Monday, July 30, 2007
ArtPact #25
I think I am back to painting! All that venting must have done something, and I am pulling myself out by the whitening roots of my hair (ribbon included...).
It happened on Thursday, as I was working on the agenda for our upcoming board meeting. In the background, the TV was playing a classic movie from 1964, called "The Pumpkin Eater". A movie in black and white, that had wonderful lighting on the faces of the characters. Now, one thing y'all need to know is that once you start getting into portraiture, you never look at a face the same way. You find yourself gazing at people like some freakish stalker, saying things like "Ah, you have such a wonderful light on your cheekbone!". Then they call the police. and you end up admiring the shadow shapes on the mugs of your inmates, but that's a whole different story.
Anyway - seeing all that wealth of faces, especially in black and white, which makes it so easy and tempting to capture, I went into my studio, grabbed a pencil, 2 tubes of watercolor, 2 brushes and a jar of water. I set them all onto lapdesk that The JohnnyB self-deludingly likes to call his . . .
. . . 30 minutes later (and several TiVo pauses later), I had these 2 bozzettos. Both watercolor on paper, each 5"x7". Apparently, I did get quite rusty during the long weeks sans watercoloring, but it's good to be back!!
As you can tell, the movie was not exactly a comedy. It's quite moody and dramatic, with many of the dialogues done wordlessly, only via facial expressions, so it went very well with the bleak colors I chose. I hereby present to you Anne Bancroft and Peter Finch, as they were 33 years ago.
By the way, I've finally finished watching the movie (which is very good, by the way) - and am still puzzled about the name. So, what's with the pumpkin???
previous ArtPact ... ...next ArtPact
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Death of a Salesman - The Sequel
You see, we had to go back to Expo to return the carpet samples we took. We just had to. I didn't have it in me to go there on my own, so we headed there this morning, carrying the precious samples (for which you pay $25 each in case you loose/damage or are just late).
We walked in, The JohnnyB praying with increasing fervor, with all his agnostic might, that Sales Dude is having a day off. Like, it doesn't make sense that he'll work 2 Saturdays in a row, right?
Wrong.
There he was, welcoming us with a grin.
I choked the wild laughter that was starting to erupt inside me. He is, after all, like, a blog hero, and, like, without even knowing that he is, and, like, what do I do if he goes into another, like, awesome monologue? Like - Wha?
The mere thought made me snicker wildly, and I saw that The JohnnyB is also making an effort to look serious. (actually, it was easier for him, as the poor guy woke up sick, with a sore throat, and is getting more and more miserable by the hour). Eventually, I managed to go back to a relatively dignified, straight face. (not without a price, though; my bitten lips still carry the scars).
The JohnnyB handed the samples to Sales Dude, who asked, "So, did these work for you at all?".
"Not really", replied The JohnnyB.
- Sales Dude took the goods and tore a page out of the sample-taking-prospect-customers binder.
- - And Sales Dude took a deep breath.
- - - And Sales Dude said:
"So you know that our special free measurement ends tomorrow July 29 and I can - - - ""No", I cut him - quite abruptly - in mid-sentence (more like the first-millionth-of-sentence, in his case). "We decided we're not going to do it".
"Oh?", he said with utter shock.
"Yes", I confirmed (feeling a bit guilty; after all, he must have had A LOT to say, and think of all that wasted oxygen he breathed in). "So, we're all clear, right?".
"Right", he said, defeated.
"Good bye, then", I said.
And we ran. We ran out as fast as we could to the exit door, stumbling upon shiny sinks and bathtubs and carpets and tiles and chandeliers and appliances on sale and salesman who greeted us from every corner. With screeching breaks, we left the Expo plaza, accelerated onto the freeway and sped home, leaving a cloud of dust behind us, never looking back.
The JohnnyB was a bit upset with me, saying, "You didn't really have to lie to him".
Lie???
All I said was, "We decided we're not going to do it".
The pronoun "it", generally used for inanimate objects and abstractions, is a very powerful word. No wonder The Knights Who Say Ni were cringing with fear every time King Arthur used it.
'it', as used in my sentence, could be intepreted in so many ways, starting with 'we decided to not carpet our floors' (which would indeed be a lie), through 'we decided to not got for the Expo measurement' (closer to the truth), all the way to 'we decided to not have that sex-change operation after all'.
I have no control on how Sales Dude chose to interpret it, Eh?
At any rate, it's gonna be a long, long time before we go to Expo again.
Labels: Languages, People, This Old House
Friday, July 27, 2007
Put A Ribbon In Your Hair
Valerie sent this to me (perhaps as a reprehensive response to me bashing The JohnnyB on yesterday's blog?...). Thanks, Val, for the reminder! One should always strive to grow, be better, and, Hmm, get "immense personal satisfaction". And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go tend to The JohnnyB, gracefully arrange his pillow and humbly offer to take off his shoes. I think I'll skip the ribbon, though, as - alas - I do not have the hair of a perfect Stepford Wife.
Still, I shall speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
Of course I will.
After all, a good wife always knows her place, Eh?
Labels: Culture, Family, Meta Bloggin', People
Thursday, July 26, 2007
El Presidente Ocupado
Indeed, the frequency of my posts has been significantly decelerating in the past month, not to mention the almost extinct ArtPact.
I am busy. My mind is occupied with an endless ToDo list, crisis-processing and hourly meltdowns.
Why?
. . . WHY ? ? ?
'cause I took upon myself to be the president of our art organization.
We have nearly 450 members, run by quite a large board of (wonderful!!!) volunteers, with lots of activities to take care of. Exhibits, workshops, demonstrations, publicity, newsletter, website, membership, finance, outdoor painting, social events - you name it. And each and every crisis in any committee is drained to me, as, like, well, I am it. Oh yes, and there are also the monthly board meetings to arrange: call for agenda items, call again for agenda items, beg for agenda items, run, summarize, document and distribute. (No, it's not a paying.job; it's all voluntary. But I like the way you think).
I was doing parts of it anyway, during my 6-month "internship" as the incoming president, and it seemed quite easy and fun.
Ha!
Less than a month on the real job - and I'm only beginning to see how daunting it is. I am starting to understand the many people who, when I was voted in, said: "Oh, good luck!". The pitiful look in their eyes. The supportive handshake (and the merciful headshake). And that one person, who asked me with sincere wonder: "Why?!?".
Of course, I became president right before the biggest event of the year is about to happen: our annual members show. It's all extremely educational and a wonderful experience and my learning curve at a 90 degrees, but hey, this is BIG!!! And, it's all in English!! I know, like, Duh! But, when English is your second language, and the American mentality and culture is something you are still ramping up on, well, it's not that trivial!
In a nutshell, the whole purpose of our organization is to give its members the best opportunities, instructors and enablers to paint and grow as artists, while trying to educate the community to appreciate art. And, I am expected to run this whole thing. Fair enough. I knew it, I signed into it - can't complain.
Only catch I see here: where do I find the time and bandwidth to paint?
'cause painting (and art in general) is not just something you can do offhandedly in between other things. Some people who've been there advise me, "Set some time aside, don't answer the phone, don't reply to Emails, and paint!". Sounds reasonable. And yet, when the mind is juggling 7 crises, and all my creativity is utilized towards resolving issues and extinguishing fires, it's quite impossible to switch to the world of art and dip my brush in paint while humming cheerfully.
I am hoping that it will change and the road will become less bumpy as I go. I am really hoping!
So I vent to The JohnnyB.
Now, men have this gene deficiency that legally prevents them from listening to vents while nodding their heads with understanding compassion, in recognition of the distress. No. Genetically, men are engineered so that they just have to find a solution, solve the problem, fix what's broken, and feel good that everything is working again. They do not realize that these showers of practical advice at such times merely add to the stress and aggravate the situation, as all they do is expand the ToDo list!
The JohnnyB, as you may have learned by now, is a man.
.
- - - "So, if your mind is not free to paint", says The JohnnyB, "at least exercise your technique". -
- - - "Sketch", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Spend more time in your studio", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Perform your color studies", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Create bozzettos", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Go through your photos", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Find new ideas", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Do preliminary drawings", says The JohnnyB.
- - - "Practice your brushstrokes", says The JohnnyB.
.
And he says it all with all the good intention in the world, the sheer wisdom and profound insight of someone. .Who has never. .Ever. .. Held. . . .A PAINTBRUSH ! ! !
.
..
.
Have I mentioned meltdowns?
.
..
.
Labels: Art, Major Achievements, Wonders of The JohnnyB
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Death of a Salesman (Well, Almost...)
For a couple of weeks now, we are on the verge of embarking on a long journey of a house makeover. (Oh yeah, lots and lots of 'Venting' labeled posts to come, that's for sure).
Today, we went to Expo, looking for carpets. Although The JohnnyB said it twice, I honestly thought he was joking or being sarcastic, so I had no idea Expo actually is the higher end of HomeDepot. (Between this and seasonal cookies, I still do have a lot to learn!).
We drive to Expo, walked through some scary showrooms, and - with a sigh (I hate carpets!!!), we started to browse through their selection.
Then, he approached us.
- -A sales dude.
- - - And the sales dude took a deep breath.
- - --And the sales dude said:
Hello how are you today how can I help you are you looking at carpets Oh you are looking at carpets I see are you looking for like wool or nylon what are you looking for Ah Berber let me see let me show you this ah you want loop not pile OK maybe this one it has a nice pattern to it Oh how about that one I see you are looking at this like this is the top name in carpets it has a 20 year warranty are you working with a contractor 'cause our installers are [brandname] certified only 40% of carpet installers are [brandname] certified like ours are not just people from the street you know how it is you hear a word of mouth from someone and then like it's a bad job and you are all like Oh No like we give you warranty and are you also looking into remodeling other parts of the house 'cause like we have this awesome deal on appliances now like if you need appliances and if you are like redoing your bathrooms like we have this deal that ends tomorrow in which like you meet with our designers and they like sit with you for just $750 that you end up getting back once you buy things in more than like $5000 and then like they sit with you like in your house and they like help you design your house like how you want to do your kitchen and maybe your bathrooms like you need new sinks and a new countertop and a new faucet and like maybe you want a Jacuzzi and like the bathtub and maybe you want like the SPA like feeling so you get these chandeliers like it looks awesome then you like go to our lighting department and like you work with three departments at the same time it's like not hard at all the designers they like help you design everything you want because they are not just people from the street like they went to design schools and all and they can help you like this you know this carpet has a nice color and you like clean it and if you get our extended warranty for like just $200 or maximum $400 like if you had the whole house carpeted like from the basement to the ceiling ha ha like you get a free cleaning kit and 3 professional cleaning like it's the top can we sign you up for an estimate ''cause is free until July 29th usually it's $100 like if you also are looking into kitchen counters we have this special deal until August 1st and if you use the Expo credit card like you can apply for it now we have a special deal it's only until mid August you don't pay for like 12 months like we have so much things in this store like the first time you come here you are like WOW like this is so awesome yes today is my birthday but I am working today 'cause like I get out at 6:30pm the latest and like I can still hang out with friends and family in the evening and my co-workers threw a party for me yesterday it was just awesome and this evening I am going to a BBQ with my family 'cause last year my birthday was like skipped 'cause my best friend got married on that same day like I was all Oh how could you do this to me like on my golden birthday so this year is to compensate for that like how cool is that my parents are from Portugal I've actually been to Brazil San Paolo wasn't fun because like there's poverty and like you should not wear jewelry and like women need to walk with their purse not facing the road 'cause they like come on motorcycles and like whooosh rip it from the shoulder like that's 'cause of the high crime rate 'cause they have so much poverty there like it's sad but hey but Rio Oh is so awesome like you can actually stay at a hotel near Copacabana and just walk to the beach like walk and hang out with a Mai Tai like it was so awesome it was like paradise and like can I sign you for the carpet measuring like it's free if you sign up until July 29th like you can take samples now and bring them back in 5 days oh and flying in Portugal to the islands like I kid you not it was like this little airplane that had 24 people like the engines sounded like a washing machine I kid you not this small I was like Oh No so should I sign you up for the free measurement 'cause usually it's $100 but it's free if you sign for it until July 29th - -
Like, Advil, anyone?
Labels: People, This Old House
Saturday, July 21, 2007
A Thousand Words - And Then Some #11
For a change, some imported humor that will not be lost in translation:
For the Hebrew-challenged:
The kid's T-shirt says:
- - - - - "How am I behaving?
- - - - - - Call now [phone number]"
The kid's T-shirt says:
- - - - - "How am I behaving?
- - - - - - Call now [phone number]"
Sent by Lilush.
Labels: Meta Bloggin', People
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tough Cookies
You know, every now and then, I actually manage to convince myself that I've seen everything, or at least most of it. After all, I am here for over 5 years!
And yet....
Today, after finally getting my car back from the garage, where she spent 3 days (3 days!!!), and got herself a brand new water pump and thermostat and center vent unit and the back brake light fixed per VW recall (let's not talk of how much it all cost... money is not everything), I cheerfully went shopping in my favorite Trader Joe's.
There I was, with my little basket, skipping among the shelves like a Red Riding Hood, catching up on groceries and looking for something sweet to have at home for times of craving. Something sweet and yet not too harmful for the figure and conscience - - - Aha! That would be Lady Fingers!
Looked all over, poked around the baked goods, dismissing with a critical look all the fatty cookies and the chocolate covered goods - nothing.
One of the guys who work there was busying himself restocking the bread shelf. I must have looked lost and desperate, as he turned to me and asked "Can I help you find something?". (that's one thing I like about Trader Joe's - they don't Ma'am you).
"I can't find Lady Fingers. Where would they be?", I shared my pondering with him.
"Oh", he said, looking at me a bit weird. "They are seasonal".
"Seasonal????". (that would be a very surprised crescendo on my account)
"Yes. Seasonal", he repeated patiently, being used to dumb customers who are not familiar with the seasons and local produce. "They'll be back towards end of November".
Yeah, makes sense... Sure.... Even, Duh!?
Y'see, Lady Fingers, due to their delicate and dissolving nature, don't like the harsh summer heat. The rare Lady Fingers bushes blossom towards April, perfuming the air with their exotic aroma of eggs and sugar-powder, and reaching full bloom in May. Come July, they just wilt away, swooning with faint sighs. Too hot for the dainty petals, I presume. As in, "I'm a lady"
Then, as October arrives, summoning cool winds and bestowing us with scents of first rain, the flowers that hibernated all summer come to life, turn into long fruit that reach their peak at mid-November, get hand-picked by California virgins at the break of dawn, as the dew is still glistening on the pinkish heart-shaped lady-like leaves, and after being carefully peeled and preciously packed, we get to have them, fresh and crisp and alluring.
SEASONAL COOKIES?????
WTF???
Until the right season, I got some chocolate-covered biscotti.
. .
.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
OK, Who Was It?
'cause I know for a fact that one of you washed their car yesterday. (*)
Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that it's raining here today???
July 18th- - - and it's raining.
In California.
Makes no sense at all.
But it's so cool - well, literally as well.
Feels weird to suddenly have the sensation of first rain, with the fresh scents of wet soil and happy flowers and clean air and perfect visibility. It's giving the illusion of a new season for a couple of hours, shaking you out of the it's-too-warm-to-do-anything mood.
And so, after way too long a time, I'm going to paint now!
(*) Can't be me. I have the perfect alibi - my car is in the garage, getting some new fancy-priced parts, 'cause some weird-named thingy is not doing whatever it needs to be doing, and thus the water pump and thermostat are being replaced. As well the air vent unit. Plus a VW recall for a break light.
Labels: Nature
Thursday, July 12, 2007
One Year Of Blogging - A Colorful Retrospect
Indeed, exactly one year ago, I finally surrendered to The JohnnyB's constant nudging to open an account on this blogger.com thingy and start posting.
My bashful debut to the blogosphere might be considered by some as cheating, as I published something I wrote 7 month before, but - hey, I was young and foolish then. Took me more than 3 months to publish my second post - and from then on, slowly by slowly, addiction took place, to the point that I did nothing but blog anything that moved. I even had to come up with an ArtPact in order to make sure I do not neglect my art. (Hey - it worked; I have 24 ArtPact posts to prove it).
I also got into the habit of checking out other bloggers' pearls of wisdom, and even made several, Hmm, it feels weird to use this word, but it does feel right: friends, whom I have never met, but am still hoping that maybe, some day...
Looking back and reminiscing with nostalgic moisture in my eye on the past year, I can't really define what my blog is about. Someone asked me about it on the 4th of July BBQ we had at TexieD. Someone else (might have been Scooter) said "She is blogging about anything that comes to her mind", while another kind soul added, "...and since she is an artist, that means any subject in the world". Yup, I guess that's pretty much it. mine is not a vehement socio-political blog that's trying to change the world, not is it a purely-art blog. I never got the "Thinking Blog Award", so I guess it doesn't make people get all wrinkly in the forehead when they read it.
So - what am I?
How do I answer this existential pondering?
The JohnnyB suggests - with a typical smile - that I am an eclectic blogger. Sounds better than "well, I dunno", so I'll go with that.
And hey, bear in mind that English is not my first language, so this blog takes some sweat for the Hebrew-speaking-writing-reading me. I have to say that some of the people who know me here, started to look at me differently since they started reading my blog, as "we never knew you can write so well!". Yeah. That's the problem with being an immigrant - when I talk, what I am saying in masked by my accent (as charming as it may be) and constant stops to think and translate in my mind. When I write, you do not hear my accent, Eh? Except for occasional mistakes, that amuse The JohnnyB above and beyond any reasonable level. (To be fair, I am far more amused by the mistakes he makes I Hebrew. Plus, I am amused much more often ;-)
In my first months of blogging, I used to feel very strongly about friends who did not leave comments (I even had a furious post about that!). However, with time, I realized that blogging is not about that at all. Somehow, it's not less rewarding to get comments from strangers and connect to new people, make my own little readers club and join others, so I became a much friendlier person to be around. Some friends complain that they do not like this "blog-stuff", that they liked it much more when I used to send what I wrote via Emails, that now they need to open a browser and click in order to read it - - - Ah well... life is indeed hard. And unfair.
I tried different things, established different corners like my ArtPact, the trademarked Little Lunch For Thought, or Sentence of The Month, and went through some trials and errors, (like the public Happy Birthday that turned out to be a big, huge mistake, as I suddenly had to do it for everyone I've ever met. I stopped doing that back in January, with an exception for The JohnnyB and myself. So, if you are a good friend and did not get this kind of a Happy Birthday, only a personal one, via Email - it's not because I don't love you anymore. If you are not a good friend, Oooohh, look at the time...).
I find it funny that The JohnnyB is the one who got me into blogging, and then complained that I over-blog, and nowadays he rarely graces his diminishing circle of readers with a blog now and then, which is a shame.
As other bloggers attend to do, I tried to think which was the most popular blog, or my best creation so far. Not quite sure how to judge it. If it's by the number of comments, then - by far - the leading one is "The Bare Truth 'bout The Bare Hands", that got 34 comments and opened a door for some fascinating debates. Hmm, since half the comments on that post are my responses, it might not be quite a good indicator after all.
So I wonder - do you have a favorite? *
.
..
* No pressure - I am not sure myself which is my favorite.
Labels: Birthday, It's All About Me, Major Achievements
Monday, July 09, 2007
Art That Matters
Being the cynical person that I am, I usually treat touchy-feely Emails with a grain of disdain. You get so many of them, mostly badly written, trying to pinch the chords of your soul so you distribute it to all your mailing list and contribute to the amount of SPAM in the world.
I felt the same when I opened this one, but decided to click on the link anyway, just for the heck of it.
What can I say... it spoke to me, big time. Maybe 'cause it made me think there are things I could utilize my art for. Things that really do matter, and are the important ones, at the end of the day.
That's one admirable woman. And artist.
Sent by KarenD - thanks for sharing!
Labels: Art, Making a Difference, Meta Bloggin', People, Wow
Saturday, July 07, 2007
On Pointer Duty
The JohnnyB has posted another one.
Prius owners - brace yourselves...
Labels: Damn Technology, Driving, Meta Bloggin', Ode to other blogs
Friday, July 06, 2007
A Little Lunch For Thought (TM) #8 - Followup
It's always amusing when you do something truly lame to work around the mighty system - - - and it actually works.
This is my blog rating now, following my verbal protest in my previous post:
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
dead (6x) bomb (2x) fart (1x)
Now I can sit and reminisce about the good old days when I was rated G, in boring white. I think I shall stop here, and not pursue CherkyB's status, distinguished as it may be.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I shall go and get a life.
previous little lunch... ...next little lunch
Labels: Damn Technology, Little Lunch for Thought, Major Achievements, WTF?
A Little Lunch For Thought (TM) #8
So, after the Cadaver Calculator, and the fascinating quiz that measures your chances to survive a zombie apocalypse (as seen on Silly Humans), I checked the Mingle2 site, to see what other quirky quizzes they have. You can't blame a girl for getting the urge to find answers to some burning existential questions which I am sure we all have.
I went for the intriguing one titled "What's My Blog Rated?", and, Alas, that's what I came up with:
It's actually quite hilarious, that they base their rating on words found in your blog.
In my case, they reprimanded me:
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: dead (3x).
So, like a good scientist, I explored further, and checked some of my favorite blogs, just to find that mine, Rhonda's and MichaelBains' are almost the only ones rated as such. In fact, they even went ahead and exclaimed that "No bad words were found" on MichaelBains' blog, while Rhonda's Blog - listen to this! - has the word bomb one time. Ah, Rhonda, you wicked, wicked girl!
Hey, even Blogauthor's and Blueberry's are rated PG!!!
Well, this screwed-up result freaked the hell out of me.
Like, WTF?
OK now, here we go:
- - - Dead.
- - - - - - Bomb.
- - - - - - - - - Fart. (the latter got The JohnnyB a place of honor amongst the PG rated blogs, so I might as well try it too).
OK, now can I get upgraded to PG. maybe even PG-13?
(Yup, you guessed right - that's the rating of CherkyB's blog. What a surprise, Eh?)
previous little lunch... ...next little lunch
Labels: Damn Technology, Little Lunch for Thought, Meta Bloggin', WTF?
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
ArtPact #24
Yestersay, I finally got over my block with FergieJ's collage, which I started 10 days ago and have been gracefully avoiding the subject ever since. I did continue it, but only to a certain extent, and it just sat there in my studio, giving me this I-am-not-finished provoking look.
Last Saturday, we had WackieM's last class (no need to sob - there's a good chance she'll be giving another 6-session monthly class, only this time it won't require going all the way north, but rather involve going south to QuiltieD's spacious house, which is only a 30-minute drive away).
WackieM gave us our summer assignment: each of us should look at the works of her favorite painters (yup, the sad fact is that we're only women in this class), and paint portraits as if they painted it, trying to imitate their style. It's a bit like all those artists you see at museums, standing with an easel and a beret and copying a painting. 'What's the point!?', you wonder?. Well, it's considered to be an incredible art lesson, as it forces you to really study how the painter approached and solved the problems in that painting. WackieM is taking it one step further: instead of copying a painting (which, to me, is kinda boring, plus I will look silly in a beret), we are to imitate the style with our own image. We started it in class, trying to do a portrait in the style of David Levine, a fantastic figurative painter. It wasn't the ideal setting for such a task, as we only had one book to look at, and his work was very new to us, so at some point, I just decided to use the earth-tone colors that are typical to him, and see what I can come up with.It was fun to paint again, after 2 months of collaging, and I kinda like the sketchy result, (even if it does have a somewhat Neanderthal look to it...). I am looking forward to this summer assignment - should be tons of fun to do!!
And, last evening, I finally worked seriously on finishing the collage, and photographed it this morning.
Again, the color gets quite screwed up in the photo. Apparently, in a collage the effect is even worse than in a painting.
And yet: Voila!
"At The Drawing Table", Collage on matboard, 14"x21"
Not sure it's 100% done, but it's close to the point of looking complete. It's a real fun one to work on.
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