On the subject of me…
I have decided that hot weather is better than cold weather. Here is a list of reasons why, for all you doubters and lovers of sweaters. And no, this is not art-related.
1. Hot weather clothes can be sexy and comfortable. Cold weather clothes can look sophisticated, but it’s hard to feel sexy in several layers.
2. Drying clothes on a clothesline. Bonus: white sheets on a clothesline are just plain pretty.
3. No budget space heater rattling its way through the movie you’re watching.
4. Quickly slipping on flip flops to go outside. Sluffing off the slippers, adding an extra set of socks, and strapping oneself into boots lacks elan.
5. Humidity = better skin and curly hair (for me, anyway).
6. Getting changed isn’t an urgent race to stay warm.
7. Pasta salad, sushi, blender drinks, bbq…
8. The natural world seems like a hospitable place where people should spend time. Being warm, outside, at night is the best.
9. Free fun (bbqs, beach, walks, bike rides, car-free days…)!
10. Commuting by bike (when you’re a weather-wuss like me).
11. Fresh air in the house without killing the plants. Yay! No more kitty litter smell!
12. Vitamin D the natural way!
I am sure there are a lot more reasons but, in the name of pseudo-brevity, I’ll end it here. Feel free to add your own in the comments!
So perfect!
The fun of getting film back!
So British!
We heard Bach played on the giant organs at Westminster Abbey.
Brighton beach – clearly off season. I put my hand in the water, and that was enough. Brrrrr!
Another perfectly English scene at a graveyard in Surrey.
It’s actually quite eerie at Stonehenge. It’s quite astonishing how little we know of the culture that built this monument. I kept imagining how different the Salisbury plain would have looked.
Opening at Forsya!
My show at Forsya officially opened on Friday and will be up until April 30th. Big love to those of you that were there, even just in spirit! I spent Friday worrying that I would be the kid with the birthday party no one attended. It’s very reassuring that I can still persuade (read: guilt) my friends into turning up! The girls at Forsya did a wonderful job of hanging the show and I’m very much looking forward to the launch of their new clothing line on April 9.
During my time in London, I had the good luck to visit the Courtauld Gallery. It’s a pretty wee gallery by big city standards, but it’s got all kinds of heavy hitters. A couple personal faves were Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
The perspective in this painting has been studied and debated. In person, it’s strangeness makes it fascinating. The viewer is put somewhat in the place of the person the girl at the bar is serving, but the reflection shows a man in a suit and top hat. So the composition sends you around and around, seeking to resolve the image. Very effective.
I was also excited to see Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear. An unexpectedly straightforward depiction of an infamous period in the man’s life. The thing I found most interesting though was the background – a blank canvas and a Japanese print. I had never noticed these details in reproduction, yet it’s easy to interpret them as symbols of his artistic frustration and interest.
Rather unexpectedly, the painting I spent the most time examining was an unfinished work of Degas’ - Lady with a Parasol. It’s easy to see the surprisingly black underpainting that, it turns out, was characteristic of his work. I’ve always found his paintings a bit fluffy and saccharine, so it was almost unbelievable to me that he started with black underpainting and was able to build up delicate colour and soft light to such a degree. I had never considered starting with such intense black, and it might be worth trying.
There is really nothing to compare with seeing paintings in person. I have based most of my opinions on reproductions, living in a terminal city as I do, but am invariably forced to reconsider those opinions when I see work in person. I saw so many students in the Courtauld and Victora & Albert Museum, sketching from paintings, sculptures and other objects. That’s one of the opportunities I would love about living in an international cultural centre.
Jolly ol’ England
I’ve just returned from a week in England! I travelled with my Mom and my Aunt Bonnie. We had a wonderful time in our quaint rented cottage in Surrey, wandering Brighton, touring Stonehenge and running around London. I go old school and travel with a film camera, so I will post the pics once I’ve gotten them developed.
The trip was motivated by my desire to see the Royal Ballet perform Romeo & Juliet. It was well worth the trip! I studied ballet for ten years and my sister and I watched ballet videos over and over again. Even seeing the embroidered velvet curtains of Covent Garden gave me shivers. Juliet was danced by Roberta Marquez and she was wonderfully gamine, with perfectly delicate technique. So jealous. The balcony pas de deux got my Aunt and I all weepy. Even my Mom, who only managed to keep awake during our performances because her daughters were in the show and who could manage about 15 minutes of a ballet video, was engaged.
I’ll be writing more about the trip soon. Sorry for geeking out on you!
