Sounds from the studio

I cannot imagine my life without music. I dance to it, sing along with it, clean house to it, drive to it, and I especially paint and draw to it.

For a non musician, music is incredibly important to me. I have eclectic tastes, but as I was painting today, I thought I would share my favorite studio music with you. I listen to everything from Tom Petty to Kate Wolf (folk ), to Diana Krall (blues/jazz), just to name a few.

One particular studio favorite may not be familiar to you. A few years ago I had the great fortune to attend a teaching institute for a week in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the most amazing week, spent with 24 dynamic, passionate teachers from around the country. I can only say that if our nation's school systems were completely staffed with educators like these, our children would be in a great place.

One of our assignments was to create a movie on the computer using photographs from the week. I loved this assignment! Wanting to put my movie to music that suited the subject, I went to the Williamsburg gift store and listened to CDs. I wanted a sound of colonial America and I found it from an artist named Timothy Seaman. I contacted him to ask for permission to use his music for this purpose. A former teacher himself, he graciously permitted me to use it.

I now have three of his CDs. A master of the hammered dulcimer, Seaman's instrumental music makes me feel like I do when I'm hiking - connected not just to nature but to something big, grand, and magnificent. His music is rooted in Celtic, Appalachian, and early American sounds. If you want to listen to some of his grand, magnificent music, listen here.

Big News: The Friends of the Centennial Trail Auction was WONDERFUL! Here is a picture of our local channel 5 meteorologist, Kris Crocker introducing the print of my painting, "On the Trail". There was a lovely bidding frenzy (maybe a bit of an exaggeration), and my print went to a wonderful home.