I began to analyze this. When I was younger, I was the Free Spirit. Then around age 21, I became a Lost Spirit. I scanned through the various spiritual chapters of my life: Sexually Awakened Spirit. Married Spirit. Maternal Spirit. Divorced Spirit. And now this.

I wondered why I felt connected to this name at that moment? Thinking of the Struggling Spirit I had become over the last several years, the rapid changes and turbulence I had experienced, and how I had come face to face with my demons. Demons that at times seemed overwhelming. I learned so much about self  lately and made progress cultivating wisdom and acceptance. Then the struggle returned. I could not help thinking about how much more there was to harness.

I recently moved to a new place. “Watching myself” encounter new people and new situations, I felt at times that I did not always handle things the way I would have liked to. That was when old insecurities would rear their head. Patterns and fears I thought I had conquered would reappear, unexpectedly. During these times I would retreat, falling back on old habits of defending myself and pushing others away. As I sat thinking about some of these times, the “running” part of Running Spirit made sense. I thought of the transformations I’d also made lately, and how strong I had become.

I rose from my rock, gazing at the amazing landscape all around me, and resolved to change this self-appointed name, Running Spirit, to Welcome Home Spirit. With some luck and hard work, it could happen sooner than I think.

“Be gentle with yourself, you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.”  Max Ehrmann

From the Mountains to the Moon
My year of travel to Palm Springs to Palm Beach. The places sound similar, but are worlds apart, the common denominator being the palm trees. The austerity of the mountain range brought deep, inner knowing and contemplation. God only knows what the construction cranes and golf courses will bring.

What to keep during a move? What to give away? Oh, the metaphors! It is like ravaging through the psyche, letting go can be so difficult. The journey continues….

Dale Sparage Photography, 2011

The springs delivered as promised. After a 20-minute soak in magnesium, sodium, sulfite and other soothing ingredients, I felt weightless and energized.

The next part of the trip got exciting, driving along the coast, passing Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur, and Monterey, photographing like mad. Considering that my camera had been gathering dust due to my moping around, dragging a cast, this was excitement to the highest degree.

After several days in Cali (I like to call it that), I realized the state was grabbing me. I was captivated by its mountains, desert plants and the Milky Way stretching across the big western sky. And a moon so bright sinking below the horizon, waves crashing against enormous rocks, people, dogs, the eccentricity of Los Angeles, I loved it all! I loved that within hours I could catch a glimpse of a dreamy billion-dollar estate in Carmel, a solitary fisherman beside a trailer on an exquisite placid lake, or witness a car of rappers blasting their music rolling up to an L.A. corner gas station.  This was heaven, and more photo ops then I ever dreamed of.  This strange state offered a mix of spirituality and Hollywood glitz that totally captured my attention.

Four months later, I began renting a house in the mountains. We’re about 3,000 feet above the desert with a view that spans for miles.  I shake myself in amazement. It’s not always easy starting a new life, but the road trips along the way are definitely worth it. Enjoy my slide show, below.

Untethering the Soul
While I was laid up I had the chance to read the “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer, described as a read that could “free me from limitations (and) allow me to soar beyond my boundaries.”  This sounded appealing since I was feeling the boundaries of my cast pretty intensely.

It turned out that I did find some freedom in the pages of this book. In the chapter, “Pain, the Price of Freedom,” for example. Singer writes: “As long as you are afraid of pain, you will protect yourself from it. …. To spend your life avoiding pain means it’s always right behind you.” Wow, did that ring true! My mind ran through scenarios that I had feared over the years and the energy it had taken to keep the very things I feared most from happening.

This time, after falling into my pool, breaking my leg, then being rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, the disturbance to my entire being was unavoidable.

Singer says you must be willing to accept pain in order to pass through to the other side, the side of peace, beauty, love and joy, and that every time you resist and close around the feeling of pain, “it’s like damming up a stream.”

By freely feeling the physical or emotional pain, by experiencing our worst fears, it is like pulling the stop out of the dam, allowing the water to rush and flow, which can be soothing, relieving and even exhilarating.  Take it from me; feeling the water moving against my bare leg now, walking slowly and steadily down a path, no longer bearing the weight of a cast, is pure liberation!

People in My Life
Sweet musings of the soul and the taste buds: Ever been in a sour mood, looking for something to bring you out of it? What brings me around is the taste of Chef Johnny Brannigan’s food.  Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, the chef and author of the cookbook “Eat Taste Heal,” creates magic with each plate he prepares.  He is also meditation teacher, and teacher of the 7 Secrets of Meditation. As I like to put it, Brannigan has a direct line to Krishna.

With the speed of light, Brannigan heaps a plate with pasta, cilantro pesto sauce, sautéed veggies, and aromatic spices, a plate of perfectly balanced ingredients that will bring your taste buds into a state of blissful delight.

Don’t expect to dig right into this scrumptious meal, though, not before the food is blessed, that is.  Brannigan places a gold framed image of Krishna set into a collaged background painted by the chef himself, then he lays out several brightly colored roses beside the photo. He lifts a small brass bell tied with a purple ribbon, and begins to chant Krishna’s prayer. The sweet sounds of the bell vibrate over the divine offerings; he closes his eyes, hands in prayer, and stands silently for a few moments. Finally with a warm smile and twinkling blue eyes he announces that it’s time to eat.

How does food balance you to a point where your spirit, mind, and body feel in harmony, promoting a state of complete well being, even divine bliss?  Part of the answer lies in the combinations of foods and spices offered through the ancient art and science of Ayervedic Cooking. The key to health, they believe, is centered in our ability to digest and absorb the foods we eat.

Ayervedic sees the person as a whole. Everything we do, say, eat, all our actions and thoughts are responsible for what we manifest in the world. As we encounter certain stress in our lives it throws our constitution out of balance, and the more we ignore this, the greater our chances of encountering disease. To counteract this, we need to cultivate awareness of when this occurs and consume the appropriate foods and spices to return to a balanced and healthy state. To learn more about his book, meditation, and the practice of Ayurvedic visit Johnny Brannigan’s website, www.thevedicchef.com.

“Real power is cultivated within one’s heart and soul, a truly ‘Powerful Person’ sits alone  atop the mountain, and the mountain sits with them.”

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,700 times in 2010. That’s about 16 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 7 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 14 posts. There were 41 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 28mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was November 12th with 122 views. The most popular post that day was Mikyoung-with-rugbeater.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, dalesparage.com, stumbleupon.com, dalesparage.photoshelter.com, and android-vs-ipad.co.cc.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for alone, butterflies, butterfly photographs, photographs of butterflies, and april greiman.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

The Power of Transformation…. June 2009
3 comments

Revisiting the ‘F’ Word October 2009

Ride on the Art Train…. May 2009
5 comments

Feb 2009/ Portrait Hailey and  Austin Lipman, Ann Hootner Jones

March 2009/ HOUR Magazine  Portrait, Alicia Skillman, Esq., Executive Director, Equality Michigan

April 2009/ Fashion, Styled by Autumn Riggle. Models: Ina Salauyova, Lauren Morey, Natalie Stakich. Photo Assistant, Julie McDonough

December 2009/ Yoga. Model, Daniel YogaDan Gottlieb

May 2010/ Fashion and make-up styled by Tesse Garoon;
Assistant Producer, Artur Konarzewski. Models: Julie Senitu, Sammy Weiner, Lindsay Zobel

April 2010/Yoga. Models: Raina Nemeth, Martin. Assistant Producer: Artur Konarzewski.

“Happiness often sneaks through a door you didn’t know you left open.” –John Barrymore Sometimes  when we close our eyes we see clearly the life we want to have, finding our way through the obstacles that  keep us from having it. Recently an accident which left me with a badly broken leg forced me to look at a quality in my personality I had long avoided. Instantly I went from a physically fit, independent woman to one who had to rely on the hel … Read More

via Dalesparage’s Blog

Sometimes  when we close our eyes we see clearly the life we want to have, finding our way through the obstacles that  keep us from having it. Recently an accident which left me with a badly broken leg forced me to look at a quality in my personality I had long avoided.

Instantly I went from a physically fit, independent woman to one who had to rely on the help of others for my basic needs. What occurred next was a painful journey into learning how to let go of the aversion I had to ‘asking for help’ and the needy feeling that came with it.

As children we learn to depend on adults around us to meet our emotional needs,  yet somehow I got a message that asking for help was a weakness or intolerable vulnerability.

It is with  intense gratitude that I say, I will walk the earth again as a free woman with two legs, but not without carrying the lessons I learned close to my heart.

Before I cast aside my crutches and cast, I’d like to thank all those who aided in my ability to accept and love a side of myself I had feared and disconnected with.

To my friends and neighbors who brought me food or prepared meals for me.

To a talented physical therapist, massage therapist, Yoga teacher, and Pilates instructors who helped me overcome the physical and emotional hurdles of my injury.

To friends that continued to call and leave messages even when I was too depressed to pick up the phone.

To Facebook friends who offered cheer and support with their posts.

To friends who sat at my bedside when I was at my worse and told me I looked beautiful anyway.

To the “guy” who carried me up and down stairs.

To my neighbor who called an ambulance and rode with me to the hospital.

To my daughter who waited on me, shopped for me and held my hand at the doctor’s office.

I thank and love you all for allowing me to feel loved in spite of my injury and for reminding me that I was OK even with my limited abilities.

Woody Miller
The art community experienced a great loss this month, the death of Woody Miller, editor of thedetroiter.com. I wish to express my deep sympathies to his family, he will be greatly missed by all!

Great Resources

“Yoga Dan”
http://www.facebook.com/DanielAaronGottlieb

Massage Therapist Kelly Haskee
Pure Energy, Royal Oak, relaxwkelly@hotmail.com

Ron Jegadeesh, PT, MBA
http://PilatesFitnessEvolution.com

Equilibrium Studio,  Bloomfield Hills, MI, (special thanks to Gayle Eubanks)

www.equilibriumstudio.com

Dr. Elaine Kissel http://www.elainekissel.com/

Michelle Miletic, MSW PC, mpmiletic@gmail.com

The seat of this melancholy lies in reconciling, letting go and accepting that a part of my life is ending. The life of school, soccer games and parent teacher conferences, a life of carpooling, driving to the vets, and the chatter of ten-year-old girls. A piece of existence that was spontaneous and carefree. Little did I know at the time I’d remember this slice of my life as being filled with such sweetness. Taken up with whatever was in front of me, I was absorbed in the moment; someone needing something, meals to prepare, errands, groceries, phone calls to return, puppies to train, schedules to coordinate. I was living the ‘Power of Now’ and wasn’t even aware of how precious it was.

I’ve completed my scanning and my daydreaming, I think I’ll take that photograph now, to archive the sweetness, so I can begin again, refocus and move on. I am ready to enjoy, with all my awareness, the next moments of my life.

Wow, What Talent! I do my best to follow the work of other artists and photographers. This month I found inspiration in the work of Jef Bourgeau, long time photographer, curator and director of the MONA in Pontiac. Most often featuring the work of other international photographers,  Bourgeau is humble about his own accomplishments. He started as a writer and illustrator. After destroying a contract to publish his second novel, he began delving into image making.

Though known for his photography, Bourgeau also does digital painting, video and installation work. It is normal to find several of his photographs on tabletops or walls at MONA . This month to my delight the gallery was filled with Bourgeau’s work and they were selling for the amazingly low price of $150 each!! You can own a piece of this internationally recognized talent, how can you afford not to add one of Bourgeau’s photographs to your collection at that price.

You can learn more about Bourgeau’s fascinating and extensive career, along with the “alter identities” he has shown under in the impressive catalogue,  Jef Bourgeau, A User’s Manual written by Jan van der  Marck, with a foreword by Dick Goody. To find out about exhibits at the MONA go to http://www.detroitmona.com

Recently, photographer Kyohei Abe approached Bourgeau with the suggestion for the need of a permanent space to exhibit contemporary photography. Bourgeau generously offered a space in the MONA, and the Detroit Center of Contemporary Photography was born. The second show at the DCCP is due to open June 19th with the work of three young photographers, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128569823828330.

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit to the MONA and the DCCP they are among the best Detroit has to offer in photography.

Speaking of the best Detroit has to offer, an exhibit last month of paintings by artist Dick Goody made the list.  Goody’s “The Decay of Lying,” was at the Butcher’s Daughters Gallery. Artist Goody is a professor, curator and director of the Oakland  University Art Gallery.  At a question-and-answer session led by Monica Bowman,  Goody was described as a “painter’s painter,” whose work had become “more open and loose” over the years.

“Goody’s unique style has influenced students and held the intense interest of painters and artists working in various mediums in Detroit for many years,” Bowman said. Info on this show and upcoming shows can be found at the Butcher’s Daughter website.

How You Frame It After you purchase your photo from MONA, or your painting from the Butcher’s Daughter, you’ll want to visit a high-quality framer in town. The first one that comes to my mind is Gary Briggs of Briggs Gallery. Located in Royal Oak, Briggs has been framing for the DIA, high-end galleries and top collectors for 28 years. Impeccable in his archival technique and blessed with a discriminating eye, you can’t go wrong handing your piece of art over to Briggs. I promise you will be delighted with the outcome!

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New Photographs The image at the top of the blog this month and at right is from the new series, “Yoga and Landscapes.” The series began with a shoot at Cranbrook with partners Raina and Martin…. the two braved the spring elements for this early evening shoot, thank you both, it was an awesome shoot!

"Katherine" by Dale Sparage

As a photographer I’ve learned to pay close attention to the qualities of light, noticing the subtle details it reveals in color, form, and direction. This spring the light glows with a gentle intensity as it illuminates the birth of new growth. It brings to mind the seeds that I’ve planted within my own heart during the dark, cold seasons of past winters.

Seeds, or Sankalpa, is the Sanskrit word for intentions, or more poetically, “our heart’s desires.” Deep within I’ve been nurturing the desire to find new life, like new spring plantings, clearing my heart of barriers so I may live with greater presence.

To my delight, this spring I’ve realized some of these dreams, finding love in a new relationship, as well as blossoming with creative potential by renewing an old photo assignment into a new project.

Several years ago I was asked to do a series of photographs that documented yoga asana for Strut magazine http://www.strutmag.com . I completed the assignment, it was archived and tucked away. Recently, the owner of Karma Yoga ( http://www.karma-yoga.net ) asked if I would print and frame some of these shots to hang in the studio. As I dug into the photos, I was again inspired, realizing how yoga and photography were coming together for me.

Trained as a yoga teacher in 2003, I chose not to teach yoga but to return to the College for Creative Studies and teach Digital Photography instead. I noticed my yoga practice began to deepen after my teacher training.

Today I’m ready to begin a series of new photographs that combine yoga asana within landscape.

Through my experience with yoga and photography, I’m aware that light remains constant, continuously shining, and expanding our consciousness even though at times it appears to be concealed from us. I plant the Sankalpa  within my heart. I’ve learned to wait and be patient, knowing that even during challenging times…although I may not feel or see it…I know the light is there.

Cape Farewell
One place that grows darker and warmer as I write is Greenland. David Buckland came to Cranbrook http://science.cranbrook.edu/planetarium/featured/earlier this month to discuss this very fact.  Speaking about the current  exhibition,  “Cape Farewell”  curated by the artist, Buckland explained the eminent danger of climate change he’s been experiencing firsthand through expeditions to the Arctic with other artists, musicians, writers, photographers and scientists. As much as 28 percent of the ice is disappearing due to the release of carbon dioxide into the environment. Each of us creates a carbon footprint of about 22 tons carbon dioxide per year. Buckland is hoping to cause a cultural shift  that will be initiated by his film and book, “Burning ICE”  and the exhibitions that he and other artists are presenting around the world. More info can be found on the Cape Farewell website.

Best of the New Generation
I want to thank Tess Garoon for help styling and doing the makeup at a recent shoot.

Tess Garoon is an up-and-coming talent in the Detroit area so remember: You read about her here first!

“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

Rabindranth Tagore

Love Talk: I’ll begin with a timely and thoughtful project Let’s Talk About Love, Baby by artist Chido Johnson (www.let’stalkaboutlovebaby.com). Johnson’s work is being shown as part of a larger exhibit called the Art of the Artists Book at Oakland University Art Gallery (http://www.oakland.edu/ouag) curated by Dick Goody. As the physicality of reading and the “book” as an object begin to disappear, Johnson, Goody and others are redefining the art form of the book and redefining the book as art.  At the top of my favorites list, this exhibit reveals personal interpretations of the book medium in an age when virtual knowledge reigns supreme. Johnson’s special Valentine’s Day presentation I attended included Skype “visits” with artists from around the country and the world who could not attend.  Artists on hand spoke about their contributions to the project. Johnson continues to spread the love with an exciting exhibit that’s taken on a love life of its own.

‘F’ Word Update: In pursuit of that which constitutes ‘F’ Word Project matter, I recently discovered several exhibits where women are leaving their mark.  At the Scarab Club, the show Women’s Image was curated by Marilyn Zimmerman and Gail mally-mack, both long-time supporters of women and ‘F’ Word aficionados. This exhibit put a new twist on the term “Crone,” turning it into something sacred…exalting feminine wisdom to a place of value and appreciation within our culture. The exhibit culminated in an event called the Crone Celebration that honored and celebrated women who have made significant contributions to the community.

Moving from the wise old crone to the hip edgy college student Michaela Mosher of CCS, an artist who has already curated her first exhibit titled Women’s Perspective? Ms. Mosher has become a spokesperson for her artist peers.  Young, passionate and articulate, Mosher has her eye on the future. Check out the video to hear this new-to-the-scene clear and compelling voice. I bet you will be hearing much more from her in the months ahead.

Mosher’s show at the Future 2 Casper Gallery included fellow CCS students Olivia Abrahamian, Mary Savage, and Hailey Choi. The Future 2 Casper is an intimate venue in Royal Oak with a radical format. The gallery allows the artist to launch an art exhibit, music performance, or poetry reading, giving the participants a percentage of a house cover charge. There are no additional fees.

Venue Manager Kay Skyflower will hand over the mic and coax you up on the stage to “talk” about your work. Kay, aka Thai pop rock singer, sculptor, videographer, and promoter of artists, is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth and received her MFA from Howard University, Washington DC. The venue gets its name from artist Casper Milquetoast who was the first to respond to Kay’s ad and has had 200 shows at the venue to date. Upon entering the small intimate space complete with stage, sound system and hanging apparatus you immediately feel at home. Artist and writer Luke MacGilvray (http://www.mannekorpse.com) has shown at the space, and has also helped Kay interview artists and served as DJ. Luke was encouraged by Kay to publish a book from his journal writings. He says, “Kay allows artists to break out of the Catch-22 of, ‘to show in a Gallery, you need to have shown in a gallery.’ Kay is proud to give opportunity to artists and musicians who might not be established enough to show elsewhere.”

Other faves and women making their mark in the Detroit area: Monica Bowman, Curator and Director of the Butchers Daughter Gallery (http://www.thebutchersdaughtergallery.com) continues to launch innovative, evocative exhibits, showcasing new young talent from around the country. Monica, thank you for keeping us on our toes by stimulating our intellects!

Meeting Woody, Tony and Nate
A highlight of last month was the chance to finally meet the dedicated and talented staff of thedetroiter.com Woody Miller, Managing Editor; Tony Hepp, Interim Director of Arts and Humanities, and Nate Mullens.  Mullens is employed by AmeriCorps and originally hired by YArts www.yarts.org as Exhibition Coordinator; in addition he heads Art in Schools. The program places professional artists in Detroit Schools to blend with existing curriculum teaching digital arts, photography, painting, music, video production and more. It is a rare opportunity for children of all ages to work directly with individuals in the field of visual arts and music. The goal is to build community. “Teaching is an investment in our youth,” Mullens says.  He is “looking for funding and for ways to grow not only in relationships with schools, but to encourage artists’ growth as well by sharing what they do in new and different ways.”

YArts’ mission is to help and promote artists and find them paying gigs. A side benefit of Art in Schools is the benefits kids are getting from their experience and contact with artists. Thedetroiter.com fits into this mission by promoting, reviewing and creating dialogue around art and culture. The online weekly updates and  informs insiders and outsiders of “Arts Specific” events.

The publication’s offices are located in the Bolls Family YMCA on Broadway in the heart of Detroit. The YArts and YMCA act as incorporator and fiduciary for thedetroiter.com. The online publication began with journalists John and Nick Sousanis who paid out of their own pockets to get it underway. After thedetroiter.com picked up my blog, I became a regular reader. Now it is a vital resource…my connection to the pulse of the art community and the cultural events the city has to offer.

Please Lecture Me
On the lecture front, Mathew Barney filled the house in January with clips from his new film about the death of the car industry.  Barney shot scenes at two Detroit locations, The Sewage Plant and St. Johns Church. A DIA www.dia.org curator introduced him as “the greatest living artist of our time.” Barney spoke about finding inspiration for this new film in Norman Mailer’s text, “Scatalogical” and his interest in the Egyptian concept of the ”Seven States of the Soul” to a group that could be characterized as Pavarotti meets Fish.  The film clips were hauntingly beautiful; to say that his speaking style was less than dynamic would be an understatement.

Anthony Huberman, curator of the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, has put together at great the show at the MOCAD (http://www.mocadetroit.org) titled, For the Blind Man in the Dark Looking for the Black Cat that isn’t There. In a lecture last month, Huberman said he believes that art helps us understand less about the world, and that we are drawn to things we don’t understand. I like this idea of keeping the element of play, uncertainty and speculation in an exhibit, not giving all the answers. Interesting!

Cranbrook Academy of Arts’ Tuesday night lecture series has had a great line up of speakers (http://www.cranbrookart.edu/Pages/Calendar.html). The Institute of Science took over exhibitions for the next year due to Museum construction, and has launched some exciting exhibits. The last show  featured Photographer Richard Barnes. Cape Farewell: Art & Climate Change is the current show.  These exhibits are part of the series Artology: The Fusion of Art and Science.

A new discovery that’s turning into a fave is Brent Hallard’s online conversations about contemporary art, Visual Discrepancies (http://brenthallard.wordpress.com). The blog is great for visuals and informative interviews with artists. Brent lives in Tokyo, and travels to LA.

I’ve covered just the tip of the iceberg of the great art and individuals that make up Detroit’s creative community. To keep this vital community alive,  please show your support by attending exhibits, events, and by collecting art!

“It is not our task to seek love, but rather to seek all the barriers we have to it, and remove them.”  Rumi

With Love,
Dale Sparage

All images by Dale Sparage,  copyright and owned by the artist.

I knew something was different about my family.  In my friends’ homes there were signs: a man’s shoe in the hall, newspapers strewn across a sofa, a wave at the door, a ride in the car, all signs of the presence of  “fathers.”

While my dad was away, I spent much of my time sitting in the big leather chair in his study, taking in the traces he left behind, like the smell of pipe tobacco. Closing my eyes, I’d visualize him smoking one of the wooden pipes that sat on his desk. I’d gaze into a glass case filled with an antique gun collection.  Opening the desk drawer, I marveled at the tidy small compartments filled with paper clips, rubber bands and stamps. Looking at the perfectly sharpened pencils lined up one next to the other, then thinking of my own drawers stuffed with a mass of unfolded clothing furled into balls, I could only draw one conclusion. How different we were!

Depending on just my mom and the dog to keep us safe during the week didn’t give me much confidence, so I did not rest easy during the night.
There were phone calls, mostly to my mother, when I did get a chance to say “Hello, I love you Dad.” Hearing his voice just made the pain even more unbearable.

The traveling continued into my teenage years, but by this time I had learned how to conceal the aching in my heart, keeping most of my feelings tightly under wraps. There was a place where some of this emotion began to reveal itself. I began acting it out in school plays; and painting or drawing it. As the ink flowed from my brush, curving, swaying, speeding up, slowing down as it formed an image, the freedom I felt was hard to describe, it was as if I were speaking another language, one that was all mine, that came from a place I had long forgotten. This act of creating became a process of archiving feelings from an overwhelming inventory that brought some temporary relief. The arts continue to offer me comfort and somewhere to place my feelings and memories.

My father passed away last year. I know that memory is not a perfect instrument; I remember him with great fondness and love, with heartfelt intentions for his family. As a grandfather he shined. I understand that I would not have developed my artistic sensibilities without him. He was a painter, loved to paint boats, some of my fondest memories are those times we’d go to the lake, and I could be part of his deep love of the water.  l’d listen to him describe the beauty he saw around him. It was during those times that his world and mine merged, where we got a glimpse of each others’ spirits, like light glistening off the water playing hide and seek as we sat, side by side.

Right now someone I care for is away overseas, and I long for us to be together again. It’s a different longing however, not the “longings” of a needy child, but rather the longing of a self-sufficient, whole and complete woman.

Shooting Yoga Dan
Enough of the past, turning now to the present…I recently had the pleasure of photographing and getting to know Daniel Aaron Gottlieb, aka “Yoga Dan.” Full of inner and outer beauty, he revels in sharing his grace as a skilled yoga teacher and “yogi extraordinaire.” Daniel attended art school, and was ready for a career in professional basketball when his life turned toward yoga.

Daniel contributed creative ideas and an artistic point of view to the shoot, making it a fun and unique experience. To view the complete portfolio of Yoga Dan go to http://www.dripbook.com/dalesparage/book/yoga-dan/. To see Yoga Dan’s profile you can visit Facebook or Twitter.

Looking ahead to February’s blog…I’ll bring you more about love and longing, including the scoop on artist Chido Johnson’s project, “Let’s Talk About Love, Baby,” part of the artists books show at the Oakland University  Art Gallery.  The exhibition was curated by Dick Goody.

I also want to fill you in on an exciting venue in Royal Oak where artists, musicians, poets and writers are paid to perform and showcase their work. Check back soon, and remember…“The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.”