For me, remembrance is a dangerous game of standing on one foot at the edge of a cliff. Ahhh, the vistas! Oooh, the sky! Mmmm, the fragrant breeze. Guard down, I misstep and go-a-tumbling over the cliff into the past of times-best-left-unremembered.
The rose smells sweet but its’ thorn draws blood, and, just now, all my roses seethe with thorns.
Maybe it is because I have returned to my home of 40 years where memories of my family of origin, all passed now, haunt my days. Maybe it is because I have just turned 60, and my life, being in place I didn’t foresee, begs reliving. Maybe, I need to face my past, and I finally have the time to do it. Maybe I need to let go of my past, and I finally have the time to work through it.
All I am sure of right now while I truly love roses, I fear their thorns.
So for now anyway, like a Lenten sacrifice, I am giving up Remembrance and replacing it with mindfulness of this day. No remembrance (and no conjecture), just now-ness. I’ll drain my mind and let it fill again with this moment, which is almost always good.
Out my window, I see the spring rising up and hear the songs of the new birds. A good beginning to loving life as it is today and praising the Creator for all the good He gives.
2/17/11 – Interview with Sophia Retchin, Avery Lennon, and Deborah Cavenaugh on WHQR 91.3 about Rechin and Lennon’s new art show “Flora, Fauna, and the Sea” opening Friday February 18, 6-8PM. 4113E Oleander Dr. For more information contact Deborah Cavenaugh (910.367.5211).
Thanks to the following sites for their great reviews of DeborahCavenaugh.com!
Inspiration: 120 super horizontal CSS menu designs, (Germany)
“The knowledge of technical implementation, everyone can acquire. Creativity can only be encouraged” (translation) www.jinsiders.de
inspirational blog designs, (Sweden)
“beautiful, smart and “Out of the box” design” (translation) johannesholmberg.se
Featured Post about DeborahCavenaugh.com, (Russia)
“First glance of this site shows a lot of things happening. It is definitely not just another design blog on WordPress, it is a a full watercolor painting, and precisely what makes Deborah! It is very easy to see what she is thinking as the designer of this site.” (translation) wp-config.ru
Top 10 eCommerce Web Designs
“brilliantly designed and well organized examples of eCommerce web design”"This colorful and vivid eStore is a personal page of Deborah Cavenaugh – artist and designer. You can buy unique and bright hand-made Jewelry, Prints and other stuff from Deborah at the site.” icetemplates.com
25+ Truly Artistic WordPress Header Designs
“Deborah Cavenaugh presenting the true form of water color. She presented her creativity on a wordpress header. All work has done in water color, She began painting on Mother’s Day in 1992 after her children presented her with a box of watercolors they bought in a toy store.” wparena.com
60 Websites with hand-crafted items, (Spain)
“designed with style, art and a touch of informality by the use of the technique.” (again rough translation from Spanish) www.creativosonline.org
Illustrators – Deborah Cavenaugh, (Portugal)
“The illustrator Deborah Cavenaugh does an amazing job, because with bright colors and happy she can put kindness, gentleness and peace in his art” (translation) coisasquegosto.com Continue Reading… »
A certain storybook quality inhabits everything in the studio; fairy tales told in the form of candlesticks, clocks, lamps, glassware, jewelry, picture frames, small furniture, sculptures, cards and prints. “People walk in here and the first thing they say is this place makes me so happy,” said artist Deborah Cavenaugh.
She is the creator of the 2010 StarNews Media Commemorative Cup, a prime example of the storytelling motif of her artwork. Bright colors and a whimsical style depict Mott’s Seafood in Wrightsville Beach, all the way down to the fat cat on the porch and the miniature delivery truck—real details in an otherwise surreal setting.
I invite you to share in my happiness…
I can’t help it. I am so very happy about how my new studio has turned out. I think of myself as a life style artist. Everything I do is informed by my belief that life is beautiful, there is always goodness, you can have peace. Where else to start, but in your own home? When I was much younger, I went to a New Years’ Day Meditation for World Peace in a church in my hometown, Washington, DC. As I set in silence and candlelight, I felt way too small and way too young to figure out, even for a moment, how to meditate for something as large as peace in the entire world. It came to me, as I sat there, that the best way to practice such an intention, was to be vigilant about peace in my own home. I grew up in a poor and very unpeaceful environment where fear was my most frequent emotion. I remember a day, a particularly bad day, in my childhood when something inside of me woke up. I stood and declared that my children would never endure what my brothers and myself endured. They haven’t. I am devoted to a beautiful, peaceful home where all are loved, all are respected, and the way to a good life is evident.
I invite you to share in my happiness… In my studio I have made many things for your home beyond paintings and prints. They reflect who I am and what I believe in. They intend a happy and peaceful home. This is my prayer for all of you, as it is my prayer for myself. I remind you to keep your home beautiful and peaceful and a loving respite for all the trials that are life going on. -Deborah
“Some web designers like to push the boundaries in terms of artistic design, and for most of us it’s nice to come across some eye candy once in a while. Here’s a selection of a few of the best.” www.touchtaboo.com
60+ Amazing Examples Of Illustrative Web Designs With Overview
Deborah Cavenaugh Introduces A Collection of New Paintings By Eight-Year Old Wilmington Artist, Charlotte Armitage.
Charlotte, a student of Deborah’s and the daughter of Dr. Sam and Debbie Armitage, created these paintings from October 2009 through June 2010. Having just completed the second grade at Friends School, Charlotte paints about the things that interest her, delight her and tell her own story. Her works are complete, composed, colorful and, just like Charlotte, bring such joy to the world. With impressive drawing skills and tremendous brush control, her technique, artistic insight and abilities belie her age. Charlotte also writes fiction and poetry, composes for violin and piano, and sings in a beautiful, child’s soprano..
July, 2010 – Focus on the Coast Jennifer-Jon Choate
Article about Deborah Cavenaugh’s student Charlotte Armitage
“Deborah helps me with my strokes, layering paint the right way, blending the paint and learning cutting out techniques. Like Like mosts artists, Charlotte has a favorite time and place to paint, but her mom shares with a smile, “Charlotte would paint night and day if I let her.”"
* Art Show at The Hill Center (On Capitol Hill)!
March 2 - April 28, 2013
Opening Reception: March 20th, 6 - 8 P.M.
921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC
*
"The Hill Rag". DC's Capitol Hill Newspaper
April 2013
Featured Artist article about Deborah, her art and career.
Deborah Cavenaugh is a self-taught, American artist. Working primarily in watercolor, her art also delves into sculpture, collage and mixed media. Her highly narrative art tells her story of life from the viewpoint of where she is right now. Deborah is also a well-known writer, speaker, illustrator and teacher.
For me, remembrance is a dangerous game of standing on one foot at the edge of a cliff. Ahhh, the vistas! Oooh, the sky! Mmmm, the fragrant breeze. Guard down, I misstep and go-a-tumbling over the cliff into the past of times-best-left-unremembered.
July, 2010 – Focus on the Coast 
