The Middle of Summer
Hello, my dear readers! It’s so beautiful and hot here in Boston and summer marches on. My wee garden is blooming but the vegetables I potted in plants are yielding only a modest harvest. I think I may not be a farmer. There have been a couple of dinner’s worth of green beans, a few salads of buttery lettuce, three small tomatoes and two tiny green peppers. But it looks like there will be a good crop of cherry tomatoes. I think the pots get too hot and even with a lot of water the tomato plants are wilting. Still, a good experiment and we’ll turn now to the farmer’s markets which are happily turning up in every town.
Our vacations this year have all been city ones. We spent five days in New York City last week for both business and pleasure. We discovered something called the New Museum—a museum for revolving exhibits of contemporary art. We visited the book shop on the main floor and couldn’t help but notice that all the books were filled with art of a fairly incomprehensible nature, at least, to me. We were short on time so I asked a rather sweet young man who was working as a host what the main exhibit was. He gave me a lengthy description that included something about surreal photographs of the end of the world. ‘It’s fabulous,’ he said. Then he hesitated for an instant. ‘But it’s a bit dark.’ It’s funny that contemporary art seems to need to be both incomprehensible and dark. I set myself the task of making art that is clear and light.
I haven’t yet found a studio but am on the list for one at the art center where I teach. I’m working on an art installation piece, 100 small paintings: 100 Reasons To Smile. I want to have it done by November when I’ll have an opportunity to launch it. More on all that when it’s done. I’ve designed my new web site and will launch it in August and will share glimpses of the installation piece as well as excerpts of writing.
This weekend I go with friend to the Institute of Contemporary Art here in Boston to see the Anish Kapoor show. Another friend spoke with someone who spent time with Anish when he was here to install the show and said he was a very nice and humble man. That’s so good to hear, not always true for an important artist like him. I love his work—it such an enriching experience to encounter it and great that the ICA has this show here in Boston which does not have any permanent installations of his work.
I finished my long writing project: The Laughter Club of India / Quebec Division. No sooner had I finished it than it ended up by some mysterious mistake in the trash on my computer without adequate backup. The good news is that my tech man is able to extract it in some form so I haven’t lost the last three months of work. I do though have to reconstitute it from a mess of files. Ack. Losing it showed me how much I truly love it and love that I’ve been able to do it. It also gave me the opportunity to begin the book on drawing as a practice to meet the creative self that I’ve been thinking about for a while. It’s based on the drawing class I teach and the incredible discovery that even without training people are capable of doing the most astounding and beautiful drawings when they free themselves of the thinking, judging mind. More on both of these projects soon.
So summer is still work time here though we’ve had two really fun city vacations. But so far no days at the beach or swims in ponds. Must make an effort to correct our city ways before summer flies by! I’m penciling in swims in Walden Pond and at least one day at the beach. Meanwhile, dear friends, I hope you’re all having a great summery summer!
I’ll be back on a more regular basis September 1. Happy swimming and cheers!
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
So glad you were able to at least partially resurrect your writing project! Whew! That’s scary stuff when it happens. Also, so glad to know about the show at the ICA–won’t be in Boston til September but love the museum. I’ll check the show schedule.
Sounds like things are moving along well with you and for you! Take good care–
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Well, computer still at technician’s and the report on lost files is that they are very difficult to retrieve. I keep fingers and toes crossed. Saw the Anish Kapoor show this morning. Absolutely astounding, brilliant work. Well worth the travel to see it. And I love the museum too right there on the water with all the sailboats floating by. It’s kind of magical, have to say. Nice to hear from you, Mary! If you get to the ICA before September 7th you can catch this show.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I so relate to your garden experience…I’ve decided that if one truly wanted to feed oneself off of a garden it would need to be the size of a small farm. The tomatoes I inherited aren’t doing very well, I have managed a salad or two from my lettuce, and I just harvested my first summer squash (delicious!), but it does seem like it’s all a bit meager. I hopefully will have some kale in a month or so, if I can keep the aphids from getting it all first, and some winter squash in the fall. I am enjoying it though! I feel like a kid again, watching things sprout from seeds…I keep starting new seeds just to have the joy of watching them poke through the dirt.
I love the idea of your book on art, I hope you’ll give us some previews of material in it in your blog! Or if you need an across-the-country guinea pig, I’ll volunteer!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
August 5th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
So glad to hear from you, Cathy! I am glad you finished your writing project–I hate it when the computer eats things it shouldn’t consume!!
We had a major crash with one of our Macs and lost the entire hard drive—stuff that wasn’t backed up because we relied on the Mac. Now our mantra is back up back up back up.
It is dry here in NE Ohio, and my garden is showing the stress. The greens are done–I do need to replant so we have more.
And good luck with finding a studio. when I work at home, there are too many distractions.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hi Julie! Great to hear from you and to know it’s not totally the lack of a green thumb that makes our wee plot yield so small! Still, like you say there is the fun of it.
Cross country guinea pigs always welcome!!
And, hi, Debra! Well, you, I know do have a green thumb! Hope things perk up—there’s still some summer left! No studio yet but I wait patiently and I’m pretty good about the distractions—many years of practice!!
August 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
mdf,
WHAT summer! I have yet to even put on a pair of shorts. Rain,rain,fog,rain,gale about sums it up. I’ve got a small patch of a garden at the country retreat and it’s thriving. The bunny rabbits trimmed all the lettuces and beet greens for me but toms, squash, potatoes, peas and beans are flourishing. Herbs doing well too. Just finished my summer deadlines (today!)and am about to indulge in a nice Italian Red that’s on special offer at the shop.
Good luck with the studio search. You’ll probably just stumble upon the perfect spot.. I’m tempted to do a bit of writing this winter…we’ll see how it goes. Meanwhile, get yourself to Walden Pond, jump in, splash around, have a swim…IT’S SUMMER!!! Kx
Kx
August 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
mdf—Great to hear from you! And bunnies will be bunnies. We can at least buy lettuce. Congratulations on deadlines…more here to go but will definitely go to the pond once it stops raining. Lots of great days but more rain than I can remember in one summer. Ah, well. It’s still awfully nice.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I have just read many of your summer postings - I miss you and can’t wait to talk
August 12th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Well, I miss you too!! You are one of the wondrous inspirations in The Saturday Morning Ladies Drawing Club! Soon to resume!!