Susan Richards | Art

Nests

2011-08-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Nest by artist Benjamin Verdonck on a sky scraper in Rotterdam

This summer has been highlighted by a Nature program which played itself out on our front porch. In June a robin took over my window box, built a nest and laid four beautiful eggs.

By mid June the eggs had hatched, and four baby birds were gulping down large and juicy bugs.

Eventually they grew actual feathers, got too big for their home and pushed each other out of the nest. We witnessed four awkward, but successful launchings.

After they left, I got a new geranium plant to replace the dead pansies. Barely two days went by, a new robin arrived, and a new nest got started. Soon the nest looked finished but the mother had disappeared. I thought, “She's gone to find a quieter neighborhood, I'll take this nest to photograph and paint.” (an Audubon no-no, by the way).

Later that same day I went back to water my plant, and there, in the dirt, was a bright blue egg. Shamed...I ran back...got the nest and put the egg inside. ( OK.. by Audubon, by the way). Later in the week there was a second egg. Soon the mother robin got used to me going in an out the front door, a midwife to her eggs. One day, one was missing, nothing on the porch or ground or anywhere near the nest. Two days later, while weeding in the driveway I discovered a half empty shell.

Forensics tells me it was probably a raccoon. Our garbage can had recently been rifled. Little prying fingers had managed to lift the lid despite bungee cords wrapped around all three handles, top and sides. Fortunately the remaining egg stayed safe and eventually hatched a pathetically runtish bird.

It struggled to raise its heavy head. Despite the lack of brothers and sisters to “egg” things along that bird too eventually fell out of the nest, found it had feet, and stumbled across the driveway into the woods. The mother Robin was chirping madly from the tree tops.

Both she and my psychic abilities tell me all five birds are doing well.

What's fun about these events is how things keep showing up in your life. When I was teaching one of my more popular lessons was to make a nest. Students had to identify their surroundings, their persona as a bird and make an assemblage/nest. I got some great results and had a lot of fun myself researching the art and craft of bird nests. Constructing a nest is no small task as you can see by the pictures below. Interspersed with bird factoids are also pictures of artists' creations I discovered on the web.

Award winning tight weave

Large nest by Nils Udo

Large Nest by the Hammerskop

Large Nest by artist by Anne Hoch , Honey Space NYC

Dutch design studio BureaudeBank created a nest of 300 individual silver twigs that hold together much the same way twigs of a real nest do. Designed for a client needing 300 business gifts, each twig symbolizes an important business relationship: if any twig is removed, the nest will fall apart.

a Minimalist

Bird nest by two Zebra Finches presented as art by Bjorn Braun

(Appropriation perhaps?)

MONO-HA

2011-07-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Lee Ufan Dialogue oil on canvas

I recently found out about the artists of MONO-HA, which translated from the Japanese means the “school of things.” Lee Ufan is having his first American exhibit at the Guggenheim and there was a charming article in the New York Times describing his process of choosing rocks for his pieces.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/arts/design/lee-ufan-squeezes-essence-from-a-stone.html

He paints as well, as per example above. Basically, as translated from Toshiaki Minemura's catalogue essay from a previous exhibit, MONO–HA consists of “artistic language from things as they stand, bare and undisguised, letting them appear on the stage of artistic expression, no longer as mere materials, but allowing them the leading part”. This is a fancy way of saying, it is what it is. To be the work of MONO-HA, the piece should only reference itself; no ideology, no metaphor, no politics and no emotive content beyond the viewers response.
I was intrigued; researched and here are a few examples, I responded to.

Phase Mother Earth by Noburu Sekine
The earth is taken from the hole, packed and shaped accordingly.

Koji Enokura's cement wall between two trees

Sumi by Kastsuhiko Narita

Mono-Ha started in the late 60's and some commentators say the Italian movement arte povera was an influence. But like all schools of art (or things).. the inspiration came from many sources, not the least, Zen philosophy. Because of its historical basis, coming from an era when many artists were rejecting industry and “objecthood”, MONO-HA work looked radical ... as did the Earth room by Walter de Maria, made in 1977.

http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/earthroom.

I visited the Earth room several years ago and found it still very effective. The smell, confined in what is a relatively small space, really charges the piece as does the color and textural richness of the soil. My response was to want to jump in. The plexigalss barrier makes it feel like a pool. Walter de Maria is considered to be an Earth Artist but the intention of this piece is very closely aligned with the efforts of MONO-HA. Not surprisingly as I looked more closely at the work of each Japanese practitioner, their personal style comes through. Granted, the material and its relationships to the space and the other elements presented, are primary. But the propensities to certain shapes, colors and modes of presentation run consistent within each artist's work. Their self comes through their choices, quietly perhaps.. but none the less, very firmly present, like the piece of iron placed behind the rock in Ufan's work below.

Lee Ufan Relatum

This quote, which was included in one of the commentaries sums it up:

“In order to designate reality, Buddhism says sunya, the void; but better still: tathata, as Alan Watts has it, the fact of being this, of being thus, of being so; tat means that in Sanskrit and suggests the gesture of the child pointing his finger at something and saying: that, there it is, lo! but says nothing else…”
Page 5, Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes.

That being so. My photo of the robin's eggs, shared on facebook and sent out to friends, elicited a number of remarks as did the LO! coming from myself. What creates that blue? What an incredible miracle of color! My research on that score came up empty. There is no credible explanation. So, besides letting you know that the eggs hatched and all four birds, left awkwardly but successfully, I present you my MONO-HA.:

LO!

Susan Richards 2011

Pictures/Pictures

2011-05-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Times Square

I went to New York City a few weeks ago. I went specifically to take pictures as well as look at pictures. So the following are some thoughts as I looked over my results. My first stop was MOMA where I had started a series last year of pictures of people taking pictures of pictures. If you are in the younger age bracket it does not seem to be an anomaly to see people taking pictures in museums. But for me, it still seems surprising and intrusive.....I know that's twisted..because I do it myself !!

When I was in high school I worked for a short time at MOMA as a volunteer in the publicity department. In 1967 it was still a small museum. Back then you could see the whole collection in a couple of hours. I helped sort and file clippings about the museum. There were large notebooks full of pictures of the collection. It felt like having access to a treasure trove, both the in the notebooks and the museum. If you wanted to get a picture of a painting you either had to buy a postcard, purchase an entire book or make a special request.

Now anyone can collect from the collection. Here is an example from my collection.

George Washington by Thomas Sully at the MFA Boston

If you would like to see more you can go to this site where photographers and graphic artists are showing their work: http://ree.viewbook.com/album/richardssusan#1 I am on this site for a short time because I submitted a selection of my photographs to a competition.... all through the internet..no slides, no prints...just stumbling through tech hoops to get it done on time.

The biggest change in museum going these days, besides the huge crowds, seems to be this lust for interaction with art and the digital. Whether using the shots for phone mail, on web sites, blogs or face book..we all are saying I WAS HERE ! ...or..maybe ... Now this is mine !

Sometimes these souvenirs end up connecting to something else and then, ...click. You have your inspiration. My own collection has a variety of themes and the happy accidents and connections are apparent.

Jackson Pollack

I also went to the Japan Society for the first time and saw the show Bye Bye Kitty. It was terrific. A great change from the animae and high tech pieces we have been seeing from Japan the last few years. My favorite artists from the show (which I was not allowed to take pictures of ) were: Manabu Ikeda: (This you cannot experience by photo).

In fact when you see this piece, which is about 6 x 8 feet, you are given a magnifying glass so that you look all the things that are going on in this tree. The title is Existence. It's ink and acrylic on paper...and took over a year to do. Here is a web site where you can get details and other examples of his work:

http://www.artinconnu.com/2010/12/manabu-ikeda-b1973.html

I also loved the exquisite technique of Tomoko Kashiki.

This painting is called Shadow Play and is acrylic on fine cotton, mounted on panel. You can't see the lovely textures this has...very delicate, smooth, semi gloss to matte transitions of paint within the image. These reproductions are from the catalogue I purchased. Needless to say, all art must be seen in person to really experience. The subtlety of texture, even in high resolution, is no match for the real thing.

Google is now bringing art works closer to you in all kinds of ways. Here's a link to the Sistine Chapel you can explore in 360 degrees!.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

I finally got there last year and though it's nice not to have the crowds.. you don't get the smell of age in the chapel or of Rome itself.

My last shots are from NYC.

Signage is so much fun. Someday I want to work with this...

Here's entertainment in Washington Square. He bills himself as the happiest man on earth.

and an Art bookstore in Chelsea..

I still love old school page turning...

Thanks for reading!

Spring

2011-03-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

It's almost here !

This lovely sculpture is in the Smith College museum and is called Spring. Following are a collection of images I have taken at various museums throughout this last year. I collect the pictures for inspiration, research on my projects and as gifts I send out to friends. I know I am not alone in my collecting. All the museums are ubiquitous with others doing the same. They are even posing in front of paintings or take snaps imitating the models or sculptures. I have started collecting images of the collectors, collecting and hope to put them together in a book. Yes... pictures of people taking pictures of pictures...??? I have yet to know how this will play out or exactly how I think about it... let me know.

This is one of the popular photo ops at the new American wing at Boston's MFA. (Notice that it is the same proportion as the iPhone.) The colors are not quite true. Try as I might, photo shop cannot recreate the beauty of this window. The glass in the gold fish bowl is smokey and milky. Enlarge and you can see how the colors are distortions and reflections of the branches around it...fantastic!

Louis Comfort Tiffany Parakeets and Goldfish bowl

The new American wing galleries recreate the various eras in American art and include furniture and objects as well as painting and sculpture. The framing on many of the paintings seems to be original and if not, are entirely appropriate as well. This painting goes out to my fellow artists Ellen and Arthur who are big Sheeler fans.

Charles Sheeler Iron and Ore 1953

Athur Chartow also paints the industry of America though the feel is radically different from the optimism of Sheeler's time. Connect to his site at: http://www.arthurchartow.com

Arthur Chartow View of Zug Island 2009

Also at the MFA in the Japanese gallery is a display of tea ceremony bowls and implements and this is a basket that would be used to hold a flower arrangement. It looks like it has clay in it but that is not in the descriptor with the piece. I am going next week to a workshop on the tea bowl which is being done in conjunction with this show. There are visitors and ceramicists from Japan coming to the Harvard Ceramic Studio..they always do a great job.

Nagakura Ken'ichi b. 1952 Dancing Star bamboo and rattan 2008

This next painting is by Horace Pippin. One of my favorites. This is from the Museum of Modern Art, "collected" last fall. Pippin who was self taught, was crippled in the first World War and struggled to paint with his injured arm.

Horace Pippin Lady of the Lake 1936

Horace Pippin Country Doctor 1936

This is the painting, at the MFA, that I first saw years ago that totally charmed me. I hate to remind people of winter but the way he did the snow is a mastery of dry brush. And the greys are right on. Again, a must see in person.

I also visited the newly refurbished Addison Gallery of Art at Andover Academy, twice. The first time to see the new installations..another beautiful job..and it's free! Here's another classic American painting by a self taught artist.

John Fredrick Peto Discarded Treasures year?

Notice the price on these discards. Hopefully books will not be totally discarded in my lifetime.

Also at the Addison Gallery at a recently closed show, I got in trouble taking photographs. I have gotten so used to feeling free with my camera. I was collecting pictures from the Sheila Hicks exhibit for my daughter who was not able to go. Sheila Hicks' small works are like paintings. I liked the section I highlighted from this label. It's good advice for any artist, in any media. We get complacent with our choices.

Here's one of her larger pieces...so silky!

and...ironically, this little one is called self portrait.. The camera focused on me!..

On my last shot for the show I was accosted by a guard asking if I had permission.I lied..and said yes! I beat it out of there..feeling guilty all the way home. There is a beautiful book that goes with this traveling show so if you want to see more, check that out and research her on line at http://www.sheilahicks.com

This last picture of a person taking a picture, of a picture, is from my fall visit to Moma. I don't know if Gertrude approves, do you?

Susan Richards Woman Reviewing photo of Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein 2010

January

2011-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

No writing: just pictures and lots of ***********************

These are photos of a real snowflakes by Vermonter Wilson Bentley:

And more coming Wednesday.

Chrysanthemums the Word

2010-11-18T08:17:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I went out to western Mass to see my sister-in-law, Ann Lee Hallstein. Always the gracious host, she takes me on walks and outings she knows I will enjoy. On Saturday we went to the Smith College, Fall Chrysanthemum Show which is in their greenhouse near the Botanical Garden. This show will be up until Nov. 21^st, so if you are in the area, I recommend both a walk along the water way and a peek at the small, but charming display in the greenhouse. The horticulture students created hybrids and attendees are invited to vote for their favorite, a difficult job to do as each flower type is as beautiful as the next. This one was my pick.

There are many forms to this member of the daisy family, and all are here in abundance.

Cascades, which require months of special pruning and training:

Standards, which are large blooms that can reach seven feet in height!

There are many exceptional hybrids that out shine any bushy variety at your local Depot.

One of the lovely "cross curriculum" features on display was the poetry chosen by students in the East Asian Language and literature class:

Click to zoom

There is also a poetry reading, music and lectures scheduled. Check it out at: www.smith.edu/garden.

After I got home, I got busy on the computer and ended up with many serendipitous finds. In my own work, when I choose an image or particular flower there are usually personal reasons behind behind my choice.

This small painting is a tribute to the ephemeral nature of all flowers.

In Chinese and Japanese cultures, all seasonal and natural subjects have meanings beyond their appearance; most of it known by their audience and in context to their culture.

Chrysanthemums, the November flower, signal the last burst of summer and in many Asian motifs, represent lamentation and grief, adding a special poignancy to the season. In European cultures the white chrysanthemum is used for funerals and on graves. In contrast, in the United States we look on these flowers optimistically and in some countries chrysanthemums represent honesty.

But, as we all know, research is frequently contradictory and meaning can be applied in all kinds of ways.

At the MFA in Boston there is a display of Japanese prints which feature characters with tattoos. Chrysanthemums are in abundance. http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/under-skin

Here are some actual chrysanthemum tattoos, off the web.

It seems appropriate that there are also Chrysanthemum fire works:

Another connection occured this morning. In the Globe was a notice about a show at the Miller Block Gallery. Imi Hwangbo does intricate 3d drawings using mylar and ink. I have seen her work before and the constructions are both contemporary and petal-like. The announcement says that in Korea the chrysanthemum represents joy! The show is up through December.

http://www.MillerblockGallery.com

On Harvards' Sackler Museum collection page I found a comparable example in Japanese silk brocade from the 18^th century. In Japan the golden chrysanthemum is the emblem of the Imperial Emperor and the Imperial order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest order of chivalry. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day, which is called the Festival of Happiness.

Here's a quote from my Wikipedia source which seems particularly apt for my next find:

"If you would be happy for a lifetime, grow Chrysanthemums," says one ancient Chinese philosopher. In China the chrysanthemum is a symbol of Taoist simplicity and perfection. Autumn is the season of this flower, a time of tranquillity, completeness, and abundance following the harvest. Since it blooms right into winter, it may also symbolize the ability to mediate between life and death, between Heaven and Earth.”

I knew the Sackler Museum site had many beautiful examples of paintings. But also my search revealed this little pot by Makoto Yabe, who was my first teacher in ceramics at the DeCordova. He stunned the students on the first day of class by showing us chrysanthemum wedging. He said he spent years in apprenticeship doing nothing but wedging all day.

Wedging sets up the clay to be thrown, getting rid of air pockets and basically warming it up to be supple and easy to work with. In chrysanthemum wedging the end result is as beautiful as the pot you may throw. It looks like a many petaled flower. Here's an example of that wedging technique..on Youtube (p.s..Mokoto was much faster)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbLV7LrY-Yc&feature=related

And here's his stoneware potin the Sackler collection with the flowers impressed using the "mishima" technique.

Makoto Yabe also taught at the Harvard Ceramic Studio. I was glad I attended the special luncheon held in his honor. Sadly, he died soon after from cancer. His work and his teaching were a great gift. This small bowl is a humble and poignant reminder of how art helps us “mediate” between life and death.

Lastly: Madame Valpincon with Chrysanthemums by Edgar Degas

This painting is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and seems a perfect compliment to all the examples above. The model is contemplative and attending to something just outside the picture. She's wrapped up in her thoughts and in her winter scarf.

Happy Fall friends.... Let us give Thanks for the beauty of Art and the Natural World.

Stay warm!

Tuscany

2010-11-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Rocca d' Orcia

It's hard to believe it was just a little over a month ago that we were in this beautiful place. September is a great time to be in Italy. It was not crowded and the weather was perfect. Something about the air is incredibly soft and caressing. It may be the rolling landscape filled with vineyards and olive trees. Whatever the cause, I now fully understand the romance of Tuscany. What beautiful colors and heavenly sky-scapes. Just like you see in the paintings !

We spent our first few nights in the small town of Pienza . The hotel was originally a convent. Pienza is where Zefferelli filmed Romeo and Juliet. (A film I have in my Netflix lineup so I can re-live the charming streets and beautiful vistas. The English Patient was also filmed in this locale)

Here's an early morning view from our window.This is the little chapel for the nuns in the church next to the hotel.
Notice the blue "sky" in the arches.
We spent a day in Sienna.
The wonderful piazza is shaped like a scallop shell.

Here's a view from our lunch table looking out.Oh ..and here's the end of one of my many delicious lunches....The Duomo in Sienna had this wonderful libraria "piccalomini." with beautiful illuminated books and walls covered with frescos. Unfortunately it was a narrow space so you could not get a straight picture. This painting had both a rainbow and a storm.
And there again... beautiful skies.

And here's a picture I got from the web that gives you a better
feeling for the paintings in the space.

Here are two more treasures from the museum in Sienna.

This is a sculpture by Della Robbia.We also went to the 12th century Romanesque Abbey St Antimo. A winding road past many vineyards led us to this pristine and quiet spot. It was so quiet I did not feel I could take pictures. We could hear through a wall, the chanting of the monks. A truly heavenly place.

Bagno Vignoni was recommended to us and we ended up spending several nights at a lovely hotel with a spa and hot baths as part of its accomadations. The art and overall decor of the hotel was lovely. The waters were wonderful. The colors in the room were totally in tune with the area.On the last day we stopped at an agritourismo where you can rent an apartment for a week!
Look at this driveway!And this is my new hat! Looking out from Montepulciano.For more pictures you can see my album on Facebook or go to Flicker... Ciao!

Roman Holiday

2010-10-15T10:35:00.001-07:00

This is Santa Maria Maggiore as seen from the roof top garden of our hotel, an appropriate place to start our ten day excursion in Rome and Tuscany.

This basilica is the site of Bernini's tomb which says simply: " He decorated the city."

This was my first trip to Rome and hopefully it won't be my last. I feel we just scratched the surface. Following, is some of the art that I saw that impressed and inspired me.

Our first full day was spent visiting our neighboring Basilica.. so much bigger than it first appeared. Then the Roman Baths. Both sites were relatively uncrowded, so we were able to wander at will .

The Baths' courtyard's atrium had sculpture after sculpture, it's a vast site continually being excavated.

I was especially inspired by the clothed figurines called Tanagra and found a great description and link to an audio visual explanation from the Louvre: go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanagra_figurine

Here's another example

The National Museum of Rome is housed both here, at the Baths, and across the street.
It has beautiful modern exhibits showing frescoes and mosaics from ancient homes.

This fresco, featuring multiple flower, fruit and bird specimens is from the subterranean dining room of Augustus and Livia. It was designed to keep their guests cool during the heat of the summer.

Each display was laid out in rooms reproducing the size of the original and with mosaic floors both in situ or on the walls. Here are examples of my favorites.

The colors, sophistication and intricacy of the mosaics in particular, were astonishing.

I also loved the frescoes that were only partially saved.
This one was especially entrancing, with a mysterious view of horses and dolphins bounding through the waves.

The next day we went to the Vatican City and ran into the Pope. It was a terrific day, with representatives from Costa Rica and Africa dressed up for the occasion and waving their flags.

Also charming were the many brides celebrating their weddings and dragging their trains across the cobblestone square. We spent a lot of time enjoying the crowd before going into the Basilica.

Inside St Peters', besides the magnificent sculpture of the Pieta, were interesting portraits of the Popes.

There was beautiful light that people passed through while touring the space, creating a show of living sculpture.

Bernini did this fantastic sculpture, notice the hour glass.. he really is over the top...

After following the hoards through the museum and being overwhelmed by both the art and the crowds, we came out past a model of the Vatican. Joey asked where exactly the Pope lives and the guard pointed out the upper windows of the building on the right.

The following day we went to the Trevi fountain.

and the Spanish Steps.

There, I went into the little museum devoted to Keats and the Romantic Poets. They have a re-creation of what his room was like and multiple pictures of Byron, Shelly, Keats and his letters. His poetry was cut up and given in line segments to various friends and followers after his death. Keats had a third floor view out onto this wonderful scene.
If one were to suffer from TB and die at an early age.. this would be the place to go.

Our last day before Tuscany, we took a quick trip to see the basilica at Piaizza del Popolo. Another beautiful public space. The basilica had two Caravaggio's in an awkward niche.
The Conversion of St Paul

The Crucifixtion of St Peter

Truely stirring and wonderful pieces of art. You have to push a button to light them, the space is so dark.
Somehow it seemed appropriate to the power of the pieces and the lighting Caravaggio is so known for.

Next Blog: Tuscany

Kingston Gallery Show

2010-08-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at the Kingston Gallery show that occurred last Friday night. It was a lot of fun; a beautiful summer night with many friends and walk-ins taking advantage of our treats as well as enjoying the display. I've had a lot of fun working with the other associates.

We got along well and did a good job considering our work runs the gamut of styles and techniques. For a look at all the participants you can go to the gallery website at www.KingstonGallery.com.

Here are some installation views :

In this one my work Tomato is on the back wall and another is first on the left. It's called Money Plant, which is the actual name of the plant. The other painting is by Chantal Hardy, who if you were there was wearing a terrific pink polka dot dress. I'm sorry there's no picture!

In this one, the painting on the left is mine: Flag, and Joan Benotti's work is on the right.

Also for the opening, my daughter Jay and I collaborated on making a dress. It was modeled from my painter's smock; an old dress from the 70's

Here also is a view of Jay working on the fabric and a detail of the results. Great Stuff!

Thanks to all who came out. It was great to see you! The show will be up until the end of August and I will be gallery sitting on the 19th and 20th. Check it out!

2010-07-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have a show coming up the beginning of August, opening on the 6th at the Kingston Gallery (www.kingstongallery.com) and I am fussing with my picks. One of my paintings, Tomato, was also chosen to be part of the Blanche Ames Foundation Exhibition. That will be in September at Borderland in North Easton, Mass. I have visited the site and it's a beautiful park with a large house where the gallery is. Not having visited previous shows, it will be a surprise... but the location overall seems just right.

Here's another shot from my last visit to the garden.

It harkens back to the first painting I did that started me on the Garden Series of paintings.

This is called Flower for Manet.

There's a beautiful picture at the MFA of his favorite model with a brown background.

That painting along with the big Eakins show in the 80's pushed me toward doing portraits. I love the high contrast of the brown and subtle pinks and the sense of distance you get from the model.

I also love Manet's small flower paintings.

Which, by the way, he did as gifts for his friends. They would bring him flowers when he was ill, he would paint them, and give them back. So my painting is an homage as well as my attempt to start on a quest to "meet the master."

I am also going back to the beaches; Cranes, in Ipswich in particular, to take photos for new paintings of bathers. The winds were up again so I couldn't help but take more towel shots. A few here which could be reinterpreted in a painting and hopefully call to mind other references.

A shout out to friends and readers:
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer!

2010-06-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have been busy painting, not blogging. So the garden is two months into its growing season. A lot has gone on and even though I have missed the peonies for the most part, there are still a few left. I often think I won't find new stuff to be curious or excited about but somehow I always do. Needless to say it is continually beautiful.. (too bad you can't smell it too.)

I focused this time on some more of the human additions to the garden's abundance. Some interesting possibilities, which I am posting here, may get painted, now that I am into gold and silver leaf. The latest painting image in Garden on my web site, has an example of my struggles with the material. It's so delicate that it blows away at the slightest breath. It suits the transience of the subject.

Meanwhile, I'm finding the connection here between the "tinker petals" and the flowers and myself. Some child painted that petal and had a great time. Wish I could do the same. It's so spontaneous! No struggle there! And I enjoy the gaudiness of the "flags" which are used to scare away the birds.

Here are some human additions as well as flowers to enjoy.

And lastly..two other images from totally different aesthetic places.

A beautiful painting by Fitz Hugh Lane from a visit to the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester.

And a photo from the Shell Shack at Islamorada, the Keys, Florida. If you enlarge, you'll see all the stuff better. The place was jam packed and what colors!

2010-04-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Note to Start: My intention is to focus primarily on my newest efforts, art related thoughts and inspirations. We'll see how it goes ( or grows ).

Lately I have been really thinking about photography and I am in the process of a new venture with my graphics/fabric designer daughter, Jay Hallstein, whose work you can see at www.minchouse.com.

Later in August I will be part of a show at Kingston gallery where I am now an associate member. So here is my second link: www.kingstongallery.com

My third and forth links go to Hal, my son, out in Boulder who has helped redesign my web page and set me up with this blog: www.sankalagroup.com or www.greenbookmarks.com. Many thanks from a grateful Ma.

And this is also a Shout Out to all my students who I will be sending this to, so we can keep in touch. I'll to link to you too if you want. Hoping all are well and continuing to be involved in art in any and every way possible. Please send this ahead to anyone who would be interested.

Meanwhile, I've been working from the local community garden for the past five years. This year I am trying to visit at least once a week and my intention is to make a BIG painting next winter. So you'll be seeing some shots from the garden which may not make it into art, but follow my thoughts as I visit. The gardens are just now setting up to be planted. There are spring flowers blooming, but most are just warming up. Last time I was there I was struck by all the left overs, remnants from the previous summer; the tie ups used in fencing, the things left behind. Seems like a good metaphor for the complicated relationship we have with nature. After all; who's controlling who?... At the garden, it looks totally symbiotic. So, here are some shots from that: