My TED talk at TEDxConcordiaUPortland is live! Click on the image below and hop over to YouTube to watch: http://bit.ly/17xJPxM. And if you’re over at YouTube and you like what you hear, please give it a thumbs up!
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We’ll spend an afternoon of artistic exploration and collaborative social engagement Untangling The Stories, Beliefs & Behaviors that Bind. This TEDx Adventure follows my TEDx talk (soon to be live on the web) and stage installation (below) that was held on March 23, 2013. Why a Community Art Project? I opened my TEDx talk with this: I believe we all share similar stories. And this painting (above) is a metaphor for these types of stories. It’s about the desire for freedom from the beliefs and behaviors that keep us bound and prevent us from enjoying movement and momentum in our lives. As an artist and arts educator, I’m curious about the kinds of stories we share. Bringing a group together to investigate these stories and create art at the same time is exciting! It gives us an opportunity to explore without censorship and genuinely connect with one another. Why use Creative Expression? Getting creative allows us to set our busy minds out of the way and use a part of our brain that isn’t about analyzing or talking. We certainly use those tools before and after the act of creation but during we lose sense of space and time and we can untangle stories, beliefs and behaviors that are in our way. Why is Untangling Important? When we pick away at the threads that are keeping us bound we are closer to the truth of who we are. I believe we are at our best selves when we operate from this place. We enjoy more freedom, flexibility and velocity in our lives. We build healthier relationships and communities and move towards goals and desires at a most satisfying speed (I happen to like velocity in my life!). Where do I register? You can register on Eventbrite here: http://bit.ly/ZLr3Lu. There is a nominal materials fee. What if I want to keep untangling and exploring my creativity? I will make a special announcement at the Adventure where a select group of people can continue this work. 
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To be invited as Artist and Residence for this year’s TEDx ConcordiaU Portland event, create art AND give a talk was such an honor for me. Here are some highlights from this amazing day with a responsive and respectful audience and amazing speakers!
Throughout the day, different lights and filters were projected on the painting to create visual interest and color.
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TEDx ConcordiaU Portland announced today that I’m creating the art for their stage! Sometimes, in the pursuit of doing what we love, we uncover a deeper truth about ourselves. Maybe, through the pursuits in which we try hardest, we are able to unravel ourselves, examine what’s left, build something new with the basic pieces of you, and thus unload unwanted baggage that life inevitably makes us check. Rebecca Shapiro knows all too well that the unexamined contents of your proverbial carryon can get you wound up tight. That’s why she has spent the last year discovering the tangles that have enveloped her life, and undoing them by making art.
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The pieces shown were Seed Pod VIII (left) and Seed Pod IX (below). Seed Pod VIII is 6″x6″ and Seed Pod IX is a 12″x12″ diptych. Both pieces are available at DragonFire Studio & Gallery.
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I was delighted to discover via Google alert that I was featured in Coast Explorer Magazine as one of the new artists at DragonFire Gallery in Cannon Beach. They showed my encaustic painting, Indian Paintbrush, which is one of my favorites!  Indian Paintbrush
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 First Bloom I’ve had dear friends die from HIV/AIDS and beloved family members who live with this disease so I’m very pleased to be included again in this year’s Cascade Aids Project Art Evening & Auction. My painting, First Bloom, will be up for bid in the silent auction on Saturday, April 30th. Over the years CAP’s art show has brought together over 1000 artists, galleries, patrons and community leaders to raise much-needed funds for the programs and services CAP provides to those with HIV/AIDS. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Cap Art Auction. I hope you’ll join me!
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My encaustic paintings and illustrations can now be purchased through DragonFire Studio and Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon at 123 S. Hemlock Street (503-436-1533). One of the largest and most diverse galleries in Oregon, the welcoming space is known for its relaxed ambiance, vivid colors and unique vision. Contemporary art lovers and critics call DragonFire “a feast for your senses.” I found the owner, Eeva Lantela and her staff to be knowledgeable, friendly and supportive of the artists they represent as well as the collectors they help in building cornerstone pieces for their collections or simply finding a unique piece to commemorate a special weekend.
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 Today, I wrapped up the final report for my first Professional Development Grant through the Regional Arts and Culture Council. The grant monies I received went towards redesigning my website and branding. It’s sort of a remarkable way to end 2010…looking back on this project that got me investigating the world of grants and fellowships and artist-in-residencies (oh my).Over the past year I applied for two grants, one fellowship, one artist in residency and one guest instructor position. So far, I received this grant and I learned: Do see rejection simply as information and a chance to change or grow with that knowledge. It’s better than wallowing and I always find I’m rejected for reasons different than I thought. I know this because I make it a habit to send a follow-up email and ask for feedback. Do see applications as a chance to get my work in front of new people as potential for opportunity. I never know who is sitting on the committee that will remember me in the future or where that will lead. Do see each application as a personal retreat. I’m usually so busy I rarely sit down and reflect. These applications are intensive and require that I stop, take inventory, clarify my message and really look at what I’m doing.
I’m very grateful for the opportunity that this grant provided. In addition to the realizations listed above I also discovered a mind-shift that was lying dormant. There is something about winning an award – especially when you expose yourself and ask someone to validate your work – that ups the confidence. Its subtle, but I notice it in the way I talk to people and present my work.
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