Found: Time Capsule of the 40ies

I love these 14 Rare Color Photos From the FSA-OW by Russell Lee and Jack Delano and others from that time. It seems there is no veil between you and the people 70 years back. A time Capsule. Men, women and children are working, fixing, baking and living along. The other end of the world is overshadowed by war and the comparison makes them unique in their peacefulness and innocence. A glimpse of how the 40ies could have been. J.u.s.t. B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.

Found: Decadence

I find myself going back again and again to the paintings of Terry Rodgers. The size ( they are huge!), the theme ( an utter reflection of the complexity and ambiguity of life ) and the style ( modern times in retro-composition ).

I would love to see them in reality or own one ( mental note to myself:…need to play the lottery again… )

In his own words:

"In my work, I attempt to reflect my sense of the times we are living in, and both how richly interesting they are and how difficult it is for most of us to navigate their uncharted waters. There is a great push and pull, the lure and the repulsion, the fiction and the real, the known and the unknown. And we live in this swirl of delicate gestures, driving desires, fantasy, economic complexity and interdependence, hierarchical separations, isolation and hope. I am trying to render some notion of this rich fabric. "

I am a total groupie have the H.i.g.h.e.s.t.  R.e.s.p.e.c.t. for his work.

Found: Star Wars in Ice

Andreas Brick, a German sound artist, did some Silent Listening and recorded the music of ice.

"The most striking thing about these recordings is the synthetic-sounding descending tones caused by the phenomenon of the dispersion of sound waves. The high frequencies of the popping and cracking noises are transmitted faster by the ice than the deeper frequencies, which reach the listener with a time lag as glissandi sinking to almost bottomless depths."

An absolutely unique sound experience. I am  fascinated. A. L.o.t.

Found: ATTN

A web page dedicated to the wrong, the inappropriate and the borderline ….and the unbelievable funny. See for yourself.

"Land-shark"

…be prepared, a total timesucker.

Found: Epiphanies in a bundle

Cath Duncan and Michele Woodward called this a podcast about goal setting but I got the feeling it was rather about finding out more about yourself.

Though, I had some comforting thought keys coming to me in a yoga session the Sunday after.

"..ensure that the goals you set are what *you* really want. So many people skip this step and take themselves down the agonizing route of funneling themselves into working hard and trying to make stuff happen when they don’t really even want that stuff…"

"…A thought key is a word or short phrase that reminds you of what’s most important to you right then, rather than trying to focus on all the details of what you want to achieve…"

And when I looked into the True Values pdf, Michele recommended at one point in the interview, I had epiphanies falling on my head like snow flakes on a lake.

This has been more of a visual flotsam this month. I think that’s it so far. Have a great weekend!

 I was taught, if I can’t find the right words it wouldn’t stand in the world. This comes from a place where there is already no room and still – it exists without my help. A beautiful contradiction. 

If I had the words I would use them. The fact that I don’t have words for what moves me makes me choosing a medium that is not bound to words. If I could explain what I was doing, I would be a writer.

When I did presentations in the past I was always taught to explain them. As if the pure act of coming up with explanations would help people to grasp. This resulted in me collecting lukewarm explanation before or after and then doing what I wanted anyway. So why would I even spend time designing these little detours or maybe more important – is it useful for the people with questions in the first place?

If people argue with "right" answers, are there also "right" questions?

If someone would ask me, why is the sky not red, I wouldn’t answer because it is a natural given that skies are blue and there is no point of discussing something that is given and unchangeable. A question like:" Why did you make this line blue in the shape of a penguin?" invokes the same response in me.

Paintings have a language of their own. Attainable in time through observation. I would rob people the joy of exploration if I was able to explain it with words. The moment people ask about the penguin ( not that I ever painted a penguin but you know what I mean…), I was tempted to give solutions and answers where no general answers exist as there is not one language in the world.  I can understand the urge to own what one might not understand immediately to have it in your orbit so to speak, but receiving an explanation will not leave one resolved and understood until the handed tool is not used as well.

So I free myself from the this particular habit of mine to explain the unexplainable, *dammit

…maybe next time I write something about the beauty of contradiction and opposite truths because I spot them everywhere in here but I think I can settle on the complexity of nature for the time being…next time someone asks I’ll say: I do complex art. lol.

*in the spirit of Havi who was able to put it this approach in a more cohesive way on paper..

Found: The Right People Thing

I can read it again and again and still think its stunning and makes me slowly nod my head.

"Because life is not high school. There aren’t any cool kids….There are just people. Who have their own groups of right people.
And you get to belong anywhere where you feel safe and supported.
And you get to choose who gets to belong with you, and help them feel safe and supported….No, seriously. Life is not high school… Business is not high school. Nothing that happens is high school.

Except, of course, for high school."

…and here is Havi’s ship.

Found: Simplicity of life – birth, school, work, death

This is just blatant funny and I am impatiently waiting for his new posts.

“Kid, get used to it. You’re five and a half. The days of fun and leisure are over……its all downhill from here.”

…here is Troyen’s raft.

Found: Context shapes perspective and chops trees

About how it is to live near trees that are offensive and obsessing about choosing the right tool…for trees and in work life. Funny! Nerdy! Fascinating!

"Take a moment and step inside the mind of the brother-in-law. I’ve got several trees I want to get rid of… and what do I have in the garage? Two hammers, a paint can full of nails, some leftover wood and… a saw. Perfect. A saw."

…he rants in repose here.

Found: Where “Willpower” is not a concept that has any place

Eileen wants to walk her path in a mindful way and I like to follow her.

"Learning (painfully, experientialy) that change can only come after acceptance of what is. That observation without judgment is the first step toward creating lasting, positive change. (This stands in direct contrast to my past tendency to try to white-knuckle things into existence.)"

…read her journey from the beginning.

Found: When old recipes are not the same anymore.

It just makes totally sense when Michele Woodward explains it.

"You know I have the idea that we each have 100 units of energy to spend each day. Yesterday’s are gone, and tomorrow’s belong to tomorrow. All you’ve got is 100 to use today. And if you have created day-after-day which calls for 120, you’ve got a problem."

…so I read it all here.

I think that’s it so far. For this past month. Have a great weekend!

There are wineries called Grey Wolf, Dark Star ( seriously! ), Castoro, Peachy Canyon, Denner Vineyards and the Hearthstone Winery, the winner, in my opinion.

This small Winery is a little bit hidden and therefore easy to miss on the Vineyard Drive but believe me, I liked all of their wines they offered for the wine tasting except the first on their list, a white one. I never really was fond of sweet whites and still don’t like them but what is the exception for me might be a treasure for you. I assume it was a Zinfandel.

I also like this place so much because I learned something new. I learned that I love Grenache, pure – not blended. This grape never crossed my path before and just tastes round and right with a simple and unaffected structure. A light red wine that doesn’t want to impress. A wine you will enjoy in the future the same way you enjoy it today. A wine that won’t get out of fashion – an evergreen so to speak ( I could rave on forever ).

And again it is a Spanish wine in origin, so I went full circle and remained true to myself.

Another really good wine that is my second favorite since this weekend and which I also didn’t know before  is Sangiovese , Italian in its origin. This one is very forgiving and fun to explore if you enjoy it, non-blended – again. Try it! The Sangiovese is actually available for purchase right now at the Hearthstone Vineyard, unlike the Grenache that first will be available again, in its pure form, next year.

A minute after the freeway exit you pass the Hitching Post, which you might remember from the movie “Sideways” – a personal favorite of mine.

Solvang itself is a nice little and buzzing town with a astonishing gallery as I discovered. The Artist Chris Pavlov, who is also the owner of the Pavlov Art Gallery, shows European artists ( France, Montenegro  and Macedonia ) , as well as local artists and is focused on impressionistic and contemporary art.

My favorite painting, indicated by the red arrow below, is rich in structure and very complex in color. I am still guessing around how the artist actually applied the different layers of color onto the very structured surface and it might remain a puzzle but is fascinating none the less.

Pavlov Art Gallery
1608 Copenhagen Drive
Solvang, CA 93463

The Galley claims to be Santa Monica’s oldest restaurant and I am not doubting it. I bet over the last 71 years every inch has been covered with lights. And even pieces of the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” found their way to The Galley and have been given a new purpose, the steering wheel, for example, found a new life as ceiling decoration. I sometimes think I could satisfy my hunger with visual impression but I would recommend to actually eat and order one of their steak or fish dishes. This spot is an experience for more then one sense. Enjoy.