Miracles In A Straight-Lined World

One of my favourite pictures overall-the ceiling in casa battlo’s morning room

flower pots on wall

There is an odd, asymmetrical pattern to Antoni Gaudi’s works that I find enchanting. The glaze on one tile will be duplicated in darker or lighter shades on opposite sides of Barcelona, on two structures that couldn’t be more different from one another, and you just stand there going “….how did…..” And then shake your head and just accept all the imperfect geniuses of the world.

  I remember when an elder man in my town proudly showed me pictures of one of his great loves-Casa Battlo-and I just sat there trying not to cry. It was that beautiful. And I thought, if I ever get to see this, my life will be complete.

Now I have seen it.

And it’s not.

Because of course I want follow-up. To sit for hours and sketch and observe and watch the light play over the walls and curves and tiles. Feel the textures; trace the shell-like spiral on a column, the roughness of the stones, the smooth arm of a chair (little known fact that before Gaudi’s architecture career kicked off he designed beautiful, ridiculously comfortable furniture).

  And then there’s the Sagrada Familia, which, dare I say, is almost too much for little human brains to look at all at once and simultaneously appreciate. That takes time, attention to detail, staying in a place for a day, a week, years…..

Gaudi arch

Stairway to heaven 

Casa Battlo, House of Masks

luminous hallway

the dragon's spine atop the roof

Parc Guell-As though a deep fissure had opened, streaming sunlight down, and we were able to descend and wander about in Hell’s anteroom, a Dante’s Inferno-esque landscape of twisting pillars and craggy angels and jagged stalactite jaws. Also I just felt like a Middle Earth dwarf. 

 We also took a stroll (with our stellar, bottomless-wells-of-kindness hosts) through a textile community that Gaudi helped design, “Colonia Guell.”

World's longest bench

looks like a ship deck
Sometimes I feel as though we bumbled our way through this trip-not planning anything, not googling the best sights here, the best restaurants there.

And other times I feel as though what we ended up doing by chance-stumbling across things and into famous squares or along main streets-was perfect. Just the thing to do. Why 
explore cities any other way?

Of course you have to tailor your preferences and needs according to your location and all, but it was nice not to feel tied down by reservations.

  I felt- in order not to panic and think about all the things we wouldn’t get to see-I just had to let go, walk around, live the situation, and accept that yes, right this moment we could be doing this or this, but we’re not, we’re here. Look nearby and see what there is, etc.

There were times when we made special trips to things-like La Ramblas, the Sagrada Familia, or the train stations for departures and arrivals, but other than that we came upon most of my favourite memories by accident. Simply rounding a corner, and oh look, there’s the local market or the Picasso museum or Santa Maria del Mar or….

Human

I think it's sometimes very easy to separate the environment from ourselves. We always think of it as that thing, over there, that we all have to chip in to save. It turns into a chore, a fad, some kind of charity group for a distant unfortunate lifeforce that we feel guilty and worry about in the 'oh right, I need to see to that' sort of way.  No. It's us. We are what we're trying to save. We are the environment, that huge unknowable, mysteriously working thing, breathing that air, drinking that water, soaking up that sun.
  It needs to be impressed upon us in a very real sense, impressed upon us on every possible front-the news, the papers, the internet, everyday conversation-that each change we make is a change that affects our very core. It does not necessarily affect a Siberian tiger or a chimpanzee in Africa (though hopefully these too). Because we need to know that in addition to helping others, we are helping to cement our very own, real, personal survivals. Let's face it, humans are (and have been for the past 200,000 years) a tad selfish in nature. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
  A belief needs to be deep. Before it's, to use the stale, oft-used term, "too late," survival instinct has to be re-kindled into one of the focal points of our moral code, into our DNA. We're all too comfy. We can adjust air conditioning and turn on warmth and flip a switch for light and heat foods in 30 seconds and it is weird and we need to understand that it is.
  I need to stop taking things for granted. Everyone does.

Junebug Dance

It's humid here. Unnaturally humid. So humid, in fact, that, like weird city-dwellers trying to crawl off the pavement, we were forced yesterday to stay in the shade until evening, and today-well today it was 86 and too hot to do anything except loll around inside, sip water, and moan.
86 may not sound hot, but we're Mainers, and it's jungle-like. Were it a dry heat, instead of a muggy, oppressive one, no one would mind much. But it's the kind that brings the blackflies (our state bird) hatching up out of their fetid pond sludge to attach themselves inside your ears and nostrils and eyelids.
   I don't remember it being this hot in Spain. It must have been at some point. I do remember one day when the thin shadow along a low fence was enough to excite one quite beyond reason. And then you'd run over and bask in it for a moment, before trudging back out again and up the next dusty rise. It was always on the city outskirts, with the radiating cement and the pounding feet and the unattractive buildings sending up waves of heat in the distance. There was one endless sidewalk......7 miles long.....
Anyway. Back to what I was saying.
  Every once in a while a blessed breeze twitches through the trees and rolls sluggishly across the grounds, but other than that...Well, it's blooming awful. Speaking of blooming-the apple trees are! All bursting at once. Today we had petals tripping in through the front door.
  As a sort of miserably macabre end-of-May farewell, our beautiful goat caught a raging infection and passed on today. We tried to give her a chance to recover (turns out not such a good idea; would have been best to let her go out earlier but she wasn't really in pain then....It's so difficult to tell with animals). I was fairly torn up about it, but a good friend (who's had much experience with this sort of thing) put on a bracing demeanor and, giving a solemn cyber-space back pat, said "sometimes being a farmer sucks."
  Ah well. The goat had a good life, eating all our trees and leaping up on cars and butting the donkey and generally being cute and sassy.
  Spring is definitely here though, and with it, as it should be, gardening.
We've put in plant-sale romaine and oak leaf lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, all of which may even survive, if the now-grown skunk from yesteryear ceases his nighttime buffet trips.

We've even got some parsleys and leeks; tiny little things, but they'll pull through. One of my favourite things about plants is their resilience. You stick the seedlings in the ground looking bedraggled, and the next day, after a bit of water, sun and acclimation, there they are, straight up and perky.
  The Junebugs appeared the other night. We weren't on our toes about shutting the doors in time, so they all pelted about in dizzying circles, bouncing off the lamps and the 11-foot ceiling, with me chasing after them swooping a yoghurt container through the air. They seemed to prefer latching onto my hands with their persistently clingy, spiney little legs, which had me a bit squeamish at first, having actively perpetuated the idea of escaping scrabbling Scarab beetles with my colleague as (smaller) children thanks to The Mummy. (The two do look a bit alike though!)
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/bug-id/alphabetic-list-of-bugs/scarab-beetles 
http://stlouispestcontrolblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/june-bug-.jpg

The cats, of course, hadn't had such fun since the Christmas Tree Ornament Massacre of a couple years ago. (Tinsel everywhere, angels missing wings. Awful business.) Moxie kept pinning the whizzing beetles to the carpet and I'd have to rush over and cup them up and let them buzz off into the dark outside.
  Despite the heat, I am glad summer's here: I love watering and listening to the ground thirstily soak it all up. Standing in the soft night and listening to all those sounds which you never hear in wintertime (Cause the party don't stop at sunset round here). Lying in tree shadows reading.

Crazy Talk

And all of a sudden, just like that, “drone” becomes a word that we are bombarded with in the media. It seems like it happened over night. You are going along, everything’s fine, and then suddenly you wake up and there are talks about who should be able to cancel out lives at the flip of a switch, who should be able to make the calls, how safe we are on our own soil and how safe these deadly machines will make us. The world is going decidedly mad! 

Haunted Stretch of Highway

On the way home from Augusta on a frigid day, I photographed this house. The angles on it were beautiful. Inside, to the left in what looked like a living room, was piled high with old pieces of furniture and fabric drapes. Rotten wooden desks, tastefully carved chairs, and one huge lime-green armchair. The back wall was completely torn off, and you could see straight through to the yard, which was filled with scraggly apple trees and pricker brush.
  The upper story windows were half hooded by thin, ripped off-white curtains, and each doorway was crowned with a long-empty light socket. I couldn't see over the sills into the front morning rooms because of the way the house leaned back off the foundation, but I'm sure they were very grande. Hopefully we'll get back there someday for early-morning photos or more exploring.

In researching this house (there is not very much info on it anywhere!) I discovered that it is in fact a very popular photography setting. Some links: http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/5135773/il_fullxfull.234061286.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7880664628_6cd4ab9b8b.jpg

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4095/4813735124_99d96b0c18_z.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3639/3466352705_e8df5ecdd3_z.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3241/2859565911_a3cc47c932.jpg

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?24155-If-This-House-Could-Tell-a-Tale
This one! This is brilliant. I can't get enough of this stuff. Is there some job that pays you to go explore old houses? Maybe I'll just become a ghost facer. http://downeastdoingstuff.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-happens-when-you-get-old.html

Citizens United and Corporate Personhood

Some notes and photos from my recent trip to the state capitol!
"...So far the state capitol building is quite impressive. I've been here several times before for various gatherings and tours, but never in the upper floors. The building has seven stories, with a spiral stair winding up into the dome from the fourth floor. (The dome from the outside can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_State_House)

There is lots of worn grey marble, and a personalised coatrack that looks to be from the 20s, with senators' assigned numbers on it. There are many dramatic, dark portraits of stern men who served in the supreme court, the congress, the senate, etc., as well as all of Maine's governors."
 Our reason for going to Augusta was a press conference regarding corporate personhood and its implications in Maine as well as the U.S. as a whole. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood
In 2010, the supreme court ruled on a Citizens United decision that included the allowance of corporations to raise and contribute funds to a political party. Since corporations can easily raise massive amounts of funding, this gives them an unfair advantage over average citizens. Essentially, there is a possibility of candidates being swayed by these large funds, and some Mainers are worried about the affect that this is going to have in our own legislature. Additionally, corporations use their status as "people" to skive off on taxations and to assert powers in court which they should not have.

  The Citizens United decision all rests on the reasoning that corporations are made up of people, and therefore should have the rights of a person. This is dangerous logic when you consider the above implications, and the wiggle room involved. 

  Eleven states have already opted to overturn the Citizens United ruling with an amendment to the constitution: http://freespeechforpeople.org/node/342  The sixth state to join, California's call for an overturn was a huge step along the way, as it is the state with the most members in congress, the largest population, and the largest economy in the U.S.  Many groups in my home state are patiently working to make Maine the twelfth state. 

  The last constitutional amendment was ratified in 1992, and before that, in 1971. It is a very difficult thing to do, but it can be accomplished. There are usually several years between an amendment's proposal and its ratification, so it is best to just keep pressing for this and keeping it in the news. ttp://www.pressherald.com/news/a-century-of-shame_2012-05-20.html

https://movetoamend.org

SL No.3, 2x actual size

I'm not sure what this piece of wood is. A picture frame bit, or the decoration on a mirror or armchair? 

Art

Recently I decided to take an art class, mostly out of curiosity. I’ve always wondered about the methods used, and have also been particularly interested in drawing landscapes, architecture, and costumes for a while. I’d like to record what I’ve learnt so far in my two classes! I’m one of those people who believes that if you want to learn something, you can, without classes or teachers, but art is a good thing to do hands on in a studio as well, because you see other peoples' drawings all around you and widen your mind. Here are some tips to help with practising on your own.  The large sketches were drawn on pretty big, thin paper: 2' by 1 and 1/2'.  

Everything you need for sketching. Kneadable eraser, charcoal pencils for details, charcoal stick, sharpener, and a medium weight sketchpad. This is how we were instructed to hold drawing implements in the class. It feels strange at first but you get used to it. It makes you use your entire arm. 

• Draw what you see, not what you think you see
• Work big to small. Sketch the boundaries generously on the page before you zero in on details, and notice how angles, heights, and distances relate to each other. Look for prominent shapes. Expand out: use the paper’s expanse liberally, and don’t be afraid to draw quickly and without much precision at first.
• Practice (left and right hands) elipses, circles, squares, and any shapes that you see frequently in other paintings. Practice shapes that you think will be useful for the type of drawing you want to learn/improve.
• Practice hatching using even strokes, trying to begin the lines at the same place each time. Common crosshatch angles are 10 to 4 O’clock and 8 to 2 O'clock. Here is a related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE_lQVixR9Q
• Just drawing things, anything, is the best way to get better. Bring a sketchpad everywhere and try to capture moments you think should be preserved. 

This type of drawing is something that I’m completely in love with. It’s so simple, yet the picture is instantly there in your mind: http://www.philipkoch.org/Gallery.asp?GalleryID=121542&AKey=S457VDH7

simple charcoal drawings

Now some photos!

This was difficult. A crumpled paper bag with a lamp shining on it. Good practice though! I suggest only crinkling the bag a bit for a first sketch. Too many lines are overwhelming! 

I've never been "into" still lifes, but they're kind of addicting. 

Darken whole page with charcoal held lengthwise, then use the kneadable eraser to bring out highlights on a draped piece of fabric. This was very fun, less like you're forcing the image onto the paper than you are revealing it. 

Charcoal is a fascinating medium. And it's everywhere! You can just pick some out of the fire and use it. YAY ART 

 My tendency is to draw the objects almost the same size as they are in my line of vision, but we were encouraged to make them much larger. I still like the above style, for drawing scenes on a normal size paper, but it's good fun to learn techniques that have been around for centuries, perfected and still visible to us today! 

Things Cats Think

Get your fat human head out of my line of vision, fool.

I’m going to stick my face into this glass, and mouse whiskers if it gets stuck, because there’s milk in here.

Why is this peasant staring at me? What does it want?

If I point this foot this way, and that foot out here…there: maximum cuteness achieved. Sho nuff, here the human comes to deliver tummy rubs.

I have you all at my mercy. You are all witless servants, in this, my kingdom- *gestures with scrunching claws at views from armchair*
You have attempted to dress me in hats and clothes. Thankfully, I look swell in all things.
Why haven't these humans installed a cat-sized revolving door yet?