REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Final Day of 12 Days of Mother Love - Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Thanks to our 12 Days of Mother Love journey 2016, I learned something I did not know right in the city I was born in and now I’m ready for a field trip. Thanks to Rebecca Brooks at Recuerda mi Corazon and this year's participants, I learned so much that I didn't know before. This is Our Lady of Guadalupe painted on the exterior of the Community Development Commission’s Housing Authority Building – L.A. County Arts Organization.

Artist: David Lopez Date: 1973

CDC Office Building (Exterior)

4800 Cesar E. Chavez Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90022

Project Description

While driving along Mednik Avenue in East Los Angeles it is impossible to miss David Lopez’s two 13’ h x 25’ w murals on the exterior of the Community Development Commission’s Housing Authority building. These murals were originally painted on a wall of the old Casa Maravilla housing project bungalows, but were salvaged and relocated when the housing project was torn down in 1975.

Designed by the artist with assistance from local teenagers, one mural features an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe surrounded by an aura of radiating colorful light while the other mural includes a cross overlaid with lines from a poem by Sam Zepeda. The poem reads, “Hermano / y porque estoy aquí en la tierra / sin sangrar / sin andar / Hermano por qué?” (translated in English as “Brother / why am I here on earth / without bleeding / without moving / Brother, why?”). The murals, joined together by a brick pillar, were dedicated to a young gang member who died as a victim of gang violence. The murals were originally designed to serve as a local community shrine and today people still come to leave flowers, light candles, and pray.

Over the years the murals’ paint faded and the local community restored the works with good intentions, but unfortunately the original artist was not consulted and a new painter changed the murals’ appearance. In 2008, David Lopez received funding from the Community Development Commission to restore the murals to their original brilliance and detail.

About the Artist

A native of East Los Angeles, David Lopez attended the Art Center College of Design and majored in illustration before pursuing a career in the film industry. Lopez worked as a production painter, scenic artist, and background animation artist for Batman, Lethal Weapon, and several Michael Jackson commercials. He has also worked with Robert Arenivar on a painting for the Pentagon of the Hispanic Medal of Honor winner and on a mural in an East Los Angeles bar that has been destroyed. Lopez currently lives in Saugus, California.

So, thanks Rebecca, for this wonderful 12 days! 

Our Lady of the Angels: Day 5 of Twelve Days of Mary

This is Our Lady of the Angels I created in one of my art journals.  

If you would like to participate in Twelve Days with Mary you are invited to link up with Rebecca at Recuerda mi Corazon who started this lovely tradition of creating a Circle of Mary love five years ago. This goes beyond religion or culture, but unites a community in these days leading up to the Feast day of Guadulupe on December 12.

 

Lovely Family Day: The Brewery Art Walk

Today my son Tony, DIL Gretchen, and grandsons Henry and Fritz and I went on a Grandma Field Trip to downtown Los Angeles and the Brewery Art Walk. We had breakfast at a place I had never heard of before, but is near Tony's former office: Bottega Louie. It's in the former Brooks Brothers historic landmark building called the Brockman Building at 700 S. Grand.

I was really impressed with this restaurant and all of downtown. So much is going on there now and the city is ultra clean. Construction on what is to be the tallest building in L.A. was just a few doors down from the Brockman Building. It will be The Wilshire Grand Tower, a hotel and office tower, 73 stories and 1,100 feet (335 m) in height. Once completed in 2017, it will surpass the U.S. Bank Tower to become the tallest building in the United States, west of Chicago.

My grandson Henry took this photo of me at the entrance to the Brewery Art Walk--a must see, twice yearly open studio show, right past China Town. It's near the San Antonio Winery and the neighborhood of my former husband's grandmother. Tony dropped off the freeway early because of traffic and it was so much fun to see the places I often visited when I worked in downtown L.A. Two different movies were shooting and that was a pain in the butt. 

We visited several studios but here are photos from a few of my favorite ones today. Below is one Andre Miripolsky's paintings. Three years ago Tony and Gretchen bought me a print of Miripolsky's that hangs in my living room. 

 

Another studio I really liked was Winifred Johnson Brewer's. I took a photo of her near a few of her paintings. She was so generous in discussing her mediums and some of the transfer techniques she uses. She has a bee series she is creating and her card says, "If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.--Albert Einstein" 

This is a photo of my grandson Henry in front of some gears. There were lots of heavy metal sculpture and areas especially appealing to kids like The Steam Carnival.  Check their link for a big event they are hosting at the Port of Los Angeles in October. 

Richard Ankrom's studio was kind of startling with a lot of political art. His website describes the kind of work that he does, but his 198 star American flag really intrigued me. This image is from his website. 

Komy's Artworks Kustom also had a lot of interesting work, but this digital art really jumped out at me. Komy was a real character. Below that is an ancient, weather-worn motorcycle which is an art form unto itself. 

Now, who would have thought that cooking classes and cooking art would have a studio. But HipCooks did and I loved this chandelier made out of colanders. Now why didn't I think of that? 

I am so extremely grateful to live in California and in the L.A. area. I love it here! 

 

Monday Mornings With Mary Two Days Late

Rebecca at Recuerda mi Corazon is hosting Mornings with Mary on Mondays and I missed posting on Monday, so here I am two days late. I like to think that it's never too late to honor Mother Mary and the divine feminine. 

Though I have shared this Mary many times on my blog and in other forums, here is the late sculptor Robert Graham's Our Lady of the Angels above his great bronze doors at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles once again. It's worth clicking these links to find out the depth of Graham's art at the Cathedral. 

This image is scanned from a Cathedral publication I purchased in the gift shop there. She sits so high above the great doors that it's hard to get up close and personal. For many years I coordinated the Los Angeles Red Mass and have been in the Cathedral many, many times, but I retired from doing that about six years ago and haven't been back since. This summer I'll schedule a visit again. I love the minimalist architecture and it is filled with wonderful art.  

 

SoulCollage® Card: The Spring Woman

Though two rain storms are predicted for the Los Angeles area, one beginning tonight, it is beautiful today. I am looking out my office window and mist is covering the basin and hiding the mountains.  The light seems thin and blue-tinged but below me is the South Bay I love so much fully visible.

When I saw this image in a gardening magazine, I knew that a SoulCollage® card was in the works.

I call this Spring Woman and she is in the Committee suit. I am the one who creates art but never plein air, but I feel I am the woman splashing her canvas with pink nonetheless. I am the one who is the light spring breeze andI do NOT react to the pollens I am in the midst of. Breathing the sweetness of spring, I sit quietly listening to birds calling back and forth and far below me I can hear the traffic of the city. The sun warms my skin and the breeze ruffles my hair and carries the weight of years into the cloud traces. I am the one who emotionally struggles during winter, but when spring shows herself like a hussy, I begin to lighten and welcome hope and creativity.  Goodbye, winter. I am grateful for the insights winter brings, but I am the one who whoops and hollers for spring.

If I could ask this card a question, it would be, “Winter is the shadow of spring, summer and fall. Show me ways to imprint Spring Woman into all my seasons.”  

 

A Rainy Day in the Huntington Gardens

My favorite garden and museum in Los Angeles is The Huntington in San Marino. As part of my school's alumni weekend, several of us took a bus today to specifically see the Peter and Helen Bing Children's Garden and the relatively new Chinese Garden. One week ago today the Garden Director (we got a private tour) said it was 114, so it was far better in the rain today although the colors didn't pop as much. 

Here are three photos I'm sending on the fly:

If double click this photo you will see two spiderwebs. 

Every opening in the Chinese garden is another window to utter beauty.

Though my trip today was technically for my work, it definitely felt like a vacation. We also had high tea in the Tea Room, which is every bit as good as the Empress Hotel in Victoria. What a nice way to spend a rainy day. 

Tomorrow is Dias de los Muertos

For the fifth year in a row, I have created my own version of a Dias de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead altar. It's in my living room and it contains photos of my deceased family and friends, plus memorabilia. Tomorrow, Nov. 2, is All Souls Day, the day the holiday is celebrated in many Hispanic countries--or in places like California where our Latino population is large. For those who do not know much about the holiday, this article on How to Construct a Day of the Dead altar, might help to understand the symbolism and significance.

My friend Paula from Apprentice of Wonder is actually in Mexico for vacation for the second year in a row during the time Dios de los Muertos is celebrated. She tells me it is an unbelievable festival of living, not a macabre remembrance of death. There are several festivals in Southern California but I was not able to convince any of my friends to go with me and the big processions are mostly at night. But, if you are interested in getting the flavor, try this YouTube video made by Scott Goldberg. 

There are dozens of different Day of Dead videos at YouTube. I do hope to get to a Day of the Dead art show in a gallery in San Pedro tomorrow afternoon. I have long found that Americans sanitize death, shun it, pretend it doesn't exist except on the day of a funeral. My spiritual director long ago told me to "dance with death" to take the fear out of it. Like so many share with me in journal groups and conversations, most of us aren't afraid so much of death as we are an incapacitating illness that often precedes it. The Day of the Dead is a way, literally and figuratively, to dance with death. So, regardless of your heritage or culture, maybe take a little time tomorrow to remember the angels among us.

Link Lists for the Masses: Kudos to Those Who Compile Them

In the world of Internet communications, sometimes you just don’t have the “right” photo to accompany whatever it is you are writing about. Because my blog is considered more of a personal journal, I almost always use my own photos because photography is one of my passions.

But, I was recently searching for photos of the Los Angeles skyline and the California courts for another project, and nothing I had resident was working although I did find some things on the major photosharing sites like Flickr, Shutterfly, SmugMug and Picasa.

Then I tripped across this article at Arcagility entitled “100 Legal Sources for Free Stock Images. Laura Milligan lists them as follows:

• Most Popular
• Community Powered Content
• Artists Welcome
• Less is Sometimes More
• Stock Images Plus
• Miscellaneous
• General

I absolutely love it when someone has such a comprehensive site with links that would take us days to find on our own. I personally maintain a list of all Apple/Macintosh sites so I can keep up with the news I write for my user group's monthly newsletter which I'll share sometime if anyone is interested. What comprehensive lists do you have that you would be willing to share? 

 This photo of the Los Angeles skyline on Flickr was taken by Fort Ogden 

This is the landing flight path at LAX looking toward downtown L.A., the city I was born in and love unashamedly. It is about six miles from my home and each time I fly home from somewhere, I get teary-eyed when I see this--and then the passover of the San Diego freeway. I'm almost home. 

A Taste of Artist Trading Cards

Several months ago I made some Artists Trading Cards, posted a few here, and then put that project aside. That is so Frannish. This weekend I returned to this project. Loretta has convinced me that I have my style and I don't have to constantly compare myself to others.

Shown here are 3 of the cards I made tonight. If you are unfamiliar with the guidelines, the cards are 2.5 x 3.5” and technically they are supposed to be traded at ATC swaps. They are never to be sold. The sky is the limit, I guess. I like the format because I can scan them and put a copy in my journal. They make great writing prompts.

The ATC concept was founded in Switzerland and you can see the ATC history at the Artist Trading Cards site. I just keep making them and have never traded.

Today, while visiting my spiritual director in Culver City, I stopped at Stampin’ From the Heart and Kelley Kilmer, a wonderful mixed media artist, was teaching. And this weekend is the spring Rubber Stamp Convention in Carson sponsored by a Stamp in the Hand. Don’t let the rubber stamp handle get in your way; there are classes, an ATC trade, many dealers of stamps, inks and mixed media supplies, and even classes. It is really fun!

The Power and Passion of Sunsets

When I left work in Palos Verdes at about 5:30 p.m., I could see the fiery sun preparing to set to the west. Instead of going home immediately, I drove up the hill in Malaga Cove to the beautiful La Venta Inn,  an historic 1917 building and grounds now used predominately for public events.

Though the chains were down in the driveway, the caretaker, Rodger Niesley, said it was fine to go in to take photos. (He admitted to hosing down passionate teenagers who sneak into the grounds at night, however.) I hightailed it to my favorite spot and took a dozen photos, but this was my favorite with contrails streaking the sky. I could see one of the Channel Islands in a different snapshot and the Queen’s Necklace (the coastline from South Bay through Santa Monica, Malibu and to where highway 1 curves into Pt. Mugu). It was dusk by then and it was like looking at a cardboard cutout of the coastline with the mountains behind.

Sadly, only a few miles south in Rancho Palos Verdes, the The Daily Breeze  continues the coverage of the search for a young man swept off the rocks two days ago. We have been having some really big surf since the weekend. In the midst of all this beauty, I said a quick prayer for the family of the young man who it is assumed has drowned.

What is it about sunrises and sunsets that totally captivates us all? People can badmouth Los Angeles and kooky California all they want, but how I love the city and the state I was born in. We have everything, even a Governator, who is in deep caca with the budget cuts.

I’ll write about Roger, La Venta's caretaker, another day. He is a superb wood carver and he showed me around his tiny studio tonight which is in one of the original garages. I’m invited back to see carved murals of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Inn’s tower. I just love how I constantly trip across all these wonderful people who enrich my life.