Seeking the Sublime in the Everyday

  About a year ago I reposted the story of how my grandmother died on my daughter’s 7th birthday and how I had to find some joy in the midst of grief.  President Biden spoke about this at the memorial for the half million lost this year to Covid. He said, “To heal, we must remember… For those who have lost loved ones, this is what I know: They’re never truly gone.  They’ll always be part of your heart.”  I know this is true. That’s why I wrote Pink Balloons and why I’m reposting it here.  This is also to announce and invite you to an event on Saturday, March 13, at 5 PM EST, the first anniversary of the lockdown, and my grandmother’s birthday.   I’m holding a Zoom soiree and artist talk, remembering and honoring the one who represents my roots, my inspiration, and also the confusion and doubt which I have struggled to address through my art.  I’ll put on a slideshow and a chat with my friend, the artist Fran Beallor, and we’ll have a Q and A.   So...

 On January 8, still reeling from the news out of Washington in the 6th, I reached out to you for help; I needed ideas for inhabitants of my Red House Interior.   The Rhino, suggested by Ellen Grossman, was an immediate yes.  I can't go wrong with the Rhino and here he is. He still needs work, but I think I'll keep him white and build up his background. My second respondent was my cousin Dan.  He suggested Jimi Hendrix's girlfriend--why?  Because of the song, Red House, and the lyric, "Yonder's the Red House...that's where my baby lives."   I downloaded Jimi's rendition of Red House and it's great. That reminded me of The Star Spangled Banner and the way Jimi played it at Woodstock. At the time there was outrage at his rendition--people thought he was an anarchist deliberately trashing our national anthem.  Actually that's not at all true. Jimi Hendrix served honorably in the United States Air Force and played the Star Spangled Banner in his ow...

 When I was in Taguasco, Cuba on a church trip I asked our host if the town had a synagogue and where all the Jewish people were--or if there were any at all. He raised his eyebrows and asked why in the world I asked.  I put my arm around Susan, my roomy for the trip and said, "We're both married to Jewish men." Now he looked askance. Two church ladies marrying outside the faith?   I said, "Hey, when you fall in love, it has to be the Lord's doing, don't you think?" He had to agree. When I say the Lord's doing I mean that, whatever your credo, when you meet your life's partner or fall in love, or even just make a friend, it's a sacred moment. How did you meet your Valentine? I met Arthur when he came to my door after a long phone conversation.  My friend, Margaret, an actress who had worked with him said, "Arthur, I know just the girl for you and if you don't call her I'll never speak to you again."  He didn't want to ma...

 Do you remember my post of June 20, 2019?  I wrote about the ocean and how it's rising due to global warming and at the same time drowning in plastic junk. I asked why we're using indestructible materials for things we use once and throw away.  Is it because they're cheap?  They're not at all cheap when you factor in what they do to the earth.  Midway Island, halfway across the Pacific Ocean, is drowning in plastic garbage. We've all seen pictures of birds who died with a belly full of plastic crap. We drink water to keep ourselves healthy and we value its purity but we drink it out of a plastic bottle then we throw it away and the earth chokes on it.  I'm not the only artist thinking and working about this.       This is  "Fat Free Ocean" by my friend and neighbor, Stephen Hall, husband of my pal, Samantha. You can see more of his work at  www.stephenhallart.com . Now there's a Ray of Hope!   It's called Extended Product Resp...