Biography - Jody Madson
Artist Statement ~
Watercolor has a special personality and a spirit of it's own that paints with me. It creates textures and patterns as I watch in awe and we paint together. Photography is a whole different experience. The Magic of Mother Nature as Spirit, calls me, we talk, we have a relationship! I want my art to capture the lighthearted side of what can be seen or imagined and touch the fun and whimsical, not too serious, not so perfect place in all of us.
Camera in hand and floating a little off the grounded path, I pass through the invisible doors into the Wonder. Nature is an amazing mix of personalities full of Spirit showing me that the Magic is always there. Creating ideas, textures, patterns, shocking beauty, and humor, I play in this other world. It pulls me into itself and I willingly accept the gift.
Bio ~ Fantastic Colorful Colorado has been my home since 1977. Moving from sea level to 10,000 feet to live in Breckenridge, was life changing! Living in Boulder now, I'm grateful to be surrounded by endless amazing Fairy Trails. Each day my little dog Jahma and I play in the woods and the Magic.
In Aug. 2009 the Amani Children's Home in Meru, Kenya was complete. We moved our Amani (peace in swahili) Children into their rooms and they each picked out their bunkbed. The landscaping at the Amani Home is entirely edible. There are Tilapia ponds, banana trees, macadamia nut trees, and organic gardens. We worked together to decorate their new home with art. The children painted muslin fabric pieces to create a beautiful wall quilt. To see some sample pictures of their fabric paintings click on International Peace Initiatives 'viewing room' on my Home Page. The children made 'dream catchers' to hang on their beds. We filled the rooms and hallways with watercolor paintings. We embellished a hula hoop making a giant Native American 'dream catcher' to dance with in the 2nd International Grassroots Women's Congress. The DREAM is to connect the children of the world.
I brought with me to Kenya, two large, glossy, coffee table books of both The Maasi and The Native Americans and we compared how closely they resembled each other. The Amani Children of Kenya hadn't heard of Native Americans. Each of the tribes had feathers, body piercings, painted bodies and ponies, and live close with nature.
We collected sticks to make Native American 'prayer sticks.' The children put their love, hopes, dreams, and wishes into the fabric bundle and tied it to the stick. We had a small bonfire and the smoke carried their prayers to the heavens to be heard.
Get to know the kids! visit International Peace Initiatives ~ www.ipeacei.org
Please also visit Tribal Traditions on my homepage. The Lakota women of the Pineridge and Rose Bud Reservations, make the beautiful, traditional, Lakota Star Blankets. The women work together to sustain their needs and take care of their families. The website is www.tribaltraditions.com.
I have another family on the Native American Pineridge Reservation in South Dakota called Ta S'ina Tokaheya Oglala. They are growing an organic farm to feed the children healthy food and share with the community. Visit Ta S'ina Tokaheya Oglala on Facebook for lots of pictures!