tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67920903259573185732024-02-21T08:10:32.560-05:00 Vivien ZepfWhere life and curiosity intersect
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.comBlogger834125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-34030420625495219112020-08-01T09:57:00.001-04:002020-08-01T09:57:20.302-04:00It's Official -- A New Website + BlogI've <i>finally</i> checked "New Website" off my to-do list. Yes, there's still lots more to do. Yes, that will take me a while. But, from now on, I'll be writing my blog posts on my new website: <a href="http://vivienzepf.com/">vivienzepf.com</a> . <br />
<br />
Head on over to my website to read what I'm thinking about and working on. I hope to see you there.<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-476638152418743442020-05-26T15:52:00.001-04:002020-06-06T22:09:38.899-04:00Prepping to TravelThis is sort of a funky time to be planning a trip but I am. I'll be driving with my youngest to Indiana to help her clear out her dorm room. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaZG8lIbak4hbCrqrWgfJDkDtZgLrlkHq2XrPYKuAHnMJXvcCahOuqniI2j0goq6a0ttpV5bPdPjE6uwUj_5lMgBhb4EujkeYRI2NRPwWx2LDFf2e5Rog6GqT3oYlFz5afL3v5MwKHnXJ/s1600/IMG_5368.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaZG8lIbak4hbCrqrWgfJDkDtZgLrlkHq2XrPYKuAHnMJXvcCahOuqniI2j0goq6a0ttpV5bPdPjE6uwUj_5lMgBhb4EujkeYRI2NRPwWx2LDFf2e5Rog6GqT3oYlFz5afL3v5MwKHnXJ/s320/IMG_5368.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe this will be the trip to pull out the old atlas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today we're packing the usual salty and sweet snacks. We're making sure all the ice packs are frozen. But we're also wondering, will any of the rest stops be open along the way? The DOT website isn't clear on that point. There's mention that states should keep rest stops open for truckers in order to support the economy, but there's no mention of being open and tended to for citizen travelers. Will hotels let us use their lobby restrooms? We're doing a bit of planning just in case things aren't open, but I'd really rather not have to use two car doors and a towel as a toilet stall.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to the likelihood that we won't encounter any traffic jams. But what about the speed limit? Do you think the police will be out in force to catch someone taking advantage of the really open roads? <br />
<br />
Being from New York, we'll be decked out in masks and gloves, but I've heard that citizens in lots of other states aren't following the same protocols on that front. Will people look at us like we're weird or have fallen for a hoax? <br />
<br />
It's going to be an interesting road trip for sure.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-45734969565780209122020-05-20T13:45:00.000-04:002020-05-22T18:17:35.605-04:00Let Me Introduce You To -- Alma Pihl<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEPoSYvg6uJZWyMogDaxatnVoIfz9yucE8pcBaJxW7w61yQCdqZS7jBEoM2tw_tHCRwkhgEhlPfrHJ8UubS__KpfkN-kYH3_oS9wL4z-o-vmbF_2QWHevsuZJOrvSfc1ijwkyuV-r9FL4/s1600/182591-1309770392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEPoSYvg6uJZWyMogDaxatnVoIfz9yucE8pcBaJxW7w61yQCdqZS7jBEoM2tw_tHCRwkhgEhlPfrHJ8UubS__KpfkN-kYH3_oS9wL4z-o-vmbF_2QWHevsuZJOrvSfc1ijwkyuV-r9FL4/s320/182591-1309770392.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the Mosaic Easter Egg<br />
Royal Collection Trust<br />
© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Alma Theresia Pihl (1888-1976) was a woman recognized for remarkable design talent within a family already bursting with artistic skill and ingenuity. Born in 1888 in Moscow, her Finnish father was the head of Fabergé's jewelry workshop in Moscow; her uncle was Fabergé's Head Workmaster.<br />
<br />
In 1908, Pihl began to work for her uncle, rendering life-size designs in watercolor to provide archival records of what the workshop was creating, noting gems and labor costs. She also began to draft her own designs in her spare time. Though artistically self-taught, Pihl showed such promise with her innovative designs that her uncle promoted her within the workshop after just a year, making her Fabergé's first female designer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tYZmcYlaueYJ9MxAAvOPbOv6krcNJseFrrYELTaJSCepEyS4dQoVV47AVl6uFrrlBPV0gjE-aZMdL5Noo98f9BnOuwHNXFfkWlIT3g-eiCQSXPWeLcKh492NFeB-A8jh7KjWl3dxmVaQ/s1600/Snowflake-Brooch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tYZmcYlaueYJ9MxAAvOPbOv6krcNJseFrrYELTaJSCepEyS4dQoVV47AVl6uFrrlBPV0gjE-aZMdL5Noo98f9BnOuwHNXFfkWlIT3g-eiCQSXPWeLcKh492NFeB-A8jh7KjWl3dxmVaQ/s320/Snowflake-Brooch.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowflake brooch<br />
Image courtesy Christie's<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When Dr. Emmanuel Nobel, a prolific client of Fabergé, commissioned a gift that could be presented to each lady in attendance at a dinner party -- something lovely, but not so expensive such that it might be misconstrued as bribery -- Pihl was given the design job. She turned to nature for inspiration and transformed snowflakes from a harsh Russian winters into 40 lovely brooches. Nobel was so pleased with the results that he commissioned additional jewelry and objet d' art from Fabergé (see below) and again, Pihl was awarded the design commissions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0rj-RZ2exkB-ziC8V6mUV6tY6F9iCnCWN-F7Ol8T5lenySq6W1B9ZvuJ81u6E6bhyh5qS-D0OCdr0WzI0J9QVk78r4NndxPNi1m6_cGyAtZ2npqgsd2vewxVuDDEOmiIhyphenhyphenJFBi5Kq89/s1600/90-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0rj-RZ2exkB-ziC8V6mUV6tY6F9iCnCWN-F7Ol8T5lenySq6W1B9ZvuJ81u6E6bhyh5qS-D0OCdr0WzI0J9QVk78r4NndxPNi1m6_cGyAtZ2npqgsd2vewxVuDDEOmiIhyphenhyphenJFBi5Kq89/s320/90-2.jpeg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sketch for a related Fabergé rock crystal frost<br />
pendant from Albert Holstrom's design book,<br />
created by Alma Pihl, dated 2May 1913.<br />
Courtesy of Wartski, London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V7IMKoDjmsoEiTPVa1f_EfibwqPZMZ4M4minaDA7LYaTfKTcjxd1kKTm6cpRBRpIt3RpveShiHgn15caWd7fONvJpQ0jmc3o4ZSXu3mCFiQ6pVG0yyF7qD7-6WUohp0gF4gchQVBf0uE/s1600/90-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V7IMKoDjmsoEiTPVa1f_EfibwqPZMZ4M4minaDA7LYaTfKTcjxd1kKTm6cpRBRpIt3RpveShiHgn15caWd7fONvJpQ0jmc3o4ZSXu3mCFiQ6pVG0yyF7qD7-6WUohp0gF4gchQVBf0uE/s320/90-2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pendant created from the Alma Pihl design.<br />
Courtesy Sotheby's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQep0ektYceTI4YNuTVZhBTz8USJ8eoraCFLICk5_1r3lj-cPXLOHwGltx7MvP-howHNxC2XBDNdTMklKsC49CCjwX8jAzVLy6ok_q1gdcDzc8q6nXzL5UanNupaNTphSGR05wWaM3J9n/s1600/FabergeNobelIceEgg+and+surprise_1913_McFerrin+Faberge+Collection_As+shown+at+Houston+Museum+of+Natural+Science+2013_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQep0ektYceTI4YNuTVZhBTz8USJ8eoraCFLICk5_1r3lj-cPXLOHwGltx7MvP-howHNxC2XBDNdTMklKsC49CCjwX8jAzVLy6ok_q1gdcDzc8q6nXzL5UanNupaNTphSGR05wWaM3J9n/s320/FabergeNobelIceEgg+and+surprise_1913_McFerrin+Faberge+Collection_As+shown+at+Houston+Museum+of+Natural+Science+2013_.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Nobel Ice Egg and surprise, 1913<br />
Installation at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, 2013<br />
McFerrin Fabergé Collection<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pihl's innovative designs continued to inspire and she was selected to design the jewel gifts for the 300th anniversary celebration of Romanov dynasty,<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPm9ADhbOP1-L4NamhJs5PqAEtil565YGRWddtTpIMCBeyk16z1qV4tPUKFtLa_RMjSks5moWNVXFxtu3c_cL9O-JrOVopK-xF14CFvTepEGZkwbx8gudO91m73WuU8lQvvue18Owhn8lA/s1600/Pihl-Design-Tercentennery-Booch-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1600" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPm9ADhbOP1-L4NamhJs5PqAEtil565YGRWddtTpIMCBeyk16z1qV4tPUKFtLa_RMjSks5moWNVXFxtu3c_cL9O-JrOVopK-xF14CFvTepEGZkwbx8gudO91m73WuU8lQvvue18Owhn8lA/s320/Pihl-Design-Tercentennery-Booch-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alma Pihl design, Romanov Tercentenary Brooch<br />
Photo courtesy Sotheby's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
as well as the Imperial egg that was commissioned by the czar as a gift for the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. This egg is considered to be one of the most spectacular ever produced by the Fabergé workshop.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j8sapP0cp3td7TupkQGskTEQMnU56bpj09s4_0MzX1SosZEcs0eC3-BojYzexkoJ-aeWMS8sZMY6X4-8ygu7mc8njKwUQABrqc38ZeUk76wmh1_kyBEBR-BHZknhy3tlIz_PpX7R8UrZ/s1600/Winter-Egg-CH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j8sapP0cp3td7TupkQGskTEQMnU56bpj09s4_0MzX1SosZEcs0eC3-BojYzexkoJ-aeWMS8sZMY6X4-8ygu7mc8njKwUQABrqc38ZeUk76wmh1_kyBEBR-BHZknhy3tlIz_PpX7R8UrZ/s320/Winter-Egg-CH.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Imperial Winter Egg, 2013 with original surprise<br />
Photo courtesy Christie's<br />
Additional details <a href="https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/the-winter-egg-2532597-details.aspx">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following year, Pihl designed the Mosaic Egg, a masterful open mesh object with gems set finely within the mesh. It's purported that Pihl was inspired to create this design after watching her mother do needlework by the fireside.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE2eDdmqzqRwN6bdPP8r-Zyy057fwnrfXLTsuLZMlLieukS0xC2uKQd-4WW_q-_pRdTayneHzfFVONDPLauXO1LG9QPjxw1wFFgJ0QF8XZZJRVK6TydBOc7ESSHYGkr3z-RcQG4qZBWeY/s1600/220076-1541435561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE2eDdmqzqRwN6bdPP8r-Zyy057fwnrfXLTsuLZMlLieukS0xC2uKQd-4WW_q-_pRdTayneHzfFVONDPLauXO1LG9QPjxw1wFFgJ0QF8XZZJRVK6TydBOc7ESSHYGkr3z-RcQG4qZBWeY/s320/220076-1541435561.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaic Easter Egg and original surprise<br />
Royal Collection Trust <br />
© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Russian Revolution forced the closing of the Fabergé workshop. Pihl and her husband eventually left Russia in 1921 to move to Finland. Pihl spent the remainder of her professional career teaching calligraphy and drawing in the town of <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kuusankoski, northeast of Helsinki. She died on July 14, 1976. Most of her students never knew of her skills and history as a designer.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2mCcOHsaWiYwH50byOvlqSmNN0MZV71rgtJeJJsgE1Pt9tXGpWiD37y4mPQe1KHL9kfGLgAoJxZ_51lHFVx1HmXAKK66-Kh4l-uqicR_ZgkfYZ35uKufyfe6Qb0FvPCEvIU3Un8IQyco/s1600/90-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2mCcOHsaWiYwH50byOvlqSmNN0MZV71rgtJeJJsgE1Pt9tXGpWiD37y4mPQe1KHL9kfGLgAoJxZ_51lHFVx1HmXAKK66-Kh4l-uqicR_ZgkfYZ35uKufyfe6Qb0FvPCEvIU3Un8IQyco/s320/90-1.jpeg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alma Pihl, 1912</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-27142396073679713232020-05-17T12:35:00.000-04:002020-05-18T12:36:13.383-04:00Seed Frenzy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Fn1w5mC2TOJKsTqjxRU_r2U4jtG1dyDXN8OYFk4WKTYBI0lGXw4oADcOC1bL7UChyqL7sOQUN2HGknmfJFjIqyjd1HVT6ORwZzVXUA6nBeIFxq6XwGuMIcDepLUhlW-Qf4KwVcMO0dKI/s1600/fullsizeoutput_6c35.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Fn1w5mC2TOJKsTqjxRU_r2U4jtG1dyDXN8OYFk4WKTYBI0lGXw4oADcOC1bL7UChyqL7sOQUN2HGknmfJFjIqyjd1HVT6ORwZzVXUA6nBeIFxq6XwGuMIcDepLUhlW-Qf4KwVcMO0dKI/s320/fullsizeoutput_6c35.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas standing tall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When the self-quarantine orders were issued, gardening centers were stripped bare like never before. There wasn't a vegetable plant to be found.<br />
<br />
Selfishly, I was a bit miffed. I had been all excited to start my cold weather plantings; it's what I do every April and my plans were stymied. So I turned to seeds. I couldn't remember the last time I started my plants indoors in part because I never had great success. Not much fun in that.<br />
<br />
However, this year my little window garden is a joy. Of course I'm not thankful for the crisis, but I am thankful for being forced to do things a little differently. After this experience I may very well start every spring season by the kitchen window, start every day with a visit to the little black cells just to find out which plant has grown a second set of leaves. There's a great deal of hope in a seed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3HJxB28hZstcYccLpUgPbelxLftA7NujttdRgtzgQYGjyfJ4ZW3TZ0A1jRL0fe44-vmxHv_c95PIooyiPmHyqU89shgU8sFTPIXkD06FAg_qKqAmBgzZ0a19kct0OESk6ta2Ahroa9r1/s1600/HKYG8RS8QDyv2amqKOA9CA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3HJxB28hZstcYccLpUgPbelxLftA7NujttdRgtzgQYGjyfJ4ZW3TZ0A1jRL0fe44-vmxHv_c95PIooyiPmHyqU89shgU8sFTPIXkD06FAg_qKqAmBgzZ0a19kct0OESk6ta2Ahroa9r1/s320/HKYG8RS8QDyv2amqKOA9CA.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash, already sprawling about<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XpZPP6fOtKnAnaaPr6syCGOSZQFxfwtPKWqffnD22z-D6HwVLBR3fdedUCgJl-yxXI6U3fTZO5adB5F6lrPFBYYeJo7oYg5xZ7duP-mCe8Rff5-aUPtL2EwwWNpPR_u6SzYkNN7hOQAf/s1600/fullsizeoutput_6c31.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XpZPP6fOtKnAnaaPr6syCGOSZQFxfwtPKWqffnD22z-D6HwVLBR3fdedUCgJl-yxXI6U3fTZO5adB5F6lrPFBYYeJo7oYg5xZ7duP-mCe8Rff5-aUPtL2EwwWNpPR_u6SzYkNN7hOQAf/s320/fullsizeoutput_6c31.jpeg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tangle of turnip tops<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-76312615929489776762020-05-12T15:48:00.000-04:002020-05-16T17:08:09.161-04:00New ArtworkI've got gardens on the brain. Greens, dirt browns, citron yellows, and vines everywhere. Maybe it's indicative of all the weeds I've been pulling. Anyway, it's all coming out in new artwork. Seen from the reverse, my most recent piece is a puzzle of lines and seams.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj9lvRn1IkBHNDGUmcS8crgj75xemSknVt2zbvXZNzkSq7pc184oYr3LklZn7aQGPrg0VZEYK2mwYNAV7xek274UKeihynr6ItaLj_aFrMgpZP23WMBO3GgvzVhq_RTWYMSsZed9n7Wvb/s1600/emXNzHZoThmkwG1VsT1Y0Q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj9lvRn1IkBHNDGUmcS8crgj75xemSknVt2zbvXZNzkSq7pc184oYr3LklZn7aQGPrg0VZEYK2mwYNAV7xek274UKeihynr6ItaLj_aFrMgpZP23WMBO3GgvzVhq_RTWYMSsZed9n7Wvb/s320/emXNzHZoThmkwG1VsT1Y0Q.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I don't know what happened. I intended to sew simple, organic, allover quilting for the background. I ended up with vines and teeny tiny leaves going all over the place. I don't remember consciously making the choice to do this. It just happened. Has this ever happened to you?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickUilWFSoOUF6yGLB_ArP2a_RAHDTsRhs3RVztsL9pWoimW9mRqYzm-auhzu0nrYd3bjfpO7rbLvbUhTgDHHqmPrHe0SAzYcy2V0G0xwI6yD0dmv-Xntn0BIfgj4mOhKF2_brQvNGYUbQ/s1600/01001897-C641-4256-9D0A-D4E820D9CD1C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickUilWFSoOUF6yGLB_ArP2a_RAHDTsRhs3RVztsL9pWoimW9mRqYzm-auhzu0nrYd3bjfpO7rbLvbUhTgDHHqmPrHe0SAzYcy2V0G0xwI6yD0dmv-Xntn0BIfgj4mOhKF2_brQvNGYUbQ/s320/01001897-C641-4256-9D0A-D4E820D9CD1C.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The finished piece, "In the Shade of the Trees", features a South Island Robin. I used a picture I had taken while in New Zealand at Christmas time. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUY_6dSBwgZgGEFCqrbMQiOdILy7773uorMxJQ0wd1v54loYE5dcDFErRyFNZoplE40uy2bXh98ke9Ykap-xErTyBBrHo1YaitE5ZeLTPMxOS-kkQRCRZt5Er3AR9nzVsJPHjQhIt_EqX/s1600/fullsizeoutput_6bd6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUY_6dSBwgZgGEFCqrbMQiOdILy7773uorMxJQ0wd1v54loYE5dcDFErRyFNZoplE40uy2bXh98ke9Ykap-xErTyBBrHo1YaitE5ZeLTPMxOS-kkQRCRZt5Er3AR9nzVsJPHjQhIt_EqX/s320/fullsizeoutput_6bd6.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mvDjbJ5ef2Tn645rlc7o4j7mxtTMOYZnWUGP4nqcLvZ-muexR2Owl_2C1wkT3_L63lsKsl3URPKVQiuxfvVljNaojj4xQdLKbEvxt5TzVCA25-P4R8fKvNYyNi-LbXKV7mqhSftNs-Ao/s1600/fullsizeoutput_6bd1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mvDjbJ5ef2Tn645rlc7o4j7mxtTMOYZnWUGP4nqcLvZ-muexR2Owl_2C1wkT3_L63lsKsl3URPKVQiuxfvVljNaojj4xQdLKbEvxt5TzVCA25-P4R8fKvNYyNi-LbXKV7mqhSftNs-Ao/s320/fullsizeoutput_6bd1.jpeg" width="276" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The piece had been stewing in my brain a while and I'm glad to get it out of my head. Now, perhaps, I can finish the quilt that's been on the design wall for about a year. Fingers crossed. Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-86547841954948292802020-05-05T16:46:00.002-04:002020-05-05T16:46:53.100-04:00Let Me Introduce You To -- Johanna Turner and Chris Wilmer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY5iN0HW5qF3xL6juLszoi1IucW01WNES8zB832gDnTZcwWcrtvl16R2P_9-9PyAPCor7iL-sInIKBPtvBU1sS9dPP1P8WFUD8H1NrBKRbN7-sGtcwBf4gqHm9_Sjyb3w7YVoIoxFrgj5/s1600/i-X6PMsnr-X4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY5iN0HW5qF3xL6juLszoi1IucW01WNES8zB832gDnTZcwWcrtvl16R2P_9-9PyAPCor7iL-sInIKBPtvBU1sS9dPP1P8WFUD8H1NrBKRbN7-sGtcwBf4gqHm9_Sjyb3w7YVoIoxFrgj5/s320/i-X6PMsnr-X4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Johanna Turner, <i>Nikita Cityscape 3, 2018</i><br />
"Yes, she does live this close to one of the largest<br />
cities on the planet. And she does so with grace." -- Johanna Turner,<br />
in describing the puma she calls Nikita.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.cougarmagic.com/">Johanna Turner</a> and Dr. <a href="http://www.santacruzpumas.org/">Chris Wilmer </a>probably know each other, though they don't work directly with one another. I've come to learn a great deal about the work each is doing to document the lives of cougars, also know as pumas and mountains lions, living in close proximity to human development in California. Chris focuses on the areas surrounding Santa Cruz while Johanna's expertise is in the area surrounding Burbank. <br />
<br />
Johanna and Chris are both working to raise awareness about mountain lions and the need for wildlife corridors to protect the big cats. Mountain lions used to have expansive ranges but fragmentation of that historic range is leading to genetic abnormalities due to a lack of genetic diversity. In addition, as cats try to traverse highways to reach potential new territories, the cats often experience fatal collisions with cars.<br />
<br />
Johanna uses the incredible imagery captured by her wildlife camera trap to reveal the majesty of these big cats, a project that began out of personal curiosity and has led to joint efforts with the <a href="https://arroyosfoothills.org/">Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy</a>. Chris is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Principal Investigator of the <a href="http://www.santacruzpumas.org/">Santa Cruz Puma Project</a>. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8GFRho_hDhvivkqzS9t-oFoepLAMgmXZDLvVKYdMuGpy8cZowQl2UGtkZCb5kJ_zqixVlfnJxPcJkAH5N-j1BztSCK4TxW0Y79OEAj8FafXcHOWzf3HNlKCjGIVjhtf2uA8hwmxeiXzz/s1600/2000x1000-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8GFRho_hDhvivkqzS9t-oFoepLAMgmXZDLvVKYdMuGpy8cZowQl2UGtkZCb5kJ_zqixVlfnJxPcJkAH5N-j1BztSCK4TxW0Y79OEAj8FafXcHOWzf3HNlKCjGIVjhtf2uA8hwmxeiXzz/s320/2000x1000-blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Santa Cruz Puma Project blog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Chris shared some interesting experiment data during the ZOOM meeting I attended with him a few weeks ago. It might sound scary to learn there are such amazing hunters living close by humans, but experiments repeatedly confirmed that the big cats actually run away from the sounds of humans. In fact, pumas that live close to humans may have to hunt as much as 50% more since they will abandon their kills to avoid human contact. <br />
<br />
When top predators are removed from the ecosystem, I'm sure you know that the entire ecosystem suffers. The decline in cougar habitat has certainly accounted for a large decrease in the puma population. Sadly, so has hunting. But more passive encounters are on the upswing with potentially fatal results as well. Mountain lions are being spotted with mange, a potentially fatal skin disease, as a result of rodenticides. The poison accumulates in ever growing quantities as it travels up the food chain, causing serious disease in these apex predators.<br />
<br />
I've hiked in California mountain lion habitat several times and have only once been aware of a mountain lion. I suspect my husband and I surprised the cat and it quickly slunk away before we could do anything more than say, "There's a mountain lion!" Poof. It was gone. Amazing. Once, while sleeping outside at night, we heard a female caterwauling for a mate. It woke us up and, for a split second, it was terrifying. Then it was totally cool. We jumped up and down like kids on a sugar high.<br />
<br />
In more wild habitat, cougars are typically crepuscular, but they have adapted to almost exclusive nocturnal hunting and activity when they live close to humans. I encourage you to look at <a href="https://www.cougarmagic.com/">Johanna's amazing photography</a> that reveal these creatures, and others, as they live life at night. You can <a href="http://www.santacruzpumas.org/puma-tracker/">track the comings and goings of specific cats</a> on the Santa Cruz Puma Project website, which illustrates how these cats try desperately to stay away from us within significantly diminished pockets of forest.<br />
<br />
Turner and Wilmer, along so many others, are doing incredibly important, painstaking, backbreaking and, occasionally, heartbreaking work on behalf of these remarkable creatures. Perhaps now, as we have bit more time to relish and appreciate the intricacies and beauty of nature, we can support more people who are working to keep nature in balance, which will benefit us all in the long run.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2KM5tJblieTclcl7xhrI_C0NUEI2AxMIUzRS07oTAQkcNYAfS4um2VRobDu34V555f8UgoolEl3GYQWW00DPI02R08hyb27TSTmZGhBcqyLGe91RRPC3O0HJqN1ZD4Xjav-ykfZx2DNL/s1600/IMG_2088+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2KM5tJblieTclcl7xhrI_C0NUEI2AxMIUzRS07oTAQkcNYAfS4um2VRobDu34V555f8UgoolEl3GYQWW00DPI02R08hyb27TSTmZGhBcqyLGe91RRPC3O0HJqN1ZD4Xjav-ykfZx2DNL/s320/IMG_2088+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear the mountain lion was just there. It moved smoothly and<br />quickly across the trail, jumped the creek (invisible to you to<br />to the right) and disappeared. 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-37694246539990418612020-05-02T10:32:00.000-04:002020-05-03T09:30:22.389-04:00Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqfUOdeqSqh2Gdwgw0qjBnwJODL_E8Gz872jOe_jhBF7g0UMgWLqluDEkwulKStp1bv0duesVZHg6bnpKvcm6g7NaFl4wHLP-Ff0ttudDRNPfC56EjA9u2rGuqiM0dPq3prgnWUxUUYOo/s1600/IMG_0909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqfUOdeqSqh2Gdwgw0qjBnwJODL_E8Gz872jOe_jhBF7g0UMgWLqluDEkwulKStp1bv0duesVZHg6bnpKvcm6g7NaFl4wHLP-Ff0ttudDRNPfC56EjA9u2rGuqiM0dPq3prgnWUxUUYOo/s320/IMG_0909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As I move back and forth in my gardens, I marvel at the plants basking in the sun. A perfume made up of all the growing things makes me feel nostalgic. Somehow, the scent reminds me of home.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
THE MOTH, THE MOUNTAINS,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
THE RIVERS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Who can guess the luna's sadness who lives so</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
briefly? Who can guess the impatience of stone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
longing to be ground down, to be part again of </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
something livelier? Who can imagine in what</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
heaviness the rivers remember their original</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
clarity?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Strange questions, yet I have spent worthwhile</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
time with them. And I suggest them to you also,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
that your spirit grow in curiosity, that your life</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
be richer than it is, that you bow to the earth as</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you feel how it actually is, that we - so clever, and</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ambitious, and selfish, and unrestrained -- are only</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
one design of the moving, the vivacious many.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mary Oliver, <i>A Thousand Mornings</i></div>
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-46217001019021769202020-04-28T14:43:00.004-04:002020-04-28T14:43:56.156-04:00Garden Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I have the time now, to sit and appreciate the wonders of my garden. Almost every morning I'm spending 30-40 minutes, weeding and admiring these plants that bring color and lift my spirits. And, of course, I'm taking a ridiculous number of pictures along the way. Here are a few of my recent favorites.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPGKFrJGjhGvimHVkxGnQmlQXNbJNKcT8JCz9YJfHa8684F98ZPZH4CuQxuYEK29iM-NO5iMc_gDGgfMhJcCba3xJAh2CcFgQbhakmay2jdwRdLJBFMkwt5ErbCQfCh_tDBD2UO3XIuIT/s1600/D706D53D-321B-40A9-B1DF-DA9EAC07B066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1600" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPGKFrJGjhGvimHVkxGnQmlQXNbJNKcT8JCz9YJfHa8684F98ZPZH4CuQxuYEK29iM-NO5iMc_gDGgfMhJcCba3xJAh2CcFgQbhakmay2jdwRdLJBFMkwt5ErbCQfCh_tDBD2UO3XIuIT/s320/D706D53D-321B-40A9-B1DF-DA9EAC07B066.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most morning I discover tiny droplets of dew ornamenting the fritillaries.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKsgge8uuwlp_ZMXf9DCmUwO_4DgvZII3wEsVfGzcoMLsluTwvXvvONQKiPOYvtAno9GvsI6_Z1R3tb5SgfHZW68FvpB-LjP6Ar5B86YBwlPop3GGvOaod4zrzKXUfGtocAb8BHQNETGR/s1600/7K3L4Ca2SAuoNT%252BXQYMgZA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKsgge8uuwlp_ZMXf9DCmUwO_4DgvZII3wEsVfGzcoMLsluTwvXvvONQKiPOYvtAno9GvsI6_Z1R3tb5SgfHZW68FvpB-LjP6Ar5B86YBwlPop3GGvOaod4zrzKXUfGtocAb8BHQNETGR/s320/7K3L4Ca2SAuoNT%252BXQYMgZA.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm falling in love with the aguja I planted last year. That deep<br />purple is so striking and I love the fuzzy buds.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3UJ8CK8Q7HGGnHwlMS2S-pZYNHUfHAlT6WTxjPUIL45V50217v1ybgpIgi5t-UdFEcEmVsq9e8brMJLN3jSoeG_JO70YE0sYCJ19Waxhorr581Vt9O-TdSSk8mWpi-kfHDpQilF8rgWv/s1600/YCfuCTznQdKhUhNveapxgw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3UJ8CK8Q7HGGnHwlMS2S-pZYNHUfHAlT6WTxjPUIL45V50217v1ybgpIgi5t-UdFEcEmVsq9e8brMJLN3jSoeG_JO70YE0sYCJ19Waxhorr581Vt9O-TdSSk8mWpi-kfHDpQilF8rgWv/s320/YCfuCTznQdKhUhNveapxgw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trillium never disappoint. This is the first year that they may have spread<br />their wings to take roost in other parts of my shade garden. I sure hope so.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdf4eDEXkNxRRii07WStWx2taHhes4ImGkomD_MFekIjMnM6fslEAWcpN8BLkqkF3bFAEmA8r3sHN3TVDX_spzhClxtZd2m5tBKSzN51xhGVTwYDzEFVlV7rHFnPheWgdV3_hVRRgmn_N/s1600/1cDfkkH2TyKDrE21SotwIg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdf4eDEXkNxRRii07WStWx2taHhes4ImGkomD_MFekIjMnM6fslEAWcpN8BLkqkF3bFAEmA8r3sHN3TVDX_spzhClxtZd2m5tBKSzN51xhGVTwYDzEFVlV7rHFnPheWgdV3_hVRRgmn_N/s320/1cDfkkH2TyKDrE21SotwIg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a weed attack, it didn't seem that my CandyStripe phlox had survived.<br />But I cleared the area and it has rewarded me with its cheerful blossoms. My<br />goal is to have the soil at the base of my rock garden secured by a bed of creeping<br />phlox. I think it would be charming. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-41934408514362215112020-04-21T15:04:00.001-04:002020-04-22T10:29:20.172-04:00Let Me Introduce You To -- Boris AronsonToday is the first entry in a new series on my blog: <i> Let Me Introduce You To...</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The plan</b>: to introduce you, dear readers, to fascinating people or organizations I encounter in my reading and research.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>When:</b> twice a month I'll create a post that's titled, "Let Me Introduce You To -- X" with X = name of interesting person or group. If I'm really excited about something or someone, it's very possible I'll write more frequently. Please note that the posts will not be exhaustively researched. They're meant to be introductions, not tomes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Why:</b> there are just so many people who've done interesting things and I'd love to start a dialogue. These folks are new to me, but you might be an expert. If you know the person, share details! Expand our collective knowledge! I don't think anyone will be too controversial, but that remains to be seen. If there are different opinions about what someone's done or is doing, <b>this is the place for <u>respectful </u>debate</b>. I welcome and invite different points of view, but there will be no name calling, flaming, or other such kindergarten playground behavior. I will be monitoring comments and will not publish anything that is derogatory or disrespectful. But I will publish opposing opinions, even to my own. This is all about expanding our minds. I am a firm believer in trying to be intellectually fearless. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With the ground rules set, let me introduce you to <b>BORIS ARONSON.</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy7YauV744OILe5Ex5IUIvC1a285UtNlWwxsk0KcsKUZoBFgqMjOM4sCs1wuOyDy8qutZ3m65q7ze7t0po3XhdlDumnfbN6y0_klKCyFMlI8Nmh3CZx8yW8A70l2n195RTQfxU0q3u1mi/s1600/company_sketch_aronson-1024x634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="1024" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy7YauV744OILe5Ex5IUIvC1a285UtNlWwxsk0KcsKUZoBFgqMjOM4sCs1wuOyDy8qutZ3m65q7ze7t0po3XhdlDumnfbN6y0_klKCyFMlI8Nmh3CZx8yW8A70l2n195RTQfxU0q3u1mi/s320/company_sketch_aronson-1024x634.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Company</i> (1970). Scenic and projection design by Boris Aronson.<br />
Sketch in pencil, watercolor and gouache. BORIS ARONSON ARCHIVES</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Boris Aronson immigrated to New York in 1923 after having studied art in his native Russia. He began his theatre career with the Yiddish Art Theater. Constantly experimenting with set design and pioneering set movement, he eventually made the leap to larger stages including ballet (in later years he created the sets for Baryshnikov's "Nutcracker") and Broadway. His avant-garde set for the 1940 ballet "The Great American Goof" was so innovative that the Museum of Modern Art presented an exhibition of his designs in 1947. You can read the press release for the exhibition <a href="https://www.moma.org/documents/moma_press-release_325570.pdf">here.</a> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aronson received six Tony Awards for scenic design including <i>Cabaret</i> (1967), <i>Zorba </i>(1969) and <i>Follies</i> (1972) and had an additional 13 nominations.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqVj0mQcKPf04TBYMyGcIkVOTnOch_vy1VTYFfrvbfmm_IsaqMiwZuPi_IV4M8CRFH8c8V3tAss_KkVYCVgcqvZbVBQWPEd57jUMzY1CCRobZUjymYNpEdwQXoc5AxLr6nqMsWXRrxvJ5/s1600/Cabaret+%25281966%2529+set_+Boris+Aronson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqVj0mQcKPf04TBYMyGcIkVOTnOch_vy1VTYFfrvbfmm_IsaqMiwZuPi_IV4M8CRFH8c8V3tAss_KkVYCVgcqvZbVBQWPEd57jUMzY1CCRobZUjymYNpEdwQXoc5AxLr6nqMsWXRrxvJ5/s320/Cabaret+%25281966%2529+set_+Boris+Aronson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original staging of Cabaret (1966). Note the mirrors on the ceiling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
Other notable productions included <i>The Diary of Anne Frank, Orpheus Descending</i>, and <i>Fiddler on the Roof</i>. Aronson's original set design sketch for Anatevka is below, inspired by Marc Chagall's 1920 Moscow mural designs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQAwB5pQCgdVfZ07t7L6jOzO_vK5ERvBkTC7INigWjqn7EjL5o6_IOMtpXSYMFwAbLLSjlSJkR5qw_B8drSCBWNKTK68sGEQaP07eCCCwdwxq4QNh9L2clPDGtFAbV-otmboG22NH8x2a/s1600/Boris+Aronson%2527s+original+set+design+sketch+for+Anatevka_+Fiddler+on+the+Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1600" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQAwB5pQCgdVfZ07t7L6jOzO_vK5ERvBkTC7INigWjqn7EjL5o6_IOMtpXSYMFwAbLLSjlSJkR5qw_B8drSCBWNKTK68sGEQaP07eCCCwdwxq4QNh9L2clPDGtFAbV-otmboG22NH8x2a/s320/Boris+Aronson%2527s+original+set+design+sketch+for+Anatevka_+Fiddler+on+the+Roof.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aronson sets weren't intended to be true-to-life but instead, were created to delve into the deeper realities of the play or musical. He stated, <i>I strongly believe that for each play first and foremost I must create a space which, inherent in its design, already holds the mystique of the entire event.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
Beautifully phrased, don't you think?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aronson's work revolutionized set design and he worked extensively, creating set and costume designs for nearly 100 plays, ballets, and musical comedies in the course of his career. He died in 1980.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6Fj64PNABYff3hanoOQwPZXPawiHfmJGVw2jvSeauR-d4_4NE6vl4m9GIrLl9Dta8jvIWDs0veon9lVPTtVvpc9MjUfojOsFbprtW7dCYfkw1nPoNex67Ozc__DrkrpRbnx5CsNFhufi/s1600/aronson_Working-Main-1024x624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1024" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6Fj64PNABYff3hanoOQwPZXPawiHfmJGVw2jvSeauR-d4_4NE6vl4m9GIrLl9Dta8jvIWDs0veon9lVPTtVvpc9MjUfojOsFbprtW7dCYfkw1nPoNex67Ozc__DrkrpRbnx5CsNFhufi/s320/aronson_Working-Main-1024x624.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa Jalowetz Aronson was her husband's assistant on many productions,<br />
including <i>Follies</i> and <i>A Little Night Music</i>. BORIS ARONSON ARCHIVES</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre3RJYCUt6jbIlVeIJ5u3T0yvTPYzalKsqAKjbgtsAmZFToZYLhl4OL2IFZKO6DqiIKQ4MvlbZ0wTHA9pb6shn16c8dR7krNBfafePeQilZZuUuJhvFfRX1IvTIKAyS8HHOJlaZgzxicx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-04-21+at+2.22.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1370" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre3RJYCUt6jbIlVeIJ5u3T0yvTPYzalKsqAKjbgtsAmZFToZYLhl4OL2IFZKO6DqiIKQ4MvlbZ0wTHA9pb6shn16c8dR7krNBfafePeQilZZuUuJhvFfRX1IvTIKAyS8HHOJlaZgzxicx/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-04-21+at+2.22.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Aronson and set models for one of his stage designs<br />
Photographic archive. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.<br />
INV 354.1. Photograph by Soichi Sunami</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-11102142315209508532020-04-17T18:31:00.001-04:002020-04-18T22:35:29.176-04:00Close to Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXz47wk3MXyQJjajF8EPiB_1uo5-iqB77cW3ZKCZu10I8gfxGmSEGcu7h9aF0zrdLZ5zSTtiGc4vrRtbQmJM5qclCkizCoUUsI4nSqODmCkVsXYSMOBUHyPFVtlfwpe4AlyCAt3HJR3sQP/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="620" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXz47wk3MXyQJjajF8EPiB_1uo5-iqB77cW3ZKCZu10I8gfxGmSEGcu7h9aF0zrdLZ5zSTtiGc4vrRtbQmJM5qclCkizCoUUsI4nSqODmCkVsXYSMOBUHyPFVtlfwpe4AlyCAt3HJR3sQP/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Today, COVID-19 took my husband's uncle. If you're so inclined, please say a prayer for him and his family. <br />
<br />
Rest in peace, Uncle Larry.<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-40917849998246191622020-04-14T15:22:00.000-04:002020-04-22T17:10:26.070-04:00Paris in Black and White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm slowly but surely making my way through my photo archives. Is it fair to call them "archives"? These pictures aren't historical in the global sense by any means, but they do represent a portion of my personal history. So I guess I'll call them my personal archives for clarity.</div>
<br />
At any rate, I'm enjoying the process, tedious though it sometimes is. I'd forgotten some of my black and white photos and the rediscovery is fun. (Here's where you discover that I'm not as organized as I should be. I should have been sorting/indexing my images into categories such as "black and white", "Paris", and "churches" along the way. But alas, the ease of taking thousands of digital photos in the last seven years translated into a lax organizational spirit. That's getting rectified now, too.)<br />
<br />
Here are a few "new" pictures from my 2013 trip to France with my daughters that began in Paris.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1ZZrYE_AslxEXgJYPDkfkv6OsxR8K87K7ZVJQEZnRmQBuBCcqFKeJzYHgPh991Cj4mZM7jSwDEmcI6NydKw3ok5B03pt3S39Eyk-kkrtHHQxRp9XllwXaACpoQTQiitf_8inCid1gmy4/s1600/DSC07050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1164" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1ZZrYE_AslxEXgJYPDkfkv6OsxR8K87K7ZVJQEZnRmQBuBCcqFKeJzYHgPh991Cj4mZM7jSwDEmcI6NydKw3ok5B03pt3S39Eyk-kkrtHHQxRp9XllwXaACpoQTQiitf_8inCid1gmy4/s320/DSC07050.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The seats on the ferris wheel by the Tulieres Gardens weren't illuminated,<br />
but they sure look electric in black and white.<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rJ_lfTDYp5q8EfRTD2iz9a28vxAYFOo2lRiEoOK4BvTfbrHsJp-snNcf_SQEKZywwOgg_8e4Pg7DsxYTULwLIrx-mQcUrXaQR29KTuOHjK23nbLgCSFgKnf9nNUqjJMYCKmcSwrvC7hQ/s1600/DSC_0190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rJ_lfTDYp5q8EfRTD2iz9a28vxAYFOo2lRiEoOK4BvTfbrHsJp-snNcf_SQEKZywwOgg_8e4Pg7DsxYTULwLIrx-mQcUrXaQR29KTuOHjK23nbLgCSFgKnf9nNUqjJMYCKmcSwrvC7hQ/s320/DSC_0190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, this isn't technically Paris. It's Versailles. Still, I loved watching this gentleman<br />
in tri-cornered hat, ruffled neck tie and knee socks walk around the room<br />
playing chess against multiple players simultaneously. <br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6PTsAUYugkCDw-UJVhpde6ccu3DrTBj4j5WNHai09YkT8pfY2f28guwALIebhvqsPEf6-yDSNVH1cDaYMXa5-8jCHlt8A1GpbL-o1clLwcVC1rhKt7Cy8PP4H4jfR8Gn5ymt3f9AgxaG/s1600/IMG_1091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6PTsAUYugkCDw-UJVhpde6ccu3DrTBj4j5WNHai09YkT8pfY2f28guwALIebhvqsPEf6-yDSNVH1cDaYMXa5-8jCHlt8A1GpbL-o1clLwcVC1rhKt7Cy8PP4H4jfR8Gn5ymt3f9AgxaG/s320/IMG_1091.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was fun to turn a corner and find contemporary art in the midst <br />
of centuries old buildings<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy1l6D1jQyk6f1i1MkWYvV8Vvu0P-vV86R8TNJbfjAQFDuAG23v0X0rlx2NFtX9PQRcXuFB1VTneBRoLF7erHPYLQoBrExO57WBz4UigKk4Z6fVzweAfWaThyphenhyphenDbXaNGlrbylIoZv8ORBO/s1600/DSC07128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy1l6D1jQyk6f1i1MkWYvV8Vvu0P-vV86R8TNJbfjAQFDuAG23v0X0rlx2NFtX9PQRcXuFB1VTneBRoLF7erHPYLQoBrExO57WBz4UigKk4Z6fVzweAfWaThyphenhyphenDbXaNGlrbylIoZv8ORBO/s320/DSC07128.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to believe this view isn't there any more.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When an image triggers a dormant memory, I've been sending it off to my family. It's been a nice way to talk about something besides our limited quarantine news. Really, how much can I do in my house every day during self-isolation that's interesting and/or differs from the day before? Someone might think it's a sad or wistful process (well, maybe thinking about the destruction of Notre Dame is sad), but I'm enjoying the opportunity -- and time -- to reflect on happy memories.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-52388249131387635652020-04-09T16:30:00.000-04:002020-04-15T21:47:09.181-04:00The Mask BrigadeI've (sort of, kind of) joined the mask-making brigade. I qualify that comment because I've been watching hours of YouTube video tutorials on how to sew these masks. I've wanted to make something that's sturdy and comfortable and that will limit exposure (though I know nothing can prevent exposure) as much as possible.<br />
<br />
Why have I watched hours of videos?<br />
<br />
I liked the feedback and look of the duckbill masks I was seeing and decided that this was the way to go for me. But sewing curves scared the bejeezus out of me. Okay, I was a total chicken about starting. I didn't come to quilting from garment making. <br />
<br />
Eventually I took the plunge. Many hours later I had my first mask.<br />
<br />
I'm slow, in part, because I don't have any elastic. I have to make my own ties. I don't have any t-shirts either so I'm making bias tape binding. I don't have one of those little doodads that automatically folds the fabric for you. Major time drain.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsOtLO7v1kakSlPTFgksBMaK_t75Zpfs_Ysp7l5ix5dkEzxQRL5OeyKj-AqHbOKo1qMwzxGKrRpEu0h7apIhRk98h_E08iYC4J9Huv1l5YHUJmtt8zVl7qqOcaRky7T8pdrfOF8nrM6dz/s1600/IMG_4327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsOtLO7v1kakSlPTFgksBMaK_t75Zpfs_Ysp7l5ix5dkEzxQRL5OeyKj-AqHbOKo1qMwzxGKrRpEu0h7apIhRk98h_E08iYC4J9Huv1l5YHUJmtt8zVl7qqOcaRky7T8pdrfOF8nrM6dz/s320/IMG_4327.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1AM and that mask is finally done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since then, I've made some more masks. I've forgotten to sew things front sides together. (Rip out and resew.) I've clipped through the stitches on curved edges. (Try to fuse fabric over the cut sections and resew.) I've sewn ties to the wrong side so that when things are flipped out, the ties are on the inside. (Yup, rip out and resew.) Very slow progress.<br />
<br />
My family, bless their hearts, have received my guinea pig masks. The good news: everything has survived a hot water wash and high dry cycle post-construction. In fact, they're still rather sturdy.<br />
<br />
I still have to make masks for my elderly parents who live in Illinois and for my in-laws who live in Arizona. But once my family masks are done, I'll be making masks for the healthcare workers at a local disabled adult residential facility, using their pattern for masks that go over N95 masks. Now that I've made all my mistakes, I think I can more confidently make masks that will be heading to the front lines. It'll be good to do something that serves others as opposed to myself. I'll be slow, but thank heavens fabric doesn't spoil if it sits out for a while. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-5885528709841903962020-03-30T23:21:00.000-04:002020-04-22T17:08:32.914-04:00Stop Stalling <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO66t4mDlTCrqXz6aYjBvtbSyfyTDo-ee9vo50A1pd9n9WPBk8oqC9hE-7yEM2rX_tlH2zK8aS6J4gmJOq1YiAxTDDWisX6j1Sg_xvNkgTO6WytrFMLankrPDo1ReFaW5z8_ctt4n-uuW/s1600/intrapersonal-communication-thought-mind-language-png-favpng-TLkmeDjd3XESSkg8ZL5Z8NXpx_t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO66t4mDlTCrqXz6aYjBvtbSyfyTDo-ee9vo50A1pd9n9WPBk8oqC9hE-7yEM2rX_tlH2zK8aS6J4gmJOq1YiAxTDDWisX6j1Sg_xvNkgTO6WytrFMLankrPDo1ReFaW5z8_ctt4n-uuW/s200/intrapersonal-communication-thought-mind-language-png-favpng-TLkmeDjd3XESSkg8ZL5Z8NXpx_t.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
How much time can you spend vacillating between different ways to choose your next book? <br />
<br />
It seems you can mull it over for days when you're self-isolating. Or, at least, I can.<br />
<br />
I'm one of the lucky ones. My decision-making isn't that complex right now. I have the luxury of not trying to juggle home schooling with work demands. I have time on my hands. I can stand in front of my refrigerator and wonder, What's still fresh enough that might work for a meal so I don't have to make a grocery run quite yet? I can wander around my house and think, What household project should I do next? I can look out the window critically and say, Did I pull all the weeds from the vegetable garden? And, apparently, I can toss and turn at night, grappling with, How should I select what to read next?<br />
<br />
Lame. Lame. Lame.<br />
<br />
No doubt you're bored reading this. I got bored thinking about it. It was like listening to a teenager whine in my head. Totally annoying. Enough already!<br />
<br />
And so I just started. I picked the first book in my alphabetical list that I thought would be suitable for nighttime reading. I'm reading <u>Age of Innocence.</u> It's perfect. This book is making me think of things that have <i>nothing</i> to do with our current situation. Having never read the book before (I know, egad!) I'm feeling that the descriptive language matches the tone of a book filled with flounces, waistcoats, and silk. May I read to you for a moment from a passage I think illustrates this point so very well?<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The immense accretion of flesh which had descended on her in middle life like a flood of lava on a doomed city had changed her from a plump active little woman with a neatly-turned foot and ankle into something as vast and august as a natural phenomenon. She had accepted this submergence as philosophically as all her other trials, and now, in extreme old age, was rewarded by presenting to her mirror an almost unwrinkled expanse of firm pink and white flesh, in the center of which the traces of a small face survived as if awaiting excavation. A flight of smooth double chins led down to the dizzy depths of a still-snowy bosom veiled in snowy muslins that were held in place by a miniature portrait of the late Mr. Mingott; and around and below, wave after wave of black silk surged away over the edges of a capacious armchair, with two tiny white hands poised like gulls on the surface of the billows. </i></span><br />
<br />
Sigh....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-14379467074316554562020-03-26T18:14:00.003-04:002020-03-26T18:14:35.029-04:00What to Read Next?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2wv6ukB19u4QaI3o_sGImSrzDucqA1JjpwoHcD7yK3Xp2is3OIc2kLmsI6Uq98nLgZbflg2DLEKl8eaX0Go6vgviieBGanxtvaZDlC667He9j_7V4yxZOceJ4WLS1b8PlZlQPk36V9rN/s1600/51xjKlcrfeL._SX330_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2wv6ukB19u4QaI3o_sGImSrzDucqA1JjpwoHcD7yK3Xp2is3OIc2kLmsI6Uq98nLgZbflg2DLEKl8eaX0Go6vgviieBGanxtvaZDlC667He9j_7V4yxZOceJ4WLS1b8PlZlQPk36V9rN/s320/51xjKlcrfeL._SX330_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've been on a reading tear this year. Some book have been pure distraction. You know, the ones you race through because they're so fabulously plot driven. The <a href="https://williamkentkrueger.com/cork-oconnor-series/">Cork O'Connor series </a>by William Kent Krueger has fit the bill perfectly.<br />
<br />
I also just finished a book by one of my favorite science authors who's also a humorist: Mary Roach. Have you read any of her books? <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Packing-Mars-Curious-Science-Life/dp/B003Y56QYC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=packing+for+mars&qid=1585258620&sr=8-1">Packing for Mars</a> </span>is both interesting and chortle-worthy. I can't believe some of the things people have done in the name of science.<br />
<br />
Now I'm getting antsy. I can't decide what I should read next on my Kindle. I specify my Kindle because I have more physical books than I'm likely to read in the next ten years. I have plenty to choose from there. No, what I need help with is my Kindle. We have a family account that we all access. Our "cloud" has books of all genres because we are a family with very differing tastes. <br />
<br />
I can't decide what I'm in the mood for now. I'm considering working from an imposed structure. Thinking in that vein, I've removed all the books I've already read from my device. That way I'm not tempted to be lazy and revisit old favorites. (There's nothing wrong with that, mind you. I'm just trying to make my way through the stacks of unread and unfinished books.)<br />
<br />
Next, I've sorted the remaining books by title, the reason being that I don't want to simply read the book someone's purchased most recently. I know there are books I downloaded onto my device from, perhaps, a year or two ago that still merit my attention. The question I have now is, do I read the books in alphabetical order? If that's the case I'll be starting with the book <u>13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.</u> Or, do I randomly pick a letter of the alphabet and read all the titles that start with that letter? <br />
<br />
Any thoughts?<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-10849672022639984252020-03-25T16:05:00.001-04:002020-04-22T17:12:56.426-04:00The Friendship BraceletMy youngest has a hard time sitting without doing something with her hands. Most of the times she's doodling, but lately she's been making friendship bracelets for there friends. <br />
<br />
Today, she gifted one to me. <br />
<br />
(melt my heart)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPpV73IFOwCFdwK7xyaiU2-3YI5tBEaxHpX9slzmL5jKje_TZkQNWI7JWw_v4JXGK9QLKzZAM0_H2mNG4Vt6_NT90gteCB0ldtUZxn7T4sou1xTogCBkhTsYRKdmzTX5CDqviZqZ2FUrE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_69ca.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPpV73IFOwCFdwK7xyaiU2-3YI5tBEaxHpX9slzmL5jKje_TZkQNWI7JWw_v4JXGK9QLKzZAM0_H2mNG4Vt6_NT90gteCB0ldtUZxn7T4sou1xTogCBkhTsYRKdmzTX5CDqviZqZ2FUrE/s320/fullsizeoutput_69ca.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-45780944846348219392020-03-24T12:41:00.002-04:002020-03-24T12:56:05.253-04:00Will it last?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uG_fQpW9slpYikRoHUnC8fxsz1eDV16RqfE70PnqX41ZfJ58BsoBljz8Ntd-qPJRoK2Rbns_WySCEoWVV5vVUO9szMdQu-gOuvdK3gjquiz0qiw9QwvKcgFRHsyqAIN38KoT2O5M4bgu/s1600/fullsizeoutput_69b5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uG_fQpW9slpYikRoHUnC8fxsz1eDV16RqfE70PnqX41ZfJ58BsoBljz8Ntd-qPJRoK2Rbns_WySCEoWVV5vVUO9szMdQu-gOuvdK3gjquiz0qiw9QwvKcgFRHsyqAIN38KoT2O5M4bgu/s320/fullsizeoutput_69b5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm using my childhood nail scrub brush every day now, <br />
as opposed to just after gardening. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
One of the things I'm noticing here -- in an area of NY with the highest concentration of confirmed COVID-19 cases outside of the New York City -- is an uptick in generosity. Everyone's checking in, making sure people are still well. People are offering to shop for those who are sick or who might need to self-quarantine. And, those who can't get out aren't hesitating to ask for help and people are stepping up. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In some ways, I think social distancing is bringing our community together and fortifying personal connections. I hope all this lasts beyond this crisis. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Wouldn't that be nice?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-89975305982161382452020-03-21T14:25:00.002-04:002020-03-26T17:31:41.479-04:00Sort. Delete. Repeat.Sorting through my photos is one of the projects I've set for myself during this period of social distancing. It's also a good thing to do while I'm battling a bit of a stomach bug. I can just sit on the couch and be productive.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the last seven days I've deleted over 1,000 pictures from my computer. <br />
<br />
It's an impressive number but I still have nearly 56,000 pictures to review, spanning the last ten years. <br />
<br />
I've gotten a few chuckles from pictures I'd forgotten but immediately remembered once I saw them. The circumstances. What people were saying and doing. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcpukEdlZ5GmeUJhqYJ6Pax_kdAbKT0JDkoomUSHxKopgVi2PVgt6CWvO7BFgUXt8_I33FdDqIDyXGvBBmuHL-lZ8FlsusT5elGZ9y3mfI97-eEoXGYWTRPIjD1CLcaeyYlGbqe5Teb1u/s1600/DSC_0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcpukEdlZ5GmeUJhqYJ6Pax_kdAbKT0JDkoomUSHxKopgVi2PVgt6CWvO7BFgUXt8_I33FdDqIDyXGvBBmuHL-lZ8FlsusT5elGZ9y3mfI97-eEoXGYWTRPIjD1CLcaeyYlGbqe5Teb1u/s320/DSC_0029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in the grocery store parking lot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Some pictures I can't figure out why I took them. I mean, look at this one. It looks like a mound of snot. Yech. Delete.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LTUUUb9DFuHNDV_NEbwGmXyAATI5s047ofOTtFCndG-uKu_Q6rwNjrLzb5kAG_sejLjj5k1DcqQZzmc4cxKrufwVJm8QjdYk0b__eeLgP1AxF8XUCN9_e69klIv5R3PAp6WSMiYG9pjO/s1600/DSC09379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LTUUUb9DFuHNDV_NEbwGmXyAATI5s047ofOTtFCndG-uKu_Q6rwNjrLzb5kAG_sejLjj5k1DcqQZzmc4cxKrufwVJm8QjdYk0b__eeLgP1AxF8XUCN9_e69klIv5R3PAp6WSMiYG9pjO/s320/DSC09379.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This was one of 15 pictures I took of my phlox from different angles There's no need to keep them all. And this one's not that good. Delete.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHILYqAUkeCiZXpSpPCsehs800tz4Yd7o0lx99i6Gx7d5fWFsXV088h2QQrMKPeth3P42vj58sWEMEqDttajH-pLtLbq8OwaRkhhlu3QDXx-6EvEvX7SNTsJXvGV3t1DVRpQ69pNsY5GT/s1600/DSC09736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHILYqAUkeCiZXpSpPCsehs800tz4Yd7o0lx99i6Gx7d5fWFsXV088h2QQrMKPeth3P42vj58sWEMEqDttajH-pLtLbq8OwaRkhhlu3QDXx-6EvEvX7SNTsJXvGV3t1DVRpQ69pNsY5GT/s320/DSC09736.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Now that I know how to take pictures of the night sky, I'm less tolerant of full moon pictures that are out of focus. Delete.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh954JzaEhi_4HbIrmMUhpkU_e2LVUU7ZHNiui7VUDJDKBTHuayUkyi6QCP3B7hXXvA-pNMxySDHMP2NDCDhn7A-H9_w7LM6iaA6SnkA8rdmWQ9E74xMwuTlwu-V4E-T-KbRKLL1VgsaXOr/s1600/DSC_0088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh954JzaEhi_4HbIrmMUhpkU_e2LVUU7ZHNiui7VUDJDKBTHuayUkyi6QCP3B7hXXvA-pNMxySDHMP2NDCDhn7A-H9_w7LM6iaA6SnkA8rdmWQ9E74xMwuTlwu-V4E-T-KbRKLL1VgsaXOr/s320/DSC_0088.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's one from the <i>Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts</i> exhibition in 2011. I took lots of pictures of the installation because I thought it was fabulous. But sometimes my image framing wasn't so good. For example, why did I include so much of the ceiling here? Delete.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4ZnBAM0_fijr4bap7kwoZ6Hy_fNBUuc0ylHxXT6cpXWqgUUvgz5seh0tufHny0DiPhYiAXf86tDJaLIWhxvan-xNFggaaU618IcMBd0E74YBExswSzqaXY-ngFV2HJXHqiSLgJktGsAW/s1600/DSC09175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4ZnBAM0_fijr4bap7kwoZ6Hy_fNBUuc0ylHxXT6cpXWqgUUvgz5seh0tufHny0DiPhYiAXf86tDJaLIWhxvan-xNFggaaU618IcMBd0E74YBExswSzqaXY-ngFV2HJXHqiSLgJktGsAW/s320/DSC09175.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There are literally thousands more pictures that will be deleted over the course of the next few months. All right, it will likely take me all year to do this project because life will return to normal. At some point -- soon, I hope --I won't be able to focus as much time to doing this. But I'd like to keep at it because the distance of time is helpful. I'm a bit more ruthless on what to keep and what to move to the trash. <br />
<br />
This is both the pleasure and curse of digital photography. We can take as many pictures as we'd like without the cost of processing bad photos. But at some point, we've got to toss the bad ones. And that can take months. I'll keep you posted.<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-86444973648921253042020-03-20T10:28:00.002-04:002020-03-20T10:28:35.087-04:00Kudos to Fiber Art Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7jmRrrrM1_3k4h5YXwnKizKU4LoIh2KFVkxYrVi33zv-wE-UhekVdHGf0_0VZt-hFZV2mrbWnN83PVdjLdUBOeuW_7Oc7KNDqi4Vdd4PIFwM3u21Yixl6ZCdR5dQs2je4hGGFTVeGtGs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-03-20+at+10.21.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="812" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7jmRrrrM1_3k4h5YXwnKizKU4LoIh2KFVkxYrVi33zv-wE-UhekVdHGf0_0VZt-hFZV2mrbWnN83PVdjLdUBOeuW_7Oc7KNDqi4Vdd4PIFwM3u21Yixl6ZCdR5dQs2je4hGGFTVeGtGs/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-03-20+at+10.21.34+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't know how many of you are members of the Fiber Art Network and/or subscribe to <i>Fiber Art Now</i>, but I want to highlight something this collective group is doing. Through May 1, they're donating 20% of all submissions revenue to the Red Cross. With all the economic uncertainty during this time, I think this is an incredibly generous gesture. You can review their calls for entry <a href="http://fiberartnow.net/submissions/">here</a>. Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-45273426159971661972020-03-19T18:52:00.001-04:002020-03-19T18:52:21.851-04:00I Wonder....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5cu85pIZm_0p0HvMukjS9odk9nQuacJbNujv_tnvdLvNi3CPY0CWEX0ua64Ywi5PWU8TWpLplru-ErKBP86-6eHRMUlcvMT2M-nc0mQm_uJOe4fFgVhhjuo50IkafO5oSdsvkR8uzT_M/s1600/Unknown.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="117" data-original-width="129" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5cu85pIZm_0p0HvMukjS9odk9nQuacJbNujv_tnvdLvNi3CPY0CWEX0ua64Ywi5PWU8TWpLplru-ErKBP86-6eHRMUlcvMT2M-nc0mQm_uJOe4fFgVhhjuo50IkafO5oSdsvkR8uzT_M/s200/Unknown.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Today I had a virtual meeting with about 25 other ladies. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I'm left to wonder....<br />
<br />
-- how obvious was it that I hadn't put on makeup and brushed my hair?<br />
<br />
-- does the computer camera automatically make me look 10 pounds heavier?<br />
<br />
-- what's the optimal angle for the computer top so it's not looking up my nose or making my head look weirdly shaped?<br />
<br />
-- what kind of lighting will make it look like I have cheekbones or, at least, not chipmunk cheeks?<br />
<br />
-- was it really annoying for everyone else that I balanced my computer on my lap and, hence, kept bobbling a bit since I couldn't get comfortable?<br />
<br />
These are the questions of the day. Hardly earth-shattering to be sure, but I may need to find some answers in this time of social distancing and virtual hugs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-21636714830637339462020-03-18T20:47:00.001-04:002020-03-18T20:47:12.006-04:00Weeding as ExerciseToday I rather aggressively started my "weed the garden during social distancing" plan. I weeded for 2 1/2 hours. I guessing my thighs and hamstrings will tell me in the morning that that was probably too long for the first time out.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, it was a great day outside. Slightly cool, but full of sun and birdsong. This year my garden might just get the attention it deserves but never receives. My target for now: all the weeds I can see because most of my plants haven't yet emerged. They can't hide from me right now, sheltered as they often are beneath the foliage of the plants I want to keep. Another plus; it's been raining. The soil is moist and most of the weeds can be dethroned fairly easily. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc4jtlLpYlfzXq5aj_l3vTY3nWvR4fFVVXppc370iaLs2RFfFGjh02HFK29VWMpt4edcUZzEvqccjx-5woQLh9xwBXkerqHnYM2a1nIYmMEmiH31CV8-lLup04ItNry3yuOaNcZMWfk7A/s1600/IMG_3751+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc4jtlLpYlfzXq5aj_l3vTY3nWvR4fFVVXppc370iaLs2RFfFGjh02HFK29VWMpt4edcUZzEvqccjx-5woQLh9xwBXkerqHnYM2a1nIYmMEmiH31CV8-lLup04ItNry3yuOaNcZMWfk7A/s320/IMG_3751+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I was surprised to find a dandelion at first. It wasn't a skinny little thing, as you'd expect in March. It was a big, full, radiating circle of dandelion that had a pretty good hold on the soil. I figured it was an early bloomer. <br />
<br />
And then I discovered another. And another. There were an alarming number of well established dandelions in my gardens. For a long time I just kept wedging my weed yanker tool -- I know that's not its technical name, but you know what I mean -- beneath the leaves. Arms, backside and back all worked (sorta kinda) together, in an effort to get enough leverage to extract the roots. We'll find out if I did enough in a few weeks. <br />
<br />
We'll know tomorrow if I did too much for my muscles. <br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-41436110123132511632020-03-16T11:13:00.003-04:002020-03-16T18:22:45.897-04:00Starting to Unwind<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CbNIhtREnXMay4M8RN-Alxk3Fj5raGInuxzVL6V5cqSfoCFS9eeyCzUCzH1F3QZRQRhPxOt8dk2823CV59xEQFMKzh8tKOapbWhXKQSiLmUallh7-H8LARJ7VCheM7RgFuyPKmWAt3Hx/s1600/IMG_3656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CbNIhtREnXMay4M8RN-Alxk3Fj5raGInuxzVL6V5cqSfoCFS9eeyCzUCzH1F3QZRQRhPxOt8dk2823CV59xEQFMKzh8tKOapbWhXKQSiLmUallh7-H8LARJ7VCheM7RgFuyPKmWAt3Hx/s320/IMG_3656.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vivika DeNegre taking a picture of host, Susan Brubaker Knapp, and I<br />
before the start of my first segment, Block Metamorphosis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There was quite a whirlwind of activity in advance of my trip to Cleveland for Quilting Arts TV. Practice. Packing. Creating more step-outs.<br />
<br />
We filmed my segments on Thursday and I flew home on Friday. Fortunately, my husband was able to coordinate my daughter's flight home from spring break to land within half an hour of mine. And now we're hunkering down in what I hope will be the temporary new normal of social distancing. <br />
<br />
I'm still reflecting on my QATV experience both on and off the set. It's a jumble of feelings right now though I can say, without a doubt, that I'm grateful for the experience. I learned a lot and it was so much fun.<br />
<br />
More immediately, I'm beginning the process of social distancing. My youngest came home from her spring break and it's an unexpected treat to have her back for (at least) a few weeks. I'll be cooking more than I anticipated, but that's hardly a burden. Like everyone, I've recaptured hours of time due to cancelled meetings and events. I'm hoping I fill them productively. I've started a list of things I hope to do while we're laying low. Two things on that list: start weeding the garden and organize at least one year's worth of pictures, deleting extras along the way. It really needs to get done. At some point. Maybe this is the time it will happen.<br />
<br />
Stay healthy and safe, my friends!<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-49297578389253493172020-02-25T11:58:00.001-05:002020-02-25T11:58:52.558-05:00My BIG News<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaox2FtFGoPihlLu_typ4Ykt17apv8ZewBUWjM1fZPmMZKSyaAOWvi4T7LositOO-pbMk3j6ob6-RhMDCc2GVixBro8wDRIrJfTodmMv17UtA8tVVF7fp-P7PjI_pXfWzarY-TrQ3yisw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-25+at+11.41.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1460" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaox2FtFGoPihlLu_typ4Ykt17apv8ZewBUWjM1fZPmMZKSyaAOWvi4T7LositOO-pbMk3j6ob6-RhMDCc2GVixBro8wDRIrJfTodmMv17UtA8tVVF7fp-P7PjI_pXfWzarY-TrQ3yisw/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-25+at+11.41.07+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banner taken from Quilting Arts TV YouTube previews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm excited and pleased to announce that I am going to be a Quilting Arts TV guest in the upcoming season! I am heading out to Ohio in a few weeks to film my segments. I'll be sure to share more details after the event. For now, I'm busy working in my studio on step-outs for each of my projects and lingering in my closet trying to figure out what to wear. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-9771958289333246302020-02-19T12:05:00.000-05:002020-02-19T12:05:35.807-05:00Some EcodyeingMu studio is in the attic and I turn the heat off or down on most nights. Yesterday, while it was heating up, I decided to play with some plant material I put in my freezer two years ago. I wondered if I could still get any color out of any of it.<br />
<br />
Experiment #1 included frozen red rose petals, a piece of metal I unearthed in my garden, some tea bits and acorns. I spritzed this with vinegar before I got started. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-Pyk1oMbgPbgzJIs_eQj6vNMXPgAmTtQQPngJQK7JaCyJkBDmAivhLyrqnw9QYhmuwp2TdiPI4XlyGVMeVgt9lCwRVGvK-r7V8FRLDGqqKg_EHx6AtD4yw8xJPOcIUg3RK2y_pdPbxM7/s1600/MA75%2525G%252BiSD2YMucAZSysZg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-Pyk1oMbgPbgzJIs_eQj6vNMXPgAmTtQQPngJQK7JaCyJkBDmAivhLyrqnw9QYhmuwp2TdiPI4XlyGVMeVgt9lCwRVGvK-r7V8FRLDGqqKg_EHx6AtD4yw8xJPOcIUg3RK2y_pdPbxM7/s320/MA75%2525G%252BiSD2YMucAZSysZg.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Experiment #2 included frozen rose petals, zinnia flower heads and petals, and avocado skins + pit, tea bits and acorns. I didn't do any pre-treatment to this cloth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-506CdvwVMXI4hPi9k_rrr6VYsQdOYbwL78S8I7eGQrbP7RNfMBlcYd8WzKn2u88cJhLjXC0E0ue-DXWXpTwzb5XXeGSDriFvhwFlMgXbYWO2_octc_VGcie9o4oRZWi4aW3QKtU9krxE/s1600/d3RsWIdDQJi1B0TGDGdmeQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-506CdvwVMXI4hPi9k_rrr6VYsQdOYbwL78S8I7eGQrbP7RNfMBlcYd8WzKn2u88cJhLjXC0E0ue-DXWXpTwzb5XXeGSDriFvhwFlMgXbYWO2_octc_VGcie9o4oRZWi4aW3QKtU9krxE/s320/d3RsWIdDQJi1B0TGDGdmeQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
My studio may have been heated up already, but I let the bundles stew for about an hour and a half. I flipped them every 15-20 minutes so they'd have a relatively even steam throughout. Clearly the petals still had some color to "give".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheg4joVvVeUnjKsEy9jzfN8QXggXjzmylirFHrWHCVl4OpJSCfzMCm2a_eyw_IYRs43HzzsVHXE1U4abmo2j7b6Z5mopgq8zSOnXG2Hiy75io37bH3qxj0PspXV6aIeQD_yTt5pmuoPLkt/s1600/Q3GUvLGZQ5SwZDIm7SV74A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheg4joVvVeUnjKsEy9jzfN8QXggXjzmylirFHrWHCVl4OpJSCfzMCm2a_eyw_IYRs43HzzsVHXE1U4abmo2j7b6Z5mopgq8zSOnXG2Hiy75io37bH3qxj0PspXV6aIeQD_yTt5pmuoPLkt/s320/Q3GUvLGZQ5SwZDIm7SV74A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's Experiment #2, after I opened it up from steaming.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB64LGUGtCK9Y83v6Xs41nL3aUFMxFWSSQfi4HIT2ysRfdsEaOqueY_M96AhgWuXuxRiDBQSdZhyphenhyphenCXMY3axSPm9E9uNSGku0eu-PDGRtNEYQmmV4tS1go-n7_9QFQaUUGzMX5QSqSR6Bd/s1600/h2dKqY3LTdyRwPsAq10C0A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB64LGUGtCK9Y83v6Xs41nL3aUFMxFWSSQfi4HIT2ysRfdsEaOqueY_M96AhgWuXuxRiDBQSdZhyphenhyphenCXMY3axSPm9E9uNSGku0eu-PDGRtNEYQmmV4tS1go-n7_9QFQaUUGzMX5QSqSR6Bd/s320/h2dKqY3LTdyRwPsAq10C0A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And here are the two colors after I rinsed them in cold water in which I had dissolved a bit of baking soda. Presto chang-o! Where did that purple and blue come from?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaYlr50-6R7FL-OeAr6Cav_oPh8SX9oob-9D1PFS9QroGSINPlDhD-x6NrNekAwYjQN2OIUlQUf5s596ijGMaKFq9hvncc_lTgrDvlBcaBtRq_oEjZje5aJMw4WJwDtxTvnE1NVM9Z6b1/s1600/nwJ39k4YTVyx0%252B2F2CjThg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaYlr50-6R7FL-OeAr6Cav_oPh8SX9oob-9D1PFS9QroGSINPlDhD-x6NrNekAwYjQN2OIUlQUf5s596ijGMaKFq9hvncc_lTgrDvlBcaBtRq_oEjZje5aJMw4WJwDtxTvnE1NVM9Z6b1/s320/nwJ39k4YTVyx0%252B2F2CjThg.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
These are pictures of the wet cloth. When I have a moment, I'll iron the dry fabric and post pictures. I'm sure they'll be softer in color, but what fun! <br />
<br />
I have to remember to harvest plant material from my garden again. To that end, I started my lichen collection this morning. I had no idea lichen gives off color too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-25515312388088535062020-02-16T11:51:00.000-05:002020-02-19T11:52:22.839-05:00Campus Art MuseumsI recently visited my daughter for Jr. Parents' Weekend. My husband and I had some down time while our daughter studied, so we walked around campus for a bit of exercise and fresh air. <br />
<br />
We also stopped at the Snite Museum. I've come to learn that campus museums are often well worth the visit. We didn't have enough time to see all the exhibitions, but the ones we did see were well worth it. Here's just a sample of what we saw.<br />
<br />
From <i>Divine Illusion: Statue Paintings from Colonial South America</i>. The <span style="font-family: inherit;"> intent of the exhibition was to show examples of how </span>sculpted images of the Virgin Mary were frequent subjects of paintings in <span style="font-family: inherit;">18th century. The exhibition focused on works originating out of the Viceroyalty of Peru that, at the time, encompasses much of Andean South America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3uDoj4J07HVATf-C4EG2417qRZax7Iiyyg73taey3hT909qzCc9jy8JXqXEmAHsXefCVtmzzNzUfgJSvMiEQ4z5Em9w2kLsMOe8DD1TBx38ZGY7TUpqSvFHaVAWtRFncZpT_Q1y9cNSw/s1600/fullsizeoutput_68d6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1190" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3uDoj4J07HVATf-C4EG2417qRZax7Iiyyg73taey3hT909qzCc9jy8JXqXEmAHsXefCVtmzzNzUfgJSvMiEQ4z5Em9w2kLsMOe8DD1TBx38ZGY7TUpqSvFHaVAWtRFncZpT_Q1y9cNSw/s320/fullsizeoutput_68d6.jpeg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unidentified artist<br />Peruvian or Bolivian School<br />Our Lady of the Rosary of Pomata, 1669<br />Oil on canvas<br />Sometime in the late 1500s, Dominican friars carried a statue of the<br />Virgin to Pomata. This is the earliest known painting of that statues<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97HZ_47B3lTfOpJT743Z9MjOXvfuZEYDrTm-9LIxBcTjkezvTuQVhSVQTYAhuBwOn4FxQhrSLDCQd_eT_qLQQFBbh46FSeK_aK0XsdWQxaFt53C6rPzXs5J5PIn62zxYli5gqUdn-pmbN/s1600/fullsizeoutput_68da.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97HZ_47B3lTfOpJT743Z9MjOXvfuZEYDrTm-9LIxBcTjkezvTuQVhSVQTYAhuBwOn4FxQhrSLDCQd_eT_qLQQFBbh46FSeK_aK0XsdWQxaFt53C6rPzXs5J5PIn62zxYli5gqUdn-pmbN/s320/fullsizeoutput_68da.jpeg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unidentified artist<br />Bolivia<br /><i>Our Lady of Loreto with Donors</i>, 17th-18th century<br />Oil on canvas<br />The painter's use of brown pigment in rendering the faces evokes<br />the appearance of its sculptural prototype in Loreto, Italy. Kneeling<br />on either side of the altar are the patrons who commissioned this canvas<br />to memorialize their devotion. Future research on the coat of arms on the altar<br />frontal may reveal their identities.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From <i>Dimensions of Power: African Art . </i>As described on the website, "I</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">n the past, African art was often tied into the way African leaders promoted their agendas. Royalty and rulers used art to project their authority; religious groups promoted their faiths; while the wealthy desired to display their riches. Ordinary Africans also used art to enable them to wield their own forms of power. Since supernatural forces were thought to play a large role in determining events, it was important to own objects that could withstand or shape events that lay beyond ordinary control."</span></span><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigejpmkPhcmV0FT6tw91La_NkJPi0aKELFkr1Rk_vmpua1nzLsk9YAF0PL5QRtm0Znc9mJpAWoN7dqZ0m4SNNMTEkqa5LMggrwlfREUaBhHE6Fwxurmv1OjB1ZlanMBW0CumLaNPAH71Ha/s1600/K1SNrhsdTgGI%2525AXD7fkXeQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigejpmkPhcmV0FT6tw91La_NkJPi0aKELFkr1Rk_vmpua1nzLsk9YAF0PL5QRtm0Znc9mJpAWoN7dqZ0m4SNNMTEkqa5LMggrwlfREUaBhHE6Fwxurmv1OjB1ZlanMBW0CumLaNPAH71Ha/s320/K1SNrhsdTgGI%2525AXD7fkXeQ.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are examples of Kuba beadwork. During ceremonies and<br />public functions, Cuba Kings, royal title holders, and other members<br />of court all wore elaborate beaded attire.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVX1Xtwa6RwaI7zZdWhgcvgtrBvUD-6ZMIVcJyzSGjZPLYTN2-a4dl1kOXnIT_87A-BXytbZ7aw5jkfZP-6wj8e-0nA_salR-0ij_wGF_DC52hHj39CWxkRaZNzn51Gkic4Qzhllmu4eS7/s1600/WtBViVWZSqyEdlVpGSLupg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVX1Xtwa6RwaI7zZdWhgcvgtrBvUD-6ZMIVcJyzSGjZPLYTN2-a4dl1kOXnIT_87A-BXytbZ7aw5jkfZP-6wj8e-0nA_salR-0ij_wGF_DC52hHj39CWxkRaZNzn51Gkic4Qzhllmu4eS7/s320/WtBViVWZSqyEdlVpGSLupg.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Mukyem Elephant Mask<br />Unrecorde artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo<br />Kuba style, mid-twentieth century<br />Glass beads, cowrie shells, raffia palm fiber, animal skin, wood<br />This mask belonged to a sacred Kuba king and was worn in important<br />royal court performances. The mask represents Woot, the primordial ancestor<br />and first sacred king of the Kuba people.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U5bhDNxbYyrwBJbqeMENNEpZnLr5HtKZp9ZE7oPNCHBCLfgH8nR8XsvwyetgMeG1Aw__wXfFDJCI6_ZqdVVq4sYx706RZJLKyKp2vab9i1Sp7EDnhrXldHMfkzu2xsf19fFlehZ_nPau/s1600/zZAISmaqQg6vadTFJPwyxg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U5bhDNxbYyrwBJbqeMENNEpZnLr5HtKZp9ZE7oPNCHBCLfgH8nR8XsvwyetgMeG1Aw__wXfFDJCI6_ZqdVVq4sYx706RZJLKyKp2vab9i1Sp7EDnhrXldHMfkzu2xsf19fFlehZ_nPau/s320/zZAISmaqQg6vadTFJPwyxg.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vodou beaded banner of Agoue Royo<br />Clotaire Bazille<br />Haiti, 1975-1985<br />Seqins and beads on burlap interior, satin backed<br />Agoue Royo is king of the ocean and protector of ships on the sea; he is<br />represented by images from the sea. Rituals for Agoue always feature<br />a boat, seen on this flag as an old European steamship.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6792090325957318573.post-51971215857697704652020-02-07T15:27:00.000-05:002020-02-11T15:28:39.458-05:00Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);">I just saw the</span><em style="caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);"> Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art </em><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);">exhibition at the Jewish Musuem in New York City. It was terrific. I hadn't realized how influential Edith Halpert was. She was the first gallerist to offer installment purchase plans for art. She was successful doing this, even during the Depression. She believed good art should be accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);">She had unfailingly good taste that ranged from modern to folk art. Throughout her career Halpert supported unknown artists and those whose names and works we now easily recognize, such as Georgia O'Keeffe. She also championed artists rejected by the establishment or vilified at the time, such as Yasuo Kuniyoshi who was interred during WWII for his Japanese heritage. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);">Here are some photos of the art in the exhibition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBJMujdiZN0csBZgmd1fr-8aoZhljTTDHaP3ONm3WMbNlsus0lW3nq3DFsw73LUOVlbtwKkbLJau0OiWtPFXclTVmboBj44J7LXz28KDpLJW8x_3nBGGPo-93qAWCICJQO-CwaDnZCqYO/s1600/ex%252ByfG%252B3QfCwE%252BIompAGdQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBJMujdiZN0csBZgmd1fr-8aoZhljTTDHaP3ONm3WMbNlsus0lW3nq3DFsw73LUOVlbtwKkbLJau0OiWtPFXclTVmboBj44J7LXz28KDpLJW8x_3nBGGPo-93qAWCICJQO-CwaDnZCqYO/s320/ex%252ByfG%252B3QfCwE%252BIompAGdQ.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elie Nadelman, (1882-1946), <i>Seated Woman</i>, c. 191-1925<br />
Cherrywood and iron<br />
Nadelman was in one of Halpert's first exhibitions. She drew<br />
inspiration from American folk art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFUnuYFUSH5IjTWY0aeQNJIMoukASZAJenf1YVP9Wq-mzXnstIKMmvHNgcdsZ__jE3eCJywZZtmw1bBt7zsskxClrTrJ_8ieSL6os25kMqe-0fIGyyG4EncIrIw10WZSi5p9hkwWxUmbh/s1600/uQtKC5Y2QFCcuGf9dXWOFQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFUnuYFUSH5IjTWY0aeQNJIMoukASZAJenf1YVP9Wq-mzXnstIKMmvHNgcdsZ__jE3eCJywZZtmw1bBt7zsskxClrTrJ_8ieSL6os25kMqe-0fIGyyG4EncIrIw10WZSi5p9hkwWxUmbh/s320/uQtKC5Y2QFCcuGf9dXWOFQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mabel Dwight (1876-1955), <i>Life Class,</i> 1931<br />
Lithograph<br />
Dwight, who was deaf, reflected everyday life with humor and<br />
a keen eye.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBn63Fh6ZY_MDRLnQcj3EoVpHrrqbIwcI4gdKQRlCl8pmb1Ex7QD842SzRnHtKyRdgGPw2MkBM-9jbim-9sRTlBARiML5Y23YiD2H18A535W5M6COFmGveHqm7Mn1xIeyz-zVrMfkK-6P/s1600/gnE07fxXTAekSTAkfpfQeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBn63Fh6ZY_MDRLnQcj3EoVpHrrqbIwcI4gdKQRlCl8pmb1Ex7QD842SzRnHtKyRdgGPw2MkBM-9jbim-9sRTlBARiML5Y23YiD2H18A535W5M6COFmGveHqm7Mn1xIeyz-zVrMfkK-6P/s320/gnE07fxXTAekSTAkfpfQeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889-1953), <i>The Swimmer</i>, c. 1924<br />
Oil on canvas<br />
Kuniyoshi blended Cubist space and a style reminiscent of<br />
folk art. Interred during WWII for his heritage, Kuniyoshi<br />
became the first living artist to have a retrospective at<br />
the White Museum of American Art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouME34ikY5qMC0R9ZRb53yU-U2e37CwYqqHi4U0fuAMyImNPWr-ycOEmXjAUV0VMzE5_GOs7S65nf1ldrLqBG0XqONxDvuj99Qzz7tFpjtT36kIJNbdMxzitnyNajBqqNtxYDjU5npTdk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_68a2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouME34ikY5qMC0R9ZRb53yU-U2e37CwYqqHi4U0fuAMyImNPWr-ycOEmXjAUV0VMzE5_GOs7S65nf1ldrLqBG0XqONxDvuj99Qzz7tFpjtT36kIJNbdMxzitnyNajBqqNtxYDjU5npTdk/s320/fullsizeoutput_68a2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart Davis (1892-1964), <i>Tree and El</i>, 1931<br />
Oil on canvas<br />
Davis called himself an "addict of the New England coast"<br />
but spent much of his career creating art based on rural and<br />
urban subjects.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iaZcS8YcfXtEayilMoYEwkMLlgACghYhwmcLkqyN6kdRbI4cD1FDIbMzhWSRXBmr6eUiD58iT7o9t5j1CZNgoa19TLN_KqQzrjauuUQXHiDVfILS7gLnokhAoehEZOiq_ph34ygIcv6d/s1600/fullsizeoutput_68a1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iaZcS8YcfXtEayilMoYEwkMLlgACghYhwmcLkqyN6kdRbI4cD1FDIbMzhWSRXBmr6eUiD58iT7o9t5j1CZNgoa19TLN_KqQzrjauuUQXHiDVfILS7gLnokhAoehEZOiq_ph34ygIcv6d/s320/fullsizeoutput_68a1.jpeg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marguerite Zorach (1887-1968)<br />
<i>Memories of a Summer in the White Mountains,</i> 1917<br />
Tapestry<br />
Marguerite Zorach added textiles to her oeuvre when she<br />
and her husband moved to Maine. She was at the forefront<br />
of modernism in America.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT1_nDWTSFVpP6OnjTX051oYN8NIyGV3KVAK2mQkwpMsOOBqy2lJsjs1OI9HqgdFu6hjQUdXaIFkKu4-WtvMPRRm0ja4rppM0Z37tXedasFNgec1JU__eFGkF5CD5lZVRri0aYHT1c2S1/s1600/MvWzcUMfTzyGtu8jXiQWKw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT1_nDWTSFVpP6OnjTX051oYN8NIyGV3KVAK2mQkwpMsOOBqy2lJsjs1OI9HqgdFu6hjQUdXaIFkKu4-WtvMPRRm0ja4rppM0Z37tXedasFNgec1JU__eFGkF5CD5lZVRri0aYHT1c2S1/s320/MvWzcUMfTzyGtu8jXiQWKw.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Stieg (1907-2003), <i>Proud Woman</i>, 1941<br />
Pearwood and rope<br />
Already a famous cartoonist for The New Yorker, Stieg<br />
premiered his satirical sculptures at Halperts Downtown Gallery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(105, 105, 105);"><br /></span></span>Vivien Zepfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.com0