Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativos, Buenos Aires Argentina

This was such a gem that we almost missed. Our last day to see anything we might have missed and I thought, “What the heck, let’s give it a look.”

“located in the former residence of the Errázuriz Alvear family, a grand mansion built in Buenos Aires between 1911 and 1917 by French architect René Sergent. The family acquired a vast collection of European and oriental art during their time in Europe, which was used to decorate the palace upon their return. In 1937, the building and its collection became a museum for the public after the state acquired it following the death of Josefina de Alvear.“

Joslyn Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.

It is possible to see this entire museum in 4 hours (less if you whiz through). We even ate lunch in their lovely cafe. The grilled cheese with kimchi was fantastic. I often feel like dining on vacation is like a sabbatical; I get new ideas about food preparation to take back home.

This is the third museum where I’ve seen the beautiful work of Rosa Bonheur in fairly quick succession, the Louvre, the Joslyn and the San Diego art museum.

Twombly, Joseph Cornell and Basquiat

I always try to fit a little art into my vacations. I have been to Washington DC so so many times and have never been in the Hirshorn. Finally I went. And as much as I really like abstract modern art, mmm mm, some of it is a joke on us the viewer. I still think Jackson Pollock pulled the wool over our eyes and yet I’m smitten with Cy Twonbly.

The Hirshorn is a museum that is “doable” in under and hour top to bottom, even if you, like me, dwell upon a few favorite pieces.

I’m a sucker for Joseph Cornell’s quirky boxes; the way he curates and arranges the things in each box is a whole ‘nother level.

Jesus Icon

A little intimidating. Jesus.

Wherever gold will be played, an underlayer of bole is painted on in about 10 layers after which it is sanded as carefully and smoothly as possible. Gold will show every little flaw that lies beneath it so we start with 600 grit and work our way down to the finest 1200 grit.

A thin piece of tape is placed around the outer edge to form a frame and then I am ready to lay down the gold.

You can see in this closeup the etched in lines that will guide me when I begin painting Jesus. I used an etching pen that I also use for scrimshaw etching.

The gold is glued on with a mix of rabbit skin glue and alcohol. The gold is so incredibly intimidating; it will float into the air with the slightest breezed, it will curl up and become useless with the tiniest smidge of water. The gold leaf is cajoled onto a gilding pad and a sharp knife cut the size piece needed. The knife needs to be sharp enough to cut the gold cleanly but not so sharp that is cuts the pad.

The prayer is written beneath the painting; you may or may not choose to share it. Once the clothing is painted on, the prayer will be forever hidden.

I’ve covered the gold with parchment to protect it while I paint.

Makoto Fujimura at Pepperdine

I’ve been following Makoto Fujimura’s art for a couple decades so when a rabbit trail led straight to the gallery where my son-in-law is going to law school, I realized I could visit my newest grandchild and see an artist’s work I revere.

Photos don’t do the original work justice; the multiple layers hide and appear beneath the next layer making what might appear to be a plain orange-red canvas into a complex dancing fire.

Spring has sprung

We worked on not mixing the colors on the palette but rather to simply pick up the colors on your brush and paint, letting the colors blend and stay separate for a more interesting look.

I also encouraged using a limited palette. So instead of putting a myriad of greens on the palette, use a single green and yellow and mix to get various shades.

And as always, use all the space your paper provides.


The youngest student and only male in the class; he has excelled this year.

Glass

My students learned the magic of miskit. Miskit masks the paper to preserve the white; an important part of watercolor painting. Also they learned the necessity of painting what you see not what your brain is telling you that the glass should look like.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Taliesen West in Phoenix, AZ and Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, VA.

When we dropped our son off at Penn State for grad school we drove from Washington across the country right past the entrance to Falling Waters. But we didn’t stop. We were, well, not me, but some people in the car were intent on getting to the University. I’ve regretted their decision ever since…

Happily, we visited Talisen West while we were in Phoenix for Matthias’s wedding. And during the summer while visiting my mom in Maryland, my sisters and I toured the Pope-Leighy House.

I do love Frank Lloyd Wright’s insistence on his philosophy of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature; it’s settling and beautiful.

Tea Towel Prints

This was a project that we planned as a Christmas present for the moms. I bought 100% cotton tea towels and the the students brought their amazing ideas for a linoleum block print. My constant warning to keep hands behind the blade worked almost flawlessly when suddenly one student said he’d cut himself. We washed his cut with soap and water, bandaged it up and he was back to carving.

I’ve learned some things over the years of printing. One huge help is to smear the printer’s ink on a wax coated or styrofoam plate and roll from there. Clean up is a breeze because I simply toss the plate. I used to use a big piece of tempered glass which looked very professional; but the clean up was tedious.

The other thing is with a large class, it works best to limit the color choices to around three or four. There’s less mayhem.

Working on the tea towel, the students’ first station was the ironing board to get their towels smooth. Then over to the printing area where they place their linoleum block on a sheet of paper when they are inking it. This keeps the table surface clean so that the white towel doesn’t inadvertently end up with ink splotches.

Then we put a piece of paper directly under the section they plan to print to keep the table or under layer of towel from absorbing the ink.

As usual, I was so pleased with the results.