Many Swims

We are fortunate to belong to a little beach club that was founded almost 100 years ago in the adjacent neighborhood to ours. It's less than a mile from the house so it's easy to get there and jump in on a hot day.  The members comprise all the generations so it makes for an idyllic spot to people watch when you find yourself with nothing else to do.

(For many years when the kids were small we often headed there at dinner time with our evening meal packed in baskets, kids in suits and assorted equipment. My husband James would walk down from the train platform, supper would commence and if you lingered long enough, you could drink in the sunset.)

I am an avid swimmer, love being in the water and always have. I've been fortunate to have photographed watery places of all sorts (like many of my fellow image makers). Hard to resist when a beautiful scene unfolds before my eyes. My ode to summer!

Try not to care

How to handle crankiness when it's hot out is the million dollar question of the hour. I'm not talking about my children's crankiness. I am talking about my own. Today I am mad at the world and mired in frustration. No, better to be all things to all people, flexible, gracious, grateful, giving, forgiving and self sacrificing. You know, your typical woman born last mid-century.

I don't exactly harbor grudges (okay- maybe I do), I just don't know where to put the anger and fatigue that rumbles within, I know, rise above. Seek positives! Look ahead! Don't dwell! And most important- try not to care.

Food for Thought (artistically speaking)

Our local library through the generous support of Education First has museum passes you can reserve and check out for some great cultural institutions nearby. I arranged to take the pass for the Guggenheim and invited a friend and yesterday was a perfect day for a cultural outing. Arriving at the museum I was struck by the circus like atmosphere that greeted you as your approached the distinctive landmark with food trucks, art vendors and patrons of all ages and nationalities milling around. Entering the building we made our way to the top and headed down enjoying the art which often was visually arresting, quirky, complicated or challenging in concept and made for a stimulating hour of gazing.

Highlights were the moving exhibit of work by Doris Salcedo whose political views inform her work with a profound gravity, and selections from Storylines- an interesting group show of works from the museum's collection chosen by a group of distinguished authors for its story-telling appeal.

As an artist who has been fascinated by the narrative I was especially interested in seeing Storylines but it was Salcedo's work that I will long remember. Her room of shoes in ghostly vitrines was powerful and full of feeling. Very grateful to have seen her work. A potent force for social realism with the genius of a visionary poet and well worth the trip to 89th Street.

Déjà Vu (of the junk drawer variety)

There isn't lot of originality to be had given the centuries and millennia the visual arts have flourished. Most everything is an offshoot of or a tribute to or inspired by or in response to so that when you examine an artwork a lot of other thoughts can come to mind beside the work itself.

I enjoy looking at the 20x200 website the talented Jen Beckmann directs with her team. I love the concept of affordable art and the curation is very good. (Full disclosure, I purchased a print by Jane Mount from the site a few years back and it's been hanging in a prominent spot in our kitchen ever since.)

Today. while enjoying their latest offerings, this print by Paho Mann sent a wave of déjà vu through me. I felt I had taken a similar image when I photographed at the studio of David Barnett and noticed his junk drawers filled with elements he incorporates in to his work.

Sometimes you feel connected to a global enterprise that generates content and disseminates ideas at a rapid pace. At those times I feel less alone.

What I Love

One of the best parts of my recent trip was the chance to people watch and photograph while keeping a respectful distance. Creating candids is one of my favorite ways to use a camera and I wish I spoke and understood Italian beyond please, thank you, hello and good-bye. Someday I'd like to go back with better language skills so that I could communicate better. Italians are beautiful!

Where I'm At

Here I am, in my sixth year of crafting my content on this blog. All my thoughts, over-sharing, insights and images has led to little celebrity nor has it brought much by way of income. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy communicating with your inner circle of admirers and readers and friends. The downside is the time crafting these bits of narrative (we're talking almost 800 posts) could have been possibly spent doing something else that made money. (Emphasis by my husband. I'll stop there.)

Still, I am regularly inspired by what surrounds me and this time of year all the flowers blooming capture my gaze and who doesn't like examining beauty? (and thank you to Lisa M. who made lunch and let me wander camera in hand in her backyard.)

I made a little pact with myself that at 100,000 views (an imminent event- like today) I would take stock.

 Do I keep doing this? Why? Why not?

Steven Salzman at Bard

I've written before of my admiration for Steven Salzman's artwork and when he told me about his upcoming installation of prints at Bard College's Reem-Kayden Center  I was onboard to drive up and document his exhibit, "Contemporary Physics in Black and White". Steven has long been fascinated by mathematical principles and creating visual representations of these ground breaking insights in to matter, space and time and I have come to respect the intellectual rigor and visual appeal of his work. Anytime an artwork engages both my aesthetic and my intellect my respect for the power of creativity is renewed anew. Congratulations Steven on this latest accomplishment- I'm proud to call you my friend.