In Mill Valley, on our sunny side of town, September is tomato time. Those tiny seedlings we planted in the corners of our veggie beds back in May have transformed themselves into a tangled, tentacled jungle of photosynthesizing leaves and stalks. The greenery produced delicate yellow blossoms that grew, as if touched by a sprinkling of fairy dust, into a rainbow of marble-to-baseball-sized red, orange, and yellow fruit. Horticulturists near and far will blanch as I mention the magic behind […]

When was the last time you were scared? As in heart pounding, blood pumping, palms sweating, brain spinning, deepbreathdeepbreathdeepbreath scared? It happened to me on a gorgeous summer day in Tahoe last weekend. I was absolutely terrified. And it felt fantastic. My family and I embraced the fear factor when we showed up at the brand new TreeTop Adventure Park and Ropes Course at Granlibakken, just outside Tahoe City. The first aerial adventure park in California, this European inspired playground […]

Summer is here, and with my kids out of school and in-and-out of camp, I’ve decided – okay, accepted – that there won’t be much, if any, studio time in my near future. I’m mostly at peace with that, and instead I’m hoping to channel some creative energies into this here blog. Somehow that seems more manageable: I can sit on my bed in my pjs and pound away on the keys for 20 minutes while my boys run in […]

Do you believe if you put your wishes “out to the universe” you can somehow make them come true? Lately, I’ve been sending out a very specific wish: Bamboo. Let me explain. When we bought our Marin County house in 2008, I discovered a small pile of very old, very weathered bamboo poles strewn in a messy pile along the side of the house. The one- to two-foot-long poles, no doubt the remains of a dismantled decorative garden fence, were […]

It’s been a busy month – actually, a very busy year — in the studio for CheekyKiwi Creations. Lately, all creative energies have been dedicated to making new works for Marin Open Studios. And we’re ready! If you stop by (details below) between 11am and 6pm on Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, you’ll find brand new creations all over the walls, shelves, and tables of the studio. For the past month we’ve been thinking outside the box – […]

I don’t do blue. I’ve never bought a piece of clothing that’s blue, never worn jewelry that’s blue, never painted a room blue. In my lifetime, I’ve had a rainbow of favorite colors: Pink when I was a little girl; green as a wanna’ be hippie my freshman year in college; purple and black as a committed radical later on. Currently, my number one shade is red – Pyrrole, to be exact. But blue? It’s just never been my hue. […]

What do I wear when I paint? The same thing, every time: Black sweat pants, wide-legged, with a waistband that sits just above my hips. A long-sleeve top: Either white or brown or khaki green. My black hooded sweatshirt with a ring-pull zipper, always halfway up. A white apron printed with a picture of a Rainbow trout in a frying pan and the words, “The End of the Rainbow.” Bright pink Crocs, purchased before the company actually made sizes for […]

 Technically speaking, I am a writer, not an artist. For more than a decade, starting straight out of college, I was a freelance journalist, pitching stories to editors at magazines and newspapers. My articles and essays often combined first-hand experience with more traditional reporting. As a result, I know what it’s like to put a little bit (or a lot) of myself into a story and then send it out to the world, vulnerable to praise and criticism. That process, […]

Hello there! It was a busy last night, and I didn’t get a chance to post this blog. So here’s a report from Thursday’s art event. Baby, it’s cold out there! Warming up after a chilly but delightful evening on the patio at Sunny Day Salvage in Fairfax. If you haven’t popped in to this new store yet, hustle yourself right on over to School Street and enjoy an eclectic mix of funky, fun, and delightfully original goodies to wear, […]

CheekyKiwi Creations is delighted that you’re reading our very first blog post! This is where you’ll find out about upcoming shows and events, as well as thoughts, ideas, and musings about art — and other things, too. And pictures. Don’t forget pictures. Like the one to the left, for example. We think it perfectly captures the idea that art can find a home anywhere, whether it’s hanging on a professionally lit, bright-white gallery wall or simply hanging out on a […]