Things I Will Miss, Things I Will Not Miss

Posted on August 24, 2016 by jaynezak

Things I Will Miss, Things I Will Not Miss
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter how much, how often, or how closely you keep an eye on things because you can’t control it. Sometimes things and people just go. Just like that.” Cecilia Ahern

Things I Will Miss

Wide open spaces, all my big art, large rooms, my kitchen table that I made from collecting sea glass on the beach with my family and friends one summer, walking down my driveway to get the paper on Sunday, high ceilings, green everything outside, nature, flowers, avocado and lemon trees, my stuff, not needing window coverings, my big bedroom, Chickenman, my garbage cans, my gas station, Miripolsky, my big driveway to park in, my photo albums, parrot sculpture, from old car parts, funny chair, Mandeville Christmas “kindergarten sex”, lights, all my record albums on the wall, Twenty Sixth Street Mart, my large wall construction, quiet, walking my dog in the country, lots of trees and flowers, nearby hiking trails, cello, safety, smelling jasmine ( always reminds me of Greece).

Things I Will Not Miss

Water damage, middle of the night coyote kills, screaming animals, smoke alarm going off in the middle of the night for no reason, setting my burglar alarm off, rattlesnakes, more water damage, weird bugs, mice, lizards in the house, bees, ants, dead animals in the driveway, big orange garden snakes, brush clearance, fire safety, broken pipes, even more water damage, phone problem that no one can fix, laundry problem that took weeks to diagnose and fix, mold, mold testing, mold repair, more ants, constant house maintenance, backyard and pool maintenance, big animals running alongside my car at night.

Things I Will Miss

Vicente foods, neighbors, my gas station, my Dry Bar girls, art I will have no more from for, kid art, my gym, Fear No Art, cute deer in driveway, morning light, family memories, living in the country in the city, Ernie, coming home to my beautiful house after a long trip, nests with baby birds, my squirrels, the way the light hits my green vintage vases on my kitchen window in the morning when I’m making coffee, cheap art from our first house, the parrots that fly by around 5pm, my juice bar, Brian Andreas, family memories, photographs I have no room for, walking my dog up on Westridge and watching the sunset, my kids stopping by to hang out in their rooms, my giant closet and all the other closets, the space to keep everything,

Things I Will Not Miss

Coyotes in driveway stalking my dog, deer jumping in front of my car (sorry), the drive to Silverlake, actually the drive to anywhere I have to be, having to pass the 405 on Sepulveda, rush hour traffic on Sunset ( which starts at 230), 0possum, raccoons, seeing dead animals on the road every morning, more broken pipes, BIKERS, house construction blocking the road- all the time, my air conditioning units, seeing prisoners do brush clearance, weird refrigerator leak, dark roads, driving up the canyon at night in the pouring rain, fallen trees blocking the road, something is broken and needs to be repaired, fixed or replaced for a lot of money.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Rain Room

Posted on January 20, 2016 by jaynezak

Rain Room

“The rain is falling all around ,It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here, And on the ships at sea.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Rain Room is an art-and-tech installation from London-based studio Random International. Visitors slowly walk through a room of falling water, yet (almost) never get wet.

It drew long lines at the Barbican in London in 2012 and at MOMA in NY in 2013. It is currently at LACMA in LA , a place where rain is most needed.

The Rain Room uses a tiny amount of water. It’s about 528 gallons. And to put that into perspective, an American family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day. It’s constantly recycled through the run of the show.

There is something wonderful about navigating a room full of falling water while trying to stay dry. ( I found a rainbow)

When you walk in you have to wait and watch the small group of people ahead of you creep into the Rain Room. They walk slowly, distrustfully—visibly wondering if they’ll get wet.

The notion evolves into a feeling of ease as they begin to embark through the room, their arms outstretched. (I loved this couple dancing in the rain)

If you are wearing dark colors the sensors don’t pick up as well so wear light colors and walk slowly and watch the rain stop around you. You can take photos but no flash.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Art In Hanoi – Thanh Chuong Viet Palace, Viet Nam

Posted on February 27, 2015 by jaynezak

Art In Hanoi – Thanh Chuong Viet Palace, Viet Nam

“Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”   Thich Nhat Hahn

There is no right way to experience an art museum or gallery .

As a traveler who knows a little something about art, I always have a list of art work that I have to see in a country which I can check off in my brain.

But at the Thanh Chuong Viet Palace in Hanoi, I did not know the artist or his collection.

I did not know which was considered a masterpiece and which was not so I slowed down and looked at what I liked – what interested me and what touched me.

It is easier to make a connection with the art that way – when you don’t know what it is that you are “supposed to see.

It is a different experience when you choose what resonates with you instead of what is famous.

The palace houses Vietnamese artist Thanh Chuong’s vast collections of Vietnamese spiritual and folk art along with his modern paintings. (artist)

It is located forty kilometers from the center of Hanoi and covers over 10,000 square meters. There are thousands of cultural and historical artifacts from different Vietnamese dynasties which the artist spent his life collecting and storing.

It includes all kinds of architectural elements, different houses antique and replicated, furniture from all periods, statues, a theatre for water puppetry and a beautiful restaurant.

Thanh Chuong comes from a talented and literary family. There is an altar to his father the writer Kim Lan and a room displaying his work.

The palace is not without its critics. The “House of Auspicious Clouds’ has been called an artistic theme park, and “an ostentatious display of wealth and social status.

It attracts local and foreign visitors who are interested in understanding Vietnam’s artistic and spiritual culture.

I loved walking around in this beautiful and very feng shui environment and finding all the old and new pieces together.

The lotus ponds, bamboo beds, mud cottages made you think of Viet Nam’s history. I liked his modern paintings, sculptures and the creative way he juxtaposed the old and the new.

When you spend time looking at something, you actually begin to see it.

A very special thank you to my guide in Hanoi Mr. Do Sy Quy. He was my first guide on this trip and set the tone for an amazing experience. “Buffalo Joe” is kind, friendly, funny, intuitive and very knowledgeable about Hanoi and Viet Nam history. I connected with him immediately and feel like I have a friend in Hanoi.

Di du lịch một cách an toàn,

JAZ

Urs Fischer At MOCA – Clay LA

Posted on August 21, 2013 by jaynezak

Urs Fischer at MOCA – Clay LA

“Everything is sculpture… Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.” Isamu Noguchi

1500 Volunteers

from Elementary Schools

to Professional Artists

12,320 bags of clay

Four weeks

weird, crumbling clay

diverse, human creativity

How it happened

Fly Safe,

JAZ

PS We saw it on the last days. It was crumbling and melting at its finest!

Looking For Francisco Toledo In Oaxaca, Mexico

Posted on May 1, 2013 by jaynezak

Looking for Francisco Toledo In Oaxaca, Mexico

” Oaxacan art tends to depict one theme: the appearance in our history of another time and place. A space within another space. A time within another time.”” Alberto Blanco

“I was in Oaxaca once”, said a friend. “When I was in Junior High, I went with my friend to visit her father. He is an artist in Oaxaca. You should see his work. His name is Francisco Toledo. “

When I arrived in Oaxaca at this beautiful hacienda hotel La Casona De Tita http://www.lacasonadetita.com.mx ) I asked about him. ‘ He is the most famous artist in Oaxaca and maybe the most famous living artist in Mexico today.” (breakfast area)

Toledo’s art is imbued with his Mexican heritage of history and mythology. It is Pre -Colombian meets his favorite artists -Goya,Klee Miro Tapies, Tamayo plus Borges and Kafka. He has exhibited in many galleries in Mexico, Europe, South and North America and Asia. He is represented in public and private collections worldwide. Toledo’s work is based in part on the largely misunderstood shamanistic notion of the nagual, the belief that each human’s fate is intertwined with that of an Aztec spirit in animal form.” (Toledo)

The next day I met our local guide Pati Reyes. She is a dancer who loves art and artists. “They are all my friends here. I will introduce you to Francisco Toledo if he is in town,” she said in Spanish.

We go to IAGO (Institute of Graphic Arts in Oaxaca). It has a wonderful art library (66,000 books) and the largest collection of prints (over 7,000 works) in Latin America. The library is free thanks to Toledo who has donated it to the city. Antique presses are used as tables to display books at IAGO. Art openings there can be crazy; mezcal is poured by the gallon from red plastic gas cans.

Quetzalli, the gallery that represents Toledo, is in Casa Oaxaca and because of him other artists come. Writers and artists visit from all over Latin America, including Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez.

The vigor of Oaxaca’s art scene is visible in the galleries that occupy its downtown corners and the colors that pop off the canvas as local arts . Its art is integral to the character of the city, and an outcome of its amazing backdrop. One night we saw an exhibit called Takeda vs Herrera at the Museum of Oaxacan Painters..It was filled with people all talking about the art. The excitement , stimulation and inspiration is felt everywhere.

The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca (MACO) is perhaps the best example of Oaxaca’s artistic tradition and its ongoing contributions to the art world. Its position near the Santa Domingo Plaza and just a few blocks from the zócolo makes MACO a routine stop for both casual tourists and serious art aficionados. Permanent exhibitions are dedicated to Oaxaca natives Francisco Toledo, Rodolfo Morales, Rufino Tamayo, Rodolfo Nieto and Francisco Gutierrez. (exhibit)

I meet Venancio Velasco. He is the twenty year old artist who is the recipient of the Cultural Xplorers Scholarship to continue his studies in art. He works mostly in woodblock printmaking. The scholarship was started by Cultural Xplorers founder Jim Kane who is always looking for ways to make a positive impact on the countries he visits.

When you speak to Venancio, you understand that he has the soul of an artist . Art is about an emotional connection. Either you have one or you don’t. I connected immediately with his work. This is why I think he has the ability to go very far in the art world. It is exciting to see him at the beginning of his journey . I look forward to seeing his work evolve and supporting his career.

Composition, interpretation and values are key to defining an artist. Venancio’s art is straightforward and abstract, blending emotion with the animals and people of his culture. Everything tells a story and Venancio is happy to share the stories with you.

Shinzaburo Takeda is a master printmaker and artist who brought the first Japanese woodblock tools to Oaxaca. He is a professor and chair of the school of art at Benito Juarez University. He is Venancio’s teacher and one of the judges of the scholarship. He believes in Venancio as an artist of great promise and enjoys nurturing his individual vision. (Venancio and Maestro Takeda)

Maestro Takeda feels that Oaxacan artists have a special gift for printmaking. He jokes that there is so much printmaking going on in Oaxaca that it will sink like Venice under the weight of the printing presses.Though he grew up in Japan, his art is infused with Mexican culture. He is devoted to nurturing the artists of Mexico’s poorest families. The Takeda Biennial is an all-Mexico print competition with many extraordinary entries all honoring Shinzaburo Takeda.

I learn about ASARO. It stands for Assembly of Artist Revolutionaries in Oaxaca. ASARO is a printmaking artists collective and was founded in 2006, during a time of barricades, tear gas, and mass arrests. The ASARO group took great risks to paste topical protest prints on the walls in those days.

There are dozens of art venues ranging from libraries, galleries, coffee houses, restaurants, and mescal bars. My room in the hacienda has some extraordinary pieces hanging on the walls. All the artwork at the hotel is for sale. Exhibitions hang for as little as a week, so there might be several openings a night. Oaxaca’s two daily newspapers send reviewers to cover art openings even at small cooperative galleries. I buy two of Venancio’s prints and the most amazing photograph by local artist Pablo Santaella.

Though I don’t meet Francisco Toledo on this trip, his influence is all over the city He is widely known for not only contributing to the art world in Oaxaca and young artists, but he is an unfailing advocate of Oaxaca’s best interests and has the ear of whoever is in power at the time, often affecting big municipal decisions with his passionate pleas to preserve the environment and integrity of Oaxaca and her history. He brought art to the Oaxacan people. (self portrait by Toledo)

One of the things I have learned from traveling is that good art happens everywhere. There are artists working in every field in every medium in every country. I can’t wait to return to Oaxaca and see what they are creating next.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Travel Well, Fly Safe

Travel

Tag Archives: Art

Things I Will Miss, Things I Will Not Miss

Rain Room

Art In Hanoi – Thanh Chuong Viet Palace, Viet Nam

Urs Fischer At MOCA – Clay LA

Looking For Francisco Toledo In Oaxaca, Mexico