Ruth Asawa

As I mentioned yesterday, I was completely struck by the work of San Francisco artist 

Ruth Asawa,

when I visited the ICA last weekend.

So much so, that I decided she should have a post all her own.

I confess to not really knowing much about her before, but seeing the few pieces on display in the

ICA Dance/Draw Exhibit,

has inspired me to learn more about her life & work.

Born in 1926, to Japanese immigrant farmers in California, Asawa's first introduction to art was in the internment camps during WWII,  where she is pictured below. Of this experience she says:

"I hold no hostilities for what happened; I blame no one. Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not been for the Internment, and I like who I am."

From there she went on to study art at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, studying with the likes of  Josef Albers, Merce Cunningham, & Buckminster Fuller. It was here that she, also, met her future husband, architecture & design student, Albert Lanier. Together they would have six children, some of whom are photographed below, by the renowned photographer Imogen Cunningham, a personal friend to the family.

Asawa learned to make wire mesh baskets on a trip to Mexico in 1948, using this technique she began to create the enormous  hanging sculptures she is known for today. Her work is diverse & prolific, however, & some of her other  sculptures are of tumbleweed & tree motifs.

The shadows that these pieces cast, are often as beautiful as the works themselves. 

One thing that always interests me, is seeing photos of the homes of artists. I especially loved seeing these early photos of Asawa's living room, filled with children busy at work, on some art project perhaps, & all of her wonderful sculptural shapes hanging from the rafters.

Not only is Asawa a formidable artists, but she has also been an important advocate for art education, co-fonding schools & art & cultural workshops & festivals in the San Francisco area, which have become models for other communities in the US.

There is certainly much to admire about Ruth Asawa, both as an artist & as a human being.

ICA Boston

Where has this week gone? It was
just last weekend that I visited Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art & yet it is only today, Thursday afternoon, that I am getting around to posting anything about it.






These are photos I took of the large installation in the lobby & atrium of the museum by the artist Swoon, which consisted in part, of hundreds of intricately cut paper images of endangered species.





Hung in streams suspended from ceiling to floor the cut outs cast shadows on the walls behind.






I found that for me the most interesting way to view the work was in the reflection it cast on the opposite window.





Here in a closer image, the full effect of the reflection can be seen on the buildings beyond.

I also enjoyed Isaac Julien’s Ten Thousand Waves which is an impressive, nine-screen video installation that interweaves three stories linking China’s ancient past and the present, & the wonderful sculptures of Ruth Asawa. But more about that later.

For now, I wish each of you a good remainder of the week, with hopes of a happy coming weekend.

Yesterday

 .....was a rainy, stay at home kind of day. I spent the day, looking at photos of last summer in France.

Here are a few that caught my eye, 

for no rhyme or reason, really

 just patterns, 

maybe

or

looking through

 or

up

or, down.

 Sometimes it is just fun to look beyond the image, at the subtleties, like angles, shapes & patterns.

Wishing you all a weekend filled with subtle beauty.

A Beautiful Saturday Afternoon

Saturday was a glorious day. The temperature was in the high 50's. It was sunny & warm, with the mildest of  winds. One simply cannot pass up a day like that in January, here in New England.  I certainly did not want to. I took my camera & headed over to Nut Island  to take a walk.

Although, not actually an island, Nut Island is surrounded by water & spectacular views. Even with these views, often as not, my attention was caught by the odd detail.

Like this stairway to nowhere for example,

or this old house with broken window pains, looking mournfully out to sea.

The afternoon light was stunning & I had to pinch myself, that this really was a day in January.

I fell in love with this old red barn.

As well as, I did the sturdy but time worn garage, handcrafted from beach stones, collected just steps away.

These old buildings were all the more beautiful with the sweeping water views behind them.

Further along, I came upon someones odd collection of lawn furniture, poised to take in the Boston skyline, in the distance.

The afternoon light was fading & evening approaching. It was time to head home, after a beautiful Saturday walk.

I hope you had a glorious weekend too!

Eve Arnold

Photographs by Eve Arnold, who died Wednesday at the age of 99 in London.

Mushroom Barley Soup

 What better way to spend a gray winter day, than in the kitchen baking bread & making a big pot of homemade soup.

Yesterday, I had a craving for Mushroom Barley Soup, so I did just that. 

The ingredients for the soup are pretty straight forward, a mirepoix of celery, carrots, garlic & onions, then mushrooms & barely. What could be more simple!

I used a combination of white button mushrooms, baby portabellas, & dried porcini, with a cup of pearl barley, bought in bulk at Whole Foods. 

Start by cooking your barley separately, 2 cups water to 1 cup of barley.

Soak & chop the dried mushrooms.

 In a large stock pot sauté the vegetables for the mirepoix

I sautéed my mushrooms in a separate skillet , so that they got nicely browned, adding salt & lots of fresh ground pepper.

Then combine all the ingredients with about 6 cups of stock. 

Most recipes call for beef broth, but I used Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base instead, making mine a vegetarian soup.

While the soup simmered,  I began the batter for my bread.

 One of my all time favorite recipes is Herd & Onion Bread from  

The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas.

You can see the recipe here or here. If you have never tried making this wonderful bread, I highly recommend making the effort. It is such a delicious, easy & quick yeast bread recipe.

What a cozy feeling, to have both bread rising & a pot of soup warming on the stove!

The Mushroom Barley Soup made a perfect winter dinner,

accompanied by a green salad & thick slices of homemade bread.

As long as I was in the kitchen, I might as well whip up a quick dessert too! 

We finished our meal with apple blueberry crisp.

Yum, this is my favorite kind of winter supper, simple yet hardy. 

Have a warm, cozy & nurturing weekend everyone!

New Beginnings

I bought a new sketchbook on new years eve, some new pencils & oil sticks. It was a simple gesture to welcome a new beginning.

It also seems a fitting time, to say thank you to all of the friends I have made here on this blog. Thank you for sharing your lives, your creations, your inspirations. I have enjoyed the journey.

I look forward to the next chapter. To all of the followers that have stopped by, thank you for your comments, your encouragement, & your friendship.

Here's hoping 2012 will be filled with simple pleasures, happy surprises, & creative inspirations!