Maui Disaster

I'm heartbroken by the wildfire disaster in Maui -- the rising death toll, people's displacement and loss of homes/businesses/livelihoods, the economic devastation this will mean to Maui for years to come. And then there's the horrible loss of Maui's main tourism hub, Lahaina, with all its history and significance.

I've been to Maui several times over the past 20 years and know the island well. And I've spent so many pleasant and entertaining hours in Lahaina Town at its stores, restaurants, wonderful luau facilities, museums and historic buildings, the Banyan Tree, its annual Halloween festivities (see my posts here and here) and its two labyrinths found at Lahaina churches. It is almost inconceivable that everything, EVERYTHING, is gone now.

I previously blogged about one of Lahaina's labyrinths (here and here), but not yet about the second one. I'm going to post about that labyrinth on Monday, as a tribute to the town and its place in my heart and memories.

Friday Face OFF -- Woman With Long Hair

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Here's a woman with long hair, 

done freehand using my standard range of

HB, 2B, 4B and 6B graphite pencils.

I like how she turned out,

especially her hair and

the texture of her dress.

Did you ever have long hair?

I did when I was a teenager in high school.

But it was a lot of work to maintain,

almost like having a pet to take care of.

So I got it all cut off when I was 17

and never grew it out again.

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

Weaving A Community Together

Have you ever heard of an Earth Loom? It's a modern day version of an ancient vertical loom, a variation of which is still used by the Navajo people to weave their famous rugs today.

An Earth Loom is set up in a public space and people are invited to weave or attach biodegradable items to its warp strings, thereby creating a collective work of art and fostering community building. When completed, the Earth Loom is often taken to a forest, orchard or other natural area and allowed to "return to nature."

Isn't that a cool idea?

My friend Sandra in British Columbia recently erected an Earth Loom, constructed out of scavenged wood found on the nearby coastline and lashed together by her husband Gord. Here's the Earth Loom on Day One . . .

. . . and two weeks later!

I see feathers, driftwood, twigs, shells, cloth, ribbons and other fabric in this woven celebration. The community really came together to create a striking art installation!

In the most recent closeup, there's an animal skull with a bead "earring" added by a neighbour and a strip of cotton attached by an Australian visitor. 

I first met Sandra many years ago in law school in Winnipeg. Following a distinguished legal career here in Edmonton, Sandra has become a serious weaver, creating beautiful textiles and art. She is currently completing a Master Weaving Program and hopes she may be able to use this fun and meaningful project in her thesis.

Thanks for letting me blog about your Earth Loom, Sandra!

[Photos used with permission]

There's a Captain America for EVERYBODY

And MY fave --

Friday Face OFF -- Bighorn Sheep

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Here's a Bighorn Sheep

which I did in pen and ink

with an ink wash background.

Unlike most of the exotic animals

we draw in art class, I have actually seen

many bighorn sheep in the wild

at Jasper National Park here in Alberta.

They are impressive and can be aggressive,

so caution must always be exercised around them.

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

SASKATOONS!

During the last two weeks of July, I positively FEASTED on saskatoon berries purchased at the farmers market. That's when saskatoons are in season and available. Saskatoons grow on bushes and are similar to blueberries, but have their own distinctive flavour and texture. They grow wild on the Canadian prairies and are now also commercially cultivated. I have fond memories of going wild saskatoon picking with my parents when I was a small child.

I used some of them to bake lemon saskatoon muffins --

And also a rustic saskatoon pie (crostata) --

But most of them I just ate with a wee bit of cream and sugar. That's how my Mom always ate them. SO DELICIOUS! And given their colour, I'm sure the berries must be stuffed full of anti-oxidants.

In related news, the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan just announced the name and logo of their new semi-pro baseball team in the Western Canadian Baseball League. "Everyone's going to want a slice of us," team management said perceptively --

[Photos #2, #3, and #4 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023;

Photos #1 and #5 from the internet]

August Full Moon Altar: Sekhmet

This month's full moon altar honours the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, "She Who Is Powerful." With the head of a lioness and the body of a woman, Sekhmet has a paradoxical dual nature as a goddess of both destruction and healing. Crowned with the golden ouraeus (cobra) and solar disc of divinity, she can bring epidemics -- and cure them. She's still a popular goddess. People want to stay on her good side.

In her most famous myth, Sekhmet once went on an angry, murderous rampage, killing all life around her. The unprecedented bloodshed and death are represented here by the red altar cloth, red candles, and skeletal pillars flanking the goddess. All the other deities got together but even collectively were not strong enough to stop her. So instead, they created a huge lake of beer, which Sekhmet drank to the last drop (destruction being a thirsty business). She got so drunk that she passed out and thus, the world was saved.

In front of Sekhmet on the altar is a bowl containing a libation (offering) of beer. The bowl I used was purchased many years ago from a prairie potter and has a grain motif appropriate for this beverage. My statue of Sekhmet was found here in Edmonton in a spirituality store about 20 years ago.

The black-and-white skeletal pillars are, in fact, two cans of craft beer called "Dead Guy Ale" by Rogue Brewery in Oregon. I tried to find Egyptian beer in Edmonton but alas, could not locate any. But this brand caught my eye as a substitute because both its contents and aesthetics are perfect for Sekhmet!

[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]