Friday, February 24, 2006

Illustration Friday: TEA

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Illustration Friday: SONG



No one will ever believe me, but I had serious troubles with this week’s IF topic – I just ran in small and large circles wrangling with an idea… I am exhausted.It started with first thing that popped into my head – valkyries song from Wagner. So, I was going to re-create most astounding experience of girls in helmets on trampolines. Where did I ever experience that? Well, I was lucky to see Die Walkure few years back at the Chicago Lyric Opera… If sitting through five hours of Wagnerian opera is lucky, though it can be argued that it is just this side of masochistic. Anyway, for the flight of the valkyries, they did whole bunch of girls in horned helmets and flying capes jumping across the stage background over the trampolines for the whole duration of that piece! When it happened, the whole audience was speechless, and then everyone started laughing and broke into spontaneous applause. It was great! Years later I am still giggling at the image in my head. So, first thought was – valkyries, girls on the trampolines, helmets, and song of the battle. Then, after various renditions and trips to the trash bin, here I was, all dejected. And so I just give up, grubbed my trusty acrylics and ink pens, and here we are. Sorry for all, no valkyries drawings, but I hope I was able to impart this image verbally just as well. Consider it my conceptual verbal illustration contribution of the week. Lily.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine’s Day!


Monday, February 13, 2006

Notes on Simple:

I just have enough time to indulge in random rambling and then run to my oh-so-boring accounting class… I am asking myself what have possessed me? Never mind, before I started whining.
Just saw Carla’s comment on books. YES! Both Lucy and I are dedicated Outlander readers, though I am impatient one – waiting for the paperback, when there is on at the library? Never! Though I managed to damage my back holding the latest volume of Outlander. Book weight a ton, and I had a kink for a while in my right shoulder… It was worth it! I will wait for paperback to add to my library…
So many books!
My War and Peace reading, though, have not progressed… Book is still looking at me; I pet it in passing, and make promises that I will eventually finish it.
IF “Simple” made me think about project I started about three years or so ago – I decided to actively simplify my life. Everyone and me– from what I understand half of this country went into same frenzy! It was multi step layered processes – I just could not overhaul everything in one setting. I really had a hard time of letting go of my stuff. I am divested of so much at this point that sometimes it is freaky… but mostly happy. And still there is stuff that could be hauled away. And then you get to the point when your family watches in horror – they are afraid that by the time you are done, there will be maybe a pillow on a floor and a bowl for food… Well, I didn’t go that far.
What happened with all this frantic simplifying – I was able to concentrate on things I like, and redefine what was important to me. Family and friends are important, traveling is important, having time to do what I love to do is important. I still love stuff – I am such a freak when it comes to beautiful things, but all the stuff doesn’t define me.
Simple is good. Less is more.Lily.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Illustration Friday: SIMPLE



(n) Simple (any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties)

(adj) Simple (having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved)

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Illustration Friday: CHAIR

And so I am having Dr.Zhivago moment here…Whimsical Zhivago? I looked through a few translations, and this one is my favorite by far, though the boots in other translations are ether tiny shoes or slippers… and therefore, no boots! Lily.

Winter night


The blizzards all across the earth
Have swept uncurbed
The candle burned upon the desk
The candle burned


As in the summer, moths are drawn
Towards the flame
The pale snowflakes soared
Towards the pane


Upon the glass, bright snowy rings
And streaks were churned
The candle burned upon the desk
The candle burned


On the illumined ceiling
Shadows swayed
A cross of arms, a cross of legs
A cross of fate


Two boots fell down on the floor
With crashing sound
And from the crown tears of wax
Dripped on the gown


And nothing in the snowy haze
Could be discerned
The candle burned upon the desk
The candle burned


A gentle draft blew on the flame,
And in temptation,
It raised two wings into a cross
As if an angel


It swept and swept all through the month
This frequently occurred
The candle burned upon the desk
The candle burned


Translated by Andrey Kneller