Buried treasure...

I found a box full of treasures at the bottom of my closet. An old wallet full of school pictures, my girl scout sash, my student directory (or "facebook") from college, a program from my senior class play, the picture I have with Latoya Jackson, my 9th grade and high school diplomas, some lost prom pictures, a glowing recommendation letter (yes!), a couple of scholarship award letters and LOVE notes! What a treat to find these lost memories in an old shoe box. I was so tickled to read my name on the Guys & Dolls program as one of the dozen "Hot Box Girls" and even more grateful for the note written on the back of my high school beau's senior picture with all the little x's and o's. We were to be 2gether 4ever! Many of the pictures that I found are of people that are still in my life. I've been able to reconnect with some of these friends since my 20th High School reunion and some of them have always been on my Christmas card list but some of the friendships had been tucked away and forgotten...until now. On the back of each photo or written neatly on the corner of ticket stubs and yearbook pages are those little notes that we all write and never really appreciate until one day you stumble upon them in a box at the bottom of your closet.

Images that inspire...

I am the family photographer. Very rarely do I step out in front of a camera lens and if I do, it is usually to mark a special occasion: a birthday, Christmas, or a family vacation. My camera allows me to study my surroundings and the people in them. In return, I am gifted with intimate glimpses, moments of repose, tranquility, and joy. I mark the present with the click of a button. In my viewfinder, I have captured the lives around me and I have learned about my own.

It is a treat to go through these frozen moments. I never have the time or patience to view all 11,000 of them currently residing on my hard drive. Instead, I find myself wandering and flagging the ones that seem to make me pause. Today, as the winter wind howls outside and the brilliant sun betrays the frigid air, I find myself looking for a little red bathing suit. I hadn't seen these photos in a while. They were taken on a vacation with a small digital camera and then downloaded just to free up the memory card. I photograph my children a lot. My son tends to hide and will complain if I go near him with a camera but my daughter...well she is something else all together. It's like she is everything I wish I could be. She wears red polka dotted bathing suits!

So here is what I found. The ME I wish I could be, the HER that she is and ALL of it captured in an instant by the family photographer.

(© All images are the property of Millie Donovan and cannot be reproduced without permission. milliedonovan@sbcglobal.net)

Soundtrack...2011

Let me start by saying that I am not a musician. I can't sing and often forget the lyrics to songs, I don't play an instrument and have never had the opportunity to learn (aside from a brief stint with the clarinet in middle school.) I do remember knowing how to dance but years of dancing in the dark have tested my confidence and like all music lovers I do sing loudly and fearlessly in the car or in my studio. I am sure there have been many a queer stares my way as I drive down Rt. 1.

But my life has a soundtrack. I am enamored with the way music can stoke emotions. I find myself laying down songs to every significant moment in my life. My first kiss, the first dance at my wedding, the birth of my son and every time my daughter smiles. I hear these songs and I am transported back to moments that have shaped me. I can remember how things felt from the taste of chapstick and awkwardness of kissing with braces to the swish of lace and satin at my wedding. I can smell my sweet brand new baby boy and see my daughter's twinkly eyes. Magic!

This year, I have been paying attention to those songs that have inspired a reaction and I want to leave you with a list of songs that have made it onto my soundtrack. Some of the reasons are silly, some are heartbreaking but all of the moments were felt and acknowledged. Maybe your life's soundtrack is similar. Have fun listening and be sure to share some of your favorite songs in the comments. Happiest of New Years! xo

1. The silliest: LMFAO, Sexy and I know it. Please don't judge but this one cracks me up!
2. The sexiest: Ricky Martin, Juramento. People who know me, know how much this is a fantasy of mine.
3. The sweetest: Cyra Morgan, Sanctuary. Cyra is just so beautiful and I am so blessed to have her in my life.
4. The one that makes me remember: Creed, Rain. The rain, the regret, the wonder, everything all fell into place and it was important...then this song played on the radio.
5. The sentence I could not complete: Colbie Caillat, I Never Told You. I think we all have these moments when we can't say anything right.
6. The one that makes me melt: Amos Lee, Arms of a Woman. I hope to be this woman...the one that feels like home.
7. The one that fills me with HOPE: Amos Lee, Windows Are Rolled Down. Life keeps moving and the wind keeps changing but there is always a moment when you take on these changes and accept them.
8. A new friendship: Evan St. Martin: Just In Time. A new friend and incredible talent! I can't wait to see him fly.
9. The one that empowered me: Ingrid Michaelson, Maybe. Sometimes you just need to walk away.
10. The cutest by far: Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt, What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? Sweet isn't it?

Waiting for the RIGHT moment

Inspiration seems to come only when I am about to give up or right when I can't seem to be able to solve the problem. I usually wake up in the middle of the night or sit in the wee hours of the morning with a frantic need to purge. Everything I have been mulling over, obsessing about, dealing with, sweating out, pondering, placating, and praying for seems to come into focus and all of a sudden I can see! The solution was right there...all along...waiting for when I needed it the most.

I had been holding on to a story that I had written a while ago about a fellow artist whose studio I visited. On the day of my visit, it was windy and cold. We sat in the middle of her studio clutching our coffee mugs and just looked. We looked around at her supplies and student work. There were piles of papers and portfolios she had to go through. Still lives were set up in different corners of the studio, ready for her classes. Pencils and paintbrushes were on every surface. To an artist, this was where it all happened. You just had to sit and wait for it...inspiration.

Well, I left her studio feeling warmer than when I went in. I thought that the space was an ideal combination of home and work...or is it home and passion? Because what I experienced and subsequently kept to myself was a moment of quiet contemplation. These moments do not happen often for me. I usually fill my days with to do lists. I mark my time by pick up and drop off schedules, deadlines and commitments. I kept this moment just for me. I didn't share it right away for fear that the magic would disappear.

It took a while for me to let go, but the other morning it happened. I had waited long enough and I couldn't keep it to myself any longer. So here it is. My visit to artist and teacher, Julie Duba's, studio. I hope that you can understand why I guarded my experience for a while.

"Stonington Artist Teaches A Life Long Love Of Art", Dec. 12, 2011, PATCH.com

Embracing it ALL...

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the chance to gather with friends and family. At home, we began listening to Christmas music and decorated the house around Thanksgiving. The kids are jumping out of their skin with excitement as they write and re-write their letters to Santa. There are school concerts to prepare for, holiday strolls and tree lighting ceremonies, ice skating parties, and lots of shopping. The lists are long but the smiles are bright and the jingling of the Salvation Army bells outside of the local supermarket remind us that it is a season of generosity.

As I help put together the annual Holiday celebration at Above Elite Studios, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and the loyalty of the artists that participate. Some of us harvested fresh greens from our yards, others swept the stairs and hung banners. Twinkly lights were strung on branches and window sills to add sparkle and holiday cheer. With a little wine and good conversation and you've got the perfect kick off to the winter season. The show is up and ready and all we have to wait for are the guests.

The very best part of all of this is that I get to make new friends. Just today I spent the morning with singer/songwriter Evan St. Martin. We were invited on to the local radio station (WBLQ 1230AM) where Evan had a chance to showcase a couple of his original songs. I was absolutely blown away by his talent! I was also humbled by the generosity of the crew at WBLQ. They spent so much time with us and it was such a joy watching them work. Thank you to Chris Dipaola, Mark Sullivan and Brian Sullivan for welcoming us into the radio station and for embracing the arts.

I leave you with a video of the broadcast. Enjoy! Evan will be performing at Above Elite Studios on Friday, Dec. 9th. The studios will be open on Friday, Dec. 9th from 5:30-9pm and Saturday, Dec. 10th from 10-4pm. Hope to see you there.

"Good Tidings, GREAT Art!", Dec. 9th & 10th at Above Elite Studios

YOU are invited to the most fun, festive and FABULOUS event of the season!

Good Tidings, GREAT Art!

Friday, Dec. 9th, 5:30-9pm

Saturday, Dec. 10th, 10-4pm

Hosted by Above Elite Studios

181 Main Street, Westerly

Featured artists include:

Laura Gaffke, Millie Donovan, Kathy Johnson,

Sarah Martin, Juli Rankin Mancini, Ian Newbury & Diana Sartor

with live entertainment on Friday by Evan St. Martin.

*Added bonus! Every purchase from one of our artists will earn

you a free chance to WIN tickets to Westerly's Granite Theatre.

I paint because...

"I hate flowers–I paint them because they are cheaper than models and they don't move."— Georgia O'Keefe.

It seems like we all do things we don't necessarily like to do. Today, I spent my time in the studio working on small cards and collages that I hope to package and have ready for the holidays. This kind of activity drives me bonkers! There is usually paper all over my worktables, paint splattered across my face and gel medium stuck underneath my fingernails. I don't mind the mess as much as I do the feeling of panic as I look at the small pieces and wonder why. Why am I adding to my to do list? Why are they taking so long to finish? Why do I continue to paint the things that I don't necessarily like?

The simple answer is because...Because in order to work on refining my voice I must borrow from the creative language currently at my disposal. That is to say, I use what is around me and gain inspiration from it. This is a tricky thing to do when surrounded by a community of outstanding creative people all reading the same publications, using the same materials, applying and exhibiting at the same galleries and shows. All of us making similar "products" and hoping to provide enough visual interest in our respective work to make the connections we all crave.

At the end of the day I found myself with a handful of new pieces that I was pretty content with. I had found old collages and painted book pages. I cracked open some new tubes of alzarin crimson and light green (colors I have admired in paintings by my studio mate). I cut out words from an old copy of my daughter's favorite book, "Ramona the Pest", and mixed them up like domino tiles. I painted and applied textures using mesh, bubble wrap, plastic bottle caps and the flat end of my pencil. The result well...you decide...maybe it's not quite a Georgia O'Keefe but it is a Millie Donovan and it was a lot cheaper to create with all these found objects then to hire a motionless model.

"She Did", mixed-media on paper © Millie Donovan

Holiday Shows I'm working towards: (wish me luck)

Harvest Craft Sale at the Noank Foundry, Saturday Oct. 29th from 12-6pm

Good Tidings Great Art at Above Elite Studios, Friday Dec. 9th from 5:30-9pm and Saturday Dec. 10th from 10am-4pm