Djam at Je'Bon

For a fun girls night out, my friends Mimi and Ava and I like to go to our favorite place to watch bellydancing in New York: Djam at Je'Bon.  In the downstairs space of this East Village Asian restaurant, a group of musicians and dancers get together for an experimental presentation of bellydance and other related forms of movement.  Kaeshi Chai of Bellyqueen (pictured here) is the hostess and creator of this Wednesday night showcase that always delivers a new way of looking at this ever-changing and varied artform.  Practically every well-known bellydancer has graced this stage at some point in the past 3-years.  After each performance, I am always amazed at how styles, body types, costumes and make-up can be so different and unique.  The band Djinn, composed of five core players, really enliven with their beats and syncopations.  The intimate and informal format is perfectly balanced with a combination of food, music, dance with a dash of the unexpected.  Kaeshi, an incredible warrior-princess of a dancer herself, often has her student troupes perform so that the atmosphere is very amicable and familial.  In fact, we can all get up and dance together at the end to cap off the evening.

An Unknown Artist

To make ends meet, I often temp in corporate America, where life is so structured and detailed that I often find myself a little dazed and confused from all the minutia.  On occasion, I come across something that restores and enlightens.  How joyful are these moments!

In an office on Park Avenue, a work on paper stopped me in my tracks.  At first glance, it seems like a modest diagrammatic work on paper - minimal color range, rather light and sketchy.  Two pieces of watercolor paper glued together making one long piece.  On further inspection, a variety of marks come into play: geometric shapes, cross marks, hatching, smudging, scribbling and shading form a whimsical composition using a wide range of materials such as charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, paint and tape.  What an orchestral flow of multiligual versatility stopping at a moment of perfect balance.

I wanted to know more and inquired about this artist in the collection.  Yet, there was no name, no fame, no glory.  I salute this artist and all those like him/her who as unknown masters of their art, still make their marks on us.

Melody Gardot

A few weeks ago, I had the urge to take a walk in the park to feel the grass under my feet and the gentle breezes in the trees on that balmy night.  As I walked through Sheep’s Meadow, I heard the haunting refrains of a gentle jazz lilting from Central Park ’s Summerstage.  Slowly, as if mesmerized by a dream, I walked into the seating area, a CD handed to me by a staff member.  I found myself in front of the impressive sight of a vocalist and her huge orchestra.  How interesting, I thought.  Dressed in a gold sequined number, this glamorous blond but frail singer was singing in a way that was so clear and easy that she reminded me of my favorites from days gone by.  A little Astrud Gilberto with some Judy Garland maybe.  Her name was Melody Gardot and she had a way of just bringing you into her intimate space by giving her heart simply and honestly through her slow renditions of tunes bathed in blues and Latin flavors.  I became an instantaneous fan.  I learned later that she was hit by a car when she was in her teens, which has left her walking with a cane and many strategies for handling her pain.  She used music as her healer when she was in her hospital bed, and from there it grew into a beautiful flower that it is today at age 25.  Great art doesn’t have to be complicated, I thought.  The evening was a true gift and a reminder of what truth-telling is all about - heart-felt expression battered by richness of experience. 

Intuition pulled me to this unforgettable spot in time and space; I’ll never underestimate that still small voice. Surprising jewels await those who are willing to follow.

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.

Haiku

I've been advised by my creative coach to try my hand at haiku poetry. The standard form is 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables, which is no easy feat when you are asked to address universal issues in the three piddly lines. Here are a few that I've come up with:

walking briskly smears
luscious oils from silver tubes
a streaky night sky

lushly verdurous
myriad of species move

with fluid music

hip makes figure eights
in a warm sea of summer
dolphins undulate

Okay, so the last one doesn't really qualify because it has a rhyme in it. I'll keep trying.

Sandro Chia

I had the good fortune last night of deciding to make the trek to Chelsea to attend the reception of an artist that I have long since admired. His name is Sandro Chia and he is a part of the Italian Ne0-Expressionist movement that began in the 80's. I remember poring over pictures of him in his studio with his many rows of Maimeri tubes, painting his idiosyncratic figures in strange settings. The pictures have become more simple over time, or perhaps deceptively so. The surfaces show lots of reworking and are all quite developed, even on the works on paper. What I enjoy most is the childlike innocence the images project, as well as the exuberant color choices. I was quite taken. He was standing outside with his Italian posse and I decided to go congratulate him and introduce myself. It is always special to be able to grasp the hands of the artists one admires. Filled with inspiration, I went home to paint, and freely I did. Thank God for Chelsea!

Makeovers

These days, I’ve been interested in the notion of a makeover and just how radically we can change our self-image. The shows “What Not to Wear” and “Oprah” leave me stunned when they transform the most non-descript looking people into gods and goddesses. It’s quite an emotional journey for everyone since old habits must die, yet, the exhilaration of the aftermath is just undeniable. On Oprah, a scraggly bearded man who looked like the Unibomber before, became the most gorgeous specimen of a gentleman afterward. Lately, a black-suited funeral home director changed into a Hollywood starlet with the help of a haircut, new haircolor, make-up and Donna Karan gown (pictured above). I was floored and elated. The truth is, such changes affect everyone positively and comprise some of the more uplifting moments on t.v. these days. Now, I wonder what I could do to spruce up my image. Why not go the extra nine yards just to see what would happen?

Gotta Have Park

What would New York be without the oasis known as Central Park? Each time I walk through it, I breathe in the cool air, ever so thankful to commune with nature after a long day. This park, so thoughtfully designed and expertly crafted, is a work of art in living form. Truly a testament to the wealth of talent in New York, I stand in awe of the multivarious parts and delicious details that make it such a treat. Hail to those who have created this masterpiece that I am so proud to call our own!

Impromptu

What is it about 19th century Paris that captures my imagination? The top hats, the tailored frocks? The film "Impromptu" is about a group of friends who are artists, writers, and composers centering around the unlikely match of the frail Chopin and cross-dressing Georges Sand. With Eugene Delacroix, Franz Liszt, and Alfred de Musset completing the circle, this band of bohemians give creativity such a rarefied air of savoir faire that I cannot help to want to join in. Whether or not this portrayal of the time is accurate, it still delights, and that is enough.

A Monk by the Sea

Caspar David Friedrich captures my state of mind these days - cool, solitary and yet, complete. What a state of calm and lovely repose that one can find within. I take refuge in that wherever I go and whatever is happening around me. Can you feel it too?

Jitterbug - Dancing with the Stars

As a recent and accidental "Dancing with the Stars" viewer, I lucked into two great dance performances this past Monday. I don't mind if I ever see the show again because the jitterbug routines of Derek and Brooke and Cody and Julianne literally got me on my feet to cheer. I was so revved up. What energy, exuberance, fun and light-heartedness! I was ready to sign up for my first class. It reminded me of all the 50's inspired stuff I've enjoyed in the past: Grease, Happy Days, and Doo Wop. Yes, I am admittedly a goofball.

A Room with a View

Last Sunday, I found an old VHS copy of this Merchant-Ivory film at my local flea market and had to buy it. It had been years since I seen it and it had always held a special place in my heart. A recent viewing reminded me why. This was a time where a certain quality of life was the norm - a genteel appreciation for beauty, a slowness in the pace of life. Travelling to Italy to see the Giottos at Santa Croce and to breathe in the Tuscan country was common for a certain set. Enlightened yet light-hearted conversation was easy. As in the credo of George Emerson: joy, love, and beauty meant something and was worth shouting about whilst standing in a tree. And in the end, of course, it is true love that conquers all.