Art About Town: Pleasanton, Ca... "Poppies" (Happy Veteran's Day 2014)

"As we express our gratitude we must never forget

 that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~President John F. Kennedy

I took this series of photographs way back in late January of this year, and saved them especially for this day. I have a great appreciation for the military and all they do, but I sometimes have a difficult time understanding war, and the ego's of a few men who thirst for it.

But that's beside the point!

Today, I just want to say...

Thank You!

"When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?"

~George Canning

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Art About Town: Pleasanton, California, "Leap" By Artist Yoshio Taylor

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."

~Henry Ellis



Letting go, and holding on. Yes. That is the true process of living a life isn't it? I have always been someone that was stubbornly reluctant to let go... of anything! Well, there were some small exceptions along the way, such as the letting go of our 2007 Saturn ION last week, but I tell you what, it really does take extreme circumstances for me to walk away. 

One thing I never managed to walk away from was my love of reading! And really, why would I want to? Oh I have gone moderate amounts of time without picking up a new book, but mostly because I couldn't bring myself to remove to the storage room the tall towers of books I had already read! Each of them, in their own ways, had become a dear and comforting friend. And so with the books, as with my friends, I only leave when I am told to do so.

That's just me. 

Thank goodness a good book will never kick you to the curb, tell you that you aren't good enough, or religious enough, or too religious, or that it no longer feels superior to you. No. A good book takes you on vacation, without all the pesky travel costs, or unnecessary airport lines. Books. They are some of the best friends I have ever had.

So, you can see why this sculpture is a favorite of mine... right?


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: Pleasanton, California "Special Friends"

"Special Friends" By Artist, Carol Dunford-Jackman
Pleasanton, California
January 29th 2014

"One eye sees, the other feels."

~Paul Klee

 

Yesterday, Sunday, was a bad day. When I chose the subject of, Art About Town, for today's blog post I thought my mood would be embracing all things creative and fun. It was not to be. I had a nightmare, one which allowed me to oversleep by 4 hours. Talk about a double edged sword. I got some much needed sleep, but my oversleeping meant Joey didn't come out to play until very late. In case you are new here, Joey is my new kitten. I can't let him out with the other cats I own full time, until his integration into the family is complete.

Anyway. The nightmare was silly and I have let go of it. But before I got out of bed, I found out actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away. I was going to say tragically, but I think I am too pissed off to do so right now. Heroin... really? You have the world in the palm of your hand, three beautiful children, and a comfortable place to call home, and that isn't enough? Really? I suppose it is the anger stage of grief talking, but I feel like my admiration of him was seriously misplaced, because clearly he didn't find much to admire about himself.

We won't talk about the Super Bowl. 

On the other hand, as I sit here bitching away about how bad my day was, I am keenly aware of how lucky I am to have heard the pounding rain on the roof as I woke up. I woke up. I saw yesterday. I will see today. I will be able to touch someones life for the better... if I want to. Words of encouragement take the same amount of time that words of discouragement do. I want to be that person.  I want to be the person who sees that hard work in another person's labor. Especially the artist.

I think that is one of the reasons I enjoy Public Art so much. An artist sits down, considers a concept and works with their hands, sometimes for years, to bring it to existence. Then I, the viewer, gets to gaze upon that work and feel inspired to see the beauty in a sunset, or in a child's face. It's life affirming! Art creates a joyful noise in the soul, and inspires us to pass it along. Suddenly one doesn't feel so empty inside. Life is so short. Whether it is of our own making it so or not. I think I will focus on all the beauty, and be grateful for all the days, and remember to not take time, love or appreciation for granted.

Coda Gallery
Carol Dunford-Jackman

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone."

~Pablo Picasso

 

Life Is Good Here

"I think small towns are the closest to heaven you can get on earth."

~Diana Palmer



I grew up in a small town, not this small town, but a similar small town, and I have to say I had many different feelings over the years about the virtues of growing up there... and the pitfalls. Sometimes a small town can seem big. Big in the sense that you can develop a certain amount of pride for whatever reason. It can feel really good to find out a celebrity, who you actually admire, was born and raised in the same little town you grew up in. But sometimes, living in a small town, one can feel so claustrophobic that you think all the air in and around the town has been suddenly sucked up through some invisible vacuum.

As I said, I didn't grow up in this particular small town, but one in the East Bay, so we had that in common. Over the years I have seen Pleasanton change little by little. When I was a small child, and my family would drive to the Alameda County fair, it was just a hop and a skip from downtown Pleasanton. That short ride to the fair was beautiful. Lovely green hillsides, and space. Lots of trees and space. Now there is so much development in and around the town, it can hardly been called a small town anymore, but in an odd way, it has that small town feel.

I think I might spend some time getting back in touch with my love of the Bay Area and all the little towns that comprise it. Public Art displays are popping up all over the 9 Bay Area counties, so it will be a nice adventure to get back in touch with what I love about living here. The people. The natural beauty. The community spirit. I love all the little festivals and celebrations unique to each town, and yes, the quirkiness. Like the small town in Contra Costa county, that boasts the smallest post office in California! Or the Old Niles area of Fremont, where Charlie Chaplin made most of his films. Life is good here. Really good. I love the Bay Area!

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Note: Tomorrow will be all about the art! "Art About Town: Pleasanton!"