The Gluing Of the Chairs

Getting the table cleaned off in the library made possible this miraculous event. I had no idea that I owned so many chairs! My friend Peter at Abate Art, Antiques and Architectural Salvage keeps me well supplied. He's heard about another friend of mine, the infamous "Chair-Wrecker of Wakefield" who can't sit still.

Mica was on hand to check it out.

And so was the ever-lovely Miss Pearl.

The great winds and low temperatures continue for a third consecutive day. Who knows if we'll have to resort to gluing the rest of the furniture down in this fashion to keep it from blowing away!

Collage Paper Sorting

Look at that face. . . he knows he's the favorite cat!
Mica took possession of an empty box in the library this morning. I don't think he plans to relinquish his spot any time soon! I'm still in the middle of my major sorting and reorganization of vintage book pages, contemporary found images, plus book jackets and covers. I've used book covers in a couple of my collages: Curious? (the second half of my first Divorce Diptych) makes use of a nice one. And there are two in "I" Before "E". Book jackets are also fun to collect. I like the older ones that don't have a plastic-like coating. The paper is nice and thick, the color combinations are usually eye-catching, and you can find some unusual fonts. The word 'new' (or 'men' depending how you look at it) in Unequivocation is a nice example. And it wasn't until the dump yielded up the book Physical Attraction and Your Hormones that my second diptych A Sad Infatuation came together!

Happy Birthday, Mica

Yesterday was Mica's birthday. He is six years old now and in his prime. He is the smartest cat I have ever known. In celebration he received a package of six catnip mice, some party mix cat treats (shared with Miss. Pearl) and new litter in all 3 cat boxes.

The Artist and Her Cat

Here I am dressed in dots with my surrogate cat. It is one of those awful fakes made of rabbit fur adorned with little pink felt ears. Back then I was denied a real one so I made do. Today I share my life with two wonderful live ones: Miss Pearl (age 12) and Mica (age 5). Last night I was talking with a new friend about cats and their energy and I tried to describe the painting by surrealist Remedios Varo (couldn't for the life of me recall her name!) called "Sympathy." I'd like to paint my own version of Varo's work (originally titled "The Madness of the Cat") picturing myself and Mica. A few years back, I did a collage of my grandmother Blanche and her cat Mickey (shown below). Poor cat probably hated me as a young child. I was always trying to get him to sit on my lap! For more about Varo, Into the Mystic - Surrealist Painter Remedios Varo is a lengthy article, originally published in the April 2001 issue of Art in America, that you can read online. And I recommend the book "Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys" by Janet A Kaplan for an in-depth story of her live and art. The illustrations are fantastic!