Alterrealism

I have been thinking a lot about the manifesto.... it came to me that the shortest way to put into

words what I was looking for is to say that the times we are living in are time of transition similar to

the change of Copernicus discovery - we are moving from a linear to a non-linear way of thinking.

It is a transition that will finally bridge Western and Eastern philosophies. We will find ways to

do it, and I believe some philosophers are working on it. What we are doing, is creating a

community to have a platform to work on it together.

December 25th.

I am working on a new series of paintings, and for a little bit longer, will not tell what it is. There are 8 paintings.

Steve and Josh sent me a logo for Alterrealism, and I like it a lot. I also noticed, that the term is beginning to pop up on other artist's web sites..... I better speed my our 3 - year in a making project. So often people come up with a similar ideas at the same time....

Holidays

We have been through some rocky times. George had a kidney stone that got stuck , and he was in crazy paint for 9 days. Finally Doctor Turzan did a surgery. Even after, there were a few attacks. Everybody says it is worse than childbirth.

Good news is , my friend Majka got a clean bill of health. She does not need to do chemotherapy.

Hip hip hurrrah!. Now, get back to painting Majka! No excuses.

I sent a Holiday card with a painting that I re - worked this summer. I got some beautiful comments. Here is one, from Paul Pauper of Form / Space Atelier in Seattle.

Your painting reminds me of a silent film by Jean Renoir, 1927 : Charleston

Parade (Sur un air de charleston). An inexplicable moment comes in the film

when these winged heads are talking on the telephone to a charleston dancer

and a blackface explorer. As I said, inexplicable. But that was the Jazz

Age and everyone was soused to the gills on bathtub gin. I commend your

thoroughly original painting. Thought-provoking.

alterrealism

It is so exiting to start the alterrealism adventure! Working with Steve Yamaguma and Joshua Peterson, the movement members, we are making progress , working on a definition and a manifesto. It has been two years since I came up with this idea, and not being good with words, started asking for help in verbalizing the idea. More to come.

Here is one of my latest paintings. I have been working a lot and have a series of about 9 paintings. I will post them when I finish the last two. I feel very exited about it. Mable Yee and Sylvia Paul are coming this Friday to see them. Can't wait to hear their comments.

I don't even now how to describe my feelings about finding out that my best friend Majka has a lung cancer. I was 17 when we met.... and life was exiting and endless. She had a surgery, and is doing OK. Lucky it was caught early. She is a wonderful painter, and the best friend one can have.

A portrait of my daughter who is turning 18 in July.  She is going to college next year.  The most exiting and innocent time in life.  

George and I went to pick up Gloria Steinem from Belvedere.  I read a lot about her online,but it does not tell one much.  We brought her to UC Berkeley campus for her first appearance at 12 p.m. and listened to her speech, and the conversations she had with a couple of young women. One of them was very  moving - she was asking what she can do in order not to follow into the steps of other women in her family - her sister is an escort, her mom alcoholic:  no money to go to school and no help from anybody.  

Gloria is a wonderful, unassuming, generous, beautiful person.  A teacher and a guide.  

Dolores Huerta

Yuri Kuchiyama

Mable, Tameeka , Sylvia and I went to visit Yuri at her place on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. 

She was so curious about who we are, each one of us.  Asked follow-up questions if she wanted to understand better.   Mable talked with her about the speech for the Four Legend event .  

She is the most humble yet fierce person I came across.  Passionate and compassionate.  I feel lucky to have met her - she is 94 years old!

I was asked to paint four paintings to honor those women and their work. I am posting 2 of them today and write more about it tomorrow.  It was such a great experience. 

The Four Legends of Feminism - Gloria Steinem, Eileen Hernandez, Yuri Kuchiyama and Dolores Huerta
                                    "Passing the Baton"

Sunday, April 26, 2009
UC Berkeley More than 350 women and a contingent of supportive men came to engage with each other and start a new national pipeline of multicultural women leaders in business, politics, and media. From ten-year-old bloggers from an all-girls middle school in Oakland to 80-year-old activists as well as stay-at-home moms and college students, women came from across the country to join in the first Engage Her Multicultural Women's Leadership Conference April 25-26, 2009

Gloria Steinem as Goya's princess Alba.

Portrait of Eileen Hernandez