Being a Tourist in My Own City

Today was a gorgeous day, so I took the opportunity to visit the High Line in the city.  The High Line opened in 1934 to carry goods into the meat packing district.  It closed in 1980 and was saved from demolition by Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident.  In 1999 the Friends of the High Line was formed and through private funding and some fabulous dedicated individuals, the first section of this public space opened in 2009.  
You can learn more about it here https://www.thehighline.org/about

Climb the stairs and enter the Highline.

It's located in Chelsea, in the meatpacking district on the west side.

The first thing I noticed were the gorgeous plantings.  Lots of native grasses and flowering perennials grace the landscape.

The original rail ties peek through.


Art is scattered here and there.

A cage of heads.

and even where you don't expect it...

People watching is always interesting.

The views are amazing!

and also educational

I love how the kids are looking out over the street in this photo. 

No need to worry if you forget your camera or cell phone, 

the friends of the Highline have you covered.

So, walk,

ride a  bike,

or grab your chopper.

Get on over to the Highline where you can relax, enjoy treats,

build with legos,

or just plain hang out.  

Look I found Winston's name!!!  

Every turn leads to a new discovery.  

On our way back to Grand Central, we see this!  Seriously...what no spell check?

The Chrysler Building, my favorite!

It was a beautiful, fun day and I can't wait to visit again.  Next time, I'm stopping in to the newly renovated Whitney Museum!!

Flower Moon ~ A Tribute to Allison Stilwell

It began when I received an email announcemet of Flower Moon ~ A Tribute to Allison Stilwell.  It was to take place at Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery in Sanford, Florida.  The date of the celebration was November 15, 2014.  I couldn't believe it, I would be in Sarasota and I happened to be free this day! 

Months later, the day arrived.   I stepped into the rental car and got the GPS programmed, I started my 2 1/2 hour journey northeast. I thought what a lovely day to celebrate a beautiful soul. (It was sunny and in the low 70's)


Sanford Florida is a cute little historic town with a cute little gallery that also houses artists' mini studios around the perimeter of the space.

As I walked in to the main gallery, I saw friends and the hugs and feeling of love just flowed in the room. 

MT and Sue

 I was surrounded by fabric art, hearts, stitches, paint, dolls, pillows, sculpture...all the things I loved!

buttons with Allison's phrase

handmade guest book

Tracy (Allison's sister) and Midge (Allison's wife) clearly worked for months finishing projects and  re-working her surface design to create more art. 

Allison's portfolio made into a accordian book on fabrics by Allison

Tracy and Midge

 I became so enamored by all the art I stopped taking photos. 

madonna wall hanging by Allison, sculpture by Tracy

 One photo I totally forgot to take was of her "girls with positive attitudes" developed by Allison.  (darn it!) They were cute little dolls with a message of love incorporated in them.  I just love the messages in her art.  She was spot on.  Phrases like, you are awesome, change the world, do what you love and be fearless are just a few. 

Love poured out of every corner of the gallery. 

pieces by Tracy using Allison's work

Midge and Tracy received hearts and fabric from fellow artists from all over the country.  Midge reworked the hearts, incorporating them into various pieces of art.  She added her own stitches of love on them. 

Heart pieces by Midge

My favorite, were the 'hearts to go'.  I just love the idea of carrying a little bit of love around with you.  It's like having a piece of someone wherever you go.

There was also a wall of work from contributing artists Linda Willis (I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Linda!  sorry Linda xo) and Jessica Rosner.

As we gathered at 2pm, Tracy spoke of the art, the collaboration of all the pieces and how she and Midge created their pieces.

pieces made by Midge from the original cape Tracy and Allison made

original cape made by Tracy and Allison

  The focal point was a self portrait Allison had left unfinished. 

 Midge and Tracy searched high and low, eventually finding the canvas in a corner buried under fabric.  Tracy worked tirelessly finishing it while Allison's eyes stared back through the piece.
She did a beautiful job!

Allison's self portrait completed by Tracy

There was a poem by ee cummings read aloud, a prayer and of course tears and hugs.  Midge strummed her ukulele quietly in the background and people told stories of how they came to know Allison's art.    

midge and her ukulele

It was a true love fest and I couldn't have been happier to experience it.  I will always love the ArtGirlz ~ they get 'it'! 

Allison and Midge

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

one of Midge's 'hearts to go'

DO WHAT YOU LOVE.
#aaok

Coffee with BZ

It was just another Saturday morning in New Rochelle when BZ stopped by for coffee.  Of course when Betti and I get together, we don't JUST have coffee, we somehow end up squeezing in SOME kind of ART TIME together!

We were headed to J Patisserie for some coffee and noshes and stopped in at Reverol & Company - Contemporary Art Gallery to see a wonderful artist's work.  The exhibit, R.E.D by abstract expressionist artist: Rafael Jaen, was in its last few days of showing and I'm so glad we stopped in.  I found his work intriguing.  I'm not sure why.  I was drawn to it.

Yes, I made Betti pose, for scale!

There were many small works too.

Of course, we weren't in Paris, but the coffee was delicious!