Sedona Arizona

                           To Sedona! 

And the Goldenstein Gallery

This summer, we hit the road!  

Our first stop was Sedona, Arizona.  We arrived at sunset, driving along dramatic State Route 89A, which descends into a canyon carved by Oak Creek.  

Stunning mountains appeared high above the tree-lined canyon. Our entrance to the town of Sedona was spectacular, with sunset light illuminating this hilltop world. 

As we entered town, I spotted the Goldenstein Gallery on our left.  





Next day, friends and family showed us around Sedona.  We walked among dramatic red rock formations and we put our feet in the cool water of Oak Creek.  We made our way across a red stone landscape to visit Buddha Beach with its cairns of river stones.

Going back to town, we went to the workshop of the well known artist and activist, Mary Fisher, who graciously showed us her multifaceted work.  Her talent knows no end:  we admired her paintings, photographs, prints, textile works, and jewelry.  Many of Mary's jewelry designs are crafted by women in Zambia through the Abataka Foundation, an empowering program which benefits women with AIDS.  She exhibits this extraordinary jewelry at the Goldenstein Gallery.  This is art with a sense of responsibility; Abataka means, "Community, Belonging, We are all one."  

Later that day, we visited the Goldenstein Gallery.  It is an expansive space, with rooms filled floor-to-ceiling with lively art.  We were greeted by the artist-in-residence, Shey Khandro.  I was excited to see, firsthand, Shey's pointillist paintings.  They are radiant with color and spiritual beauty, rooted in Buddhist tradition.  

We were introduced to Linda Goldenstein.  This was an important moment for me, as I had asked her to take a look at some of my paintings.  We met in the room where her gallery started, years ago.  Naturally vivacious, Linda put me at ease.  She is deeply interested in connecting people with the arts, and has built her award winning business on that talent.  We had an enthusiastic conversation, and Linda was supportive of my tapestry style work.  She requested a book of my paintings to show people who might like to commission a custom piece.  Linda gave me a gift in our conversation - encouragement on my path.

Our visit to Sedona ended with a sense of admiration for the many strengths that make up one place - natural beauty, community, responsibility, spirituality, and love of the arts.