Olive Oyl Zapatos de Terciopelos

This is Olive:

She is feral.  You will never see her.  She only likes me.

Today I was sitting in the chair in one room, and I heard her start crying in the other room, as she sometimes does.  All I had to do was lean forward, look out the doorway and say her name.  She looked over, brightened like the sun as if she hadn't seen me in weeks, and tail up dashed over to jump into my lap.

Oh, that look she gave me.  She is my Valentine.

Google Art Project

I noticed in the NY Times a critique about the Google Art Project. When I go on vacation, I try to plan my adventures around what painter I am interested in or what museum have I not been to, or not been to recently. (Philadelphia and Duchamp is next!)

I am enraptured now with this painting of Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh. The project allows me to do digitally what I long to do in person with a great painting, which is to get up very close, poke around a little with my eyes (and yes, I do long to touch it with my fingers! but I won't!)  to see the artist's hand and mind at work.  Look at Joseph's eyes - the remarkable shapes of the lids, that pinky-orange outline.  Compare the bluegreen of the irises to the deep blue in his beard and mustache.  How is it that the background looks so natural, unfractured?  Is that the canvas I see on the cheekbones?  I could spend hours looking for where the paint is transparent and where it is impasto...  Oh, and the greens, the greens.  What genius.

Van Gogh's work is full, very full and rich.  I have a watercolor sitting on my easel right now, based on a pinecone, and it is looking a little forlorn.  It needs more, I need to fill it up!

Thanks for this, google :)

New Year, New Beginnings

The school year has begun, and I am building a version of a Tibetan prayer wheel for the class project. I am reinterpreting the idea of a prayer wheel, using western influences. I have settled on the form - I have not yet settled on the content. I was thinking of incorporating some Interfaith references, but then my teacher suggested I continue working on my seed theme from last semester. I haven't decided yet.

My friend Carlos brought his iPad to class to show us - very snazzy! - and told me that my rowboat had been featured on the college website. You can see it here. The prototype is now on sale at etsy.com

And... I had a fantastic time at the 3rd New Mexico State Backgammon Championship. I have become a little bit obsessed with the game, and to have the privilege of sitting at the boards of some very nice people, and some master players, was very fun! I think I'll try to enter and play a tournament soon.

Plus, now there are all these ideas for backgammon jewelry floating around in my head.





----------