ART LESSON.

I love art and have always been a wanna-be artist. Pam at one time taught art and offered to give me two lessons. She said, pick a picture you like and I'll teach you. I'm always attracted to paintings of people, so she suggested I choose from one of the homeless people pictures I took. I have a homeless brother and I tend to do that wherever I am.


I took two the day we were downtown Palms Springs, but, they make me sad. We considered could I turn my interest into a political statement by painting homeless people? No, the pictures make the statement. I want to paint something happy and beautiful.


I like my bird picture I took.


I thought the saxophonist made for a fairly simple people painting.


Among people photos, this is the one I liked best, the woman taking a picture of her friend modeling a hat.


Hedging the bet, I chose a simple desert scene as probably an easier place to start.


The night before my lesson she said think of the tree of life, your life. And see if you can look around and find 20 different shades of green.  I thought maybe I could do some palm trees and mountains. When in the desert paint desert pictures, that  kind of mentality that I've heard from various artists over the years.


She loaned me a book on color charts.


In my long ago past,  (early 60's) I tried painting with oils and it was enjoyable, but not very successful. Recently, I tried a papier mache' sculpture and couldn't understand how to use acrylic paints and gave up and put the thing in a box.


After talking it over, she decided I should paint on a student canvas a person, not a tree, not a desert scene. We chose a picture of her's of a little boy. He has a long way to go, but the palette board for acrylics is very different. The brushes, too. I learned gobs and came away energized. I'll try and finish this painting today, or at least get it in better proportion. Not only did I get a lesson, but lunch.


Pam made this killer soup with mushrooms, peppers, chicken breast and fennel sausage with a small amount of noodles. Delish.

On a different note: In the morning,  Jim and I walked the park, looking to find my bike, both of us knowing that this is a park full of mature people, unlikely that we would find our bike lurking under someone's canopy. It was our morning exercise anyway, and we learned from talking to people we met that bike theft is very common in this park, especially men's bikes, which mine was. It seems, the thieves jump the fence, choose an unguarded bike, and ride out through the gate. The next weekend it will be for sale at a flea market. We went to find a White Sheet, (sales paper) but it didn't list flea markets. We might try a regular newspaper today. But, I've mentally given up the idea that I might find that bike. There must be 300 in our park alone. And, another 70 parks like ours. It is probably a very lucrative business.

QUILTING SURPRISE

Opening the mail these days, I find more advertising than personal news. But, then, surprise! My adopted daughter, Karen, was published in Quilters Newsletter, a magazine I wrote a beginning writers piece for in 1976.  It didn’t pay much, in fact, it may have paid nothing, but the thrill was indescribable.

Here is Karen’s story that she sent me:

My husband retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2001 after serving for 20 years. To show my appreciation, I decided I would make him a quilted wavy U.S. flag wall hanging. I decided to use curved piecing to make it. He was thrilled with this idea. We went to my fabric stash to pick out the fabric. I cut out all the curved pieces using one template shape. Then the challenge began.
I tried to sew them together on the sewing machine and got so frustrated I gave up. I told him I was sorry; I tried but it was way too difficult for me. Years went by and as I made other quilts he would ask, “What about my flag quilt?” I’ve never been one to give up easily, so I thought, let me try one more time.
Guess what? I did it! I was so proud to have challenged myself, I decided to enter the quilt in the local county fair without him knowing. I talked him into going to the fair to see how my other quilts did. When he saw a red, white and blue quilt, he asked, “Isn’t that like the quilt you’re supposed to make for me?” When he saw the name and quilt label, he turned to me and gave me the happiest smile and biggest hug. I told him it didn’t win a ribbon. He said, “It won Best of Show to me!”  I’ll never forget the look of excitement on his face.Please challenge yourself and be patient. Just think, eight years later, you too can have a finished quilt for someone you love.

Karen is a great quilt artist. She’s a multitasker with, home and family, work, pets and many challenging projects.  She is proud of her quilt, but I’m proudest of all to be surprised by her accomplishments via a prestigious National Magazine. What a thrill!   Smooch!

DAN KLENNERT

At Blaine Harbor, earlier this month, I ran into this sculpture of a seahorse made from horseshoes. That clever choice of materials garnered my admiration, but I had fallen in love with this piece the instant I saw it. I wanted to stay and drink it in but my partner only drinks Canadian Mist. We rushed off and I didn't even get the name of the artist.
Returning from Mt. St. Helens brought us past a Sculpture Garden filled with immense and some not so immense, creations, 3 miles east of Elbe on State Route 706. It was late in the day and a hard sell, but Jim found the brakes and I wandered in amazement. Here was Dan Klennert's work en masse. A picture of the seahorse is on his brochure. His gallery is open May through October. His sculpture garden, Ex-Hilo, (latin for something made out of nothing) is open all year. Dan says: "Cleanse your mind and soul...take a stroll through my imagination."
Yesterday's signal wouldn't allow me to load the 34 pictures I took. The early riser gets the bandwidth. Click on the link below to see them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/DanKlennert#
Just as an aside, while struggling with the signal in the library and recalcitrant washing machines here at Paradise Park, I met a young wanna-be-Stephen King and I failed to get his email. This young man is really talented and I hope he will contact me via this blog and leave me a contact because we are all going to hear more of him in the future.

BOB GAMBOL, NOMAD, SEEKING EXOTIC CHINA

Everyone tells me they love my excerpts from Bob Gambols backpacking trip. Bob is in China walking and hitching, avoiding the ordinary, finding the extraordinary. He got a connection out of Lanzhou to Urumqi the Western terminus of the Chinese rail near Kazakstan on the Russian Border.
“This connection was a 3½ day trip, which took three engines to get it over the hill. It had a diesel engine, one coal fired engine and one steam engine, but the smoke in there from the coal was horrible. Plus everybody smoked cigarettes. The smoke was so heavy I had this artist I befriended make me a No Smoking sign. But, when I’d put up the sign they’d all vacate. Later I got friendly with a Chinese Fuller Brush man and he told me my no smoking sign was offensive because everyone thought I was contagious. What it actually said was, Stop Smoking. I Cannot Breathe. They thought I had a disease", Bob chuckles.
“On this trip, I befriended a conductor and I admired the pin on his hat and he gave it to me. That is a souvenir I really treasure, the insignia of the Chinese Rail System.

To be continued...

DENTAL WORK AND ALGODONES

Yesterday was the big day. I was supposed to go for a short appointment and have my final crowns inserted. Ohhhhhh, boy. We arrived in Algondones, Mexico at Dr. Deni Salinas' office at 9 A.M. but didn't leave until 6:00 p.m. It was a looooooong day. Nothing serious, just sending my crowns back to the lab, and waiting, and fitting, and waiting, etc.
So I have a new smile and got to eat some of the best tamales I've ever had. Tamale makers in this area put green olives in their tamale and I love the flavor. I also got my haircut at Judy's in Garza Plaza and saw some interesting metal sculpture. Ever the wanna be arteeste, I habitually photograph artwork. Its been a long time habit. Hope you enjoy.