Art in small doses

 Than you, Tate Museum, for introducing artists in profile videos. 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CETuIAzAodX/?igshid=1e060zuo7ceo5

How can I rationalize your denial?

 I can be skeptical when finding out new information, and I always double check the resources to determine the accuracy of a news story. Writers tend to check the facts, even when creating fiction. As an editor I am very comfortable checking the facts in everything I read. Maybe being from the Show Me state also makes me more of a skeptic and less gullible. 

When people began to doubt the news about covid-19, I began wading into the constant flow of news washing up in my newsfeed. I checked with people far away and with experts I trusted. Seemed to me, we had cause to be concerned. Not panicked, no. But careful.

The possibility of infection has been proven a real world danger. No one is making it all up just to scare us or turn us into communists. People have died. I know them. I know people who have tested positive. In the early days, I had all the symptoms but we had no available testing back then; and my doctor would not allow me to come to the office. My symptoms lessened and eventually I was well again. I have no sense of taste and smell, and the ringing in my ears never stops. 

My skepticism about the virus has changed focus. Now, I am skeptical about how anyone can refuse to believe we're in a full-blow pandemic. The skeptic in me wants to know why someone refuses to wear a mask. At first I thought, well, they've all got a death wish. I think this about smokers, too. I mean, seriously, the science says it is very UNhealthy; yet smokers continue. No value for life. That's fine, I guess, personal decisions allowed. 

Masks on the other hand protect other people. Do the unmasked persons have a death wish for others? Probably not. So, why, then, do they want to take a chance of inhaling droplets of covid-19? 

Fortunately, in my search for the answer I ran across a psychological basis for this decision: Denial and/or Rationalism. 

"With so much information available about the severity of the coronavirus and the need to follow guidelines, some people still refuse to accept reality. 

The denial manifests itself in many ways, whether that be refusing to wear a mask or attending large gatherings."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/16/health/pandemic-covid-19-denial-mental-health-wellness/index.html

Megan Marples digs into the science--the psychology--to enter the mind of the UNmasked. Yeah, scary place to be, I agree. After reading her article, which I recommend, I don't understand the reasons--because there aren't real reasons, but I can see how fear and control shape someone's decision making. Their actions, unfortunately, endanger not just themselves but others, young and especially the old. 

Aires 2 mask https://youtu.be/t9zhieYJtu8

Visit my "Tea Time" at the Brooklyn Art Library collection

I sent my sketchbook off to the Brooklyn Art Library where it will be installed with all the other participants' sketchbooks for the 2018 project. Eventually, all the s-books will travel around the country visiting and sharing art. That's the front cover Tea Time.

I have created a mini-book. Here's the table of contents.

And here is a page from Part 2.

I painted all the art for the book on tea bags. Used ones. I painted on the dried tea bag paper while I drank the tea. The subjects for the art originated during my tea time in the studio. 

I'd say the story is a sort-of-chronological story of having tea during the Sketchbook Project. 

Everyone can visit and view my sketchbook at the Brooklyn Art Library. 

Waiting for Magic

I can't recall how I found Kunts' art online. Probably turned up in a lazy scroll one day as I vegged out on those streaming videos, one after another after you've opened the first one from the feed. Kunts posts videos of his creative process on the paper. Magically, the little trolls, foxes, pirates, and woods appear while I watch him sketch, apply paint wet on wet, and dab color into the background. His gentle voice describes how he follows the flow of whatever happens. I have to pull myself away from watching videos and sit myself down in front of some Arches 140 with paint and brush. I wait for the magic.


http://www.hartvig-hansen-kunst.com/

Celebrating 14 Blog Years

Before the throngs of online surfers and madding social media crowd checked blogs daily or even knew where to find one, baratin-debordant launched and offered an active (maybe slow paced) online source for reflective, creative non-fiction. 

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT

In tribute to the 14 years online (since May 16, 2003) , I post here the first blog:

The Joy of Blogging.
How can sitting all day with your eyes on the screen
make your think of new things and say what you mean?
The keys are alive with the power of words
though the thought of it all is something absurd.
In Bloggsville they type and they type and they scroll.
They read and they search trying to make themselves whole.
But all that arrives on the screen are the bits,
the tids and the flotsom and whatever fits.
The blogging goes on, day in and day out,
as they wonder out loud and shift with each doubt.
It's a Zeuslike land all the words that they blog.
Yet, the bloggers blog on, blog, blog, blog-blog, blog.

Before the blog we had the website from Tripod. So old I don't even have the password to edit the site now.
http://debordante.tripod.com/index.html
One of my favorite plugins won't work on that site any longer; the fish in the virtual tank moved when the cursor brushed over them.  Now it reads: Undefined. Huh!

An upgraded site for the most inventive of creative reflections and artzy finds has landed here:
http://dameistermedia.blogspot.com/\

No matter Where In The World we land, we can wonder out loud online:
http://meistertravel.blogspot.com/ 

On and on it goes with FB pages, a site for professional work, Pinterest, and those sites I manage for other people. Next year will mark the 15th year of dameistermedia online. "Oh the places you'll go" in this Zeuslike land.

Spoonful of Love

The chilly weather called for some soup making today. I chose a new recipe I found online for Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup.

The recipe for this delicious soup, just right for Valentine's weekend, is an easy one to follow. I had all the ingredients on hand except the red peppers and tomatoes which I bought fresh at Global Foods Market. I chose to use Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes with happy bright red colors. What could be healthier, since these fruits are loaded with vitamin C.

I followed the recipe as written with just one exception. I added 1 T of butter when I sauteed the chopped onions and carrots--because I like butter. The peppers roasted in 30 mins. and the skins peeled off easily after they cooled inside a plastic bag. I also took the skins from the tomatoes after roasting them, though the recipe does not specify it needs to be done.

When everything is simmering in the pot, the anticipation is worth a picture.

Let all those flavors kiss each other (perfect for Valentine Soup) and "marry" as many cooks say. Pretty soon the aroma that fills the house cries out for world peace. Truly, it's zen-like. After 25 minutes simmering away, the veggies have softened enough to invite an immersion blender into to the pot.

 

These handheld blenders are marvelous tools. We've had ours for 25 years or more. As the pieces of peppers, tomato, onion, carrots, and spices get smaller and smaller the color changes into a gorgeous cadmium red mixed with gamboge. A master's palette of flavors all blending together to make a soup that warms the heart.

Here's the recipe I used and a link to the page where I found it.

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Ingredients

·   3 red bell peppers

·   2 whole bulbs of garlic (skin left on)

·   1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

·   1 teaspoon garlic, minced

·   1 large yellow onion, diced

·   2 medium carrots, finely chopped

·   3 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (a fragrant southern Mediterranean mix of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and lavender)

·   1 teaspoon paprika

·   Cayenne pepper, pinch (to taste)

·   5-6 tomatoes (I used a combination of 5 medium/large tomatoes plus 1 cup of cherry tomatoes)

·   4 cups chicken stock

·   1 teaspoon salt

·   ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·   ½ cup half-and-half (or fat-free half-and-half / creamer, depending on how healthy you want to go!)

Instructions

1.      First, roast peppers and garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place whole peppers on baking sheet lined with tin foil. Lightly drizzle olive oil over peppers. Next, prep garlic bulbs. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a sharp knife, trim the stem end of the bulb by ¼ – ½″. Rub the cut side of the garlic with olive oil. Cover each bulb with aluminum foil. Add foil-covered bulbs to baking sheet with the peppers. Roast peppers and garlic together for 35-45 minutes or until peppers are starting to char and garlic is softened.

2.      Once out of the oven, set aside garlic bulbs to let cool. Place hot peppers into a large plastic bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then remove peel, seeds and stem (it will come right off!). Chop peppers. Reserve.

3.      Unwrap garlic from aluminum foil. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out from the skins. Reserve.

4.      Next, roast tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half or quarters (depending on how large they are) add add to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. If using cherry tomatoes, simply add them to the sheet without cutting. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tomatoes start to “burst.”

5.      In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped onion and carrot. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

6.      Add herbes de Provence, paprika and a pinch of cayenne, cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped roasted peppers. Add all but 1 tablespoon of “squeezed” roasting garlic.

7.      Add stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Purée using an immersion blender or in small batches using a regular blender. Add half-and-half (or fat free half-and-half). Briefly reheat, then serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, if desired. This soup is wonderful with a side of crusty bread – use the reserved 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic to smear on bread just before serving.

http://thechicbrulee.com/2012/09/20/roasted-red-pepper-tomato-soup/

Grand Theft Grammy

Tis the season for going to the movies. I have three grandsons I want to take to one of the new wonder movies out at this time. Maybe the new Star Wars movie. When I asked those who’ve seen the movie, they raved about it but were hesitant to recommend it for my two youngest grandsons—Andy who is four and his brother, Evan, who is six. I agreed that the plot may be too complicated and the battle effects too fierce.

That does not sound like an Andy movie. Though he DID con me into letting him play Grand Theft Auto a few weeks ago.

I was pretty sure he wasn't allowed to play it, but when asked he said, Yes, I am.

So I watched this sleazy dude who lives in a trailer court try to get out of bed, dress, leave the trailer, and get on his motorcycle. Then he couldn't drive out of the yard in the desert where he lived. I wondered why this guy was acting like a 4-yr-old. OHHHHHH, there's a 4-yr-old at the controls, I reminded myself.

Just about that time, the guy stumbles into a growling dog and says what I think was a curse word, but maybe SHOOT I thought to myself, until Andy grabbed the remote and muted the volume reassuring me that, We don't need the sound, Grammy.

And I was pretty sure he should not play this game. But by then I was really interested in how this guy was gonna survive, since I've never played GTA myself.

Then, Sleazy Dude goes to someplace with posters of naked women on the walls or maybe he went back into his own trailer, and once again I started to ask, Are you SURE you are supposed to play this game? But before the SURE came out of my mouth he had changed the scene and was shopping for a new vehicle. And a new character as it turns out.

 Things went along well for a while with the new character who lives in a plush Hollywood cliff-side home. Andy gave me a tour of the house and the pool and the garage and the patio view. WOW! Vicarious living through Play Station I thought, and made a note to add GTA to our Play Station at home so I could visit more Hollywood houses. Oh, and Andy skillfully left the scantily clad woman in the master bedroom to go down to the living room, out the front door, and hop into the amazing open air sports car.

What d'ya know, we hear the garage door open--of the actual house we are in; and I'm pretty sure his mother is home. Andy shut the game down and ran to greet his mother. Usually he is not that eager to welcome her home and I KNEW, with absolute certainty, that he was not supposed to play GTA. So, I said, Hi. Andy and I were playing....

But a with a force greater than any 4-yr-old has ever mustered, Andy clamped his tiny little hand over my mouth, secured it with the other hand and pushed me back onto the sofa. MMMMMmmmmmmphphphphmmmm, I tried to tell his mother. I was laughing so hard I couldn't have spoken even without the tiny palms locked over my lips.

I tried again later to tell his mother but again he tackled me and smothered me with his little hands. When he'd left the room, I asked her if he could play something called Grand Theft Auto. OF COURSE NOT, his mother said, not in a whisper.

Oh, I said, I didn't think so. She gave me a look that said, WHY did you let him?

Lost the Lamb

This lamb needs to be resurrected for Easter table. Ignore those Pinterest photos of cute little lamb cakes. Take a look at reality. 

Longview of Winter

Once upon time we lived through winters like this one in the middle of Illinois.

On a street named Longview, our one acre of land bordered hundreds of acres of corn fields or soy beans depending on the year.

 Winters were particularly snowy in those days.

We sought warmth from the unusually efficient wood burning stove,

 also unusual in its design.

The glass tubular shell surrounded the burning logs and two oven doors behind the shell opened to an oven.

 The only thing ever cooked in the oven was one of those stacked rings from a child's toy--the big red one I think. We didn't know the child had placed it on the oven shelf until we smelled the fumes of melting plastic. This fireplace put out some heat, and it did not take long for the ring to melt.

Inspiration

Crate and Barrel design photo and my own recreation. The C and B family photos leading up the stairs inspired me to surround a small flat screen TV with framed photos and original watercolors.

Barn Doors Add Interest

The master bedroom of our home has an adjoining room with a great patio sliding-door and windows looking out onto the landscaped yard. An exterior French-door separated the bedroom and the bright, sunlit room when we bought the house. This door functioned fine, as doors go--open, close, lock--but the exterior look of the interior traditional styled door seemed ill-fit for the Colorado contemporary vibe of the bedroom and house in general. We decided to change the existing door to barn doors.

A creative carpenter, Cris, listened to my design ideas and came through spot on. We tore out the carpet in the room and added bamboo flooring to the "Away Room." Two of the four walls are nearly all glass providing plenty of daylight. The closed barn doors create ideal snoozing darkness for the bedroom, and when the barn doors slide open the bedroom lights up with bright natural sunshine. The doors become a focal point in both rooms when closed and when they open the "Away Room" becomes integrated with the bedroom vibe and welcomes the outdoors into the house.

Ecostruct, LLC (Jay and Gloria Jarvis) took care of every instillation detail. They brought their expertise in ordering the hardware, contracting with Cris, and sending Steven the Carpenter to make this project happen in a timely fashion. We love our new "Away Room" and look forward to spending many relaxing hours in this room reading or just enjoying a great view of the yard and the doors.

I Miss Summer already

The BIG Reveal - After

Remind Me Again How Not to Forget

Many years ago I met a woman whose last name was Barb Gowdy. I needed to remember her name because I would be seeing her often at meetings. In order to remember, I knew I had to find a mnemonic (memory trigger) to associate with her and thus recall her name at the next event. Ms. Gowdy was dressed in not so stylish clothes; in fact, I saw her as frumpy. Then, dowdy snapped into my mind and it rhymed with Gowdy. Perfect mnemonic. The next time I met her, I knew her name and greeted her with ease, "Hello, Ms. Dowdy, so nice to see you again."

Most of the time a mnemonic works better than this failed word association I had employed. Looking back, I wonder that I didn't somehow associate her with Gaudi, the artist who designed Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I'd like to think I'm creative enough to have thought of some connection between this Gowdy and the unfinished cathedral. Or I could have worked out something with Barb. The ideas I have now are endless.

The mnemonic name recollection exercise has been around longer than I can remember. I guess not everyone knows about it, though everyone tends to forget names. The BBC has an explanation of how our memories work and how to make the brain's association patterns work in our favor to remember the names of those we meet.

They've included one important tip "It doesn't matter if the links you make are outlandish or weird. You don't have to tell anyone. In fact, probably it is best if you don't tell anyone, especially your new friend! But the links will help create a web of association in your memory, and that web will stop their name falling out of your mind when it is time to introduce them to someone else." Always remember NOT to say out loud the link--the trigger word--instead of the name you need to remember.



http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151113-how-to-never-forget-a-name-again?ocid=fbfut

Art in the Field

Standing on their own in a field below Falling Water (Frank Lloyd Wright), the Red Army spreads out across the green grass.

Hair Beautiful Hair

In 1970 men really cared about their hair enough to buy THE HOT COMB from Remington. Seems to me like blow drying hair has always been something ordinary, everyone knows how to use the hair dryer, and directions are unnecessary. Judging from this booklet that accompanied the THE HOT COMB, some men needed a little help.

Before and After

The new year brings an end to remodel projects in our home. Before I do the big reveal on the kitchen, I want to take some space in this post for a renovation of the master bath which was finished a two years ago. While organizing the photos for the kitchen big reveal, I ran across the before photos from the bathroom. This was one ugly bathroom I saw in the photos. And now we have an impressive spa like bathroom. Hard to believe, even for me and I saw it all transform before my eyes.

You have to admit, this is ugly--

The bathroom looked just like this when we moved in. Seriously devoid of any style or color. The "Japanese" tub did not actually hold water (the real-estate description called it Japanese-style, though I don't think that has anything to do with it leaking). And shower/toilet room gave privacy, I guess, but it's a bathroom with a door anyway. Pretty useless.

When we tore out the fixtures and cabinets the space automatically improved.

We were amazed at how much space we actually had to work with. Having the empty space allowed us to get a feel for how big the shower could be, how long the tub would be, and led to some creative ideas for the vanity/sink space. Agape Construction brought in the elbow grease labor and the architectural know how. Whatever I could dream up, I trusted they could make happen. And they did not disappoint us.

Vanity is concrete and flooring is tile. Shower surround tile matches flooring. Lighting above the vanity enhances the design and also allows ambiance for shower/tub use. The dim lighting under vanity and above light cabinet provide non-blinding light in early morning or middle of the night trips to the bathroom.

Cascading water from Moen faucet gently fills the air-bubble tub. Shower has a variety of water sources: rain head, adjustable height shower head which can also be taken off pole for hand held sprayer, two power sprays in the wall.

Under the cherry vanity cabinets you can see in the photo a row of pebble tile spotlighted by recessed lighting. This pebble tiling is repeated vertically in the shower wall for dramatic accent.

The bathroom has a sky-light in the sloping, extra-high ceiling, located above the tub for air circulation of steam in addition to ceiling ventilation on a timer. A recessed nook in the shower looks unique and functions as a shelf for bathing products.
 Tub is easy to step into with enough room on ledge for sitting. The modern toilet has water conservation technology.

We love our new bathroom so much that we couldn't wait to get started on the kitchen remodel.

Check out the upcoming post with photos of the BIG kitchen reveal.