Groundwork

Kara L.C. Jones is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where she studied Literary & Cultural Theory and Poetics. When at CMU, Kara had the opportunity to intern for three years under the mentorship of Hedda Sharapan and David Newell at Family Communications, Inc., producers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

Life After Death

In 1999, after the death of their son Dakota, Kara and her partner Hawk co-founded KotaPress as an expressive arts outreach to other bereaved parents. She has written many articles and offered various workshops exploring Healing Arts. This press has also released her books including Flash of Life (now in 2nd edition). Her grief support book Mrs. Duck and the Woman was translated and published in the Spanish language in 2004. See more about our KOTA work here. Kara and Hawk have also volunteered at the MISS Foundation for a decade.

Grief Coach & Reiki Master

Kara is also a visual artist & creativity coach. For two decades, she's been exploring art as a way of deconstructing and creatively re-constructing everyday experiences. In working with private clients, Kara uses henna art, coaching, Reiki, Tapping, art-making and more as part of memorials, remembrance, social change and self-care. She completed her Reiki Master-Teacher certification with Masters Jeanne Robinson and Jane Valencia. Since 2007, Kara has been in apprenticeship with Sherene Zolno exploring The Hero's Journey as a personal and professional development tool. She is now incorporating this modality, based on Paul Rebillot's work, into her Coaching sessions and classes for private clients and small groups.

1,000 Faces Project

At the beginning of 2007, Kara began the 1,000 Faces of Mother Henna project as personal and spiritual commitment to her art. She began publishing a combination of the visual art along with written content and news in the Mother Henna blog. [May 2009 Update: due to loss of a hard drive & back-ups, 498 of the 1000 Faces were entirely lost. I'm bummed to say the least. But this project will continue. There are another 498 Faces in my creative heART. It just might take yet another year to complete them all!]

In the Artist's Own Words

The Faces project was conceived as a vow to make 1,000 pieces of art work in the year 2007 [as it turns out I'm on track to do that the end of 2009 instead], each incorporating some aspect of my henna-style faces. This is my personal commitment to life and work as an artist. And it is a spiritual commitment that came after:

1) I read Joseph Cambell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces";
2) began studying "The Hero's Journey" with Sherene Zolno; and
3) discovered the Jizos for Peace project started at the Great Vow monastery near Portland. To date, according to the JizosForPeace.org website, they have over 400,000 Jizos!!

Because Jizo affected my life after my pregnancy with and stillbirth of our son, Dakota, I decided to make a vow honoring this Bodhisattva through artwork. Just as Jizo was a light through the darkest times for our family, I hope to offer each face, each piece of artwork, as a light to those who are seeking.

If you are a bereaved parent or caregiver yourself and looking for more support for the grief journey, please contact Kara to set up your Grief & Creativity Coaching sessions. Also, see our KOTA work here. To read Kara's column on Grief & Creativity, click here.

Selected Publications

“Finding My Way Goddess” excerpt from 1,000 Faces of Mother Henna, published Somerset Digital Studio, March 1, 2009, ed. Jana Holstein, Stampington & Co.

Excerpted writings and “Womb Book” art included in Laura Seftel’s Grief Unseen: Healing Pregnancy Loss Through the Arts, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London UK

Co-writer, on-going series of articles on topic “Stillborn: the invisible death” with Joanne Cacciatore, Ph.D. at Arizona State, founder of MISS and John DeFrain, Ph.D. at University of Nebraska in Lincoln; One section featured for Ambiguous Loss Symposium 2005

Contributor of Chapter 15, “The Day the World Stood Still” for the collection Honored Babies, ed. Paula Long, HBP.

Excerpt “Saturn Returns” from The Good Wife included in Passing Anthology from PoetWorks Press, editor Bonnie Sutterby, Rienzi, MS

"Dakota's Story" in Stories of the Unborn Soul: The Mystery & Delight of Pre-Birth Communication, by Elisabeth Hallett, Light Hearts Publishing

“Blessed by a Vision” in Meant To Be, by Joyce and Barry Vissell, Conari Press

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Email: kara@motherhenna.com

Phone: 206-251-6706
(If you get voice mail, please leave a message)

Mailing Addy:
MotherHenna.com, c/o KotaPress, PO Box 514, Vashon Island, WA 98070

Privacy Policies & Disclaimer

Our mailing list or information gathered from our give-aways or mailing list/blog subscriptions will only be used for our own work within KotaPress / Kotagraph / Mother Henna. We do not sell or rent lists to other organizations. You will always see "unsubscribe" opt-out links at the bottom of our mailing list messages. You control your mailing list membership entirely. If you leave give-away comments that contain very personal information like street address, we may edit or delete/repost to protect privacy. We reserve the right to refuse to post any comment we deem racist, sexist, or any other -ist on the planet. You can contact Kara via MotherHenna.com. All information and ideas presented on our websites, forums, blogs, and in our printed and electronic materials are meant as information and do not in any way replace needs you may have for seeking professional or medical advice. Please take responsibility for your best self-care possible as needed!!