Quinary Poetry - - Minimalist Poetry and Watercolor Art

The Tree of Vanishing Point

2009-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

So what's the point? The vanishing point? All puns aside, which is hard for me to do. I think I get it now. The homework assignment was to draw something using the values learned in the vanishing point perspective. I drew several pictures. One that might resemble an animal, another that was mostly abstract, and my current obsession or crutch the "Tree."

I poetically titled it and wrote it below the picture. But then other phrases popped in my head.

So in keeping with what sparks my inspiration:

Tree of Vanishing Point

As far as the Eye can See

I can See the Point

As long as it grows

In the image of a Tree

Tree of Vanishing Point

Perspective all askew

One point, two, and three

Take the eye to a pleasing point

And the brain knows what you see

Learning to Draw

2009-06-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

My last blog was a tribute to a watercolor class that I took a few months ago. This entry is for my current class "Drawing I," an actual, for-credit, college course. I enrolled in this class so I could learn "fundamental principles of drawing" according to the catalogue description.

There is so much that I enjoy about this class. I enjoy the ambient chatter of the classmates as we all work on our current pieces. I enjoy the fact that the class is four hours long and that it is four days a week. I love that I can peek over someone's shoulder as they work and learn from their process.

My husband and I are very different individuals, with different approaches to art, but I love the fact that we can both take this class together.

And finally, each day I come to class I look forward to the exuberant and gentle guidance from our instructor Josie...she not only teaches us to "Draw" as is outlined in the course description, but from my point of view, she demonstrates how one can draw upon that area that is within all of us to make the images we draw on paper come alive.

Deliberate.....Decide.....Design.....Drip.....Done

Watercolor 101

2009-02-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

I have signed up to take a watercolor class. I chose this class because it is titled "Out of the Box Watercolor." I like watercolor because it bleeds and cries and it helps me get my feelings on paper. I come to this class to learn a little bit more about structure and rules. I have learned to experiment with tissue papers and other mediums. There is a nice camaraderie in the classroom. This is an 8-week class and I am hoping a little discipline and discussion of techniques will guide me onward.

Now that I read the title that I gave to the piece posted below, I realize that I titled it backwards.

I first started with a blank canvas and no idea of what I was going to do. I thought, stared, and blinked a little. The paper scraps available to me had a bubble and circle design. So I glued, I painted, I outlined and I let go, and had fun.

Blast Bubbles Blow Blink Blank

Cloudy Days

2008-07-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Monsoons are upon the Phoenix, Arizona community. The weather in July can be hot, humid, cloudy, and sometimes rainy. Clouds roll in and fill the sky. The clouds are voluminous, sometimes white and fluffy and sometimes dark and foreboding. Clouds are nature's Rorschach. What do you see? A ducky, a person's profile, or a mountain range?

Abstract art is the same. What do you see? Sometimes I don't know what I have until it's done. That's the beauty of seeing different images in your own abstract. There's a quiet satisfaction in seeing something new everyday even if it's the same old view.

Inspiring Juices

2008-03-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

That which inspires one to write words, paint pictures, create song, or carve images, comes from within and is screaming to get out. Happy, sad, angry, glad or frustrated, these are some of the feelings that spark art.

Many of our basic feelings are coloured by our bodily functions. If you are angry or upset, you might say you were "pissed" or "pissed off." If you were nervous you'd be "sweating" bullets. If you think someone was not being truthful, you'd think they were "full of shit." Tears are a result of happiness or sadness. And well, "blood" is the life force of us all and the word is used as a feeling intensifier in British-speak.

I paint better when I am charged with some emotion. If I feel sad, I imagine gathering up my tears into a bottle. I then select a brush and dip into the tear-well and begin to portray my feelings onto paper. The same goes for when I am pissed off, or if I think someone is shittin' me. So, imagine what you will. I try to reach in to the blood and guts level and put it on paper for all to see.

Blood.....Sweat.....Tears.....Pee.....Poo

Talk

2008-03-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

Talking is good. Women do talk. Women talk when they are happy or troubled. It's what keeps women sane. Some men do talk but they rarely talk and share with other men the way women do.

I love the exercise of talking and doodling art. It allows shapes and colors to flow and then you get to see what you are feeling.

Hello Rosemary. Take a look at our last talk pictured here. I see some pretty big smiles. Here's to us enjoying some less stressful moments.

Talk Share.....Don't Despair.....Friends Care.....Forever There.....a Serendipitous Affair

Happy Birthday

2008-03-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

March is birthday month in our house. CFMG will no longer be a teen. I will be the year I was born. Warm spring weather is coming to the Phoenix area. Lots of stuff is going on and we are all busy.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, we have added a cat to our household, even though we have no experience living with cats. We have also added another small dog, his name is Frankie. He is an 8 years old Boston Terrier, who is very affectionate and seems to be fitting in very nicely. Our older dog is infatuated with this new dog and well that can make for lively encounters.

Our lives seem to be all over the place with comings and goings and things. But they are all good things. Just go with the flow and the twists and turns and it will all be okay.

Stress......Mess......Confess.....DeCompress.....Supress

Cat Got Your Tongue?

2008-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

We are crazy, I know. We recently adopted a cat into our home. Our daughter has always had mild allergies to some cats, but she didn't seem to have any allergy problems with this cat. We adopted Coco Chanel from the Foothills Animal Shelter. She is declawed on all four paws, so she definitely needs to be kept as an indoor cat. When we first entered the animal shelter, Chanel crawled right into our daughter's lap and didn't want to move. We actually had come to the shelter with the thought of adding another dog to our 3-dog family. But we added a cat. I have never owned a cat. So this was a new experience for me.

The cat has lived with us about two weeks now and seems to be getting on fine. We have introduced her to the 3-dogs, one dog at a time. She doesn't seem to mind them, and they are more curious about her. She currently lives in our daughter's bedroom.

Chanel seems to be very gentle and well mannered. All the things one hopes a cat to be. Except the other day, I don't know what exactly happened but our daughter relates that as she was lifting Chanel out of the way, and the cat bit our daughter on the face. It wasn't a bad bite, but Chanel definitely punctured the skin. Oh well, the cat may not have gotten her tongue, but definitely got her nose.

Here Kitty.....Nice Kitty.....Sweet Kitty.....Gentle Kitty.....Ouch!

Dream

2008-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today is January 21, 2008, Martin Luther King, Jr Day...A day to honour a man with a dream. What's your dream?

Shimmer.....Glimmer.....Dreamer.....Mind-Weaver.....Ideator

2008

2008-01-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the year 2008. Do you have a favourite number?
The number eight is considered a money number in many Asian countries. The explanation I was given was that eight on its side resembles the symbol for infinity, suggesting infinite wealth. And if you look at our dollar sign, $, it does look like the number eight.

The number eighteen in Jewish tradition is associated with the word "chai" in Hebrew. Chai means "life" in English. The two Hebrew letters that spell the word chai are equivalent to the numbers 8 and 10, which added together equal "18."

Roses are beautiful flowers and some are very fragrant. They are often given as symbols of love and friendship. But like anything sweet in life, you must deal with some pain, like the thorns on a rose's stem.

So this year. 2008, I wish you all a year of prosperity, good life and good health and to appreciate the beauty around you. And if you should ever be pricked by a thorn, don't hate the rose, instead appreciate it all the more.

Eighteen Flowers.....Inspiring Powers.....Gentle Bowers.....Happy Hours.....Tender Towers

Rain

2008-01-02T22:09:00.001-08:00

I live in a desert climate, and yes it is a dry heat in the summer time. During the winter, it can get cold and wet. We have had a considerable amount of rainfall in the last couple of weeks. Our winters are like extended autumns.

What's nice about this time of year is that the rose plants love it. I have a small rose bush in a pot outside my front door. Last week only one rose was in bloom. But what caught my eye was the way the rain had covered the rose's bloom. I don't have the words to describe what I saw, so I grabbed my digital camera. I took several pictures and tried the closeup feature of the camera. When I loaded the picture onto my laptop, I experimented with the image a little bit and below is that rose. The little circle-dot like features in the image are all raindrops clinging to the rose. I added nothing to this digital image. I only altered the the way it appears.

Raindrops Delight The Rose Observer

Guilt

2007-12-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

This one is called "Guilt" or "Ode to Mom." The abstract below is my tribute to my mom. Her initials are CZ and so it is doodled.

I learned the art of “Jewish Mother Guilt” from my mom. I thought I had learned it all until I tried to turn the tables, by trying to give my mom a little guilt trip. I said, “mom, I think you have never been to my house during Passover and it has been a long time since you’ve been to Arizona. Why don’t you come this year?”

Well, being the novice that I truly am, I did not get the response I expected. She immediately started crying, and acknowledging her faux pas. She then continued to tell me how miserable she felt by her not coming more often, and she got more and more upset. I then stupidly attempted “damage control” and tried to explain I was using the “old guilt trip technique,” but by then she wasn’t listening to me. Alas, it was too late, she had ‘trumped’ my guilt card and took me down several notches until I begged for mercy.

I am humbled. I had the audacity to challenge the Queen, and she took my volley and spiked it back to me, sending me cowering into the corner not only feeling guilty but also ashamed. Wow, she’s good.

Me bad. Lesson learned. Don’t try to out-guilt your own mother and expect to surface unscarred. Back to therapy I go….

Grate.....Underrate.....Intimidate.....Lacerate.....Truncate

Calm

2007-12-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

After my abstract class finished, I decided I needed to explore other mediums. I tried my hand at acrylic paints on canvas. The painting below is the result and I call it "The Calm Before the Storm." I did not realize how prophetic this picture would be. After I painted it, I saw tornadoes looming in the background and five plants in the foreground waiting.

Well, our prodigal daughter, CFMG, has returned to the homestead and the whirlwind of high drama continues. I like to pride myself for remaining calm amidst chaos. Tornadoes are known to carve out destruction along an unpredictable path. The safer place to be is inside the tornado, the calm within the storm and that is how I have chosen to ride out this current storm of events.

The Calm Before The Storm

Flower

2007-12-13T21:36:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow I will be taking an art class. It will be a two hour introduction class, called "Art, Courage & Creativity." The brochure describes this as a "class for adults who want to express themselves artistically, but who feel unsure of their natural abilities." Well that describes me. This is a new adventure for me.

The blank page, whether it waits for the written word or the stroke of a brush can be intimidating. I intend to keep an open mind and open spirit. We all stand alone from time to time, especially when we take on a new task.

Yellow Flower Stands Proud Alone

Pisces

2007-12-10T22:03:00.001-08:00

Out of habit, I read my horoscope everyday. My main two sources are the Internet and the local newspaper. I especially embrace the words and seek out this 'fortune cookie-like' wisdom, when life is not treating me kindly. The trick is to read your horoscope in the right frame of mind. This gives you a 'win-win' scenario, no matter what is written. For example, if my day starts out good, and my horoscope advises caution, I think "well, I'll just take a little extra care today." And if something bad happens, I can't say I wasn't warned. On the other hand, if I am feeling like things are not going well, I turn to the horoscope for confirmation of a possible not-so-good-day, or for information that this nasty time will soon pass.

Do I believe that the movement of the planets shape our lives and our personalities? I don't know. But it is interesting to think that some of us might share similar traits and fates because of birth dates. And I have never met a Pisces person that I didn't like. So there. Pisces people rock!

Fishy.....Flaxy.....Flitchy.....Flity.....Flip-Floppedly

Hanukah

2007-12-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hanukah. Latkes. Dreidels. Eight nights with eight lights. 25th day of Kislev, 164 B.C.E. Sufganiyot. Menorah. Nes Gadol Haya Shom. Judah the Maccabee.

According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture, Copyright 1999, by Rabbi Benjamin Blech, page 111.

For those who still think that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas, it's only fair to point out that the story of Hanukkah preceded the birth of Jesus by 164 years. More significantly, the Jews at that time were the only monotheists in the world. If Judaism had been destroyed, Christianity and Islam probably would never have come into being.

Thinking of

.....Hanukah.....Happiness.....Health.....Heartiness.....Hope

Think!

2007-11-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

"Do you think....?" "Nah, I'll pass today."

Thinking too
MUCH.....SOON.....LOGICALLY.....INTENSELY.....HOPEFULLY

Autumn

2007-11-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

Autumn in Toronto is lovely. The trees are changing colours. There is a brisk freshness in the air. And best of all, I don't have to rake the falling leaves.

Final.....Five.....Fall.....Foliage.....Float

DNA

2007-11-08T20:03:00.001-08:00

The structure of DNA has been said to resemble a spiral or helix structure. There is an inherent grace, balance, and beauty in its construct and design. This organic microprocessor is said to be encoded with our individual design. How magnificent is that? All living matter is bonded by a DNA that dictate what we are!

I just spent ten days with my mother. I wanted to be with her after her cataract surgery. I finally had a chance to mother her a little bit. I knew her spirits were starting to improve a few days after her surgery when she asserted her independence and resisted my attempts to wait on her. She soon picked up the slack and told me what to do, how to feel and what to say. I'm glad I was there to help and she was appreciative. But that Mother-Child bond, is forever strong. And you know for the most part, I didn't resist my mother's "mothering." In fact, I finally understood my own 'overbearing-caring' of my own child. Hey, I have an excuse now. You see it's not my fault, 'cause it's in my DNA.

CHAINS that

Connect.....Bind.....Break.....React

Amazing

2007-10-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

Remember those children's puzzle books with the little mazes. It was usually marked "Enter Here." You took your pencil and started following the path until you found the exit. The beginner puzzles were mapped out very clearly with very few wrong turns. As an adult you could easily scan the whole picture and see exactly how to proceed. The more advanced puzzles were very intricate with many wrong turns and dead ends. It's an interesting thought. You can see how you start off and see where you are supposed to end, but it's all that stuff in the middle that can mess you up.

Emily and I were talking. Nothing strange there. We always talk. In naming this watercolor below we differed on the phrasing of the last thought. I initially wrote "It's how you Choose." Emily said "It's what you Choose."

But so many other combinations also ring true. Try these....
It's why you Choose.
It's because you Choose.
It's when you Choose.
It's where you Choose.
It's who you Choose.
It's how much you Choose.

Well, you get the idea. I'm sure you can figure out a few other words that would work for you. The key working word here is still "Choose." The power is in that word. We all may not be able to choose whether we win or lose as we navigate this maze of our lives, but how we chose to react to it. I still choose "how" and I added "what" for Emily because it made me think. Thank you Emily.

Happy Blues.....Misguided Muse.....Pay you Dues..... Deja Vu News.....

It's How and What you Choose

Perspective

2007-10-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

I don't remember much about taking art class in junior high school, but I know I did. I'm sure I learned about perspective or ways to make objects look like they disappear into the distance.

So I tried my hand at it, and it was fine. I painted a road of a sort going off into the distance, making it progressively narrow and embellished it, in an abstract way. So mechanically, I followed the formula and the result is just okay.

Comments from friends varied. The most amusing is that all my work stems from sexual frustration. Hey, whatever scratches their itch, works for me. As far as I'm concerned everything can be construed as sexual. At our last family gathering we discussed the merits and challenges of eating a pomegranate, and it essentially came down to "do you spit or swallow?"...(the seeds if you please) and the rest is just a titter (get it, titter, and if you do, shame on you) and a giggle.

I still think of this painting as a symbol of life's path. I painted an abstract road going off to who knows where. In reality the road ends where the paint ends near the edge of the paper. That's it. But in my perspective, that road is endless. It may have a few bumps and ruts, but it will take you to places with endless possibilities. It's just a matter of how you look at it.

Path.....Passion.....Patience.....Persistence.....Possibilities

Journey

2007-10-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

Our little bird, CFMG, has left the nest. The feelings between us all, are currently amicable. Having said that, implies it wasn't always that way. I will say no more on that subject.

At this point in her life, she is not ready for a college education, but she is seeking to enroll in the school of life. We are very proud of her choices.

Electrifying, spine tingling, nerve pinching, laugh and cry out loud, sleep, eat and sometimes quiet, that's what its all about and more. Like a bolt of lightning and a clap of thunder, it's over in a flash. Where did the years go?

Yah, I know, life's a journey. I have said it too many times myself, but I was talking about me. It's hard to let go...

Jaded.....Jagged.....Jealous.....Jaunty.....Journey

Toothbrush

2007-10-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

I need to do less to be appreciated more. The more you think about it, the more it makes sense. It's one of those reverse curves in science, I think it is called the law of decreasing benefits or diminishing returns(or something like that). So here's how it works....you do something nice for someone and they're all happy and grateful. You do more and you're acknowledged and given a nod. You do even more for approval and you get criticized for a "job not-so-well-done."

The one thing I always would remember even on one night trips and sleepovers is to take a toothbrush. On our last trip, as usual I made sure everyone's luggage and toiletries were packed accordingly. Who's toothbrush did we forget to bring? Mine. I did the utmost to make sure everyone was packed. All items remembered. House instructions to pet sitter, tickets, passport, snacks and that everyone is up and running in a timely manner. I forgot my toothbrush. A small seemingly insignificant item, an item that was easily acquired at our destination, but an item that spoke loudly to me.

Future.....Lure.....Endure.....Unsure.....Reassure

Autumn is upon us.

Flowers, Trees, Birds, Bees, the cycle continues...the Autumn of our lives is here. Lots to do before winter settles in and we run out of options.

Manor

2007-09-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

Tree in Bird

We have returned to our home in sunny, warm, "but it's a dry-heat" Arizona. Here most people speak English and Spanish. There is a growing diversity of peoples from other homelands outside the USA, but most of the immigrants to this state come from somewhere in the United States.

Toronto, my city of birth is a very diverse city. But like many enthnic groups in big cities, I grew up surrounded by my enthnic group, Jews. The face on this community has changed quite a bit in the last 30 years. Each time I go back I see new ethnic stores that are not all Jewish. But I still call it home. There is a sense of familiarity and comfort with each trip. And because I go back about every year, I am able to track the slow changes in buildings, population and stores. And of course there are the stores that seem to have always been there. This part of town is referred to as the "Bathurst Manor." And yes, it's true, in a manner of speaking, that while "You can take the girl out of the "Manor," you can't take the "Manor" out of the girl. It's still inside me. And I'm glad.

Toronto

2007-09-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Time for family, food and just catching up.
My family of three travelled to Toronto this week of the Jewish New Year. The weather has been wonderful. Autumn is just around the corner.
It's a week of happiness of coming and sadness of going and a little gladness when we head back to our USA home.

Blame.....Broken.....Blunder.....Blatant.....Blue