Wednesday, May 06, 2009
ArtPact #84: Taking the Scenic Road
Do you ever feel that force majeure is getting the way of settling on a planned route? You go on the freeway with a destination in mind, and suddenly you see an exit that calls for you, and you take it, surrendering to your gut feeling? . . .
(to continue reading, click here)
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Labels: Art, ArtPact, Family, Vacation
Friday, March 13, 2009
ArtPact #81: Of Values and Emotional Value
I know I've made this statement about quite a few paintings, and then got distracted by another image that excited me. But here I go again: this may be the beginning of a new series.
My sister has been going though our parents apartment, and sent me batches of scanned family photos that awash me with waves of nostalgia. One photo in particular had a special compelling effect on me. A photo of my grandfather. It was taken by my father about 50 years ago, which means no Photoshop or any form of cropping was applied. And yet, it has a close-to-perfect composition, brilliant division of space, interesting big shapes - and beyond that, it captures a quiet moment of self-indulgent. I feel in love with this photo, and it haunted me for weeks. Being a photo of my grandfather whom I've never met (he passed away before I was born) taken by my father who's also gone, doubles its emotional value, converting trying to turn it into a painting into a daunting task.
(to continue reading, click here)
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Friday, December 12, 2008
'Tis the Season #2
Sent by Myrna (thank you!!!) and had to be shared with the world.
So - what are you getting for the holidays?
Labels: Creativity of Others, Damn Technology, Family, Faux Pas, Holidays, Meta Bloggin', Ouch, People
Monday, December 08, 2008
'Tis the Season #1
It seems that everyone is running around in frenzy these days. The parking lots are full of killer drivers, stores are packed people on gift quests, family visits are in the horizon - and there's an edginess in the air, a higher susception to cranky sprees, and - needless to say - this cheery spirit is getting to us all.
So, I figured that as a service to the public, I'd remind y'all (and us'all) of these simple rules of survival.
The first one was sent to me by David (thanks!). I found the second one and added it for balance, harmony, contrast - name your favorite design relationship...
And the counterpoint:
Labels: Creativity of Others, Culture, Damn Technology, Family, Holidays, Meta Bloggin', People, Profoundness
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Sentence of the Year 2007
The JohnnyB and I were having one of those conversations this evening, and it became quite profound and deep, dare I say on the verge of philosophical.
Bear in mind that when you have a true Minnesotan for a spouse, this kind of dialogue happens once in a blue moon. (And not just any blue, mind you; Manganese Blue!).
And due to that rarity, I was trying to get the most out of it.
At some point, I asked with sheer frustration, "So, I want to understand: why do you always have to be so damn logical???".
The JohnnyB replied, "because I don't like to lose control of my - - - "
" - - - emotions?", I interrupted (hey - I'm an Israeli. When we pledge allegiance, we make a solemn commitment to never ever let anyone finish a sentence!)
"No", he continued patiently, "I don't like to lose control of my state of mind", and - hesitating - he pondered, "Um... is that the same as emotions?"
And so, to y'all who wonder why so many of my paintings have women with this look in their eyes - I hereby rest my case.
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Labels: Art, ArtPact, Family, People, Profoundness, Sentence of The Month, Wonders of The JohnnyB
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
ArtPact #76 - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman?
These days, my sister is going through our parents apartment in Jerusalem (No, not New Jerusalem, OH... the original Jerusalem. Like, the real one).
The long process of sorting through everything, keeping what needs to be cherished and saying goodbye to the rest. It's highly emotional, and a big part of letting go.
Being here, I only participate over the phone and emails. . .
(to continue reading, click here)
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Labels: Art, ArtPact, Damn Technology, Family, It's All About Me
Monday, May 19, 2008
Boilin'
As I mentioned in the previous post, a visitor from Israel is on her way to us as I write: my one and only sister, whom I haven't seen in a year.
First time in the US, she stopped in NYC to see the wonders of the Big Apple and get acquainted to Dr. Pepper (a discovery that made her very excited, and I believe by now she's hopelessly addicted to this red stuff).
She is our very first visitor who is not The JohnnyB related, but my own blood. It's about time, and yes, I am excited. She is coming for four weeks, and JimmyB (the JohnnyB's brother) totally freaked when he heard that number. He reacted by almost choking, then got into a chant, "Did you say four weeks? FOUR?? wow, four weeks... y'know, four weeks is a very long time. VERY long. Four weeks - I mean, three weeks is a long time, but four - whew, that's a long visit. Four weeks is really a very long time". Eventually, I somehow sensed that he is, kinda, trying to subtly hint that a four week visit might be long, but I'm not quite sure yet. I may have been wrong. He was so genuinely horrified, that I assured him that when we visit them, we'll only come for, say, three and a half weeks. I dunno why he started crying...
Anyway - it all depends who the guest is. Sometimes, a two-day visit can seem like an eternity in hell, while a month's visit can pass too quickly. And, since my sister is my best friend, I am not worried.
Would have been much better if I hadn't been knocked down most of last week with this miserable virus, because - as a result, The JohnnyB and I spent the better part of the weekend frantically preparing the house for her arrival. Whenever we have a visitor, we try to make the guest room as inviting and cozy as can be. Now, converting a den into a guest room is enough work as it is; but this time, we also had to slave in the kitchen.
Because my sister keeps kosher.
And because we, hmm... don't.
And the world of Jewish kosherness is oh so endlessly intricate.
For us, it started with a whole lot of shopping for pans.And plates.
And flatware (just learned this word yesterday!!).
Oh, and spatulas.
And wooden spoons.
Oooops - and cutting boards.
And knives.
And an additional set of flatware.
And containers for leftovers.
And . . .
The domino effect is extreme, as you keep realizing you need more and more stuff... you go through the motions of cooking one meal in your head in order to figure out what will be needed for the big production, and you just go nuts!
Now, add to it all the fact that you need two of everything - one for dairy, one for meat (*).
To prevent us from qualifying for the stimulus package, we stopped the shopping frenzy at pots. The JohnnyB spent 3 hours this morning baptizing all our precious Calphalon pots and a bunch of plates and utensils in boiling waters in order to make them fit for the non-shellfish eater - he even has the burns to prove it! (hmm... maybe baptizing is the wrong word under such circumstances?).
While he was boiling the hell out of everything, we also created separate areas to assure that dairy and meat never ever meet again in public (for the next month, that is), and invested quality time in more riveting activities (such as trying to find kosher chicken and figuring out what fish are OK and which are unmentionable. No sturgeon, and alas - no clam chowder in San Francisco. Can you imagine visiting Pier 39 without trying this mandatory dish? or a crab salad?).
For two atheists (actually, only one; The JohnnyB claims to be an Agnostic), doing all this seems, well, y'know... but we are still doing it, as my sister is one of the very few people who actually deserves this kind of pain-in-the-butt preparations (Yes, she is this amazing!).
But hey - I reserve the right to whine about it... and my friends here are having a field day on my account. The always-supportive MembieK assured me that my entertainment value has increased significantly in the past week or so.
And so, after this laborious weekend, The JohnnyB and I had the last supper (well, sort of) of his signature pasta and shrimp. So long, sweet pink critters - till June 16th...
(*) For those of you who are befuddled by the dairy-meat thingy, here's a little story (which I am sure is true) of what was the original humane intent, and how it got overanalyzed and complicated. And, while you're enjoying this little bit of invaluable information, I'll continue to do the last minute cleaning and stuff. She lands in less than 3 hours!!!
God: "Moses, do whatever the hell you want......."A dialogue while Moses is at the top of Mount Sinai:
God: "And remember, Moses, in the laws of keeping Kosher, never cook a calf in its mother's milk. It is cruel."
Moses: "Ohhhhhh! So you are saying we should never eat milk and meat Together."
God: "No, what I'm saying is, never cook a calf in its mother's milk. It IS cruel."
Moses: "Oh, Lord, forgive my ignorance. What you are really saying is we should wait six hours after eating meat to eat milk so the two are not in our stomachs."
God: "No, Moses, what I'm saying is, don't cook a calf in it's mother's milk. IT'S CRUEL!!!"
Moses: "Oh, Lord! Please don't strike me down for my stupidity! What you mean is we should have a separate set of dishes for milk and separate set for meat and if we make a mistake we have to bury that dish outside...."
And so, that is how it all started...
Labels: Culture, Desecration, Family, Food, People
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Little Lunch For Thought (TM) #13
I moved here over six years, and never had a visitor.
Sounds like an inmate in a high-security prison, I know.
Now, don't get me wrong - we've had quite a few guests in our house, but always from the groom's side. When I wanted to see my family - it was me who got on a plane and made the endless journey to the holy land, being rewarded with a jetlag and a growing sense of all-over-again detachment every time I boarded the plane back to the US.
Complaining?
Moi??
Well, yes.
There is a painful catch in visiting your homeland once a year, as everything seems to depend on that short visit. Family, friends, places - the smallest thing that goes wrong casts a dark shadow; incidents that could be laughed away over a cup of coffee the day after (if you had the luxury of meeting the people you love on a regular basis), get overblown, and - unless mended immediately - cause damage; if someone is having a bad day when you visit - you cannot always set another day to meet, so you either give it up or have a bad experience that gets burnt in the memoirs from that trip.
Also, when you visit, you are the one on vacation (allegedly). You are all excited and full of good will to see and meet and spend time and - - - and soon enough you realize that others do not necessarily share this goodwill, as they are not on vacation. They work, they have a headache, they need to take the car to the garage, they have their daily things to attend to, they may be in the midst of a crappy time at work or in life, or they just don't have the time and mental bandwidth for you. And although they kept chanting "when-are-you-coming-when-are-you-coming-when-are-you-coming-when-are-you-coming-when-are-you-coming" - they actually can't be bothered right now.
That is when frustration strikes.
Like, you broke your own routine, put aside your own activities in order to go visit at a time that's convenient for everyone, spent all that money, went through those endless lines in security and all, did all that traveling (24 hours door to door, if you really wanna know) - and whatever for?
Yup, it sucks.
Distance in mileage and time changes perspective, for better or worse. I now know which relationships will last even if we keep meeting only once in a while, and I am learning to accept that others were just not strong enough, maybe conditioned on time and availability. It's painful, and the sense of loss keeps accumulating with every relationship that switches to the past tense - especially since you do not really get a replacement. Y'see, it's not easy to be the new kid when you're over 40. Everyone is already set in their own lives and families and friends, and you are the one seeking new connections. Add to that not fully understanding the culture and the cryptic dance of "soooooooo nice to meet you let's do lunch sometime" (I admit - I still don't get it!) - and you are set for many, many disappointments. Even if you were a social butterfly with a ring of truly incredible friends back home, you are not guaranteed to replicate it when you immigrate. Far from it.
Did I mention it sucks?
And it takes several years to realize that you're trapped in this limbo: living here too many years to still belong in your homeland, and not yet feeling that you belong here. Actually, you start wondering if you ever will. The past year or two have generously provided me with some very cold showers to increase this sense of wonder.
It's a rude and painful awakening (allow me to cheerfully overuse the word sucks, yet again), but I guess it's part of growing up. Yet another lesson. I can only hope that I will find my niche here, even if right now it seems unlikely. Oh yes, some days, pessimism rocks!
Every visit back home used to throw me off track, emphasizing all the above again and again, and it gets harder to readjust every time I come back.
Until my mom passed away, exactly two years ago, I visited at least once a year, as she was not able to make the trip. But last year I decided that need to think of myself, for a change. I thus announced to my family that from now on, the sky is open both ways; amazingly enough, there are flights from Israel to the USA as well, and it's time for some reciprocation.
And so -
- - - - - - -- - - - - the first swallow is arriving tomorrow!!!
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Labels: Acculturation, Culture, Family, It's All About Me, Little Lunch for Thought, People, Venting
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Definition of Distress
I believe y'all remember Tal, the cool dude who captured The JohnnyB in a heartbeat. We now call him Taltul, as he is so incredibly adorable. Oh yes, he's still cool. Very. He is now 15 months old, chasing his older brother (Nitz) all around the house and acting like a real dude.
Until... last week Nitz got his revenge, once and for all.
First, bear with me while I present a short cross-culture lesson.
Here we go: in Israel we do not clean the floor with those fancy spongy mops that pop up here in Target every day. Y'see, we simply do not believe in smearing the dirt all around... Instead, we pour water with detergent from a bucket (most floors in Israel are tile) and then collect them with a big squeegee (called magav in Hebrew). Once this is done, we dry the floor with a clean floor cloth. When I just arrived here and gave this TLC to our kitchen floor (it also works on vinyl), The JohnnyB was stunned to see how clean and bright it actually was underneath all the layers of, well, mopping. Sadly, you can't get a magav in the US, so it's a good thing I listened to the movers and brought one with me when I shipped my stuff here.
End of lesson.
Last week Nitz decided to act as if he is cleaning the floor, grabbed one Magav and started dancing around with it very happily.
Being the sweetheart that he is, he thought he should share the joy with his younger bro, Taltul, grabbed a second Magav and gave it to him - - -
- - - and perhaps for the first time in his life, Taltul the mini-Lionheart got scared out of his mind.
My sister who was lucky to witness this, reports that he just stood there forever, looking at the thing all the way up and back down, not daring to move his feet even an eighth of an inch, and wearing the most distressful expression on his face.
He had no clue what to do with this baton - and yet felt obliged to hold on to it as if that is the last straw; as if once he lets go, global warming will instantly commence and all species would become extinct in a second. (except for ants and idiots, that is. Those will thrive forever). Alas, so much responsibility on the shoulders of such a little guy.
And so he stood like that totally freaked out and scared shitless for a minute or two, and soon came to the inevitable brilliant conclusion he'll have to spend his whole life holding on to that strange thing that was bestowed upon his custody for guardianship until someone else steps up to take it from him - and what are the odds of that happening? (hmm... that's exactly how I feel sometimes since I became the president of our art organization. I fully and absolutely relate to his agony!!!).
Eventually, realizing he is doomed to a fate more tragic than Sisyphus' and heavier than Atlas', Taltul burst into (very manly) tears.
Of course, being related to me, my sister (the loving grandma) and my niece (the loving mom) did not rush to help him. No way. My sister hollered for my niece to come out of the shower and grab a camera, and thus it was documented. Knowing them, I am sure they were also laughing their heads off (hence the blurry photos).
Apparently, the one who came to his rescue was Nitz, who took the magav and set his little brother free. Only then could he breathe again. And I am told that later, when Nitz tried to deposit the magav in his hands, Taltul shook his head and his body in the most expressive 'NO WAY' ever recorded in the history of mankind.
After days of begging, my niece agreed to share the photos, and I just had to create this slide show to commemorate it.
Taltul is too young to be embarrassed by this, but one day, when he grows up...
Labels: Family, Movies, People, Profoundness
Thursday, August 23, 2007
See Under: HAPPY
Remember my great-nephew Tal, the little tongue-sticking mate of The JohnnyB's?
Well, about 2.5 months have passed, and I just got an updated photo of him.
He's been busy during that time: got himself some nice tan, grew some hair, lost a chin or two, learned to sit, and is obviously in complete bliss about the world in general.
As we say in my family: "Eize Shosho!"
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The 5th (Beethoven's And Ours)
Today is our fifth wedding anniversary.
Yes, The JohnnyB and I got married 5 years ago, on the nice sunny Friday of August 16th, 2002. It was the happy ending of the JohNava saga (of which I started to write here).
What are we doing to celebrate this glorious day? Hmm, nothing really...
The JohnnyB is returning this evening from a conference in Oregon, where he presented a paper he wrote, so he will probably be dead tired. And his laptop crashed during the conference, so he'll also be pissed off. We may be having an informal dinner with Scooter (who's also returning from the very same conference) and his wife and daughter. but I hear The JohnnyB has spread the joy of his sore ruby throat to Scooter, so that's probably out.
Five years. Impressive milestone. Well, it is for me. I didn't make it to five years in my first marriage, and my relationship after that has also lasted less than 5 years (due to a devastating force majeure). So this is quite an achievement.
Now, what does one post on such a day? A day that makes one think and reminisce, recall all the ups and downs, joy and frustration, smiles and grimaces that characterize a marriage, particularly a mixed marriage (and ours is mixed in almost every sense: language, mentality, culture, nationaltiy, religion, gender, character, eye-color - you name it!)?
While cleaning my overloaded mailbox yesterday (reduced it from over 500 messages to under 50!!!), I stumbled upon this movie sent to me a while ago by Amir (Thank You!!).
I think this fits the occasion perfectly, brilliantly capturing it all.
Which reminds me:
A couple of years ago, a friend asked me, "So, when you and The JohnnyB argue, do you do it in English or Hebrew?"
"Ah", I replied graciously, "but you see, we never argue!"
And with that self-delusion, I shall now take the fifth.
Labels: Birthday, Family, Major Achievements, Meta Bloggin'
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". Labels: Culture, Family, Meta Bloggin', People
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A Thousand Words - And Then Some #10
Presenting to you The JohnnyB, and his newest buddy, Tal. They met 3 weeks ago, in Modiin, Israel.I could see how the polite way in which he chose to greet The JohnnyB (his grand-uncle, mind you), might lead you to think that Tal is of a Maori descent, but you are wrong.
He is 8 months old, the younger brother of the 2-year-old Nitzku, and - by theory of relativity, these pictures clearly show that he is not the tiniest baby born in Israel, or anywhere else, for that matter.
The JohnnyB was totally captured by this amazingly lovable multifold baby (well, like the Michelin man, this adorable dude is all made of folds), and Tal fell for The JohnnyB in a heartbeat. The kid was beyond ecstatic to be upgraded to the arms of the new grand-uncle, and be raised above anyone else. The two guys bonded immediately, with Tal persistently trying to pluck the hair and beard off The JohnnyB's face, while the latter constantly examining with admiration the pillows of fat on Tal's feet. Another significant advantage was the fact that neither of them speaks fluent Hebrew, and - while an obstacle with my other family members - it did not stand in the way of their amity.
The alert viewer will notice that Tal is not smiling. It's not that he is a gloomy baby, On the contrary, he is one of the happiest babies I've seen. He is simply way too cool for spreading smiles all over. His usual expression is very serious and intensely concentrated, and he breaks the heart of anyone who tries to baby-talk him into softening up, by giving them this "Ah, C'mon, would you stop this pathetic childish act already!?".
See, I brought him an incredibly cute toy, a plush elephant that you can stuff things in and take them out and put them in again and take them out and - - - Hey, this bloody toy won several awards, and is really, REALLY cool!!! And so, when I presented the gift to Tal, all the adults in my family, as well as the older kids (ages 2 to 5 year) responded with sheer enthusiasm. As for Tal, well... (Ah, it still hurts when I think of it), he gave it a brief look, (out of courtesy, I suppose, as he's a nice guy), gave me a look that I can only describe as a mixture of pity and surprise, with a touch of refined disdain, and proceeded to play with the impressive set of trucks I got for the 2-year-old Nitzku, his older brother. This is one tough little person.
Actually, at some point, he did grace The JohnnyB with one very rare smile, but even LumiB wasn't fast enough to capture this astonishing fleeting moment.
So, this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Here's a series of photos that I refer to as "Dude, what's wrong with your watch?".
We don't go Awwwwwwwwww in Israel, but we came pretty close...
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Labels: Family, Photohgraphy, Vacation, Wonders of The JohnnyB
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
ArtPact #21
I'm back.
- - - We're back.
Landed Monday morning, after a very long last day in Israel and two endless flights (never, EVER take the morning flight from Newark to San Francisco! NEVER!!!! It's full of elite-status business travelers, namely selfish pretentious smug jerks who take all the space with their enormous multiple carry-ons and you end up being forced to check-in your carry-on with the precious and fragile stuff you carefully put in it. WTF happened to "one normal-sized carry-on bag per person", Eh???).
We're now working on recovering from the jetlag. The JohnnyB woke up at 3:15am yesterday, improved with waking at 4:30am today (and hopefully will reach normal time by next week...), while I seem to be doing fine, so far, waking up around 6:30am or 7am, and even that is just 'cause The JohnnyB is waking me to say Goodbye before leaving to work.
Our visit was filled with family, Hebrew, places, wonderful food, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat coffee (Ah, nothing like Arcafe!!!). We even had great beer at the Golan Brewery (I leave it to The JohnnyB to blog about this one).
On the other hand, it turned out into one of those visits that became family-confined, and so, unfortunately, of all the wonderful friends I have there, we only met with two couples. :-(
Lesson to be learned for the next visit.
Anyway - in a previous ArtPact, I said I created a collage that I could not post. I made it for my sister, from a photo of her with her very first grandson, when he was 10 days old (this tiny baby is now a very sweet bright 4.5 years old). I gave it to her the first day I arrived to Israel, and - here it is, soon to be framed and hung on her wall.
Hey, I can now say that my art is collected internationally... ;-)
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Labels: Art, ArtPact, Family, Vacation
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Blue & White Blogging
So here I am, catching up for a short hour in front of the computer.
It's my sixth day here in Israel, and I am finally over the jetlag (well, 90% over it), which was terribly annoying this time.
It's weird, how fast you get used to the surreal reality here. It's a hot season now. In the sense of the weather (we're having a heat wave today) as well as the situation - missiles on the southern town of Sderot, events in Gaza, and life goes on, as that is how it is.
Brings a lot of thoughts: here I am, in the promised land, and - - - what exactly was the promise?
Ah, but it's too hot today for profoundness and serious inspection of how and when and will all this end.
I'm again at the emotional whirlpool that accompanies seeing my family after a year. It's great on one hand, but on the other, you want so much to make the most out of this short time, that you are bound to fail and get disappointed. What can I say, I know this is how most Americans live, meeting parents/offsprings/siblings et al only once a year, but it sucks, big time, and I am agonizing over it.
The gifts I have spent so much energy and thought to get were received with great enthusiasm by my great-nephews, so I got some serious points from the little guys.
I am now at the really cool apartment of my niece, totally in love with her youngest son, the 7-month old Tal, who is as tough and cool as you can get, making the Michelin baby look slim and hungry, meticulously measuring the amount of smiles he is willing to let escape his perfectly-drawn tiny mouth, and singing himself to sleep with lullabys composed of a variety of grunts and complaining squeaks. His older brother, the famous Nitzku, has grown to an adorable and opinionated guy who is starting his Terrible-Two age, which constantly swings between amusing to driving-you-crazy, and provides major entertainment. I have already sketched Tal in his sleep, but am too lazy to upload it to the computer and provide an ArtPact. Same goes for the other photos I took so far, mostly in the picturesque market in Jerusalem. which has changed quite a bit since I lived there, and has become a very trendy place to be.
Going back to my sister's tomorrow (she's now in bed with a throat infection, complaining that we all ran away from her bacteria and her willingness to share the pain).
All in all, the food is fresh and incredible, coffee is exquisite, the air smells familiar, and my English has pretty much vanished by now (at least the spoken one). And yet, now .and then, I do find myself missing friends in the US, my studio, some fellow-artists... which opens another stream of thoughts: where is home now?
But, as I said - it's too hot for that.
And I take back my optimistic statement about my jetlag going away. If only!!!
Friday, May 18, 2007
ArtPact #20
Side by side with the creativity spree that I got into - I am gradually starting to get more in the pre-trip-frenzy mood.
I spent hours in toy stores this past week, trying to find the most perfect gifts for my great-nephews. (I have 5 great-nephews. Yes, great-nephews, as in offsprings of my two nephews and one niece. And no, I am not 80 years old. Five great-nephews. 4 boys and one girl. That means 5 gifts!). This quest for the holy gift is exhausting - especially when I know that the toys are likely to be ignored, and the boxes and gift receipts will be played with for generations...
I am down to one last gift to get, for the oldest of them (a 4.5 year-old), who is crazy about Spiderman and the Ninjas, but I Refuse to get into this hype (OK, one T-shirt), so I am trying find a fun game for him.
All this, plus creating a flyer for the upcoming show of our critique group, plus the need to frame two paintings, one for that show, and the other for another show, plus the fact I have not yet even started to pack - do not quite contribute to my peace of mind and serenity these days, and I feel that I really need to shorten my To-Do list by actually doing some of the tasks on it, before I can leisurely sit in my studio and enjoy the creation of another collage (which is what I am dying to do!!).
And tomorrow I have another portrait workshop with WackieM!!!
Anyway - - - last week I decided it's time to choose a painting for an upcoming show, themed "Summer Days". I picked one of my "Christina" series (the 20- paintings I created the second time I took the Watercolor Beyond The Obvious class). I was sooooooooooooooo proud of it a year ago, but now it looked wimpy, unfinished, hesitant and very very wrong.
I knew it needed more work.
And so, about a year after I created it, I put the painting back on the easel, worked on it here and there. . .
. . . four days later, it turned out as this:
"Global Warming", Watercolor on W/N CP Paper, 29" x 21"
Which I like. A lot!
It's really cool to look at the before version with nostlagic reminiscing of where I was then, and then, from the after, get a sense of where I am today, and the journey I have traveled in between.
And speaking of traveling, time to run (yet again) to yet another toy store, and then mat and frame this painting, which - as y'all know - I dread.
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Sentence of The Month: May
After a great dinner, courtesy of the JohnnyB, we had a lengthy discussion about the difficulties that my beloved sister is having with a certain game-playing bitch (yup, amazingly enough, those exist even in the promised Land of Milk and Honey! Who'd have thunk!?).
We sat outside on the patio, watching the heat waves go by (it's been soooooooooooo damn hot here in the last couple of days!!), while our resident freaky carpenter bee keeps trying to become my new best friend.
After that, we washed the dishes, I vented a bit more, and then retired to my studio, my head still occupied with all the incredible insights The JohnnyB has provided.
I kept thinking how wonderful it is to have such conversations with him, and - with this in mind - I came out of my studio (anything, ANYTHING to postpone facing an empty new sheet of paper!), and stepped into the living room, where The JohnnyB was already watching 'The Sopranos'.
"Thank you", I said with genuine appreciation. "It is so sweet that you care so much! You really do care, don't you?"
"Of course I care!!", he said, all the kindness in the world in his benevolent eyes. "Uhm... care about what!?...."
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... never in the history of mankind has a man gained so many points - and then lost them all in a fraction of a second.
Curiosity killed the cat, and sheer honesty is killing any chances of The JohnnyB's to get credit.
Ever.
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Labels: Family, Sentence of The Month, Wonders of The JohnnyB
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
To Whom It May Concern...
As several of you have shown concern: No birds were harmed during the writing of this blogpost.
Just some rough moments.
- - - Well, hours . . .
- - - - - - - - . . . uhm, more like days . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - . . . OK - couple of weeks, when everything seemed too much to bear.
I was quite concerned, as I was obviously overreacting to every tiny stupid thing, until it suddenly hit me: I was probably reliving this exact time, a year ago!
And then, it all made sense.
It was a big "Duh!" revelation moment, which made me feel so much better; almost relieved; not at all happier, but I realized that feeling so low was very OK.
As, there was - and there still is - a reason.
This week, exactly one year ago (going by the Hebrew calendar - which I don't usually do), I was visiting my home land, watching my mom die in a surreal fast-slow motion, feeling, well, a whole variety of emotions, as you can imagine. Helplessness, weakness, orphan-ness, heartbreak, stupid silly hope, anger, regret, helplessness, missing, helplessness...
Five excruciating days of suffering and agony (well, I witnessed only five. My sister was there for many more).And then - after an endless terrible night that will forever stay with me, she was gone.
Two days after the Independence Day of Israel (which is today).
And I only figured it out on Sunday morning, as I was starting to prepare for our choral group's performance at the Israel Memorial Day ceremony.
Apparently, it was all subconscious. Herds of emotions running underneath the surface, without even one of them bothering to stop for a second, and inform me what is going on, clue me in, y'know, out of courtesy.
But emotions never do. It's part of their charm.
One year - went by so quickly, and yet, sometimes feels like it happened yesterday.
So, no birds were harmed.
Just one mother.
Mine.
A year ago.
- - -
Labels: Family
Monday, April 02, 2007
Sentence of The Month: April
He checked with me that the Seder is indeed tonight, and I reprimanded him that even The JohnnyB is a better Jew than he is.
Why's that funny? 'cause The JohnnyB is anything but.
To which 'RIK responded immediately, without even blinking:
"I think that The JohnnyB must have been abandoned by his real, Jewish parents and set adrift down the Rochester River in a basket made of reeds...
And why's that funny? 'cause it's the traditional story of Moses, who was set adrift on the Nile river in a basket and found by Pharaoh's daughter.
Pfffffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrr, it sucks having to explain everything to y'all.
Anyway, 'RIK's version of The JohnnyB's origins is quite intriguing, and might shed a new light on the lack of birth certificate that the INS was so upset about, as reported here.
previous Sentence of The Month... ...next Sentence of The Month
Labels: Family, Holidays, Sentence of The Month, Wonders of The JohnnyB
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
The Ultimate Insult
Sometimes, you can tell by the way your morning goes, that it's not gonna be a good day.
My loving and beloved sister persistently refuses to read my Blog.
"It's in English!", she reprimands, "why don't you translate it for me?".
No, Duh **
(** I do apologize for this futile link, but some people just trademark everything...).
?האם זיהיתיך בתמונה לפי מוקסינייך - תואמי שלי
For the readers who grew up in the country that keeps you unilingual, it basically means:
"Judging by the moccasins - is that you, my sister?
Now, that just hurts!
