I See the Moon…

I See the Moon…

Does anyone  remember the children’s song, “I see the moon, and the moon sees me…the moon sees somebody I want to see…“- I think those are the words, er, lyrics, approximately…and they must have really made an impact, as I seem to recall them often upon moon-sighting, many decades later!

Recently, on our way to a screening, and driving from Santa Monica to West Hollywood, I was amazed to see a perfect Moon hanging magically over the horizontally organized Los Angeles landscape of buildings and freeways.  Despite their attempt to grab the spotlight, our companion the Moon effortlessly embodied center stage.

Hastening out my little camera, I was able to capture the pale golden globe floating over a row of streetlights, and looking for all the world like a larger version of one of them.  A natural showstopper, the Moon seems always to exceed performance expectations.

We hurtled forward like you do in L.A., on or off the freeways, and soon our glowing friend made another appearance, again reflecting the shape and luminosity of the street lights, yet claiming a role of its own.

Back in beautiful Santa Monica after a  lovely lit screening of Oscar contender “The Artist” (it will light you up!) , we saw the Moon again.  Flanked by nature, and perfectly positioned between building and trees, it was hard to believe this was the same celestial actor in the pantheon of our galaxy.

Yet, we knew rationally that it was.  How many miles away…yet still comforting, thrilling, reassuring, stimulating, and provoking sentiment through its manifest mystery.  Our Moon will take the award this year while lighting up our hearts, just because that is what it does.  Not a brand, a flavor, a value-added proposition….the Moon exalts us with the authenticity of its own nature, and continues, without a hiccup, to light our way through the night…if we are lucky enough to notice the nuances.

Good night Moon…and Thank you!

What celestial bodies have YOU seen lately, and how did they touch You?

If You feel so inclined, please share about it with us here.

We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all lending light to the nocturnes of each other’s life, together.

Love and Light be with you!

LA Stories VI: A-door-ing

LA Stories VI: A-door-ing

What is a door? A magical portal into worlds of fantasy, mystery, magic and even mayhem?

Recent explorations of LA area beach towns have yielded some a-door-able results. Please see below some examples of the door that keeps you coming back for more.   Turn the key of your  perception,  and prepare to have your imagination turned on!

This amazing find in Venice near the storied Canal District looks straight out of Alice in Wonderland. What extraordinary creatures are playing croquet on the lawn beyond?  Privacy seems to be the goal here.

Here is a more rustic version on a delightful street in Mar Vista, minus the hedge, and plus a “half”  wall! The house and yard are in full view beyond.  The door seems to be there for the sheer joy of it.

Energetic red animates a cottage-like Santa Monica residence, set off by soft yellow, and the colors of nature.  A visual target, our eye is drawn to this door like a magnet to metal.

The red door is used again here to great effect, as a “real” element in the midst of a children’s mural.  Red elements all around it integrate it into the scene, yet it stands out as a strong element, letting us know where to go to get to the other side of a seemingly safe and self-contained world.

Venice’s Canal District is home to many remarkable architectural design gems and delicious creative elements, including mosaic-ed columns which lead us down the path to the door to the door!

Giant bowling balls? Well, maybe. At any rate, these strong forms direct us to the portal of  “UMG”,  the  Universal Music Group Offices in Santa Monica, where some of the giants of the music industry do business.

Who says a door has to be real? And what is “real”, anyway? Madame Chou Chou Bistro Patisserie on Main Street in Santa Monica is the perfect place to indulge your appetite for fantasy, and  your sweet-tooth.  Highly recommended for an elegant, yet fun indulgence.

What magical doors have YOU opened lately, and what fantastical worlds have You entered?

If you so choose,  please share about it with us here.

We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all opening the doors to this thing called Life, together.

Real Verdigris

Real Verdigris

Having recently written about verdigris, and the art of creating its look as a faux finisher and decorative artist, I was attuned to a variety of naturally occurring verdigris surfaces I saw all over beautiful Balboa Park, on a recent trip to sunny San Diego.  Such beautiful texture, hue, and depth of surface,  to say nothing of the sense of history, and paradoxically, timelessness, that the oxidation process produces…or, shall we say, creates.

Here are some Varieties of Verdigris for your viewing pleasure:

Remember, verdigris is  the natural patina which forms on the surface of  copper, bronze, or brass as it is exposed to air and water, wind and weather over time.  In essence, it is the weathering, or tarnishing of these metals, and shows itself in a variety of green hues. The verdigris above was produced by the slow tarnish of the bronze equine sculpture seen at top, galloping  into a cloud-studded sky. The green-hued substance has, over time, formed on the bronze surface, and dripped onto the stone base of the statue, lending it an air of age, mystery and grandeur.

Above, the powdery residue of verdigris has formed predominantly at the base of this bronze sculpture.  For the scientifically-minded, verdigris is a “complex chemical mixture of compounds, complexes and water, with  primary components of copper salts of acetate, carbonate, chloride, formate, hydroxide and sulfate.  Secondary components include metallic salts, acids, organic and mineral.“

A soft patina of blueish verdigris is forming over the bronze surface of this Barbara Hepworth sculpture, further texturing its surface, and adding visual depth. The addition of the natural blueish-green pigmentation also ties the piece into the landscape of the sculpture garden where it resides.  Living outside really does help that verdigris process along!

The same could be said of this wall relief.  Perhaps the verdigris process is moving more slowly here because this piece is somewhat sheltered by the pavilion style open-air cafe  where it is installed.

The heavily verdigrised sculpture rising out of the cafe’s pool provides a perch for a brightly-hued visitor.  Here both the elements of air and water are definitely at play in creating the strong verdigris hues.  Both the surrounding chairs and the duck’s feet add a complementary pop of color to the scene.

This fellow just seemed so comfortable on its verdigris perch.   Its green head feathers, the blue pool, and saturated verdigris coloration come together to create a scene of both harmony and humor. The feeling is peaceful, yet alert, as we know the duck could take flight and vanish from the picture at any moment.  While watching this beauty, my friend Janet said, “I am communing with the duck”.  I hope, through this post, you can, too!

Have you seen a beautiful, or timeless verdigris surface on one of  your daily jaunts lately?

If you feel so inspired, share it with us here.  We love to hear from you.

Remember, we are all communing with this thing called Life, together.

Happy Verdigris!

 

 

 

Mysterium

Mysterium

It is easy to lose sight of the beauty and mystery that surround us continually, in every day, or every night, life.

No matter where we are, or what we are doing, something strange, mysterious, possibly marvelous, and hopefully wondrous is happening, that we can tap into, and feel once again, how amazing and magical the world can be…is.

It may just take looking at something familiar in a fresh new way….

Or, seeing new meanings in the not so mundane…making potentially poetic connections.

It may mean letting beauty light your fire for just a few moments…

Looking up….

Or down…

Out…

Or in…

Seeing the treasures of the exterior built environment,

Or the interior.

All, a testament to the extraordinary creativity and ingenuity which resides within us.  Don’t miss it.

Take a look.  No doubt, you’ll find yourself inspired.

What every day, or every night mystery has inspired YOU lately?

If you feel so moved, share it with us here.  We love to hear from you.  Remember, we are all in this thing called Life, together.

May the mysteries of 2011 unfold in the most marvelous way possible for all  this year!

 

Small Changes…Big Results

Small Changes…Big Results

We have all experienced the power of small changes: that slight shift in hue, design, tone of voice, or verbiage, that can lend an entirely new meaning to something we see, say, or feel.  Color consultation is all about this, and it doesn’t always take a lot.

Before Painting

After Painting

Well, sometimes it does!

Before Painting

After Painting

A “simple” choice of color can affect  the entire look and feel of something.

The Devil is in the Details

Whatever we may think about the green swag against the yellow house body trimmed in white, we can probably agree that the choice of color, any color, of this decorative detail makes a significant difference in the look and feel of the building.

We know as artists, colorists or both, that the tiniest drop of tint into a paint color can change it completely.  Many of us have found this out through intentional or unintentional experimentation.  The balance can be shifted from warm to cool, from clear to muddy,  from light to dark, from saturated to diffused.  The process is always a discovery, an adventure, and a journey.

Taking the Journey

So it is with our words, our actions, and perhaps most importantly, with our thoughts.  We have all had the experience of an interaction escalating into a tirade or an argument, and then thinking later that if we had made just a small change in how we spoke, or behaved that the whole experience and outcome could have been different.  Or, we do make a comparatively small change, such as wearing  a new color of clothing, finally purchasing something that we needed, giving something away, or rearranging possessions, and we think to ourselves something like, “Why didn’t I do that sooner? Keeping these things in a box instead of a bag is just so much easier!”

Why is it so hard to learn these lessons?

I am not sure of the answer to this, but I do know that practice in making the small changes can help us make the big ones without our even being aware of it.  Practice may not always make perfect,  but it may help us approach the larger transitions and decisions in our lives with greater acumen and  confidence.  If we get into the habit of changing small things,  the larger changes we face may be that much less overwhelming.  Our change muscles are flexed, having done some preliminary exercises, and primed to take on the greater challenges of our lives.

Recently, on the wonderful blog talk radio show “Artistically Speaking“, my colleague Lyna Farkus was interviewed about her career as a decorative painter, and inevitably, her life journey.  She shares how recently, she allowed a fellow driver she encountered on a busy workday morning to go ahead of her, and how she saw clearly how that simple act of  generosity would potentially affect that person’s entire day; his interactions, relationships, and who knows, maybe even his safety.  By easing the driver’s frustration, that “random act of kindness” may even have saved his life. by causing him to be calmer and thus more careful on the road.

We don’t know the ripple effect of our actions, and there is an infinite amount of factors that we cannot control.  But, just like the tiny drop of tint that can completely change the character of a color, a tiny action,  change or shift can yield significant results.  Just as we learn about color mixing through practice and experimentation, so we can make small changes a practice.  However daunting, scary and heart-stopping change may seem to be, we can fall back on our experience of the positive outcomes engendered by the changes we have entered into willingly, and enter the mystery of the unknown with that much more clarity and serenity, and maybe, even a modicum of joy.

Entering the Mystery... may yield results

If you feel so inspired, please share with us some of the changes you have made, and how you were able to make them.  We love to hear from you. Remember, we are all  in this thing called Life, together.