The Latest

She is as yet untitled and was inspired by a woman we saw on a train in Berlin last year.
Size: 30in. x 48in., the largest one I've done.

Another Painting

This painting is titled, A Meeting of Hearts, and was recently in a group show at the Santa Cruz Art League.

Size: 18in. x 27in.

(One day I will hopefully learn how to photograph my paintings to show the true colors.)

Some New Paintings

My work has taken an exciting new direction for me. I have begun painting with Sefla Joseph, a local artist whose work I have loved for a long time.
I paint with a mantra of her words in my head: "don't think, paint fast, make a mess, use more paint."
I am happy feeling inspired to go to my studio, pick up a brush and play.

more Morocco photos...

I've added some more photos from Morocco.

Morocco

MOROCCO

IMPRESSIONS
Dry, dusty, pink buildings, lots of wild traffic, noise, trash.
Men in jellabas, women covered from head to toe in scarves, long sleeves, jellabas or long skirts .Handsome young men, gray and weathered handsome older men, beautiful dark women, gorgeous children who return a smile and a game, lots of old people.
Beggars with hands out everywhere, taxi drivers and waiters who deduct their tip from your change, people who go out of their way to help you and expect nothing in return.
Color.

ME
A fish out of water, feeling so foreign, eyes wide open, a moving target crossing the street, wishing I had brushed up on French, I’m in Africa!

THE MEDINA IN CASABLANCA
We stumbled into this old, poor, walled area: rectangular white crumbling buildings one next to the other, two stories tall, many satellite dishes on the rooftops, little stalls or booths lining the alleyways, many wandering streets, some with the clothing vendors, some with hardware and building things, the vegetable section, fresh meat of all kinds stacked on counter tops, goats’ heads (they eat everything but the eyes), fresh fish, small mountains of spices, household products, and on and on- one street opens onto another, no white faces, no one paying much attention to us, an amazing visual feast.

RABAT
Rabat is blue, our room is in the medina, again small winding streets, sparkling white buildings with the bottom half painted a bright blue, many beautiful old homes with an interior courtyard, above the sea, it is cooler, our room is next to the mosque. In the middle of the night I am awakened by a beautiful deep, sonorous voice chanting the call to prayer- it is hypnotic, Allah Akbar-God is great; I declare there is no god there but Allah; Prayer is better than sleep; No god is there but Allah -over and over in Arabic with pauses of varying length for many minutes, I was rapt. I anticipated and experienced it again the next night. It was a high point for me.

MARRAKECH
Train to Marrakech- many delays, long trip,I am sick, pain, food caused, diarrhea. A Marrakech is pink, met by driver from our lodgings, a shower, to bed. Next day- conned by a faux guide to take a trip to the mountains, long drive, stop at one vendor after another- carpets, jewelry, we cut it short and return home, a lesson learned cost $100.
The Djna-el-Fna: a huge open square or plaza, auto and moto traffic with pedestrians in the midst of it, orange juice vendors, women applying henna tattoos (I chickened out), groups gathering for a story teller or musician. It transforms at night: 20-30 large food booths are wheeled in starting at 5pm, charcoal fires lit, tables set up, food arranged, snake charmers arrive, crowds assemble.
By 8-9pm: the air is thick with smoke from the fires, the aroma of grilled foods, the noise of people, each food booth with a young man trying to pull in customers, still sick, eating rice, people watching, drummers, belly dancers (gay men) flirting with David for money,
Many small groups around a storyteller, an advice giver, acrobats, cobras, gambling games, etc. It goes on well into the night, then all goes away until the next night when it begins again. Next day David gets sick. Neither one of us feeing very well. Many hours inside. We venture out in late afternoon.
The souq- a maze of winding streets, cubicles stacked to the ceiling, rugs, shoes, jewelry, clothing, spices, food, color, smells, many beautiful things.
The donkeys: oh, the donkeys, hard working, pulling loaded carts driven by one man, black ones, gray ones, brown ones, large and small ones, how I loved the donkeys! I dreamed of them.
Mosques abound. One hears the muezzin, call to prayer, five times a day, men and some women stream toward the mosque carrying their small prayer rug on their shoulders.
The last night we stopped to buy water at a small stall. A young boy was working there.
We asked for du l’eau- he said, proudly- wa-ter. Oui, water. He broke into a smile that illuminated his whole face and spread to ours. He was so proud and happy to have spoken English with us.
This was my ten days in Marrocco. I hope to return one day.
(Click the flickr link for some more photos)

This Is Worth Sharing

This wonderful video was sent to us by Mykle and I believe it is truly worth 20 minutes of your time.

Mt. Diablo

Mt Diablo is visible here from almost everywhere. It lies east of Walnut Creek and stands almost 4000 feet high. A week or so ago on a clear and sunny day I drove to the top through the state park with its numerous trails, campgrounds and picnic spots..
On the way I passed many cyclists making their way slowly up the mountain. On New Year's day there is a tradition for serious riders to pedal to the top, and the newspaper reported that there were many brave souls who set out to accomplish this feat.
I stopped along the way at various points and followed the trails for a while; the sandstone rocks in areas once undersea were softened into gigantic awe-inspiring monoliths. As it was a winter weekday, there were few people on foot in the park and the near-silence only heightened the beauty of my surroundings.
The view from the top affords a panoramic glimpse of the entire east bay. My photos give a small taste of this.