Discoveries: Arts and Culture

My own puppet doll from Bali Carol, a weaver, who lived on Bali for a decade, now owner of a shop, Nomad, on Sacramento, SF 

2002  Killed by drought   Ansel Adams, "The Jeffrey Tree" , Sentinel Dome, 1940  Two Women Atop Jeffrey Tree. Photographer Unknown.

Philip Guston, Courtroom 1970  The National Gallery's collection, the Robert and Jane Meyerfhof Collection, which includes Hans Hofman, a Rothko, Ellsworth Kelley, Robert Rauschenberg,  Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, Philip Guston, Barnett Newman, and other artists of the Post War generation, which were a pleasure to see, especially, as the SFMOMA remains closed, due to its expansion program.... The Rothko Barnet Newman's 15 canvasses hung in a separate gallery  - this is the famous "15 Stages of the Cross series" which proved very moving, as one walks alongls, viewing the variants in the "stages"... Ellsworth Kelley who reminds us not to see with our minds, but with our eyes, and that painting for him is a translation of the way he sees... Terry Winters.  My husband apprenticed with him when working on his MFA at Columbia University, so used to hear about him in the studio in New York. This painting comes from a series modelled ...

Intrigued by  new findings identifying Leonardo's model for "The Mona Lisa" as Lisa Gherardini de Giocondo, award winning author, Dianne Hales, set out to reconstruct the enigmatic Lisa's life, embarking on a journey through Italy to archives, libraries, piazza and palazzo, and abandoned chapels, and interviewing descendants, on the path of scovery of the luminaries of the period, Leonardo da Vinci, painter of "The Mona Lisa", and his rival Michaelangelo, Machiavelli, and of course the Medici, and other nobility.  Her former book, La Bella Lingua earned Hales an Italian  " knighthood " which opened all doors for her research, including that of Lisa's living descendants.  The extensive research yielded a blend of biography, history and memoir of Florence's Golden Age.  Fascinating!   I hear her tonight, at the Mechanics Institute Library, Post and Market.  I read the book on Kindle.  It concludes with notes on the chapters, an extensive a...

I have spent inordinate amounts of time digitalizing my life since I returned from China.  The first three months were spent in the award of a residency at the Dorland Arts Colony.   Then six months, later, I returned to China for two months.  When I finally was at rest, in the USA, in September 2013, I started the "revolution".  Due to advances in iPhone in the IOS system and in its opening up its contracts, I purchased the IPHONE 5S, having first purchased the ipad as a back up for my pc, and for portability.  My desk top pc is an HP because, in part, it is a real value, and  it still had the CD player(and I have lots of photos and Music stored on CDs.  Then, I purchased a Mac notebook because I hoped it would help me in my writing.  I am just about to utilize it in that mode, as after many a workshop on start up with this technology at Apple's friendly store in San Francisco, I am now up and going, though discontent.  Younger us...

Sarah Cahill with Fujieta Monomu in Bess Exhibition "Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible". Bess was originally exhibited by the Betty Parsons gallery in Manhattan at turn of the 20th century.  Work is reminiscent of William Pinkham Ryder, whom the self taught artist, a Bait Fisherman, admired. Hans Hofmann made a gift of his "best" painting along with others created while studying at UCBerkeley John  Zurier is a Berkeley based painter with a studio in Oakland and  whose works made possible by the Matrix program 255(Phyllis Wattis, Patron) ,   are reminiscent of Robert Ryman's paintings, though Curier has a palette other than white on white and includes more notation.  Inspired by his summer studio work in Iceland, these new canvasses in their earth tones  reflect that changing landscape, evoking fog, ice, skies, ground, water and light, in a poetic light.  Apsara Di Quinzio, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and P...

  Sarah and Mamoru Fujieda viewing Bess's work at BAM opening, September 12, 2014 The charming pianist, daughter of James Cahill, and the composer Mamoru Fujieda     The Japanese composer Mamoru Fujieda has written an extraordinary set of pieces called "Patterns of Plants" (1996-2004 ).He hooked up an apparatus called a Plantron to read the bio-electric fluctuations of various plants, to try and understand their "voices".  Then he transformed the sonic data into the melodical  patterns of these beautiful pieces which are dedicated to Lou Harrison.   Sarah had been performing all over the country (Freer Gallery, Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center) for about four years when the composer wrote to her.  He invited her to the first Pacific Crossings Festival in Tokyo in the summer of 2004 to play his own music along with Lou Harrison, Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros and others.  Then a month later, he presented another con...

These images were taken from my patio viewing the moon in the west, about 5:30 AM Pacific Standard Time.

Fascinating lovely film, by a winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes,2009 , Cerino Cinemountain Festival in Italy, "Stone Pastures", 2008.  Donagh is born American, but Irish and Finnish , and his previous film is an Irish-Finnish-English co production. He now lives in Dublin but also spends time in Finland.  .   He studied Tibetan Buddhism and spent long periods in India and China.   He has made this film at the suggestion of Lharigtso, who graduated from Beijing's China Womens University with a degree in Media Studies.  She was born in Amdo, Qinghai Province(where I travelled last summer, over four mountains and visiting three lakes, the Greater(Sacred) and Smaller Qing Hai Hu, and the Great Salt Lake.   Lharigtso has worked in the art department and Tibetan documentary productions in Zizang TV, Lhasa, as well as in Beijing TV.   From 2003, she worked with the ngo Tibet Heritage Fund, where she organized projects, photographed ...

Lan Cao, though adopted at age 6, by American colonel and growing up in Avon, Ct, and given an education at Mt Holyoke and then Yale University,who now teaches law,  is defiant about the loss of So Vietnam, and blames the Americans, who enter and exit countries without a thought about its inhabitants.  Her words.  Lam clearly did not believe in her harboring the embittered thoughts of what he sees only as an elderly generation who cannot let go of their memories of the war.  Lan Cao says the memories required her to write.  How much can a six year old recall?  Of course, that is the fictive invention, gleaned from historical facts.  She said writing the novel was not a "pleasant" experience but that it was required of her.  Her previous book is MONKEY BRIDGE.  The books.  Lan Cao read chapter which is in sample kindle download about a young American soldier who entertains her sister and her self  Fictionalized personal hi...

Exhibit of images altered to represent "interior psychic adjustment" with external clues   Captivating Duncan pfyfe chair legs climb gold post Neil Benezra, Director of SFMOMA, SF   Anthony Huberman, Dir CCA Wattis Institute Stephen Beal, President  CCA at Wattis Institute               The Viennese Artist, Markus Schinwald, and his life partner, Ginger Dellenbaugh  

the livingroom where I did wifi and relaxed; had it all to myself!   The common room in "Stuck Ups" Accommodation in the historic building The hallway from our corner room  the yard and seating area  The Phoebe Hearst Center and Reception The Crocker Dining Hall The Crocker dining hall interior     The book, JULIA MORGAN , Architect of Beauty , by Mark Anthony Wilson, with Photography by Monica Lee and Joel Puliatti, has been my guide to Julia Morgan's architectural tour in a pilgrimage made since I arrive in Berkeley, and stayed in her "Berkeley City Club.  This has also been the year she has been awarded the Pritzker Prize,(the first woman) post humously, so a wonderful moment to admire and celebrate her architecture.  I most recently visited Asilomar , in Pacific Grove, bordering the famous 17 mile drive of Pebble Beach.  Chapter 5, " To Refresh the Soul" features this "refuge by the sea ",...