Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing, In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust, Pencil, still life
Yes, this week is a hodgepodge of stuff. No, there will be no coherent theme to this post, so don’t bother looking for one.
I’m going to start with something that will prove how…shall I say…weird, I am. So, I think that we’re all familiar with Marcel Proust’s yammering about his madeleines, right? I recently got a photocopy of the passage from A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, and it started me thinking…(always a recipe for disaster). Here’s the quote:
And so it is with our past. It is a labor in vain to recapture it: all the efforts of our intellect must prove futile. The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm beyond the reach of intellect, in some material object (in the sensation which that material object will give us) which we do not suspect. And as for the object, it depends on chance whether or not we come upon it or now before we ourselves must die. – [Marcel Proust]
So, I pondered this quote, and wondered what my “material object” would be that would bring me back to the past. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t think of anything profound, as Proust does. BUT, I thought about something ridiculous. When I was little, I had a rather sizeable collection of Tomy Pocket Games. Does anyone else remember these????? I loved them. I think that I have always been a “micro” person. This may be attributed to my rather acute nearsightedness…but perhaps not. Anyway, these little games were a micro world to me. Each had it’s own character, difficulty, and fun. They were small enough to fit in one’s pocket, hence the name. ANYWAY, (this is going somewhere, albeit slowly) I thought back to the ONE of these little games that I loved the most. It was a tiny obstacle course for a little silver ball. TEENY TINY! I remember the one that I had was slightly damaged, as my dad tried to get the price tag off with lighter fluid and slightly “melted” the plastic on that spot. SO, on a whim, I decided to look on ebay to see if anyone was selling one. Well…I kid you not. There was one in exquisite condition. As per usual, ebay stresses me out. I only buy things that I can “buy it now”, without an auction. Unfortunately, this had an auction. Days went by…on the evening of the final bidding, I placed my bid…and left to put my son to bed. I let go and just hoped that I would win it…
And I did:
BEHOLD! MY MADELEINE!
I know. I *truly* have a problem. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to have this little thing back in my life. I am clearly not of the buddhist school of thought where I relinquish attachment to all worldly possessions. No, I’m just about the complete opposite. Proust randomly stumbled upon his madeleine…whereas I sought out and bought mine on Ebay. Same difference.
I wonder what my son’s “madeleine” would be? We actually have a set of wooden blocks that was my husband’s grandfather’s blocks when he was a kid. Amazing, right? Anyway, my husband says that the smell of these wood blocks brings him back to his childhood…
That’s a skyscraper that he built “with” my son. Cool, right? Sorry about the mess. I was too lazy to photoshop out the general disaster in the house. I needed some kind of “de-crap” filter, but I don’t think that my version has that kind of thing…
The other cool project with my son is trying to grow something in a pot. Our bird feeder project was a complete fail, as I somehow managed to buy a suet block that is completely unappealing to our furry and feathered friends outside….but I digress. So, we’re trying to grow either beans, or peas. I can’t remember what we stuck in the pot, and I’m too lazy to get up and find the seed packet. I was very skeptical about this project, as I am really bad with plants. I mean, REAAAALLY bad. BUT! Take a look!!!!:
LOOKIT! There are some tiny GREEN THINGS coming up in the plant pot!!!!! YES!!!! I can restore my son’s faith in the order of the natural world! I was concerned that he was skeptical because of the bird feeder fail. See??? Add sun and water and stuff actually GROWS! Ah, I’m such a simpleton…
For those of you interested in art, you’ve probably already stopped reading by now. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if I lost most readers by this point. SORRY! If you wanted exciting, I’m sure that Kim Kardashian has a blog that you can check on. Just tell her that I sent you.
So, for my friend’s 40th bday, I made her a little book. Here it is:
and the inside:
Fun, right? I called it her “Forever 40” book. She can just maintain that same age from now on, and reject the signs of getting older. Blue hair? Senior discount? Not when you’re only 40! I may join her in this delusion when I turn 40.
I’m horrified at how little drawing I got done this week. This is it:
Just ONE drawing? Ugh. My husband was away this week, so my excuse is that I had less free time than usual. Or, I’m just slacking off. I’ll choose the former.
Has anyone seen any good art exhibits in the Boston area? I took my son to the MFA this week to meet a friend and her son. Yes, we did not manage to do the visit without a guard reprimanding me about my son trying to touch the two-story tall Chihuly sculpture. Sigh. Here I am…trying to be the good mom with my kid at the MFA, and we get called out as delinquents. Anyway, if you can think of a show in the area worth seeing…let me know…sans enfants next time…
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slightly wonky 