WHAT A WONDERFUL WEEK!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

WHAT A WONDERFUL WEEK!

This little fellow wants to say hello to you. He lives in mom’s building and is most curious!

A couple of weeks ago when Mary Beth, Kita’s trainer, was here I hardly recognized her. She had lost 20 lbs. and her skin was positively glowing (to quote Nikka). The secret you ask???? Nutr.Bullet! I wasted no time in getting this ‘As Seen on TV’ gadget!

You’re supposed to put in 1/2 greens and 1/2 fruits so it was off to Whole Foods.

Apples make a real difference…..

As you can see from this picture, we already have the heavy duty industrial strength juicer (which I’ve used all of 2 times.) The value of the Nutr.Bullet is that you use all of the parts of the fruits and veggies, throwing nothing away. For this one, we only put in the greens and I was thinking it would be really good heated up with a little cream. Sort-of like a pea soup but not. (It comes out very thick….a veggie slushy).

O.K., now that we’re quite healthy, lets get on to what really counts and matters in life. FRIENDSHIP…..sharing and caring and all that good stuff. Fueled with lots of laughter. Liz is a great example and I told her I just love hearing her say ‘Nan’…..she makes it sound soooo connected. In today's ‘Sunday Styles’ section of the New York Times, there’s a front page article about MINDFULNESS AT EVERY TURN. About ‘disconnecting to connect’. It’s an insightful piece and if you’d like I’ll gladly e-mail it to you.

Back to Liz….here we are at Bar Verde…my new favorite place.

Hiro Christoph is the manager. The most affable young man who, if you’ve been really good, will give you some ‘right out of the oven’ cookies!

Now here’s the thing about confluences….amazing things happen. Liz painted this Enso (Google the meaning in Wikipedia) and Nikka placed Liz’s Bamboo painting inside it and wow….what a greeting card.

Now to make it even more powerful, here’s the poem Liz wrote and had inscribed on the inside:

I bet you want to just sit back and reflect on that for a bit…..

………………..then we’ll move on to desert. Thank you Lizzie for this memorable treat!

Sandra Bullock was amazing in GRAVITY and there’s lots of ‘food’ for thought there.

Time for take out From Cheesecake Factory….I get 2 Miso Salmon with a side of spinach and mom & I split one, Nikka has part of the 2nd and we do a toss up for the extra.

They have the best bread……

….and of course….cheesecake….this time Pumpkin & we split it 3 ways!

Back to our health kick. Vicki got this container and we fill it with all manner of sliced fruits….oranges, apples, etc. and….cucumber. Then just add water to fill… and chill. It’s our new drinking water and is sooooo refreshing!

Also, new on the list….raw honey…

Are you feeling real healthy now???? Good, then you can have some of Rose’s fantabulous Carmel Corn!

Friday night Tomiko & I went to the Ahmanson to see Neil Simon’s ‘Sunshine Boys’ with the sensational dynamic duo of Danny DeVito and Judd Hirsch.

But not before our usual stop at Kendall’s Brasserie.

We split the Curried Carrot soup and decided it wasn’t all that good. Perhaps it’s because they won’t do the split in the kitchen and you have to beg for an extra bowl. (A begging bowl???) We also split the Apple Tarte Tatin with Vanilla ice cream which is always yummy.

Saturday was Calligraphy with Tom in the studio.

Tom’s Enso….

Congratulations Connie, Dorothy & Nancy….prize winners all!

I’m so very proud of Dorothy who began with me years ago when I first started teaching at the Huntington Botanical Gardens and the class was held in ‘The Garage’ which is now the Boone Gallery. Her landscapes are powerful and one has a visceral reaction to them!

Meanwhile, Sandie Girl and I went with Melisa, her daughter –in-law, to see Agnes at Magic Dragon. I don’t know how much longer Agnes will be there as all of the businesses, including The Empress Pavilion….the amazing dim sum palace, have closed. She’s just about the last hold out. (The owner had raised the rents to exhorbitant levels.) I showed you this piece before (the Christmas present for Melisa and her hubby) …….after I completed it…. and now I can’t wait to see it mounted and framed!

Cuteness all around….

This will be my next blog……

Bye for now…….

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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.