After a long work day, I hesitantly climbed in the car and drove with Ray the forty-five minutes it takes to get to the Barnsdall Art Center at 5:30 in the afternoon here in LA. (It’s a 25 minute return trip later in the evening.) We were headed for our stained glass class that we’re…
Category: Art
Near Perfect Evening in Downtown LA
We had the one of the loveliest evening tonight that I can remember. We sneaked into The Broad Contemporary Art Museum, thanks to Ray Beaty’s quick thinking to ask the guard if we could JUST go to the gift shop. (The museum is free; it’s just there was a line at the front door.) Anyway,…
Beginner’s Mind at Barnsdall Art Center
Tonight began my foray into the art of stained glass making. Ray, Liz and I are taking a stained glass course at Barnsdall Art Center. Since Ray is in Texas, Liz’s boyfriend Ron joined us this evening for the class. He will go next week, too, because Ray and I have a prior commitment. But…
The 21 Best Things I Did in 2015
Upon reflection, here are twenty-one of the best things I did in 2015. These are in no particular order. I just want to remember what I did that brought me happiness this year. 1) Spent a day a week with my granddaughter. This might top the list as “best” since this lovely child has been…
An Interview – If Someone Asked Me About My Life
This was inspired by a writing prompt given by one of the colleges one of my students is applying to. It is not a thorough interview, just one aspect. 1) You have clearly done quite a few jobs in your life. Was that by design or did that just happen? I started out as a…
A Heavy Work Week Ahead
I am helping a student with the Bard exam. This includes four 10 page essays on art, literature, science and philosophy. If the student makes a B+ or higher, then they receive an automatic acceptance to Bard College in New York. My student and I are reading Tolstoy, Galileo, Kant, and more. We are both…
My “Day of the Dead” Altar
Tonight was the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art exhibit at Barnsdall Art Center. I agreed to take part since my ceramics teacher suggested they needed people to build an altar for a loved one. I figured I had quite a few loved ones to pick from, after all. So, over the…
Picasso’s Guernica: What I Learned Today
Hi folks, I am back in LA to work with students. Today I worked with one student on taking a critical look at Picasso’s Guernica. This was painted in response to the Fascists’ relentless bombing of the Basque town of Guernica, which had 5,000 people. The bombing lasted several hours and 22 tons of bombs…
20 Minutes a Day 