Finding a Soul Mate

Posted on March 19, 2011 by susan

Last night I awoke with the most wonderful vision in my head on how to attract a soul mate. It was a lovely image of my heart exploding in plumes of colorful flames through my body and out my head. My head looked like little spaghetti light rays each with metallic colored confetti sparkles bursting off the ends of each light string. Each string of light carried a wonderful quality of my being, like kindness, loving children, loving friends, joy, caring, peacefulness, creativeness and so on. Positive only characteristics were in each sparkle. The sparkles seemed to ignite as I thought of more and more delightful loving distinctions of myself. I realized I opened my heart and let all the good come forth. It released into the Universal consciousness sending out little positive ions to attract like particles and then return to me that which is similar, a soul mate if you please.

March 20th— update…. I had another dream the next night. An angel appeared in a vision as I was waking and put a golden halo around all my light rays to group them together, kinda like tying a ribbon around them. Now when they go into the ethers they are in a “package deal.” All my good qualities will go forth and connect with someone of like qualities. How wonderful! I heard him say do this twice a day for 30 days and then you will have your soul mate! ok on April 20th we will see what appears.

The mystery of life

Posted on March 13, 2011 by susan

There are people in this world that question. I am one among many. It is the IB way… Yes, this is the program I teach: International Baccalaureate Visual Arts. Do you think and question? Do you ponder, then go out and create by writing, drawing, making music, figuring out mathematical equations or scientific problems? It is about what makes you tick. It’s not about taking some ones idea and copying it, or taking a photo and griding it or even blowing it up on an opaque projector to create art. It is having a vision and documenting your ideas in a notebook, like Leonardo da Vinci then taking your idea and manifesting it into something real, tangible and of value. I have been doing this for almost a year via a blog and an investigation journal. I think, dream, have visions, then draw, write, list and compare what I have thought over time. Reread and rethink. It is learning to adjust to life and what it throws you. Listening to John Mayer and a CD he recording in 2009 called Battle Studies, inspires me. The entire CD is about heartbreak, love and suffering. Interesting collection of songs, seems he may have endured the pain of love and loss to write such ballads. He is a person with a question and trying to find an answer through song.

Interesting how music and art walk hand in hand. My music producer friend Rich Patz from Houston told me years ago, he could hear melody’s in his head then just play them, that is how he created and wrote songs. I had a few melody’s, but not knowing music composition I could not write them down. I have visions of completed art compositions and have awoke to create them as I saw them in my dreams. I had one before my daughter Sam was born. It was a picture showing a future art conte drawing with Randy, Casey, Andy and Sam. I waited till she was born and old enough to pose her the way I saw her in my dream.and then created the composition. Randy has big eyes and looks shy, Casey has a silly giggle, and Sam on her tummy with a sweet smile. It is one of my favorite drawings with all four children and a stuffed monkey Andy had to hold. The monkey has become an interesting visual about Andy. Now in China I found his zodiac sign is the monkey, which fits him well. The last few days of his life, his girl friends brought him a huge monkey to cheer him up. Just a nice reminder of how images weave through life.

My friend Chris Reynolds says she is jealous of me coming in China and others say how brave I am. It’s not about my bravery but how I am questioning my life and trying to find the answer. Maybe there is no answer, maybe it is just the journey. Never finding the answer just always on the quest. “The mystery of life” as Peter Smith would say.

Faces

Posted on March 11, 2011 by susan

Images from China! Enjoy….

Just a day in my life…..

I’m in Repair

Posted on March 9, 2011 by susan

I’m in repair, can’t walk back into life
Can’t take a step, I am in repair
Waiting for a part to patch my broken heart
Broken hearted and thinking about what could have been
I can’t have you anymore, broke in half, no longer whole,
Just pieces that remain
Needing someone to fix a hole in my heart
Where is my part, has it come in?
Can someone repair me?
News Flash! It won’t be you
You broke me, and can’t mend me now
Go away, leave
Let me salvage what remains
I’m in repair, can’t walk back into life
I’m in repair.

So what do you think? I have a couple musicians that want to create a melody to it. Maybe I will be the next Dixie Chick!!!

Grand Buddha of Lingshan, Wuxi China

Posted on March 8, 2011 by susan

Today is the official International Womens Day. America does not celebrate this holiday and I wonder why not rejoice in womanhood? My school invited all the women from janitors to admin on a bus trip to the Lingshan Buddhist Temple in Wuxi on Sunday.

I had no idea this was the home of the largest bronze Buddha in China at 80 meters tall and 700 tons in weight. It was a misty rather gloomy day for site seeing, but the place was brimming with women from all over China. The site included the Grand Buddha, a bronze duplicate hand of Buddha, a bronze Happy Buddha and other sculptures. The Brahma Palace was much like an exquisite cathedral inside, with an area for an Imax show and a live performance of Siddhartha’s life. The musical included Chinese Bollywood dancer’s acting and dancing the early life of Siddhartha, quite a site!

It wasn’t until we had walked half way through the park, that I looked up into the sky and low and behold nestled in the clouds was the Grand Buddha’s face! What a magnificent site, just a head in the clouds, the rest was covered in the fog. I think this was the precise time that I had my “come to Jesus” moment, realizing spirituality is everywhere. I walked up 217 steps and then an elevator to the platform where his feet were. It was raining cats and dogs, my hair was a mess. Looking up at his face huge droplets of water cascaded down his cheeks onto his nose and feel off right toward my face. Ka splat…. I thought to myself move over, those are huge drops of snot falling. I was reminded of the local Chinese men and the constant “hawking of a loogie” on a daily basis in China! These thoughts caused me to laugh out loud. My spontaneous laugh seemed to echo in the misty laden aura of the Great Buddha. It was a glorious, innocent happy moment full of joy!

I saw the cute Happy Buddha overrun with bronze children crawling about him. Five old women where laughing just looking at this sculpture, and they poised for a picture. What a day for laughter, happiness and amazement.

Why does the happy Buddha laugh, he has no fear? He sees with the innocence of a child.

Sorrow will dissipate when you no longer fear — A Buddhist saying.

The mysterious man in black shoes

Posted on March 2, 2011 by susan

Winter should be ending soon. Life is like seasons, hardest time is always during the winter. Then spring appears and life is lighter, sunnier and easier. I am eager for spring, a long sunny day, beautiful clear skies, flowers in bloom, and the smell of new growth. It is time for a fresh start. When Andy died and my whole life came tumbling down into one horrible heap, I realized this span in China has been a season of healing. It is a time to see, to ponder life and understand it’s meaning. I’ve spent a duration in this chair typing on my laptop and looking out my Chinese apartment window more than anything I have ever done in years. I see the pagoda, it is like a beacon in time for me portending my life. I find I not only write about it, draw it but have dreams about it.

The other night I awoke from a strange dream of the pagoda in a whirl of misty foggy clouds, like an old black and white movie. At the bottom step was a pair of feet standing in black shoes, just waiting. It was vague as the clouds covered the man and all I saw were shoes. I woke up smiling. Tell me the psychological meaning? Where is the dream book when you need it? It is locked in a cardboard box in a storage unit in America. I keep thinking maybe I ought to take a trip to the pagoda and look for that guy…but I think it is a metaphor for my life.

Looking forward to finding the person standing in black shoes. Life is such a mystery.

Light as an angle.

Posted on February 27, 2011 by susan

Teaching photography tomorrow to Chinese students, I want to introduce right brain thinking and how to use intuition to capture strong images. The one thing needed is an interesting light source. We will be on the prowl for an unusual composition, which others will walk past. Sometimes it is in the detail, the zooming in and finding a design with strong contrast of light and dark. It might be catching someone doing something interesting or humorous without their knowledge. Ann made a comment my photographic angles are getting better. Thanks Ann, I think it is the passion that bubbles within to create a good artistic composition. My friend Bill said my eyes twinkle when I am interested or get excited about something. It must be the light within my soul shining through those blue eyes, creating a genuine sparkle! Once again the passion within. Thanks Bill for the compliment!

I want to enlighten my students on passion and how to use it to create strong art work. Here are photos I think that have that sweet twinkle, a bit of passion, and humor too. Check out those lions! The light within directs the light in a composition. Use it to your advantage.

Zhujiajiao, another Venice?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by susan

A lovely ancient water village in the Qingpu district of Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is a unique city. (pronounced zoo jowl jowl, sort of…) Randy and I spent one full day sightseeing during the spring festival.
Here is a little snip-it of our day. I love finding images of people without their knowledge your taking their picture.

What is your angle?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by susan

Exploring Shanghai I found some interesting pictures, angles of life.

I was thinking about “angles”! An interesting word, with many definitions. How we manipulate one another, “What is your angle?” and “What is the angle of that building?” or “What angle will I shot this picture?” How can I combine all these angles into one blog. Many facets into one.

I asked a question today about angles…on Facebook, and to my co-workers, just to see what responses I would get. Thanks Mike Bell for “Obtuse!” Peter Smith said his angle when it comes to women is to ask, “What is your star sign?” Then there was Joey in “Friends” and his famous “Howww you, do-innn?” in his Bronx voice. Alice said the Chinese angle was for a young man to ask a young woman to borrow her book, then return it with a note inside. The note would say how about going to a film? If he returned the book without a note, guess he wasn’t interested! Poor girl.

My angle or ‘one line’ was never to have one. But by not having one, I have one, no matter. It is like being alone, or lonely or on your own. It is one in the same, like an oxymoron. You don’t have one, you have one.

My artist angle is to zoom in and crop what I like, look for the details. Are you what I like? Let me adjust my aperture and decide on my angle! Click! Nice shot! I like this one.