New green gyms make energy

Love this idea of connecting health, exercise, and energy!

In Detroit:

Converting the wasted the kinetic motion of treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes, into renewable energy is cost-effective and energy-efficient -that’s what a community organization in Detroit did this week with its new green gym, for people living in its transitional housing and other shelter programs, staff and volunteers. “Not only is this gym a good idea for the environment, but it will help build the general health of our clients who often struggle with diabetes or heart disease,” states Rev. Faith Fowler, the executive director. The Cass Green Gym’s facility offers weight machines, boxing bags, a treadmill, and stationary bikes featuring Green Revolution technology that generates electricity. Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), located on Detroit’s Cass Avenue, projects that full classes with ten people, is enough power to light three homes for an entire year. It will redirect it back to the building’s electrical grid, reducing operating costs. Read more at treehugger.

In China:

Six exercise bikes lined up in the street of Beijing’s Fengtei district look like toys with their bright purple and chartreuse components, and the senior citizens riding the bikes certainly don’t seem like they are trying to get anywhere fast – in the clip they are barely pushing the pedals hard enough to keep the bikes in motion. But these retirees are proud that they are not only getting exercise to maintain their health – they are also generating around 180 watts of power per hour, saved to a row of batteries that are later dropped off to low-income local residents to run TVs and other electric devices. It’s senior power at its best. Read more at treehugger.

Time Matters | Perfect Lines: Observation!, Enso Gallery 2/13

Knowing David and Hijin Hodge – this is sure to be a beautiful exhibit at Enso Art Gallery next week.

Time Matters | Perfect Lines: Observation!

David and Hijin Hodge

DATE: Saturday 2/13, 4-6pm

VENUE: Enso Gallery, 131 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay

Time Matters | Perfect Lines: Observation, is a new photographic and video exhibition. Composed of two beautiful works set in digital photo frames and color photographs, using disciplined but unique approaches.

Time Matters is a series of six video explorations that observe scenes and objects through images taken at specific intervals or times of the day. The work examines six themes: Water, Sky, Forest, Place, Body, and Spin, opening up a fresh perspective on the subjects that is always missed when we observe it one second at a time. Perfect Lines examines the startling effect produced when edges meet. It presents a series of ten photographs using a compositional discipline that ensures that each element occupies half of the visual content of the image.

The entire exhibition is available for purchase. Each digital frame contains all six Time Matters videos and the entire Perfect Lines photo collection is available either in print or in photo frames, making it easy to take your favorite images and videos home. Each work is limited editions of ten.

Frida art collaborative

Some members of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art came together to do a collaborative project around a portrait of Frida Kahlo. We inspired one another by mailing an art piece as a jumping off place to a partner artist for 2 rounds and then came together on the third round at a face to face meeting. Our work took interesting twists and turns, working in 3D, self portraits, book art, textile and photography.

Here are two of my pieces, Frida’s Spine and Dark Masks.

Check out some of the other creations at the NCWCA blog.

Another person’s trash, my treasure

This assemblage artist dream is to come across a load of beautiful burgundy plum branches on their way to the dump. For some reason, just like last year, I ended up at Aleana Jean’s gardening shop after her dad has pruned their trees. They gladly let me take some trimmings off their hands and promised to call me when Jerry gets out the shears to do the next tree!

So what am I going to do with these you may ask? Hmmm, not sure, the sky’s the limit!

Feb/March news and classes at Kitsune Community Art Studio

Thank you for all the support for the birthing of my new Community Art Studio in Half Moon Bay. Classes and events have been well attended. I appreciate all the feedback and refining of the studio I have been able to do with your input! I look forward to seeing you again and visits from new faces too! It is a joy and honor to be able to do what I love in my own community. – Judy Shintani

Kitsune Community Art Studio
514 Kelly Ave
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Celebrating Candlemas

We had a very special gathering recently at Kitsune Art Studio. Candlemas is about honoring the domestic flame, the hearth and the lamp and the candle, the fire under the cooking pot. This day was a celebration of Brigid, a sun goddess whose flame of purification serves her as a fire goddess of hearth and home and those sacred duties – housekeeping, food preparation, and holding fast the center of the clan. In addition, she is a goddess of fertility, patroness of smiths, doctors and poets, and presides over family, childbirth, livestock, creativity and inspiration.

February 2nd also marked the midway point between the Solstice and the Equinox. It’s the time to poke your nose out of the cave and see if it’s time to wake up for spring, or go back to dreaming for six more weeks (Groundhog Day). We acknowledged the journey of Persephone as she joins Demeter to re-enter the world of the living.

Martha Brumbaugh drummed us through a Shamanic journey back from the bones (the underworld). Then we did a candle walk outside to bring the light in our world and blessed our household candles for the new year. Susana van Bezooijen taught us how to whisper our dreams for 2010 into our seeds so we could take them home to nurture them into healthy reality. Lastly I gathered herbs from my garden and provided lovely flowers from Aleana Jean’s in town, to make honoring bundles for brooms and pots and pans.

It was a beautiful way to welcome in the new year with intention in community. I felt honored to have had it at my art studio.

Korean tacos?

We went down to the San Francisco Ferry Building to check the gourmet food carts I keep hearing about on Twitter. I was on a mission to try out the Korean tacos.

They were terrifically yummy with Korean BBQ beef, rice, sesame seeds, green onions, sauce, and nori. They reminded me of spicy sushi hand rolls.

Ander went for the Roli Roti Chicken Truck and had the Roli Special ($6): Chicken, juicy and tender, and potatoes topped with rosemary salt. He liked it!

There were plenty of other choices to try next time. The trucks or carts move around the city. You can find out more about them at Yelp.

Climate change beauty

This is one of the few beautiful images I’ve seen due to climate change – larger than human-size crystals in Mexico! Read more about it at Inhabit

Kermit, visual thinking and jazz lesson

And this is for all the visual thinkers and musicians in my life! Another twitter find via @MarionChapsal, Founder of Geronimo Leadership Coaching Presentation trainer, professional speaker, enthusiastic reader of cartoons,comics, poetry. She lives in Beaujolais France.

“Women do Your Own Thing” night at Kitsune Studio

January 19 was the first creativity event at my Kitsune Art Studio in Half Moon Bay, CA. I really appreciated those who ventured out during the stormy weather that week. There was a great variety of projects including – needle point, jewelry, sculpture, bead making, and sketching. Most of us chose projects we just had not made the time to get back to until that night. I made tea and brownies to keep us nourished through the evening. The easy going comradeship and conversation seem to make the 2 hours fly by. It felt like a little oasis in the midst of thunder and lightning and all the crazy happenings of the world.

The next meeting will be February 9. Please join us! email me for more info judyshintani@yahoo.com