There’s not a lot of action in bookstore cafes. People are reading, writing, tutoring, tutoree-ing, or drinking coffee with a far away look in their eyes (which would have been squinting through the smoke, if smoking were allowed). The sketch below was informed by blind drawing, but I frequently adjusted my gaze between the subject […]
When I began my book about my brother Mike*, I sought advice from other artists and writers. One of my teachers asked me whether my book was to be a window or a mirror. That was difficult to answer. If my book were to be a window, it would tell my brother’s story objectively. If […]
Musical notation is written on paper that has rows of grouped parallel lines. Five lines in each group. A spot (which may or may not have a staff) on a line is a note whose duration depends upon whether it is hollow, its grouping with other spots and the number of flags on its staff. […]
WordPress just told me of my 4th anniversary of blogging. It seems like only three… I am proud of myself for posting at least one blog entry for each day of the past 4 (3?) years. This on-line journal of mine consists of more than 1600 posts. I have progressed in many ways during this […]
I used a lot of the same colors today that I have been using lately (see Volcano?, When Robots Attack, Orientation). I used a sloppy wet brush to apply purple, cadmium red deep, Prussian and phthalo blues and mauve. I applied the colors in adjacent pools and left them alone to merge. I was struck by the results and did not […]
It worked. Distraction, I mean. Yesterday I mentioned that this was the first year I didn’t get a happy birthday call from Mom, not because she forgot to call, but because she died earlier in the year. One of my ways of dealing with sadness and bad feelings has been to compartmentalize. However, it was hard […]
Once again, my granddaughter Sidra and I set aside some time to chat about what is happening in her life. We started this just before her brother Will was born (Being a New Sibling, 6 Months Later: Being a New Sibling, Sib Interview – One Year Followup). The Interview: J: It’s been a while since […]
There is a saying, “I was so sick, I was afraid I wasn’t going to die.” I’ve been feeling that way for the past couple of days. I don’t know if I’m in the eye of the storm, if the medication is taking effect or if I’m better. But I am grateful for feeling halfway […]
I haven’t been sick since I started this blog in 2013. My health streak was broken on my 6 hour flight home to California yesterday. I could not stop coughing. When I got home, I got into my own bed and covered up to stop the chills. I slept a long time. I wasn’t sick […]
This is my last night of my visit to see Mom. I flew in from California for her 90th birthday. I hadn’t been to see her in quite a while, and it is getting more and more difficult to talk with her on the phone. She doesn’t hear too well. I mentioned in another post that […]
