Category: Conversations on Art

The Art of Seeing: Ficre Ghebreyesus

I first learned about artist Ficre Ghebreyesus after he died at the too young age of 50. His wife, poet, Elizabeth Alexander penned a memoir called Light of the World and painted such a picture of her husband that I needed to see more of his art. I’ve written about Alexander’s memoir and there’s a… Continue reading The Art of Seeing: Ficre Ghebreyesus

Chasing the Light at California Food Photography Workshop

Michael Waters pulled out a small notebook during workshop one day. He pointed to it as the repository for ideas, quotes, scraps of life that he might need a lifeline to find later on in his poetry. I still remember him talking about reading articles about art in the New York Times, how one form… Continue reading Chasing the Light at California Food Photography Workshop

In a word

Adrenaline courses through me. Even as I tried to shut my eyes for a whole 20 minutes, my mind transported me back to Oaktown Spice Shop and the cooking with tea workshop that I led there tonight. We are on the cusp of my favorite holiday—not the one all wrapped in ghoulish attire, but the… Continue reading In a word

Painting a Portal to Another World: Notes from the Georgia O’Keeffe Lake George Exhibit

What happens in the unseen world? It is a question artists have tried answering through their media since the beginning of time. Perhaps it is one of the reasons Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings have always pulled at me. While we try to remember to “stop and smell the roses,” she is examining their inner caverns, the… Continue reading Painting a Portal to Another World: Notes from the Georgia O’Keeffe Lake George Exhibit

Upcycling: Found Object Art and the Art of Recology

Perhaps you’ve heard the adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” If you consider the amount of trash that works its way into the rubbish bin and out into landfills each year, the statistic is quite staggering. According to Spencer Michels, “Each year, Americans throw away about 250 million tons of garbage. That’s roughly… Continue reading Upcycling: Found Object Art and the Art of Recology

Do What You Love: A Story in Parts

What is that one dream or goal that feels just out of reach? You know the one- perhaps you pull it out of its secret drawer kept lockbox shut to regard it from time-to-time. Maybe, it’s an open secret- something the people around you know you enjoy but don’t understand how fully you would endow… Continue reading Do What You Love: A Story in Parts

Do the Work: the Art and Soul of Craft

We think it should come easily. If we have a talent or gift, somewhere along the way, we become convinced that that, in and of itself, is enough. We think that wanting to write is the same thing as the act itself. Somewhere we forget how the craft and the art are swallowed up by… Continue reading Do the Work: the Art and Soul of Craft

5 Tips for Hosting an Art Salon

1. Send out invitations to art creators and appreciators. I got introduced to the wonderful thing that is pingg earlier this year, but of course there is always evite or cocodot among other online invitations to email. Then again, if you have time, there is something so delicious about opening the mailbox and finding a… Continue reading 5 Tips for Hosting an Art Salon

Art Unexpected

A glass house. Mark Rothko chapel. A museum built by disco. Walker Art Center. (the free outdoor sculpture garden boasts a giant cherry perched on a spoon) A gigantic balloon dog. The Fisher Collection (you need a friend who’s a G A P employee at corporate. wink. wink.) With all these interesting spots, it’s time… Continue reading Art Unexpected