Saturday, February 25, 2006
The light is back,
and since early this morning I’ve been painting.
It doesn’t last long-
By 1 pm, the light is on the wane...
My son Michio took this pic of me while working...
© 2006 Pamela MacCarthy
"Pamela Painting Michio's Portrait"
iPod in ears, paintbrush in hand...
Hopefully tomorrow the light will also be good.
I’ll be up early to meet it.
Till next time... 'Mela
12:48 AM
Friday, February 24, 2006
Well, I never thought I'd join
the rest of the world in the madness called mobile phones.
I am now a card carryin' member of the "keitai" club-
Built in camera, email, & ringtones avail...
Here's my first Digital self portrait.
© 2006 Pamela MacCarthy
I have been busy preparing for an Art Print Gallery Show
that I am entering 3 of my digital works in, in Sophia, Bulgaria.
My canvas is progressing-
Lately it has been too dark and overcast to paint.
I'm going to see Tower of Power
this Sunday night at The Tokyo Blue Note.
I love this band.
I first saw them back in the late 70's at the Nassau Colosseum,
on Long Island, New York.
They were a big inspiration when I started singing in my first band,
a 7 piece disco-funk-jazz band, late 70's...
What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know.
What is hip?
If you're really hip,
the question, "Will it show?"
You're into a hip trip.
Maybe hipper than hip.
What is hip?
What is hip?
-Tower of Power
Till next time...'Mela
8:04 AM
Friday, February 17, 2006
The beacon of light at the end of the long,
dark tunnel called Winter lights up to the public today.
The Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival 2006
opens today at the Tokyo Dome,
in Suidobashi, Tokyo.
This will be my sixth consecutive year to attend this spectacular event.
Last year, however, was my first time to see the “light show”.
To avoid the crowds, I went later in the day,
and, after 4:00pm or so, as I remember it,
the lighting changed from simulated “day”:
Bright ,overhead Dome lighting,
To “night”:
A softer, more subtle track lighting,
with added directional, & multi-colored spotlighting,
for more theatrical effects; with simulated “stars” on the ceiling.
Also added to the mix in the later hours was Classical music,
with some well-chosen Arias thrown in for whimsy.
This adds a new dimension to the proceedings...
Each year I am amazed at all the different varieties
of orchids at this show, and the new hybrids created.
Here is an extensive orchid page,
for anything about orchids...
I love all the orchids;
their fragrance, appearance, etc.
But I am drawn to the Paphiopediliums, or “lady slippers”, mostly...
The show is open from Feb 18th, Saturday - Feb 26th, Sunday.
I’ll see you there...
Till next time...'Mela
10:28 PM
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Yesterday was one of the mildest days this year.
Later, on the news, they said it was a record set for the warmest day in
February...
I was taking it all in,
walking slowly along the "Green Road";
A lovely tree-lined residential street
that leads the way back to the train station
from my dentist's office.
The sun was so warm, and there was a fragrance of flowers in the air.
Then, I saw it.
The first plum blossom, or ume, in Japanese, this year.
But this one was reddish-pink,
not off-white,
like the ones in my neighborhood.
Coincidentally, I was also listening
to the soundtrack from Memoirs of a Geisha on my iPod,
as | often do when walking.
I was listening to track #5, Chiyo’s Prayer,
( the music that plays in the scene when the Geisha was still Chiyo, a young girl, running along the shrine path)
when I saw these blossoms.
I heard the schoolgirls giggling, walking behind me.
In the corner of my eye I saw them walk past in their plaid skirts...
How strange I must’ve appeared to them:
A tall blonde woman in a long black coat
standing transfixed, staring at these blossoms,
wiping back tears.
My mind drifted back to my childhood.
To a little house in Pine Bush, New York,
where I grew up.
On the front lawn of this house
were two red-pink plum blossomed trees.
The same color as the ones I saw yesterday.
I remember thinking back then, when those trees bore fruit,
“These are odd plums...”
How could I have known that they were Japanese ume,
and one day I would be living in the place where they came from.
Although I became nostalgic for a moment,
this event made me feel bolstered, somehow...
Like I’m in the right place, at the right time;
where I’m supposed to be.
I don’ t pray for miracles anymore,
just for signs...
Till next time... 'Mela
8:06 PM
Saturday, February 04, 2006
I'm about to start a new canvas.
After reviewing many photos, and doing some pencil sketches,
I'm about ready to start Michio's portrait.
I've put my CD soundtrack of Memoirs of a Geisha
on my iPOD for inspiration.
It is a completely mesmerizing work,
that encapsulates the memory of a wonderful film...
Imagine my dissappointment at learning that the film,
and all the actors/ actresses were completely passed by
for Oscar nominations by Hollywood, Inc.
Costume Design,
amongst other things,
was not overlookled.
Hmmm...
Kyoto. Geisha. Kimono.
Kyoto. Geisha. Kimono.
Kind of like nominating a poster company for printing a Picasso, no?
John Williams' score was nominated,
and I do hope it wins.
It is a total triumph.
I would love to one day
have an opportunity to sing
on one of his scores...
I've compiled from my own CD collection a list of tunes
I put on my iPOD for painting inspiration:
Wilderness Rising - Tony Williams
Mr. Calypso - Herbie Hancock
Infant Wilderness - Tony Williams
Hourglass - Michael Franks
The Tall Tear Trees - Jan Garbarek
Rural Renewal - The Crusaders
Diamond Dust - Jeff Beck
Machu Picchu - Tony Williams
Twelve Moons - Jan Garbarek
Self Portrait in Three Colors - Charles Mingus
Butterfly - Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters
Hourglass, remember how
I said I'd miss you?
I confess I lied...
Hourglass, I couldn't live without you
If I tried,
which I
do not intend to ever try
My Hourglass,
your sensual geography
I live just to explore
Your present, past, and future incarnations
I adore
the more
we love the more I know
we loved before
Luck of such magnitude
fills me with gratitude
Some navigator divine
tied us together in time
Love measures Infinity
minute by minute
Why, Hourglass,
do you suppose my arms surround you
so existentially?
Hourglass,
I know the sand that flows through you
is me
I see
The sand that flows through you is me-
Hourglass
-Michael Franks
from Abandoned Garden
Till next time...'Mela
8:19 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
