Cherubino

Earlier this month, my friend Meaghan invited me to see an opera that I had been longing to see for years - The Marriage of Figaro - at the Met. What a treat it was to finally see the full opera in the flesh with all of its sounds, colors and characters. I had been working on my singing and instinctively drawn to Cherubino's "Voi che sapete," which unbeknownst to me, turned out to be a breeches role aria, i.e. a woman playing a boy. As I was getting to know the lyrics and the opera as a whole, I found Cherubino to be someone inspiring and curious. A little out of control, full of passion and sensations, this 17 year old boy finds himself wondering what love is and how to deal with its roller-coaster effects. They are universally felt and familiar to all ages. The fact that he says "YES" to it all inspires me to do the same.

Pants-wearing ladies like George Sand and Joan of Arc have always interested me because of their jaunty style and unfettered freedom. They are my muses that encapsulate both yin/yang, male/female and thereby transcend limitations.

Dance Parade 2009

Last month, my friend Mimi invited me to the 3rd Annual Dance Parade in Tomkins Square Park. Practically every kind of dance found representation, creating a kaleidoscopic effect of color, movement and sound. We took mini classes in Masala Bhangra, Tahitian, Hula and Bellydance and enjoyed the ongoing smorgasbord of performances. What an international feast for the senses!

The Universe of Keith Haring

I watched a documentary last week-end about the prolific artist Keith Haring and was unexpectedly moved by his life’s story. It’s easy to dismiss him as an 80's pop artist who painted in a cartoon-like fashion, but, closer inspection reveals a messenger of light in the form of a skinny bespectacled elf. His innate virtuosity, using simple black lines to create clear and recognizable images, recalls Pollock’s spontaneous process in that he had no set plan. Yet, his paintings exude the energy of love, life, joy, sex and social justice so effectively, that they are contagious. He lived with great openness and social consciousness, reaching the average person by painting outside of the box. He left us at age 31 from AIDS, but gifted us with a plethora of paintings, murals, t-shirts, that carry his message of the universality of all life.

A Look-see in the East Village

Last night after work, I took a jaunt in the East Village even though it was freezing out. I needed a dose of edgy but charming bohemia that only the East Village could supply. Since my younger days in Berkeley, I have always felt rejuvenated by a certain flea-market aesthetic mixed in with a dash of organic je ne sais quoi. It’s a part of town that feels like home to the creative and marginalized especially because of its history as an artistic hotbed. The verve still lingers in the air like the smell of potpourri. Though many may complain that the area has become overly gentrified over the years, the ever-present seediness provides a perfect backdrop for shops and restaurants to shine illumined, like cozy gem-like installations. Certain standouts include Mama's Food shop, the French restaurant Lucien, the stores on E. 7th and 9th St., Flea Market Café, and of course Veniero’s Italian pastry shop. (photo of Mama's not taken by yours truly)

Scrappy Art

How nice it is to know that our local streets are filled with materials for all kinds of projects. I’ve recently discovered some wood from residential construction sites that serves as a welcome diversion from the usual canvas on stretchers that I work on. Wood is a traditional painting surface originating from ancient times that has an attractive smoothness and durability. Outsider artists like to use scraps for a rough-hewn look, which I find agreeably primal in expression. I’ve found it fun to use a chisel to cut in some texture that paint can later accentuate. Yesterday, I made a few small pieces that sum up my state of mind these days – light, hopeful and whimsical.

Aloise Corbaz

As I was perusing the New York Times recently, I came across a picture of a painting by the Swiss outsider artist Aloise Corbaz. I was struck by her lush and sensual colors and shapes as well as her somewhat child-like handling of the materials. Apparently, she was hired as a governess of Kaiser Wilhelm II and developed a huge and obsessive crush on him, which fueled her creative fire. Though it pains me to know that she was eventually sent to a mental institution for schizophrenia, her work is striking for its compulsive quality. The passionate and intense feelings that were running through her are so palapable. There must be something about madness that pushes the artist to go beyond the usual modes of artmaking. I’m hoping that it isn’t the only way to substantial art though.