MORE BIRTHDAY MONTH FUN

Monday, June 2, 2014

MORE BIRTHDAY MONTH FUN

Elizabeth was a student years ago and is now able to continue on. She came to class at the Huntington and brought this lovely antique Brush painting set given to her years ago.

These are some of the greeting cards Charles created for Elizabeth from her studies in class. I’m sure you can recognize some of the subjects!

Wilbur brought this yummy red velvet cupcake to class so the celebration continued.

I’ve become addicted to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He is just so cute and interacts wonderfully with his guests. I tape the shows so I won’t stay up all night. This is his dog and you can see Jimmy’s hand holding something. It was hilarious!

Moving on…..Thursday nights I usually go to Cheesecake for takeout and Nikka Mom & I have dinner together. Lately I’ve been getting the ‘Skinnylicious Salmon’ which is so funny as I consume all the bread and butter I can shovel down. Me bad!

Really enjoying this one……..

And of course Calligraphy class with Tom is always great!

Miss Judith brought this back from New York for everyone.

And chocolate for me because I must have it!

Next day Tomiko & I went to the Music Center to see/hear ‘Porgy and Bess’.

Afterwards we became very indecisive about where to have dinner so we settled on Kendall’s Brasserie but since we’ve had just about everything on the menu, decided to get a bunch of appetizers.

Mom came over for Memorial Day……

Since I’m saving my specialty of Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Bacon for the 4th, we had wonderful ribs from Trader Joe’s and Cole Slaw from KFC …….and fresh corn on the cob with tons of butter….yummy!

There was some room left……

Finally had a birthday lunch with mom at……Bar Verde. Surprised?

Let’s all sing….

Class on Saturday……Thank you Lizzie Girl….

Afterwards Kathy and Kaley came over for some last minute ‘stuff’ before her display at ‘Pick Pico’. I got so excited about the ‘treats’ I forgot to take pictures of them! Thank you thoughtful Kathy! I tried to control myself with these goodies….to no avail. (Diet starts today.)

I’m doing a separate blog about going to LACMA and one for Kathy’s art show yesterday which was the perfect way to end a wonderful birthday month!

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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.