Guerrilla Artist By her own words, artist Lavanna Martin stares at people. At times she refers to herself as a “Guerrilla Artist,” setting up in one of several local coffee shops in Austin, Texas. A possible subject of interest catches her attention, and she creates a quick portrait – a sketch or painting – achieving […]
“Work of Art” works for me
It’s early yet. But so far, so good. Last evening’s debut of Bravo TV’s Work of Art: America’s Next Great Artist was not an entertainment FAIL. Nor was it a creative FAIL. In fact, Episode 1 rates a surprisingly pleasant thumbs up from this viewer. Less of a surprise was producer Sarah Jessica Parker’s arrival […]
How to recognize value
It’s been a lovely afternoon of wandering the flea market, enjoying the crowd and the diversity of antiques and vintage curiosities. You pick up a small silver fork and wonder why its tongs curve outward so delicately. You turn it over, note a hallmark of some sort, feel its weight in your hand, then glance […]
Reality Check
Reality, shmeality. . . it’s entertainment! And it’s June! And that means two new Reality TV shows are on the horizon. More precisely, they’re about to be sprung loose, on June 9 (Work of Art: America’s Next Great Artist) and June 10 (Bethenny’s Getting Married). It’s fabulous enough for Real Housewives of New York fans […]
The other side of town
I was not where I wanted to be. In the car, weary, and heading across the city. At rush hour. My son was next to me in the passenger seat, navigating by two maps printed off Google; we were trying an alternate route to avoid tie-ups, but some were inevitable. I was leaning against a […]
If I close my eyes so I may dream. . .
If I close my eyes to dream, I must fill the empty pages. If I close my eyes to dream, I journey to Paris where I am invisible, and I am seen. I make my way to the Seine, I walk along its quais and through its crowds, I wander north,through jostling neighborhoods toward home, […]
Is Genius Doomed? Alexander McQueen Takes His Own Life.
Alexander McQueen, 40, takes his own life Sumptuous. Elaborate. Theatrical. Audacious. These are some of the words that come to mind when I think about the fashion of Alexander McQueen, the 40-year old British designer who was found today, reportedly dead by his own hand. I follow fashion peripherally; at its best I believe it […]
Boost your brain (with pleasure)
Unanticipated pleasure Last evening, for three hours, I hovered in the pleasure zone, my brain and body exquisitely in sync. This was delight the likes of which I haven’t felt in six months, or perhaps as long as a year. The kind of pleasure, intense and pervasive, that obliterates worry and fatigue as all the […]
Painting Over
Our walls, ourselves, our children.
Joy Part 2: You’re a wall. Here’s a can of Krylon. Now what?
Do you find your joy in creating? Do tell…