Finding things

I have a friend who writes non-fiction books. He organizes his work in a very large room where he places numbered sheets on the wall for each page, adds post-it notes and memos right on the wall, stores chapter references and other odd materials in boxes underneath. Now I understand why!

My studio has imploded under stacks of small canvases waiting for paint to get me in the mood for the Southern French countryside, easels filled with large canvases for the Grandmother Narratives, stacks of references for writing the bio-gems and new stacks of books for the new writing project. I don't need a studio. I need a warehouse. I can't find my calendar. I feel like Andy Rooney.

Pickles and Peppermint

Yesterday's blog got delayed because of a surprise visit by this little munchkin and her Mamma. Susan and I had planned lunch at our favorite barbecue spot, so Lucy got to come along. She sat in the big high chair and smiled at everybody. She made funny faces at Great-Grandmother LaLa, when I let her taste the pickles and peppermint candy which are part of that restaurant's experience. At just 6 months, she couldn't sing Happy Birthday to Susan, but she made lunch into a party.

After lunch, we tried on shoes and picked a daffodil!

Birthday Greetings!

It's "Sharing Celebrations" Friday, so you'll find Winslow Homer at the Current BioGem on my website. (link is also on sidebar)
While I was doing the research this week, I spotted this painting which Homer did in 1872 -- "Sunlight and Shadow" which is at Cooper-Hewitt, the Smithsonian. My information says it is an oil on canvas -- I'm betting not. I think it's a watercolor. The size, palette and brushstrokes match quite a few other landscapes which he did in watercolor that year.


I thought it looked familiar. The girl in the hammock could easily be my daughter, Susan, whose birthday is also today! These are photos of our hammock at our summer house. It's rare to find the hammock empty of folks reading books or taking naps or both.

Connections

I know I cannot get side tracked right now, but I have been looking at St. Sernin in Toulouse -- THE premier example of Romanesque churches. I'd like to go there in April if I can find an organ concert -- maybe just a lunch-time 30 minutes. I'd like to get a CD of chants or music from their 1888 Cavaillé-Coll organ. I think it would make great music for the studio.

St Sernin is one of the stops on the old pilgrimage route to Spain during Medieval times. I have been to many of the 33 pilgrimage stops in Japan including the first one which has no number. There is something neat about going where millions of people over the centuries have traveled to honor their beliefs.


This is one of my favorite photos. I do not remember if this is a pilgrimage site or not, but it was a special day. Hum. . . . reminds me of something else. . .

Into The Sun

Last night, my sister called to ask if I would send her some photos of "The Gates" and other New York sites. I told her she could still see the pictures on my website at the Flat Stanley Story.

After our conversation, I realized that this is the Anniversary of the Big Adventure. On Saturday in 2005, we left our homes; Gail said it best in her journal, "I will fly into the sun and participate in whatever happens."

Happen, it did! On Sunday, we were introduced to Central Park's The Gates in the February sunshine by our friend Anna West and, on Monday, we traveled through the snow to meet her for a visit to DIA: Beacon. The rest of the two weeks was filled with similar stuff that artists do - no marathon shopping, a show or two, but mostly art and conversations about art.

I am amazed that I forgot to mark the beginning of those two weeks when we traveled into the sun. They have affected all of my days since.

(This was the last of the days in the sun.)

Between the Bars

I love reading Rob Brezny's Horoscopes at Free Will Astrology. He always know how to give his readers some 'thought food.'

This week, my horoscope says that right now I am like a trapeze artist who knows what to do, that I just need to turn loose of one bar and reach for the other. I feel like I am out there now!

It has been a busy week in this new venture. For a while I have let go of the painting bar and am reaching for the writing one. I hope there is a safety net.

Eccentric Passion

This week, I followed a funny link to the particularly lovely book village of Montlieu. There was an interesting photo, but the French paragraph did not seem to fit. I sent the link to those of us preparing to participate in the French residency in April. Karen translated it through Babelfish and it still doesn't fit the photo of several people floating down a river in a giant paper hat!

"A village of the book should be a country where one maintains the huts and restores the savour of the world, the memory of the moment and the discovery of slowness, the love of the beginnings and the losses of sights, where the liberation of the dwarves of gardens is a banal eccentric passion."

It may be a bizarre translation, but wouldn't you like to go there? I'll let you know what we find.

Painting with Attitude

Doing the BioGem research on Anders Zorn this week, I was pleased to get this post in my inbox from Elin Pendleton. I was intriqued by Zorn's attitude about his work; Elin's description is right on target.

"One of the criteria for current excellence in paintings (the work of Mian Situ comes to mind, as does Anders Zorn) is that if one isolates any smaller portion of these works, the color, brushwork and design holds up, even in those smaller spaces. Next time you are presented with one of these paintings, do some dividing and see if it ain't so."

However, I have to say that when thinking about color, brushwork and design, Elin also comes to mind. http://www.elinart.com/

The Weed Vase

When my daughters were small, they often picked tiny blue wild flowers or yellow weeds or intersting grasses and presented them to me with pride. I placed them carefully in a small weed pot or glass vase in the kitchen window. There has been a weed vase in my kitchen now for almost 40 years. I hope younger daughter will continue the tradition as grandaughter Lucy toddles across the lawn this summer and says, "Here, Mommy, this bootiful flow'r is for you."

Today, I picked the first wild violets of the year and older daughter and I placed them carefully in two little antique bottles. The varigated whites and royal blues glowed in the sunshine.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Buying Tokens of Love

Yesterday's message was delayed because I couldn't seem to figure out how to get the pictures into the post. Do take a look at the pictures.

Tonight, Daughter and I had to make a kitty litter run to one of our local discount stores. The parking lot was filled but there were still lines of cars turning in. We commented that it looked like the day pre-Christmas lay-aways are put back on the shelves (always a good source for those must-have-sold-out items on your favorite child's list.)

Inside the store, Valentine balloons, dozens of roses, and an active greeting card aisle were the answer. There was a frenzy of people of all ages and 'styles' buying last-minute gifts for the ones they love. Wonder how they show it the other 364 days at year?

The message inside my litte Dove bar was "Make 'Someday' today."