Blue Figures

After a trip to a drawing exhibit at The Getty Center last year I went through my blue period.  I'd seen a few drawings on gorgeous blue paper and immediately I had to run over to Blick and go through all the blues before my next drawing session. My favorite was a piece from the Getty's permanent collection by by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Study of a Female Nude from about 1800.  She is unbelievably lovely! 

Anyway, you can see I found my blue paper. As I recall the model actually passed out in this pose!

This place where you are right now,

God circled on a map for you.

~Hafiz

Farmers Market

Mixed Media 2008 Detail

I LOVE this time of year at the farmers market!  So much beautiful fruit ... and now there are loads of colorful, fanciful heirloom tomatoes!  I am going to try to do some drawings of the heirlooms but they are so ripe and ready to eat, they make not make it into a still life.

I love eating local and without pesticides.  I am lucky there are so many farmer's markets to choose from in L.A.  There is practically one in every neighborhood.   Check out Local Harvest to find out more!  Long live the farmers market!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Yankee Doodle Dandy Day!!

"... today is a day to reflect on our independence,

and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way

to preserve and protect it.

It is a day to celebrate all that America is.

And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become."

~Barack Obama

Hollywood Bowl

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power,

and teach us, that the less we use our power

the greater it will be.

~Thomas Jefferson

I love fireworks at the Bowl!  Actually I just love the Hollywood Bowl.  It is without question in my 5 favorite things to do in the city.  It may very well be at the top.  It's worth the hassles of parking and the traffic.  There is nothing like a picnic dinner before (and sometimes during) the show.  

This weekend is the 4th of July so of course tonight they did the "fireworks spectacular" to John Philip Sousa.  Nothing is better than a fireworks/Sousa combo to celebrate Independence Day!  As always, there's a huge variety of shows coming up!  Classical, Reggae Night, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Liza, Depeche Mode, Jazz nights... Pink Martini and of course the notorious Sing-a-long Sound of Music which I hear has gotten pretty crazy and quite hilarious.  Don't forget your habit. (That would be a nun's habit.  Is it spelled the same?)

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty

than those attending too small a degree of it.

~Thomas Jefferson

Kenya

These are photos I took exactly 20 years ago this month! (Obviously I was an infant!) They were taken with an old 1970s manual Minolta I still own.  Many are water damaged (a canteen of water spilled in my backpack all over my film!) and some are blurry from the movement of the van, but I still love them.  It's one of my favorite places in the world, and nowhere have I ever felt so grounded and at home.  I couldn't resist the extra cheetah photos. They are so majestic and have always been my favorite animals.  They are magical and simply magnificent!

There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows 

and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne 

... bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude of being alive.

~Karen Blixen

If there were one more thing I could do,

it would be to go on safari again.

~Karen Blixen

Flora

Flower Paintings 2008

These small 6X6 oil paintings were done last year for friends, for my birthday gathering. (A "thanks for being wonderful friends" gift) ... 6 months later I still have a few paintings to go! They are small and took more time than I had planned, but I they were definitely worth it!

Every human is an artist.

The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.

~ don Miguel Ruiz

The Rape of Europa

Just watched this documentary on Netflix.  As someone who loves art, documentaries and history, I am so glad I finally saw this!  Rape of Europa was made in 2006 and is an incredible account of the masterpieces stolen by the Nazis (many stolen from Jewish families.)   It includes the stories of the allies', "The Monuments Men" trying to protect and return works of art, religious objects etc. at the end of the war.  Many thousands of pieces are still missing.  Also, fascinating photos of what particular European museums did to prepare for the plundering by the Nazis. (notably the Louvre and what they did to move and hide their collections including the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory.)  Check out the trailer and the website.

From The Rape of Europa

"Art belongs to humanity.  Without this, we are just animals.  We just fight, we live, we eat ... art is what makes us human."

          ~Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage Museum

Morning

My future starts when I wake up every morning...

Every day I find something creative to do with my life.

~Miles Davis

LACMA and Tar Pits

Went to see Pompeii and the Roman Villa at LACMA over the weekend.  I am so glad I went! What an amazing culture, and the pieces brought in from Italy with the help of the National gallery were beautiful.  My favorite was a large 1st century marble of Venus/Aphrodite. She is fantastic.

You can't take pictures in the exhibit so a couple of quick sketches and the program was the best I could do.  I don't usually do the head phones because it can kind of kill it for me, but with the historical nature of the exhibit, I thought the info would be pretty interesting and give it more meaning.  It was four bucks with membership and I thought it was worth it.  The exhibit runs through October 4th.

Making my way back to my car ... tar bubbling up in the park, right next to people lounging and reading their books.  The Page Museum of the La Brea Tar Pits is supposed to be great.  One of these days I will finally check it out (and get a pedicure!).

The day after I went to LACMA, Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artist from Korea opened so I will be heading back over there very soon!

Colorful Cacti

Who says cactus are boring?  These are from my parents' cactus garden in Ojai.  Love the first one ... very Dr. Seuss.

Drought tolerant doesn't mean cactus either ... if you are interested in saving water or just want to bring more birds and butterflies in your yard check out California Native Plant Society.  There are photos and lists of nurseries and all sorts of other information about native vs. invasive species.  Now if I only had my own yard!!! 

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet 

and the winds long to play with your hair.

~Kahlil Gibran

A New Green Guide

This might just be my favorite new thing online!  Actually it's more than a "Green" guide... it rates products for health, impact on the environment and philanthropy in the community.  Good Guide gives ingredients (where they have been released by the company) and whether they have been tested on animals.  If it gets a red 0 there is a good chance it has something that causes cancer.

It is SHOCKING to find out my supposedly "green" shampoo, by a company I thought was so great, got a terrible rating!  Conversely, who knew Suave would rate so high?

They are getting more info all the time and you can just type in your product name or type of product you are looking for and it's as easy as that.  It makes it easier to make healthy decisions.

Check out Good Guide!

Strange Day

Such a strange day, I thought I would post something colorful (and yet, still a bit strange!).  This painting took me what seemed like forever ... many, many hours.  It's from 2007 and it really brought me back to oil painting.  I can't believe that it was two years ago, but alas, I seem to say that about everything these days!

detail

When you experience ... divine love, 

you will see no difference between flower and beast, 

between one human being and another.  

You will commune with all nature.

~Paramahansa Yogananda

Matisse/Picasso

If you are an art lover, you will love Matisse/Picasso: Twin Giants of Modern Art. (2002)  They had such a fascinating relationship which began as rivals and ended up friends. What was most interesting was their influence on each others work.  I watched it twice!  This was in part because I'd been a little distracted with my bok choy, but I also just wanted to soak it in.  There were great interviews with family members, beautiful photos of the work and very interesting commentary by historians.  Can you tell I loved it??  And yes, it's on Netflix.

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place:  from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape..." ~Pablo Picasso

"We should always see life as we did in childhood." ~ Matisse

Flu bug and Movie reviews

I don't know what the flu bug looks like but I thought this felt appropriate!  

2007

I have been a bit out of commission with some sort of flu bug, so I have been recovering with Netflix.  SO... I have a few fantastic recommendations.  If you have not seen Death at a Funeral and need a good laugh (and who doesn't really) then you MUST rent it! I hesitate to say much because I don't want to ruin it!  I finally saw Lars and the Real Girl last night and loved that, as well.  It's odd and touching and is a wonderful fable about compassion and community.  At the movies, go ahead and miss  My Life in Ruins  Sadly the first half actually had me cringing ... but go see The Hangover.  I was actually surprised ... very funny, even some moments of subtile humor but obviously not for the whole family.  

There are two more rentals I can suggest, if you haven't already seen them.  (I got very behind on movies for a while.)  They are both quiet and unique romances.  They are not typical Hollywood faire, (fare? fair?)  so if that's what you are looking for, rent something else.  I happened to love Girl in the Cafe, which is an HBO film and I was in the perfect mellow mood to see Once.  (If you aren't into singer/songwriter music it might not be your cup of tea.)

Stay well and take your vitamin C!!!!

To keep a lamp burning

we have to keep putting oil in it.

~Mother Teresa

Pink

When the mind becomes quiet,

You feel nourished.

~Swami Chidvilasananda

Ojai

New York

It was a long day, lots of phone calls, faxes ... time to rest and find peace, listen to music and look at something of beauty.

Beauty is one of the rare things

that do not lead to doubt of God.

~Jean Anouilh

Henna

The sun is finally out!  I don't want to jinx it or anything but when the sun comes out, it's time to break out the henna. (It's easier to show off when you aren't all bundled up!)  The first time I had mehndi done was in Pakistan in 1997!  I loved it and eventually started doing it myself for friends and parties. Henna is used for all sorts of medicinal purposes and is said to have spiritual properties as well.  Someone spiritual guru once told me that babies can even see the designs from inside the belly!  

Anyway, there is something that feels very ritualistically romantic about doing mehndi  ... very "Red Tent" and I just think it's beautiful. (Mehndi feet are ultra sexy)  These are a few I did a couple of years ago...

I am not currently doing events but if you are looking and are out west, check out this fabulous chick I know!  Her name is Merritt and she cant be found at Party Henna.  I just love her.

Italy and Valentino

Yesterday could be called "I miss Italy day." My good friend Rachel came over to join me in going to the Sunday farmers' market and the conversation eventually went to conspiring to find ways to live in Rome for an extended period of time ... which led to the browsing the internet of Villas outside of Rome...

Then I went to see "Valentino: The Last Emperor" which was mostly shot in, you guessed it... Rome. It was fantastic, by the way, and I highly recommend it! Check out the trailer.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

Milan Last September...

Lake Como ~ The Villa Carlotta

Varenna ~ Lake Como

When I was in Rome I was so busy having a fabulous time I don't have the number of photos I would have expected. At some point I will post more of my Italy pictures including those from Rome and Assisi. I did buy a fabulous souvenir when I was in Rome. I went into a little bookstore near the Spanish Steps and purchased an English/Italian translation of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." ~Translated by Harold Bloom

Doesn't everything sound great in Italian?

Un canto di gioie

Oh cantare il canto piu` esultante!

Pieno di musica - pieno dell'essenza dell'uomo, della

donna, dell'infanzia!

Pieno di comuni mestieri - pieno di frumento e alberi.

Oh, per le voci degli animali - per la velocita` e il senso

dell'equilibrio dei pesci!

Per il cadere di gocce di pioggia in un canto!

Per la luce del sole e il movimento delle onde in un canto!

Oh, la giolia del mio spirito -e` uscito di gabbia sfreccia

come un fulmine!

Non basta avere questo pianeta e un tempo determinato,

avro` migliaia di pianeti e tutto il tempo.

A Song of Joys

O to make the most jubilant song!

Full of music - full of manhood, womanhood, infancy!

Full of common employments - full of grain and trees.

O for the voices animals - O for the swiftness and balance of fishes!

O for the dropping of raindrops in a song!

O for the sunshine and motion of waves in a song!

O the joy of my spirit - it is uncaged - it darts like lightening!

It is not enough to have this globe or a certain time,

I will have thousands of globes and all time.

Drawing Nudes

I love drawing the figure in ink and conte ... 

These drawings both make me want to get back to figure drawing and get back to being nude.

Warmer weather would help with the latter.

Trust this process of change.  Honor it, respect it, revere it.  You no longer have to wait for something to happen. Something is happening right now, within you.  Welcome the changes that can be yours. Let life help you as you take an active part in creating these changes.  Let the process become living, interactive and magical.

    ~Melody Beattie from Journey to the Heart