A neat reminder as we arrive at All Hallow's Eve/All Saints Day ...

There are no perfect human beings! Persons can be found who are good, very good indeed, and even great. There do in fact exist creators, seers, sages, saints, shakers, and movers... even if they are uncommon and do not come by the dozen. And yet these very same people can at times be boring, irritating, petulant, selfish, angry, or depressed. To avoid disillusionment with human nature, we must first give up our illusions about it.

Abraham Maslow

Meet the artists, #5.

Last week, I went by the home of MJ Rigby and his family to pick up his fantastic donation to the art auction. What a treat! Not only did he contribute a fabulous piece to the event, but I was lucky enough to meet his lovely wife and two darling sons. From the moment I met MJ, I could tell that not only is he a riveting artist, but a devoted dad as well.



His acrylic color studies on glass are some of my favs--adds such vibrant conversation to any room. His architecture has been profiled on HGTV, and you can see an MJ Rigby installation in K.C. at JP's Wine Bar and pieces at the Leopold Gallery.




Kansas City artist Anne Garney has also donated a piece of her work to the auction. So thankful to have her vivid Fauves artwork. "The Fauves, a group of French artists in the early 1900s, painted with brilliant, luminous colors expressing a joyful passion for life."

From her site: In every city, I visit their Art Museums and Galleries. I love to see the paintings of the Impressionists and the Fauves. The Fauves, a group of French artists in the early 1900s, painted with brilliant, luminous colors expressing a joyful passion for life. My favorite artists from the Fauve movement include Andre Derain, Maurice Vlaminck, and Henri Matisse. When I was in the Mediterranean in 1999, I specifically took a train and boat to Saint Tropez to see the Musee de l'Annociade which has a large collection of Fauve paintings. It was wonderful to see. Of the Impressionists, I admire Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, each having a unique use of color and expressive style. Lately, I've been studying the Expressionists and have enjoyed the paintings of Gabrielle Munter, Ernst Kirchner, August Macke and the early Wassily Kandinsky paintings.

Through our friend Kelly, we know of the talented Jeremy Collins. It was through Jeremy's blog that we learned of the Moore family in Liberty, MO, and their daughter Marley, who is currently fighting a valiant battle against a brain tumor.



Jeremy has a wonderful way of mixing shadows and color, gradient and hard lines.




And he obviously has a generous spirit to volunteer his work in order to spare children from brain cancer.

Thank you, dear artists. We are forever grateful.

Meet the Artists, #4.

Illustrator and designer Tuesday Schmidt has been an instrumental force of energy and possibility for Metamorphosis and for The Kyrie Foundation in Kansas City. Way back when—when this was just an inkling of an idea—she was one of the very first people to sign on and employ her friends and their friends to make this event happen, like a fairy godmother.

Not only can you see her work at shows around the area (and in Alaska!) but you can also find her styling on our 2009 poster and at the auction itself on November 12.





A good friend of Tuesday's became a good friend of Kyrie's as well. Jen Walker has wonderfully deft eye and hand for mixed media creations, which you will see for yourself in a few weeks. She also has a committed heart for helping fight this insidious cancer beast. Not only has Jen joined the fight against pediatric brain cancer, but she also is a vigilant fighter against breast cancer. She shared her work and event experience with Camp Quality, a local camp that hosts children who are fighting cancer, with us in order to help organize Metamorphosis. With a full-time, demanding job, an adorable young son, a supportive husband and the call to create all needing her, we are humbly grateful for her time contributed to our event.

Photographer Kelly Jackson is another incredibly generous creative who has blessed us with help, ideas, connections, resources and support. Kelly has a tenacious photography style that produces beautifully honest moments captured as life on photo paper. She brilliantly photographs children



weddings



family, seniors, new babies, couples--you name it. Luckier for us still, she also has a gallery of fine art prints from her European travels. Ah, gondolas in Venice, turrets in Turkey. We are fortunate to have such a steadfast friend who continues to give in ways that consistently amaze us.

Sweets from sweeties.

Two more fantastic contributors to the Metamorphosis 2009 experience!

Moxie Catering is relatively new on the scene in the catering world of K.C. And, whoa!, are they making a splash in my soup! Located in a cozy, stone-wall space in the Crossroads District, Jill and Wes create be-uuuu-tiful food--a feast for the eyes and the stomach!





For us, Moxie is whipping up something deliciously sweet for a post-pasta finish. If you have an event in your future for which you need gorgeous catering, please call Moxie. And ... you can come sample their wares November 12. Thank you, Moxie Catering!

And we have another sweet soul who has generously offered her baking expertise to the cause! You may see the name Em Byerly Wolinsky on our poster & postcards as a contributing artist, but she is also the entreprenuer behind 360 Degrees, her baking biz designed to make your taste buds frolic with abandon.




Designer by day, baketress by night—just the simple task of making the world beautifully delicious. If you need a super-special birthday cake, please get in touch 360 Degrees. Thank you, Em!

Meet the artists, #3.

Fantastic illustrator Nate Williams has donated a fabulously funky print design to Metamorphosis 2009! We are thrilled at his talent and amazed by his generosity. Nate creates pieces that I think are utter visual feasts, like this:



and this:


and this:


Nate donated more than one sample of his design, so if you're not in the K.C. area, you can still bid on his work when we unleash our eBay portion of Metamorphosis 2009. Lucky you!

Returning again this year for another generous appearance is the work of Kansas City photographer Scott Hepler. He is adroit and successful at commercial photography for clients like Applebee's, Visa and Cessna, but he also has a knack for capturing the serene like these examples.





I really appreciate how he can depict beauty in a masculine way. The best of strength and grace.

We are also thrilled to have the talented Flora Chang donating to the cause!



She has such a darling, effervescent style. Sometimes it's so refreshing to look at work that makes you feel child-like and joyful. Such a gift.


And this one she calls "Bad Cloud" because she doesn't like thunderstorms.



And did you know that if you go here, you can download little bookplates designed by Flora for the inside covers of your books that you loan out? Adorable!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for this composition by columnist Christine Mason Miller. As the to-do list gets longer and longer, I'm thankful for a reminder like this. It's okay. Just breathe. It's okay.

“We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us!” ~Moonstruck

There is something in the air, something that has been in the air all summer but is just now making itself widely known throughout the blogging universe – a feeling of too much and not enough, as in too much to do and not enough time, energy and resources to do it all. On the one hand, this struggle is a nice problem to have, as all the different balls everyone is trying to juggle have to do with things like family, career, travel, creativity and home. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder why it is so many of us – successful, creative, powerful women – march through our days haunted by the question Am I enough?

... and no matter how well-intentioned we might be, we’re going to stumble through it at times. We’re going to miss lunch dates, disappoint our friends, exhaust ourselves and forget to pick up the milk. We’re human.

What are you thankful for today?

Newsflash!

The first 15 online registrants for Metamorphosis 2009 will get a certificate good for a free appetizer at the T-Rex Cafe in Legends at Village West! Get 'em while they're hot!

I mean, who can resist Pterodactyl Wings or the Nacho Mountain? ;)

Meet the artists, #2.

Genevieve Gail. Oh so lovely. She has a gentle way in which she crafts art that is just so lovely. We are lucky to have a contribution straight from her talented hands to you.



From her site: Genevieve currently creates her own line of designs including jewelry, crafts, illustrations, and fabrics displaying her signature style. Her artwork is an eclectic mixture of patterns combined with fresh color pallets to produce on-trend, whimsical designs. Her goal is to create fun products that puts smiles on people's faces! Look out for her debut collection for Windham Fabrics available in stores Oct. 2009!

Another loyal Metamorphosis contributor is back again this year! Shawna Stobaugh illustrates and designs charming depictions of animals, flora and fauna--and a couple bearded men, too!





You can find more of her work on her Etsy site, too, for sweet little holiday gifts.

We also welcome the generous, talented donor Jill Assman, a collage artist with a heckuvalotta heart.



And a healthy funny bone, too.



Thank you immensely for giving a part of your world to us.

Meet an artist, #1.

Months and months ago, I came across a blog that mentioned the art of one Ms. Julia Pott who resides in our mother country of Great Britain. I found her work to have a refreshing, raw charm. Though some of her topics are for adults only, the delivery of each idea on the page is done with lovely hand-drawn authenticity. And I like how smoodgy her art is. I like that there might be smudges or erasings. I like that the people aren't very pretty. I especially like her animals set in human conditions. It's just truly interesting.





You can even purchase lovely pillows, aprons and totes with her work here. She is certainly an up and comer.

Now I had the pleasure of corresponding with Julia this summer. She not only agreed to donate, but also she so supported the idea of getting rid of pediatric brain cancer that she asked a few of her talented friends if they would mind donating, too.

Hence, Robin Bushnell, a fantastic animator also residing across the pond. He, too, has a quirky yet engaging style that fascinates as he's done here in his "Zoo" piece, a 2:40 animation of "a trip to the zoo ends in mayhem."


He has donated a darling little painting that you'll have to come November 12 to see! I've had the joy of meeting with both Julia and Robin, and I can assure you that they are as creative and caring as their work depicts.

Julia also introduced The Kyrie Foundation to Ms. Gemma Correll, a delightful illustrator who creates pieces like this



and this



and this


Gemma, too, has donated a sweet piece to the art auction fundraiser. I can't wait for you to see their work in person next month!

This Saturday!

Want to come hang with your pals this weekend? Come visit The Kyrie Foundation at this weekend's Girls Day Out!

Saturday, October 10th
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sedgwick County Extension Building
21 st & Ridge Road
in the Sunflower Room

Join us and get an early start on Christmas gifts, shop for yourself, bring your girlfriends, and support at-home businesses in your community!

Homemade Gourmet
Discovery Toys
Beauti Control
Premier Jewelry
The Pampered Chef
Entertaining at Home
Scentsy Wickless Candles
Rodan+Fields Skincare
Uppercase Living
Tupperware
Silpada
Stampin' Up!
Tastefully Simple
Biejo Bags
The Kyrie Foundation

We love how this is put together as a little shop of all those home parties. All the great brands and nifty products that you usually have to order here and there in one place. Brilliant! Plus, we'll be there with bracelets and cookbooks and well as a free smiles and open invitations to help us fight children's brain cancer.

Metamorphosis 2009!

Hot on the heels of one fundraiser comes another!

Not sure if you've noticed the countdown on the right sidebar over there, but that is your link to Metamorphosis 2009, The Kyrie Foundation's second-annual silent art+gift auction in Kansas City!

Lots of GREAT art this year from all over: London, Canada, Brooklyn, Texas, Utah, California and loads of great work from artists right here in Kansas City. In fact, tomorrow we'll begin profiling our donating artists so you can get to know their fascinating work.




And, if that weren't enough ... Whole Foods Market is sponsoring a pasta tasting included with the purchase of your ticket! We have a fantastic gourmet on deck to prepare a delicious trio of dishes made from organic ingredients generously donated by Whole Foods Market.



Local brew has been donated by the hip and happening Westport venue The Foundry at McCoy's. Ticket price also includes this as well as wine and soda, a chance to meet & greet attending artists and your name entered into our door prize drawing.

Plus, Bob Harvey from The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and his group of jazzy merrymakers will be filling Studio 2131 with swanky tuneage.



What's more is that Karli Ritter with WDAF Fox-4 will be our lovely emcee for the evening!

Even more fantastic gifts up for auction, too--the perfect way to get a few holiday gifts for special someones on your list this year.

So you're saying: give the details already, Megan! Okay, here they are:

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Studio 2131
2131 Washington
The Crossroads District of Kansas City

$22 in advance
$25 at the door

5:30 p.m. Event Opens & Bidding Begins
6:30 p.m. Welcome
8:30 p.m. Bidding Closes

p.s.
This event info is posted on The Kyrie Foundation's Facebook page, too, if you want to invite your friends or spread the word!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for a second wind. You know that moment when you just don't think you can go on, when you think you're spent, when you've given everything you have, when you're too exhausted to blink, when you can't see the finish line, when you're panting for a breath and your muscles are not carrying you but laughing at you? And then suddenly, a small amount of gusto returns, like in the movie Mr. Mom when "Chariots of Fire" begins.

I'm thankful for the grace that carries us through our own shortcomings, for the split-second decisions that whisper, "Don't give up." I'm thankful for the comforting lift that comes from a nice cup of coffee. I'm thankful for the decadent dessert called tiramisu, which in Italian literally means "pick me up." I'm thankful for that Footprints poem. I'm thankful for elevators and escalators. I'm thankful for friendships that weave safety nets that allows us bounce upward when we fall from our tightropes.

I'm especially thankful for the moments when the wind is at our backs pushing us to the finish line, like divine inertia. So good to lean once in a while.

What are you thankful for today?