| I make my living as an artist and as a single person I | | | | pool. It was while living in Bel Air that I began carving |
| learned that housesitting other people's homes | | | | large wood sculptures for the Treepeople Park in |
| allowed me the time and space to make my art. This | | | | Beverly Hills. I finally left Bel Air to do a summer work |
| lifestyle has landed me in extremely beautiful places, | | | | exchange as an Artist in Residence at the Avondale |
| with my rent, utilities and, depending on the situation, | | | | Forest Park in County Wicklow, Ireland where I |
| food, salaries, vehicles, and use of swimming pools, | | | | carved a large sculpture from a famous tree that had |
| as part of the deal. | | | | died. After this experience many of my work |
| In my twenties I traveled around the world and | | | | exchanges were art related. I carved a large standing |
| found wonderful opportunities for work exchanges | | | | Quan Yin for the Zen Center of Los Angeles; a |
| along the way. In Australia I lived for a couple of | | | | statue of the Bodhisatva Jizo for the Zen Mountain |
| years in the outback where I rented a house on a | | | | Center near Idyllwild, CA; I made my first good |
| two hundred acre farm for the low rent of $80 a | | | | money when I carved two large angels and an |
| month in exchange for keeping an eye on my | | | | intricate fireplace mantel, including corbels, for a stunt |
| landlord's cows. In Bodh Gaya, India I spent a couple | | | | man's house in Thousand Oaks, CA; in Taos Ski |
| of weeks in a Thai Buddhist monastery, in exchange | | | | Valley, New Mexico I carved Saint Bernard with his |
| I spent an hour every day helping one of the monks | | | | St. Bernard dog for the Hotel St. Bernard while |
| with his university studies (in English). In Israel I lived | | | | staying in one of their large suites for over two |
| on a kibbutz for three months and did a variety of | | | | months off season. |
| jobs in exchange for everything I needed. I learned | | | | In my fifties I discovered The Caretaker Gazette. |
| that honest, loyal, hard working people were really | | | | After 9/11, I decided I didn't want to wait until I had |
| appreciated and could get jobs anywhere in the | | | | enough money to buy my own land in the country. I |
| world. | | | | found the perfect solution in the Gazette. I lived for |
| In my thirties I finally settled down and worked as a | | | | two years in a very remote southern Ohio bird |
| computer programmer until I sold two of my short | | | | sanctuary, taking care of all the birds and other |
| travel stories to a magazine and a piece of art that | | | | creatures, as well as a large organic garden. After |
| I'd created was accepted for an important juried | | | | that I spent a year and a half as an Artist in |
| show the City of Los Angeles was sponsoring. I quit | | | | Residence at a women's retreat center outside of |
| my job and began looking for ways to survive as an | | | | Cincinnati. |
| artist, which in L.A. meant long term house sitting and | | | | I came out to California last fall to deliver a statue I'd |
| doing occasional scenic painting for movies. | | | | carved of Quan Yin to the Zen Center in Sebastopol |
| In my forties my first creative work exchange was | | | | in Sonoma County. I was house sitting for friends in |
| as scenic painter for the New Hope Theater in | | | | Santa Cruz when I saw the ad in the Gazette for |
| Pennsylvania. I spent the summer painting sets in the | | | | the Meditation Yoga Center in Sacramento. I spent a |
| Pocono Mountains while living in a beautiful resort | | | | month there and carved a statue for them of |
| hotel. I stayed for two months in an apartment in | | | | Krishna's favorite girlfriend, Radha, and also lost 10 |
| Venice Beach, CA in exchange for doing all the black | | | | pounds. I've been living for the last six months on top |
| and white still photography for a video project an | | | | of a mountain in Mendocino County. It started out as |
| artist friend was working on. On vacation in Jamaica I | | | | a carving job, but ended up as a caretaker situation. I |
| met a woman who lived in a beautiful villa on a hillside | | | | have a cabin with a huge deck around it in the middle |
| overlooking the Caribbean and ended up house sitting | | | | of a madrone forest. On my deck I'm carving a six |
| it for a week when she had to go away. While there | | | | foot tall Buddha for a local Buddhist monastery. In |
| I learned wood carving from a local artist. | | | | exchange for the cabin, utilities and meals I work 25 |
| One of my favorite work exchanges was for a real | | | | hours a month, taking care of the extensive flower |
| estate investor in Bel Air. For three years I worked | | | | gardens and animals. The owner travels a lot and |
| two days a week as his office assistant in exchange | | | | feels safe knowing I'm here watching things. I love it |
| for a salary and a nice little apartment in one wing of | | | | here but that doesn't stop me from carefully reading |
| his house. I had full use of the grounds and swimming | | | | every email I get from the Gazette. |