Truths about Art

In 1986 I took my first life drawing class---  Signing up because I felt it was glamorous and classy---  before then, hardly any art was offered in school.   I had a good feel for it---  but as far as talent---  growing up Glen Coffey took the prize---  Anyone who starts life drawing finds it daunting.......  It's tough!  First of all, people can tell when the figure is drawn wrong----  maybe they don't know how to fix it, but they can tell---  This goes for the artist too---  It's a slippery slope.  We all judge our own work--  that can stop us from taking risks---  The tricky part is, no risk-- no improvement.  Also with risk, the quality of the drawing will suffer as you figure out where you are going with it.  Then and now I see people give up---their artist's ego can't weather the readjustment--  They get stuck in a safe zone, don't improve--  their work becomes stagnant and they quit.  At art school I really struggled---  The level of my work was somewhere in the middle--  drawing did not come as easily for me--  My eye was good, but my hand couldn't follow--
I just decided to work at it......  I improved through pushing harder--  Deni Ponti a favorite teacher of mine says there are two kinds of artists--  those who draw beautifully and easily--  but have trouble finding the quirk that makes it interesting-- or--- the artist who struggles with getting the drawing right--  and yet has  an interesting take on it.  Out of school I worked as an illustrator for about a year--  then settled into my career as a Set Decorator---  From 1991 until 2000 I didn't draw at all--     The thought of it just reminded me of  Art Center--  everyone in a competition!  Happily I began again--  It was wonderful not feeling it as drudgery--  It's a great thing--  challenging!  So every week I go at it---  Meridy Volz has a wonderful class every Saturday--  We are a united team--

Why Judy Garland?

There are three "Whys?" I get regularly---  Los Angeles Westsiders ask "Why Pasadena?", then theres "Why, 'Days of Our Lives'?" won't get into who asks that---  The third is, "Why Judy Garland?"
It's no secret that of all my loves--  Judy Garland remains at the top--  I truly believe Judy gets/got a bad rap---  Many have felt and feel that, although talented--  She was an unhappy, boozed up-- pill popping mess---  This has been the predominating theory since at least the fifties---  Here's my take on all this---
I believe that on rare occasions,  people are born special--  Judy Garland was blessed with a mix of intelligence, wit, instrument and empathy----  And on top of that--  star quality/charisma--  I feel it when I see her films and hear her voice---  it all shines through.  She always gave her all--  took risks--  challenged herself---  Meant the best--  these are qualities  I admire--  her life was filled with craziness and yet she was able to channel something miraculous and beautiful---

Think Pink!

Jim and I have been assigned to head the new paint color committee at "The Maryland".  Have said our building is "pink"--  really it's a pastel peach.....  normally a color I hate----  to my shock, it's almost working--  but believe it could be better....  Have always loved 'old spanish' architecture painted pink---  Seems to evoke vintage Los Angeles with a jolt of whimsy--  My first thought was to match existing structures where color is working--  ie. Beverly Hills Hotel, and stately 20's homes around town--  Have learned, however it's not that easy--  Those pinks work with lots of landscaping/breakup --  Our building rises straight up like a tower--  on either side are low parks... So it can't be so pink.  There are hundreds of samples---  and painting them directly on the building looks like hell---  Whittled it down to Benjamin Moore "Odessa" and three or four others---  I've become obsessed with this task---  often daydreaming about it while I drive...

Dress Me Up

It's funny how little my taste in clothes has changed since I was a child.....  What I wear to work on an average Tuesday might be the same as what I sported in 1974.....   Levis, 'Topsiders', Chunky belt topped off with an 'alligator' shirt---  Now that I think about it--  my choices were maybe gutsier back then.....
For instance, the outfit above--  those striped pants with brown ringed 'Fry' boots---  at church no less--
I remember going to the Bayshores school bus stop---  enjoying the 'woosh' my bell bottoms made as I walked.....  There were favorite items too--  a burgundy turtleneck nylon sweater---  vertical textured stripes with a zipper---  the end of which had a ring---  or a short sleeve shirt--  red placket front had small red (again...) naive drawings of birds---  Fabulous!  It's true in the eighties ( my twenties...) There were some horrible choices..... Most notably---  Black pointy toed cowboy boots--  awful!  Or moccasins--- a scarf around my head and shorts (granted we were going dancing....)  It cracks me up that 'the kids today' emulate that aesthetic---  It's cool however to, 'throw it all away' and just do whatever-----  I still believe that---

The Maryland

Recently we moved to "The Maryland".  Located behind Pasadena City Hall---  The Deco/Spanish (pink!) building was built in 1926---  It's all that remains of the great Maryland hotel--  built in 1903 rebuilt (in 9 months....) after a fire destroyed the main structure in 1915--   Pasadena was originally a resort town---  The Maryland was one of five huge hotels.  The Raymond, Vista Del Arroyo, Green, and The Huntington.  Only The Huntington (Langham) remains in operation....  Our unit consists of what was 4 hotel rooms--- They converted one of them into a kitchen in the early fifties---  Hazle Lande lived here before us for forty years ---  feisty and eccentric--  The place was loaded up with a fabulous mix---  earthy pottery, art books, 'Joy' perfume, take out containers from Jullians---  and Japanese block prints---  Grey Gardens only better--- We're told Hazel would have loved us---  which makes me happy---

Blossom Dearie

Thought I might talk about one of my favorite musical artists, Blossom Dearie--  First heard Blossom at Indigo Seas---  an antique store I worked at on Robertson Blvd. in the early 90's.  The owner there has great style---  She and her husband live at director George Cukor's former home above the Sunset Strip---  Anyway, fabulous music was always playing----  "I'm Hip" "I'm Shadowing You", "My Attorney Bernie" and "Peel Me a Grape" were mainstays---  She had a paired down simple, honest-- jazzy approach to her music---  Plus an occasional 'throw away' comedy number--  From what I understand, she was tough regarding her work---  only surrounding herself with the best--  Lucky I was to see her live many times---  Her voice changed very little in her almost 60 year career--
One of my favorite songs is "Sweet Lover No More" which she termed a 'Jazz Waltz' singing to just a piano, bass and tambourine--  She passed away last February at 85--  Someone on Facebook suggested toasting the night sky to her version of "Fly Me to the Moon" which I did---

Put on you Sunday (Saturday) Clothes.....

Last night Jim and I joined some friends in seeing a tribute to Jerry Herman--  Jason Graae was the star in a one man show.  Loved every delicious second of it--  A Palm Springs audience is always a crazy quilt of characters--  We've seen A list celebs  (Meryl Streep!  Liz Taylor!) --  Desert locals "putting on the dog",  and everything in between...  Our Saturday night did not disappoint.....  The event was at The Joslyn Senior Center on glamorous Catalina Way in Palm Desert....  The show was in it's "try out" period and was testing out it's legs with an audience.  (The price was a steal at 10.00 a head!)  What was fascinating about the night (beyond the show..) was the crowd.  Broadway legend Donna McKechinie decked out in black jeans, Ugg boots,  puffy coat topped off with a jazzy scarf-- sat in front of us.  It all boiled down to New York slumming it in the desert---  My favorite patron, his late sixties---  looked like Marlon Brando circa "Superman"---  black slacks, black and white vertically striped shirt open to the waist, under that was another stripe--- same colors---  only going vertically and with a turtle neck.  All this was topped off with aviator tinted glassed (gold) and chunky jewelry....  fabulous! Another woman obviously used Liza as her muse--  Love it...  I'm not saying this to be mean--  quite the opposite--  I think it's great when people go for it and show us who they are--  Nothing is better than a night of show tunes surrounded by interesting people--