I Love This. 

Very elegant room in which to read, chat, have tea.

desire to inspire

Crockpot Quinoa and Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers. Oh, my!! They were divine. #healthyeating

The 4th Annual Red Dot Auction

Which Artist’s Work Will You Take Home Tonight?

Spring Gala Fund-raiser Announced for

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity 

Costa Mesa, CA: The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity announced today plans for their spring fund-raising gala, The Red Dot Auction, to be held Friday, May 9th, from 7 to 10 PM at the Center located at South Coast Collection (SoCo), 3321 Hyland Avenue, Costa Mesa, California. Admission is $25.00 per person and open to the public. RSVP by May 2nd and receive 5 free raffle tickets when you sign in at the front desk the evening of the event. To buy your tickets online, go to ChuckJonesCenter.org or call 949-660-7791 x 20107. 

This is the fourth annual Red Dot Auction, first conceived as a fund-raising opportunity for the Center in 2011. The Center, a 501(c)3 public charity, dedicated as it is to inspiring creativity in all people, but particularly in children, was founded in 1999 by animation legend and four-time Academy Award recipient, Chuck Jones. 

What differentiates The Red Dot Auction from other silent auctions is that all of the contributing artists have signed their artwork on the reverse. Consequently attendees at the event will not know who the artist is when bidding, they’ll only have their heart to follow. “We wanted to create a fun, engaging silent auction, and to further the suspense of not knowing which work belongs to which artist, each artist received an identical 12” square stretched canvas upon which to create their work of art,” noted Wayne Todd, President of the Council for Creativity, the volunteer arm of the Center. 

“The artists who are participating come from all levels of notoriety, skill, and accomplishment, from students to emerging to established artists; we reached out around the world hoping to capture the imagination and appreciation of these artists. We are thankful that they were willing to help us achieve our goal of promoting creativity by providing a nurturing environment where it may grow and blossom,” said Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center. 

Participating artists include Rob Minkoff, director of such critically acclaimed films as “The Lion King” and “Stuart Little”; Nick Park and Peter Lord, Oscar-winning founders of Aardman Studios of “Wallace and Gromit” renown; “Dora the Explorer” producer and director, Jeff DeGrandis; Kelly Asbury, director of the box-office-giant animated film, “Gnomeo and Juliet”; Eric Goldberg, longtime Disney animator and director; Marian Jones, photographer, author, and Chuck Jones’s wife.

The Center’s vision is a world where creativity is known and experienced in all disciplines, by the many, not just the few. This is an important goal, particularly in today’s world, when arts education is practically non-existent; we are dedicated to reinvigorating the creative spirit and we are doing it through art classes, exhibitions, lectures, and film festivals, all of which spring from the material in the Chuck Jones archive. Jones was a determined saver and his writings, art, and other ephemera from a nine-decade life, along with his philosophy of guiding and nurturing instruction form the basis of our programs.

I'm mesmerized by this video.  Mother Nature at work in a lake in which I would swim as a child. 

Lake Michigan Slush Action

Oh, I do want to dive in that pool!!

Infinity pool at Monaco Suites in Boracay Island, Philippines (by noldskie).

I love the vibrant colors!

Maria Sibylla Merian and her daughters were pioneers of natural history illustration and entomology. Among other achievements, at age 52 Maria Sibylla sold most of her belongings and set sail for the Dutch colony of Suriname. That was in 1699.

Mulberries, caterpillars, and moths, Maria Sibylla Merian, in De Europische insecten (European Insects), 1730. The Getty Research Institute

"Be ever engaged, so that whenever the devil calls he may find you occupied." St. Jerome

Get out in #nature today to #explorepaths #janesaunders #SeeJaneExplore

Celebrate October in different languages.