Remembering Janis

                                                                       

                                       



                                                                                                            

Halloween is Monday. One of my personal favorite days of the year and the crew from work is dressing as Hippies. The Hippie movement. Janis. Jimmy. Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Buffalo Springfield The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Stevie. It took my husband Dan who was born in 1964 a minute to recite 1960s bands. I was born in in 1961 and I am proud to dress up as a Hippie in the Rehab Department.  Last year we dressed as Roller Derby Queens. I will ask my sisters Anita and Deb about their experience with the 1960s. Thanks to Jo Ann for the great tie dye shirts.  We will never forget those Hippie days.

Coffee and Cigarettes

Just saw Coffee and Cigarettes and it took me back to my childhood, watching my parents and their friends sit around at the kitchen table and shoot the shit while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. One of my favorite scenes is Iggy Pop and Tom Waits sitting in a booth at a restaurant improvising their way through the scene. The film is a series of vignettes directed by Jim Jarmusch and has quite a few stars such as Cate Blanchette, Steve Buscemi, Roberto Bengni, and Bill Murray. As a photographer, I am taken with the striking stills of the black and white tables that house the props coffee and cigarettes. In my opinion, a good art film.

Abigail and Peter

We showed up at the home of the artists Abigail Gumbiner and Peter Holmes on Open Studios Sat Oct 22. It was a sunny afternoon in North County and when we arrived at their home we got to see Abigail's animal sculptures grazing on their property. She does these amazing large sculptures of animals grazing in nature. They are so cool. Peter and their big black dog greeted us and we entered Peter's oil painting studio to see these 48 x 48 size oil painted canvases of abstract figures/ faces that were compelling and interesting. He was fun to chat with about his inspiration about the actual faces hidden and present in these figurative pieces.  I told him if I came into a pile of money,  I would put them all on large walls in my work environment. It is hard to imagine that Peter is a print maker of many years. He is articulate and able to talk to us about his art process. Peter will be showing some paintings at the Vale Fine Art Gallery in Paso on November 12.

Abigail is Peter's wife and she is a ball of energy. We walked into their home to find two neon vacuum cleaners that they made for the Neon of Museum Art.  Talk about cool. Her Open Studios tour showcased her sculptured photographs that bring to life car shots in a 3 D perspective. These were unique. I purchased her Vacant Eden: Roadside Treasures of the Sonoran Desert photography book by Abigail  and Carol Hayden and you can contact her directly to purchase one yourself. Although horses are not my thing, I could grow to love her abstract images of these majestic animals. Peter and Abigail will be showing at the Vale Fine Art Gallery in Paso on Nov 12. Don't miss meeting this dynamic couple. They are interesting.

                          

Debra Van Jurey and Erin Perry in OPEN STUDIOS

                                                                            

                                                 

                                   

Debra Van Jurey is a force to be reckoned with in Jewelry Art. I am lucky to have some of her Russian beaded earrings. Her color pallet is magical. She will pair orange with red and gold or a teal blue with purple and gold and it works. People have stopped me on the street when I sport her earrings. Her jewelry has continued to evolve with swarovski crystals, sterling silver, gemstones and bead work.  Dan was having a good time looking at her jewelry and the work of Erin Perry, a mixed media artist also showing art at their shared Open Studios Space.

                                                             

                                 

Erin Perry is a mixed media artist who does these neat assemblages that take you into an encyclopedic world that keeps your interest. My husband picked up a facebook piece that was phenomenal and clever. I would like to go see her work another time to really poke around her treasures. I am sure I can find something that I would be able to relate to. She also does journals, collage, altered books and shabby chic. Erin and Debra are pleasant people to hang out with. You can go out to see their art today at 348 La Jolla St. Morro Bay, from 10-5 .


                              


                                               

LET the OPEN STUDIOS BEGIN

 Dan and I started at John Barnard's house to see an amazing show. We purchased  Oak Dale Road, one of his plein air oil paintings.  It is vibrant and energizing. Just hanging out with John is well worth the drive to north county where there is a season and the leaves do fall. John's oils have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the US.

John's wife makes these amazing crafty Christmas trees. They remind me of the old crafts that make you want to take a class to learn how to do that craft. It is a Christmas tree made out of children's blocks and small wooden Christmas figurines mounted on a lazy susan platform. . My husband Dan loves the gold glitter sprinkled on the sculpture. It is a whimsical treasured Christmas item.

Gary Miyamoto  a watercolor painter, was showing at John's house. He is an architect by day and his hobbies are fishing and painting. His painting shows some of John Barnard's influences. He has a simple flowing watercolor style and his color palette is earthy like Gary. We enjoyed hanging out with Gary at John's home.


Mandy Weathers is a watercolor and acrylic artist who is not afraid of the color red.  She sometimes uses red to begin and to highlight parts of her paintings. I have photographed the Lompoc flower gardens but Mandy really painted the hell out of them and brought them to life. She is pleasant and enjoyable to be around.


John's daughter visits from Texas when her parents host Open Studio Tours. She is a joy to be around. Perfect fall day in North County. Hats off to these wonderful people and artists. You can go see the show on Sunday Oct 23 from 10-5 at 8790 Monita Rd in Atascadero.

Waste Not

               

                                                           

"Waste Not" by the Chinese Artist Song Dong is a show my husband Dan viewed at the Yerba Buena Center for The Arts in SF. Song Dong organized and displayed every item in his mother's house that she had gathered for fifty years. The show has traveled to Beijing, Germany, England, New York, and SF. The Chinese historically had this common practice of "waste not" (wu jin qi yong). I couldn't bear to go to this show because it would be too emotional for me, but Dan did go and he gave me a comprehensive overview of his impression of the Art and I felt like I had gone. I do own the book and I am enjoying Song Dong's experience of his 10 year journey to put this together. Part of his art journey was to have people to experience participation by viewing these objects. Although I did not view the show, I felt his mission and I have become a fan of his incredible work. There is healing in remembering.

The Art of Halupki

                                    


I thank God for growing up with my mom's version of an Eastern European Halupki dish. I must confess, I have diverted from her original recipe. I mix pork with beef thanks to my oldest sister Deb and I serve with a topper of sour cream thanks to Martha Stewart's mother's recipe. I add diced tomatoes on top and my husband Dan adds Cholula to the top. We serve ours with black beans on the side which I know Mom would not approve. Oh well, got to make things your own. Happy Day with the Art of Halupki.

JON NAAR

                                                 

                         



                                


Jon Naar, a legendary photographer is also an author and coauthor of 12 books on the vast subjects of design, architecture, ecology, photojournalism, portrait photography, and art. He came to NY from London in 1972. He and I share some similar ideas about street art. He sees it as a means of communication and expression. When he moved to NYC in 1972 he liked the energy in NYC with Andy Warhol and the Art that was taking off in the city.  He is a pioneer in graffiti documentary and I just ordered The Faith of Graffiti with an introduction by Norman Mailer. I can hardly wait to tackle this one.  His  photography work is profound and historical. Thank you Jeffrey Deitch for taking a risk for LA and organizing this fabulous show. I am still thinking about the great street art we viewed at this show. I can only hope that NYC will  host these amazing artists who deserve recognition and can teach us about the importance and history of art.

A BEAD ABOVE

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Michele Stearns is an amazing artist. Her jewelry is compelling. The first time she had a jewelry show with our friends she came with outfits on hangers displaying some of her jewelry. She has an interesting methodology using a bead palette to create some of her creations. She has unique pieces that call out to interested buyers. I am drawn to her crystal beaded jewelry. I love the feel of her chunky crystals that shine in the sun. I own a  magical  colorful crystal choker that I pair with my jean jacket. Today I purchased a black and brown beaded necklace.  It has graded crystals that have occasional beads that look like they have stripes on them. I cannot say enough about Michele's work. She made her jewelry in Oregon at one time and now she makes and sells it in California. If you have ever been to the Oregon Coast, Portland, or Topanga Canyon, Ca, you can relate to Michele's pieces. Michele is cool. Her jewelry is amazing. She can be reached at 805-748-1717 to special order your bead above.

171 Maiden Lane

                       

At 171 Maiden Lane at Union Square, SF, I have fond memories of my husband and I going into Diptyque on an Anniversary Weekend and buying interesting goodies for each other. I invested in fragrance for him and he invested in a Baies fruity scented candle for me. I also purchased their Mariage Jasmin Mandarin loose tea in the lovely black tin for those long days after the nursing home to revitalize myself. The store is crisp with black interiors and all of the products are neatly lined up. It smells like a million in there. On Saturdays, grab a coffee, and  hear live opera outside their door at 171 Maiden Lane at Union Square. Life really doesn't get better than Maiden Lane.

Crows Recognize Faces

                 

University of Washington Scientists have shown that crows recognize individual human faces and can distinguish scary faces from neutral faces. The scientists wore dangerous masks and neutral masks and walked around the campus with these on. The dangerous masked scientists got scolded by the crows and the neutral masked scientists got no reaction from the crows. Months following the study, the masks were donned again by the scientists and the crows remembered the individuals with the scary masks on.  I did not know crows had this ability to recognize human faces. If a crow scolds me, I need to reconsider that new beauty product.

7th Annual SEAS International Festival

Our friend Jo Ann invited us to come out to the 7th Annual SEAS International Festival at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Los Osos. Dan enjoyed the Peruvian food and I feasted on the Carne Asada. We washed down the food with a frozen margarita. The band ZONGO was there and with or without a margarita you would have a hard time not moving your hips. They had face painting. Check out the little guy on the photo above. Is he proud of his face painting? The kids had pony rides and games. There were many cultures represented at the food booths: Filipino, Mexican, Peruvian, Italian,  and American (hot dogs and hamburgers). There was also a photography booth that had the best deals on all kinds of fall holiday and local landscape shots. There was also a raffle that had lots of interest.The day took me back to Hazleton, Pennsylvania where our Polish and Italian relatives participated in these church ethnic festivals. It was fun to be a kid again.

Louie

            

Meet Louie's parents, Tucker and Snow White. Louie our cat is in the bottom photo and he has turned out to be a great cat. On occasion he travels to the care facility I work at to be loved on and caressed by those individuals that miss the chance to give daily strokes to their furry loved ones.

Macro is a Blast

Shot these with my macro lens and Fuji 200s film in Cambria, Ca. Macro is a blast. The best images are the ones that might be rejected by the human eye without looking through the Macro lens.  Macro gets us to see the beauty in nature and take time to see the inside of flowers where the human eye cannot go.

Ideas Are Not Digital

              
                   
         
                                              
                                                            

Melvin Sokolsky states "ideas are not digital." Above are some of his outstanding fashion photographs. He is a pioneer in photography living in NYC. He began shooting for Harper's Bazaar at age 21. He is a true artist in portrait photography and is not afraid to play with ideas and lighting. His work is magical. I am dying to thumb through his photography book.