyota Hubcap

The third piece I did is a hubcap. I used my favorite color turquoise to create the base. The quote I used is from Little Prince:  Art as you want it, not perfect. Courage.  Such a gentle way to tell people like me to be brave, and just do it. Don't think about what others will think. Paint with brush or toothpick and see where they take you.

April 2020 Chapter Two: Dot Art and Covid-19

Each morning I wake up, head to the kitchen and make a cup of coffee. I use a Melita type coffee holder that I put a filter in, add freshly ground coffee that my husband generously makes for me every morning, and watch it drip, drip into my cup. The holder was made by my friend Anne Brown. She does ceramics alongside the South Fork River in this little hamlet called Three Rivers. Part of the joy of watching the dripping coffee is to see not only Anne's skill as a thrower of pots, but her love of the setting in which she throws the ceramic pieces comes through in every piece. Turquoise, black and brown glazes beautify this perfectly formed filter and before I even taste the coffee I can smell its perfection.

I head back to bed, pull out my journal, time and date it, and begin to write for as long as I have something to say. Sorting through ideas I've picked up the day before, trying to find my own mind on every issue between my husband and me, the world and it's problems, and especially now, with COVID-19 causing suffering everywhere, and yet here I am, cozy in bed, trees blowing outside, birds chirping, pond bubbling, and I am content. How do I put my life together with knowing how many are suffering in so many places around the world? The death toll in this country is now into the 40,000's in a matter of weeks.

The Studio is my next stop after doing a few chores in the house. My studio is in an outbuilding that used to be a carpentry shop. When my parents died and my siblings divided up the results of their life, one wonderful gift was that I was able to hire my son's company to transform this space into this studio. I spend from 10 to 5 pm most days. Yesterday I made gift cards. Today I will work on  this blog, edit a friends chapter from a book she is writing, and maybe even have time to work on another chapter in my own novel.

Tree of Truth  by Shirley Keller and Kahil Gibran: Acrylic paint, Black Ink 11x14

How do I make art that doesn't add more ugly to an already very ugly time? Start with a tree, possibly oak. Flowers are blanketing our hillsides. Poems grow into this tree. Kabril Gibran loves trees as much as I do.

Trust Matters

Truth Matters

Trees Trust Truth

SK

Trees are poems

The earth writes

Above the sky

Kabril Gibran

Today, April 21, 2020, 42,000 people have died in a matter of weeks. What is important now for those of us who have not become ill with COVID-19, is pretty simple. "Stay home. Keep well. Don't end up in our hospitals," said a nurse from Missouri. 

COVID-19 Ink Quilt by Shirley Keller  Acrylic paint, Black Ink, 11x14

One of the most notable heroes is Dr. Fauci.  STAY HOME. WASH HANDS. SOCIAL DISTANCE. I heard you Doc. And that is what we are doing. Nurse Jessica said, "Do your part." Okay Nurse Jessica. I hear you. A minister in a Southern church was a wise soul: "Jesus rode an ass. Keep yours home." Thank you Sir, for your wisdom, and for the chuckle.

Patterns  by Shirley Keller  Acrylic and Black Ink    14x11

And then this quote appeared from G.E. Hardy, a serious mathematician who I'd never heard of. Why would I? I avoided all things called math. "A Mathematician, like a painter, or poet, is a maker of patterns." A light bulb went off. I wish I had realized this when very young and numbers were beginning to be taught to me. Patterns I get. I wrote down the quote and have saved it for what I did not know. Now you can see what I did with it, patterns of my own, done with toothpicks and paintbrush.

Character by Shirley Keller and Ralph Waldo Emerson Acrylic and Black Ink  11x14

When I was in college was the first time I met Emerson through his essay Self Reliance. Later I moved into a community, Synanon, and discovered its basic tenant was from the same essay. Once I decided to mix words with dot art, Emerson was sure to be included. "Character is nature in the highest form." In this time of COVID-19, watching the behavior from the President of the United States, who said, and I quote, "I am not responsible," in comparison to the doctors and nurses on the front line in hospitals across our land exemplify the quote perfectly. "Character is the only rank."

Septmeber 2020: Chapter Three:  Art With Elders - The Pandemic Continues

Georgia's Fear by Shirley Keller and Georgia O'Keefe 2020  Acrylic, 11x14

After I began to live in isolation because of the pandemic, a friend invited me to join an art class online. It is hosted by artists who work for Arts for Elders out of San Francisco. Their mission is to teach art in retirement communities, mental hospitals, and other community places that house people who might not be exposed to the art experience. When Covid-19 hit our country the artists regrouped and came up with online workshops. That opened it up to people like me that do not live in their county. The group I joined now has people from Arizona, Colorado, Three Rivers, CA (me), added to the original folks from a Vallejo retirement home that used to do these classes in person. 

This piece was inspired by a class. Our teacher, Darcie O'Brien, suggested we find a favorite artist, pick a piece to copy, and use watercolors to explore our own painting. I did one. Watercolors are not familiar to me, so it really was an experience to accomplish the task. I was so pleased, I tried it again on canvas paper, in acrylics which I really like, and then couldn't help myself, turned it into a dot art piece with words to be added the the body of work with dots and words. I used Georgia's own words that expressed exactly how I feel as I explore creativity. "I've been terrified my whole life. It never stopped me." Georgia O'Keefe.

Joy by Shirley Keller and Ralph Waldo Emerson 2020 Acrylic and Decoupage and Collage, 16x16

Emerson wrote an essay entitled Nature. Living in cities for years, I began to realize I no longer wanted too. I kept hearing Emerson's point, living where nature impinged on my life daily, became extremely important. The details of how I accomplished that are many. But I did end up here on Spirit Hill where nature does impinge on us daily. Yesterday, while Bruce was meditating before dawn, emerged a huge bear, walking across our patio, alongside our pond. We have years of surprises of visits by critters, insects, birds, and more. JOY is the result. A dream come true. 

This piece I decided to use photographs I have taken over the years of all whom we met because we live in Three Rivers. I even made ceramic ladybugs. Decoupage helped me attach to the recycled hubcap, and finished off with the dots I love to spend time placing, one at a time.

Little Prince on Art by Shirley Keller 2020  Acrylic, 14x14

My favorite color is turquoise. I sprayed this hubcap. I had kept a quote from Little Prince because it expresses what happens to me as I explore my creative process, no matter the medium. "Art as you want it not perfect. Courage." I start a piece. Never feel confident. Take a deep breath and take one step and then the next. Mistakes are made. But I just include, and when a piece is done I am surprised. All worked out. Not perfect, but satisfied.

The Iris and Math by Shirley Keller 2020  Photography, Acrylic, Ink, decoupage, 11x14

Photography was where I started when I finally had a studio to work in. I used the series of flowers taken over the years from all around my little town. I read a book about a man from India, Ramanujan. He was born very poor, and was a terrible student. He did have a mother who told him how smart he was. He worked on math problems on his own. And ended up a student in Oxford College. His short life in England, broke my heart, the isolation because of racism, the bigotry all around him. In the meantime his genius was being expressed in work he did for his mentor. Some of his work is being used in the space program this very day. The man whose book I read expressed how like an artist Ramanujan was, finding patterns to design his math, much like artists find patterns to express on canvas. So I created patterns with Iris', dots, and Ramanujan's words. In my heart they are linked. He died very young of disease that the poor are vulnerable too. I honors his memory.

Memory Garden by Shirley Keller 2020 Acrylic on canvas, 11x14

One medium I love to work in is clay. I attend a weekly workshop in Three Rivers. Louise Fisher is the owner, and friend. She gardens her property with beautiful flowers. One scene has captured me over the years and brought my camera to capture. It changes every year depending on the flowers she plants. I now have a series of beautiful photographs I make gift cards out of. These iris' are from that spot. 

In the same week after we had stopped meeting to play with clay because of the pandemic, our friend and fellow artist, Marn Reich died. Not of Covid-19, but cancer. A week later, our friend Louise's husband committed suicide. Grief became the cloud we all lived under. Louise was devastated. Our latest assignment in the Arts for Elders was to learn how to do landscapes with acrylics. I took my photo of Louise's most beautiful spot in her garden. Of course the dots had to be applied. And then I realized the grief I felt over the loss of Marn and Mitch could be expressed, so I added them. One day Louise told me she was having a very bad day. I showed up at her place and gave her this piece. Joy filled her face. 

Spirit Hill Sign by S. Keller 2020, Acrylic, Spray Paint, metal recycled DirectTV antenna 30x20

Someone gave me the DirectTV antenna. I took one half of it and made this sign for the Spirit Hill Meditation Garden & Studio.

Takes Time by Shirley Keller and Georgia O'Keefe 2020, acrylic on canvas 11x14

The Art with Elders assignment was to pick an artist and piece of art to copy in some way but this time use acrylics. I found a carnation Georgia O'Keefe painted. I wanted to try my dot art to do this project. Since the beginning of 2020 I had been working on mixing words and art, so I added Georgia's words to this piece.  "...to see takes time like to have friends take time." Her words match my experience and inspires the desire to continue creativity.

September 2020  Chapter Four: Black Lives Matter as Pandemic Continues

Love and Justice by Shirley Keller 2020 Acrylic and spray paint, 14x14

Black Lives Matters enforces in me the necessity to continue keeping our eyes open that justice is not equal in our country. Every time we turn around another Black person is murdered by a police person in very questionable situations. Police are not held accountable as a rule. 

Senator Cory Booker said in an interview, "What does love look like? Justice." That hit my heart where love begins and when I picked up this hubcap and I had to do something with this concept.

I am not objective. I have two Black sons, and a daughter from El Salvador background, and a White daughter of the heart. I want the law of our land to handle all my children equally. It does not at this time, nor has it in my life time. I want that to change before I die. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.

Below are the people who I consider my best art of all.

JP Jones and Family: Skye, JP, Andrea, Ford and Levi

Son # Two Born in 1965

Richie Jones Family: Drake, Annie, Richie and Carla

First Son Born in 1962

Delia Nora Keller Born 1990

Adopted at birth

I became her stepmother in 1996

Maria Gaston, daughter of the heart - Beginning 1976.

Art With Elders Share Day

March 27, 2021

                                        Rumi Says and Pandemic, by Shirley Keller, acrylic on 12x12 canvas

                                        Words and Dots Series

We will have a session to share with family and friends, and one another, our favorite piece in our Art With Elders class. I invited my granddaughter Annie Mae. She is 19, in college, but studying at home because of the pandemic. She and I have been sharing books for years. Of all my family she is the most interested in my art process, although she is not interested in doing art. She wants to become a lawyer in environmental law, at least for now. We will see how she designs her life. She is a close friend of mine and wants to attend our sharing class. I admit surprise. My family has gone to an art show or two that I was in. They are glad I am enjoying my life but not that interested. So to have her even say she will show up is exciting. And she says her mother might come too! Her mother has her own mother and aunt in class, too. They are the ones who invited me to join. So this could be quite a day. My share is Rumi Says.

Rumi Says and Pandemic was inspired by the recognition that I was actually feeling blessed by the shut down. Most everyone I know named it as suffering and difficult. But, I found a freedom from responsibility to be active in community. I spent time in my studio day-after-day without interruption, glorious. Project after project was produced. And then guilt hit me. So many suffering and dying. Today we are over 550,000 + deaths from Covid-19 and counting still. Vaccinations are ramping up because a competent government who cares about our lives took over. The production of vaccines and the delivery mechanisms were not developed at all from the last White House. All they cared about was keeping power and subverting the best election we ever had and in spite of much voter suppression, more people voted in this past election than ever in our history. Anyway, like I said, I'd begun to feel guilty that isolation and disease provided space for me to create and I had loved every minute of it.

As happens in life, if you pay attention, a quote appeared when I needed it most. "A little while alone in your studio will prove more valuable than anything else that would be given to you," said Rumi. What a blessing. I gave the guilt up and made this piece of art instead. I hope Rumi forgives me for replacing his general word with studio.