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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Letting the Mind Wander



My friends phoned last night and told me about visiting MOMA and seeing the videos of William Kentridge. I found a number of them on U-Tube and brought this one here for you to consider. The thing I reflected on, as I spoke to my friends and as I watched the videos, was how much time and playful attitude is required to make art.

It isn't always pure creation. Sometimes art includes observations, like the sounds made by the suits that Nick Cave conjured up. It wasn't until he made and observed his costumes that he discovered they made beautiful noises when he danced in them. I wonder if we don't miss a lot of sensory information in the fast paced world we live in. It seems to me that we need to move very slowly through life to take in even a small part of what surrounds us.

Here is a video of Nick Cave talking about his work. It isn't very long but it describes a lifetime of work and process. It describes the slow work of loving the world.


Well, from the sublime to the ridiculous. I want to introduce you to Murphy.

Murphy was a gift from Miss Bee Shay, east coast friend and art collaborator. Right away Murphy got himself into hot water with Breezy whom you've already met. It seems Murphy was (ahem) amorous and Breezy wasn't having anything to do with it.

Or was she? This is what I found recently after leaving the two of them quietly sitting on the shelf before I retired for the night. When I wake up in the morning it is not unusual to find that my dolls have changed positions, tipped over a wine glass, left evidence of mis-deeds in the studio and on the lawn.

One of my friends wondered, after I'd introduced Breezy, where Murphy was as they were inseparable at Artfest. Well, behold a new character who appeared in the studio today; a very odd baby it is.

A baby with a suspicious resemblance to ............................ hmmmm. The plot thickens.

22 comments:

Sherry Goodloe said...

I LOVE that "odd" baby!!

I hope Murphy is behaving himself *hee hee*. Have you had "the talk" with him yet? I think it may be time :)

bee said...

murphy is too sexy for his socks...

Candace said...

Oh Judy, we are on a mindtrip together...! Come see Soxy Sadie. LOL! Poor old girl, she isn't near as nice as Murphy -- maybe she needs some fashion tips lessons from his debonair monkey self!

Thank you _so much_ for the Nick Caves! I find I have become so much more mindful living among the trees and bees now and do agree about the "fast pace" getting in the way of our selves.
x Candace

katie said...

i'm glad to hear breezy is finally loosening up - you go, murphy!

you do know that we south dakota girls are known to hit em WAY out of the field once we get good and warmed up, oh yea!

femminismo said...

You are too funny! I love adult minds that linger in childhood, ready to accept that (forgive me Breezy and Murphy) inanimate objects cause wine glasses to tip over. I imagine this stuff all the time and it's such fun and nice to get reinforcement. I'll enjoy watching the videos after work tonight. - Jeanne

Lynn Cohen said...

Mazol Tov on your new blue grandbaby! So cute and yes, I see the resemblance to the father! A lovely couple they are those parents...I felt a little voyeristic viewing them in their intimacy in the garden however.

Enjoyed the viedeos as well. Oh my, how do they do that drawing and erasing and redrawing one?

Awesome costumes in the second one. What an artist he is!

Oh my word is funpent! How FUN is that?

YA YA SISTERHOOD said...

"It describes the slow work of loving the world." this goes directly into my teeny notebook where i jot down edible strings of words.
xoxoxo- love from LA

Unknown said...

My little Blue Guy got a glimpse up at the monitor at your Murphy. Blue Guy thought he'd like to get to know Murphy, but I wasn't sure. Murphy seems a little too mature for Blue Guy! Might have to wait a while.

Love the "grandbaby" you've now got! Color is marvelous, look: divine.

Carla Sonheim said...

LOVED both the William Kentridge and Nick Cave videos... thank you for sharing them with us!!!

Seth said...

Kentridge's video is so interesting to watch. I will have to head over to MoMA to see the show.

alex s said...

HAAR! Glad to see that it wasn't a one night stand! :-)

The baby is so beautiful. Really amazingly so. xx

misty said...

can you hear my laughter??? Murphy, i knew it...a smooth talker... but look at what was born, a beautiful odd baby. i wonder if there will be wedding bells or is murphy just passing through? and will there be more babies? oooh, this is good!

Kathleen Botsford said...

Judy, I am taking your class next weekend in WI and wanted to know what brand of watercolors, permanent inks, oil pastels and oil sticks you use. Goody! "new" fun things to make messes with!
kmdesigns@sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

I agree we need to slow down to see and to live. That is why there are now a host of slow movements all emanating from Slow Food born in Italy of course. Slow Cities is headquartered in Orvieto and we work with them on our trips. There is slow design, slow business and on and on. Maybe we are beginning to get it?

Martha Lever said...

oh my goodness---this really made me giggle---thanks for that!!! I hope to catch you at Random Arts this summer.

Chris said...

YOU!


And I'm not kidding!

Sarah said...

I was reading about Nick Cave recently and so it was great to get a little taste of his work, thanks! Martha Miller also mentioned him in a recent post http://marthamillerart.blogspot.com/2009/04/cave-and-carolee.html
I loved the first video too. The trouble is a lot of people seem to have no time in the ridiculously fast pace of life-it is an important and conscious decision to make time to create and enjoy art.
Your last picture of the strange baby with the uncanny resemblance to Murphy made me laugh! Can't wait to see how the story pans out!

Joy Logan said...

hehehehe I love your wit Judy!

Erica Herbert said...

hey JUDY! LOVE it!
i heard something fabulous today~ AND JUST HAD TO SHARE:
~there are no shortcuts to any place worth going!"
smart, eh? Hope you are well!
love.LOVE.love.
e.

Lynn Cohen said...

Judy, there is an award for you on my blog today (Sunday). Come to receive it when you come up for air. ;-)

Kelly Snelling said...

that blue baby is awesome, judy!

Scintilla said...

i love the baby! what an amazing painting. and a very funny story to make me smile. remember murphy at the house at art fest?