Inspiration
How I Turned My Regrets into Action
No one lives a life truly without regret. Regretting that we made that unkind remark or regretting our choice in which college we attended. Regret is a useful emotion. “Non, je ne regrette rien…”
Read MoreHEMPEL STUDIOS Year in Review- 2022
While it’s not a hilarious review like Dave Barry likes to write at the end of each year, I break my year down month-by-month and remember the highlights.
Read MoreA Few Ways to Embrace Coziness this Winter
The ways to embrace coziness are simple. Soft fabrics, fluffy blankets, dim lighting, candles, fireplace, warm tea, books, soft music, a warmth of spirit, and no electronics. Use this season to connect with yourself, with loved ones, and embrace the darkness.
Read MoreArt and Life: 4 Ways to Make Advent Special
Art is not the individual objects that I make in my studio, but it is the whole of life. I cannot remove myself from being an artist at home, neither do I cease being a mom when I am working in clay. How do I infuse a little bit of art and meaning in to my every life? How do I make my studio life a bit cozier? What are ways that I merge my different vocations into one person, one life?
Read MoreWaiting for the Light
…ritual without meaning is dead and meaningless. But ritual coupled with meaning is liturgy. Lighting candles during the darkest time of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) can infuse this time with meaning and significance.
Read More3 Things I’m Thinking About This November
This November has me thinking about a lot of things that on the surface don’t seem to have much in common. What does my birthday, All Saints Day, the Election, and Charles Dickens have in common?
Read MoreThey Are All Long Shots
“They are all long shots.” Those words reverberated in my bones. All of it, all these risks we take, they are all long shots. If you keep pulling back that bow, one of these times you are going to hit the target. The thing about trying and missing is that you are going to get better.
Read MoreThe Story of Hempel Studios, Part IV
For the people who visit Our Lady of Mercy, the sculptures point us to the Divine. The Stations of the Cross illustrate the Passion. They don’t merely retell an historical event but attempt to uncover some of the deeper spiritual truths. The Virgin Mary is celebrated as the mother of God but also as a woman whose act of faith changed the world. Her husband, St. Joseph, stands as a reminder to fathers and husbands of the important role that God has for them.
Read MoreThe Story of Hempel Studios, Part III
In my image, St. Joseph sits in his workshop with his carpenter’s angle in one hand dropping into his lap. A hammer and nails on the floor remind us of Christ’s passion. Joseph has just heard word from the angel in his dream about Jesus, and he stares into his hand, “Me, a father? The Son of God?!”
Read MoreThe Story of Hempel Studios, Part II
Most people imagine the artist caught up in fits of passion, creating, oblivious of the needs of daily life. We picture the sculptor chipping away in a frenzy of artistic ecstasy. The most exciting part of creating art is indeed the conceptual phase at the beginning.
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