Dear Art lover,
I imagined my Valentine’s Day to start with brunch
of kiwi, oranges, and cheese with fruit tea.
Then I would do some writing, research, and later painting; maybe a
break by walking to the sea for the sunset.
Once back home I would then make a lazy dinner of salami slices,
avocado, tomato, lettuce, and cheese layered in a tortilla. No cooking and very little washing up. I thought I might celebrate in the evening with
a wee bit of Bailey’s Irish crème and some lovely new flavored dark chocolates
I found locally.
 |
| Balancing triangular stone along the sea north of Umag, Croatia, surrounded by native red (iron-rich) clay |
However, my family nickname of “Grace Kelly” does
not only describe my physical moves in sarcastic terms. Earlier
this week, I stepped “into it” again with words I used and found myself within
a sadly familiar argument with someone I dearly love. Every time this happens it bothers me
seriously for days. On the 11th,
I took a long walk north along the sea and tried to figure out why I do this
time and again with this person (and others, if truth be told). I tried to find a solution. I do not really think that one exists. So, the only good thing is that with each
confrontation, I come away with a better understanding of how I feel, what I
really want, and why I do what I do. It
may be the best I can do in this case.
So, last night, I did not sleep. With so many things on my mind, sleep has
been elusive for several nights and last night even moreso. Allora, I write, as I have done all of my
life that I can remember. It is a cathartic
experience, a physical release through the arm and a tactile experience with
ideas and paper. The Bailey’s Irish
Crème turned out to be breakfast around 5 a.m., I think. Finally a bit of rest, and then …..Hahah… and
lunch was the chocolate. There are few rules on these sorts of things, right?
My friend and fellow stone carver Mary Tanner of Nebraska
[I am charmed that this is how she signs her letters to me] had given me a
wonderful gift the day we met in Firenze:
a handy tote bag which features images of her scientific drawings of Smilodon
californicus, fossils that came from La Brae tar pits in downtown Los
Angeles. I packed this full of my
pastels and a pad of paper, just in case, and took it with me on my walk by the
sea earlier this week. I stopped in this
spot shown here to eat a few kiwi and watch the sun go down.
Thus, it was a good day. In fact, it was a great day since several of
the ideas in my head that have too long vague began to take a more solid form
and are coming together in a cohesive and do-able vision. I have my next body of work.. many parts are
still vague, however, for me it is always that way. And once I find a home and can start this
particular work, the forms will emerge as we go.
In addition to a lovely day, I want to share with
you two pastel works on one easel in my little space here in Croatia. I started them in Italy… now trying to play
with color and other explorations while I am away from my normal space. Green Tulips and Piazza at Night [the
latter started out as Piazza Santo Spirito in Firenze, but I have only memory
to go by at the moment and am still working with this one].
I have also spent the week being technically
challenged on several fronts. I still
have not found a way to send out my art newsletter, despite having signed up
for a different program (which freezes each time I try to enter content). My e-mail program has mysteriously stopped
keeping copies of my sent e-mails.
Random weird and frustrating things are happening in various programs on
my laptop and the screen keeps crashing.
The type font now also looks jiggy-jagged, making writing on this
computer a bit of a headache. Yet, virus
scans turn up nothing. My Internet
research leads me to no solutions. It
has been a frustrating week.
However,
those who HAVE seen the newsletter published on my Web site have written me to
tell how much they enjoy the images there…. So if you can, share and enjoy
yourself, please: Tantalizing Tasmania:
And, as always, thank
you for your continued interest. Share
this with anyone you think might appreciate it!
Kelly
~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor,
painter, writer, teacher
P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day, there is still so much
to love and for which to feel grateful.
Smilodon
californicus,
Umag, Croatia, Tasmania, sea walk, Mary Tanner, frustration, Grace Kelly
