My interest in art began as a child living in Greenwich Village, New York, a great place for aspiring artists. I enjoyed coloring books, paper dolls, and drawing pads. I doodled in notebooks especially when bored or stressed and took a minor in art in high school. Even after college where I majored in English and education, I dabbled in art. That included photography.
I spotted this leopard on a ledge during a safari in Kenya in 2024, and managed to capture his photo while in the safety of a Toyota Land Cruiser.
When I bought a Pentax camera, I had to learn the mechanics of photography, and I took a weekend class on how to develop photos. One of my photos won a local prize and was exhibited on Staten Island. Nowadays, it’s even easier to point and shoot with my iPhone, but there’s still a bit of skill in knowing how to compose the picture, use lighting, and find a good subject.
In middle age, I took adult ed. courses at a local high school which helped hone my drawing skills, introduced me to watercolor and pastel artwork. I’ve continued to study and work on improving my art skills through senior art workshops and art classes at the Montclair Art Museum.
I’m still an amateur but am getting more proficient.
To me art provides a moment away from worldly matters. I’m finding beauty in some of the simplest objects, noticing the shapes as well as the colors, and having fun. Art is my therapy!
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Albert EinsteinA simple pencil sketch based on a photo in a magazine
My first love had to be art. As a child I enjoyed doodling, coloring books, and even dreamed of being an artist when I grew up. However, I didn’t follow through on that grandiose idea, but I remained creative in other ways.
I worked in advertising and public relations after graduating from college. As a copywriter, I worked closely with artists creating ads for the JC Penney retail catalog back in the mid-80’s. After the company left New York City, I did freelance writing and started to write my first romance novel. I went to grad. school to become a teacher. I taught language arts for a little over 25 years. I also wrote and published five novels. However, with all that work as a writer and an educator, I never forgot my love of art.
In the past several years, I have taken art classes at an adult school, an art museum, and at senior centers near me. They helped to renew my passion for the visual arts, and I find doing art enriches me as a writer too.
In taking art classes, as well as going to art exhibits and shows, I have learned to look at things differently. I used to feel that art has to imitate life, but that’s not necessarily so. In some way, it’s akin to writing a story where I create from experiences but don’t duplicate them in words. I also have fun playing with colors, shapes, and different media. I’ve worked with pencil sketches, charcoal drawings, pastels, and mainly watercolor painting.
I believe that there is a strong connection in the arts, whether visual, language, dramatic, or musical. I find inspiration from listening to music, attending a play or musical, reading books, and viewing art. I think they all inspire in some way. They say for instance that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes words can’t capture a picture. I have been discovering the artist within as a writer and enjoying exploring my own artistic expression.
Sunrise as seen from the top deck on the Viking Polaris.
As a writer, I keep open to story ideas and pack a travel notebook. Sometimes it’s a quick write about the day’s adventures, the places visited, the foods sampled, and the people that I met along the way. More recently, I took a trip aboard one of the Viking expedition ships, the Polaris, for the sail on the Great Lakes which covered all five of the lakes. We started with Lake Ontario, sailed on to Lake Erie, then Lake Huron, then Lake Michigan, and ended in Lake Superior.
The tour proved beyond exceptional.
We visited the Canadian side of Niagara Falls; the Henry Ford Museum in the “motor city” of Detroit; Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin; the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada; several other ports along the way. All very memorable.
Niagara Falls, OntarioLambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsinan exhibit on early automobiles at the Henry Ford Museum, Detroit, Michigan
However, as much as I enjoyed the cruise, I experienced a setback. During my visit to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, the quaint setting for the 1980 fantasy romance movie Somewhere in Time featuring Christoper Reeve and Jane Seymour, I enjoyed a buffet luncheon with fellow passengers. Then I went up to the fourth floor to get an overlook view of the island. On the way down, I missed a step and took a tumble at the bottom. In immediate pain from the fall, I had to be brought back to a tender boat and then onto the larger cruising vessel. What began as smooth sailing, ended up with my staying onboard the main ship until the last port in Duluth, Minnesota.
Not much fun! Despite that, I found so much warmth and concern from fellow passengers and the crew of the vessel. The onboard medical center provided excellent care and follow-up for my injury. Even the ship’s captain came by to ask how I was doing!
Staircase where I took a tumble onto the lobby of the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
I remembered how sometimes the best plans get waylaid. Life is that way! To paraphrase a saying, “we mortals make plans, and the gods laugh”.
The Grand Hotel, piano area, Mackinac Island
I’m writing again, nevertheless, using my trip, pun intended, to journal, to blog, and to recall the good times I have had despite the setbacks.
In my lifetime, I have had losses. Some are harder than others to take. However, I’ve often found that writing has helped me get through it. There is something cathartic in it. As someone who enjoys writing fiction, there may even be ideas for stories.
