My workspace, designed for me
and by me, is my favorite spot in
the Hughes house. Colorful
stained glass butterflies and
birds hang in open windows.
Crystals catch the sun and
paint rainbows on every
surface. Christmas tree
lights enhance the cozy
artist’s environment that
helps my creative spirit create.
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On the walls are pictures of my
kids, my husband, my life in the
theatre, and treasures from our
trips to Santa Fe and
Taos. My desk and work area
not only hold the watercolor
pencils used for illustrations
but strands of jewels waiting
for me to make them into
beautiful necklaces. Color is
such an important part of my
being.
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Shelves on every wall hold containers of jewelry findings, folders of manuscript research, and filing notebooks for my original illustrations. The crowded shelves tell the story of a dream come true, writing books for children and creating precious gem necklaces for my friends.
On one of many research trips to Coolhorse, I spotted a Breyer horse that looked exactly like Shiloh, the black and white spotted rump boss mare in Two for the Herd. If you know me, you know that I immediately wanted to purchase that collectible horse and work an entire wall around it. This was not the day I could do that.
As weeks passed, it was time for Christmas, and our son Kris, and his wife, Julie couldn’t be here because of the pandemic. It was a lonesome morning, but Wayne and I had breakfast and tried to make the best of it. It was time to open presents. I opened one from Wayne and it was the Breyer horse, Shiloh. My whole day turned around and plans for a full wall came into my mind’s eye. I opened present two, and lo and behold, it was a beautifully designed iron piece that said Cardwell 2020. Wayne had created that wall for me.
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The picture to the right shows you the finished product of my pandemic Christmas and December 28th birthday. Each one of the herd members is represented with a Breyer horse. The published books are prominently displayed becoming part of my Cardwell wall.
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Other books will occupy space in this room. My life as a figure skater, and a person of the theatre, will be explored and documented. Those stories are stored in my brain and will be opened when the Cardwell Stories are complete. I look forward to what life has in store for me.
"A great horse will change your life. A truly splecial one will define it."
Author unknown