Julia, who is _SO_ knowledgable about things, noticed right away the Islamic influence of the original linear mandala. I think this came from the person who this month has the mandala site of the month. Paul Barchilon is a Sephardic Jew who creates art in the Islamic style. He explains about the Islamic "prohibition to include any kind of representational artwork. The complexity of design they have achieved within those limitations in 1300 years of art has always amazed me, both by how different it is from Western art, and at how incredibly sophisticated it is." A weird synchronicity, today I found a link elsewhere to more artwork created within this very restrictive limitation

The expanding web enticing me on trails of further exploration, I couldn't help but notice the lovely portrait of Barchilon on his website. I visited the artist's website, who happens to be his mother. (Creativity runs in the family!)

As I explored Helen Redman's pages, I noted the main theme of her artwork, the beauty of aging women and dealing with menopause. As she declares, "Menopause: A time of life often feared and disregarded in our culture, is paradoxically the richest in female potential and a gateway to full self-realization." Julia and I were discussing this last night with a female friend in her forties, and we all agree this is so.

In our twenties, women are so often fearful and insecure, desparately seeking approval. As we age, we come into our own, and our own hard won Self approval is sufficient.

Saturday, December 8, 2007 D

"Me and a Few Changes"
1:50pm

Recent artwork, and a sketch from a photo of me taken in Washington D.C.
(But I seem to have aged some in this drawing)
I will comment about this later, but I'm going to take a nap!

4:46pm
Nap done!

I continue the thoughts in the previous entry. So Julia, our friend and I were discussing maturing as women, the epiphanies gained along the way. In the teens and twenties, so insecure. I thought I was fat:

I was on vacation in St. Louis summer of 1973...

I was bony, even possibly thin enough for Hollywood, but I thought I was fat!

Let's visit a later period, in 1994 when I came home for Dad's funeral. There I am with my thin mother:

I was 35, around 150, and thought myself horribly fat!

As we discussed last night, and look back on those thin and unwrinkled days, I lamented the present. But then a realization came over us. When I'm eighty nine, I will look back at forty nine, and think, "Damn! I looked GOOD! Why couldn't I see it?" So why do I need to wait twenty, forty years for that! I think I'll embrace me in the now, as I am, and declare, "Not bad! Not bad at all! Damn good, in fact!"

Crop from the June 2007 photo

Then this morning as I looked at Helen Redman's images of older women, it occurred to me I've been letting a terrible double standard limit me artistically. I have often enjoyed drawing older men, for as they age, they show their true character. I've shied away from drawing older women, buying into the concept that women's faces only have beauty when they are young and smooth. It's such a terrible lie, and I will join this one artist and do something about it.

As I drew from the photo for today's drawing, I embraced my chins and sags. (Somehow in the drawing, which I did free line, no erasures, I came out a little thinner but more crepier of neck. Maybe that's how I'll look when I'm sixty nine.) Anyway, it amused me to have my hand point to my red hat lady. When women turn fifty, in the Red Hat Society, they wear red hats. (Those under fifty wear pink hats!) It is a declaration of aging defiantly and joyously. As I go through life's little female changes, I do so happily.

Later note:
I put this picture in my figurative gallery!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

"Christmas Letter of 2007"
2:18pm

Julia's proofreading it, declares it "Very Nice", I've written the Christmas/Winter Solstice letter. Soon, I'll have it printed up at Staples. I think because I cannot keep to less than five sheets, I'll omit the store bought card, and omit the extra postage. I'm sure people would rather see our photos than some commercial offering.

Monday, December 10, 2007

"Sketches of People"
8:42pm

More sketches from Flicker searches

Mine changed a bit from original, fancier purse for one thing!

I really credit the photographer for her great capture of this man being so opinionated!

The original is of a woolmaker in Cairo

And I used my sketch above as source of this drawing... (maybe the above man when he ages?)
I didn't use the usual .05 Micron pen for this, but a Sharpie fine point permanent marker!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

"Determined to Be Distracted"
6:38pm

I have only one sketch today. My right eye is driving me nuts. I'm not sure what the initial irritant was, perhaps some of the down feathers I took home on my clothes last Friday. I woke Tuesday and it was sore. It got worse as the day wore on. I was sufficiently distracted at the engaging Celtic Christmas concert featuring Tomaseen Foley's tales, much dancing and music. (I never saw the uilleam pipes in action before, quite complicated to get sound out of them.). The auditorium was packed. But when I got home, my poor eye was goopy to the very borders of the iris. The mucus has lessened today, but it is still very red and tender in the right corner. (Maybe I complicated matters by jabbing it with the eye drop tip?)

Also, poor Julia stayed home today with a bad sore throat. She slept a lot, and feels a bit better. We'll watch some more of the almost forgotten Greek lectures later. But I did follow that 'faces from Egypt' Flicker group further. I found an interesting man with a very determined square jaw. Julia said he was important historically.

Gamal Abdel Nasser (January 15, 1918 – September 28, 1970) was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death in 1970.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

"My Poor Red Eye"
6:21pm

This is before putting the red eye drops in. I think it looks worse than what I see in the mirror. (I did no photo alterations except lightening the lighter tones and de-yellowing my skin a bit.) It's still itchy, but maybe it's not as bad. Julia, after another day of rest, seems more improved. She reports her throat is still a little scratchy, but not terrible.

Friday, December 14, 2007

"Pretty Wiped Out"
5:34am

My eye looks as bad as last night's photo now. "Worse!" says Julia. I read the Wikipedia page. None of their examples look as bad as mine. While they say most cases go away on their own, there are times when medical help is needed. Interesting to note that this can occur as a result of viral complications. It would be strange if the same bug that went after Julia's throat went after my eye.

Julia reports feeling "Pretty wiped out,". Yes, that's how I feel, too. I'm glad the weekend is near for us to get some rest. (Sure glad I did the cards last weekend, although there are a few I still need to do.)

6:31am
We did begin the day with a good breakfast. Yesterday, I went after work to the grocery store and got the basics, which included a slab of salmon. Thus, this morning, Julia cooked us that tasty salmon, which we had along with toast and a clementine (mandarin orange). I also took extra vitamin C, E and A.

I'm guessing that by weekend's end, we should be both feeling much better.

Saturday, December 15, 2007 A

"Getting Over the Hump"
6:23am

Julia and I both woke feeling quite a bit better. She tried on an old skirt, was surprised it fit, and bundled up in a thick sweater. My eye itch seems confined to a smaller area, more towards the inner corner. And it's not nearly as vicious.

We'll be able to have some quiet amusements this weekend.