Some Are Art....Some Not So Much

 

Tattoos, the ever-present personal statement of the 21st century. Of course, this form of art has been around for thousands of years among indigenous peoples world-wide. The symbols in those tattoos are always of natural and/or spiritual connotations. And yes, they are beautiful, as opposed to....

 or

 or

Polynesian tattoos are especially beautiful (particularly on a young, sculpted body:-). What makes them so spectacular, aside from their meaning, is simply the design itself....how it flows together in one amazing pattern. The curvilinear motifs move about the shape of the body as if they were part of the skin at birth.

Symbols are carried onto the faces of tribal men, connoting clan membership, a warrior class, or spiritual beliefs. And those facial markings are not limited to men. Tribal women everywhere add lines and scrolls for some of the same reasons as their male kinsmen, as well as for beauty just as women around the world use make-up.

 

A singular motif can make an amazing statement on its own when left by itself with no competing designs scattered about, unconnected.



A circular wrist tattoo is a perfect place for a symbolic cuff that harks to ones heritage (and is a safe placement as the body ages!)

....as in Sid Cavanaugh's Celtic ring.

 

Smudge on a Perfect Window

 

They thought they were opaque

Windex® could not have made them

more transparent

Maybe they should try black-out curtains

 

 

Cynthia Cavanaugh 09/10 

 

And now, the Reggie life.

So, it's winter now and snowy in Santa Fe. The first time I saw snow I went crazy! I still go nuts playing in it, but I'm kinda used to it now. Mom loves it cuz I don't have to be rinsed off so often cuz I love to roll in the dirt, and now it's just cold white stuff. Rolling in ice isn't so fun, so I just run around, and if someone wants to me to chase my "football", I'm ready for it.

 

Mom tried to grab a picture of me running, or a video, but it's impossible cuz I'm way too fast. All the geeks (Desi and Lucy) can do is watch me from inside the house and be jealous. 

Notice my ever-so-fashionable coat.

 

Spatial Element

Elsi Giauqur's "Spatial Element" (1979)



From the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston website www.icaboston.org:

Fiber: Sculpture 1960–present is the first exhibition in 40 years to examine the development of abstraction and dimensionality in fiber art from the mid-twentieth century through to the present. Adapting age-old techniques and traditional materials, artists working in fiber manipulate gravity, light, color, mass, and transparency to demonstrate the infinite transformations and iterations of their material. Early pioneers such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, and Claire Zeisler demonstrated a revolutionary redefinition of fiber art in the 1960s and 70s, showcasing radical, non-representational forms. Fiber: Sculpture 1960–present addresses the cultural and critical forces that contributed to the initial efflorescence of the fiber revolution in the mid-century, its contraction in the 1980s, and its recent reclamation by contemporary artists.

 

Crisscrossing generations, nationalities, processes, and approaches, the exhibition features approximately 50 works by 34 artists—including works by the aforementioned artists alongside Olga de Amaral, Eva Hesse, Ernesto Neto, Rosemarie Trockel, Anne Wilson, and Haegue Yang—that range from small-scale weavings to immersive environments, all made in fiber.

FEATURED ARTISTS Magdalena Abakanowicz
Olga de Amaral
Xenobia Bailey
Alexandra Bircken
Jagoda Buić
Alexander da Cunha
Ria van Eyk
Josh Faught
Elsi Giauque
Françoise Grossen
Eva Hesse
Sheila Hicks
Diane Itter
Ritzi and Peter Jacobi
Naomi Kobayashi
Beryl Korot
Ruth Laskey
Aurèlia Muñoz
Ernesto Neto
Sheila Pepe
Robert Rohm
Ed Rossbach
Kay Sekimachi
Alan Shields
Sherri Smith
Jean Stamsta
Lenore Tawney
Rosemarie Trockel
Piotr Uklański
Faith Wilding
Anne Wilson
Haegue Yang
Claire Zeisler

Check www.facebook.com/StudioLizzy.com for nine film shorts Nine Kisses.

Saffron, Cinnamon, and Tumeric

The colors of nature are deeply connected with the scents associated with them. Looking out the window at the silvery green of a giant Pinon brings the sweet smell of pine needles to a moment that is only visual. To merely look at the color of cinnamon brings back the memory of the rich homey scent of baking apple pie. Nowhere is this more apparent than in India. It's colors and scents permeate the air and, at the end of a day, can leave a non-native feeling overwhelmed by the cacophony the of visual, aural, and sensual symphony around one.

No matter what their caste is, the women of India celebrate the intense hues of the sari, adding beauty to what can be a very harsh and difficult world.

Color saturates both the spiritual and temporal. It is sustenance and celebration, and it exemplifies the ancient and the modern.

Probably no other culinary tradition is as deeply rooted in color as Indian cuisine. Although Indian food varies widely by region, herbs and spices define a dish more than any ingredient, and take it anywhere from mellow and buttery to fiery and intense. A visit to a spice market is a painting itself that no synthetic colors can truly replicate.

India touches all of the senses and all of the emotions. The colors and scents of this amazing place reach into those emotions and remain with one forever.

And now......

The Reggie Life

When I'm not racing around the dog park, livening things up at doggy day care, poking around my yard, chasing a ball in the house, or trying to rouse my furry housemates, this is where I like to plop.

Mom finally gave up on trying to keep me off the furniture (which is why I get rinsed off almost every day). When Mom and Dad are in this chair and its partner, I whine to let them know I want it. If I'm in one and Mom is in the other chair, Dad won't push me off.....he'll sit on the floor! Mom's tough; she makes me leave. So I get back at her by whining on the floor next to her in the morning while she's still in bed until she finally gets up and then I take her place on the bed.

The two geeks have a tough life. Their big decisions of the day are where to take the next nap. They only move to find the next spot, get a meal, use that blue thing with sand in it, or make me jealous by sitting on Mom or Dad's lap.

Of course they're jealous of me cuz I get outa here and get to go someplace in the car. Ha, Ha, Ha! 



Check www.facebook.com/StudioLizzy and click on the YouTube video of Dyami Clement and Jenevieve Varga performing an amazing rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine."

 

We're so Over, We Need a New Word for Over

Those who were fans of Sex and the City remember Carrie's famous line to Mr. Big. Sex was one of those series that influenced popular culture in our lexicon, fashion, drinks...the famous Cosmopolitan...and inspiring women to dress up and go out again.

As sorry as we were to say good-by to "the girls", leaving Mad Men in 2015 will be just as difficult. Like its ground-breaking predecessor, not only was Mad Men brilliantly written, but its set designs beautifully reflected the time span of the period, and have cemented mid-century modernism's return to every facet of design. The 60's modernism of office spaces and Don and Megan's apartment continued the popularity of this beloved style that resurfaced before we ever knew who Dick Whitman was.

 

 

Unlike Sex and the City, Mad Men began in a period that most of us (especially women and minorities) are very happy to have left behind. And, everyone should be thankful that smoking and drinks in the office, or lunch, are a thing of the past!.

As the series has progressed from 1950's styles and attitudes to 70's mores (thankfully), dress and décor (ugh), we can all cheer Don's fedora that has made its way onto so many artists, musicians, hipsters, and just confidently stylish men and women.

 

The flavor of this remarkable series has made its way into all areas of design. Because mid-century style is so timeless, it will revisit us time and time again.



Lizzy pillow by Cynthia Cavanaugh

Drawing by Cynthia Anna Lindholm, age 11, 1961