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Eyes Wide Open came into being as this quilted piece made by Jennifer Goodenberger, an artist friend. Because she hangs in my bathroom next to the mirror, she got under my skin, in a good way.

When I look back at my first sketchbook begun during a week-long workshop with Mari Le Glatin Keis (author of The Art of Travelling with a Sketchbook), the first two days are a struggle – I could only manage pencil drawings because I was uncomfortable with color & still afraid to draw. But on Day 3, Eyes Wide Open made her appearance and the page exploded. She brought me color, a sense of style, and a joie de vivre that lightened my days and helped my spirit. She’s been with me ever since. ▴ Sometimes we watch the world through the same eyes, and sometimes I just use her to help me see the 10,000 things. Even when I forget, that’s what Eyes Wide Open (‘EWO’ ) does. She sees. I draw. We are one. ▾ This sketchbook practice has come to be important to me, to my sanity, and to my center of balance.

If you keep an eye out, you’ll find her within many of the sketchbook’s pages, tho not every one…she likes an occasional nap.