Existing for hundreds of years, ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging. 

To share this ancient art form, the Seattle Chapter of Ikebana International displayed beautiful, often deceptively simple, ikebana arrangements at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) on May 27 and May 28, 2018. Flowers, bamboo, banana leaf, eucalyptus pods, ceramic, and wood were artistically utilized for traditional and more contemporary, free-style arrangements.  

Below are photos from the ikebana event. The last photo is a more western style flower arrangement also displayed at the SAM on the same days. I include it along with the other photos I took for comparison to the ikebana.

An ikebana exhibit hosted by the Seattle Branch of the Sogetsu School will be held on October 20 and October 21, 2018 at the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Paccar Pavilion on 2901 Western Avenue in Seattle, WA.

You can learn about the Seattle Chapter of Ikebana International here and the Seattle Branch of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana here.

For those who want to see how ikebana is done, demonstrations will be held at 1PM and 2PM each day of the October event.

So, mark your calendars. You won’t want to miss it!

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​Kathryn is a published author and an award-winning artist. Her book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness is available on Amazon. Her art is available as canvas and fine art prints. Learn more at www.kathrynVwhite.com.

Amazon has a winner with its Spheres located at Lenora Street and 7th Avenue in Seattle.  Designed by NBBJ, it’s a lush, tropical paradise aimed to increase the productivity of Amazon’s employees by providing a beautiful place for working, eating, and relaxing.

With humid, 70+ degree temperature and over 40,000 plants, the Spheres offer a perfect winter mini-get-away from Seattle’s rainy and dreary days as well as a year-round respite from cubicle drudgery and concrete urbanity. 

They are also an artist’s dream for exploring a variety of colors, textures, and shapes; a botanist’s fantasy for beholding a great diversity of foliage; and a designer’s wonderland of clever seating and distinctive views.

Tasty food and scrumptious-looking donuts are available to inflame your appetite!

Tours book quickly, so if you know someone who works at Amazon and is willing to take you as a visitor, this will be your quickest way to get inside this marvel.
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​Kathryn is a published author and an award-winning artist. Her book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness is available on Amazon. Her art is available as canvas and fine art prints. Learn more at www.kathrynVwhite.com.

The Northwest Collage Society’s spring juried art show is currently at the beautiful Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo, WA. There’s a wonderful variety of collages that run the gamut from amusing, entertaining, perplexing, colorful, and amazing.

I’m proud to share that all three of my collages, “A Garden for Yayoi,” “Finding My Way,” and “Phoenix” were juried into the show. In addition, “Phoenix” won the Eleanor Wolters Smith Memorial Award!

Autumn in the northwest often includes rainy, grey days.  It’s probably one reason why so many people are coffee addicts in this area of the country!

Yet, there’s an antidote to all this dreariness. Drop by the University Business Center to see a solo exhibit of 20 of my artworks in mixed media, collage, watercolor, and acrylics.
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• Bright and bold colors!
• Cheerful themes!
• Unique inspirations!

People often tell me my art makes them feel happy. 

The University Business Center is located at 4500 9th Avenue NE, Suite 300 in Seattle, WA. My art is in the main reception area from October 16 through December 7, 2017. 

Hours for viewing are Monday to Friday from 9AM to 5PM.

In 2017, chosen poems will appear in the program’s web collection, be highlighted on a specific day on the web (mine will appear on October 31, 2017), remain in the collection forever, and a limited number will appear on Metro buses.  

In April, a launch party for the selected poems was held at the Moore Theatre in downtown Seattle.

Below is my winning entry.

• Enjoy bold and bright colors?
• ​Interested in seeing beautiful art?
• ​Want to own something unique?

​Kathryn has 10 of her artworks exhibited at Dreamclinic in Seattle's Roosevelt neighborhood from January to April 12, 2017.

​Don't miss it! 

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Kathryn V. White is an author and artist. Her book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Her art is available as fine art prints. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Looking back at 2016, I can say my life felt more fulfilling than in past years—much of it having to do with creating art, being juried into art exhibits, getting my art out into the world more, as well as working with supportive people at my job.

And even though my life was frequently very stressful, I also had a deeper sense of well-being.

So what’s next for 2017?  Here are my intentions:
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• Living la dolce vita.
• Clean, tidy, and organized house.
• Strong, flexible, healthy, and vital body.
• Releasing with ease, joy, and love.
• Feeling I’m more than enough just as I am.  
• Making more wonderful, wise, trustworthy, successful, interesting, generous, supportive, kind, excellent listeners and conversationalists, long-term friends who are easy to get together with for deep, interesting, and life-affirming conversations and fun get-togethers that I and they really enjoy.

Now it’s your turn.

Click here to get your FREE copy of YearCompass.

​Heartfelt blessings to you for 2017!
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This year, Cancer Lifeline contacted the Northwest Collage Society (NWCS) about partnering together for an art show. ​

​This collaboration entailed NWCS members volunteering to read short prose and poem pieces by Cancer Lifeline writing class participants and choosing one to create an inspired collage.

The art show, entitled “Read Between The Lines,” was a great success with 42 written pieces to select from and over 30 NWCS members deciding to collaborate.

I chose Judy Slonicker’s “Now” a cheering poem highlighting the beauty of nature and which also validated my proclivity for “letting curiosity take over” and doing what I love instead of housework.

​Hence, my collage “Let’s Celebrate! (Housework Can Wait)" includes a huge cupcake, confetti, and vacuum cleaners with the no symbol of red line/red circle over them.

And, of course, because I committed to creating the collage I had one more reason to let my own housework wait!

Don't miss this show at Cancer Lifeline in Seattle, WA.  It includes a great diversity of beautiful collage and powerfully written pieces.

The show runs from October 27 to December 16, 2016.
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For more information, click here.

Wow! I had a fantastic time at the June 2016 Etsy Craft Party hosted by Ugly Baby and La Ru in Seattle.  It was so much fun, I actually stayed for 6.5 hours.  

And what kept me so long?

Washi tape...I couldn't get enough of this stuff.  I embellished cards, coasters, and envelopes.  I couldn't stop.  Just as I finished one card, I had to do another and then another--doing both the inside and outside of the cards and doing an envelope to go with the card.  Check out my creations in the above photo and the photo slideshow below.

And then there was the drawings for prizes.

Each hour, I eagerly waited to hear my ticket number called--as I wanted to win a fabulous prize.  Several times I was off only by one digit.  I'm sad to report, I didn't win that day.

However, I got a wonderful swag bag. And because I stayed to the end and helped with clean up, I got another one!  YIPPEE!

So thanks to Ugly Baby and La Rue for a cool event and all the sponsors who gave great prizes and provided craft supplies for our creations.  It was one fun day--even when it poured rain!

And as you can see, I'm particularly grateful to Scotch 3M for their Washi tape and Strathmore for supplying cards to embellish.

I'm already looking forward to a 2017 Etsy Craft Party!

*​Want to receive or give a gift of creativity?  

*Is your mailbox hungry for real mail?

*Like surprises?

If you said YES to any of the above, read on!

For the past six years, Kat Eye Studio's has hosted art postcard swaps--and is doing it again for 2016.

According to Kat, this swap "encourages you to create, share, and liberate your art out into the world, where it can do its greatest good." 

if you are interested, then visit Kat's site and join the "Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap" this week (otherwise you'll miss out on the fun!).

The postcard swap receipt deadline is March 12, 2016.

I tremendously enjoyed doing Kat's postcard swap in 2015 and I'm joining the fun again in 2016.  Read my blog on my experience here.

​Find out more about the 2016 postcard swap by clicking here.

For inspiration, see the YouTube video of artists' postcards from 2015 by clicking here or on the below.

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Her art is available as fine art prints.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Now, what about 2016?  

By thinking through your options, developing your goals, and writing down your dreams you are much more likely to move forward in the direction you desire.

And you’ve got help…

A team from Hungary has developed a wonderful booklet as well as an online version for you to use in looking back over the past year and focusing on what you want for 2016. 

It’s available in several languages.  It’s flexible too—go it alone or with a group. 

January is a perfect time to set your direction for the rest of the year. 

Click here to learn more.

One of the things I like about this process is coming up with a key word or phrase to act as my year's touchstone.  

I'm going with "la dolce vita."  For me, this means being aware, allowing, savoring, and actively acknowledging the sweetness of life in deeper and more expanded ways.

What's your key word or phrase for 2016?

To a fulfilling and joyful new year!

The exhibit continues through the end of December 2015.  If you have the chance, please stop by to enjoy it Monday through Friday, 7:30AM to 5:30PM, at the UW Tower at 4333 Brooklyn Avenue NE in the University District.  It's located between the elevators and the pedestrian bridge to the parking garage. 

Just sign in at the front desk at either entrance and tell them you'd like to see the art on the lobby floor.

To find out more about my art, click here.

To find out more about Rumble Tumble Joy, click here.

To own a fine art print of my art, click here.  These make a great gift for birthdays, anniversaries, and the holidays!

In 2015, Mutual of Omaha staff traveled the USA in a 34-foot long, super-cool, silver bullet Airstream trailer to talk with folks across the nation about their “aha” moments.

I was fortunate to be able to meet up with this talented crew.

Please click here to find out about mine or on the photo below…

                                  ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

It's available via Amazon as a Kindle ebook.

Don't have a Kindle?  No sweat!  Download the free Kindle App that can be used on PCs, iPads, and other devices.

And even better, send your girlfriends a copy of Heart to Heart as a gift and a reminder of what they mean to you.  It's better, quicker, and less expensive than a card!

Enjoy!

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Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com