"Life beats down and crushes the soul; art reminds you that you have one" (--Stella Adler)

I've been absent from my blog recently, but very busy.

I just arrived in DC, this afternoon, and I'm remembering with fondness my day yesterday with Joe. We took some time and spent part of our day together, after I'd packed for this latest trip, and checked out the new wing of our local North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA.)

Above is one of the displays in the new wing: it's comprised of thousands of spools of thread, hung on rods, and as you can see, if you look through this curved glass I asked Joe to display for you, it becomes someone we all know quite well.

I love this whimsical sculpture I came upon when I turned a corner:


The new wing is now housing the permanent collections, and I snapped some pictures of some of the items. The older building will house some wonderful exhibits that are heading our way soon. I'll keep you posted...

It's very light and airy and spacious, even on a dreary, rainy day such as what we had yesterday.


There's an indoor "court" housing a fabulous collection of small Rodin sculptures, such as this graceful pair of hands...(there's also an outdoor court with large Rodin figures, situated among fountains, bamboo and waterlilies.)
Above is an exhibit of celebratory costumes and artifacts...

...and this wonderful piece, below, was titled "Tippy Toes," (but personally, I thought it should be titled "Chastity Belt:")


In the modern art section of the new wing, there's lots of color and texture all over:

I asked Joe to stand in the midst of this room to show the scale of some of the artworks, and he was happy to comply:

We planned to have lunch at the museum cafe. When we first arrived,it was quiet, but it filled up very quickly and we decided, we'll go again, and eat another time.

Several of these figures (below) graced the entryway, covered with verbiage from the Book of Solomon, discussing entering Jerusalem, and the "good things to come," which is certainly appropriate for what's in store as you enter this museum...

This costume exhibit is situated before the wall images, which are titled "Congregation:" it consists of many heads that from a distance do look like a crowd, but as you get closer, you see the individual faces of each.

Here are some of the Rodin pieces grouped together inside...(the donors were the same donors who gave Stanford University their fabulous Rodin garden, which I've seen--The Cantors)

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece-- glass draped clothing perched elegantly on this bench:

Here are more views of the open spaces, with another wonderfully displayed costume:

and if it hadn't been raining, we'd have sat and enjoyed these wonderful cafe tables in this serene setting:

My birthday's coming up soon, and of course, I'll be gone on the road, so I told Joe this day together enjoying art was my perfect gift. Did my heart good! We'd been wanting to see the new wing for some time, and it was great fun to finally get over there to soak it all up.

Our art museum here is a beautiful place, and it holds many fond memories for me: we held my parents' 40th wedding anniversary here at the museum, and celebrated along with them. I always think of them when I'm here.

Daddy, hope you enjoy seeing the new wing!! Wish you could see it in person. xo

"Solitude is often the best society." (--Unkown)

I'd like to share some of the photos I took at Yaddo, in Saratoga Springs, NY, yesterday.

I've always wanted to visit this place, and since I was here in the area for Duke this weekend, I took advantage of my time here to go and investigate the famous artists' community.

Yaddo has served as a creative enclave for artists since the turn of the 20th century. So many people in the arts have benefited from the serenity offered by this lovely sanctuary in Saratoga Springs.

http://yaddo.org/yaddo/history.shtml


As a normal visitor, (and not an invited artist) one is not allowed to travel any closer to the Yaddo mansion than where I stood to take this photo, but I took this from a distance, and I found myself thinking, the whole time I was there, that the writers/musicians/artists/choreographers/filmmakers assembled here on the stone porch are very likely people we'll hear from and see in the future.

What a rich legacy Spencer and Katrina Trask left the world. Artists come for two weeks to two months of celebrated solitude and peace in this lovely place, where they can concentrate on their art and spend their time creating.

So, while I wasn't allowed to visit the mansion itself, or the cottages surrounding the mansion on the grounds, I was allowed to visit the Yaddo gardens, and they were tranquil and elegant. Roses were blooming, even now, in September. I was in awe with every step I took, thinking that I was probably walking on the same ground where Leonard Bernstein, or Truman Capote, or Ted Hughes, or John Cheever, or Sylvia Plath, etc had walked before. What a perfect day I had for visiting this place. Did my heart good...

"It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essense of life." (--Barthold Niebuhr)

"A horse is poetry in motion." (--Unknown)

Another Sketchbook Project page. (I apologize for the terrible copies on the road: no scanner.) I think I'll call this one "It's a race for the finish!"

Saratoga Springs, New York is my kind of town: it's just chock-full-of beautiful flowers everywhere, parks with jolts of color, an excellent college, hot mineral springs, a thoroughbred horse racing track, quaint little shops and restaurants, architecturally fabulous homes and buildings, and lots of things to see and do. Today's weather was absolutely perfect, and so far, I've been exploring and thoroughly enjoying my time here.

Since the Saratoga Springs race track is here, the whole town gets into the act: Everywhere you turn, there are horses. Chicago had its cows, Norfolk its mermaids, Raleigh its red wolves, and Saratoga Springs has its horses...

I'll want to share some other Saratoga Springs highlights in another post, but for now, here are a few of the town's finest horses when the real guys are not on the track. These three welcomed me at the Hilton Garden Inn last night upon my arrival:

And these little guys decorate the local shop entryways, and house wayward bicycles through town:

"Feeling down? Saddle up." (--Unknown)

"There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds" (--G K Chesterton)

I do quite a lot of traveling, but I never cease to be in awe of the views from an airplane. Just look at those shapes and billowing puffs of white! They almost look like skyscrapers to me, lining up on the horizon. Nothing like a window seat.

So far, I went from temperatures in the 90's to temps here in Ithaca, NY that were in the 50's today. I'm glad I brought a coat along with me for the ride.

This sweet little guy greeted me as I left Ithaca College today, and I had to capture him so I'd remember him as a good harbinger of things to come on my travels this year.

Once I have some free moments, I'll grab that paintbrush and get some sketching in...soon, I promise!

"I may have my head in the clouds, but I have my feet well set on the ground." (-Unknown)

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." (--Sidney Harris)

Undecided Coffee Lover

Cappuccino and cafe latte vie
for my attention;
which one shall I drink?
If cream be hazelnut, pass latte by.
Crème de banana?
Drain that down the sink!
Organic brews are best by far, they sing
without chemical chorus,
and yet
they grind well.
South American or island beans bring
aromas, captivating songs for baristas.
I crave cacao, perhaps demitasse,
or espresso, maybe two
hot shots of Brazil?
I can't decide these things, I think I'll pass.
But wait! Oh, coffee is a bitter pill.
" What will you have today?" (I'm next in line!)
"Just the house brand, please, and
no cream."

(--Linda Goin)

"You can always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you." (-Audrey Hepburn)

Another Sketchbook Project page.

This project has been great fun. Even when my sketches have been lousy, it's still really good practice, and it's kind of pushing me to get on with it. I do think if I were to do this project again, I might just switch out the paper and use real watercolor paper, which is going to be such a treat to get back to when this is done.

Only a few more days of being home. I will hit the road next Tuesday, so I guess I need to do as many of these sketches as I can while I have time. I don't have to mail it back in until January, so I'll certainly get it done by then. I have about 10-12 more page spreads to go.

"Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence." (-Henri Matisse)