I am Charmed

 My friend JoAnn owns this treasure. It has all kinds of good memories, places to travel, and personal meaning to JoAnn.  I have charm bracelets that I treasure and when I wear them I am taken back to those wonderful memories of my childhood. My mother and Aunt Lucy always added charms to my bracelet. My friend Lorie gave me a beautiful charm bracelet for a special birthday. I treasure them and I wear them with pride. I bought a Mulberry silver charm bracelet that is fashionable and fun. I am charmed.

Gu Wenda

This is a piece by Gu Wenda, "United Nations-babel of the millennium", 1999, Hair, glue, and rope, and it is on view in the entry of the SFMOMA. it is part of the Logan Collection, a gift of Vicki and Kent Logan. Gu Wenda began his fifteen year ongoing global art project in 1993. He has completed 21 total projects and more than one million people have contributed their hair to this art project. The hair is from people of different races to "brace a new racial identity". The characters are from ancient Chinese dialect and the symbols are meant to represent fragmentation of communication caused by language and culture. The use of human hair symbolizes the biological interconnectedness of human kind. The piece is monumental and  will travel throughout 5 continents.

Readymade

I have a toy bicycle wheel replica of Marcel Duchamp's original readymade bicycle wheel. The original kinetic sculpture was made by Duchamp consisting of a bicycle fork with front wheel mounted upside-down on a wooden stool. He mounted the sculpture and would occasionally spin the wheel and watch it. I am a fan of his readymades. The work of a DADA genius. He was interested in ideas coming before the visual experiences.

R. Mutt

This is art and I love it. No guess work.  It is the famous porcelain urinal signed " R. Mutt" and titled "Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp in 1917. This was one of his art "readymades", art produced by Duchamp from already existing objects.  The artist originally submitted this piece for the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. The piece was rejected and then eventually displayed and photographed at Alfred Stieglitz's studio. I am drawn to Duchamp's readymades. They rattle my brain cells in new directions. This readymade is on display at the SFMOMA.

A Passion for Fashion

     
                                                           

This week we lost Vivian Brown one of the famous Brown twins from San Francisco. They were born in Kalamazoo and eventually moved to SF. They were know in SF as the San Francisco Twins. I met them in San Francisco several years ago. They allowed me to take their portrait at Uncle Vito's Pizza on Nob Hill. My husband and I like to have pizza and salad at Uncle Vito's. I noticed the twins sitting in the restaurant having pizza and wine. They were fashionably dressed and engaged in conversation. I waited until they finished and approached them about taking their portrait. They agreed and I will never forget their warm personalities .Photographs of the twins will be treasured forever.  Vivian will be missed by many.
         

Hyde Park on Hudson is Great

                          

 Bill Murray does an Oscar worthy performance of playing Roosevelt. Laura Linney plays Roosevelt's distant cousin Daisy Suckley. Laura Linney is fantastic. I am never disappointed with her performances.  The film does a terrific job of taking us back to the 30s. I loved the film shots of the field of flowers and the way they were filmed from the perspective of driving in a car. The story is told from  Daisy's perspective from her journal that was discovered  after she passed away at the ripe old age of over 100 years old. I really enjoyed the acting of The Royal couple and their visit to see President Roosevelt at Hyde Park. The film is great. See it on the big screen.