This is This
All that has been, all that will be, is held in the essence of each moment. Then and now, dark and light, these contrasts shape how we see. Only by looking deeper can we discover the ever-present suchness of life. These writings are my greeting to you, and the light within you…
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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About Me
As a tiny girl I felt profound acceptance when alone outdoors. This time spent beside the American River later informed my understanding of color, and my self-taught career as an intuitive colorist and decorative artist propelled me to national success. In contrast, my perspective on how to be human was shaped not by other people but by the lessons I learned outside, alone, in the clear light of day. Lessons of color, of pattern, of seeing, of receiving and forgiving, these are the writings I offer in “This is this….”
Today I live on a mountain in Sonoma County with my husband, not far from our children and grandchildren. As a girl my plan was to be a person, not “just a girl.” A person can do anything, right? Born in 1950, my climb to personhood was not just steep, but fraught with shame. Through my relationship with my son, his family, and my husband I have learned, incrementally, how to trust, to receive, and to forgive.
In the 1970’s I remodeled 16 houses in six years in Northern California and in 1977 began writing on real estate, creative financing, and education for Sacramento Magazine. When I moved to Sonoma I taught myself decorative art: pattern design, gilding, marbleizing, and wood graining for decorators on both coasts and internationally. Stancil Studios, the company I founded, is now owned by my son, James.
I serve on two boards, the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and Creative Sonoma. In 2004 I wrote Jack London State Historic Park, a book about London’s beloved Beauty Ranch. These days I cook, trek the thirty miles of trails in the park adjacent to our land, travel with my husband, consult as a colorist, and write.