kimbirdlee

"Seussical the Musical"& "The Tempest" : been awhile...

2011-09-10T02:06:00.001-07:00

It's been a while and I don't even know where to begin. I mean, I really really don't even know where to begin. The one reason why it has been so long is because of all the everything that's been going on with me, my life, the everything that surrounds me and makes up this universe that I perceive as my own.

I do want to share the latest reviews that have accompanied my last 2 shows: "Seussical The Musical" and "The Tempest".

-------- "Seussical the Musical" --------

The Berkeley Playhouse succeeded in keeping this production ever-new, without deviating from the script, by adding the talents of aerialist Kimberly Miller to the circus scenes. Miller’s sinuous inversions and deft aerial skin-the-cats mesmerized the audience and worked well with the other visual elements of the set. It’s hard to imagine Julia Morgan thinking her signature wood beams of this lovely venue, (originally St. John’s Presbyterian Church and Sunday School) would be used to secure aerialist sashes.

Strong vocal numbers by Nicole C. Julien, as Sour Kangaroo, and Sarah Mitchell as Mazie added much to the production. Julien packed the Sour Kangaroo role with energy and style, bringing it from a lesser role to a more dominant one.

Seussical the Musical will continue to make audiences pine for the the far-away Solla Selew through August 14th.

Seussical the Musical
Berkeley Playhouse Julia Morgan Center for Performing Arts
4 out of 5 stars

William Hodgson is The Cat in the Hat

Credits:

When approaching the Julia Morgan Theatre Center at the premature hour of 7 pm on Friday night last, I was confronted by many miniature homunculi which caused me to gasp and grasp tight the hand of my companion. She reassured me that they were only children. I was not anticipating them. I don’t get out much, except to go to theatre, and thankfully they are seldom there since they make noise and fidget.

It was the Berkeley Playhouse—which I had hitherto eschewed for the above reasons, and out of a preference for tragedy and irony. And to make matters more dire, this was SEUSSICAL, THE MUSICAL, god help us all. But I had been invited by a creative colleague, so I held my breath, if not my nose, and deigned to attend.

For all my Grinch-like persona and curmudgeonly mien, I must unequivocally and highly RECOMMEND this production to everyone, regardless of age. The Broadway-worthy performances of the cast are the first reason. Indeed, the performances are so engaging that the rug-rats—probably a third of the audience—are for the most part quiet and rapt for the entire two hours plus.

The second reason is that Theodor Seuss Geisel’s doggerel is embedded in most every contemporary American’s consciousness: since 1950 his books have been read by Greatest Generation parents to their Boomer children, and I must assume the tradition has been passed down the generations. Behind the seemingly saccharine and simplistic plot lines and rhymes are a reflection of adult conundrums, models of compassion, and some curious world-within-world cosmic perspectives.

The casting and direction of Kimberly Dooley is inspiring. She may be the luckiest director around to have assembled this cast of perfection—almost as if drawn from the books themselves or from some Seussical central casting. Or she may be an incredibly inspiring director who helped mold them to this peak. Ms. Dooley’s choreography on an individual basis ranges appropriately from the flashy to the athletic to the comically emotional.

The lead who played Jojo the night I attended iswunderkind Nandi Drayton. There is always something special about a child actor who is a seasoned pro at ten. The kind of talent, that, when she auditions, you can imagine the accompanist turning around from the piano, mouth agape. And I didn’t recognize she was a girl playing a boy which is the perfection of any breeches role.

Aerialist Kimberly Miller wraps herself “Cirque du”-style in two scarlet sash curtains, inverts, dangles, swoops and splits to our wide-eyed inhalations and oooo’s. There are no weak links in the cast, and everyone more than shines.

The musical direction of Tal Ariel, who is new to musical theatre, has enabled these marvelous performances. A jazz, rock and blues pianist and teacher and commercial producer and composer, he has an outsider’s touch that infuses a realism to the music and a strong beat that moves the young actors. He treated us gray hairs to some pre-show surprises, featuring “White Room” by Cream as one of the warm up instrumentals; it was a breath of fresh air, and much better than some prissy and pretentious show-tune. He put a great band together, and they rock the house while supporting the singers. The first act, the night I attended, had a bit too much bass which obscured the lyrics—incredibly important to Seuss; but much to the credit of the sound tech and the band, they fixed it for act two.

Not all is aesthetic perfection. The ground plan of a laterally bisecting scaffold foreshortens the deep Julia Morgan stage and truncates much of the action by eliminating interesting diagonal movement. Too often a horde of an ensemble is lined up laterally on the stage. The stage pictures are most effective when five or fewer actors are in the scene. The set dressing of immediately recognizable flowers and fronds emblematic of the world of Seuss take us to that childhood place even in the preset. While many of the costumes are straight from the books, the clashing colors and stripes and patterns when crunched together in the cramped playing-space make the eyes recoil.

Used to be that the way children learned theatre was to act with adults, model their performance pon those pros, then do it their own way only better. The Berkeley Playhouse has revived this part of performance pedagogy, and the teen and child actors more than hold their own in accompanying their betters. It’s amazing, all the incredible art, talent, and schooling that exists here in this little city of less than 110K. And the Playhouse is quickly working its way to being counted as another Berkeley treasure as directed by the artistic sensibilities of Elizabeth McKoy and the executive and education expertise of Jerry Foust.

If you’ve got kids, don’t miss it. Like all good (and smart) children’s entertainment, there is as much there for Dad and Mom as for Sis and Bud. If you don’t have kids, but you were raised on Seuss, take a chance on this critic’s word and have a good time. I never knew what I was missing, and you’ll feel the same way, too.

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL

Music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics and book by Lynn Ahrens

Directed by Kimberly Dooley

Presented by BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE

Playing through August 14th

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

2640 College Ave., Berkeley CA

Tickets/info: www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

John McMullen

, Oakland Theater Examiner

July 23, 2011 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.

Theater review: A Marin Shakes 'Tempest' blinded with science

William Shakespeare's fantastical tale of sorcery and spirits, without the magic. Not only is the mastermind Prospero a scientist, not a magician, but so is his slave Caliban, who's more often depicted as a dim-witted subhuman or simple exploited native. The air spirit Ariel is eliminated entirely, replaced by a machine. An inventive writer/director who's done thrilling adaptations of Homer and Orwell in the East Bay, Tracy has reimagined the play with the "steampunk" aesthetic of sci-fi set in the Victorian era.

In Shakespeare's play the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, lives on a remote island where he's raised his daughter Miranda to adulthood and become a powerful wizard. He conjures a storm to bring a ship to the island containing the King of Naples and the brother who usurped Prospero's title. With the aid of his servant Ariel, a powerful spirit, Prospero plays tricks on the nobles while a romance blooms between Miranda and the king's shipwrecked son, Ferdinand. Meanwhile Caliban tries to gain his freedom by declaring Stephano, the king's boozy butler, his new master and trying to get the drunkard to kill Prospero and take over the island.

There are walls that turn around to reveal compartments filled with control panels, steamer trunks and pale figures standing motionless within them. They're dressed immaculately by costumer Abra Berman in brown and gray suits, long coats, hats and goggles. These are the Qualities that replace the magical spirit Ariel. In Tracy's version the Ariel Coil is a towering machine that dominates the rear of the stage. The Qualities are human-looking robots controlled by the Ariel Coil at Prospero's command. They're also easily the best thing about this "Tempest."

Played by deft physical performers Silvia Girardi, Maro Guevara, Kimberly Miller, Nesbyth Rieman, Erika Salazar and Jeremy Vik, the Qualities are enthralling. They walk and turn in stiff, mechanical movements, but they slip in and out of trapdoors with fluid grace and speed.

Most unnervingly, they speak by opening their mouths wide agape while loudspeaker voices emanate from all around them. They poke their heads out of trapdoors and record conversations all over the island and then play them back in the speakers' own voice. They do this so often, in fact, that when the Ariel Coil speaks for itself through them it's not always immediately clear that it's not just regurgitating overheard dialogue.

Brendan Aanes' sound design is indispensable in bringing the concept to life, from the eerie voices to the omnipresent hum and crackle of the machinery and haunting music. Ellen Brooks' lighting nicely accentuates the creepy atmosphere.

CINDERELLA ENCHANTED - WITH ALL-STAR CAST INCLUDING GRAMMY-NOMINATED FRENCHIE DAVIS - OPENS IN 8 DAYS

2010-10-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

Little ole me is in this show with an outstanding cast of talented people!
Please come and enjoy the show - it's full of comedy and joy and surprises!
I play a variety of fun roles, as well as understudy for the aerialists, so who knows what you'll see on any given night - I'm sure you'll love it!
Love, Kimberly :)

CINDERELLA ENCHANTED OPENS SOON!
Save 20% ($3.00-$6.60 per ticket) with Early-bird Special!
Expires soon - Don't wait
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CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS TO CINDERELLA ENCHANTED
For 20% discount on your order, simply use the code "godmother" at checkout!
(Code not valid for Preview or Pay-What-You-Can Performances)

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OR SAVE 40% FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON WITH A SUBSCRIPTION
SUBSCRIBERS ENJOY 40% SAVINGS - INCLUDING ONE FREE SHOW AND A "BRING A FRIEND" PASS FOR USE AT ANY TIME DURING THE SEASON!

READ MORE ABOUT 2010-2011 SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS

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CELEBRATE! BRING YOUR PARTY TO CINDERELLA
BIRTHDAY PARTIES, THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS, HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTIES
Groups of over ten or more get group discounts. Let us know you're celebrating and we'll arrange special treats - like signed posters for birthday boys/girls, or front of the line for matinee Meet & Greets with the cast.

MAKE IT A COSTUME PARTY!
Each matinee performance is followed by a Children's Costume Parade and Meet & Greet with the cast.

Kimberly Miller

2010-09-14T19:56:00.001-07:00

"Kimbirdlee"

Great Night to Art Mingle: Touch Salon in Montclair

2010-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Teresa Bozikis (owner of Touch Salon), Jin Hei Kang (artist), and Me

This art party was just how it's supposed to be - super fun and inspiring!
Teresa Bozikis organizes her parties every 2nd Friday of the month. This event is getting more and more popular and it really brings the neighborhood together to share an evening of creativity with friends old and new. So many of the Montclair Village community come out to show their support - Eric (Montclair Village Festival) and his girlfriend (go Wisconsin girls!) deejayed for us, Yingi (owner of Kakui Sushi) hooked up fresh sushi for everyone, the beautiful stylists of Touch Salon hosted the party, guys from Tonga Lounge and Garibaldi's came out...
So much love!

I met so many new people - it was awesome.
I'm also so grateful to my great friends who totally made my night by just being there!

Like my fabulous friend, Maurice Williams!
Someday when you're famous I'll show you this picture to remind you of the good ole days!

I was surprised to see my actor friends, Jessica Payne and hubby Kyle, before they head out for a national tour together! And the juggling Ron Schwartz!
And thank you to Imad for the yummy (and so appropriate) dragon roll.

I definitely feel like I was able to share my art in a great way.
thank you, teresa and touch salon

Truckee
3rd Annual Historic Downtown Truckee. Arts & Crafts Festival
Jul 31-Aug 1, 2010

It is a tradition that I make it to Lake Tahoe at least once a year for an art show. I exhibited with Pacific Fine Arts in Truckee for the first time this year.
There were some very interesting attendees...

Yes, these crazy Alpacas came to appreciate the art.
First time I ever saw Alpacas at an art show.

Along with having a great weekend at the art show, I also got to camp at a beautiful reservoir.
Wow.

Morning sunlight to wake me up!

A perfect little scene of Tyler with his fresh cup of coffee, throwing the ball for Wiki, who is flying off the edge of the picture, and the hot air balloon taking off in the background.
Lovely!

Always reinventing

2010-06-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I had a most leisurely day hanging out with my girls, Christa, Laila & Wiki. As you can see, we were so happy together!!!

The very next day, OMG! I turned blonde! And Laila turned into Ollie! And Wiki got a really big butt. :0

Always reinventing...
xoxo,
Kimbirdlee

2010-06-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

The first day with our new deck

2010-05-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

Kimberly's Glee Audition Videos

2010-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here are my audition videos for Glee. The Glee website is so crazy right now and so many people asked me how to watch my video. Well, it's all about the timing on that website. Sometimes it's open and sometimes it's overwhelmed with Gleek onslaught.

So, here's another way to see my vids!

The link to my official audition is:

http://www.myspace.com/gleeauditions?link=377146651

OperaDance Co "Strikes" again!

2010-04-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Jeanne Disney * Elana Silverman * Kimbirdlee * Alison Gustafson

OperaDanceCo joins DeepRootDanceCollective for a provocative performance of modern dance and live singing. Come to experience an evening of collective works by Jeanne Disney, Bonner Odell, lola a. katie, and Nicole Zvarik.

Event Info:
Deep Root Dance Collective's STRIKE
April 24th & 25th, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30

NOHspace Theater
2840 Mariposa Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.theatreofyugen.org

Tickets $10 - $15 Sliding scale

Box Office (415) 621-7978

Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.
BTW - seating is limited -

Jeanne Disney presents "Developing Nations" a political commentary on how first world nations manipulate poorer countries and how our news media perpetuates Americans' skewed reality. Other works include "Farming" with original photos from a 1940's family farm, and "Scenes" an Operadance Co premier piece with music by Stravinsky, Johann Strauss II and resident composer and performer, Kimberly Miller.

Links
http://sites.google.com/site/operadanceco/home
www.deeprootdance.com

From Broadway to Samba to WORKING the Musical

2010-04-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

The amazing Jaja Bolivar invited our Forever Broadway Samba Ensemble to dance for a benefit birthday party for Alec Benafluor at this super-sweet club, LEVEL 26, in San Mateo on Thursday, April 1st. Michelle Parodi choreographed our number to "Mas que nada". The dancers are Jaja Bolivar, Michelle Parodi, Gerrad Bohl, Iris Smith, Jenna Davi, Shatese Stewart and Corinne Levy. All of us also performed at the recent San Francisco musical theatre extravaganza, "Forever Broadway", which had its encore performance on March 21st again at the Herbst Theatre.

That encore performance of "Forever Broadway" rocked! It was such a blast. The cast shrunk from about 80 "show people" down to 60. I had the awesome opportunity to step-up to a few roles I had understudied. My favorite, of course, was singing opera girl in "The Girl in 14G" with fabulous Jessica Payne and Monica Turner! YAY!!! My absolutely favorite new song - how lucky was that!??! Flying through neverland was fun, too! Kinda like how I'm flying in Ty's arms after the show!

I have to spend a moment to say how much I loved this experience. I was so inspired by the singing of superstars like Desiree Goyette, Jenna Davi, Monica Turner, Jessica Payne, Halsey Varadi, Chad Benjamin Potter and the beautiful dancing of Iris Smith! I mean, everyone was HOT, but I have to give props! ;)

My lovely loving family and friends so came out to support me that night! THANK YOU!!! Tyler and his mom, who flew all the way from Wisconsin. My girls: Jeanne, Bridget & Juliet! And my teacher and mentor, Susan Gundunas with her brilliant son Matthew! And, surprise surprise - a whole crew from the Fung Clan!!! Yay, Brenda, Chrissie and fam!!! I love you all so so much!

Now that things have settled down from that, I've right into my next adventure:

"WORKING the Musical" at A.C.T.

We started rehearsals yesterday. I'm super excited to be playing the role of the passionate waitress, Delores! There's more, too! I don't want to give too much away, though. You'll just have to come and see for yourself - the first two weekends of June.

Again, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such talented people. We are all each others' teachers. XOXOXOXO - kimbirdlee

Susan Gundunas' Vocal Recital on Friday, Feb 16th 2010

2010-03-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

Forever Broadway Hits San Francisco!!!

2010-03-01T01:08:00.000-08:00

4Ever Broadway last night - Opening Night at the Herbst -

OMG - We did it!!!

Seriously - we did it! I am so so sleepy now and it's so late, but there's a little rascally dascal in my head that's buzzing around! Time to Blog! I want to celebrate all the joy and excitement from my show on Saturday night, mixed in with the cozy family-vibe of my recital on Friday and a heart-warming service this morning to top it off! Wiki is snoring quietly next to me, my parents just got on a flight back to WI, my tyboy is with Mama Christine in their 5-star tribal hut, my fridge is full of fresh choy, snowpeas, and dim sum... what more could a girl want? Well... if you really wanna know... there's always more - more dreams, more wishes, more desires...! I feel so blessed to know so many inspiring and talented people - they are all teaching me so so so much about singing, dancing, living and laughing. I feel so so grateful for the support from my family, mom & dad, Cha & Ralph, Keith & Amy, Nikki & Pat, Susan, Ty & Mama C (in march!). And one more thing before I fly to dreamland, to Grandma Miller: you've been my Grandma with a capital G since the day I was born, you fill my childhood memories with sunshine and gumdrops and bluegills and pickles, and I love you so much and I know you are safe and protected.

THANK YOU!!!

You Raise Me Up

2010-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

It's official! I am beginning my new position as Soloist for the Church of Christ Scientist: Point Richmond on Valentine's Day. This is the start of a new musical journey for all of us because we are going in a new direction there and really aiming to introduce a newer and more "current" approach to music. I'll be working with the talented pianist Vera Breheda and another fabulous singer Dana Anderson. On Valentine's Day, I will be singing "You Raise Me Up", one of Josh Groban's hits. How sweet to start my new position on the day of LOVE!!!

Singing and Dancing - My dreams come true!!!

2010-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

I will be performing in this gigantic event! It's called "Forever Broadway" and it's directed by John Bisceglie. Everyone should come cuz it's going to an extravaganza like none other. We are in now rehearsal and I can definitely say that there are some amazingly talented people in this show!

Review of Celebration of Craftswomen 2009

2009-12-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful artist from Texas named Heather Harris and I at the Celebration of Craftswomen. I am so glad I did both weekends this year and will definitely be back next year! What a great event - Teevan Productions and The Women's Building put on a super festival. And it was one of my favorite shows for meeting awesome and interesting people and sharing my work with them.

Celebration of Craftswomen: San Francisco, Fort Mason: Nov 28-29 & Dec 5-6

2009-11-28T21:23:00.001-08:00

I'm in Booth #422

This art festival is not one to miss! Please come and see me and hundreds of other wonderful women artists.

Plus, shop for one-of-a-kind gifts for the holiday season! Prices range to fit everyone's budget!!

www.celebrationofcraftswomen.org

Chinese Butterflies at the JMSG Silent Auction

2009-11-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Auction night at Julia Morgan School for Girls - 11/07/09

Where last September I taught Chinese Brush Painting to a wonderful class of 6th Graders!

Those paintings hanging above us are the amazing results from that workshop!

The event was organized by my Mills College friend, Melody Ferris.

After the girls, and their advising teacher Jason, painted their gorgeous butterfly paintings, Melody and I matted and framed them. We just had to get a picture of the lovely paintings arranged on my couch that day! We were so happy at how nice they turned out. Each girl also chose their own Chinese name to sign their paintings.

Fun Fotos just for fun!

2009-11-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Family!

Christine and Me at the San Carlos Art Fair.

Christine was the best hooker ever!

It's Cousin Brenda and Me on the Sausalito Ferry -

absolutely gorgeous day out on the bay!

Holloween at the Hampel House!

Meow, Woof woof, and Like, Oh my god!

I have a month off from art shows and some time to enjoy myself! Yay!

Kids, Dogs, Art & Wine in San Carlos

2009-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

This young man really got into the spirit of fall at the San Carlos Art & Wine Festival last weekend! He was not only feeling the spirit of fall, but also the powerful spirit of the Fire Dragon, which he brought home with him that day! I was especially lucky when he sang a song he knew in Mandoran which totally blew me away! My desire to learn Chinese is increasing all the time. Now I just have to decide if I should take a course or take a trip to China - probably both!

The streets were filled with the most stylish dogfriends I ever saw at an art show! It was definitely entertaining watching the dog parade. I painted a Tibetan Spaniel after seeing one at the Solano Stroll. The funny thing is it actually looks a lot like our family's puggle, Brandy. Subliminal appearance of my sweet old dog!

I am so happy when people enjoy the characters that come to life in my paintings. I had several exciting conversations with children's book authors and enthusiasts and am imagining how fun it would be to illustrate childrens books.

Well, it's a nice thought knowing that after this coming weekend's show in Menlo Park, I'll have about a month to develop more ideas and paintings.

Menlo Park

Menlo Park, CA
13th Annual Sidewalk Arts & Crafts Fall Fest

October 16·17·18
Location:
Santa Cruz Avenue at El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
Admission: FREE
10am-5pm
http://www.pacificfinearts.com/schedule.htm

Come see me!!!

Tales from the Sacramento Arts Festival 2009

2009-10-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

Monday morning following a great art show is always a mixture of satisfaction and exhaustion!

Warren Cook organized an excellent festival at the Sacramento Convention Center last weekend and I am so happy to have been a part of it! The attendance was up from last year (actually the highest attendance in 8 years!) and the people were lots of fun to talk with and share my work with. Since I am new to the Sacramento Area, I now have a very good feeling about that part of Northern California and definitely plan on going back. Good thing is it only took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get home last night!

The people of Sacramento are very diverse - I met people from all over the world - China, Krygyzstan, England, Australia, Oakland (ha ha ha)... And had fun figuring out everyones' Chinese Zodiac Animals and Elements. Plus, my very first FU DOG went home with a lovely couple who had recently visited China.

I am very inspired to continue creating my 5 Elements Chinese Zodiac Series! All 12 Animals with their 5 Elements.

I wasn't convinced about indoor shows until now. The controlled environment was a relief after getting heatstroke in Walnut Creek two weekends ago! Plus, our neighbors are now great friends who I'm sure we will cross paths with again. Candace and TJ Ashment from Idaho kept the days from feeling too long with their great humor and storytelling! They are the same age as Tyler and I and we had so much in common! As the artists, Candace and I joked about the guys being the muscle behind the operation. Here's Candace at work putting some color into her beautiful block prints.

Meanwhile... at home Wiki was playing with her girlfriends, lucky dog!

Surfer Dog

2009-09-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn Equinox!

It's true, Fall has arrived, although it honestly feels like Summer here

in Oakland. I am not complaining about that, and neither is my Surfer Dog, Wiki!

She's been riding some big waves (for a dog) with that tennis ball in her mouth the whole time!

Wiki is taking after her Daddy, the kiteboarding maniac.

So, as you can see, Summer never ends for the three of us, as long as we can play in the water!

The Solano Stroll

2009-09-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

I was looking forward to the Solano Stroll all week because I knew I would see lots of friends, old and new! I was not mistaken! This street festival is such a huge community gathering for Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, even Oakland and the street was absolutely flooded with people. I got to see my old Mills College friend - Anna Ishida, my Early Music friends - David and Hanneke, my piano student - Aidan and his mom Kimberly, my Operadance CO dancer - Juliet and her family, my musical director friend - Shanti and her husband Lachu, and the list goes on. On top of running into old dear friends, I met so many new people and shared lots of stories and great conversations!

As you can see by how Tyler enthusiastically grabbed a front row seat for the parade, that part of the festival was awesome. The parade was filled with performers that truly represented the rich culture of the East Bay.

My original Swirly Water Dragon that I painted special for the Millbrae Art & Wine Festival now has a new home with another Kimberly, who is the mom of one of my past piano students. Yay!!!

I am so excited about how my art shows are going that I am adding several more to my 2009 schedule. The next show, newly added, is:

WALNUT CREEK : 63rd Semi-Annual Arts and Crafts Fall Sidewalk Fair
North Main, Cypress, and Locust Streets (map)
10am-6pm Fri/Sat · 10am-5pm Sun
September 25·26·27

Millbrae Art & Wine Festival Labor Day Weekend 2009

2009-09-13T21:13:00.001-07:00

The Millbrae Art & Wine Festival folks do an amazing job of promoting this show! They were so awesome in advertising and it surely paid off because there must've been atleast 50,000 people there. I felt like I talked to every single one of them! I was so wiped out by Sunday night! It was a blast. They not only mentioned me in their program's article about fine art, but ALSO featured me on their LIVE cable television show that broadcasted throughout the show. That show is now being played on their website (mctv.tv). But just to warn you, at this point it is a continuous stream of footage from that show. As soon as I get the DVD, I want to share it with all of you!

The above painting is my original "Swirly Water Dragon" that I painted especially for the Millbrae Fest. Another super fun water dragon playing in the waves and lovin' life!!!

My wonderful family friends, Cyril and Ymen, came to pick up their "Swirly Water Dragon" (below) that I personalized for them. That's a great way to make my dragon series come alive and become one of a kind - enhanced giclees.

6th Graders Chinese Brush Painting!!! Impressive!!!

2009-09-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

I had the extreme honor to teach a workshop at the Julia Morgan School for Girls on Friday, Sep 4th. These girls were so much fun!!! Chinese Brush Painting for the very first time is not really that easy, and I was super impressed with them for just going for it. All 11 girls, along with their very cool teacher, ended the day with a completed painting. These paintings will be offered for a special fund raiser auction at the school later this Fall. Very Awesome!!!

Kings Beach Art Festival and Kimbirdlee's Birthday

2009-09-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

The ultimate location for an art festival~ Kings Beach, North Lake Tahoe ~Aug 28-30th

I will definitely be returning to Kings Beach next year. After hearing from all the other veteran artists who told me this weekend was the slowest ever, I am certainly looking forward to a busy weekend. Considering the mellowness of the weekend, there were still a good number of dragons, frogs and flowers going home with wonderful people from all over the country.

I love the diversity from all the Tahoe visitors! The joy of doing outdoor festivals is meeting so many amazing people of all ages and hearing their stories. The people that actually live in Lake Tahoe really got me thinking - should I relocate? I am such a lake person!!!

It's true, it was my birthday on Sunday!

Some of the highlights were:

Visiting with my friends, Bridget, Dave & their 2 boys

My awesome gift (a french press) from Tyler -

gotta have fresh brewed coffee when

living the life of luxury out of our plush home on wheels!

Hiking through the breathtaking beauty of Lake Tahoe.

And simply being there!

Swirly Sunflowers and Guan Yin and the Earth Dragon

2009-08-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

I've made a habit of painting out in the backyard during the best hours of sunlight. Once the shade takes over, it's time to stop. My backyard is such a sanctuary for me, right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle - I love it! It is protected by two fabulous cedar trees that are the tallest trees on the block (great feng shui!) and a walnut tree that is squirrel territory.

The flowers in my neighborhood are breathtaking! Part of the blessing of having such a high-energy dog is that I get to take long walks with her every day and check out all the stunning flower gardens around here. I swear that I did not steal these fiery sunflowers from someone's yard, though. These were inspired by Trader Joe! Now I am painting...

Swirly Flowers!!! Swirly Sunflowers!!! They will make their first appearance at this weekend's festival in one of the most beautiful places on earth - LAKE TAHOE!!!

I promise to have a new featured original at every art festival that I show at this year. In fact, these weekend I will have my Swirly Sunflowers and Guan Yin and the Earth Dragon.

Guan Yin is calming down the Earth Dragon from charging ahead too fast. She brings peace and protection to the feisty forward progression of the Earth Dragon. Earth Dragon is the dragon to turn to now, as so many people are ready to transition into a new time of nurturing the earth. We are all aware of how awesome the powers of advancement in every field are, and how they can sometimes be too powerful or even get out of control. So, this is the message from Guan Yin to the Earth Dragon, to slow down and be one with the Earth, nurture the Earth. She is protecting the Earth Dragon now, after he has protected her for so long.

This painting is already finished - come see it at my upcoming art shows! Or check back here in a couple days to see if the goddess and dragon have appeared in blogland...

August is the month of firsts

2009-08-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had my first TV interview today! A crew from MCTV, the local station for the Millbrae community, came over this afternoon. They are doing a piece for the upcoming Millbrae Art & Wine Festival (Sep 5 & 6, 2009) and asked if they could show me in my "natural environment"(my backyard) doing what I do - painting dragons! This time I was actually painting a phoenix, too. ;)

Stay tuned to find out when the premier broadcasting will take place!

I am really looking forward to the Millbrae A & W Fest because I've heard they have a huge asian community there and I hear there is going to be a dragon dance! How perfect!

Meanwhile, I'm off to Wine Country and Kayaking in Marin with Tyler and our homeboy Sergio for the next couple days. I've been painting every day this week and I think I deserve some outdoor fun time now!

Season kicks off with San Rafael Wine and Food Festival

2009-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my brand new blog!

Follow along my journey of art, music and life...

I am starting this blog just as my West Coast Art Shows kick off with the San Rafael Wine & Food Festival last Saturday (8/15/09). The show was awesome - everything went so smoothly! new beginnings

The set-up, tear-down, and the whole day in general was so easy and fun, much thanks to Tyler. We are proving to be a good team! Phew! Good thing, cuz there's no turning back now! :) We are already talking about adding more shows to our schedule,

so check my website calender occassionally.

The festival was at the beautiful site of the Falkirk Mansion and we were surrounded by the best wine and food around. I was especially happy to see FREY, my all time favorite winery, there. Thanks guys for the Chardonney!

It was so fun to meet and talk with the festival goers as well as the vendors. Everyone is in a very good mood since they start sipping wine before noon!

I am so so grateful for all the wonderful comments from those of you who appreciated my work. Thank you so much to those who brought paintings home - the Water Dragon, the Wood Dragon, Gene the friendly business man, the Monkey friends, the Yacht Chef, and more!!!

And to the 3 party guys who postponed our take-down by like an hour because they were way too much fun! :P

2009-08-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

mornings are magical for creating my daily universe!