art

My First Visit to New York City

Sheila LoringLeave a comment

Visiting New York City had always been a dream of mine. So many of my favorite artists lived there — Rothko, Rauschenberg, Frankenthaler. I dreamed of visiting the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Met to see all of the grand art I’d studied in college. And I admit that my obsession with Sex and the City influenced my travels there.

When one of my favorite Broadway plays hit the scene in 2014, I could no longer procrastinate. I booked an AirBNB special in the hip artsy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn off Varet and Bogart. It was fine for $60/night. Perfect location, close to the metro, quiet, and relatively safe.

Here are a few of my favorite photos. Visit flickr.com for more.

 

Reflections from the Lisa Perry store on Madison Ave.
Ralph Lauren store display
Running to work
Businessman
Drama student in Washington Square Park
The Cellar at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Front porch
Dandy menswear
Lichtenstein at the MOMA
Zoe Leonard’s camera obscura at the Whitney museum
Poster for Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Bellagio
Zoe Leonard's camera obscura
Zoe Leonard exhibit at the Whitney
High Line walkway in Chelsea
Taken from the High Line walkway in Chelsea
High Line walkway in Chelsea
On the High Line
High Line walkway in Chelsea
On the High Line walkway in Chelsea
Times Square
The ubiquitous Times Square pic
Mom's motto
Mom’s motto (and quickly becoming mine)
Graffiti in Brooklyn
I’d rather be birding in Brooklyn

My first painting in decades

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My first attempt at painting in decades. Tempera on mixed media paper. It’s too washed out, but I’m happy with the blue and pink colors and the texture. The seam is where I taped two pieces of paper together.

pink and blue abstract painting

I’m taking an online class from @pattyripley. She teaches you how to get out of your head and paint intuitively. We start with stretching, meditation, and a little dancing just to loosen up the mind and body. Woo hooo, me, dance? Luckily it’s only in my living room over Zoom.

I’ve been picking up some odds and ends to create texture, like a spatula with holes and a pastry blender, and I’d like to get some lace. (I used a garlic grater for this painting.) I’d also like to go full Rauschenberg and pick up some old scraps at Goodwill to glue here and there. Though if I really wanted to practice Rauschenberg’s technique, I’d pick up the scraps from the streets.

Capturing the moment

Sheila LoringLeave a comment

I take pictures to capture the moment — to share the moment with others or to revisit the moment myself. Technically, the photos might not be perfect, but they perfectly capture thoughts and feelings for me.

Untitled
Taking pictures at Duke Gardens, I was on my way to the parking lot and discovered this beautiful gazebo and sculpture, lit up in vivid colors. Staff were strategically positioning the multi-colored lights in the gardens, preparing for a party. The colors remind me of a Wolf Kahn painting.

A sublime evening on the beach
A sublime sunset on Myrtle Beach at Christmas, one of the best times to visit. The beach is practically vacant. Just put on a sweatshirt, hat, and gloves for a brisk walk. It’s not my favorite beach, but I enjoy shopping at the outlet malls.

Grandma and me
My grandma and me in 2006. She had moved into a retirement home called Gran Gran’s when she could no longer live alone. The owner’s mother lived there, so the place was well maintained. Grandma always had a cute little laugh. My bracelet is from Primadora in Austin.

Untitled
The sheet happened to form the shape of a flower. White cotton sheets remind me of spending the night at Grandma’s house during the summer. It was my home away from home.

View from the Vatican
Secluded windows at the Vatican. What’s on the other side? Who peered out over the centuries? All kinds of questions come to mind.

Beautiful smile, Jess!
A great photo of Jessica hang gliding in Kitty Hawk. Judy, Pamela, Evelyn, Jenny, Jessica, and I enjoyed a weekend full of memorable adventures.

Sites near MG Road in Pune
I walked by this woman in Pune, India on a humid 100-degree day. Wearing just a thin dress, I was drenched in sweat. How did the woman feel wearing this outfit? At least she could bare her toes and wear sandals. That religion is NOT for me.

Plight by Joseph Beuys, 1985
At the Pompidou Centre in Paris, this installation is called Plight by Joseph Beuys. I scrunched down and entered the most peaceful room imaginable, lined with bolsters of warm felt to absorb the sound. Imagine the sound of nothingness. Such a sense of comfort and relief in the middle of the noisy city. I could have stayed there for hours. You’re probably not that impressed. Trust me, the sensation was amazing. Read more about the work at tayandhergay.blogspot.com/2012/11/plight-by-joseph-beuys-….

Jim and his hat
Jim, a visiting scholar at Duke divinity school, passed by with his family as I took pictures of the old Colonial Inn in Hillsborough. We talked about the house and why I found it so fascinating. I said “I’m feeling so much now”, to which his sweet daughter replied with a puppy dog “Awwww”.

The remnants of amazing vegan tiramisu at Blossom in NYC.
The remnants of vegan tiramisu at Blossom, the best vegan restaurant in NYC. A must for both vegetarian and open-minded omnivores. Check out the Chelsea location menu…cashew cream ravioli, mushroom calamari, hickory barbeque tempeh. My next trip is in the works!!!!!

Central Park February 2015
I’ll never forget the eerily quiet sensation of being nearly alone in Central Park. Several inches of snow muffled the sounds of Fifth Avenue. What an unexpected experience.

Butchart Gardens parrot tulips and forget-me-nots
In May at Butchart Gardens on Victoria Island, thousands of tulips were blooming, tulips of every color you can imagine, all mixed with contrasting flowers (like these forget-me-nots). I felt like I’d been transported to some perfect psychedelic alternate reality. Robert Butchart was in the cement business and moved to Victoria for the abundant limestone. His wife Jennie followed a few years later and began gardening, though she didn’t know much at first. I’m sure glad that didn’t stop her.

Buddy eats banana creme pie
My family’s dogs enjoy being fed human food from human utensils. Here, Buddy chomps down on banana creme pie at Thanksgiving. So spoiled…and unhealthy.

Star and her tongue
Star’s first time on the bed. She was so darn cute and cuddly. I let her have her way in subsequent visits but only on the bedspread. No dog hair on the sheets, please.

zen moment
Star and I lazed on the bed a lot before bedtime followed by lazing in the bed at bedtime. I remember her corny basset hound smell (I called her “taco girl”, among other things) and that shiny red coat. She was a beautiful girl.

reflective cypress trees
My mom and I visited Charleston, South Carolina in 2008. This photo is from the nearby Cypress Gardens. I love the reflections of the trees in the swampy water.

I Don’t Know

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How often do you wonder why?

I wonder why a lot, trying to make sense of all kinds of things. Usually, an answer makes itself apparent. Now, I’m flummoxed.

On March 16, 2013 at Artspace in downtown Raleigh, I walked into a gallery to find a wall lined with dozens of small watercolors, each fastened with tiny nails. Several things about this art struck me as unique. The simplicity of nailing unframed art to a wall. Vivid color breezily layered over nostalgic photos. Sardonic, some suggestive, subtitles penciled in all caps. Obscured faces and headless bodies and bodyless heads.

The painting below, in particular, captured my imagination. Why?

painting by Pete Sack
Everyone Has a Riot Inside Them by Pete Sack

I don’t know what this painting signifies for me. But it made such an impression, I took this photo and posted it on Flickr and Pinterest. The image has haunted me ever since.

That was several years ago. I later wandered into Artspace and discovered the friendly artist in his workshop. (I expected a menacing man with a dry, dark sense of humor.) And the painting shown above — Everyone Has a Riot Inside Them — was buried in a stack. Now it’s hanging on my wall, fastened atop a white matte in a simple black frame.

Now that I think about it, Warhol’s more interesting portraits come to mind. Elizabeth Taylor with her smeared red pout and Marilyn with the Pepto Bismol mask. Could this explain the fascination? No, it’s not that simple.

The best art captures one’s imagination and doesn’t let go.

p.s. The artist explains what inspired him in this article.