Here are some of the fine art mosaics in the show. My piece isn't in the slideshow, but I thought you might enjoy getting an idea of the high quality of what's there! It was truly an honor to be one of the invited artists.
Scroll over "notes" to get the name of the artist who created each piece.
Read more about the behind-the-scenes at Cutting Edges show's blog, here.
More about the show and interviews will be posted on the Mosaic Art Now blog, here.
Update on Friday, June 26, 2009 at 21:51 by
Brit Hammer
If you happen to be in Oregon and near Lake Oswego, you might want to head on over to the Lakewood Center for the Arts, as the largest mosaic exhibition ever held in the US is happening this weekend and opens TO-day. I am honored to be one of the invited international artists and am showing a piece called "Flow", which been made in such a way that it can be hung with any side up. The premise behind "Flow" is that "When you go with the flow, all sides of your life are in balance."
So if you're looking for some of the world's best mosaic fine art, you don't want to miss this show! Here's the scoop:
Cutting Edges: Contemporary Mosaic Art
(A Juried and Invitational Exhibit & Sale)
26-28 June 2009
Lakewood Center for the Arts
Lake Oswego, Oregon (USA)
"Cutting Edges: Contemporary Mosaic Art will be the largest mosaic fine art exhibit ever offered in the United States. This special cornerstone exhibit of the 2009 Festival of Arts will shatter your perceptions of mosaics. Modern mosaic art encompasses a vast range of exciting techniques, materials and styles. The world-renowned artists chosen for this show have transformed this ancient art with contemporary designs while embracing traditional methods. Invited artists will display works incorporating stone, metal, precious jewels, glass, recycled and found items with vibrant results."
"Featured Artists: The exhibit will feature the works of leading regional, national, and international mosaic artists such as: Yulia Hanansen, Kim Schonfeld, Jo Braun, Kim Emerson, Laurel Skye, Julie Richey, Lynne Chinn, Sophie Druin, Sonia King, Brit Hammer, Verdanio Marzi, Ora Avni, Marian Shapiro, Luci Lytle, Stephanie Jurs, Robert Stout, Terry Nicholls and Gary Drostle."
If you or someone you know has been labeled autistic or a form thereof, here is something that might lighten your heart and help you learn how to communicate with them.
How do you envision your dream life? Seriously. Take some time to think about it. If you don't know what your dream life is, how will you create it?
Yesterday I drove a Ferrari as part of my ongoing 40th birthday celebration. I know, I know. Not a very eco-friendly thing to do, driving such a car. But I wanted the experience of driving an expensive and fast car - even if I wasn't going to drive it on a race track at some crazy speed. To be honest, I would've been content just to sit in it, but the idea of driving a Ferrari sounded even better, so I rented one for an hour with an instructor. I figured, why not?
Brit in a Ferrari (June 2009): Move over Toyota: "I asked for it. I got it. Ferrari."
I decided on an experience I wanted to have, and I set my intention to experience it. I also set my intention to allow in some extra money to pay for it, and guess what? The amount came in shortly after I set the intention to drive it. Next, I set my intention to find a place where I could drive a Ferrari, and I trusted they would give me an agreeable time slot. It didn't take long to find a place and make a reservation. But despite my preference for a slot between noon and 3PM, the email confirmation came in saying they had given me a 9AM time slot, which would've meant making the (normally) 1 1/2 hour trip in the middle of morning rush hour. I trusted the situation was already resolved, so when I called to speak with someone and was told I couldn't change the time slot, I reaffirmed my wish by picturing myself driving the car in a state of relaxation because I had had plenty of time in non-rush hour to arrive. Right after my reaffirmation, the man on the line paused and said he would double-check with the person in charge of scheduling. When he came back on the line, he said, "Yes, we can take you at 5PM." So not only did I have a blast driving this thing, I missed rush hour both ways to the driving site. I asked for it. I got it.
So what happened? How did I get "the perfect time slot"? First of all, I trusted that the situation was resolved before I even picked up the phone to reschedule. Then I pictured what I wanted to happen. So the situation just matched my vision. Try it for yourself and you might be surprised.
So here's my point. Decide what kinds of experiences you want to have in your life and see yourself doing them. Envision your dream life and you living it. It's really that simple. It might take some practice, but change your ideas about what and how much you can have. Believe you can live your dream life. You CAN.
Your reality mirrors your beliefs. Beliefs are really just practiced thoughts.
So I'll ask it again: How do you envision your dream life?
So you've made the leap and quit the job you didn't like anyway. Or maybe they made you "redundant". Either way, it doesn't matter because now you've decided to follow your heart and to have a go at making your passion your livelihood. But then you get cold feet, because "what if...?"
I went to watch the Red Bull Cliffdiving competition here in Rotterdam this past Saturday, and some of the guys are afraid of heights - even though they dive from heights of 6 stories. So what do they do? They don't look down. They look OUT. And they practice in their minds' eyes what they want to happen several times before they step out on the platform and make the dive. They visualize success.
The same goes for starting up your own business - just look towards your goals. Focus on what you WANT to happen, NOT on what you don't want. Because we get what we focus on (Universal Law). If a diver saw himself crashing into the water, don't you think that's what's going to happen?
Here's a more mundane example just to drive the point home. Have you ever carried a bowl of soup that's filled a wee bit too full? Maybe as you carried it you thought "Don't spill. Don't spill." And then you spilled the soup. Why? Because you were focused on the word spill, not on the soup staying in the bowl. The word "not" doesn't count. So try again and focus on the soup staying in the bowl to see what happens.
So let's get back to your new career. Just take a deep breath and focus. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.
Remember, solutions become obvious and everything is much clearer when you stay calm, and slowing down your breathing helps calm you. Take another breath, and on the exhale picture everything working out fine and everyone you know congratulating you on your success. Hold that image of yourself succeeding. And just stay in that vision.
When you calm yourself down, you'll find that others around you calm down, too. People around you often mirror how you're feeling, so if you panic, they will panic. But if you're calm and confident, they will be, too.
As for the people who were yelling up to you, "Don't look down!" (well-meaning as they may be), they are not helping you other than to help you build your resolve. So thank them for helping you to focus your determination on succeeding and consider to limit your contact with them while you establish yourself. Surround yourself instead with positive and encouraging people and those who have already accomplished what you want to do.
I say this all from experience. Been there, done that. And it's really a cake-walk. But only if you allow it to be. So choose your experience and allow it to happen for you.
I thought I'd share the latest addition to my home. Her name is Pagan, a 6 month old British Bombay stray that we've recently adopted. Today is her 4th day with us, and she's settling in nicely (despite a few instances of me forgetting that she's a cat and that cats like to dig).
Perhaps I should mention that the name Pagan came to me intuitively, but I also call her "my pooky". I don't know why I call her Pooky, but maybe it's because she's cuddly like a teddy bear... Pooky is the name of the teddy bear in the popular Garfield cartoon series. So just don't be surprised if Pagan makes an appearance in my next video - she's usually snuggled up next to (or on top of) me when she's not sleeping on a dining room chair. It's pure bliss having her here with us.
Anyway, in case you're not familiar with the "British Bombay", this is the breed of cat that most people will just call a "black cat". Unfortunately they have been wrongly vilified for centuries, and you might have read of stories during Halloween of angry people abusing or even killing them because of some misguided belief that these affectionate creatures are the devil in cat form. If anything, these are the gentlest of cats.
Sadly British Bombays are often the last cats adopted by people from animal shelters (if at all) because of superstition, so I'd like to do my part in setting the record straight. British Bombays are incredibly sweet and affectionate cats and prefer to stay close to people, much like dogs. They are heat-seeking and will burrow under the covers with you, if you let them. And when they purr, they make cooing noises much like a morning dove or a pigeon; they don't "meow". They are also very quick to learn, are rather elegant, and what's more, they don't shed much if at all! (Even I shed more than Pagan does!) She is our first cat, and I must admit, British Bombays really DO make the ideal "first" cat. And by the way, she's lying right next to me as I type this...
Here's a TED talk by one of my favorite speakers - Clay Shirky. I've long seen the internet as a great equalizer and social media as allowing us all to reclaim our personal power. While Clay and I use different words, the message is the same. This talk is on the power of social media.
If you like this one, you can watch an older TED talk by Clay on institutions and collaboration here. Or google him and you'll find some of his other talks, such as on Poptech.
Many people don't know how to say the words "I love you" so they express their feelings through actions. Some people express their love through what's considered chivalry - by holding the door open for you or helping you into your chair. Others express love by keeping the house and clothes clean, the fridge stocked, or the bills paid. Others express it through gifts of money. The amount does not correlate with how much they love you. So, for example, if one person gives you $5, it does not mean they love you less than another person who gives you $500. A person will give you whatever they are able to, and it's up to you to accept it graciously.
Every day people, including "strangers", express their love for you. Do you see it? Can you receive it? Maybe someone at the check-out counter at the grocery store lets you go before them, even when they were there first. Or maybe someone waits to hold the door open for you when you're a few steps behind them. Love is really everywhere. Can you see it? All you have to do is open your eyes. The world really IS a beautiful place full of Love.
It's up to us to receive the expression of love offered to us. Because when we are able to receive Love given, we honor the person who gave it to us by completing the "circuit". All energy needs to go somewhere, and Love is a form of energy.
So how do you express your love to others? Do you cook healthful meals? Grow food and flowers in a garden? Give your time and attention?
You know you've found true happiness when it doesn't take money to bring you joy. So go ahead, paint rainbows and flowers! Let your joy overflow and show it to others. Because you show them that they can create joy for themselves... You are a beacon of Love and others enjoy sitting in the sunshine you create.
Friday, June 26, 2009 at 10:03 
Brit Hammer
