returning soon

I'll be away for a few days, making sure that my sister is
getting enough rest. The 6 weeks of radiation is
completed soon. Thank the gods. I wish you all good health.

This NY gallery has some artists I like, particularly Yoan Capote.

flowering

Saturday was the first of several meetings with Isaac & Meike,
before they return to Europe. We are so lucky to have them here,
for part of the year. The hibiscus was flowering most happily,
outside the hall.

warmer

This is a variation from a time in Bavaria, it never, so far, gets
so cold here. I want to get out in the sun, & this photo was ready.
If you have to be inside, here's a good online magazine

pushkar

Somehow I immediately felt at home in India. In about 1970
I travelled through Rajasthan & Gujarat, stopping at several
places including the Gir Forest; after drawing for some hours
at this village, they allowed some photos.

Rajasthan was the subject of several paintings, it's a fabulous
place for an artist or photographer, & I'm so glad I went then.
I'm sure it's still great to visit the Pushkar mela, for instance,
but then, foreign tourists were so few, & so welcomed.

The travel photographer sometimes has really good workshops.

kashmir & ladahk

The landscape of Kashmir is paradise; the bus ride across
to Ladahk, in the mid 70's, was a white knuckle affair,
except the mountains are so totally awesome.

I'd like to visit again, it's possible to fly in, now. I liked the idea
of staying somewhere remote for the winter, but the reality
would be quite difficult, I expect.

Lots of book covers pages

more scans

I lived for years in India, mostly at a hill station
in Himachel Pradesh, Dalhousie. How I wish I could return
(to that time) with digital cameras..
An old friend has posted some more photos from the 60's.

Here are a few of the pictures I painted in that time.
At first the main influence was the miniature paintings,
& then it was more the surroundings, & meditation.

Some beautiful books

synesthesia

A bedi smoker, & an early play on the computer, done with
an idea of reincarnation; but what I'm thinking about
today is synesthesia. In my case I have visual & audio overlapping
with kinesthetic, & numbers & time appear in 3D blocks.
I was about 40 before I realised other people weren't all like this.
A relevant & interesting talk on radio, & a riveting talk by
V.S Ramachandran on Ted.

abstract

Some beach abstracts

Amazing patterns when there are shallow pools, moving
water, light.

Something from elsewhere too: vivid costumes.

nearly floods

Took the bus 30km south today, very wet, close to floods..

Starting to play with some of the photos, along the lines of
the presence in ancient sites, how certain timeless activities
leave their impression. I'm doing some long horizontal ones.
Probably.

Hardly any time on web, till yesterday; this artist appealed,
& here's a fascinating blog.

other creatures

It's amusing to watch what happens when a new dog & cat
move into our street, never knew there were so many, they all
came to check out the neighbours, & are still negotiating territory.
These ones I noticed on my trip in March. Some, like the baby
parrots at Chatuchak market, (& even the massive
bread-fed fish- top centre) were distressing.

If the distress in the world is all too much, here's a happy site.

clouds waving

Left is from the site of an altered state in Mt Tamalpais near
San Francisco, the tree really looked like that ~ a head. Years ago.
So did the other big wave cloud. Today the whole sky
was one low cloud, it's an old-style wet winter.

These labels could be useful when time travel begins..

blue

Two of these have been lost I think, & I've very inadequate
photos, ( maybe I'd have been more careful if I hadn't moved at
least 100 times so far..) Left is Hampi; there often seems a residue
of all the people who've been at ancient sites, don't you agree?
Right a small painting for one of the stories
in Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, long a favourite book.

Fernman was printed on cloth from a slide, it's only good for
a vague idea of the painting. Get transparencies made !
Or whatever might last the distance. It's nice to have
a record for yourself, if nothing else.

This online magazine looks good.

green

Have been sorting photos for a different project, these from a city
I like a lot, but which is very far from green. Last night I heard
part of a talk by James Lovelock, he likened the state of the
earth to that of a person who's been told they will die soon;
they try all kinds of cures, but all are too late.
It's almost impossible to hear, isn't it?
He also agrees with 'clean' nuclear power. But..isn't it still a fact
the waste products are here for unthinkable kalpas?

huang po

These two are part of a series of paintings based on the words of
Huang Po, a Zen master from about the 9th c. One is about hanging
on to ideas (the chair arms have hands) the other is about
anxiety being a product of an analytic mind.

Another way to lessen anxious thoughts: don't tune in to the 'news'.

rainy windows

Two paintings from years ago, gouache on paper. These days,
when anyone can click a button for drops of water, they may
seem redundant. (Oh: it's upside down, there's a face in there.)

& a hand in this one. Plus, you know, there is something deeply
meditative in painting details by hand
that is evident in the end result ~ for the artist at least.

Don't you agree these small stone vessels are awesome?

old pictures

Still scanning some prints every day, it's a good way to get
it done without getting too bored, leaving time to start new images.
Above are several old paintings.
The mask has 'greed makes you believe what you otherwise wouldn't.'

A sort of interesting article, though really outside my experience.

new mexico

Stayed a winter in Galisteo, once. (found the large stone
on a nearby hill). Just finished another book by James Sallis,
really admire his writing. A line near the end: 'Of weather &
the way sudden winds come rolling in over New Mexican plains
as doors of colored lightning begin opening in the sky.'

colour in india

In India the good doors & windows were mostly at palaces,
the vivid colour (except at festivals like Holi) most often in the
endless variety of ladies saris. & Rajasthan the most
colourful of all.How often I've wondered about the life of this
beautiful girl, it's possible she'd be a grandmother by now.

If I ever think to stay at a luxury hotel, it might be this one.

for example

Top 2 photos were buildings I loved, later painted brown.
Perhaps the difference now is the kind of paint. In a place with lots
of rain, upkeep is a problem, but the water based paints
aged so wonderfully ~ to my taste.

Mud probably looks much the same for centuries.
No, it's the dull colours I object to. Some are fearless!

Reading W.G.Sebald, slowly, as there won't be any more.
This one: The Emigrants.
He takes my breath away, every few pages.

always changing

Because many people in San Cristobal de las Casas really
didn't like to be photographed, I took lots of walls, windows,
doors ~ also because I loved the colours & textures. Even in 1992,
I'd go past a favourite church or wall & be aghast to discover
it had been 'fixed' & painted dull brown. I stayed about 2 years,
initially at the Posada San Cristobal, it had large spare
airy rooms, there was a barber across the street who made
tunes with his scissors. Just looked it up ~ sadly, it's
been revamped. Enjoy Kiki's artwork, other artist friends
from that time don't have websites.

Here's a good backpack if you go to a sunny place.

time

Isn't it strange what age/time does? Things fall apart, sag, rust,

melt back to earth, & some retain an authority for centuries.

I went several times to Guatemala, to renew my visa, & once
to Antigua, parts of which aged in lovely painterly ways.
It's possibly all 'fixed up' now, though I hope not.

When you go, be sure to include Lake Atitlan

lao buddhas

This afternoon I joined up the various photos to make a large
file of each of these Lao buddhas. It doesn't always work,
especially when it's a large object or view, the angles change.

Another of my favourite artists, Patrick Dougherty.
An interview with Nils Udo.
& the incomparable Andy Goldsworthy.

generations

Tried out this idea as part of another picture: superimposing
the faces of a great-grandmother, through to me. That's my
mother's mother on her wedding day. It would work better
if all the faces looked straight ahead, but even so.. try it,
you'll get an unusual feeling, both more solid & paper thin.

Last night I heard a little of Jon Hassell, & learnt that Brian Eno
is directing a big festival in Sydney. Now. Can I go?
Eno is my favourite musician. I've the feeling he's a time traveller.
I saw an installation at the SF Palace of Fine Arts
where he'd collaborated with a light artist, people would walk
into this otherwise dark room & become still. Mindblowing.

holiday

Long walk today, sunshine, its a long weekend.
Low tide at the beach, with shallow pools reflecting blue sky

Gorgeous.

On my book wish list: the brilliant Storm Thorgerson

sunshine !

Made the most of several hours of sun today ~ at last ~ walked
at the beach, it was glittering, with lazy squiggles of foam.
Everyone begins to go troppo when there's
too much rain, not just me.

vintage crafts, cool rooms, how to indulge.

rainy, again

The sun came out, I walked to the beach, it was cloudy,
it rained, I got wet, came home. It was cold, too;
amazes me how little naked kids are racing around in
all kinds of weather.

A few good book/design/zine sites: one, two, three

stones

Some paintings for a change. For a while I made small paintings
from stones found at the beach. From top left: "who am I?'',
circle, conversation.

X (kisses), angels, pi in the sky. Many are in a lovely
A5 book I got in London, all are gouache on paper.

One night recently I heard this interview on the radio
with Jerzy Zubrzyski, an amazing life. Have a listen.
The abc has some excellent story archives. Not sure
how long they stay on site, but there's always something.

like this

Mexico photos from the top of the scanning heap, these are
all around San Cristobal de las Casas, in the south, except the
rock, it was near San Miguel de Allende. It's so green here
in Byron Bay after all the rain ~ like 26 cm in 2 days ~ I can
lose the memory of other intense colours. Even more so
in a place that rains grays.

An artist friend who also grew up in the outback, & who now

lives in London, has her first book of poetry published:
Salt Publishing has a very good site, you can read
poems from all their authors, look for the pdf files.

calm place

Here's a calm one for today.
I joined several together, all from Sukhothai, one of the old
capitals in Thailand, it's not an actual view.

& a pleasurable blog on childrens' books