Quiet moments before the holidays (and a silent retreat)
If you are looking for a small gift this season, the Christmas cards and ceramic ornaments are here. Each piece was inspired by my take on California holiday, made to keep, and ships carbon neutral.
Here's what else is inside:
- Art In Progress: Award ceremonies, exhibitions, and going silent.
-
Creative Perspectives: Ana Maria Herrera on finding beauty in discarded metal.
- Swilshot of the Month: A passion fruit bloom and the memories it carried.
Art In Progress
This has been a season of showing up and stepping back. Earlier this year, I was nominated for the Celebrating Women Awards by San Diego Magazine in the Art & Design Rising Star category. Last week Valentina and I attended the ceremony and celebrated the work of women across the city who are building, creating, and leading with care. It felt good to be in a room full of people making things that matter.
My work was accepted into two exhibitions this month. The first is a winter show with Alliance Française, opening December 10 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Please RSVP here, would love to see you there, it’s free and there will be wine ;) The second is the Holiday Market at Studio Door, running through December 23. We attended the opening reception last week and the turnout was touching. People lingered. People looked. More info at thestudiodoor.com.
On November 19, Valentina and I are heading into a ten day silent Vipassana meditation retreat. No talking, no phones, no distractions. Just stillness and the work of being present. We are taking this time to go inward, rest deeply, and reconnect with what matters beneath the noise. If you have been thinking about a digital detox or a pause of your own, this might be the nudge.
Creative Perspectives
I met Ana Maria Herrera through the San Diego Artist Incubator earlier this year, and her work drew me in. She works with discarded metal, rust, patina, fragments that most people would pass by. She finds beauty in what has been left behind and transforms it into something that feels both ancient and alive.
There is a quiet reverence in the way she approaches her materials. Her work reminds me that care and attention can turn anything ordinary into something worth keeping.
You can see more at anamariaherrera.com or follow her on Instagram.
Swilshot of the Month
Last week I met a friend at Communal Coffee in North Park. On my way out, I noticed passion fruit vines blooming at the entrance. I stopped. The flowers were intricate, almost architectural, with layers I had never really noticed before. I leaned in and smelled one.
Sweet, floral, surprising.
I realized I had been wearing a Guerlain perfume with passiflora for years and never connected it to this. The scent brought me straight back to trips to Colombia, tasting gulupas and maracuyás, that bright tangy sweetness that lingers. One small flower held all of that.
Thank you for being part of this journey. If you would like to explore the holiday cards or ornaments, they are ready now. You can also visit swilarts.com or follow me on Instagram.