Dori DeCamillis

A couple weekends ago I visited Yogaville , Virginia. My intention was to take a yoga workshop with a teacher and writer I've followed for some years, Sally Kempton . I knew nothing about Yogaville, which, as it turns out, is an ashram, or Indian culture monastery. It's been there since the 1960s when Swami Satchinananda came to the USA from India. Apparently singer Carole King purchased the 750 acre property for the organization. I met two women, sisters, whose grandmother originally came to monastery. A subsequent five generations were born and brought up there, down to the sisters' grandchildren! I spent the weekend in yoga workshops, taking yoga classes, and taking long walks on the grounds which included a riverfront area along the James River, which is mightier than I imagined. I've been asked if it was a hippy dippy experience, and yes, it was, but not in a Groovy, Man kind of way. People wore comfortable yoga clothes, the food was vegetarian, and every...

Red Dot Gallery presents the paintings of Charlotte Manning in her first solo exhibit. Join us at the opening reception next Friday, May 27, from 5-8 pm. The show will run though the end of June.

I've been under the weather for a few months now (nothing serious) and I've found that when I'm not traveling and seeing new vistas I become more interested in seeing the world close up. Here are a few photos from my yard and nearby trails. Loripedalum Creeping Flox Spider web  Cherry blossoms? Definitely cheery blossoms. I forget.

The state of my new novel I've written two books, both memoirs of different times in my life. Links are below. The long-awaited news (mostly awaited by me) is that that I'm writing a third book, a novel. I can't reveal the title or anything about it, but I'm enjoying the process of writing fiction so much I had to share. I've always been told not to tell anyone when you start a big writing project like this, but I tend to break the rules pretty much all the time, so I just did it again. I tend to finish what I start, even if, as in the case of both my last two books, it takes 6 years. So perhaps in 2022 you'll see the results, but I hope it's much sooner. If you know me, please ask about it and give encouragement, and that way you'll probably see it finished sooner.  If you haven't read them try: The Freeway and My Steamboat

River Birch I walked yesterday with my new Nikon camera, experimenting with my telephoto lens. I shot unceremonious subjects, mostly weeds and dead trees with a little surprise at the end. Forgive my ignorance of plant names. Weed flower Forest Weed flower Reflection Dandelion Flood remnant, high above the creek Buttercup Weed flower Poison Ivy covering tree Poo

Blooming now at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

After several years of being exhibited at a gallery in San Fransisco, these pieces were sent back to me. It was like Christmas morning, seeing these paintings I did quite a while ago, as if I'd opened a time capsule. Each is 5" x 7" and all are oil on copper. They depict places around the country from the time I lived on the road in a motor home with my ex husband. This series was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times years ago when they were exhibited at Frumkin Duval Gallery in LA. I'll post a link soon. In the meantime, here's a link to the book I wrote about our 3 years on the road: The Freeway