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SweetFrau.online

embody kindness

Installation for The PHL&M Reopening!

6/5/2021

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New signage for the reopening of the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum was installed
on Thursday, with help from Clint Gilbert, President of the Petaluma Museum Association. (Thanks Clint, you were awesome!)


Chick P. told me he was really "egg-cited" to help spread the word.
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SweetFrau Strikes Again... BOMBS AWAY!

5/9/2021

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Exploding around town...
This month's guerilla giveaway was inspired by Mother's Day.
In honor of all mothers, including Mother Earth and Mother Nature, 200 seed bomb packets were created by hand and packaged for distribution. Six locations in high traffic areas in or near downtown Petaluma were chosen.

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What is a seed bomb?
The seed bomb is a mixture of clay, soil and seeds rolled into a small ball for the purpose of direct seeding. Seed bombs were popularized by guerrilla gardeners, in New York City in the early 1970s where they were deployed as a stealth weapon to alleviate urban blight and rehabilitate and/or re-green vacant lots. They were inspired by the natural farming methods of Japanese micro-biologist Masanobu Fukuoka, who used clay encrusted seed pellets to propagate his crops.

Mr. Fukuoka believed that Mother Nature takes care of the seeds we sow. She decides which crops to provide us with depending on the available resources and prevailing conditions. Ultimately, it is Mother Nature who decides what will grow and when germination will occur. Whether that be in seven days, seven months or seven years.

Handmade and homemade in Petaluma, these seed bombs were created to inspire joy and wonder. They consist of clay, earth/soil and native wildflower and grass seed.
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Download the pdf to learn more about the history of seed bombs and how to make your own!
How to make a Seed Bomb!
File Size: 447 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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TICK TOCK its 1 O'Clock!

5/9/2021

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About two weeks ago, I started working on another guerilla giveaway. In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to honor all mothers, including Mother Earth and Mother Nature, by making seed bombs from native wildflowers and grass seeds. I got an early start on the project, making 200 seed bombs immediately. I also researched and ordered small biodegradable bags to put them into for distribution. And then... the project stalled. The seed bombs sat untouched on a foil-covered metal baking tray near the stove and I lost interest in writing for and designing the packaging until last night. When, my enthusiasm returned and everything came together.
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A closeup of the tray of 200+ seed bombs.
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A closeup of the ever increasing pile of complete packets.

So, began a whirlwind of activity, and another late night and early morning of putting together fun and colorful surprises. I am on the fence about whether my procrastination is a problem for me or not. Since,  I can't force myself to do these things any sooner AND I really like what is born of it. So, for the time being, I am just not going to worry about it at all. It is what it is.

Below are some images of the production in progress.
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The tray of dry seed bombs early in the packaging phase. Each seed bomb was placed into a biodegradable bag which was inserted into a paper wrap-around and stapled.
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This was the state of things last night when I was less than halfway through. I have discovered that working in little batches is much easier on the body, mind and spirit than completing one task before moving onto the next one. I loved seeing the finished pile get larger and larger and more colorful!
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Flower POWer distribution displays which went together rather quickly. The most difficult part was the write-up which may be just too long for casual passersby. TMI or overshare, you decide.
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Packed up and ready to go. I have discovered that stealth work involves careful planning and packing. The displays are filled up and loaded in intact, so that installation can be done quickly and easily with two zip ties. I also pack few extra items, like tape, string, wire, wire-cutters, and my don't leave home without it unless you are going to the airport trusty olfa knife, Just in case, zip ties are not adequate for hanging.
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Spontaneous Poetry...

5/8/2021

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An image in words from a dream I had last night.

•••••••
rose colored walls
a vast emptiness
bare of thought and form
patiently
quietly
waiting
to be inhabited
adapted
to the possessor
of its choice

•••••••

8-May-2021
www.sweetfrau.online

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Photo by Joe deSousa on Unsplash
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Spontaneous PoeTRY...

5/7/2021

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This popped into my head this morning. I am not sure if it is one poem or two.
The second part stands on its own, but it also connects to the first.
Just like humans I suppose :)

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The night seeks solace in the dark
a quiet communion with kindred souls
momentarily suspended in timeless eternity
we rest upon the razors edge of brilliance
in the light of distant moons and nearby stars
forgetting that once
we were

a drop of water in a seamless curtain of rain
the stain on a leather-bound notebook
green leaves arriving unheralded
the plume of a forgotten cigarette
a half glass of whiskey unattended

the world spoke to you my darling
in half words and images
I can only imagine
from the way you changed the light
to suit your face
and convey
at that moment
that the stars behind your eyes
were mine

_____
summer green and damp
beneath my feet as I ran
toward flight
rising over hills
to meet the moon
in an endless night
devoid of memory
dense with possibility
and wanting nothing more
than to disappear
into starlight
to fade into
the darkness
to forget what I have become
to become what I have forgotten
and shine.

 - untitled, 7-May-2021, www.sweetfrau.online


Photo by Morgan Macia on Unsplash
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ALTERED BOOKS - Donation Piece

4/25/2021

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Double Bind, April 2021 (front right view)
I created this as a donation for the Altered Book show/fundraiser at MOCA which runs from April 24 through May 23, 2022. This piece came together despite my best efforts to over-think and complicate it. The pink is lighter and brighter than it appears in the photo. It was designed to hang on the wall, like a painting. Getting good images of this piece was challenging, since it was finished mere moments before being delivered. Procrastination seems to be the name of the game for me these days. Things are ready when they are ready, and no sooner.

This piece remains untitled. It evoked different ideas, thoughts, insights and feelings as it was pulling itself together, never really settling on any one, but rather incorporating them all, in a multi-layered or point of reference sort of way. A friend saw it and asked me about metaphors, meanings and what it meant. I hadn't really thought about how to describe it, since I sort of felt it. It was interesting for me put it into  into words to see what I thought.

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Double Bind, April 2021 (front left view)
Q. So is the book a metaphor for the ‘heart contained’?
"Often times, I see an image (of a piece) in my mind and decode it later. The book was that way. I saw it in pieces, which came together at the end. In this case less is so much more. I am not sure about the metaphor. Maybe the book is habitual patterning or the binds of societal norms and the hand extended is an invitation to the unknown. I think it all comes down to curiosity and courage, the quest for self-knowledge and the risks that it implies. One can choose to remain blissfully unaware of choice and plod on programmed by convention. Or, one can cower in fear and hide behind rhetoric when faced with new and unexpected situations. Or, one can choose to look deeper, to bite into life, to savor the unexpected.

How would you describe the taste of an apple to someone who has never had one? Wouldn't it be better just to hand it to them to taste for themselves? Is the apple sweet? Is it sour? Is it crisp? Whatever the experience is... that is reality, the totality of life in action."

Q. What do you hope the viewer experiences?
At first, that feeling that you get in your head, when your mind sort of flips and thought is suspended for a moment. That brief pause that feels the knowing but can't quite pin it down.

Then, whatever comes to mind. I see so many things in it, from the arising feminine, to courage and curiosity, to theory over experience, to the contrast of the academic knowledge of life to the actual experience of life, to the willingness to move beyond the rigidity of belief. Ask me again tomorrow and I will see something different. I think it is like a Rorshack test.
This piece is also somehow invisibly tethered to this thought/quote... "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Ultimately, I doesn't matters what I see in a piece or what I intended. What matters is the observer's experience. How it makes them feel and what it says to them when viewed thorough the unique lens of their existence.

The links below contain more information about the show, in case you want to see the other pieces in the show and/or bid on them.

Info to visit in person:
https://marinmoca.org/exhibitions/event/131/
Info to visit & bid online:
https://www.bidsquare.com/.../rayne-madison-untitled-220243
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Flower Power!!!!

4/21/2021

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Happy Earth Day 2021!!!

Plants have the power to heal the earth and its inhabitants. They provide for us in myriad ways asking for nothing in return. So, this Earth Day, I am making seed bombs to commemorate the day. Please join me if you are available. Details are below, as are instructions for making your own seeds bombs!
Come celebrate EARTH DAY with SweetFrau!
Sweet Frau will be making seed bombs at the Petaluma Art Center (by SMART train) tomorrow from 3-6PM as part of their Earth Day activities. The event is co-sponsored by 350 Petaluma. See you there!

Links if you want to know more...
https://petalumaartscenter.org/news/climate-action-adds-up
https://350petaluma.org/

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How to Make a Seed Bomb (pdf download)

how_to_make_a_seed_bomb.pdf
File Size: 447 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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The Love Bunnies Hit the Street

4/4/2021

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The Love Bunnies hit the streets of downtown Petaluma on April 4, 2021 to coincide with the Easter Sunday. Six locations in high traffic areas were chosen at random.
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Kentucky Street Parking Lot.
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Putnam Plaza.
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Water Street.

The Love Bunnies were created to inspire joy and spread the language of love!
160 Love Bunnies were created, each with a bright brilliant heart and
the word love, translated into a different language, on their  back.
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B Street and Petaluma Blvd South.
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Kentucky Street.
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McNears Park.

Handmade and homemade in Petaluma.
The Love Bunnies are made from cast painted plaster with paper appliques.
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Love Bunnies amassing the night before...
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The Love Bunnies, in Progress...

4/3/2021

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A few weeks ago I started a project I have been calling the Love Bunnies. The thought underlying this project is that symbols carry meaning and transmit energy. Symbols are often universal and are used to communicate ideas or concepts beyond language.

With spring in the air, I had rabbits on the brain. I was seeing them everywhere. So, I decided to create little rabbits to leave around town, as positive tokens, on Easter Sunday. The Love Bunnies were created to inspire joy and spread the language of love! 160 Love Bunnies were created, each with a bright brilliant heart and the word love, translated into a different language, on their  back.

I made the Bunnies using plaster in silicone molds. The rabbits were then hand painted and later the heart and translation appliques were attached. Below are some of the production photos.
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Love Bunnies awaiting distribution!
2-April 2021
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Making the distribution display unit.
3-April 2021
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Love Bunnies awaiting distribution!
2-April 2021
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Love Bunnies amassing while waiting for their siblings to dry.
31-March 2021
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Love Bunnies distribution display.
3-April 2021
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Love Bunnies distribution displays loaded up and ready to go!
3-April 2021
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Happy v-DAY!

2/14/2021

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“Everyone loves something, even if it's only tortillas.”
-Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche


A Happy Valentine's day to all those who love.
Whoever, whatever and wherever you are!

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  • HOME
  • Blog
  • Projects
    • Public Projects (interactive) >
      • The HUman Element
      • Superhero Unfolding >
        • Coloring Pages
    • Guerilla Giveaways >
      • Love Bunnies
      • Flower POWer
      • Spectacular Steeds
      • One Nation, Indivisible.
    • Inspirational Signs >
      • Petaluma Art Chicks >
        • Art Chicks Around Town
      • VOTE with LOVE
    • Street Smart >
      • Street Piano
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    • Works Not on Paper >
      • The Skin I'm In
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