Mary Cassatt~Lecture at the American Library in Paris~ Missing Paris Day

Self-Portrait of the Artist

Tuesday November 9th, 2010 at 7:30pm, the American Library in Paris will present a lecture and slide show on the world of artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) given by Chris Boicos.

Born to an affluent family in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (ancestral name Cossart), Mary Cassatt went against her family's wishes in pursuing a life of artistry-- much less in Paris. Frustrated with her male instructors and fellow students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she took it upon herself to study the old masters.

Moving to Paris with a few family chaperones in 1866, and as women were not yet allowed to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, she requested to study with one of the school's masters being accepted by Jean-Leon Gerome. She became friends with Edgar Degas and was invited to exhibit with the Impressionists, becoming the second woman in the group next to Berthe Morisot who also became her friend. Degas introduced her to working with pastels as well as etching, both of which she became proficient in.

Against her father's wishes (who offered throughout her life to help pay for her living expenses but never her art supplies), her instructor's patronizing and the French school's refusal of female students, she made her own way, becoming well-known for her tender scenes of mother and child. In later years, she took up the Women's Suffragette movement and in 1915 exhibited eighteen works in support of the cause.

For a look into her life and work, join Chris Boicos, Founder of Paris Art Studies (and former Art History professor at USC in Paris) at ALP.


ALP is located at:
10, rue du General Camou
(a couple of blocks from the Eiffel Tower)

7th arrondissement,
75007 Paris, France
• Tel. +33 (0)1 53 59 12 60

For more information or a schedule of upcoming events, go to
http://www.americanlibraryinparis.org/

(Photo above, a Self-Portrait of the Artist, and info via Wikipedia)

Tripping over Clouds~Buddhist Thought for the Day

"Fixed ideas are like a wisp of cloud or smoke, but nonetheless people find themselves blocked or captured by these. You would laugh if you saw someone tripped by a cloud, or if someone claimed that they were imprisoned by the air. But, in fact, people are endlessly being trapped by things no more substantial than air or clouds. They make a wall with their mind, and then it imprisons them.

Inherently, there is no wall or anything to trip over. These things are mirages they've created from the thoughts they gave rise to. Do not insist upon your own fixed ideas. Your persistence is your own narrow mind. If your mind is broad, it can easily embrace the entire world. However, if your mind is narrow, even a needle cannot enter. You have to keep letting go of your stubbornness, and always be deeply respectful of all life and things. This is returning to and relying upon the Buddha-Dharma. This is also how to become a free person. Always be humble. Be humble. The fragrance of your broad and generous mind will warm others' hearts." ~Zen Master Daehaeng, No River to Cross: Trusting the Enlightenment that's Always Right Here

I love this quote. It reminds me that my thoughts and judgements about other's behavior are just that, my own thoughts and judgements which keep my mind narrow. Still working on the 'fragrance' of my 'broad and generous mind'. Trying to remember humility and compassion.

(From ViewonBuddhism.org)

Venice is a Fish~ Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at shouldbereading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,
*Open to a random page,
*Share 2-3 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,
*Please no spoilers!
*Share the title & author.

Today's selection is from Tiziano Scarpa's 'Venice is a Fish':

"In any other boat in the world, a single oarsman, with a single oar, on one side only, would end up turning comically in circles. On a gondola, thanks to the boat's asymmetrical centre of gravity, it darts straight ahead, switches into reverse, slows and accelerates, brakes, halts, heads off diagnoally, turns a right angle, keeps balance, deadens the waves. The oar spoons the water, spanks it, scoops it, digs it, cuts it, kneads it, tickles it, turns it like a ladle, forces it like a crowbar. The oar dives suddenly, re-emerges floating almost horizontally at water level, but if necessary it plunges vertically, in a few free square centimetres, with a flick of the wrist it twists like a screwdriver, elegantly disengaging the twelve-metre black wooden beast from an impossible jam." (p.43)

This eloquent description almost makes me want to go back simply to watch the oars of the gondolas and their water dance.

Arahova at Delphi~ Travelin' Tuesday

Today's photo was taken in a small, mountain village (Arahova) near Delphi, my favorite Greek archaeological site which can be seen here. Greece is sprinkled with these gorgeous old fountains sometimes well-kept, like this one, and sometimes they are remnants of the Turk's stay in Greece and ignored, abandoned and defaced.



Random Writing Prompt:

Create a story around the owner of the mop you see leaning inside the fountain. Is the owner male or female? Young or elderly? Cleaning the fountain? Their own home? Or working for someone else? Or... does it have certain traveling powers?

Le Gateau Francais~ Missing Paris Day

This was 'The Chef's' father's favorite French cake while visiting us in Paris a few years ago. I can't even tell you the name. Any readers out there who can fill me in on the exact title of this beauty?!

It wasn't long until he was buying one every day and occasionally deciding it might be ok to just skip lunch or dinner and simply have the cake. He was famously blessed with a sweet tooth and nowhere was that more true than in Paris.

Across from our apartment once stood a charming little boulangerie selling all varieties of bread, pastries, cakes and chocolates. Many of our guests, including 'The Chef's' parents, would often sit in front of the window and watch, entertained by the comings and goings of our favorite little bakery on the corner. Alas, it is now gone. Another bank sits in its place. Maybe I'll do a post with a few photos of the bakery that once was.

Square Rapp~ Missing Paris Day

Just across the Champ de Mars from the 15th arrondissement and into the 7th, past the Champ de Mars cafe, Rue St. Dominique and the little chocolaterie, with all the glittering, colorful candies dressed up in floral arrangements, sits Avenue Rapp (which hosts my favorite architecturally-designed apartment building in Paris~ to be posted at a later date).


And just around the corner from it is Square Rapp, a short, dead-end street with a bare courtyard surrounded by stunning buildings and intricate lattice work. The neglected courtyard itself makes me want to haul over a belt heavy with gardening tools, a carload of flowering geraniums in decorative pots, a cushioned loveseat and a book on Paris.


I'd whip it into shape, curl up on my lovin' Paris loveseat on a balmy summer afternoon and attempt to read.

Biggest problem?

Which direction to face the loveseat

and could one actually read here?!

The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene~Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at shouldbereading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,
*Open to a random page,
*Share 2-3 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,
*Please no spoilers!
*Share the title & author.

This week's selection is from

The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene by Claire Nahmad and Margaret Bailey (p. 146):

"It sounded a note, a song of such beautiful refrain that, even though many destroyers and deniers and silencers came to stamp it out forever, they never could succeed, for it echoes on today and haunts our hearts still, sweet and soul-piercing as ever it was, waiting for a suffering world to take it up again and, finally, to swell its strains with such a united voice that the inner wastelands which devastate our collective consciousness will break into blossom and proclaim the springtide of the new era, as the Song of Songs predicts:

'Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land.' " ~~The Song of Solomon, 2:11-12.

Susan Loomis at The American Library in Paris~ Missing Paris Day

Susan Loomis, the author of the fabulous memoir and cookbook "On Rue Tatin" will be speaking at The American Library in Paris' 'Writers on Writing' Series Tuesday evening (9/21/10) at 7:30pm. If you haven't read her delightful book about life (and cooking) in a French village, treat yourself! Her newest book is called "Nuts in the Kitchen". For information about Susan's Cooking School, classes, country lunches or recipes, check out her website at
OnRueTatin.com.

ALP is located at:
10, rue du General Camou
(a couple of blocks from the Eiffel Tower)
75007 Paris, France
• Tel. +33 (0)1 53 59 12 60
http://www.americanlibraryinparis.org/

NOTE:
The American Library in Paris is having its Fall Open House on Sunday Sept. 26th from 13:00-19:00 featuring:

* 'Behind the Scene Tours' at 14:30, 15:30 and 16:30
* A special book sale
* A raffle for movie tickets
* Popcorn and beverages
* Calligraphy Workshop for kids (ages 8-12) from 15:00-16:30.

And Wed. Sep.22nd-7:30pm is 'Evenings with an Expert' featuring Michael House who will show a documentary on Eugene Atget and Berenice Abbott called 'Eugene and Berenice: Pioneers of Urban Photography'. Click here for more info.

If you're in Paris, check out ALP and its many events.

Wish I wasn't missing these!!

Parisien Salon~ Missing Paris Day

I'm usually a little behind the times (I'm just now watching Battlestar Gallactica and Eli Stone), so one of the things I love about Facebook is finding out what people are doing and watching, where they're going, blogging, visiting.

And a fun recent find is ParisienSalon.com.

While a few of their sections need to be updated, it's still fun to browse through all things Paris. Even has a link for French Lessons! I need that.

Happy Lundi!

*Photography (c) Kirsten Steen

Dear Fall~

I'm sorry to tell you, I'm not ready. I'm just not ready for you.

Yes, I love the way you smell, your crisp, sweet air mixed with that wisp of woodsmoke. My walks along the river lately have been tinged with your mildewed aroma of freshly composting leaves, replaced by the end of August's heady sun-baked blackberries and dirt mixed with the green of lazy river.

As much as I love Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I haven't yet had my fill of warm sunny mornings and dinners on the deck watching the early evening sun kiss the tree tops. I never got to the pool, never went camping (like I swore to myself I would this year), never had my Pisgah picnic.

I'm not saying I wasted summer. I did park myself in the shade by the lake, book in hand, toting tiny picnic, watching sailboats and children play. I did drape myself over the porch loveseat and read until the huge swaying evergreens and quaking aspens stole my attention (and the swell in my heart). I made Grandma's dill pickles and froze half flats of blueberries. I listened to music at the Saturday Market and drank my favorite hot chai even when it was 90 degrees out. I took a few long drives and got back to Hood Canal.

But I still haven't had my fill of hanging clothes on the line, of fresh berries on my cereal, of walks in warm sunshine. I only went to one outdoor movie, only did one hike. I haven't had enough barbecues with just-picked corn, sliced garden heirlooms with basil and fresh mozzarella. I didn't go to the beach.

I even have a mini-bumper (porch pot) crop of tomatoes this year (first time ever) but they're still tiny and green. They're not even big enough to have fried and green yet.

I'm sorry but you'll just have to wait. Return the sun, please turn the thermostat back up until further notice and stop being in such a hurry. Chillax! We waited a VERY long time this spring for summer's arrival. Can't you give us just a little more of her wafting breezes and starry, starry nights?

Signed,
Not Ready But Soon


Photography (c) Kirsten Steen

Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge~Travelin' Tuesday

If any of you have watched Art Wolfe's 'Travels to the Edge' program on PBS, you know what a phenomenal photographer he is. Recently watching one of his shows (in Iceland) left my mouth falling open in waves of awe. It wasn't just the ice formations but the way he knows how to find the perfect hues and plays of light, the perfect angle and framing. It's almost as if the universe opens itself up to him, dressing up in its most majestic costume and giving a one-man audience.

I wish I could post some of his photographs here to wow you but don't have permission to do that so will leave you with his website address here and some of his prints here.

Those of you who are local (in Oregon) should know that Art will be speaking at the Portland Art Museum in the Kridel Ballroom on Saturday October 2nd at 2pm. Tickets are $45 each. Click here to purchase tickets.

I wonder if he teaches classes?

Good Things Come to Those Who Wake~Buddhist Thought for the Day

"Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind; Your life will bring heaven to earth."

~Sutta Nipata

I was sitting in a meditation group recently and when the sitting session was over,a woman pointed to the billboard outside the window
(for a popular food chain store) which read:

"Good Things Come To Those Who Wake".

Missing Lady Diana on 'Missing Paris Day'

On the eve before the anniversary of Lady Diana's death:

Thinking of you still thirteen years later!

Britain's beautiful rose~

The Coast House~

For my birthday this year (some while ago),

we spent a quiet weekend at the coast,

specifically at the Coast House compliments of friends

who generously offered us a gift certificate in return for using our place abroad.

Just north of Florence on the Oregon Coast and hidden from the old highway
among the cliffs sits an elegantly rustic but updated abode with a self-composting toilet (much less scary than it sounds), loft bedrooms and a wooded or ocean view from every window.




From the parking space behind a large wooden fence covered with hanging moss, one winds along a hobbit trail through the woods and over stream...



...to the little cottage...

...where one is welcomed...

...by tulip and wine bouquets...

The loft bedrooms are a climb (one more than the other) but offer views looking out from the living room windows...

...the loft window...

...and the skylight literally just over bed and head...

With views stretching out over the tops of the cliffs...

...and the stunning, pounding surf of the ravine just below...

...we settled in for a quiet weekend of reading and snacking...

...Hiking...

...and pampering.

Or so we thought! The weather started out beautiful, just a little wind, then a few raindrops.

We pulled on our fleeces and ate cheese in pieces...

Even bared everything for a turn in the old outdoor shower.

But sometime into the second day, a storm moved in, shaking the little house and pounding the surf with such force, I wondered if we would fly away. I even determined to take another outdoor shower in the wind and rain, rustling up my sense of adventure, certain it would be delightful if I just gave it a chance. Guess what!? I don't recommend it!

But I do recommend the Coast House. Click here for more photos and rates.

All in all, it was a perfect weekend, the weather even clearing up enough at one point to do some hiking and walks on the beach. And the stormy periods gave me cause to do a little antiquing in Florence which I might not have done with good weather.

Between the Herbs de Provence-covered pork roast and the cake and ice cream (I never miss it on my birthday), the books and the evenings spent watching old movies and Molly online in the Live Owl Box, awaiting her newest baby, we thoroughly enjoyed this Cottage of the Cliffs.

A Passion for the Possible~ Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at shouldbereading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,

*Open to a random page,

*Share 2-3 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,

*Please no spoilers!

*Share the title & author.

Today's selection is from Jean Houston's fabulous book:

'A Passion for the Possible:

A Guide to Realizing Your True Potential'.

"As you walk along you discover that you have become more supple. You move with fluidity and grace, each muscle and joint and cell having remembered its optimal form. You are delighted to be in your body.

You are drawn to all that lies before you--flocks of gorgeous orange and black monarch butterflies and ageless, elegantly draped willow trees, an ancient boulder, a babbling brook, an arbor of lush purple grapes. All around you is a light that feels loving, and that sensation of love is reflected in everything you experience--- a misty dawn, the blackness of seeds in the flesh of a watermelon, the salt smell of a sea breeze."

Jean Houston's writing leads you into forays of imaginative visualizations

focusing on the Sensory, the Psychological, the Mythic Journey and the Spiritual Quest.

One of the world's greatest teachers, she conducts Mystery Schools

all over the world. She has worked with some of the greatest minds of our time. And she knows the power of our own minds, working to help each of us explore and utilize its strengths.

"I once made a study of fifty-five of the most creative people in America, innovators like Margeret Mead, Joseph Campbell, Linus Pauling, Jonas Salk, and Buckminster Fuller. Each had sustained a high level of inquiry and discovery in her or his field over many years. Though very different in personality and interests, these creative geniuses, I found, had one important thing in common. They were each familiar with their interior world and believed that its ideas and images could spark their projects. Each had become an archaeologist of the mind,

a spelunker in the cave of inner inspiration."

Go spelunking with Jean. You won't regret it!

I'm Ready~ Missing Paris Day

Ok, I'm ready...

**I'm ready for a piece of Poilane's fabulous Gateau Basque,

**I'm ready for a Kir at a corner table of an outdoor cafe (anywhere) in Paris,

**For a walk along the Seine in the heat,

**I'm ready for the smell of the morning's roasted chicken

from the boucherie below,

**For the sparkle of the Eiffel Tower in the evenings,

**For Bar le Duc in the summer,

**I'm ready for a big slice of Foie Gras

with a small glass of Sauternes,

**For the Paris Plage,

**For a Mirabelle plum tart,

**The aroma of the fromageries,

**Berthillion ice cream while standing on the bridge listening to street artists.

What's your favorite thing about Paris?!

(All photography copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Place Des Vosges~Monday is 'Missing Paris Day'

Welcome to the Place Des Vosges

with its artwork, gardens and vaulted arcades!

A Marais ~4th Arrondissement~ favorite of most tourists,

the Place was built by King Henry IV in the 1600's

and known as the Place Royal.

Occupied by many famous French,

including poet Theophile Gautier, writer Alphonse Daudet (both at No. 8)

and Cardinal Richelieu (No. 21 from 1615-1627),

it was also home to the author of Paris' (likely) most famous stories:

'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'Les Miserables'.

Victor Hugo lived here at No. 6 where he presumably wrote

many of the pages for his famous 'Les Mis'.

It is now a museum dedicated to his life and work.

The center square where there is now a fountain

was once a favorite spot for duels.

While a favorite pasttime of walking the Place is poking in art shops...

(Had to take this one because, well, BECAUSE IT'S VENICE!)

(And loved how this piece, with light behind it,

creates a shadow of itself on the wall

and the shadow becomes the art).

...One of my favorite things is to peek inside open doorways

and see inside the courtyards.

Some things I did not know about Victor Hugo:

** He is known in France even more for his poetry than his novels.

** It took 17 years for his most famous "Les Miserables" to be finished and published.

**He started a Squid fad in Paris through his writings on them in his book 'Les Travailleurs de la Mer'.

** He learned of his young married daughter's death in a newspaper at a cafe in the South of France.

**He was an outspoken critic of the Death Penalty (and is credited with convincing Geneva, Columbia and Portugal to do away with it).

**He became involved in French politics as a member of the Academie Francaise.

Next time you're in Paris,

stop in and visit the Maison de Victor Hugo

at No. 6, Place des Vosges

for a look at where the great novelist, essayist, politician, visual artist and poet

lived, drew and wrote.

Maison de Victor Hugo

Open Tues-Sunday

10am-6pm

Metros: St. Paul, Chemin-Vert, Bastille

1.42.72.10.16

(Resource: Wikipedia)

(All Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen)