LA Fires; We are here

Mosaic Alchemy is preparing to visit those affected by the Los Angeles fires to offer art making as healing, even as the fires remain less than 30% contained.

If not for my artistic practice, and community, I honestly do not know how I would function, let alone thrive. I’ve been making “Safe Spots” in many forms for over 20 years. Lately they are inspired by the magnificent patterns of tree bark…

WIP. “Safe Spots”. Sharpie on Black Canvas

From closing inaugural exhibition at THE VILLAGE WELL, Culver CIty. Safe Spot of “Eucalyptus” Jan 11 2025. (and plate from Inner Bullies, Round 1)

Making art in community is one of the most healing activities for me and many others. We will be out and about soon. Feel free to request a visit. Being together, focusing on color and pattern, breathing, journaling..it all offers us a respite, opportunities for resilience, a Safe Spot..which we all desperately need now.

Making Safe Spots with markers…Making Mosaics…tessarae by tessarae… putting an ever changing puzzle together…not sure what we’re doing half way through…yet, another piece of glass or ceramic or candy finds its place…slowly, a moment, a breath at time.. witnessing beauty as it grows…exhaling…taking a break…gathering with friends to make and to grieve and to continue.. Sounds like love to me.. Sounds like spiritual practice. Sounds like art making…. Sounds like life…Join me..

Stay Safe, Stay close.

Reach out anytime. betty.mosaicalchemy@gmail.com. C’mon. xo

Voyage LA article Feb 2024 →

https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-betty-rosen-of-los-angeles-long-beach/

My friend Frankie Greco @frastamon, suggested that Voyage LA reach out to me for a profile in their “Inspiring Stories” section. It’s so odd. There are some days that I do hope for recognition for my work, and hope others’ benefit from making art together. When I read the profile, I felt so vulnerable and shy.

I decided to share it here to hold the vision of more of us making art and building community together.

C’mon…let me know what project or mosaic or adventure you’d like. Let’s go!

As an artist activist I don't want to be on the wrong side of history. Do you?

Greetings from California. I'm a 64 year old jewish woman in Los Angeles. Of course the actions of Hamas on Oct 7 were inexcusable. And, I'm horrified by the genocide Israel is committing against the people of Gaza. I'm equally horrified and ashamed they are able to do this because of USA support. Cease Fire now.

It’s time to talk about Love. And Peace. And Listening. And Truth. And Fairness.

It is time for the USA to engage in non violent economic policies that no longer support killing. We have so many skilled, educated and inventive people in our country ready and able to develop products, services, and policies that can help save our planet, animals and each other.

I donated $50 to Dr’s without Borders. I’ve emailed and called President Biden. I’ve spoken with friends and chosen family about my feelings. I’ve encouraged all of us to speak our minds. The last conversation we had we remembered that there are 6 million jews in the USA. Another 6 million in Israel. We are such a small percentage of the world population and yet receive such a great percentage of the abuse, criticism, and prejudice.

And still, it doesn’t end. Violence begets violence right?
Below are the resources that have helped to educate me and to cope. I hope they will be useful to you and yours and inspire you to take whatever action needed to make your voices heard.

https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/mitch-jeserich/.

https://homeboyindustries.org/order-forgive-everyone-everything/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHylQRVN2Qs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHylQRVN2Qs

It takes 1% of us to make change...or why I canceled my Netflix streaming subscription.

“It's easier than you think to change things, if two conditions operate: 1) If 1 percent of the people become very engaged in civic life. 2) They reflect what Abraham Lincoln called the public sentiment. If that occurs, it becomes a pretty difficult movement to stop by the oligarchs and the plutocrats.”

Ralph Nader 2012. Like him or hate him our lives are better because of his efforts.

Among his victories are the ideas and commodities we now take for granted: seat belts, air bags, crashworthy cars, better labeling on food, lower levels of lead in the environment, smoking awareness, and healthier eating habits.

Huffington Post; https://www.huffpost.com/entry/it-takes-just-one-percent_b_8208942

Today I canceled my NETFLIX and AppleTV streaming services.

Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE FILMS, TV. I love good stories whatever the method told. I. I Love movies. I learn from all of them. I study sets. I study shadows. I oogle decor and fabrics and patterns. I’m inspired by strong imperfect female characters like Rebecca Welton and Keely Jones. I loved Ted Lasso so much that I went to see Brett Goldstein in SF do stand up, and in the Q&A I thanked him for all the joy he brought us. These stories build community.

I lived through the 1988 strike; my Dad was a WGA member. It wasn’t pretty.

LA is a factory town. Our factory is shut down.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”

https://deadline.com/2023/07/writers-strike-hollywood-studios-deal-fight-wga-actors-1235434335/

Really? Have you seen the streets of LA lately? There are between 40-60,000 of us living on the streets already. Film production has halted. My friends, your friends and neighbors have lost their jobs.

Imagine a world without dialogue, color, food, furniture, views, beauty, connection. I don’t want to.

In alliance with all of the creators, artists, set decorators, workers, cooks, delivery folks, writers, makers, carpenters, choreographers, actors, hair & make up, prop houses, production assistants etc…. I hope this 1% action helps the AMPTP remember that they have homes, hearts, and communities too. I refuse to believe that greed will always win. I hope it loses big time this time.

and BTW, if you have a library card, you can stream sooooooo many kinds of movies, documentaries, music videos from all over the world on KANOPY.COM for free.

https://www.kanopy.com/en

Join me or not. But make your voice heard somehow.

Bury Guns, Not Children.

June 22 2022

Let it not be said by a future, forlorn generation that we wasted and lost our great potential because our despair was so deep we didn't even try, or because each of us thought someone else was worrying about our problems.”

― Ralph Nader

Take Action; Do one thing please:

Www.Everytown.org

https://giffords.org/take-action/

https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/14799/data/1?locale=en-US

More Information:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Media/index.html?appid=c4c222962d084ba48dbe1b1f34a5a9cc

https://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride/2018/11/25/americas-gun-business-is-28b-the-gun-violence-business-is-bigger/?sh=512a6bc33ae8

https://www.yipinstitute.com/articles/assault-rifles-shouldnt-be-banned

Curious article came up first in google search; young republican

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/gun-industry-nra-assault-weapon-timeline/

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons

https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/

While widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, the NRA has, since its inception, been the premier firearms education organization in the world. But our successes would not be possible without the tireless efforts and countless hours of service our nearly five million members have given to champion Second Amendment rights and support NRA programs. As former Clinton spokesman George Stephanopoulos said, "Let me make one small vote for the NRA. They're good citizens. They call their congressmen. They write. They vote. They contribute. And they get what they want over time."

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/26/1101274322/uvalde-ar-15-style-rifle-history-shooter-mass-shooting

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/06/us-mens-national-team-letter-to-congress-on-stronger-gun-legislation

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/08/house-gun-legislation/

It takes courage to prioritize love and friendship. I’m doing it.

Sept 29 2022

Today is a big birthday for one of my best friends. Most of the time, I have no idea how old my friends are…or recently, how young they are. Age, numbers, never mattered to me. 

I cared about how my friends treated me, how much they made me laugh, how well they treated themselves, and if we could grow together. Sure, that all still matters.

And now the numbers are starting to matter.

They matter because we live a finite life in this body this time around. My bucket list is long and time seems to be traveling much faster than I’ve been able to.

I want to expand my super power of play now to include prioritizing what’s good for me. It’s hard. It’s pissing some people off. It’s lonely at times.

And it’s necessary. 

• Saying no is powerful

• Losing sleep over saying no sucks, and it’s inevitable at first

• Reaching towards watercolors and large black canvases instead of Mosaics was scary at first.

• And now I have the beginnings of another body of work that I’m excited about will share and show soon.

• Doodling, drawing, zentangling all felt like a royal waste of time and materials. 

• And now I’m researching how to make textiles, paper products, and carpets from those designs. 

• Change is hard at first.

• And the alternative is status quo or regret and I don’t have time or tolerance for either.

I do all of this work alone, and I don’t do any of it alone.

I have colleagues, pals, action buddies, grief buddies, mentors, mentees, and dear friends who bear witness, offer support, constructive criticism, resources, tools, dinners, gigs, referrals, and perfectly timed encouraging emojis. 🤪

I’m lucky. I’m privileged. I work hard. And I’m a great friend.  And I’m privileged and lucky to have great friends.

I hope you are too and if you are, please send me a few words about yours.

If any of these sentiments speak to you, I invite you to join me next February in Malibu at our 2nd annual retreat: “The life you dream of is in your non dominant hand.” Check out the Event page here for more details soon

HBD. D!

Take that Break. - How I finally took mine...

In 3 days, it will be 2 years since I was able fulfill my role as a Teaching Artist in the classroom with 3rd graders in Long Beach, CA. Gratefully, I was able to pivot and keep my job with the Arts Council for Long Beach. So many were not as fortunate. Many of us lost more than our livelihood, we lost those we love.

I was fortunate to have both time and money at the same time to go a great distance. When I don’t, I take my breaks walking in a different neighborhood, visiting a familiar place at dawn or sunset, streaming a movie or silly tv show (#TedLasso omg!), or indulging in a long conversation with a dear friend over the phone.

One of my mentors Elizabeth Preston, tells me that the whole world is now experiencing Complex PTSD. Our routines have been shattered, our resilience stretched thin, our grief compounded by being distanced from those who could support us.

Now that the Omicron variant has subsided in Los Angeles, I thought it might be safe to take a little trip. Still, the pressures of expanding my own business, and serving 3 Clients, caring for an elderly Mom with Alzheimers made it feel impossible.

With the encouragement from friends, and spending time in my CJEA practice scribbling out the frustrations, worries, fears, and stress, I booked a flight to Colorado, then New Mexico. I’ve always benefited from staring out into big views. Beauty. Nature. Embracing the ease of my own thoughts instead of city billboards. Breathing full deep breaths as the snow fell over the red earth.

Take that Break. Take 5 minutes. Take an afternoon. Take a day off. Take a weekend away. However you can treat yourself, do so. Your inner child will thank you. Your loved ones will too. And, lemme know how it goes…:)

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If what I said speaks to you, here is an invitation to join us in April.