Seeking the Sublime in the Everyday

 Last week Arthur and I went to Chicago to see Sam, his wife, Annye and Sunny, who never sits still. They live near Oak Park, Frank Lloyd Wright territory, so we took nice walks and saw some great houses. We went to the Zoo--the bears were snoozing but the rhino, my favorite charismatic megafauna, posed nicely for me. We'll be seeing more of him. Then Arthur went home and I met my dear friend of long standing, Lenesa Leana, for a visit in the Windy City which, by the way is not America's windiest city.  It got that name because in the competition to host   the great exposition of 1895 a defeated New Yorker said we were beaten by "that windiest windbag, a Chicago politician."  Windy or not, it's a wonderful city--and this New Yorker acknowledges that the term "Second City" comes from the rebuilding after the great fire, not that New York is the First City.  OK, I'll allow it. Our first stop was the Chicago Art Institute because Lenesa wanted to visit ...

 Here I am as we approach the second anniversary of the Pandemic at least the lockdown.  I thought I was feeling pretty good, but took at the furrowed brow.  Also, my glasses now live almost permanently on top of my head, because with the mask they're always fogged up. I'm having a fallow period about drawing these days, which is never fun.  I did this,  taken from a fountain I saw at the Met.  I re-figured it as a window from Saint Barbara's tower, imagining  what she may have seen when she looked out.  My grandson, Teddy, was here last week and said, "MomMom, I saw the picture you're working on and it's pretty good but you should put some people in it." Thanks, Teddy.  He's eight.  Here's one of his major works.  The fallow periods always come and they never last, but they're no fun, even though I know there's real work being done under the surface.  One thing to do is clean the studio. In doing so I found a little book that ...