I am a West Virginian by choice having lived here on this remote mountain top since 1978.
Here there is an abundance of:

PRIVACY, no interruptions, devoid of all man made distractions.
TIME, to work,  to be introspective.
SPACE, to breathe freely and search for answers.

In 1978 as a recognized artist and teacher, I consciously sought the above.  I was able to realize a dream . . . to find an unspoiled natural environment,  design and build a home and studio in order to focus exclusively on my creative endeavors.

However, in 1986 and since that date this work became secondary as my application to life shifted. I am honored to have served for ten years as a member of the board of directors of the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Center.  Dr. Ross, was a close friend . . . she was an internationally recognized author and researcher. This friendship developed after attending her "Life, Death and Transition" workshop. These workshops provide training and counseling for working with death and dying.  This experience gave me the background for the mission I would soon find myself on,  being a compassionate caregiver. In the ensuing years I became the primary caregiver for many of my lifelong friends, AIDS patients, through thick and thin, until their death.  In 1995 I founded Russell House.

   "Russell House is a network of loving and experienced individuals devoted to the
confidential support of those living with HIV/AIDS."

Recently I was in the process of updating my résumé when it occurred to me that a résumé is as impersonal as the paper it is written on. It is a lot of dates and events. These events, however, are the results of dreams, desires, and passions which in reality is a more accurate portrait of whom this person is. In recent years, the who and why has become far more important than the what.

I can honestly say . . . at this point in my life the egocentric drive for artistic recognition has withered. As I have matured, I have come to understand that perhaps recognition of self by self is the substances of actuality and authenticity.

On this journey called life as we become older and  more accepting of our selves.  The need to prove or validate our existence through other people is no longer consequential.  All that matters is the truth of whom we are and loving that person along with our fellow human beings unconditionally.  I personally feel the single beneficial motivation of life centers upon the compassion of the connections we share with our fellow humans.

             " My life has been the poem I would have written,
                                 but I could not both live and utter it."

                                                                                     H. D. Thoreau

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home on a Mountain Top 

. . . A White Christmas

 

. . . Summer

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Home on a Mountain Top

Spring ~ Summer

The House is a Home

Fall ~ Winter

The Mystery of Clouds

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