Be Inspired// Blog

Savory Buckwheat Galettes Bretonnes

One of my favorite foods from France is the savory buckwheat crepes, or Galettes Bretonnes. The French serve these kind of crèpes, after they’re all cooked, by putting them back in the pan (with the more-browned side facing down), and cracking an egg in the center. The egg cooks right on the crepe. They fold the four sides in so they’re just covering the white and revealing the yolk. You can also add ham or cheese or whatever else suits your fancy to the package.

Master Drawing Mondays: Week 20

Study for “Apollo and Daphne”, by John Singer Sargent. Sargent is one of America’s best portrait painters and figurative artists. I love the freshness of this drawing. It could have been a pose we recreated when I was learning to draw back in the 1990s. #MasterDrawingMondays

Some Artworks from my Residency

While at Chateau Orquevaux, I was plucked not only from my everyday life, but my well-equipped sculpture studio. The clay I purchased in Paris was extremely difficult to work with, so I turned to other materials, including aluminum foil and plaster. I let myself play, try new things, and respond to this place in unexpected ways. These sculptures are a response to my environment, the materials available to me, and my own imagination.

Master Drawing Mondays: Week 19

In honor of Mothers Day, here is a beautiful depiction of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Christ. I love that this is a Master Drawing of a Master Drawing. Thomas Vivares drew this “Madonna and Child” after a drawing attributed to Ludovico Carracci in 1823. It’s part of the collection of the Royal Academy in London.

A Voice in Ramah

Somewhere in the US, a police officer is breaking the news to a mother that her child is dead. Opening ourselves to the glory and joys of motherhood also exposes our hearts to the unimaginable possibility of loss; and in that possibility of loss is an endless grief. Praying for all the mothers that are grieving today and praying for an end to gun violence.

Master Drawing Mondays: Week 18

My last day in France I spent in Paris. First, I went to the Petit Palais to see the collection of plaster casts for many of the works of public art around the city.

This week’s Master Drawing Monday comes from Aimé-Jules Dalou’s study for his monumental worked for “The Republic.” #masterdrawingMondays

Last Week at the Residency

Dispatches from Château d’Orquevaux

As we round out the last week of being here, I reflect on what the time has been like. It is hard to put into words all that this place is and means to me. I do not know how to properly express what I learned and how much rest it was for my soul. So, I will leave you, dear reader, with some beautiful images of this fairytale château.

Master Drawing Mondays: Week 17

In honor of my time at Château d’Orquevaux, I present a portrait of Denis Diderot by Louis-Michel Van Loo.

Denis Diderot’s daughter, Marie-Angelique married Abel Nicolas Francois Caroillon du Vandeul and they lived in the Château here in Orquevaux, which is now an international artist and writer’s residency. #MasterDrawingMondays

The Source as a Metaphor for Spiritual Growth

I remember being a young person, caught up in the spiritual fever of charismatic Christianity. There was a nervous anticipation in each sacred gathering of being caught up by the Spirit. We waved our hands, spoke in tongues and prayed fervent prayers. Water that runs over rocks splashes and makes a lot of noise.

“I came to learn about the sculpture; I learned about creativity and confidence.”

Attendant at a talk given at the Rotary Club of Frederick

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