Bulletin: Mailbag
Remember “Jack of all trades, master of none”? As I got older, Jack had become more and more my hero. In this day and age, doing more of everything all rolled into one job has become the norm. From fixings in the house to procuring services in this trade, you name it. I even entertained thoughts of making movies when I was starting out. Yes, for those who wrote, I do consider myself a generalist.
Stranger than fiction: After being denied by the old folks the opportunity to take art in school, I ended up years later teaching it instead, talk about ironies. Turns out, I really didn’t miss much. One new-generation teacher I met couldn’t even draw a cube. What’s next, off-key crooners?
For those who have asked, yes I still do the weekend artists’ kaffeeklatsch (chat over coffee)—see photo below. Except that it’s not just for artists only anymore, but for friends and colleagues as well. And not with just coffee either—tea, chocolate, and even light breakfast (don’t forget the bagels) are options, suit your taste, and pocket. The conversation rules stay the same—no politics, sex, or religion. But guy jokes are okay, wet blankets be warned. Sport enough to join?
Annual Artwalk comes up in Little Italy in last weekend of April. I am not a participant (yet), but my daughter Sonya is, this year. Along with my friend, Debbie Dorsee. It won’t surprise me if any of my past students show up as well. Some of them have become my good friends now—Lydia, Kari, are you there? Be there early if you’re attending. Traffic is a challenge, because many of the streets will be closed off.
In search of a fellow artist, Ed Smith, shown leftmost in photo above with my friend Colleen. I have worked with Ed for some years in the past, but have since lost contact. Anyone with info may please e-mail me on his whereabouts. I’ll buy you tea.
We’ve said it a million times before. This is the year I will lose 350 lb. (This was also the year I would master 3 languages, play a string instrument, and write a book.) Well, my “Angels” fitness team would tell you, we’re gonna get there yet. And we will surprise y’all yet—just promise not to hold your breath ... yet. Anyone out there wanna take the challenge with me, just let me know. Contests work! Or, you can form your own fitness team in your company, a health-promoting concept encouraged by many businesses. Give them a buzz—it’ll keep you young.
The convention-defying works of 60s photog Bert Stern was what got me fired up on photography as an art form. But my influence in photographic technique and style was from an artist, Rembrandt, whose masterful strokes of light and shadow intrigued me. Which is why when I went to Europe, his was high in my list of masterpieces not to miss. When I look through my lens, I see him working on the lighting. Da Vinci, on the other hand, remains my strongest collective artistic influence—not in one area of self expression, but in a global realm. I feel almost like a pupil. But unlike his tutored followers, I am not out to create an extension of his style, but rather evolve through it.
Trivia this: A funky little Motorola radio, given to me by my father when he was working overseas in Guam, did more to introduce me to the world of classic music than all of my school years of music classes. The unassuming little workhorse could take a bone-breaking hard fall, tube-scorching nonstop operation, and blistering tropical heat, and still perform flawless Bach without missing a beat. I wish now they had then a jazz music station, too. This hardy companion not only tells you the time and wakes you up with a song, but also turns on your room light, and if plugged in, gets your cocoa brewing by the time you’re up and about. My kind of stuff.
