Kate Trygstad Artist

07/28/2023

Here is my painting that was accepted into the Our Of the Blue show by the juror. It is Jazz- From Blue To Hot. And, in truth, I painted it with the show in mind\. Now that I have, I am really glad. I have always enjoyed jazz art, and I found that the more I looked at this the more I liked it. Maybe you will, too. It's a 15x 30 acrylic and oil painting, selling for $400.

07/28/2023

The national juried show Out OF the Blue begins next week in Arlington. Here is the postcard advertising it. Opening reception is Friday August 4. If you're in town come check it out.

07/26/2023

This is the newest addition to my note cards that are available.

07/06/2023

Two paintings will soon be available on www.ArlingtonArtistsAlliance.com online store

07/05/2023

I am very happy to report that this oil painting Moon Rise (12"x 36") is on its way to a new home in California.

07/27/2017

The word is WORD.
Marshall B. Rosenberg, in Nonviolent Communications, asks if our words are creating a wall or a window. Word choice is important in so many ways and English is a marvelously flexible language, allowing us to be really selective and find just the right nuance, the right flavor. Of course, that takes a reflective pause. In the heat of the moment is when we need a word that is a window, that opens dialogue, if we want to continue with the relationship. And that is often when choices fail to appear because emotion is running high. Choose your words.

Words can also create the world. A declaration of words sets actions into motion and makes for a different future. Think of those not so simple two words, “I do.” Declare with intention.

And significantly, as people listen to our spoken words, they are also observing our bodies and what emotions they can detect for congruence. Are our words aligned with our values, with our actions? Speak authentically.

Choose your words. Create the future- the next moment, the next year, the next several years.

04/03/2017

Some thoughts on TRANSFORMATION and LEADERSHIP.
My 5 year old grandson asked me where I would be going that evening and I told him to my covenant group (not just discussion- we share and explore from a much deeper level). I told him our subject this month is TRANSFORMATION and I asked him if he could think of something in nature that is an example of transformation. He responded "when a tree falls it turns into soil and then new things grow."
Wow.
Not all transformation is good. And some that becomes good did not look good at the time. And some is a painful birthing process of a new self.
When I posed the question to my grandson I expected a simpler, though nonetheless amazing, example such as seeds becoming plants or caterpillars becoming butterflies. In fact, that evening in covenant group we decorated paper butterflies with reflections on our own transformations - attached here. Certainly the butterfly, the seedling, the decaying tree do not require leadership. But when we bring people together for an intentional transformation we look to leadership to come from somewhere.
We ascribe many desired qualities to leaders. Vision- they can see a result or a path to a result. Openness- they are receptive to people's ideas and needs. Honesty- with themselves and with others, they don't send us down one path while they sneak through another. Compassion- they understand that different people have different needs in being brought along. Strength- they can shoulder burdens and hold to a rough path. Humility- they know they don't know it all. Flexibility- embracing change and understanding that what we knew was a good path yesterday suddenly today needs a divergence, a new trail marker.
I have begun to believe that the end point is not so important. Oh the vision of it is great because we like to see that picture of possibility painted before our eyes-it uplifts us. I think the wisest leader is attuned to what the journey means to people, how each step is significant and is part of the growth and well being of the group. Change is so rapid that we might not ever get to that original end point or we might redefine the end point we need to get to. I believe if each stage of the journey is embraced with openness, compassion, honesty, strength, humility and flexibility, wherever we are is an important place.

We are all becoming. In as much as we nurture each other's becoming we are leaders in transformation.

03/23/2017

What do you do first thing in the morning? NY Times was conducting a survey of people's morning routines. Breakfast, coffee, exercise, walking were among the top responses. Some start the day catching up on news. Could it be that your attention reflects your intention. Does your morning reflect what you care about most?
The photo is one of my five-year-old grandson's creative construction projects before he went off to preschool. Today there were more, among them a giraffe almost as tall as his young sister. And he showed these to me with glee and pride.
Is creation your thing? Is tying together threads of information to create a new understanding what you wake up thinking about?
Maybe you need to move, letting physical activity set the stage for a day that is active in many ways.
Maybe it's tea and a book, setting the stage for a luxurious day of hibernation?
And maybe, you just want to pay attention, to notice what you do and how you spend your time, so that you can recalibrate and set a new intention.

03/15/2017

Empathy is a concept that arises fairly often, at least among thoughtful people. I highly recommend this article on Raising Kind Children; How to Guide Children to Be Empathetic and Ethical Across Every Setting. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/02/raising-kind-children

It contains great reminders for ourselves. And I. believe we can be encouraging every day. It doesn't stop with childhood. In fact, it is pretty clear that some people haven't really learned it. I think it is also true that we can lapse. In times of stress, in times of decisions or actions that run counter to our own framework, we don't necessarily go to empathy. Taking a breath, exhaling the steam of the moment's flash, can give us room to move into the empathy that we want to embrace.

These are nice points. Enjoy.

How to guide children to be empathetic and ethical across every setting.