What do you do?

Art, music, writing, art, music, writing; that's all I do. Well, I also lead workshops. But the workshops are focused on art, music and writing. So really it's just art, music and writing. 

What kind of art?

For the past few years, I've been working with a palette knife rather than brush to create abstract seascapes in acrylic. I can thin the paint to show layers or keep it thick to show texture.

Since 2019 I’ve been teaching art workshops—during the pandemic it’s distance learning or in person outside— through Ferndale Music Company. (See Contact page.)

In early 2015 I opened Blue Lake Studio & Gallery in Blue Lake, California, to showcase the work of a featured guest artist along with my work each month. At the same time, I instigated Blue Lake Art Night, held every Second Saturday of the month, to encourage more people to use their creative gifts.

What kind of music?

Original Celtic folk. I write songs, sing and play guitar and some improv piano. I play well with others, though I also tend to run with scissors. (See "workshops in art," above.) With different bands, I've performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival and the Portland Folklife Festival. These days I play out during local art nights, at coffeehouses, outdoor events, and other venues. 

What kind of writing?

Well, that's a long story, but I'll keep it a short story. I've published six books, mostly poetry and nonfiction, all of it encouraging people to use their creative gifts. One of the books I wrote as Margaret D. Smith is A Holy Struggle: Unspoken thoughts of Hopkins (WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, 1994). Another is Journal Keeper (Eerdmans, 1992, 1994), a handbook on starting and keeping a journal.

Is that it?

Well, it keeps me busy. Also, I have 5 very young grandchildren I'm hoping will soon know they are already artists, musicians, or whatever they love to be.