Sorry-ology

Print: Richard Fozard's 'Five Geese a' Cackling' An Afternoon Detour to York Art Gallery After a reading group meeting 'again' 'accidentally' taking place on a Bank Holiday Monday, I stepped in York Art Gallery. I was drawn to an exhibition, 'Richard Fozard: Printmaker' , by this image of geese on its recent brochure. Richard Fozard was a prinkmaker in Leeds, his works were inspired by the natural environment of Yorkshire Dale and were meant to represent the beauty that he had enjoyed. 'Five Geese a' Cackling' is a print from a woodcut. The rough and vibrant lines of shadow and light present a very dynamic composition. I breathed the air of solidarity that the ink and the lines create upon the paper, thinking the texture of paper, wood, and ink. The show room was small, the size of the exhibition was mini, the other works were not entirely impressive, but this afternoon break in the company of these geese was pleasant enough for me t...

Cloud, Sky, and Houses, on the way home I was remembering some proto-images of landscape that I used to draw when I was small. They were about my imaginations of home. Always, there were white and marshmallow-like clouds, blue sky, red brick houses, triangular roofs, square windows, plus trees as fence. Poetic sky filmed in the neighborhood.

Chicago, Kalamazoo (MI), and New York City: 09-17/May/2007 One more reason to love Chicago! Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor , an Indian artist based in London, rests in Millennium Park in Chicago city. I missed it last year owing to bad weather on the day that we planned to pay our visit. It was not mentioned in my guidebook (it seemed) as it was just dedicated to the city sometime right after my trip (May 2006) even though its completion is noted to be sometime much earlier, in 2004. At first I wondered what it was when I saw this 'Bean', its nickname, everywhere on postcards. It is such an impressive and fascinating artwork that fully engaged my attention and stimulated every fiber of my body when I stood right in front of it this year, 2007. Snatching some 15 minutes before my train to Kalamazoo from Chicago, I did visit this giant 'bean'. The sight stimulated tremendous visual enjoyment and amazement and drew a smiling curve on my lips! What a clever idea of Anish Ka...

Chicago, Kalamazoo (MI), and New York City: 09-17/May/2007 Aki and I kind of want to know who the guy in blue shirt and sunglasses is. We had to pass by Trump International Hotel in Columbus Circle quite often every day during our stay in New York. There were always some people (fans? or amateur journalists) , equipped with notepads, photos, and cameras, waiting outside the entrance, while we always 'happened' to carry grocery bags with us. Apparently he is not unpopular. Some photos were taken and autographs were given at the request of enthusiastic folks. Who is he, by the way?

Objects A miniature of St. James is now standing on my book shelf, it is a present from A. We had between us a secret code of miniatures of sacred figures, nothing to do with any religion seriously though. A started this idea. After our exchange of these objects and after it has stayed in my collection for a while, I gradually understood why and how this idea of possessing objects like this sparkled in her mind years ago when we first met. Nowadays whenever I hold it in my palms, the solid substance provides a steady center to which all of my untamed thoughts orient, and its concreteness gravitates the course of my unfounded worries. It is not anything magical or spiritual, I would say, it's more to do with the idea that it's a material substance that is able to distract its holder from an alter world of fancy. Or it is the connection bewteen friends that is created by these miniatures that assures me. Thanks for passing on this steadying force, A . J, a friend from my prima...

Roses 2007 in York R had been practicing hard for this competition of dance between the university of Lancaster and the university of York. Amazingly but not surprisingly, he and his dance-mate won 4 champions in the end, that actually means that he won every single competition. R's parents and grandmother were very supportive. They drove all the way from the north to York to share with him his excitement and to witness the presentation of his efforts. They cheered for him and were very proud of his performance. R's mum is a very nice lady. She was always looking at her son with pride and joy, with smiles in her eyes. She told me that she and R's father came to know each other through dance when they were doing their first degree, and she was so happy to see R dancing. I like this lovely family story, a story that brings the whole family together.