Month: January 2018

Airport

Meditation teachers advise us to change our attitude when we can’t change our circumstances. In this case, irritation because of a flight delay morphed into interest in observing carefully when I got out my pencil and paper.

Women’s March 2018

Last weekend, hundreds of thousands of women and men marched in over 100 cities, from Boston to Las Vegas to Juneau, to protest the Administration’s policies and rhetoric. Some cities topped last year’s Women’s March numbers: in Chicago officials counted 300,000 marchers, in New York 200,000, and in LA 500,000. Protests also occurred in dozens of international cities from Uganda to Frankfurt, and from Buenos Aires to Bejing. In Washington , we listened to speakers in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and then marched to the White House. The signs were impressive, including the one on the right, a reminder that Trump lost the popular vote by two million votes, or 1.5%. It was a beautiful day and the march was peaceful and inspiring.

Thanks to Rick Paddock for sharing his photo which inspired this sketch.

Favorite Cafe

If you are really lucky, you have a local eatery which is a welcoming place to meet a friend and enjoy delicious food, coffee and conversation. One such special place is L’Aroma Cafe & Bakery in West Newton Square. Afkham, the proprietor who runs the cafe with his parents and son, greets everyone with a smile, often remembering your name and your favorite thing to order. It’s full of regulars, and new people too, who love the sense of community which is all too rare these days.

I am working on a sketch of last weekend’s Women’s March, which I will send you later this week.

Women’s March, Redux

A year ago this weekend, half a million of us were in D.C. — and three to four million around the world — at the Women’s March the day after the Inauguration. Today I’m headed down to Washington for a second march on Saturday, where we will meet in front of the Lincoln Memorial and march to the White House. Others will be marching in Boston and other cities. For those of us who are upset and worried about the path the Administration is taking, it feels important to stand up and be counted. Here’s my sketch from last year.

Nude

Trying to capture the human form is quite a challenge. The model at the Newton Watercolor Society’s Life Drawing Class last Saturday was beautiful. It’s astonishing that someone can stand absolutely still for 20 minutes at a time while a roomful of people are drawing and painting them. In this pose she was leaning against a stool.  I tried to mostly paint the shadows, plus the dark shape of her hair.

MLK Day

Across the country today people showed up at events honoring the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated 50 years ago in 1968. This holiday is a reminder to fight to change the conscious and unconscious racial barriers and prejudices in ourselves and our society.  Here’s a sketch of today’s MLK event in Newton, Mass., attended by over 700 people.

Reds and a Green

Abstract paintings are not as easy as they seem. People think to themselves, “A child could do that.” This painting took 15 tries until I was finally satisfied.

Complementary colors are a good combination for a painting. Here they are several shades of red, and one little accent of green.

Birds in Snow

I haven’t written a poem in years, and perhaps six poems over my entire life. Last Thursday, when a foot of snow was falling on Boston, there was plenty of time for writing and sketching.

As the snow falls

Hordes of juncos and goldfinches bicker at the feeders.

The losers wait their turn

on the rhododendron branches with their drooping leaves.

Abruptly every bird disappears.

A hawk cry?

In my cozy chair, with a cup of hot tea

and a view of the feeders and snowy trees

Cold and danger seem far away.

Book of My Art

My daughter Kate gave me a wonderful surprise Christmas gift — all of my art posts from the past year and a half in a book! I’m really pleased with the quality of the colors and the paper. If you would like a copy, I would send it to you at cost. The exact price would depend on volume ordered, but would likely be $45-60 plus shipping. Dimensions are 8 1/2 x 11.  Let me know if you’re interested. Here’s the cover and an inside page.