S Furner Fine Art : cultures

Showing posts with label cultures. Show all posts

14.1.15

The Eskimo has 52 names for SNOW.

There ought to be as many for LOVE !

Margaret Atwood

Love. Appreciation. Understanding. Acceptance. Reverence.

These past days, week, have been hard to watch on news broadcasts. Incomprehensible. Stunning.

How do we reverse. How do we change the tide. How do we make a difference.
I suggest it takes:

Little steps. Baby steps.

Read poetry to a shut-in.

Trade smiles with a passer-by.

Slip a note into a book sharing what you loved about the book, for the next reader to discover.

Hold hands with the elderly.

Knit gloves, neck scarves for a rest home, homeless shelter.

Build a birdhouse for a neighbor. Better yet, paint it bright colors.

Keep dollars in a pocket to slip into the red bucket.

Let another car merge in front of you.

Be a Fairy Godmother to a neglected child.

Change one's mind, attitude and perceptions.

Hug another.

Care for animals, all living creatures. Adopt from a shelter.

Donate gently read magazines to a neighbor, a doctor's waiting room, senior home, hair salon.

Choose a charity that really makes your heart happy.

Listen deeply when another speaks.

Understand and learn about other cultures.

It is funny being human, share your humorous stories, generously.

For one day, only say "yes."

Meditate upon what it means to not go hungry.

Forgiveness multiplies and melts away rigid positions.

Hang a chalkboard in an accessible place, write weekly affirmations.

Donate to charity items that are worthy of our brothers and sisters.

Tithe your talents to another, an organization, a worthy cause. Give liberally.

Hang a world map on a wall, mark where different people live that we want to better understand.

Read often to a child.

Listen to a child Read.

When we see sadness in others, catch their tears.

Listen more than one speaks.

Open your mind to looking at people and actions with clarity.

Celebrate the qualities that we share with everyone.

Hang a world map on a wall, mark where different people live that we want to better understand.

Read often to a child.
When we see sadness in others, catch their tears.
Listen more than speaking.
Open your mind to looking at things from various angles.

Celebrate small moments in your day. They are the cream on top.

Hand out popsicles in the park.

Invite friends over for an "art night" to create something unique.

Be a fabulous friend to someone seeking friendship.

Look for the good in ALL.

May 2015 be THE YEAR where we ALL seek to love, understand and value others.

Little Steps. Baby Steps.

Sketchbook Snippets

In the the tiniest of bits and pieces of personal time, I have ever so slowly been creating sketches of our time in Asia. As I look through the photographs of our visit with cultures that are so magnificent, ancient in their beginning; people of so many complexions, traditional clothing and head coverings; the exotic blend of spices, flowers, trees, palms, heat, humidity; experiences I would never thought possible in my American life, they beg for documentation outside of photographs.

Ancient shrines, holy temples, sculptures of deities and animals; sunset skies framed by darkening palm trees; wavering reflections in the ponds, lakes and rivers bring a sense of calm....but it wasn't always so. These countries have long histories of territorial, turf wars, clashes and genocide.

Woman to woman confidants; gossip, musings of daily life, sharing of sorrows, worries, grief; giggles, teasing and jokes are filled with the patience of sitting, sifting, sorting, selling.

Men carry umbrellas. Women carry umbrellas. We carry umbrellas, usually to ward off the rain; they to protect themselves from the relentless sun and heat. Clothing that is airy and light, let the breeze pass through to cool the skin.

Umbrellas large, massive, shadow producing, protecting, a place to sit and visit.

In general the Asian populations have more time, or make more time to sit...to JUST BE.

Singapore at Chinese New Year. The color of choice, RED. Red, crimson and garnet colored paper, plastic, silk lanterns with flying golden tassels, dance their way across the humid sky. At night they light up like a thousand fire flies.

In our home we hang these festive lanterns from our chandelier, doorways and along the windows of my painting studio. They makes us all smile serving as a reminder to "lighten up."

Asian cultures LOVE their puppets. Simple wood pulley toys for children to sophisticated cut out leather, hand painted paper and fabric, trims and embroidery. Some are found in museums a testament to their place in their cultural history.

Puppets tell stories. These three puppets were constructed from hand painted paper. They told a story that I could not read. But my imagination came forth with its own interpretation.

So a little peak into my journal. It is a small journal, manageable, sketches to take the place of long narratives, just notes jotted down here and there. Pencil, pen, watercolor, colored pencils, charcoal...bits and pieces of collage fodder from Asia.

It will be fun to share more sketches with you, my friends.