Waiting for the moon

La Luna

I took this photo one day ago at 3 am

One  day ago was the lunar eclipse  I already knew that it was imminent because I read about it on SamArtdDog’s blog.

In preparation for this rare event, David took an early evening nap and then exulted in the midnight air and lingering outside in front of our house, popped in and out to report.  About two am he urged me to come out and take a look because it was starting to happen. He sounded both alarmed and excited.

I scrambled to put on boots and coat over pyjamas but if it hadn’t been chilly I could have run out naked because there wasn’t a soul to be seen except for a lonely car delivering the Globe and Mail. I took a bunch of pictures and thought I would return to my bed. But at 3 am I was summoned to return to the street. It was magical! Truly! I snapped more photos (the moon shot from a cannon) and then I did go back to bed so I missed the grand finale and curtain call. ah well - she shrugs

Of course the members of the Flat Earth Society have their own interpretation – they said that the shadow could have been cast by any celestial body.

Many lunar eclipses ago  in my green faux suede dress and hand crafted Russian boots, I wrote a poem to the moon. It goes:

The moon is a womb and a moldy sigh, 

Soured in wine and three days high.

Below are two unfinished drawings  that I consider to have a moon like quality which I title 'Waiting for the Moon'

click to enlarge

Back to Front

I half remember a quote about the light bulb – that the person who invented the electric light did more for civilization than all the ------  all the what, all the who - put together?  Was it Camus, Graham Greene, no not him - some one else - a brilliant well lit mind?  Well it’s nearly midnight and half the lights in our house are still blazing – the darkest and conceivably one of the busiest times of  year. 

The season for strings of decorative lights competing and celebrating with the firmaments, street lamps, headlights of cars, ruby red tail lights – all to read by- to blog by----

Seasonal greetings to all my Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and secular friends!  And foremost - happy holidays and best wishes to all my wonderful blogging friends from whom I derive so much delight and inspiration! Love and peace to you all. 

Below are two pastel studies, two views, front and back of the model - 20"x26" on Ingres paper

 click to enlarge 

Nature Is Beyond Us

How bizarre.They don't know how to count. They now think there are three times as many stars as was once predicted - triple the amount! But when you get into the billions, trillions and zillions - do I have that right - the possibility for  error (terror) compounds,  is quadrupled. Do you know how old I am?  I’m two and a half and there are several of us - precocious is it not?

Below are short poses from a recent life drawing session on manilla, 18”x24” – conté and charcoal.

A seated pose in reverse

I wanted to call this ‘the proper way not to sit’ as a follow up to my previous post, but I didn’t think I could and still have clarity. But wait a minute - Clarity isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be - I’m not sure what I mean by that.  More times than not I fake it. In this case ambiguity and indulgence are my guiding principles. But not to lose us altogether, that is if one hasn’t already shrugged one’s shoulders and turned the page – I had a brief but intense fling with Dr. Photoshop,  who is responsible for the second image. I took photoshop on a  30 day trial and had some interesting moments in his wild lab of possibilities – dove in  and  hardly understood a bit of what I was up to. I think for the time being I’ll return to the straight and narrow.  But what the heck, a deviant path now and then to while away the approaching winter nights. Excuses, excuses. My knee is now 98.8% better.

watercolor and pastel on watercolor paper 

13"x17" 2007 - 08

this is an image of the above watercolor 

inverted by photoshop

The Proper Way to Sit

My right knee has been sore and stiff for the past few weeks from crossing my legs while sitting at the computer which I sometimes do for ungodly stretches of time - a bad habit, sitting like that. 

I am now with great mental effort, resisting that habit of crossing my legs. Today my knee feels significantly better and I went for a long walk to consolidate it's improvement. But I could never take and hold a recumbent position like the one that Ed has taken below. 

When I sleep now or read in bed, I put a pillow under my right knee and it relieves the soreness and tension. I recommend it. No, I am not a hypochondriac.

recumbent pose no.1 18"x24" 

chalks on strathmore

A Ritual

Every three or four days after D shaves, we go into my studio where he poses, either sitting or standing. We listen to music or talk or it's just silence  - and then I’ll say “This isn't too difficult is it?”  After a lengthy pause when I figure he's not going to respond, he says,  “It's not as difficult as waiting for the bus.” Occasionally he asks,  "are you going to give me any hair?"  Of course I say in due course.

 portrait of David, clay, life size unfinished

One out of three

I did three fifty minute drawings today, unfinished. This is Ed leaning back  on a stool looking down. There are some things I ought to resolve and tidy up. Tidy I'm not or rarely so, even at the best of times. But I do make frequent trips to the sink to wash my blackened hands - just like Lady MacBeth, but in my case without the guilt and ambition. Once I reconcile myself to my mistakes I try to make the best of things, making mental notes to study the structure in the rib cage more closely and around the neck and then while I'm at it why not the whole ball of wax - hands, toes, fingers, nostrils, chin, feet - hollows and the nether regions, etc.

chalk on cartridge, 18"x24"