Water

Findings of the week:

I found Issey Miyake Autumn/Winter 2009 show in Paris so unique. Color, fabric and bodies moving fluidly through a white geometric floor (square). A lot to like!

I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction. On view from September 17, 2009-January 17, 2010 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

And would love to make a family trip to Washington, DC to see the exhibition Anne Truitt: Perception and Reflection. On view from October 8, 2009 to January 3, 2010 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The first major exhibition of her outstanding work since 1974.

While strolling around the neighborhood, I saw this nice quote by George Eliot (her real name was Mary Anne Evans, 1819-1880).

“It is never too late to become what you might have been”

Enjoy!

Fresh Air

It was refreshing to read A Bold and Modern White House by Carol Vogel, and White House Art: Colors From a World of Black and White by Holland Cotter.

I'm impressed and happy to know there are abstract paintings currently on view at the White House. But I admit I would have added other media, more works by women artists, and works by Latin and Asian American artists -- there are none!?

A new discovery for me was the artist Alma Thomas. Holland Cotter writes:

"If the offer were made, which artist from the White House list would I choose for my New York City apartment? I knew the answer: Alma W. Thomas."

I agree. I absolutely loved her work and story. She began to paint when she retired from teaching at 69. At 80, she had a one-person exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. An extremely important exhibition because it was the first one-person exhibition by a black woman at the Whitney.

My favorites: Thomas used her kitchen as a studio. And for her, color was life, and life was art. Ahh, so fresh!

Image:
Alma Thomas (1891–1978)
Watusi (Hard Edge), 1963
Acrylic on canvas, 47 5/8 x 44 1/4 inches
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

One

Finding of the week:

What If
By Ganga White

What if religion was each other,
If our practice was our life,
If prayer was our words.

What if the Temple was the Earth,
If forests were our church,
If holy water—the rivers, lakes and oceans.

What if meditation was our relationships,
If the Teacher was life,
If wisdom was self-knowledge,
If love was the center of our being.

-For the Rainforest Benefit, NYC, 1998

Movement

I usually run solo, but a couple of weeks ago, I joined a new running group in the neighborhood. It felt so good to be part of the group and run an extra mile without even noticing. The company, pace and weather were great -- all good energy to inspire new drawings.

A bunch of ideas for the new web/blog have been floating inside my head. I like the idea of a blog because it's less static and could function as a sketchbook. I hope to find some time to make the changes soon.

My little Tarahumara will be 7 months next week and is already crawling fast! And while I attempt to flow in yoga class, I'm amazed to see him be so naturally flexible. He can flow from downward facing dog to plank to pigeon pose with no trouble at all. Signs that he may become a runner or yogi just like mama.

A good read for new parents is From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk by Jane E. Brody. And Animal Playground by Putumayo Kids is a beautiful collection of animal-themed songs from around the world. The video above is from one of the album's song The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas (Canada).

I can't believe October is already here. Happy fall!

Life's Secret

The last couple of weeks have been filled with beauty. Labor Day weekend with family in town, MINUS SPACE's opening on Saturday of Bibi Calderaro's project entitled Pineal Action IV. On Sunday, we participated in the Komen's New York City Race for the Cure. It was such a special day, Central Park was covered in pink!

I'm currently reading the book, Born to Run, a book about the life and running skills of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, which are considered the greatest distance runners in the world. I began enjoying the book when I read:

"...That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain..."

I can't explain how it happens, but one tends to complicate life and get tangled in the "rat race". Suddenly, what we love to do becomes a chore. The Tarahumara's secret is exactly what I want to remember daily. To always love everything I do...including just doing absolutely NADA.

Image:
Tarahumara men costumed for rituals. Photo from National Geographic's article, A People Apart by Cynthia Gorney. Photograph by Robb Kendrick.

Peaceful Warrior

This morning was perfect for a run. I quietly changed, picked my iPod, running watch and took a last look at my sleeping boys -- they both looked so beautiful and peaceful.

I was sleepy too and left my sleepiness guide me through the streets of Brooklyn. I set my iPod to shuffle songs. The cool air woke me up when I found myself in DUMBO right in front of the water. I stopped for a couple of minutes to look at the view. It felt as if I was right in the center between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. I'm petite, but at that moment I felt so small. What an amazing place, I thought.

Bruce Springsteen's song, Working on a Dream started playing. The song's lyrics are beautiful and I love his voice when he sings: "I'm working on a dream, though trouble can feel like it's here to stay..." The song reminded me of yesterday's yoga class when the instructor asked us to find intention before we began the class. The purpose of my practice was to have strength and patience when life seems tough.

So here I am today, ready to do all I can to help a friend. I invite you to join Art Movement on Sunday, September 13, for the 19th annual 5K run/walk — Komen New York City Race for the Cure.

To join us or to make a gift, please visit Art Movement's Race for the Cure. If you can't be with us on that morning, please consider making a donation.

Every dollar counts! The money will help local organizations provide breast health education, screening and treatment.

Let's be active, be part of the change, and help make the dream of a world without breast cancer true.

THANK YOU!

Summer Days

It's been a busy August -- my sewing machine is finally ready, I've been drawing a bit, and just started to work on a new and updated website/blog among many other things.

Our next Art Movement event is next month. We are participating in the 2009 Komen New York City Race for the Cure on Sunday, September 13th in Central Park. It would be great if some of you can join us. I'll post all details about how to get involved very soon.

And as always, I'm enjoying my most precious project, Mateo. He is learning and growing so fast. As you can see in the photo, he really knows how to make me smile!

:D

Miles are...

...to dedicate to wonderful people.

I dedicate my miles to the memory of a wonderful person, New Zealand artist Julian Dashper (1960-2009).

Shine Together

Eating fresh fruit, parks, beach, running, yoga, reading, sewing, drawing...

The list of things I would like to enjoy during these warm months is way too long. Sure I can do some of these things during the cold months, but the energy that the sun brings in the summer is unique.

I don't know how it happened, maybe it was having beautiful Central Park as a background. I'm so excited that I'm running three miles again. Three miles isn't a lot, but for me it feels like a marathon.

I also found a new yoga class that took me back to my very first experience with yoga. Everything felt so new and every muscle hurt the day after! I love when moments like this happen -- when suddenly the things that we thought we knew how to do feel fresh and everything shines again.

Eating to Fuel Exercise, Runners Tell Their Stories both by Tara Parker-Pope, and The Reservoir in Central Park, an audio guide by the Central Park Conservancy are perfect to keep us moving and inspired.

I hope you're all enjoying the summer and doing some of the things that you love to do!

Look!

One of our good friends introduced us to the beautiful collection of children's books called the Nutshell Library written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

The collection has four tiny books perfect for little hands: Alligators All Around (an alphabet book), Chicken Soup with Rice (book of months), One Was Johnny (a counting book), and Pierre (a cautionary tale). The simplicity of the stories and illustrations make them enjoyable for both kids and adults alike.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to an art opening in Staten Island. It was rainy and cold -- June has been very wet in New York. As we were traveling back home in the S.I. ferry, I couldn't stop thinking about Chicken Soup with Rice. When we got home, I went straight to the kitchen and cooked a warm and delicious chicken soup with rice...still laughing!

I love books and these days I'm enjoying reading with Mateo. I take him to our local bookstore where I found another great book called Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss. The book, also illustrated by Maurice Sendak has simple thoughts and illustrations like the books in the Nutshell Library. Some of my favorite thoughts are:

Look! I'm running away with my imagination.

There should be a parade when a baby is born.

Suppose old people grew down as young people grew up.

Easter eggs are all different outside but they're alike inside.

A baby makes the mother and father -- otherwise they're just plain people.

Yesterday shows another day is here.

Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen.

A baby dances with its feet in the air.

I think a race looks prettier when everybody comes in even.


So always take some time to look, enjoy and imagine!

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand". -- Albert Einstein