Into Manhattan

We took the F into Manhattan.....



...exiting at Rockefeller Center, I felt dwarfed by the skyscrapers towering above us....


Time Square was a blur of energy & action.... We were bombarded with sights, sounds, & smells ....



....which way to go ....



... ???? ....



?.... what to look at.....



New York is a city like no other.




I love all of the geometric shapes...



.... & colors....


.... the juxtaposition of new & old....


....& windows, windows, windows...


....the newest of which might be the glass box entry of the Apple Store.

Today

We had lunch at our son's favorite Indian restaurant. Yummy & spicy & colorful too.



We did a lot of walking then stopped for a cup of tea....



........& a piece of pie.



.......at Four & Twenty Blakbirds




......which serves only pies.... ....wonderful, wonderful pies.

Road Trip

A short trip to Brooklyn NY to visit our son Jack. Here are some things I saw on the way.

Spring Is Slow to Arrive

It is at this time of year that I feel envious of friends & family living in warmer climates. Hearing or reading about the beauty of new green leaves, trees & shrubs in bloom, & bulbs bursting into blossom, I feel forlorn. Spring comes late to the northeast. It is a slow process, the warming of the earth & regeneration of life here. 

The painting above is entitled "Winter Blue". It is not a new painting, but it most says what I am feeling right now. Although, cold temperatures continue & branches are still bare, the sky is blue & birds are singing, giving hope for warmer days ahead.

Farewell

What a life she had!

Indian Block Printing

I just came across this video of the art of Indian block printing via Wren Homemade. Beautifully photographed, it gives a real understanding of the intricacies of this ancient art form. It was created by the talented photographers Gentl &Hyers for West Elm.

A Lotus for Japan

Artist Linda Yuki Nakanishi has created a poster for the 

relief efforts in Japan.

She says :

This poster represents the resilience of the Japanese people. The lotus symbolises birth and rebirth, and the red lotus in particular represents love, compassion and passion (much of which is needed for the people of Japan).

The lotus is a flower that is born from the mud of the earth, fights its way through the depths of the water to bloom into the air and sunlight. This is how I view Japan, as a country that teaches their people to be strong and to endure. This is also what my parents taught me, even though we live an ocean away in Canada.

All profits from the sale of this poster will go to the Canadian Red Cross efforts for the victims affected by the recent tsunami and earthquakes.

It can be purchased here.


Found via paonote_room269.

Also, I was away from my computer last week & was unable to post this on the 18th, but it is, of course, never too late to make a donation.

Outpouring of Concern

I have been moved by all the heartfelt concern that the blogger world has shown for Japan in its time of need.

Via * & *

継続は力なり。

Keizoku wa chikara nari

Continuance is power/strength.

From : Lime in the Coconut

Liza shared this photo by Abby. A donation of $8 from the sale of each print on her Etsy shop will go to the Red Cross.

Many blogs gave links to charitable organizations but English Muse seemed to give the best suggestion. Philanthropy.com has an updated list of relief efforts on the ground in Japan now, & gives links for making donations.

I was especially moved by personal accounts like the one by Marjory, at Chemin Des Muguets, whose son telephoned from Tokyo to let his parents know that he was all right.

But by far the most touching post I saw was from The Magnificent Life of Plants via Sophie Munns.  Here are the strong voices of  Japanese survivors, tweeting impressions that are both uplifting & hopeful. 

If you only click one of these links let it be this one. Read the post & then go to Philanthropy.com & make a donation. You will want to.

Thoughts of Japan

The recent earthquake in Japan is heartbreaking. 

One of my newest followers is  Redrose at Green Tomato. She is from  Nara City, Japan. 

These are her beautiful photographs of apricot blossoms.

I am reposting these lovely images & praying for her safety. 

My thoughts are with all of the people of Japan & everyone that has been touched by this tragedy.

The Amazing Photography of Vivian Maier

While scrolling aimlessly around the internet, I came upon the link to "Vivina Maier - Her Discovered Work"  & from that moment on, I was hooked. This website chronicles the fascinating story of an extraordinary body of work almost lost to history.

The photographs of Vivian Maier are stunning & the unfolding of her mysterious story absolutely fascinating.

A very private woman, Maier, lived & worked as a Nanny while pursuing her art as a street photographer in what must have been, every possible second of her spare time.

The enormous amount of work, that she had accumulated over the years, was discovered, by chance, by a young man, named John Maloof. It is Maloof, who now finds himself the custodian of this amazing artist's work & legacy.

There are a book & a documentary film in the works & the first American exhibition featuring her work can be seen at  The Chicago Cultural Center until the 3rd of April.

This fascinating story has already caused a sensation, but it was new to me. If you are like me, & knew nothing about Maier, then you owe it to yourself, to watch the clip above & by all means visit the website. 

I am sure that you will be just as captivated as I have been.




Thanks Arctic Mom for leading me to this.

A Day of Note

        I had every intention of writing a brief post today, in celebration of the fact that I have marked the one year anniversary of this blog. The official date was a few days ago, but being someone, who pays little attention to such things, I failed to notice. As it turns out, today is also

 International Women's Day.

So it seemed somehow appropriate, to combine the two.

 Not only to make note of my humble accomplishment, but  also to acknowledge all the amazing women, that I have had the pleasure of encountering, in the blogger world.

I started this blog without a clue. I had no real direction or plan. But one year & 104 posts later I have a new sense of self discovery. I have found interests & abilities I did not know I had. However, it has been the people, who have taken the time to notice, that have kept me going. For that I thank  each & every one of you. 

And to all those women that have shared their knowledge, their artistic flair, their poetry, their creative spirits, I wish to salute you on this day of celebrating women. You have inspired me.

Joe Fig at MassArt

I finally made it to the Joe Fig exhibit "Inside the Painters's Studio" at  Massachusetts College of Art.

I am so glad that I got there before it closed, because these sculptures in miniature are really amazing.

After researching artists work habits,  Joe Fig beautifully 

recreates the studio spaces of 

both emerging and established painters in tiny doll 
size proportions. 

The exhibition mounted the small scale sculptures in

 conjunction with a piece of artwork by each artist 
represented. 

Above is the rendering of the workspace of artist, Joan Snyder, whose painting Oh April can be seen, next to the sculpture, below. Hopefully this photo gives you some idea of the scale & minute detail involved.

Below you find painter, Malcolm Morley (complete with tiny rubber gloves) hard at work in his studio, giving the viewer real insight into his creative process.

My favorite had to be the twin studios of 
Eric Fischl  & April Gornik, 
shown below with Gornik's painting of clouds just beyond. 

In the interior, Fig, spared no detail, from the tiny brushes & tubes of paint to the trash on the floor & the minuscule bottles of evian water. As you peer inside you cannot help but feel like a giant looking into a Lilliputian world.

Yet another smaller example of Eric Fischl's workspace can be seen below with a miniature version of one of his large scale paintings on the easel.

Finally, the viewer is invited into the mind & space of the creator. In the work, entitled Self Portrait, Joe Fig has reproduced his own work environment with the same astonishing attention to detail. When you peek inside his studio, pictured below, you see him at work & even a proportionately smaller version of the very building that you are looking into. One of Fig's paintings can be seen to the right.

Chuck Close was the most well known artist in the exhibit, but if you go to Fig's website you will find many other noted artist's studios represented. Believe me, it is worth a look.

Thanks Molly for the heads up about this artist. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.