Objects in the mirror are larger than they appear.
Eileen Brunetto, my dear friend and Vermont based author, recently invited me to tag along on a blog tour that her fellow Goddard College MFA classmate, Tamryn Spruill recently initiated. I’ve not yet met Tamryn but in accepting Eileen’s encouragement to participate in this tour, believe that a cosmic door has been opened, and that a personal interaction with Tamryn in the near future will likely occur. I’ll reserve my opinions and experiences with manifestation for another time. The purpose of this blog post is to answer the four questions that Tamryn is interested in having answered:
1) What are you working on?
Aside from my weekly blog posts, I’ve been writing new songs and re-working those that were recorded in 1996 with Full Moon Heart, a Vermont based acoustic quartet from the Mad River Valley. Picture Postcard Lullaby is the current working title for the collection of songs that I hope to record live at a few historic Sacramento locations for independent release in 2015.
2) How does your work differ from others’ in the same genre?
How my work differs from other writers or artists isn’t something I give much thought to because it makes me feel like I’m comparing myself to other artists. But for the sake of answering Tamryn’s question, I think that my work differs from others in the essence of the story, the authenticity in the sharing of an emotion.
3) Why do you write what you do?
I write in response to the emotions I feel in reaction to what I see, read, or have experienced.
4) How does your writing process work?
I take a walk with my dog along the American River every morning before I write or make art. There is something about physically moving through space that conjures up all sorts of ideas that I can then take back to my studio and translate into words or sketches. Other times, an idea presents itself and a song can be written in a span of 20 minutes. That is the most amazing process to experience, and I am so very grateful that I allow myself to be open enough to surrender to the muse.
© 2014, Theresa Mae Funk. All rights reserved.

Every artist has a muse and every muse, an artist. Mine are dressed in yellow and green. Sunflowers continue to bloom this week in the garden with stunningly brilliant perfection.
©2014, Theresa Mae Funk, all rights reserved.

Vibrant yellow petals lure me to the garden’s edge. I measure the stalks and make note of nature’s brilliant accomplishment.
© 2014 Theresa Funk, all rights reserved.
El Dorado County has more than 2,000 acres of grape vines growing at the highest elevations across California. I managed to capture a few rows of one vineyard’s crop growing in yesterday’s late afternoon sunlight. With more than seventy wineries in operation throughout the county, there is no shortage of visual inspiration for my art.
© 2014, Theresa Funk. All rights reserved

© 2014 Theresa Funk, all rights reserved.
American River water is generally characterized as high quality surface water that is low in alkalinity, mineral content, and organic contamination. It is also a source of artistic inspiration for many Sacramento area artists. This moment was captured on my mobile device during a post-rain storm walk along the river, and continues to be reinterpreted as part of my Conservation Art series works on paper.
© 2014, Theresa Funk, all rights reserved.

I love the spontaneous wonder of nature and science that I’m able to capture with my mobile device while riding in the passenger seat of George’s car. He has excellent driving skills.
~T.
© Theresa Funk, all rights reserved
This photo was taken with my mobile device while travelling through Sacramento County California at sixty miles per hour from the passenger seat of a car. I like to take Passing shots between site locations for my Conservation Art series to help inform color, composition, and brush selection. Rain is in the forecast for the next two days, so I am prepared for strokes of burnt umbra between each downpour.
© 2014 Theresa Funk, all rights reserved.