Sabin Howard Interview: Dialogues on the Drawing Book 2
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Sabin Howard Interview: Dialogues on the Drawing Book 2

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Sabin Howard Interview: Dialogues on the Drawing Book 2 is the second in a series of podcast/Youtube presentations.

My husband master sculptor Sabin Howard is working on a drawing book. This book will be entitled “Drawing: The Foundation of Art.” It’s really about the importance and value of drawing in the creation of art, and how drawing is a skill based on seeing.

This is an interesting interview, because it begins and ends with the personal, human viewpoint of the artist. In our first interview, Sabin discussed two elements in the making of art: the conceptual and the perceptual. In this dialogue, he explains the kind of art he is talking about: timeless art. He also talks about how he arrived at this kind of art, and mentions an awakening he experienced at the Medici Tombs in Florence when he was 14. He saw Michelangelo’s sculptures set into the architecture of the tomb and it elevated him.

Sabin relates the story of how he decided to become an artist. It happened one day, after he’d dropped out of college and was working in a woodworking shop in Philly. He spent a few days sweeping wood shavings and sanding wood and he realized that he wasn’t using his brain. He went to tell his boss that it wasn’t working out for him and he quit. He walked out of the shop and phoned his father–collect. When his dad picked up, Sabin said, “I’m going to go to art school.”

His dad asked, “How long is this going to last?” Then his dad hung up.

I don’t blame his dad, Sabin can be pretty frustrating. The irony is, of course, that art has lasted a lifetime–and since Sabin sculpts in clay and casts in bronze, his sculptures will last for millennia.

So take a listen or a look at the interview. And check out my podcast channel on iTunes, because the Dialogue will go live on it.

Listen here:
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Or watch on youtube:

Sabin Howard Dialogues

Sabin Howard Interview about His Drawing Book
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Sabin Howard Interview about His Drawing Book

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My husband Sabin Howard is a master sculptor. He’s currently working on a book called Drawing: The Foundation of Art. The drawing book is a kind of follow-up to our book The Art of Life, which was a photo-rich survey of figurative sculpture through the ages, from the very earliest times through the Renaissance and the Neo-classical periods until his work now.

Sabin is an exceptional draughtsman. With awe–because I know I could never do what he does–I watch him draw. He sits at our dining room table and focuses so fiercely that he doesn’t hear the rowdy dogs and rambunctious kid, the cell phone ringing and the front door banging open. He pours himself into his vision and his skilled hands with such intensity that it all fades away from him.

He knows what he’s doing, too. One of the things I find so fascinating about my husband is that he’s extraordinarily articulate about his work. Also about art in general. He tends to be quiet and soft-spoken until he launches into a discourse about art, both its history and its theory.

We talk about art all the time, and I think that’s one of the best things about being married to Sabin: our conversations about art. It’s these very conversations that led to our book The Art of Life, because he was speaking one day about his approach to sculpture and I said, “Sabin, people need know what you’re up to. It’s important.”

So now Sabin Howard is up to a book on drawing. The book is about how drawing is the basis of visual art. He has a lot of cool stuff to say about that, and I cajoled him into doing an interview with me for my iTunes podcast channel. He talks about the perceptual and the conceptual parts of doing art, and about the three great masters whom art students should study: Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Listen here to the Sabin Howard interview or on my podcast channel.
[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl=”http://tracilslatton.com/sabindrawingbookinterview.mp3″]

OR watch on Youtube

Dr. Jane Ely Guest Post: Coming into Balance book
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Dr. Jane Ely Guest Post: Coming into Balance book

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This is a guest post by healer and author DR. JANE ELY on the publication of her book COMING INTO BALANCE by Parvati Press.

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In my first book, Remembering the Ancestral Soul: Soul Loss and Recovery, I addressed the global epidemic of soul loss, defining it and interviewing elders who shared wisdom and insights. My new book, Coming into Balance: A Guide for Activating Your True Potential picks up the theme of soul loss bringing tangible skills for soul retrieval through recovering our true self by activating transformational change from the inside out. I wrote this book to provide a tool kit for personal transformation that is accessible for everyone. I am passionate about the subject because I practice the skills in the book everyday and I know they work.

One of the basic premises of Coming into Balance is that we are all responsible to change that which is out of alignment within us. The first act of self-responsibility arrives when we become aware of being uncomfortable or in pain, then move internally toward it exploring the deeper meaning of what is arising. External discomfort always relates to what is being activated internally and is a catalyst that opens opportunity for deep shifts and realignment within. Another principle of the book equally important is that when one person cleans up their debris it affects the whole—the entire collective consciousness of the planet moves forward with more light and clarity.  I introduce the concept of ecopsychology in the form of a universally recognized mandala known as the Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel is a spiritual mandala found in many cultures most notably Native American Indian, Tibetan, Mayan, Celtic, Hindu to name only a few. The Wheel of Life reconnects us with the inherent, powerful intuitive sensate experiences of our body, mind, heart and spirit. We learn to activate the ‘insightful healer within’ which leads to self-discovery and a keener sense of awakened consciousness. The ancient wheel of spiritual evolution has four principles: Trust, Truth, Discernment and Faith, each direction of the Medicine Wheel reconnects us with a healing medicine. Using the Medicine Wheel as a template, we learn how to access our empowered higher self, connected to the soul agreements we made in our Life Between Lives. We get free from old “story” that keeps us stuck in the past to go beyond it into a state of awakened freedom. We find and activate the spiritual birthright or blueprint we have come here to live. We do this by practicing what I call ‘skillful means’ which are tools that change how we think, feel and act on a daily basis.

Ecopsychology is the practice of soul healing and of growing the soul to your next level of consciousness. Eco means the environment in which we are living, our internal and external ecology. Psycho means the soul in Greek. Ology means the study of and practice of learning. All together, ecopsychology is the daily practice of conscious soul evolution. Within the book skills, insight questions, exercises and graphics support you as you take the journey of self-awareness and transformation.

–Dr. Jane Ely

jane ely guest post
Interview of Dr. Jane Ely
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Author interview: Rory Pinto interviews me on New Perspectives Radio
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Author interview: Rory Pinto interviews me on New Perspectives Radio

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This is an old author interview of me on NEW PERSPECTIVES RADIO from August, 2011, right after I had independently published FALLEN. Rory Pinto is a wonderful healer and charming radio host who asked thoughtful questions; counselor Anton Bluman, his co-host, was also a pleasure to work with.

Rory attended the same healing school I did, so we knew each other from there. He had read FALLEN with extraordinary care and intelligence. He asked open-ended questions and listened with respect. It’s always gratifying for an author to receive that kind of attention; it makes the work of promoting a book so much more enjoyable. Sometimes, when I can’t make a connection with a host or perhaps if neither the host nor I is feeling particularly inspired, a radio interview can feel like a great deal of work. It can take effort to enliven things. I am always mindful of listeners. This was a radio show that felt like fun, like old friends hanging out, chatting, and chewing things over in a spirit of conversational inclusiveness and exploration.

Rory himself is a talented and interesting writer. Over the years, he’s emailed me articles on a variety of spiritual topics. He writes about meditation and the soul, the human experience and the work we need do on ourselves to become whole and actualized.

I remember some of his holiday messages, in particular a Thanksgiving missive in which he quote Meister Eckhart and ruminated on “The Heart of Gratitude.” It was a beautiful inquiry into what it means to be grateful. Here is an old essay called “Seeking the truth about love” he wrote for the Association for Spirituality & Psychotherapy in 2010. It’s worth reading and very much worth contemplating.

Rory kindly gave permission for me to upload this archived show for my podcast channel on iTunes. You can find my podcast channel on iTunes here. Meantime, enjoy the show.

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author interview

Traci L. Slatton at The Reading Cafe
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Traci L. Slatton at The Reading Cafe

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This content-rich, fun, and immensely lively blog featured an interview and reviews of FALLEN and COLD LIGHT. Check it out; I enjoyed the questions and Sandy’s reviews were laser-sharp and sparkling, both at the same time.

The Reading Cafe would like to welcome back Traci. We previously spoke with Traci in the summer of 2012 with the release of Cold Light-the second book in her After Series.

Traci L SlattonTRC: Hi Traci and welcome back to The Reading Café.

Traci: Thanks for having me back! I’m glad to be back.

TRC: For anyone who does not know Traci L. Slatton, would you please tell us something about yourself?

Traci: I am the author of 9 books and the mother of 4 girls, three and a step; I practice yoga daily; I live in Manhattan with my husband Sabin Howard, who is a classical figurative sculptor. I was a Navy brat. I like horses and chocolate and Renaissance art and travel.

TRC: It has been a little over a year since last we talked, what have you been up to?

Traci: Writing during the day and posing at night for Sabin, who is using me as the model for a bust. Posing for my husband isn’t strenuous, but it is challenging. I have to hold my head at a certain slight tilt, and maintain a small smile, and keep my shoulders relaxed down my back, for several hours after dinner every night, unless Sabin is teaching. Sabin is polite, but when he’s sculpting, he’s very demanding and clinical. There’s no funny business. And he doesn’t reimburse me in cash for posing, but he’s supposed to pay me in something else I can’t mention because this is a G rated blog. Unfortunately, by the time we’re finished sculpting for the night, I’m too tired to ask for payment. :)

Of course, I’m always raising my little one, who is 8.5 now. I’m also researching WW2 for two historical novels set during that time period.

Far ShoreTRC: FAR SHORE is the third instalment in your After series focusing on the ramifications of a weapon of mass destruction-literally-gone wrong. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Traci: The premise is that most of humanity, and our physical structures, has been wiped out by a global ecological cataclysm. The survivors are struggling to stay alive as best they can. They’re beset by danger on every side, and inflicted with psychic gifts that presage madness. Within that context, a woman who is very strong develops a healing gift, and she falls in love with a man who is hiding a terrible secret.

The Reading Cafe
Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways: Traci L. Slatton – Fallen – Author Interview
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Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways: Traci L. Slatton – Fallen – Author Interview

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Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways: Traci L. Slatton – Fallen – Author Interview: Author Interview I know you get asked this question over and over but can you tell us a little about yourself? Maybe something juicy.

I am an author, wife, and mother who loves yoga. I’d rather travel than eat, though the two combine awfully well. I grew up all over the US because my dad was in the military. Currently, I am leaning toward anarcho-capitalism, because I am deeply skeptical of two groups: Democrats and Republicans. Also of liberals and conservatives. It seems to me the world is full of challenges too complex to reduce to a party line.

Something juicy? Ok, one of my dearest girlfriends recently threw out half my closet and then forbade me to wear industrial strength, granny-approved knickers. Now all my knickers are lacy. “Feel gorgeous from the inside out,” she advised. I am dutifully attempting this, and “a woman’s grasp should exceed her reach, or what’s a lingerie store for?”
Tribute Books <br>Reviews & Giveaways