Thanksgiving week

Ten family members plus 8 friends from Shreveport, Bay City and Charleston, W. Va. celebrated Thanksgiving on the new Carnival Magic, Unfortunately, Carnival's only nod to the holiday was to serve a turkey dinner that evening...for a line that boasts "fun fun fun", a poor performance. Warning...their kitchen has a long, long way to go to be considered good; another disappointment. We loved the comedy routines of the Spotlight Lounge, but were much less enthusiastic for the less than creative super shows in the huge theater tho' lots of technical expertise was utilized.

We all enjoyed the ports of Key West, Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas. Our family explored the Old Town and Harborside area in Key West, had a wonderful day at the Junkanoo Club in Freeport and the Atlantis aquarium in Nassau. Look at my web album please for more photos.

Wonderful week

Please look at "Shreveport Common, Part 1" on my YouTube site: artsMaven75. The short video ( I was so engrossed in creating my 3 projects that I didn't shoot nearly enough video)shows some of the artists involved while creating the Common preview for this Saturday's public viewing and input. During this past week, I created "target" hydrants for the proposed dog park, seed packets for the Mercy Center's proposed produce gardens, and columns to suggest a bandstand in the green area. It was great to be able to work, amidst other artists in Coolspace, though there wasn't enough time for collaboration, there was opportunity for camaraderie.

And then news from grandson, Wyn, that this coming week, he'll be in the Masterworks(?) Chorus, singing in the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Center. Wish I could be in the audience to experience this widely acclaimed space for music, and Wyn's beautiful baritone. Wyn will be attending TCU this Fall...and Ft. Worth is a lot closer than L.A..

Jazz at the Barnwell: Twotones

Last pm marked the first of the jazz series at the Barnwell, sponsored by Eldorado.

Though there was little media pre-coverage, there was a large audience. From 6 to 8 pm, AJ and the Twotones entertained us with foot tapping, hand clapping blues and jazz, from Muddy Waters to Eric Clapton and so much more. There were couples dancing, lots of food and beverages on tables being consumed, visiting with friends and family; everyone enjoying the music and the riverviews, visiting with friends and family. Hope to see you there next Thursday evening.

Revisiting Bilberry Park Installation

Fifteen years after the creation by children of the Queensborough area, of this mural and the Pyramid Group's 7 sculpture installation, I returned to Bilberry Park to see what had become of these public art ventures in which I'd taken part. So many wonderful memories flooded my thoughts as I passed Job Corps where we'd built the sculptures, and then I entered the park. There's good looking play equipment now instead of the rusty stuff of 1995-6, a covered games area, and a new rec building. And the mural, in amazingly good condition, happily was placed on the new hut in the same location it had on the old one, and is the entry to the park with the installation area directly ahead.

The very low enclosing concrete walls have been well painted with bright colors and look good. I do wish SPAR would plant perennials into those enclosed spaces rather than leaving them to the weeds and litter. Four of the original sculptures celebrating the lives of Doug Williams, Johnny Bilberry, area artists and Afro-Americans, are still in place. Actually pieces of these 4: the upper parts are gone, the paint is worn off, faded, but some panels especially the dedication panels, black and white decorative ones are in good condition. but the remnants of these once large, proud, brilliantly colored creative pieces now are on their last legs.

I wish those pieces still in good shape could be salvaged and placed, like the mural, on the hut walls or elsewhere, and that there'd be a new call to artists for this area. Lucille Reed, Nevelyn Brown and I enjoyed and thrived amidst the Queensborough neighbors and I would hope another artist, artists, would/could continue to be present there.

I did shoot a less than satisfactory video of the installation: its on YouTube...type Artsmaven75 in the search box and then click Bilberry.

Libya:2003; my story

On April 8, 2003, during the first days of the war in Iraq, Ira and I, as passengers on Swan Hellenic's Minerva2, visited Tripoli, Libya. We had enjoyed our previous day's visit to Benghazi and the amazing site of Cyrene. Our Tripoli based tours included touring Sabratha, the Spanish Fort (see bottom photo) and a marvelous museum that had the most wonderful, intricate mosaic floors from various antiquities sites. We didn't go to the huge site of Leptis Magna due to lack of time, but hoped to return on another voyage for that great experience. As we rode through the city, we noted that we saw no women on the streets, in the shops; in fact, we saw few people and unlike other places we visited, those few neither looked up as we passed, nor waved. There were huge and varied pictures of Khadaffi everywhere. There was only one taciturn vendor at the beautiful, huge Sabratha site. I haven't heard anything from the media re the many sites of antiquity; whether they're being protected, etc...The ones near Tripoli were distant from the city, but from Sabratha, near Benghazi, we could see the sea...I hope Cyrene survives this civil war intact; that its not in the path of any fighting.

When our ship came into Libyan waters, all bars on board were required to be shuttered though wine was available in the dining room. As we were ready to depart from Tripoli, our 2nd Libyan port, there was a very long delay. When the ship finally left, our captain announced that the ship's stated port taxes had been tripled by the harbormaster; that if the exorbitant amt. wasn't paid, his passport would be taken, the ship searched and if any alcohol was found on board, the ship would be impounded. Of course it was paid, albeit under protest. This British ship was scheduled to make several visits to Libya, and I thought that those ports would in the future be bypassed, but various maneuvers behind the scenes satisfied the shipping company and Libyan officials, and no changes occurred. The next year however, the US and Libya were at odds and US passports were no longer acceptable at Libyan ports. I still hope to visit Leptis Magna.

Meltdown: Cause for concern

According to Bill Nye, speaking on CNN last pm, the cesium released in that nuclear reactor explosion, indicates a meltdown. The Japanese authorities claim it to be a 'Partial meltdown"...is that like being a little bit pregnant? Mr. Nye, a reliable, credible old timer in dealing with scientific perspectives on the media, noted that the Japanese have a historical SOP of underplaying critical events so as not to be blamed, not to bring on panic in their heavily populated island nation. The MD, interviewed later on CNN said that the iodine pills being distributed will not ward off anything but thyroid cancer.

I haven't heard a single media weather person comment re which way the winds over this cesium laden area re blowing...if towards the US, should we all be wearing radiation badges, staying indoors during a certain time period? if toward the Asian mainland, shouldn't they be taking precautions for their populace?

IMPROMPTU entry

Though this piece had first been displayed at ARTSPACE for the SIX exhibit, I decided to show it again for the IMPROMPTU show. Like the other 80+ exhibiting artists, I found it difficult to select just one work. This piece however echoes many of the recurring themes in many of my other works, felt crisp and fresh when I removed it from storage, and for me, provokes an interesting conversation for any viewer. I think you'll enjoy it.

IMPROMPTU first

I emailed my visual entry for the ARTSPACE IMPROMPTU exhibit to Neil Johnson this morning though there's a March 1 deadline. My days recently have been occupied with hours at Physical therapy sessions with Ira, doing the many chores that he usually takes care of....so I submitted my entry ASAP with the thought that otherwise I might not get to it. After scanning my database of paintings, I found it difficult to select one...so I just went with the first one shown. Thats probably not the best way to evaluate ones work, but I no longer have to think about it, change my mind, etc. And lo and behold, Neil just replied that mine was the very first entry.

I look forward to seeing the various choices of other local artists in the exhibit.

Snowy Day in Shreveport

About an inch of snow fell overnight at our home, and then at noon another 20 minute flurry of flakes filled the sky. I was too lazy to get my camera before breakfast, but the noon activity stirred me to open the camera case and shoot these photos. I did put out bird food when I awakened, and was happy to see the doves, cardinals, house sparrows, even a blue jay and grackle enjoy their breakfast. You can see a sparrow on the feeder in the 3rd photo.

New painting

This is a detail of a recently completed painting entitled TEA PARTY. Its on Rives BFK paper, acrylic paint. 27" x43". You'd think that with Ira and I stayimg home because of his recent surgery and present physical therapy sessions, I'd have more than one painting completed. Perhaps as the weather improves, so will my ccreative motivation.

more Kohunlich photos

Kohunlich

Ira and booked this tour while on the Nordic Spirit that sails out of New Orleans. At our first port, Costa Maya, we were on a bus for two plus hours traveling through the Yucatan countryside, first miles of swamp, then lots of small dusty villages, a huge fresh water lake and sinkhole, and coming near our destination, huge fields of sugar cane. The Kohunlich pre-classical Mayan ruins are in a beautiful huge park. Our Mayan guide, Deanna Garcia was exceptional as she took us through the various sites. Imagine that these ruins of limestone were originally coated with an adobe/limestone mix and then painted red using cochineal.

The highlight of Kohunlich is the Temple of the Masks. The six awesome, huge carved stone faces are on 3 levels, on opposite sides of the grand stairway. The temple has been covered with a thatched roof to protect the sculptures and preserve the red color that still remains on them. Do look at my Picasa web page entitled Nordic Spirit to see more of the site.

Baby buzzard

I was totally amazed by the close up photos my daughter-in-law, Kathleen, has taken of a young vulture. She'd first spotted this bird on the main roadway near their Seabrook, Texas home, and then, as she looked out her kitchen window, saw this same bird walking on the sidewalk. Kathleen is an animal lover, and noting that the bird did not fly, chopped up some chicken and as he approached their home, she put it out. The bird, now named "Ugly Betty" by neighbors, perched on a nearby fence and stayed there for hours. Ugly Betty now returns most days and Kathleen continues to provide hamburger or chicken tidbits. The bird is content to sleep with their cats, but spreads its huge wings, lowers its head and looks appropriately threatening if dogs comes near. According to Kathleen, one of its wings doesn't have its lower feathers...she thinks it probably it was attacked by a dog and lost those as it got away. She hopes those feathers are growing back and that her scary looking friend will soon be able to fly away. But if not, Ugly Betty has probably found a home.

Library Sale Treasure

As usual, I chatted with Richard Edwardes at the Shreve Memorial Library Sale. We both were intent on finding books, so it was just a quick chat and laugh re finding ourselves once again among the bookshelves. I found lots of paperbacks to read on airplanes and ships, some jazz CDs, a few interesting history tomes, a book of 3 Sophocles plays for grandson Wyn, and surprisingly, this time, lots of art books that had been discarded by the library system.

A discard for the system, but a treasure for me, is "The New Deal for Artists" by Richard D. McKinzie. The content covers the history, the performance, of the Federal arts programs during the Great Depression. There are photos of the participating artists and the marvelous work they did. Imagine...if the government had retained all that artwork, instead of selling it in bales as rag material, we would probably be able to erase the deficit with the sale of those works. I remember Mark Rothko talking about standing in line for his federal paycheck; that he didn't feel like a charity case because the entire NYC art community was there with him... all those artists whose names are now in art history books, whose works now grace museum walls, were on that line with him. In this McKinzie book, I found photos of two of my favorite teachers, Burgoyne Diller (I had a "crush" on this very handsome teacher), and Jose Rivera.

Cruise ship news

The headlines re the Carnival s engine room fire showcase the SPAM and other "cold" food being brought on board because all available electricity is being used for the auxiliary engines. I'm sure that in spite of the disappointment felt by all passengers, they're also having an adventure they won't forget, and most are having fun in the pools and on deck, watching the tugs, helicopters, aircraft carrier.

Ira and I were on the first Dawn Princess when the AC crashed; people slept on deck and except for the litigious few, those on board became a "community" and enjoyed what they could: the ports, the entertainment in spite of the sweltering temps. We saw that same community spirit on board Celebrity's Mercury when a sudden wind shear on the Platte R. leaving Buenos Aires, tilted the ship to a dangerous angle and broke all glassware, lots of ceiling pipes, sculptures, etc. And again, we witnessed passengers making lemonade out of lemons when the Royal Olympic ship we'd booked for the Xmas/New Year voyage to Brazil, stopped and stayed in St. Thomas because the company went into bankruptcy. Anyone who travels has to be resilient. Sometimes a port that you've looked forward to visiting, is cancelled because of weather conditions, unknown port deficiencies i.e. no tugboats, no wharf.

I hope Carniaval ceased their dining room cheers of "fun, fun, fun" on this voyage.

Antiquities Restoration

In spite of the economic situation, hordes of tourists still visit the Acropolis. My previous visits and photographs show lots of scaffolding, piles of carved marbles, but few if any workmen. This year, that changed. First, the completion of the Acropolis Museum that contains the treasures uncovered within the Acropolis area, and still preserves the archeological remnants of its site. And to my delight,with this August visit I finally viewed the beautiful Nike Athena temple shorn of its external skeleton of scaffolding, and much of the scaffolding on the Parthenon had been removed. There were many workmen as we explored, and they weren't just chatting with each other, but actually working on the structures. Is this the upside of an economic downturn?...that contracts and jobs are at a premium and so someone else is available if the job isn't done well?

Art 101 T-shirt

ARTISTS TRANSIT exhibit at Turner

I should have brought my camera to this special event, the 25 year reunion of Artists Transit, at Turner. Bruce Allen and I chatted about the art scene then with The Loft, Artists Transit and Gladstone as working and collaborative spaces for local artists. All of them are now defunct, and there's no equivalent local space at the present time for the younger generation of creative bent. Is it because money is so tight, rentals too high, or Facebook that replaces the face to face synergy of these work spaces?

The show is an interesting one with up to date works from many of those artists who were part of the Transit scene. What a pleasure it was greeting Carlos Colon, Richard Edwardes, Greg Hornbeak, Dennis O'Bryant, Lewis Kalmbach, Michael Moore, and seeing their innovative, creative spirit in their new works. Works from Michael Herold, Deborah Howard and Robert St. John are also displayed. I specifically remember Deborah's fabulous show, her last local one as she left LSU-S and Shreveport shortly after. I especially enjoyed looking at the original sign in book thats been preserved by Dorothy Hanna Allen...such youthful energy and perspective brought big smiles to my face. Do stop in and enjoy this great reunion.

At last, cooler temps

Last weeks soaring temperatures reminded me of the unexpected super high ones we experienced in Venice this past August when starting our cruise adventure with our grandsons, Wyn and Dane. None if any of the public buildings were air conditioned, and I was grateful that we were on group tours so that we didn't have to stand in long lines under the broiling sun to visit the various tourist sites. The brilliant light bounced off white domes, gilded ornaments, the canals, erasing most details, and making shaded benches, arched arcades the best places to be.

This painting, just completed, harks back to that time. Its on Japanese rough paper, covered w. a layer of torn tissue paper and medium. I used palette knives so as to avoid details, and hope my viewer will experience with me that intense light and heat.

A SAINTS' Tale

As the local sportscaster was reciting the woes of the Saints losing the game, I remembered a special delightful moment.

I wore my Saints Championship T this past May when I was touring the Acropolis Museum in Athens. There were many school groups also visiting this beautiful, new museum that looks out onto the Acropolis and houses treasures found there. As I was gazing with wonder at the amazing display of the pieces of the Parthenon frieze, the Greek original ones and in plaster, the copies of those held by the British Museum, a youngster left his group and walked up to me. He pointed to my shirt, and in very good English said slowly and solemnly, "I like your team. I watched all the games I could and I was happy when they won the championship." I asked him whether he played American football; he told me he played soccer. I wished I had worn that T over another shirt so that I could've given it to him.

I haven't given up hope; perhaps I can buy another championship T this year.