as the buddhists say, herein lies the fist-bump

Karen (Author of Momma Zen) drew it out of me on twitter, looking for a grand total, and so this post needs to be put into the world. I don't know why I'm shy about the number - it's very strange to see a dollar value attached to all our effort, our sleeplessness, our artists' incredible generosity, the enthusiasm of everyone who visited last week.

René and I built and populated the site with about three days of notice. We had over 4,700 unique visitors to the site on the first Monday alone, and a steady average of 1,200-3,000 unique visitors every day after that - for a total of just over 17,500 unique visitors and 45,000 page views over the course of those seven days. We were tweeted and facebooked and stumbled and kirtsied and babbled and shared in every possible way by contributors, bidders, friends, family, and fans of the effort.

54 artists contributed 130 items. The bids add up to a grand total of $8,535.00 for St. Joseph's.

René and I are proud, exhausted, thrilled, grateful. I am quite literally so cross-eyed that we can't even find the words to thank all of you properly -- those who supported us, and the kids of St. Joseph's, so warmly. I'm just sitting here taking in all those numbers, contemplating all of you, the community of creativity, the thousands of virtual smiles and instant support. 

Thank you so much. For the most part, we've informed winning bidders of next steps in getting their treasures and passing on goodness to Haiti. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let René or myself know.

All the love and light in the world, and so much gratitude that we count you among our circle of friends.

~ Kate

to Haiti with love: messages of hope

photos by Renee Dietrich

A pathway is a clear and safe place to put your feet. A pathway leads you to a clear and safe place to rest, to eat, to hope. To find conversation, community, love.

It's felt that way this week, hasn't it? We found something we could give, something we could do.

All of us did.

Thank you to every artist who offered pieces of souls. You shared creative words and visions and stories and those intimate moments that ring like a bell as we peer behind layers of glass and click.

That's how this felt, these past days. Click. Natural and sensible and fortuitous. We posed the possibility and you all went click. Sculptors and knitters and painters and poets and teachers and mentors and mothers and fathers and friends.

We soaked up the vividness, the spark, the hospitality of all of you.

Thank you to every bidder, especially those who added exclamation points. You made us smile. You made Peter and the family at Broken Wings smile, and their American friends at Hearts with Haiti. And in turn, you made the kids of St. Joseph's smile. You came back once and twice and back again, mining for more, watching your favourites.

We loved the enthusiasm of all of you.

+++

photos by Renee Dietrich

As I write this, the people of St. Joseph's find their new path. They're clearing and planning and feeding and rebuilding, safe and settled in temporary shelter. Surrounding them on all fronts is loss and yet there is still friendship, and spirit. There was art here. There was music, and drumming, and dancing. There will be again.

Messages are getting through as well as hope. What do you wish for them? What made you donate? What made you bid? How did you feel when you first heard the news?

What is your hope for Haiti?

Canadians may donate directly to the St. Joseph's family through Broken Wings, here -- Americans, through Hearts with Haiti, here.

jen lee's 'soul' fine art print

"Do you believe in soulmates?"
I ask him now.
"I don't know," he says, 
and maybe this is why I like him:
I don't know, either.

~ Jen Lee, Fortunes

Soul is an original Diana+ image by photographer Jen Lee, and appears in her book Fortunes. It features multiple exposures and vibrant colors from cross-processing. The distinctive Diana+ 35mm image spills across the sprocket holes. This fine art print, on Kodak Professional Endura paper, arrives in a cello envelope with cardboard backing. Image is square, with a white border.

Jen Lee is a Brooklyn-based writer and a collector of stories, many of which unfold in her vibrant neighborhood or in the lives of her closest friends. A performer in NYC's storytelling scene, Jen is also the author of Fortunes and Take Me With You: A Journal for the Journey. (photo by Susannah Conway.)

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Jen Lee's Soul Fine Art Print (origin: New York, USA)

Starting bid: $20.00

an original painting by Patti Bowman: 'red brooms'

Patti Bowman studied painting and printmaking at the University of Calgary in Alberta and at Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC. She has continued to study and experiment with different techniques in classes at Pratt Fine Art Center and Gage Academy in Seattle, WA and uses many different tools and media in her paintings, including encaustics, oil, acrylic, relief prints, monotype and silkscreen to create her Jack-of-all-Trades/Conspiracy Theorist esthetic. She has participated in group and solo shows in galleries, city halls, libraries and hot beverage establishments in several cities scattered throughout the US and Canada. She is fortunate to be represented by Stratus Gallery in Banff and Elevation Gallery in Canmore, Alberta, both wonderful galleries in beautiful places.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Red Brooms by Patti Bowman (origin: USA)
5.5" x 8" encaustic & monotype on panel

Starting bid: $50.00

'being exquisite' fine art print by jeanette leblanc

The desert, she is a difficult mistress. We’ve had ten years to build a relationship, she and I, and it’s a tenuous bond at best. You see, my soul belongs to the ocean, to the pounding surf and salt air, and so I’m always a little out of place amongst cactus and tumbleweed. But yet, there are certain moments where she captivates me, where her beauty intrigues and inspires, where I see myself in her. Because, you see, there are days when finding flowers in the desert reminds you that beauty is not always soft, and that it does not preclude strength, and that you can adapt and thrive and be exquisite in places where such things cannot be taken for granted.

~ Jeanette LeBlanc

Jeanette LeBlanc is a photographer, writer, poet and dreamer. She has a love affair with words (all of them, even the bad ones) and is inspired by the intersection of shadows and light. Hopelessly idealistic and impossibly pragmatic, Jeanette fully believes that she will one day earn a very good living with her camera and her writing. Jeanette lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her girlfriend and three delightfully unruly children.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Being exquisite fine art print (up to 11x14, mounted on styrene) by Jeanette LeBlanc (origin: Phoenix, Arizona)

Starting bid: $30.00

'mitai' fine art print by alexandra stokes

Alex is a student and procrastinator by both day and night. She spends the rest of her time traveling, taking photos, and writing on her blog. You may find her gesticulating passionately deep in conversation about sociology or feigning focus over an upside-down sociology book while actually writing (for fun!) at Mills College in Oakland, California.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Mitai fine art print size of your choice up to approximately 9x14" (origin: USA)

Starting bid: $30.00

a ski getaway in a historic cabin in telluride, colorado

This historic and charming Rungi Chungi cabin (that's colourful in Nepalese) is nestled in the mountain village of Telluride, Colorado, a five-minute walk away from these truly legendary lifts.

The cabin sleeps four guests comfortably, or ten ski bums and one squatter on the front porch (that would be me ~ Kate). Complimentary lift tickets are included for two guests for five days of skiing each. Or, visit in the summer, when the village comes alive with great music, art, food, and wine festivals, as well as mountain biking and all other pursuits of the green season.

Nightly rental value is $200.00. Some availability restrictions apply -- the family will work with you to determine the best time for all.

~ a conversation with Lara Young, proprietor of Rungi Chungi ~

Kate: Telluride?!? Justin and I and the boys will be at your doorstep in six hours. We will arrive hungry and talking all your ears off. Are you the lifestyler, or is your husband, or both? Meant with all affection. Justin was a ski patroller for eleven years and we both miss it so much. The mountain life, the skiing, the everything. I've heard so many good things about Telluride, the town as well as the mountain. Neither of us have ever really skiied proper powder. Good dreams tonight.

Lara: I assume a lifestyler is some queer Canadian term for ski geek! My husband was a ski patroller for 20 years between Vermont and here. He also worked for the Heli-skiing operation here for 3 years. Right now we caretake a large property of 25 homesites. Mikey does the manly trail grooming, plowing, etc. I do the experience and fun-making for people. I am exhausted from my teething nursing monkey keeping me up and then having to ski fresh powder today. We are in a big storm cycle and it is a winter ski town come to life...

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Ski getaway in Telluride, Colorado: includes one week (1) accommodation in historic village cabin plus complimentary lift tickets for two (2) guests for five (5) days of skiing each.

Starting bid: $800.00

'drawn to light' fine art print by lorraine beardsworth

Lorraine Beardsworth received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. She has continued her literary and visual art education through studio and extension classes from the University of Saskatchewan, and through professional development workshops and seminars.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Drawn to light 5"x7" original photograph by Lorraine Beardsworth (origin: Canada)

Starting bid: $10.00 (3 prints available)

an original painting by Patti Bowman: 'day shift'

Patti Bowman studied painting and printmaking at the University of Calgary in Alberta and at Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC. She has continued to study and experiment with different techniques in classes at Pratt Fine Art Center and Gage Academy in Seattle, WA and uses many different tools and media in her paintings, including encaustics, oil, acrylic, relief prints, monotype and silkscreen to create her Jack-of-all-Trades/Conspiracy Theorist esthetic. She has participated in group and solo shows in galleries, city halls, libraries and hot beverage establishments in several cities scattered throughout the US and Canada. She is fortunate to be represented by Stratus Gallery in Banff and Elevation Gallery in Canmore, Alberta, both wonderful galleries in beautiful places.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Day Shift by Patti Bowman (origin: USA)
3" x 9" encaustic & monotype on panel

Starting bid: $50.00

'manhattan helicopter' fine art print by ray davis

Ray was born in England with an incurable case of wanderlust. She has lived and worked on four different continents and seeks out the wilds, having lived in Alaska, Mongolia, and the edges of New Zealand. Wherever she roams her camera follows and she loves to photograph both landscapes and people. Her camera has faithfully settled with her in Oregon. Ray can be found writing for Photodoto and contributing to EyeTales.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Manhattan helicopter by Ray Davis and printed at any size up to 16 x 24" by Oregon Camera of Corvallis (origin: Oregon, USA)

Minimum bid: $20.00