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While I was working on a painting of sunflowers, the season has changed. Maybe it is still summer. The temperature is more than 90 degree in the midday, and I cannot stop using an air conditioner when I sleep. However, there is a definite change at the market. I have been working on the portraits series of heirloom tomatoes since last summer. These tomatoes are so seasonal. Last summer, farmers told me that I could see heirloom tomatoes until around the end of September, or a little less depends on the weather. I remember that I constantly worried when the tomato season would end. My bad habit is that if I have something specific to get for my painting, I cannot see other. As soon as I get it, only one thing I think of is going home. Because of the sunflower, I haven’t paid great attention to the other. Of course, I buy vegetable and fruit for my dinner table, but it is different. How different? Don’t ask me, it is just....different. So, when I became ready for the tomato paintings, the season of the tomatoes was almost gone. Now, the tomatoes are too ripen and looks like rotten already. It smells nice as aged wine, so is probably good for eating today, but I need them to keep the shape at least for a week. At the end, I got some for my salad, not for my paintings for the day. It tasted good. I thought about the series- what I could do for the paintings which I had planned for this year - while I was eating the salad. It’s gonna be terribly fewer that I thought. I will keep looking for fresh ones for the paintings, but most of tomatoes would go for my salad... Gosh, I have to but a lot of mozzarella cheese.
Sunflowers are the symbol of the summer. As many said, the yellow pedals reminded me of the scorching sun. There was a big sun burning my face and shoulders in the sky, and so many small suns in the market emitting their slight fresh scent in the air. It looked like a smily face of a baby sun. I smiled back.
Then I found special sunflowers, It's like these you can see in Van Gogh's paintings! I was wondering how the sunflowers in his paintings looked like in real. I pictured that it might have been just the center part of the flower after all the pedals are gone, but, honestly, it didn't exactly look like that. I believe he was sane when he painted them, and his eyes captured the world much more clearly than any of us would do. His sunflowers couldn't just come from imagination. Finally, I got the answer. The answer was in front of me, and I was staring of those sunflowers for... I don't know how long. It wasn't that long, but don't you ever have a moment when the world stops for you--the wind freezes and the water drops stay in the air. Okay, it wasn't that dramatic, just that I was VERY happy to find those special sunflowers. But the farmers were not happy because I took a long time to select only three of them. I wished I could have bought all of them, but I knew cut flowers die quickly, especially in this hot weather. I need to come back to the market every other day to get new ones until I finish my piece. Bad news for the farmer, I feel sorry to occupy their narrow space in front of the sunflower buckets and touch and examine them one by one. In the end, I will pick just one or two flowers. Then I thought it might be good for them because people like to buy things from a popular store. When people see me picking the flowers so seriously, they might think the flowers are really special. First of all, it it truly true. Second of all, that's a good advertisement!
Now, I feel so much better going back to the farmer. In real, I'm not sure how much they care about me.....
I had a watercolor workshop in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. It was a beautiful city. Especially, the place where I taught was excellent! It was an art enter called Centro de las Artes run by the government. The buildings are amazing! It used to be a jail, but thanks to the remarkable renovation, now it was revived as a stunning architecture! Of course, it still reminds creepy features in some way. When you enter one of the buildings, the cool air catch you immediately. You can call it refreshing, but I called it frightening. I was told that so many people died in this building..... Woooo... But it was really amazing place, and I really like it. You can check it on their site: http://centrodelasartesslp.gob.mx/home/
Also, people are so nice over there. The students were diligent and showed great interest in my workshop. Also, because of my friend, Nadia who is incredibly friendly, I became a good friend of many people. A lot of laughs and a lot of beer!! In San Luis Potosi, people are living on such a different time schedule. A long lunch time with their family and evening parties.
My vacation was not fully vacation because of the workshop. However, surrounded by different culture and warm welcoming, I felt that I was in heaven, especially with good music.
I went a market in the city. Of course, this is the place I have to check. I shall see different vegetables and fruits I haven’t seen in NY. In general, things are very colorful and bright in Mexico, and it was even brighter in the market! Unfortunately, I didn’t see that much of strange vegetables and fruits as I expected. I don’t say that the farmer’s market in Union Sq. has all, but I could see a lot more there than in a Mexican market. Certainly, there are native vegetables and fruits though. Tuna was one of those. It is a cactus fruit with full of seeds which I found a little bit annoying to chew. Nevertheless, it tasted great. Nopales will be native in Mexico as well. It is a thin cactus. I saw the elderly lady pilling its skin off and slicing into small pieces for sale on the street.
It was less than two weeks I spent there, and I had so much fun. It was so powerful, and now I’m having trouble to adjust myself to the reality in NYC.... It’s going to be fine since I found Van Gogh’s sunflowers at the farmers’ market.
Just a little bit feeling melancholic, missing dried air and vibration of music.
It was a little chilly spring and extremely busy spring for me. While I was working on something else, the market has turned to their summer face from the deserted winter face. Don't get me wrong, I love the winter market getting hot apple cider in a chilly wind. But compare to the summer market... in the summer, there are so many farmers. Every week, all booth has some new vegetable on the corner of the table like a secret treasure. Looking for them is one of my pleasures. Maybe, it happens because I simply miss them. but it is the wide variety - so many kinds of fruits, vegetable, and flowers the farmers carry to the summer market! The week after the next, my parents will come to visit me from Japan. The market is the number one destination for my tour. Actually, number one will be the American Museum of Natural History! However, I'm sure that my mom will go crazy over the exotic flowers and fresh fruits. Especially, I want her to taste a doughnut peach. It has such an ugly (but somehow very cute) shape, I assume it's for jam or something you cook. Still, it is so sweet and tasty and my special treat for the summer. I have to come back and make sure it is on the market when they come.
The museum was standing on the bank of the river. The building used to be a mill. It was renovated and then turned into a beautiful museum. There is another water mill in front of it. Best of all, there was so much green surrounding the museum.
Inside was also nice. The old mill was maintained well. The strong wood ceiling and floor gave us a slight nostalgia as if we had been here before.
The curator of the museum, Mary, (who is such a nice lady. I enjoyed working with her. Thanks, Mary!) told me that there would be different type of art work in the show. As she mentioned, there were sculptures, photographs, paintings, installations. collages, printmaking, prints, and so on. I was a only one who did traditional botanical art work. Somehow, all works were connected to each other in a way. That's what the attendees felt at the opening. Also, everyone I talked to said that Mary had done such a good job on curating the art, and I felt very happy being one of them.
This was a wonderful show to see. Please visit and check it out if you are in the neighborhood. you won't be disappointed!
In front of the school where I'm teaching art to children, there was a tree cut from the lower part of trunk lying on the ground. It might be turn down because of storms in early spring. It may have been cut by accident. Who knows? Whatever the cause, I felt so sorry. The tree had baby buds on its brunches, but it turned brown and dried out completely. However, when I got close to it, I felt the tree was still alive. Enclosed dried calyces, the buds contains tiny bit of water. I touched it and pushed softly with my fingers. It was bent easily, and bounced back with its own strength. I even saw the sign. A tiny tiny piece of fresh green, I didn't know what it was exactly, was struggling to come out from the droughty hazel calyces. I broke several branches and took them home.
Yes, I was right!
It is alive. After two weeks, look at these fresh green leaves from the brunches. It gave me cheers every morning.
