Seeking the Sublime in the Everyday

 Last Monday, March 14, my friend, Lois, invited me to a Zoom St Patrick's party.  the invitation said,                                                    Get your Green on for a Green Rendez-vous! On the same day the NY Times ran an article about the Irish American Society and its beautiful townhouse, which sits on Fifth Avenue, across from the Met.  You know how much I love drawing houses so I perked up. I've often stood on the steps of the Met and looked at this house, saying, I should draw that some time.  The time has come! A new idea! What color should I use?  More Red?  I'm just finishing up House of Red and so could use a little rest from the Red family. St Patrick's Day?  Irish American Society?  So it's the House of Green and for the Irish flag, a few touches of orange.  Then I re...

This morning I got my second vaccine shot and to celebrate I took myself on an Artist's Date.  Not to a museum, but to the Subway. You may remember that I've written about several of our loveliest subway stations and everyone has told me that I MUST see the Delancey Essex Station. So I made a pilgrimage. At first I saw nothing- you have to go two levels down, to the F and M Platform. There's a lot of stair climbing so I got a workout as well.  Here's the first thing I saw.                                                                                                                  ...

 When I'm asked to briefly describe my work I say, "I draw architectural fantasies in pen and ink and populate them with animals, angels and baseball players."   I'm hoping that makes you want to see for yourself. If it does, now's your chance. Tomorrow at 5 o'clock I'm hosting a Zoom gathering with my co-host, the artist Fran Beallor, to talk about my work and show you how it's evolved.  I'll talk about inspiration, about recognizing an idea, catching it and bringing it to life. We're doing this on March 13 because it's the birthday of my grandmother, whose last day I wrote about  in Pink Balloons, the story of a day I had to find a way to celebrate in the midst of grief. We're also commemorating the one year anniversary of the quarantine, with all the fear, grief and anxiety we've gone through.  How do we go on from here?   Lately I've heard or read the same thing from Dave Chappell and Barack Obama;  "You have to find a ...

 By now I hope you've read my post Pink Balloons Redux Redux and are eager to hear more about what I have to say about finding joy in the midst of grief. I'll be saying a lot more about my drawings and how I get my ideas.  You might find it interesting. Here's the link to the meeting at 5 pm this Saturday, March 13.   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82178239076?pwd=Tys5NFhFeUgzcWErd2tsTGd5NTVHZz09 See you then!

 The first sign of Spring!!  Is this early?  Spring can't come too early for me. When I was little forsythia was one of my favorite words although I could never remember it; I'd say, "What's that yellow flower again?" Forsythia-what a great word.  That and espadrilles;  the exotic shoes my mother wore with laces around her ankles that I thought were just fabulous and made her look like a gypsy. This reminds me of one of the most fun thing about raising children--the way little kids make up their own words--sometimes improving on the original.  Like the kid who called the place where you keep the food cold the Ray Ray Frasier. There's a quote that I can't find--but I really love it.  It's about "the funny words and pet names, little private jokes and phrases that families share." I think it's either Nabokov or Tolstoy--those guys knew how to go deep and at the same time hold onto the fun things. In our family when we say good-bye we also s...

  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...