I have been waiting for February 29th to introduce the project I have been working on. Its called LEAP 366 . Yes, a leap year only comes around every 4 years and I intend to use 2016 to its fullest! Its also a milestone birthday for me as I will be turning 60 in June! WHAT!  Where has the time gone!
LEAP 366 involves connecting with people and places. Its about really letting my art take me to interesting places and people and expressing my experiences through textiles. Its the Life Rings project on steroids! 12 Rings, one for each month of this leap year. Each one will focus on a different place and person.  I have a few destinations lined up all ready including a trip to Guadalajara Mexico ( more on that later)! So stay tuned for more adventures and if you have any suggestions for places or people I should 
visit let me know. I still have a few months open.


LEAP: to spring through the air from one point or position to another, to jump, to move or act quickly or suddenly, to accept eagerly, grasp (with both hands ), grab, take advantage of, seize (on), jump at- Leap at the chance!

Now go out and enjoy your extra day!

Yesterday my Christmas Amaryllis started blooming! I was in the mood to experiment so I  got out my new 50mm lens and put my camera on manual, Different exposures and backdrops yielded some nice results. 
This flower brings back mixed memories for me.  My mother used to get me an Amaryllis bulb each holiday season.  A package would  arrive with a brown dead looking bulb, dirt and a plastic pot, The directions said, just pot, add water and.....wait. Sure enough in a few days, tips of green begin to appear and the miraculous process of new life begins! The unassuming brown bulb turns into a stunning beauty!
My last memory of my mother and an Amaryllis is bittersweet. My thoughtful cousin Donna, brought mom a lovely red Amaryllis in full bloom to her hospital room in Roswell Park Cancer Hospital in Buffalo, NY.  The cycle of life in a bulb and a bloom.