Wednesday, August 31, 2011

LABOR DAY…..

……..can you believe it? Summer’s almost over!!!  So, my thoughts turned to SPRING ….how much I love it as it heralds in SUMMER and then of course….. I thought of WISTERIA and how delightful it is to paint!

I’ve painted Wisteria triptych’s twice before and had so much fun that it seemed like just the thing to do to keep the summer breezes blowing.  Can you tell which one I painted first?

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

GILBERT LEONG…..

 

…..was the architect of the East West bank and an early patron and dear friend. Among his many stellar credits, he also designed the lovely courtyard at Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA. These beautiful antique chairs belonged to him and as they were all hand made and joined together without nails or glue…they had to be restored.

My ‘go to’ friend for so many things is designer Rosanne Sachson who referred me to ‘ROBERT BURGER ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATIONS’.  Debbie Phelps carries on her father’s fine tradition of brilliant restoration.054

The workmen said it was like putting a Chinese puzzle together!

Debbie is the greatest gal and I don’t know what I love more, her or the magnificent job she did with my treasures!!!

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For more information:

www.robertburgerfurniture.com

818.841.0799

www.sachson-group.com

www.pacificasiamuseum.org

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

THE BUSINESS RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE…..

…..was founded in 2004 by Dr. Richard King, Dr. Joan Marques and Dr. Satinder Dhiman with the mission of ‘transforming the workplace by adding more humanity to the bottom line.’

Although I am not a member, my dear friend Carol Soucek King was going to be a speaker so I marked the date down as ‘not to be missed!’

Joan Marques, a staggeringly prolific writer of great substance opened with her talk on our interconnectedness and our place in the universe.  It was a sobering yet meaningful discussion on the serious, structural imbalance in the world and what we as individuals can do to shift our paradigm.

For more on this insightful talk:

 

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Here’s a link on Joan’s talk: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_zAJcX7BQcrM2MzYTRjMzUtNGI0Mi00ZWM3LTkzZjUtNjk5ZGI1OGUzZWQ1&hl=en_US

Carol followed with the most amazing talk that moved the entire audience to their core.  The day prior to the meeting she had a life changing experience and I’m not going to spoil it by an explanation.  Just do yourself a favor and read her talk on ‘The Interconnectedness of Everything and Everyone’ in the link below:

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Here’s a link on Carol’s talk:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_zAJcX7BQcrYjdmNTNiYjEtNzAyMC00YWZjLWJjY2MtMGI5ODNlZjgwZTNj&hl=en_US

Richard King had a perfect way of wrapping it all up in a practical, everyday, here’s how to do it style.  His great advice is linked below:

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Here’s the link to Richard’s talk: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_zAJcX7BQcrMDhmMGViMjEtNzBjYi00MGJkLWIxMGItOGY1NDkyNWQ0OTI0&hl=en_US

For More Information:

Dr. Joan Marques: 

jmarques01@earthlink.net

Dr. Carol Soucek King:  www.CarolSoucekKing.com

Dr. Richard King:

www.bri-usa.com

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Porto’s CUBAN Bakery & Cafe…..

…..in Glendale is ALWAYS swamped.  Hoards of people descend on the place from dawn to dusk and I think I’ve now set a record for most times there in one week.  Three and counting. Lisa Bowman, then Nikka, and finally Mom who said that she had such a taste for their Medianoche* (Midnight Sandwich) with extra pickles that we had to go there instead of our usual Thursday night at Far Niente!

*Just so you know: Slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, butter, mayo, mustard and pickles.

As long as you’ll be going full hog, ask for the sandwich on a croissant….I’m salivating!

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The coffee bar where your drink is  always prepared just the way you like it!!!

 

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In the bakery section you can count on a very long line……..but worth it as besides yummy treats, the girls are very helpful and PATIENT as one struggles to get just the right things from oh so many choices.

 

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Here’s just a few examples…….

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Let’s look at some sweets………

 

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Home of heavenly cakes………..

 

 

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You have to go upstairs to order that special cake but be warned.they need at least two weeks in advance to do your creation.

For more information:

Porto’s Cuban Bakery & Cafe

315 N. Brand Blvd.

Glendale, CA 90241

818.956.5996

Fax: 818.956.0696

IT TAKES A VILLAGE…..

…..well maybe at least 3 or 4 people to bathe Yuki!  While we await a doggie ramp to help get her into the car there is no alternative but to do the deed ourselves.

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Before you call the Humane Society, please know that Miss Yuki doesn’t like anyone near her ‘private area’!  Hence the muzzle as we check what’s going on back there.

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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

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Note the special ‘Lavender’ soap.  Oh, can you tell where a gopher had half of my lovely green shoe for dinner?

Actually I was delight by how well behaved Yuki was considering…..

Guess she’s used to it after all the trips to B-Elegant, the doggie spa on Victory where Von gives her such loving attention.

For More Information:

B-Elegant Grooming

1733 Victory Blvd.

Glendale, CA. 91201

818.241.0260

Saturday, August 6, 2011

SCISSORS PAPER ROCK SALON…..

…..is a very special beauty salon in Pasadena, CA as they are not only in the beauty business but enhance the experience with art and live music on Friday nights.  These ‘happenings’ are stellar and I’m so proud of Kathryn Tilley ……she’s been Brush painting for such a short time and has already been asked to show her work there on August 19th thru September 8th.

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Here we are in the studio making the difficult decision of which artwork to select from a group of spectacular candidates!

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Can you make out the little bird on the Bamboo branch?  I love it!

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Happily we made our final selections!

Scissors Paper Rock Invitation

For more information:

www.scissorspaperrocksalon.com

Kathryn Tilley: katya32@sbcglobal.com

Introduction

There is no avoiding the pull of the internet, the blogs, the YouTube imaginings. It's as if we're all 'On the Road' with Jack Kerouac each in our own world of meanderings. When we tell someone to 'get a life' it might be a bit difficult when you're dragged into other people's 24/7.

I've come to realize two foundational principals, there are no accidents and everyone has a purpose. More and more I'm desiring everyone to come into a full realization of their purpose as we all find our way on this little jewel of a planet.

For me, as a professional 'Western style artist', I stumbled into Chinese Brush Painting after a trip in 1980 to Monet's home/garden. Seeing all of his collection of Japanese woodblock prints was an ahh haa moment for me and when I returned to the States I started painting in the Chinese manner and never looked back. The first year was extremely painful for me as I felt that I should be able to master the technique since I was a 'trained' artist. Not a chance ... that just gets in your way.

Now, after teaching close to 3,000 students and having my book 'The Ch'i of the Brush' published by Watson Guptill, I can say that every one of my students does better their first day than I did my first year! Why? Because I insist that they leave their critical parent outside and just enjoy the journey, respecting the work that they do. I never let anyone throw anything away because that just ingrains frustration and defeat.

We really only begin to learn when we stop and figure out how to 'save' a painting. It works every time.I am so proud of my students, their receptivity and eagerness to express themselves is a continuing blessing for me.So, back to finding your purpose. Perhaps it starts with realizing 'it's not about me'. It so easy to want our needs met and to filter everything thru this attitude. When we realize that we're here to be of benefit to every life that we touch the universe really provides the ways and means.

The best part is that it's really exciting to not have yourself on your mind all the time!I'm re-reading a wonderful book about authenticity and in my next meandering I'll tell you about it. In the meantime I'd love to hear about your journey and am here to answer any and all questions about Chinese Brush Painting.