Once in awhile you meet someone who reminds you that there is such a thing as past lives lived, and maybe you come back together to continue the dialogue. I had met Laura in the salon I worked at in downtown Oakland for 14 years. She was a long time client of Joni's. Laura is an artist, and we all had met working for the Personal Style Counselors, or PSC, in Oakland back in the 80's. Laura would select color palettes for our clients. After a client received their "harmonies", they would walk down the stairs to our salon, Kay's Collective, to have their hair done by the likes of Joni, myself and fourteen other stylists. All this to say that Laura and I knew of each other, and then, eight years ago, she sat in my chair. This is when we began to explore our connection.
Laura is an artist who truly sees color, and has a deep respect for the canvas, the paint, and her relationship to the craft. Her paintings capture a light essence, and yet her technique shows the depth of her understanding of the medium. Her paintings delight me with her use of color, they are magical and inspirational, and yet I feel if I let myself gaze longer I can enter into the painting, and go many places. After the birth of my daughter, I decided to take a painting class with her, and loved every minute of it. I met Delfina Piretti there, and other delightful women. And so, in our exploration, we not only share PSC in the past, but now the desire to create beauty.
She not only is a wonderful artist, but a beauty, on the inside and out. She works in the are of Transofrmative Arts. She coaches, she speaks, as well as creates her own art. Her list of accomplishments go on to astound me. She has a great ability to drop down into pithy conversation, and on the other hand, we can laugh, and do. As time goes on, we realize more and more, and appreciate the fact that, indeed, we have known each other a long time. I have tremendous respect for Laura for many reasons, one of which is how she is determined to live a life that contributes to those around her.
Check out the interview with her, she shares her ideas on Color. 
We did her makeup and hair last week and took these photos. 
To find out more about how talented, and how much this woman offers up to the world, check out her new website www.whitebirdrising.com
Thank you Laura, I look forward to discovering, and remembering our dear connection and how this thread will weave our lives together.