pomegranatesandpaper

BOO

 

 

A Cautionary Tale

If you ever come home from work and find a disgusting smell in the house....

and glare at the dogs.....

and sniff all the floors...

and crawl in their crates...

and sniff their breath....

and use an entire can of Febreeze.....

~~~~~~

But you come home from work the next day

and the smell is worse

and you have a migraine and are nauseous

and you do the sniff the floors thing again

and Eureka - pumpkins, baby pumpkins, rotting!

So you run the out to the garbage...

hurl gourds, pumpkins, and decorative squash

into the trash

but the smell is still in the kitchen

and you throw out all the cheese -

the expensive cheeses, the manchego, the gouda, the string, the grated parmesan

the garbage

the garbage can (till it can be washed)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And all night with your migraine

all you smell is The Smell

and in the morning you open

all the windows put out potpourri

check the dog crates - again

hope the dogwalker doesn't notice

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And you come home to IT once again

Throw out EVERYTHING in the fridge

Wash it down with bleach

Put all the shelves in the dishwasher

Throw out the garbage and wash

the can again

Empty a box of baking soda

on a plate and stick it in the

(smelly) fridge

relax until

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A kid comes home

shrieks at the smell

gets the fiance to be all

scientific and determine

the smell is worse near the ceiling

so they climb on chairs

inspect the filthy tops of the

cabinets

and you wring your hands

over the thought

of something dead in the

ceiling

but suddenly you look up at the

TOP of the refrigerator

and see . . .

a Fiesta green dinner plate

and you shrink back with fear

shirk from the chair that is

proferred

demure to the younger, braver, stronger

generation

And she climbs the chair,

that strong woman child you raised, and looks up and

gags

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

over the package of defrosted chicken you misplaced on Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And all you can say is

Thank God, we don't have to buy a new refrigerator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORAL OF THE STORY:

WHEN THINGS STINK, REMEMBER TO LOOK UP

 

 

 

 

You'll Never Look At Graffiti the Same Way Again

 

Courtesy of Micalangela Formerly Known as The Teen

Studio Tour

This is my friends,  the very talented artist, Kathy Nesi, at an art show that she was juried into. The title  of the show was "Orange Juiced" and Kathi created the trio of starfish behind her  and the painting on the upper left, which was inspired by the disaster in the Gulf. I apologize for the over-exposed photo, but it was crowded and dark. Her paintings are very rich and vivid and nothing like the wash-out photo I took!

 

Here is a much better picture of Kathy,  taken an art tour when she found a painting that matched her scarf!  Check out Kathy's blog where you can see well-photographed pictures of her vibrant mixed media paintings that are woodburned, painted, and collaged.

 

 

 

Recently, Kathy and I went to some events during a two-day Art Fest  sponsored by the New Rochelle Council for the Arts, which  included a tour of many artist studios scattered around the city. Check out the video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went on a tour of artist studios and the ironic part about the tour  is that the building is about a mile from where I live and I am sure I have driven past it no less than a thousand times and never really noticed that the sign out front says, "Media Lofts".

 

 

 

The building is a 100 year old factory that was the Knickerbocker Press. The original intent was to create a working environment for artist and craftsmen, but the building was turned into an Artist in Residence  condominium offering for emerging and established artists.  The grounds floors are working spaces only and the upper floors are lofts that are large enough to be studios and residences. The building has been extensively renovated, but the original wood floors, the exposed trusses, beams,   pipes, and floor to ceiling windows, all add an  industrial edginess that creates a fabulous artistic verve to a unique artist working environment.

 

This artist is a musician who has extensively renovated his loft, adding architectural pieces from India. The loft is large and is the perfect setting for the India music performances that he holds on occasion.

 

He had this shipped from India and lifted by crane through the fifth story window in order to install it in his apartment.

 

 

This is a loft of a sculptor and her family, who had just moved in. The sleeping area is up the stairs and around to the right is the kitchen. There is abundant natural light and I was imagining living there myself and setting up an enormous canvases to paint.

 

 

Not all of the studios were that large, but all were commodious with ample space to work and an area to relax and think.

 

 

This artist is an abstract mixed media painter and an art history professor. Both Kathy and I were intrigued by her board and screw system of hanging canvases to work on. The screws are hard to see in this photo (cell phone pics!) but each lath strip has a series of screws down it, creating a grid system so the painting can be hung in various places to work on. It's a really cheap and ingenious idea.

 

 

This artist is a potter and this is a shot of her kiln being loaded for a firing. The variety of artists were wide: potters, woodworkers,  musicians, sculptors, art quilters, mixed media artists, collagists, painters, jewelry artisans, and more.

 

One of the artists is a painter who creates  paintings that feature the painter's "ongoing fascination with the landscape where urban culture and nature collide". The photorealistic paintings are of urban decay, junk yards, waterfronts, bridges, overpasses, construction sites. I didn't notice the artists name and assumed it was a man due to the grittiness of the scenes. Of course, I was completely stereotyping and she turned out to be a woman. This is one of her paintings that I really liked.

 

I can't get another artist's mixed media paintings out of my head. Large, over-sized canvases with deep layers of acrylics in colors that rivaled oils, the paintings feature hand colored series of photographs,  and photographs cut into strips and collaged  onto the painting. The work is done in dreamy hues of greens and blues and I would love to take a class and study with her. Unfortunately, I've managed to misplace her name! 

 

 

 

One of the aspects about the Media Lofts that was so intriguing was that almost all the artists had their families actively involved in the open houses, helping to arrange food and drink, handing out brochures, explaining the processes of the artwork. I loved seeing these artists working in situ, surrounded by family and friends, and celebrating their lifestyle and commitment to the artistic life.

 

So it was no surprise when the husband of the painter above, saw us lingering by some gorgeous illustrations, which he explained were done by his daughter, Anne Emond,  an illustrator who is completing a children's book. I can't wait to get this book - hope she finishes it soon.

 

 

 

I'd love to show you all the beautiful artwork I photographed, but what really intrigued me was the workplaces and the artists' tools and supplies.  So often we see articles about artist studios that feature beautifully decorated and appointed rooms that seem to be more artist salons than working studios.  These studios were attractive and well-designed, but they also smelled of linseed oil and clay and paint and were filled with well-used supplies.

 

 

Now this is a still life that makes me want to paint.

 

 

 

A Goldens woman after my own heart.

 

We met a lot of artists, saw a lot of artwork, made some contacts, exchanged plenty of business cards, and left with a wistful feeling that somehow we missed knowing about this place and I floated into a pipedream that maybe we could have been accepted to buy a condo there ourselves....Of course, none of the lofts were quite large enough for a family of five with two dogs, so I don't think I'd been moving in, but maybe someday I'll be at a point where I am making art full time and talk Mr. Pom in moving...to just down the street. I have my eye on that top floor one with the sleeping loft and huge windows.

Yee Haw!

I don't think I've ever typed the words, "Yee Haw" before, but I couldn't come up with a better description of emotion at it being FRIDAY.

Time to par-tay!

What am I doing? Going to see Vampire Weekend again? Or the Avett Brothers (at Radio City again, awesome!!!!)? Eating coal-fired oven pizza on Bleeker Street? Sushi?  Art night??

No - the very, very best of Friday night activities:

• red flannel pj pants
• cozy gray flannel top
• under the covers at 7:00
• a cup of tea from Mr. Pom
• the latest Country Living UK, Country Homes, Country Living U.S. and this amazing book:
• Etcetera by Sibella Court

(The book is total eye candy, filled with luscious interiors styled with domes filled with shells, antiques, junk, old postcards, swatches of fabrics and paints, and the design of the book itself is to swoon over - kraft paper jacket, text on vellum inserts, and all the toothsome graphic design that make my hands itch to paint and rip paper and get out the glue sticks.)

So - have a great Friday evening! I'll be back with tales of rides in the country and journaling workshops headed by a silver-hatted witch....

 

 

Art Is...Sr. Illuminata's Journal of Artistic Miracles and Sensuous Desires

I must admit that everytime I type the name of my workshop, I change it slightly. For awhile it was Sr. Illustrata's Journal, then somehow morphed in my mind to Sr. Illuminata and sometimes it's Artistic Miracles and sometimes not.

But whatever I call it, the point is that it is a big, hefty, luscious, juicy, ripe peach of a book that my students cannot wait to paint, embellish, emboss, gild, and collage. I'm itching to paint right now just writing about it.

 

 

Aren't these beautiful? They are all so different and reflect the personalities of their creators.

 

 

My favorite part of a class is when the students gather and talk about their inspiration for the work, the backstory of why they chose this particular class and what they are trying to express. These words are always so tender and so very hard to articulate aloud to a roomful of strangers, but I've never had a class where anyone hasn't received full affirmation both for the idea and for the courage of the person who often is "coming out" as an artist for the first time.

 

 

I could not get enough of the luscious colors that everyone was  choosing. This is a page in Kathy's book  about the lake house that her grandparents owned when she was a child.

 

 

 

Is it just a coincidence or were the students influencing each other's color selections?

 

 

The most exciting part is watching the imagery emerge as the artists work through their themes.

 

 

And this class was filled with a lot of sharing of stories, laughter, and artists helping artists, and women supporting each other in their dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the inside covers of the books were embellished and painted, with beautiful embossed paper that Kathy donated to the class.

 

 

Everyone learned the joy of Quinacridone Nickel Gold!

 

 

As a teacher, I always believe that I am an educator and a facilitator. I can show  techniques, discuss style, critique composition, but there is always that indefinable  je ne said quoi that you hope to both instill in and draw out of the student that melds their mind, heart, and hands together to produce work that they were intended to do, but didn't know before they walked in the classroom door.  Here, it was the random placecard with the number "6" that I put at this seat as a bit of ephemera that inspired the theme of her book, starting wtih this rich, tactile, gorgeous collage.

 

 

It's hard work, this business of creating. I am very conscious of the student experience, starting with  hauling all your "stuff" on planes, trains, and automobiles; justifying the expense; arranging for coverage at home and work; and then just getting into the classroom and settling down and facing the blank page while everyone looks over each other's shoulders.

 

But sometime mid-morning of the first day, everyone buckles down and begins to work and the room grows quiet as hands become busy and you can feel the shoulders loosening, and the faces relaxing, and the conscious mind slipping into neutral as brushes dip into gel medium and paint.

 

 

Everyone gets comfortable and finds their space.

 

 

And the miracles begin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And look at all these happy artists and one (goofy) teacher!  These ladies were so eager to learn and to travel the journey of Sr. Illuminata.  They really embraced the concept of releasing the artist within from the confines of their "cloistered" lives. 

I enjoyed teaching this class so much that I am offering it again in March in Danbury, only this time it will be three days - there are a lot of spreads we didn't get to!

 

Thank you, ladies, for a wonderful weekend and don't forget that all you promised to send me scans as you complete your books!

Art Is ....Over - for now!

I am back from the wonderful weekend known as Art Is. It was everything I expected and more. Right now I am trying to unpack ten boxes of teaching supplies, catch up with the family, refill the larder, catch up at work, and battle a virus I seemed to have picked up over the weekend.

So I do not have pics uploaded yet and I will return with a long, juicy post filled with the goodness and pleasure of a long art weekend.

 

Gratitude for Mondays

Yes, for Mondays.

Mondays bring me back to reality. I must go to work, I must have an income, I must have a job.

Why does this make me grateful?

Because I do have all those things.

Right now, in my profession, having a job is incredibly fortunate. Kids are graduating law school with no offers and no opportunities. Mid-level attorneys are being laid off and scrambling to work per diem, find clients, and reinvent themselves. Established managerial-level lawyers are finding the same.

So I am grateful. That's not to say that when I am at work I am not sometimes frantic, overwhelmed, exhausted, anxious, depressed, and at my wits' end. Lately, I am all those things. Daily. So I have to find a way to balance my life in order to preserve my health. And lately, this is an everyday occurrence.

Work is c-r-a-z-y at the moment. Suddenly, I'm eating bagels again, hunting for chocolate, downing too many cups of coffee, eating greasy sandwiches for lunch, and relying on take-out food for dinner.

As I reached for a Twix bar that someone (enablers) had a big bowl of at a meeting, I realized that I really needed my job and that my job is really stressful, but I'd be damned if I would let this job get me back to where I was before I had surgery. And believe me, it's not that hard to do.

So I made the decision that I had to work the job but I couldn't let it work me. Today I had a balanced lunch and salad for dinner.

More importantly, or just as importantly, I am working on my mental health.

This weekend, I was completely immersed in art. I toured an entire building filled with art studios in my own town; I went to a friend's art show;I made two pieces of new artwork, one for the magazine, one for an auction; I did demos for the class I'm teaching last week; I wrote up my lessons plans and printed out several articles for enrichment. I wrote up the notes for two workshops, selected several art exercises for them, and even put together an Elpheba outfit to wear.  I also gathered way too many art supplies, ran to several art supply stores, made more lists, and  managed to make Sunday dinner.

I was dragging by Sunday night, but it was a good tired. I was so involved and busy that I didn't give work a second thought. I was so beat by Sunday night that I bypassed Sunday night anxiety and went right to sleep. I went to work today feeling like I'd been away for the weekend.

Work hard, play hard. Have a supportive family that fills in with dogs and errands when you need to concentrate on yourself for a few days. Find friends who are available for art dates, or whatever your pleasure is.

Know when to make time for the things that are important to you so you can in turn be available for those around you when they need your support.

Because when you are halfway through Monday, chances are your blood pressure is up, your eyes hurt from being on the computer so much, and you are at your wit's end again. But when you go home, you are going to letter a canvas and you need steady hands and a quiet mind.

It sure beats sitting on the sofa and stuffing your face with popcorn and watching endless sitcoms.

Make art, read, write, knit, collage a canvas, sew up soe curtains, tear out decorating pictures from a magazine, have a glass of wine, take a bath, call your mother, or bake a pie.

Because tomorrow will still come whatever you do.

 

Filling the Great Sky

Exploring hometowns

I think it is more delightful

Really

Than traveling too far

to find

what I left behind.

 

 

Just a glimpse

of a new found

place

is enough

to send me reeling

and wander lusting

for around

the block.

 

Adventures beckon

 

 

But do I have the patience

to stay

put?