A Good Day for a Bike Ride!

Today is a little bit windy, but the sun is out & it looks to be a beautiful fall day. A perfect day to take a bike ride! If you happen to live in the Boston area & you do not have a bike of your own, you can take advantage of the Hubway Bike-Share Program. Taking inspiration from Paris's lead in 2007, as well as, the more recent Montreal’s Bixi Bike program, Boston has implemented its own bike friendly effort. With more than 140 kiosks & some 1500 bikes, it is easy to find a location, that is right for you. I happened to see the ones in the photo above, in the North End, last weekend. Boston has a number of wonderful bike paths & trails, so why not get started on a biking adventure. Many other cities, in both Europe & North America, have started similar programs. Check out the possibility of renting one of these bikes in your area.

No matter what you decide to do this weekend, I hope it is a wonderful one.

Degas and the Nude

Earlier this week I went into town, to the French Cultural Center to hear a lecture on the up coming Degas exhibition at the MFA. The lecture was given by Xavier Rey, a curator of paintings at the Musée d’Orsay, who along with George Shackelford has brought to fruition    the magnificent exhibition "Degas and the Nude". Although, the lecture was in French, & I may not have gotten every word, it did give me a good foundation on the subject before actually, viewing the exhibit, which I was able to do yesterday.

The official opening will be this Sunday, October 9, & will run until February 5, 2012. I attended a members preview yesterday & found the show even more beautiful & moving than I had anticipated. I love Degas & have always cherished seeing his work, whenever & wherever I could. I was so pleased, to see pieces that I have never seen, but have known only through photographs, as well as pieces that I have been privileged to see before. I have seen the work of Degas many times on visits to the d'Orsay, & seeing them again here in Boston, was like seeing an old friend.

The exhibition will not be going to any other American museums, but will go directly to the d'Orsay  & run from March 13 - July 1. This is just another reminder, of how lucky we are here in Boston, to have such a wonderful museum. I hope everyone in the Boston area will be able to find the time to see this beautiful exhibit, & maybe it will even be a good reason for those not in the area, to make a visit to Boston.

Embracing Boston

I confess that I have had a bit of trouble deciding what to post since I have been back from France. I think I have had a case of blogger's block, but a trip downtown made me decide just to plunge ahead & embrace the city I live in.

Boston is after all a beautiful city.

And it has lots of beautiful doors & windows too! 

There is of course the famous Boston Common, so pretty at this time of year. It was founded in 1634, by the way, & is the oldest public park in the US.

Although the swan boats have already been put away for the winter, there are still the real swans.

And there are also the ducks of Make Way for Ducklings fame.

Further on, there is Downtown Crossing, 

where you will find the Old Brattle Book Store ,with it's outdoor stalls.

 And just around the corner is the revitalization of the Washington Street Theater District.

Although the old Filene's department store is no more, its memory still graces Downtown Crossing.

Yesterday was a beautiful day to be out exploring Boston, I hope you enjoyed the little tour.

Snow & More Snow

Yes, we did have our blizzard last week, albeit a small one, as blizzards go, with about 18 inches of snow. And true to form, Boston took one  day off & then got back to business as usual. 

It was not until Sunday that I took a walk with my camera to get a few photos. It was sunny but cold.

The Naponset River was breaking up the ice & running along merrily.

By Sunday all  roads & byways were cleared except for the roads & tracks less traveled.

The Trolley  was out of service during the storm but was quickly back & running on schedule.

Now, all the gears are in place for the next storm to hit, which should come at some point on Tuesday. This time, snow & ice, possible freezing rain. 

We have had quite a winter already & it is only the middle of January.  But what can you do, but try to enjoy it? Like my neighbor who was busy at work on this snow dragon.

Water Emergency In Boston

The recent water emergency in Boston has ended. After three days of boiling water to drink, due to a major water main break, the city of Boston & 30 outlying communities, can go back to normal water use. Hopefully in this short time of inconvenience, without clean water at the ready, we as a community have learned some important lessons. Our water supply is a precious resource, one which we take for granted on a daily basis. It is my hope that this crisis has awakened us to our responsibility to our planet & the water that gives it life. I have written about this here on this blog before, sharing that many of my paintings have a watery presence. The above painting entitled, "Falling", is one such example. Intuitively, I paint the movement & refraction of water. I can not help but think that there is a connection between what I paint & the passion I feel for this subject.

Besides the prize winning talk on TED by Sylvia Earle, another resource for those interested in learning more about the plight of the worlds water supply, is Irena Salina's award-winning documentary film "Flow".

Tattoos Come of Age in Boston

This month in Boston, both the Museum of Fine Arts & the Institute of Contemporary Art have simultaneously opened exhibitions featuring the art of the tattoo. The exhibit at the MFA, entitled "Under the Skin: Tattoos in Japanese Prints" explores the historical side of this ancient art form through it's extensive collection of Japanese prints. While the ICA presents the first US solo show for the contemporary Mexican tattoo artist known as Dr. Lakra. The fact that both of these prestigious art institutions are giving the nod to the medium of tattooing, gives, what is generally thought of as an underground art form, a greater sense of authenticity. I myself do not have any tattoos nor do I wish to, but I do confess to enjoying the guilty pleasure of looking at tattoo books & magazines. Perhaps now I can take the "guilty" part out of the equation. In searching for some images to share with this post, I discovered an array of websites on the subject. Some of my favorites can be seen here , here & here. Weather one likes tattoos or not, it is impossible not to acknowledge the artistry involved in these finer examples. It certainly does seem, with the shows at the MFA & the ICA, that the art of the tattoo has come of age in Boston, when, interestingly enough, less than ten years ago tattooing was actually banned in the state of Massachusetts.