yin and yang

Everyone knows that Yin and Yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole in which these forces constantly interact. Above is my painting she loves him, she loves him not. It is oil on canvas, 60" x 50" and my first art piece completed this summer.

Also pictured above is the painting called Flight Arrows; part of my Yin and Yang series. Spiral headed arrows pointed downward perhaps cast a dark point of view but the piece can also be looked upon as birds in flight; take on a work of calligraphy and mark making, part of my signiture style. It is an oil painting,60" x 32".

For the birds was completed last Sunday. It is a oil painting; the size 60" x 50" on canvas. It is more representative than my other work; the moodiness carries a painterly expression though and I am trying to be more image oriented. It is a stuggle for me to stay fresh in the studio; a tug of war and a constant accessing of aesthetics.

tough love

Last night I watched the film The Wrestler with Mickey Roarke and Marisa Tomei; filmed in Jersey and perhaps Philly. The movie was photographed and directed subtlety and so wonderfully revealing, that I went from being embarrassed by Roarke's ugliness and sadness of character to loving his candidness, beauty and carriage. It is a very quirky film, raw, crude, seedy, and gritty. The director walks you through the hyper wrestler world; frank honesty makes this film expression almost appear like soft porn while only emphasizing the cheesiness of the true mentality of this life. Not only is this film about tough love but about tough everything. Roarke is great, courageous and wonderful. Kudos to his artistry.

we don't know what we have and things

I don't know about you, but half the time I roam about my beautiful environment of nature and don't realize what I have.....so many things and luxuries, conveniences, ample food, clothing, shelter, comforts of space and transportation, places to go that are free, positive learning tools - books, libraries and institutions and not to mention the services of technologies seconds or minutes away from our fingertips. We are spoiled people whether we know it or not; most of us don't even want to admit to this factor. Just by living in this country we have become privileged beings. I am not sure if this is such a great thing.

I remember traveling to the Philippines and encountering Filipino Americans. They too realized that they could never go back to their native land. We are disabled in another way. We have become isolated with our riches and impervious to the hardships of the outside world even though we read, think we inform ourselves and rear a compassionate heart. In the meanwhile, I was looking into relief services in Burma and sent a note asking what I could do to help out, also stating that my husband and I were interested in doing this type of work in the future. I received a prompt email back. Money. Of course, what did I expect? Honestly though, I do not treat these services as a game but perhaps I do treat the notion of helping in a romantic, ideal way. I am kidding myself and if the opportunity arose, could I really do this type of work? Would or could I go through the rigors? Something to think about.

the flag

Yesterday while working in the studio I tuned into NPR and caught up on my news fix. Also, I was impressed by Obama's visit to Egypt, his speech and how it touched Muslims around the world. During my visit to NY, there was an extra sense of patriotism and realized when I got back to AK and viewed my photos, how often the American flag appeared. Above is located by the Plaza Hotel near Central Park.

This is the hustle and bustle I experience at Penn Station when I catch the NJ Transit back to the shore points in New Jersey. It takes about an hour and twenty minutes on the train to get back to where I grew up; a modest ranch home located close to three miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes I would ride my English Racer to the coast and hang out on the boardwalk, absorbing all the sights and ocean sounds, smells, and local character. Below is one of the shore points called, Avon by the Sea. From what I understand, many a writer and poet frequented this area. When I visit the east, I take long runs on the boardwalk that stretch for several miles dotted with huge mansions, Victorian homes, along with some small shanties and cottages. This area has an abundance of color.

some bleak concepts

This is a painting that I quickly snapped while at the Francis Bacon Retrospective at the Met. (I couldn't figure out why I wasn't allowed to take pictures during this exhibit but you can at the permanent collection of paintings - Monet, Gauguin, and Van Gogh to name a few.......?) Bacon paints a pretty grim picture of the human condition; twisted bodies, anguished torsos and screaming faces of high anxiety are just some themes to mention. His work is disturbing and successful. There is also a video that shows him in a noisy bar scene in London, his messy studio arrangement, and it takes you on his painted warped view of life. The film was great and I picked it up at our local Loussac Library for free.

While walking the Chelsea art streets in NY, I came across some interesting signage. I took my time and was able to really look and observe what was around me on the streets of NY which is often exciting and filled with a continual buzz. Sometimes these street expressions are better than the art work that I experience in the traditional gallery settings. This was posted on a wall along the gallery row streets and below you can read the fine print. It paints a pretty bad picture of what an artist does and what an artist is, but I think this is the scenario of what some artists think about themselves and experience as a young working professional. Perhaps this artist came to America to find a name for themselves? And it looks that they became very disappointed and disenchanted with their artistic endeavors? Perhaps this artist is in need of a better perspective?

Also, posted on the streets was this sign shown below that I thought more provocative and interesting. It looks to me that someone is angry and someone is not getting want they want.