365 # 34/35

Just back from the printshop-decompressing from a day of printing. I brought some of the prints home to hang to dry and to ponder. I have been in the process of making my very first book for some time now. It involves much more than I thought it would ! Each sheet  will eventually be it's own 8 page book. The "how" of it is the complicated part! (Don't ask me how just yet!) 

The last color of the day went towards a Valentine print-originally begun last year & never completed. I sometimes find that I hit a wall with prints and have to stop, put them away and come back to them later. It's that or risk ruining a print and that can be heart breaking! So now it is time to sit and mull and come up with the next step...

Post script:sometimes I'll create a etching or new piece of cut paper and that will cause me to return to some already finished prints to add to them yet again. A recent teacher of mine has come to ask: "How do you know when these are done?" My only answer : when I am dead. Otherwise, there may always be some element just waiting to be added-even years later! 

Thought for the day...

I have been thinking & listening & looking - a lot lately. As I walk I look around me-what is changing-are there any new signs that things are getting worse? As I make breakfast or dinner in my  small kitchen I listen to N.P.R.  and the stories they are telling. They began a very interesting segment today: " Uncommon Economic Indicators"  where folks can send photos and write about the things they are seeing in their own backyards that are indicative of  the current impact of the  recession. It reflects what I have been doing since Christmas , since November  & the election & before-looking at the world and people around me & trying to sense where "all this" is going. Is there a light yet at the end of this tunnel? Will it get worse & if so-how much? My grandparents lived through the depression and I remember some pretty vivid remnants of it's impact on their lives : a ball of (used , saved and waiting to be recycled ) twine and wire, jars of nails and screws-also previously used and  saved for the next need or project. Everything had value. Even the smallest of things that we, today, toss without a thought -  Everything got saved for next time. Is this the next time? I guess my thinking is very colored by my personal view on the environment. To put it in a nutshell and not take up  hundreds of words to spell it out:I am an "Al  Gore environmentalist"= take that to mean I pretty much buy what he is saying including his warnings about the direction we are going in. So I look at all this :at everything that is going on and has been going on for a long time and say : "It kind of looks bad, doesn't it?" 

I am writing this today because I look at this blog and it strikes me as fairly "sunny" in it's disposition. Perhaps I take these photos and write these things to balance out the hard truths going on all around me & the even harder truth that I suspect  is waiting  ahead. 

 I think about my 4 grandparents a lot -more and more as I get older .   Without getting too sentimental, I'll close with the words my Grandfather often said to me, my brother & my cousins as we grew up:  

1. Rome was not built in a day.

2. There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

3. He who thinks he can can.

4. There's not such word as can't.

5. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

6. If you don't have patience you'll never get to heaven.

I think we all leave impressions once we are gone and that maybe our real legacy. I hope that whatever legacy I leave behind will be as meaningful as my grandfather's was and I have the feeling my art may not be where my legacy lies...

365 # 33

Today was all snow, rain & SLUSH = no photos today. But, as usual, I have my back up ready-a magical place nearby. A nearby home has the most amazing  front "garden"- overflowing with  flowers into which are mixed holiday decorations. It is up year round and the effect is of a magical garden, created by ...elves? I pass by every now & again just to see what has been added or changed. But it is the overall effect that I love most-you happen upon it unexpectedly and it really is like something out of a fairy tale. I have been lucky enough to meet the family and their sweetness only adds to the magic! 

365 # 31 / 32

First: "my" Karmann Ghia. It may not be much but it's mine. Or something like that...

Next: John Updike died today. Kind of a shock as I grew up reading him and you somehow figure folks like him will always be around.

Finally, regarding this photo a day thing: it can be very hard! I actually thought I would not find something today. On the last leg of my walk I spotted the vibrant red lights that mark a dead end street. They are so mesmerizing. They also have graffiti on them which kind of ruins the effect but from far away you do not see it. 

365 # 29/30

No photos from today but I DID take this one yesterday, just in case. I happen to love old cars. I find todays cars to be lacking in aura. Old cars have wonderful colors, amazing designs and I love the typography used in their "logos". I have this dream of going to Cuba just to see all of the architecture and cars. When  I spotted this on the street I was reminded of a car my grandparents had-in green. One of my favorite cars is the Karmann Ghia. So beautiful! 

365 #25,26,27,28-LOST DOG ALERT***

Have you noticed? : The days-they are getting longer. And the light-it is getting stronger. On Friday , before I returned to work after a quick lunch-I returned to my lovely habit of sitting outside in the fresh air and sun light for a few minutes. There still was snow to be seen, here and there. And I had my hot cup of tea in my cold hands for added warmth but it was wonderful to be out and folks all noticed the feeling of ...Spring. 

Consider my posting of the photo "LOST"  to be a kind of a public service announcement. The poor guy has been missing almost  one month. If you reside in Queens, New York and have seen him-have him call home. Here is an idea: if you live in Queens-mention this on your blog or create a link-perhaps (wishful thinking, I know) we can work together to get this guy home to his loved ones. (I would be broken hearted if my 2 cats went missing. )

The broken mirror is not MINE! Don't want any bad luck in this New Year! I passed it by yesterday but made a mental note to snap it today and I love the 2 images for what they each are. One has the dark stained cement as the focus and the other zeros in on the reflection of the bare tree top above. Cool. I took the shard home to use in a collage. 

Finally: snapped "Jim's" foot prints today after passing them day after day for weeks. Wonder who "Jim" is? Wonder how many years ago he stuck both his feet into wet cement?  Wonder where he is now? If he's out there, reading this:"Hi Jim!". 

365 #22,23,24

Went here for great eats tonight. If you happen to be in Queens, N.Y. stop here for a burger. ( I normally do not encourage the eating of animals  but if you must -try here. ) You'll be enveloped by the scent of all things good and surrounded by the fascinating melting pot that is N.Y.C. &, in many ways, America. 

On my absolutely freezing & wildly windy walk today I  found this :I call these "architectural details"-you often overlook them and yet they are the coolest little details. This is at the base of a flag pole. Focusing on it made me wonder what type of flower it might actually be. Stunning, whatever it is!

And then there was this:both odd & funny...I am still floating in a post-Obama inaugural haze of cautious bliss...