Art About Davis

                                                                 

            CAPTION     

   !!!!!!!CONTEST!!!!!

Cinderella, my studio assistant, pictured here, unfortunately will not be helping me present art this Friday, Sept. 13th at the monthly Art About Davis
event.  I will be with the Square Tomatoes show in the old Beach Hut space downtown next to the Natsoulas Gallery.

I will be exhibiting small works and works on paper, so the art is big but the format makes it both affordable and easy to handle.

So, here's the contest:  Caption the picture of Cinderella using the comments section below, by 3:00PM PDT on FRIDAY the 13th, 2013.  The writer of the best caption explaining why Cinderella won't be there at the Art About will win an original work on paper by me, to be awarded either in person Friday evening or by USPS priority mail.  Winner need not be present to win!

Maiden, Mother, Crone...

Throughout the centuries the mystery of womanhood and its attendant phases have given rise to countless myths and legends, but for me the clearest way to understanding follows the eons-old "Maiden, Mother, Crone" progression, or the Goddess Tripartite.  This is an illustration found in many ancient civilizations and is for me most clear as the waxing moon of maidenhood, waiting to ripen, the full moon of motherhood which astonishingly gives life in many diverse ways, and, finally, the waning moon of the crone.

She, the crone, embodies the elder role within the tribe.  She has left the skipping flirtation and discovery of maidenhood behind.  Likewise, her hardworking, child-rearing  days are behind her.  Hopefully, with the days of reflection in which to meditate, she takes advantage of the opportunity to consider all the wisdom of the world, to integrate it, and to become the locus for that wisdom within her tribe.

Some women become crones which are dry as dust, uninteresting, and hollow as an old stump.  If we are truly women of wisdom, we choose to age differently.  My aging has been a thing of grace throughout my entire existence, and for the next season I bear the Creator nothing but gratitude.  To honor and celebrate the progression into that season which will lead me inevitably into the next life, I will gather friends and family on September 28, 2013 at the Davis Art Center in Davis, California, for a champagne dessert and a croning ceremony.

I don't know how folks will react to this; some of my friends have considered this to be 1) silly 2) pagan  3) self-indulgent.  Me, I say:  I'm having a pretty good time, all things considered, and my biggest question right now in my life is if I should stop coloring my hair.  My next question is:  Want to join me?  Want to look smack in the face of the ONE THING that American womanhood is supposed to fear above all others:

AGING?

I say:  Let's join in raising a glass to honor women of "a certain age", let's celebrate wisdom, power, grace, and the beauty that comes with experience of life.  RSVP to me at dori.marshall@gmail.com or leave a comment here below to join the fun.  Bring a token, talisman, or trinket to affix to my traditional walking stick to wish good wishes into the grey journey.

I said a "Croning", not a "Crowning"!

You are cordially invited to a champagne dessert on

Saturday, September 28, 2013

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM 

at

Davis Art Center 

1919 F Street, Davis, CA 95616

It's the Little Things that Mean so Much...

The Great Egret Song (Sold)

 These little gems are only 8"x8" and are on display at the Kennedy Art Center Gallery now through June 1.  They are a part of my 25-piece collection "Impressions of the Sacramento River Delta" and each of the 25 has its own special story to tell. 
The Delta is a network of paradox:  Cultivated fields and orchards abut wild meadow lands.  Natural watercourses join canals and irrigation sloughs.  Former marshlands are home to small towns protected by man-made levees.  And above it all are the birds, for birds and other wildlife continue to make the Delta their home.                               

Delta Yolo Rice Fields; Green

I've spent more time in the Delta than I expected to over the past few years...in fact, for the first few years I lived in Northern California the only thing I knew about it was that it was the annual water-skiing and houseboating destination of some SoCal neighbors who loved the landscape, the glassy water, and the camaraderie of river type folks.  When I met and married Dan Ray I learned to look forward to weekend sojourns to hunt for the elusive bass or striper.  I also soon learned that, for me, it was more gratifying to catch a watercolor or pen-and-ink sketch (they are sure bets) than making myself frustrated missing out on the fish or tangling my line.

              

We often see blue herons, the occasional deer, many assorted ducks, sand hill cranes, and the regal snow geese.  My favorite by far is still the great egret, and one of my best times on the river was marked by the finding of a feather floating in the water alongside the boat.  I fished it out and took it home, where it serves as talisman in my art studio.  I don't think egrets are known to sing, but I think they have a song we should listen for nonetheless.

Red Levee

I think there are a thousand stories large and small to be told yet about this place of water and light.  I've told 25 of them and I'd love for you to see them.  Won't you stop by the gallery while the show's running?

Happy Birthday, Professor Hero

It's not often one gets to meet one's hero, but I'm particularly fortunate to be able to say I've gotten to meet master California painter, Gregory Kondos, three times.  It's the trifecta of art geekiness, I know, and last night I was privileged to hit the trifecta of Kondos art, to bask in the California sun-lit canvases of his it-never-rains-in-sunny-California (or Greece, either). 

It started out with his giving a talk at Sacramento City College, where he taught for many years, and where the gallery which now bears his name is featuring a stunning show of his drawings and sketches.  This photograph is likely the only one I'll ever have the opportunity to get with him, and it was taken right after he'd personalized one of his prints for me.  We were both giggling, me because I was star-struck and him because, well, 90-year-old geniuses are entitled.  Do they need a reason?

The drawings are notable for revealing that the underlying stability of his compositions comes from a sure-handed, almost muscular understanding of his subjects.  To see them is to understand that his brilliantly colored landscapes succeed first because they're built on brilliantly conceived craftsmanship.  Never having seen any of his black-and-white works on paper before, I went on to his painted works with a deeper appreciation of his personal typography.

The second course for last night's art feast was at the Kennedy Gallery Art Center, where their Spring Flowers show is now hanging and ready for Second Saturday.  Who knew Kondos did florals?  I suppose the magnificence of his wall-sized landscapes probably takes center stage in the art-loving public's imagination, but the florals are not to be missed.  They are every square inch a Kondos, but unlike the landscapes, they exude a wistful tenderness which is almost playful in spirit.  Go see them while you can!

Finally came the climax of the night, the retrospective at the Crocker Art Museum entitled "A Touch of Blue".  When we went, we approached from the outside hall where the first painting I encountered was another of his ethereal flowers.  Up and down the hall are a particularly well assorted collection of smaller canvases showing many of the Greek landscapes, including a Byzantine church that made me want to embark on retreat.  But the plunge into the main gallery was like a plunge into a huge sunlit baptism of blue and white, green and gold.  Vast planes of Sacramento River Delta, Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite, and California vineyards create an alternate reality of reflections, shimmers of light and color.  The show is only open for a few more weeks.  I wonder how many more times I'll be able to get over there and imprint those colors into my retinas.

Kondos isn't just a genius painter who has been lucky enough to live to be ninety.  Kondos is a force of nature.  Do your art and spirit a favor, go and soak up some of that baptism.

Just Google Me. Or Not.

The other day on Facebook a friend of mine who is pretty well-known in Presbyterian and other reformed faith circles mentioned that he'd been asked for a resume.  A resume?  Really?  Of course his first reaction was "Why can't they just Google me?"

Sounds legit to me.

In this day and age writing a resume sounds as outmoded as saying "in this day and age."  When most of us think nothing of picking up our smart phone or pad or turning on our laptop to get the information we need in the moment, waiting for a resume seems cumbersome and well, not as proactive as going on line.

Another thing I wondered about was the self-promoting nature of a resume.  Do prospective employers really credit applicants with the accomplishments they relate via paper, or is a resume a map to use during an interview?  After all, stacks of resumes on hiring managers' desks reportedly end up in shredders all across the country if you believe the stories. But I suppose if the applicant and interviewer each have the same piece of paper as a starting place they might have a better chance of finding common direction.

But something bubbled in the back of my mind over this for the past few days and, today, when faced with the necessity of writing that mad cousin of the resume, the dreaded ARTIST STATEMENT, it broke forth into daylight.  To have to write about oneself, one's work history, one's accomplishments, or one's outlook on the creative process, is a journey into self-discovery as much as it is self-revelation.

In the process of gazing deeply into that mirror, sometimes the buzzwords and bullshit fall away and we get to examine our visage more clearly.  Maybe that has value to people who would read our resume or artist statements...maybe how we understand ourselves and show ourselves to the reader is what's really being sought.  Maybe the snippets of our past which can be seen on Google need to be viewed in the light of our own lamps in our own hands.

When we reveal, the substance and process of that revelation have value.  It is different value than the substance of what little we might obtain by mere discovery, but value nonetheless. 

So if you want to know more, just Google me.  Or not.

Making Memories

 Even a silly Protestant girl like me knows enough about Hanukkah to know that the above picture is incorrect for this early on in the holiday.  Notice how far down all the candles are; this is more appropriate for the final night of celebration.  I chose this menorah, though, because of its vintage, old-time look, not for its accuracy.  If you examine the picture closely, you'll see the old rabbit-eared TV in the background, too.  It's a good illustration for a reading that makes me think about how we mark our important memories.

Hanukkah marks an important memory for Jewish believers, that of the Maccabees taking back the temple in Jerusalem.  They found the holy accoutrements of worship vandalized or stolen, but they did receive the miracle of light:  one night's supply of oil lit the lamps for eight nights. The reason why this is important to all 

people whether Jewish or not is a matter of communal hope in our future as well as our common need for enlightenment.  

Equally important is an acknowledgement that all people have the need to mark significant memories as a part of passing their stories along.  But we might underestimate the importance of reminding ourselves of our stories periodically.  How many times, as you were pulling out the old wreath or box of garland, did you wonder how old something is?  My husband has told me each year that a bundle of garland is "a decade" old.  By now the decade is fifteen years long.  But since he marks it from the time his daughter was in the fifth grade, it means time is frozen for her and him.

Family photograph albums and scrapbooks have the same effect.  We laugh at an old picture and say, "that was the summer Jerry and Judy's boat sank" or "that was the Christmas before Uncle Jack passed."  We find touchpoints in these things.  I think of the year I had pneumonia and my long recovery every time I unpack my Advent candle holder.  I still think of the Christmas dinner of scrambled eggs and my 18-year-old son taking me to the doctor.

This reading is one that helps us think about how we place Jesus in history.  The writer gives us a context, which gives us something for our imaginations to hang our story on.  Who was the emperor?  What does it tell us about the world and its conditions at the time? 

For people who had every reason to pay attention to words of prophecy, this writing was like Luke saying, "Remember when Isaiah told us that this, this, and this was going to happen?  Well, this John fellow was the guy in the wilderness.  He came during Herod's administration."  Both Gentiles and Jews were given touchpoints they could relate to in the story.  

So imagine you're sitting around after dinner with some friends, swapping memories.  Picture one of you relating this as if it were a well-loved anecdote of some bit of history that you all share from your formative years, or maybe from your parents' generation.  Read it through and imagine how it would've sounded to hearers of its own era...

Gospel Luke 3:1-6

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" 

Now answer this question:  If this were now, today-who would you pass this along to?  Would you telephone, put it on Facebook, or maybe Tweet it?  Would you have anyone younger that should hear this important story and keep it alive?

I invite you to find a way to share this memory with someone.  And Happy Hanukkah!

Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Then

 Today we'll try doing the reading in the form of lectio divina, an ancient Ignatian spiritual practice which concentrates our attention on the passage of scripture.  Latin for "holy reading", lectio has been a part of monastic practice for centuries and is done alone or in groups.

It is very simple.  Sit in a quiet spot where you're unlikely to be disturbed.  Breathe comfortably, slowly and deeply.  When you are ready, read through the scriptural passage aloud at a normal, unhurried rate.  Be intentional about noticing any phrase or word that stands out for you.  Pause and rest.  Read through a second time.  If you are doing these devotions with a friend, you may want to take turns reading, noticing what may sound different to you when the words are read in another person's voice.  Rest and notice whether anything is arising to your notice out out the passage, maybe the same or maybe different from the first time.  

Finally, read the passage a third time.  By now you probably have a good sense of a word or phrase which almost shimmers up from the rest for your notice.  Acknowledge to yourself what it is that you're hearing.

Gospel Luke 21:5-19

⁵When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶"As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

⁷They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" ⁸And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them.

⁹"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." ¹⁰Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

¹²"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³This will give you an opportunity to testify. ¹⁴So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; ¹⁵for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷You will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your souls. 

This is a hard passage to hear, just as it would have been hard to hear in Jesus' day.  When you read it, what came up for you?  Is it hard to hear apocalyptic* messages at this time of year?  Why or why not?

Many times it helps to respond to the passage in some tangible way.  If you have time, jot a few thoughts or even a brief poem about your reaction.  Write a prayer or say one silently to end your time here today.

Remember that just as new beginnings come on the heels of endings, endings are not all sorrowful.

Peace.

*It may be helpful to note that apocalypse in one of the more biblical senses means "to reveal".  Unfortunately we've given it a more destructive connotation in our culture.  It does not literally mean the end of the world, but a time when all would be set to rights and the true realm of the Creator would be made whole.  If anybody is waiting for all this to happen in accordance with the Mayan calendar, I hope you don't give away all your belongings or anything.  Best bets are that nothing's going to happen.