There were probably two things that really stuck out. When I was little my aunt was an artist. I would find her drawings of strange animals hidden in secret places at my grandmothers house. They opened a doorway to a magical world. My grandfather was an artist as well, his painting and drawing supplies were always around and I was given them to play with.

On the other side of the family, my grandmothers house was the most terrifying, coldest house I have ever known. She had a sunporch that was all white and smelled like gin, on the wall hung a small box, inside was a diorama of a room but the room looked strange, all slanted walls at strange angles. There was a miniature chair and a mirror inside but it was the things hidden behind the walls that you couldn’t see that fascinated me. I remember thinking as a child I wanted it but also wanted to make it or maybe live inside it.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved working with my hands. In our kitchen as a young child, I would sit in a rocking chair and crochet for hours, one long string because I didn’t know how to do anything else. When I was four, my mother asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said “I just want to glue!” I feel that deeply still. Collage will always be a part of my practice in some way. I have always painted and made things. My mother put me in every kind of art class growing up, painting, weaving, Japanese calligraphy, etc. It gave me a life long love of taking classes. I just finished a class on the history of unicorns.

I started keeping visual journals about 20 years ago. At that time, photography was my main focus but slowly that morphed into a painting practice within my sketchbook then on to larger pieces of paper.

Yes, my whole life I have collected stones. I have memories of doing this with my grandmother on trips to the ocean as a child. Her favorites were what she called the white stones of summer. Mine were anything that was clear, imagining they were diamonds that had washed ashore.

At home, we would go to a lake club in the summers and would search the sand for tiny garnets. I lived for visits to Natural History museums, for the dimly lit rooms full of illuminated precious stones, it was and still is one of my favorite places on earth.

10 years ago I started taking classes on the healing properties of crystals. My teacher, Laura Ellis has been a huge influence in my work. She teaches a multi modality apprenticeship program that includes so much but the study of crystals for healing, divination and reiki were my main focus. This was a turning point for me. My journals became illustrated crystal books with little bits of writing about my life and notes from classes. Before that I was painting mostly animals and saints.

For the crystal paintings, I usually start with tuning in to what energy I am trying to call in or work with at the time. I start by gathering many different references, stones in my collection and picture books. Then I create a rough sketch. After this I start the painting process, I gather my materials and crystals I will be working with as part of the process. I put homemade holy water in my water cup for painting. I light incense, bless my tools and ring bells or drum to clear the space. When I sit down to paint I listen to music or audio books depending on the mood of the piece. A great deal of time is spent on experimentation. The process can take anywhere from a couple of days to a month to complete a larger work depending on the size.

My cottage is a tiny refuge in an enormous city, it even has its own tiny forest. It is straight out of a fairy tale, it was built by Disney in 1929 to house actors and writers for the movie studio back then. It’s a huge influence on my work because it is pure magic. The interior is one of my greatest works of art. A big part of my art practice is my connection to spirit, be it the spirit of a stone, spirit guides or the spirit of a place. I find so much of this at my haunted cottage. When I first moved in the spirits would act up, they would move things, the dryer would open and clothes would shoot across the room, there would be strange sounds. They are much more peaceful now.

It started with the apprenticeship class I was in during the pandemic with Laura Ellis. One day she told us to make an altar. She said if we didn’t have a place we could just use a piece of paper. I took that to mean to paint the whole altar on a piece of paper (not what she meant). I did the first painting in my class notebook and then it grew from there. I love to think about incorporating all the magic in one place, a painting as an altar, a painting as a spell, art as magic.

Creatives I am currently obsessed with include: The magical boxes of Joseph Cornell, Leonora Carrington, John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth, Peter Doig, Alex Kanevsky, Cecily Brown and Andrew Cranston. This changes often.

The books inspiring me right now: Wyeth by Richard Meryman, The Artists Rule by Christine Valters Paintner, Creative Authenticity by Ian Roberts, The poetry of Rilke,

Poetry of Laura Gilpin, Mount Analogue by René Daumal, The Book of Stones (Original Version)

"You are the meaning deepest inside things,
that never reveals the secret of its owner.
And how you look depends on where we are:
from a boat you are the shore, from the shore a boat." - Rainer Maria Rilke

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” - Pablo Picasso

“I must begin my narrative with the invocation of the Muses and Memory.” - Plato

I love the meditative practice of painting crystals. I feel like everything I paint is my favorite at the time or I wouldn’t take the time to paint it.  I see my painting practice as an attempt to heal myself and others, a sacred ritual to try to bring about a better life for myself and the viewers of my paintings.

So many but right now, I think its manifestation quartz, strange formations of selenite and epidote pseudomorph.

I could write a whole book on this one question but I will try to be brief. Yes, I do incorporate them in all aspects of my life. I meditate with them; have them in my bed for dreaming and better sleep (candle quartz, pink calcite and moonstone); there are always crystals in my bathtub (rose quartz); my car has some on the dash to keep me safe in LA traffic (black tourmaline, selenite); I keep them in my pockets (epidote pseudomorph, manifestation quartz); I use them in my painting process (zincite, vandanite, flint); I work with them if I am sick or for things I need help with; I infuse the water I drink with them (shunghite, rose quartz) and also the water I paint with (depends on the painting). I constantly think of new ways of working with them and they are constantly changing. I have a large collection of crystals.

Everyday I wake up, record my dreams and then write my morning pages, a practice from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist Way. They are a life line for my creativity. I love the mornings, the veil is thin and I get so many ideas for future art works. I take a long walk with my dog, never taking my phone and making connections with the natural world around me. Back at home I set intentions for the day and meditate. After breakfast, I head to the studio and I begin to paint. I then take a break around 11 to go to my swim classes, a deep water exercise class that lets me live out my dreams of being a water ballerina.

Occasionally I go to art supply stores, museums, art galleries, Japanese pen stores during the day. I also love to visit botanical gardens and do some plein air painting.

For lunch I usually make something quickly and then return to the studio until the early evening. I make something for dinner or go out. LA has the best restaurants especially Sushi, Vegan and Macrobiotic. I go to the movies a lot, I love the movie theatres with the recliners and waiters, I could go every day. At night, I curl up with my dog and read before bed.

Working with black and brown stones.

Spending time in nature, just being outside.

Walking.

Meditation.

Josie or Josephine, I love my full name especially.

Mostly English with some Scottish, German, Swedish. I did a DNA test, I always thought I was mostly French, apparently not at all.

I live in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. I love its proximity to everything and it’s amazing, I can walk to everywhere.

Cancer

Ambient music. It’s so good for art making.

Albums I am currently listening to:

Eldest Landscapes - Hiemal

Everywhere, an Empty Bliss - The Caretaker

The Disintegration Loops - William Basinski

Sunrise - I love the mornings, the quiet, the stillness. I feel more connected spiritually first thing in the morning. It’s a time of quiet contemplation when I write and get ideas. I love to journal in bed with the cup of tea and my dog by my side. I find it easier to meditate and quiet my mind.

This year I was included in a group show at Brea Gallery in California, The Dreamhouse, 30 of my room paintings were on display. I am inspired to make a larger body of work, bigger works with gallery shows in mind. I am currently working on a life sized unicorn painting.