Matt Jones paints with words

Photo by Matthew LeJune on Unsplash

My friend and colleague, Matt Jones (not pictured above), shared some of his word portraits. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a Charles Bukowski vibe. 

Here's what Matt says about his paintings:

I have always been intrigued and somewhat envious of people who sit in public places sketching passersby. It’s a talent I could never develop. I’m a writer and I am more than okay with that.

Then one day I was watching over the shoulder of a young man flawlessly sketching a fellow commuter and it hit me—I can do this. Only not with graphite or pastels.

I can do it with words.

What fascinates me about this idea is when we view a portrait, we all pretty much walk away with a similar representation in our heads (all things being equal). If I say “Mona Lisa” for example, we create very similar images in our mind’s eye.

With a word portrait, image creation is left to the imagination, generated solely and wholly within the mind of the reader. And every image created will be as unique and nuanced as the person themselves.

Here are a few examples, named Orion, Joy, and Patch. I hope you enjoy meeting them. Someday, I’d like to collect enough to do an actual gallery showing where the art on display is nothing but text on a page. A place where you can let your mind be the artist. If I do it, I hope to see you there.

 

ORION

His ill-fitting suit hung awkwardly

from his oddly shaped frame,

all over-hangs and strange angles.  

His hair swept back in thin,

predictable,

oily lanes.

A smug grin dissecting the Orion’s Belt of moles

strewn across his cheek.

Another, single mole perched

at the edge of his profile.

Like a comma at the end of an unturned page.

JOY

She smelled of cheap

Hobby Lobby candle.

Her clothing all black.

Festooned.

With sequins,

crosses,

and strategically placed

factory crafted rips.

Her hair was thin.

Her skin, thick.

A tragedy in tanned hide.

The party had ended long ago.

But she’d be damned

if she’d admit it.

So she orders another drink on the plane 

with an all-too-husky laugh that probably drew desirous gazes, once.

More smoke and roughness

now 

than sex.

PATCH 

The broad swatch of dark facial hair

that rested

Just beneath his lower lip

Looked like a misplaced mustache

that had been violently sneezed south.

Organic visions: Art by Moni Basu

My friend, Moni Basu, just shared some of her artwork. Since this blog is really only read by folks I know, most of you know her. Moni and I have known each other for so many years, yet I'd never seen anything she created - only read her amazing writing. She has always liked my simple line drawings. Now, all these years later I'm looking at her art. For some reason this makes me very happy, and that's why I asked her if I could feature her work here on my blog.

When she sent the first one to me in a text I was wondering what gallery she must be standing in where she took a picture of someone's artwork. The colors, the birds, the beautiful composition. She will say I am biased, but I love her work.

Take a look and see what you think. I saved the most intense for last. She calls it Covid Nightmare. I feel like the cold expression could represent a family member stricken with grief, or a very ill person, or even someone who is deceased. 

The first one is one of my favorites - so full of hope and life. I named it Menagerie. 

The second one I call Navajo Bear. 

The third, Bamboo with Fire. 

The fourth: Mid-century Fauna.
The fifth: Covid Nightmare.

If you click an image, you can see a larger version.

Lockdown life: Stress relievers

Photo source: https://iceland-photo-tours.com/articles/photography-tutorials/how-to-make-mesmerising-minimal-photography

Keeping one's head screwed on properly during this strange time can be trying. The news is spooky and heartbreaking. John King's wall reveals your state's ability to remain steady, or spike, or decline with new cases. The emptiness of most places is disturbing, though that is changing as more people venture out and that, too, is a little weird. The idea of being in this together, when you can't really BE together, is a sort-of comfort that you can't quite feel. Yet, we persevere, hold our chins up, and feel grateful knowing we have it better than many; at least for most of us.

Here are a few things I've been turning to, albeit mostly online resources:

Heal Your Living on YouTube - I've followed this channel for quite a while. The simplicity of what Youheum talks about is so relaxing to me. She's an extreme minimalist. While I couldn't go this far, I can see how freeing it must be. She lived nearly furniture free for a while; now I think she's travelling as a digital nomad. I've watched almost all of her videos. Her sister has a channel, too, called Thirsty for Art - also super relaxing content.

Benita Larsson - Benita is a Swedish minimalist with two very cute cats. Great style. Peaceful content, and the videos are not very long, so you get a dose of calm in often 10 minutes or less.

The Okellys - My friends Megan and Nick sailed away on their catamaran a few years ago and recently started a YouTube channel. They put out a new one every Thursday. Fun, interesting content about their lifestyle, and whereabouts.

Oak - This app is free and offers some calming meditations.

On the analog side of things, my armchair advice for chilling out:

Take a walk. But walk slower - don't make it a workout. Make it about the journey, not a hurried, timed effort. Hear the birds, feel the sun. Stop for a second. Take a moment to be grateful you're alive, that you can walk, and see, and breath in the fresh air.

Eat a meal outside. Nature heals the soul. And it's sort of luxurious to dine al fresco.

Get in bed a little early with a good book or magazine. Take a shower first (maybe some of you do this already, I usually shower in the morning). There's something calming about jumping under the covers clean.

Don't eat dinner in front of the TV. This is a habit we've gotten into, but when we break it and actually eat and talk away from the screen, it's really nice.

Call a friend, or do a Facetime call. We can't be together in 3-D, but sharing voices is the next best thing.

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Coming up, my friend Moni has been doing some artwork, and I think her work is beautiful. I've know her for decades, and only recently found that she makes art. Stay tuned for that in my next post.

Lockdown Life

Photo is from https://www.adorama.com/alc/what-is-minimalist-photography 

My feedburner set up went away due to some phasing out of the feature, so I may email an update to the mailing list so folks know I have a new post up. Please just email back to be removed from future updates if this bugs you.

Lockdown life has been interesting. It started out kinda great, then tensions rose for a bit, and now I'm more relaxed about it again. What choice is there? You stop fighting it and just relax into it. What I've learned is that while I consider myself a home body, the pull to get out and about is very strong. 

My summary of activities:

I've been walking more. As I say in my IG feed - nature is my higher power. It truly is - nature is like a god. To see my IG feed, visit @robinwrites

Watched the Netflix series Tales from the Loop, and really liked it. The actors are great, and the premise and magical vibe of it all was a perfect escape for the times.

Cooking is definitely a thing. Lots of soups, fried rice, easy stuff. But we're still trying to support restaurants with some takeout. Favorites are The Red Door's curbside pickup and most recently Madison. Madison is actually one of my favorite places to eat. My number one fave though is Il Dandy - beautiful interior and incredible food. 

There has been the occasional weeknight glass of Cote du Rhone, because in moderation why not.

Glennon Doyle's Monday Morning meeting time has been a balm. Love her. Also on Instagram. 

In a future post, I am going to publish a piece written by my friend Matt Jones, my work friend. He writes "paintings" of people with words. Stay tuned for that. We just have to talk about when he wants to send me one. I'm also going to ask him to write his description of how he'd like to "show" these paintings. When he told me, I thought it was a really interesting approach - you may agree. 

My friend Moni just did some bird art that I will also feature, but will first ask her permission. Stay tuned for that, too.

I've been supporting some retail establishments with recent orders on Uniqlo, Gap, Old Navy, and TheRealReal. Basics are on their way. By the way, Marimekko fans, Uniqlo did a collab with Marimekko for 2020, so maybe go check it out. In non-retail spending, I've donated to a refugee group that provides kits to new mothers and pregnant women who are being held at the border.

A last snippet is that James had COVID in January. He did the antibody test last week and it was positive. I had a mild case of whatever he had, so I had it, too! Are we immune now? I doubt it. Are we carriers? I don't think so because it's not an active infection. Yikes, another reason for us all to stay distanced. This is so very sad, and I can only imagine how it is for those who've lost loved ones. 

I can't wait to laugh again in person with actual people.

To all the Helpers - THANK YOU.

💗,

Robin

Favorites List 2.20.20

It's been a while since my last favorites list. So here are a few more finds:

Find out if a brand is ethically produced -- The idea of fast fashion is harder to ignore, no matter how cool that Zara sweater is. It's less and less something I want to support. If you're feeling the same, you can check the integrity of a brand at Good On You. You can also explore ethical brands that you've probably never heard of. On another note, for another way of buying second hand and therefore lower impact, there's The Real Real.
And have you seen the new site that Nordstrom has put up called See You Tomorrow where they sell pre-owned clothing and accessories? I was shocked to see a store of their stature go into second hand. Super cool, though. There's too much crap on this planet.

Daily Pages -- Do you journal? The actual "Daily Pages" practice is originally from the Artist's way, which I have not read, but it claims to help with anxiety. Mental hygiene. Floss out those worries in words. Also, has anyone subscribed to 750 Words? I guess it's just as easy to open a Word doc, and more private. Though, what is privacy anymore? Sometimes I care, and then other times I feel like it's futile to care. How about the guy who is rounding up billions of photos for the government's facial recognition program. Who, also btw, was just hacked and all photos stolen. Who would do this and why? Wait, this is a bullet point on reducing anxiety.

Palihouse Hotel, Santa Monica -- I stayed here recently with my niece and loved it. It was featured in a film by Heidi Swanson, so I figured it had to be good. It was super inviting, the rooms are huge and include kitchens, and it was quiet. Breakfast in the lobby is great; the best blueberry pancakes I have ever had. The chef apparently is a big deal.

Parakeet Cafe -- They are in Little Italy where that comfy shoe store used to be on the corner. They have the best matcha lattes, and wonderful, healthy bowls. I've also had their turmeric latte, too, which was also super tasty. Super cute interior, too. Go!

That's it for now. The new year arrived without a post, so I have now remedied that. More soon...