Bender Originals

Makeup Musings

For all my skill in painting a canvas, I’ve never been good at painting my face. Facepaint, yes I have a lot of fun with that. But makeup? I kind of suck at it. I don’t wear it

I burned a book this weekend. I was halfway through and had been struggling with it the entire time. It was a book by a religious person about finding family and building love. The premise of the book

ARTY-FACTS: Vincent Van Gogh

You know he cut his ear off and painted Starry Night, but what else do you know about Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh? I was lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam this summer, and

I Choose Love

This past year, my children have become aware of the power of hate. I couldn’t shield them from everything going on. Instead, I tried to educate them about the destructiveness of hate and ignorance, and our responsibility to work against

Celebration Saturday, August 12th @3-9pm

Grand Opening: Light Rail Gallery (new location) & Olde Town Arvada Second Saturday Summer Celebration Join me Saturday, August 12 from 3-9pm to celebrate the grand opening of the Light Rail Gallery at its new location (5771 Olde Wadsworth

Ode to German Pork

The first time I lived in Germany, I didn’t appreciate the true level of mastery that Germans achieved using pork in their cuisine. I was a vegetarian and didn’t pay any attention to the meat. This time… my

This Is My Face

Germans don’t smile at strangers. Americans smile at everyone. You can be the only two people passing on a path, make eye contact for a full second, and a German will still move on without smiling a hello.

A Fresh Cup of Coffee

I sit down to birds chirping and horses snorting. The rush of getting the kids and husband off to school and work is over. I have brewed a hot, welcoming cup of coffee and I sit down now with it

Handmade Goods Market

It turns out I accidentally moved to the German mecca for handmade arts just in time for the two day festival. Each summer, Jülich hosts their annual Kunsthandwerkerinnenmarkt- the market for artistic handmade goods. There are about 250

The Gods and Mona Lisa- Learning at the Louvre

It was a new day in Paris and the Louvre called to me. So did the chocolate croissants. After breakfast, we travelled to the 1st Arrondissement. We walked through majestic arches of the Louvre fortress, part of what