My brother Dave and I just finished cleaning out Mom’s apartment. I’ve been back on the east coast from California for about 10 days: since February 19. I was here in the east earlier in the month for Mom’s 90th birthday party. She was determined to have her party. A full six months before she was […]
I was really tired yesterday after working with my brother Dave in Mom’s apartment. We drove back to Dave’s house and I couldn’t find my computer. I realized that I must have left it at Mom’s. I had to do my entire blog post on her iPad. This morning when I woke up, I saw that […]
Mom just died. I was there to celebrate her 90th birthday just a week before her death. My brother Dave and I were both at her side when she passed away. We had her burial yesterday. I tried to concentrate on every detail. But even today, a day later, I’m starting to forget. Usually I take […]
We had Mom’s funeral service at the graveside. I have been to this cemetery many times before. My mother’s mother and father are there as are her uncles and aunts; my aunt and uncle are there. And now my own mother and father are there. It’s the ultimate family reunion site. Yesterday I was concerned […]
I’ve written about compartmentalization in at least one previous post. In the post entitled ‘Compartmentalization‘, the emphasis was on my watercolor of a sagittal section of a brain that appeared to be subdivided into different chambers, or compartments. (Note: Although the brain actually does have chambers, or ventricles, within, I was not referring to them.) […]
Creative process – visual and written In a previous post I considered the difference between painting and writing and wondered how each process differed. Each artist, writer or painter, has his or her own process. Some have been generous enough to share. For example, Paul Klee, in addition to diaries and notes about his work, wrote […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: Today is another sketch in my ‘brain series’ (Brain Teasers, Memory Fades, Untitled). In keeping with tradition (that I started yesterday), I did not assign a meaningful name to this sketch. It qualifies as part of the brain series because it was inspired by a structure in the brain called the hippocampus. The […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: This is the third watercolor study in my ‘brain series’. (Previous studies: Compartmentalization and Brain Teasers.) I began by taking my pencil point for a walk (thank you, Paul Klee, for that metaphor). I made a continuous line beginning at the upper right side of the picture plane, stylizing the contours of half the […]
Many months back, I wrote a short post about creativity (Two Takes). Below, I reprise that and apply it to my recent painting process. Scientist using painting metaphor: Enrico Coen, in a fascinating book called The Art of Genes, tackles the question: How do biological organisms make themselves? He considers and rejects the idea that […]
It is so very sad that Robin Williams found no way to alleviate his suffering. I’ve read many of the tweets from people who treasured his genius and whose lives had been touched by his wonderful gift. There are a smattering of tweets who call attention to the serious problem of depression and suicide, but […]
