Susanna's Sketchbook

June 28, 2008: New York wanderings, Part II

When you are on vacation - or with others who are on vacation, as I was this past week - the days naturally seem a bit brighter and a little more exciting. There's the expectation that we will see something new during our travels.

I stayed overnight New York with my sister, M., and her boyfriend, P., last Friday and in the morning, the three of us caught the subway down to the West Village for breakfast. Ahhh...coffee...it's a morning must whether on vacation or not, isn't it?

Afterwards, we walked down to the Meatpacking District where I oohed and ahhed over the graffitti.

We wandered down Bleecker Street to see the little shops when suddenly we came upon this unexpected sight:

A street performance, this time a dance. Ahhh...but of course...it was a cupcake dance!

Across the street, you see, is the famous NYC landmark: the Magnolia Bakery. On any given day but especially during a sunny weekend, you will find a long line of people patiently waiting to buy a cupcake or two from this establishment.

And then it was on to West Broadway where I happily discovered this little magical creature:

Unfortunately, the salesgirl at the shop didn't share the purse designer's sense of humour when I took this photograph from the sidwalk. I mean, really! I was standing on the sidewalk! Ah well, let it go... And yes, that's a hedgehog purse peaking out on the left...or maybe it was a porcupine...

We ate lunch in Chinatown, where it is always crowded and always fascinating. I taped a winged messenger onto a parking meter in the fish market on Mott Street and was thrilled when a young girl stopped to play with its wings.

And then finally, with sore feet and a happy heart and close to four hundred photographs on my camera, we returned to the hotel.

June 26, 2008: New York wanderings, Part I

Times really does fly when we're having fun, doesn't it? My twin sister, M., and her wonderful boyfriend, P., came down for a visit this past week and to say that I had a good time hanging out with them would be an understatement. They are city folk through and through with a go-go-go attitude, ready to see and experience everything happening in New York.

We arrived at Penn Station on Friday and made our way through mid-town Manhattan to The Algonquin Hotel on West 44th St. This is the hotel where writer Dorothy Parker ("One more drink and I'd have been under the host") and The Algonquin Round Table members met during the 1920's. Ever since the 1930's, the hotel has held the tradition of keeping a resident cat named Matilda (female) or Hamlet (male) in the lobby. Sure enough, the current Matilda was curled up on a chaise lounge by the front door. You can see one of my "winged messengers" on a table in the lobby.

After M & P dropped their bags off at the hotel, we made our way up 5th Avenue past the Harry Winston windows. I thought their idea of displaying their ornate modern jewelry on copies of master paintings was clever.

We continued walking north to Central Park where I put up a few of my "wings".

There are many talented musicians throughout Central Park.

I have seen this man perform under the Bethesda Terrace before and although he seems a bit eccentric at first glance (what with the red plumed cap, metal bondage wear chains and loin cloth), it quickly becomes apparent that he must be a professionally-trained opera singer. He is good!

We eventually made our way up to the Met, where we flew through the Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy up to the rooftop terrace for glasses of wine and sangria. If you haven't done this in New York before, do so the next time you are in the city! Then we raced down the corridors, out the museum doors and caught a subway train to Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

 

Once every summer, The Metropolitan Opera hosts a live free concert in Prospect Park and this year's performance, sponsored by Bank of America, starred the soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor, Roberto Alagna. They are a real-life couple and their affection for one another was obvious throughout their performance. The soprano often burst into laughter at the tenor's goofy antics beside her on stage. It was quite endearing. Looking over the crowd of thousands in attendance, I wondered if the opera singers ever thought of what was happening out in the audience while they sang? There were the bats dancing in circles in the air and the odd firefly twinkling in the grass. Little tea lights on blankets reflected off wine glasses and couples leaned closer to one another. An older lady sitting behind me sang along in a thick Italian accent while her husband looked on beside her. And this little dog reminded me of one of our favourite children's books.

June 12, 2008

Yesterday, Constance invited me to a potluck picnic in Ocean Grove, NJ. First off, let me tell you, if you are lucky to be invited to a lunch or a picnic with Constance, you just know that you'll be in for a treat. Especially if she is bringing something in tupperware. Well, in Constance's case, the treat would be set on an elegant silver tray. And the treat - yum! The wonderful Karen, sweet Sandy and lovely Isabel also came, bringing with them a delicious spread of sliced tomato and mozzarella, cold white wine and portugese dishes. It was so nice to just sit and chat with one another, while sitting on a blanket under a shady tree.

Now let me tell you about Ocean Grove, New Jersey. It is a jewel of a small town, located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded in 1869 by eight to ten Methodist families looking for a quiet summer spiritual retreat. Over time, the little quiet retreat grew into a quaint little town now bustling with cute little shops, bakeries, icecream parlours and bed & breakfasts. The town still serves as a religious summer retreat ("God's Square Mile at the Jersey Shore") but from what I hear, it also has a thriving gay community. It's a good example of different beliefs and lifestyles coexisting peacefully.

One of the coolest sights in Ocean Grove are the narrow streets lined with small white tents pitched on wooden platforms. This is where some lucky families spend their entire summers. Cute, huh?

A few other Ocean Grove sights...

To top off an already terrific day, we all piled into our cars and went to see Constance's Marie Antoinette at Bodega, a shop in Red Bank, NJ. Isn't she great?

 

May 16, 2008

I am exhausted tonight. I spent today with an old friend from Canada who I hadn't seen in about seven years. I still can hardly believe that much time has flown by...how did that happen, Michaela? Now she's a mommy to two little boys and with another one on the way. It was so nice to catch up about her life "back home" and about old friends from "back when". Yes, it was a really nice day. Thank you, Michaela. And I got to wear my new rubber boots in today's downpour. $20 well spent, I tell ya.

All I have planned for this weekend is to paint my wings (and finally send them off on Monday), drink a glass of red wine, read a book and sleep. Oh, and catch up on my blog reading (that is, I'll be visiting you this weekend). And you? What are your weekend plans?

Before I leave you til Monday, here are a few photos from today's adventures in New York...  Have a great weekend!

    

May 9, 2008

Yesterday, I wandered through a deserted amusement park in the parking lot of a half-empty mall along the side of a highway. It felt oddly exciting to walk by the wrapped tents and the still rides, nodding to the roadies, taking photographs of the sights. It was opening night, and in a few hours this pristine, quiet, glitzed-out place would suddenly come to life with flashing lights and blaring music. Families would arrive carrying pink cotton candy wands and fizzy sodas and tickets for rides in their hands. In the meantime, though, I had the place to myself.

May 8, 2008

 

Roadside in Pennsylvania 

April 26, 2008

Today is cool and windy and perfect after the beautiful warm weather we had all week. Today I am feeling thankful for many little things in my life - for the quietness of my apartment, for a dinner that's already made, for J who picked something up for me just because he thought I'd like it. I'm also feeling thankful for all the get-togethers that have happened over this month. For me, April has become The Month of the Bloggergals.

This past Thursday, I hopped a train into New York and met up with my friend Karen and her two wonderful friends, Kathryn and Joy. When I entered the apartment where they were staying, I found a table covered with evidence of creativity gone wild. Old books, paper, scissors, glue, little trinkets and swatches of fabric were all being assembled into beautiful works of art. I was shown treasures in paper bags, collected from unique shops throughout New York. The lovely Maddie (who is just as sweet and poetic in person as she is on her blog) joined us and after a coffee and breakfast, we began our day exploring the city.

I took them to one of my favourite shops - John Derian. It's a little shop of wonders, selling decoupaged glass plates, little paper mache vegetables (my favourite are the radishes), giant grey featherdusters, photographs of 19th C. folk with dog heads and so much more.

Then Karen took us to one of her special NYC finds: New York Central Art Supply. It's a plain-looking store from the outside but on the inside there is an assortment of paints and paper, brushes and (oh my, oh my) sketchbooks that would make any artist's heart skip a beat. Now I am quite fussy about my sketchbooks. I always look for a particular style that will set the mood for what will be inside the book. Well, New York Central Art Supply had the exact books I have been looking for - hooray! And the brushes...they have a wide selection of brushes that go beyond the typical art store variety. We're talking brushes that you could display in a vase...brushes from around the world...in all shapes and sizes and styles...brushes with character and personality...

Later that afternoon, we bid farewell to Joy and Kathryn and Maddie and I caught a ride with Karen to her home in Pennsylvania.

Karen is the hostess with the mostest. Oh yes, she is! Her house is filled with artwork and photographs of her family which really makes you feel as a guest that you are stepping into a house full of creativity and love. We ate chocolate, drank coffee, talked about art and blogging and pretty well chatted away an evening and a morning.

Before Maddie and I returned home, Karen took us to a couple neat shops in Pennsylvania. There was a second hand store called The Barn (sorry, no website) which was literally packed floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with everything imaginable. There was a drawer full of "monsters" and a shelf full of porcelain sugar bowls still containing sugar. After seeing all the assemblage art over the past week, I stepped out of my box and bought three metal door locks. I'll make something out of them, really I will!

Maddie found her dream green typewriter there...

 

We also wandered through a large second hand bookstore that would make any ephemera fan swoon. I bought two little children's books with terrible stories but fabulous illustrations throughout them. This one particularly caught my fancy as it reminds me of my cat's early morning personality:

 

March 29, 2008

Vintage shop finds in Somerville, New Jersey...

A sketch for a stainglass window. Saint John looks like a 1920's starlet, doesn't he?

A shelf of cracked and tattered dolls. Yes, the clown is a bit creepy but I feel sorry for her nonetheless.

February 23, 2008

I gotta tell you, I just had the best time in Pennsylvania! Karen invited Constance and me over for a slumber party at her place this past week and spoiled us rotten with good food and plenty of coffee and full glasses of wine. There was art-making, art-seeing, and a day trip into Philadelphia (a first for me). I took a ton of photographs and thought I'd give you a little peak into Philly (I love seeing what cities look like around the world) and into my weekend with the fabulous Karen and Constance...

The view from Karen's car:

I really like this storefront sign in the fabric district:

This is Julia Zagar, the owner of Eye's Gallery. Her store is a visual feast of colourful Mexican artwork. She was so accomodating when all three of us bloggergals asked whether she'd mind if we took photos in her store.

Julia's husband is the mosaic mural artist Isaiah Zagar. His gorgeous work can be seen on buildings throughout Philadelphia. I mean, they literally cover entire walls of buildings. He even has a mosaic park...

Here's the view of Philly from in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and yes, these are the stairs Rocky ran up in the movie. There's a statue of Rocky in front of the gallery although you can't see it in this photograph. Several people were re-enacting the famous scene of Rocky running up the stairs, with their fists punching the air above their heads. Oh, see that white spire in the middle of the photo? That's City Hall.

And when I turned around...

I met Karen's lovely friends Leslie and Paula at the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. If you are near Philadelphia, you have to go see the exhibition and make sure you pick up an audio thingamajig. I learned so much about Frida Kahlo there and it's pretty cool to see her work up close, in person. A collection of Frida Kahlo's personal photographs are included in the exhibition and I think this is the first time they are being shown to the public. I was really inspired by the exhibition, especially by Frida Kahlo's collection of Mexican Ex-Votos.

After our trip into Philly, we all drove back to Karen's place for dinner and wine. From left to right: Constance, Leslie, Paula, Karen and Karen's talented daughter, Emily.

After our dinner get-together was over, and the guests had left for their respective homes, and the dishes were cleaned and the candles blown out, Karen, Constance and I jumped into the outdoor hot tub. Snow began to fall all around us and everything looked as though we were in a black and white film (and no, no photos were taken!). Needless to say, we crashed into our beds that night!

The next day, Karen showed Constance and I how to...I'm not sure of the right term...emboss?...copper. I can't believe how easy it is to do and although my first try isn't a masterpiece (or anywhere near that!), I really want to try it again at home.

Thank you, Karen, for the great slumber party! You're awesome!

February 16, 2008

Today I drove down to Little Silver. It's a cute little town near the NJ coast, with old homes and little shops. I drove by a little diner located on the bottom floor of an old white house, sitting next to an even older cemetery. My kind of place. Think I'll go there for breakfast this summer. I went to Little Silver to see Constance's art show at Sickles Market. It's an upscale grocery store/giftshop/nursery all rolled up into one building. During the summer months, a field next to the market supplies the blackberries and raspberries. The indoor nursery is a pretty sight, especially this time of year when New Jersey tends to hide under a blanket of muted greys and yellows.

I found Constance and her fairy-like floralinas amongst the yellow daffodils and blue hydrangeas. Her paintings look even more beautiful in person. Her lovely friend, artist Mary, was there, too. She also had a display of her beautiful collages and mosaics. I wish I had taken a photo of Mary's green mosaic picture frame with the little porcelain dancer in the corner. So pretty! It was a real treat to be surrounded by fresh flowers, luscious greenery, and inspiring artwork this mid-February day.