I will have 5 paintings in the Woodbridge Township Cultural Arts Crawl 2019, 10am-8:30 PM May 1-May 5

IN THE WAVES, Oil, 30" H X 24" W) just won BEST IN SHOW at BAC JAS 15 Exhibit.  The Show is still on until May 5, 2019. Belmar Arts Center, 608 River Road, Belmar.www.BelmarArts.org

The Frida Kahlo show at the Brooklyn Museum (now until May 19, 2019) is a stunner.  But not for the paintings, wonderful as the self portraits are, they are few and far between.  This show is about the art that pervaded every aspect of Frida Kahlo's life: her dresses, jewelry, and the artifacts in her home, including embroidered pillows.  She created her own world, which is  vibrant,  Mexican,  Tehuana, and filled with color and warmth, despite the pain of her crippling disabilities.  Among the artifacts are crushing corsets she painted and an artificial leg with colorful red painted boots.
The exhibit also includes many wonderful films: Tehuana women in the white headdresses and gold coin necklaces that Frida painted into her self portraits, and a loving home film of Frida and her husband, the mural painter, Diego Rivera.
One is embraced by the warmth and color of Mexico and all signage is bilingual.  To this point, I have to say, the highlight for me was not in the exhibit itself, but in The Norm restaurant which is in the museum. They cleverly have complemented the exhibit with a Mexican menu created by guest chefs.  I had the Flautas de Camarones by guest celebrity chef, Sue Torres.  All I can say is wow!

HARRY SEES DOLPHINS (Acrylic, 30"H X 40" W) won Honorable Mention at the Art Alliance of Monmouth Juried Show.  It will be on Exhibit and for sale, at the Art Alliance Gallery, 33 Monmouth St., Redbank, NJ, (April 6, Reception 6-8pm) -April 29, 2019.

These 3 paintings, A VICTORIAN LADY AND HER CAT (Oil, 30" H X 24" W), I AM A WESTIE (Acrylic, 20" H X 20" W) and BABY DEER DISCOVERS THE ROSE (30"H X 24" ) are on the wall, and for sale at the Classic Quiche Café, 330 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, NJ, for the months of April and May, 2019. 

IN THE WAVES, Oil, 30"H X 24" W will be on Exhibit at the JAS 15th Annual Juried Show, Belmar Arts Council, 608 River St., Belmar, NJ, April 6 (Reception 5-7PM)-May 5, 2019.

There are no words to express how much I love walking my dog, Snowball.  We see everything.  I saw the first crocus yesterday.  We meet other dogs and people.  I am now trying to memorize a lot of dogs' names:  Sammy, Mikey, Max, Pepper.  Snowball is a geek of people and other  dogs.  But just to smell the air or look at the sky is such a joy now that we are about to enter Spring.  I looked up and the sky was actually the same blue as in my painting.  I tried to capture the exhilaration we both feel as we walk at a brisk pace.  The tulips aren't up yet, but they will be soon!

My painting, "Deer In My Garden", Oil, 36" H X 36" W, will be on exhibit at the Woodbridge Public Library 350th Anniversary Juried Show, December, 2018.  The Reception is December 14th, 6:30pm.

This painting will be on exhibit at the Guild Of Creative Art, 620 Broad St., Shrewsbury, NJ, in the Guild's 26th Annual Juried Show, 2018. The show runs Sept.29- October 31, 2018.  I'm honored to be in this show because of the high quality of art always on exhibit at this Gallery, which we visit whenever we're in Shrewsbury.  The Reception is October 7, 3-5 pm.  The painting will be on sale.  It is Oil,  24" H X 24" W.  I was inspired by the wonderful Georgia O'Keefe in Hawaii show at the NY Botanical Garden.  I had a glorious hibiscus in my garden, and I always have wonderful hummingbirds in the summertime.  I am happiest painting what I love! Great Show! Thanks to David Levy and the staff of Guild Of Creative Art.

We just got a new puppy.  He's a frisky Westie and his name is Snowball.  What is more wonderful than that?  Maybe our wonderful grandson, Harry, who was one of the first to come meet his new family member.  The two got along great.  So far, Harry is the first child Snowball has met.  Someone a little closer in size to love.  Harry and I tried playing ball with Snowball, but he didn't quite get it.  Snowball is under 3 months after all.  But Harry and I played a good game.  He's quite the sportsman.  I look forward to many more happy hours with the two of them.  A side benefit= they're both terrific muses!

 We went on the amazing Cape May Dolphin Watch.  It was our third time, but our first time with grandson, Harry.  It was a joy to watch the wonder in his eyes, not to speak of the wonder in his father's eyes, as the latter stood mesmerized on the side of the boat  by the beauty of the sea.  And the dolphins!!  We saw dolphins the other times.  A few barely peeking up.  Too impossible to photograph.  But this time there were hundreds leaping everywhere, close enough to the boat to see without binoculars.  Their glossy bodies rising in wondrous curves.  I used silver acrylic to get that shine. I wanted to mirror the glorious dolphin curves in Harry's hat, the stern of the boat, and even in the splashing white foam of the sea.  What a memorable day!  The dolphins were too quick for my camera, but not my inner artist's eye.

This is a magical place.  I don't know if there is anything else like it. There are 42 acres of over 800 sculptures that range from ordinary people just sitting there, to famous paintings recreated in sculpture, to notable sculptures by well knowns.  The whole experience, as one walks on wending paths, through woods and greenery, past a lake and ponds, is rapturous.  As if one were walking through a dream.  And as my son, said, "Statues are therapeutic."  One wants to hug them.  They are friendly in their immobility. They represent our higher nature in some weird spiritual way.

There are several sculptures, like this one, of ordinary people.  You want to sit down and read the book with her.  In fact, for fun, our family sat on a bench (5 of us) and froze in position. It took awhile to coordinate ourselves, there was coughing and laughing, but once we got settled we actually fooled some people!  Great fun!

And then there are the iconic paintings, like this one, "Dejueuner Deja Vu" by Seward Johnson, the founder of the sculpture garden and the main contributor.  Imagine stepping into this amazing Impressionist painting.

Redon's Fantasy Of Venus, Seward Johnson.

Of course you can't get more iconic than AMERICAN GOTHIC.  Those figures of a man and boy are my son and grandson, temporarily turned into statues!

 For me the highlight was this room one could enter for private serenity and contemplation.  It was on the other side of The Scream.  Because that is the way life is.  Yin and Yang, dark and light, both represented at this enchanted place.