Known for art that celebrates the virtues of community, hard work, and living gently on the planet, Nikki McClure here explores a topic close to her heart: the farmers market. Alternating between story and fact, this lovingly crafted picture book follows a mother and son to the weekly market. As they check off items on their shopping list, the reader learns how each particular food was grown or produced, from its earliest stages to how it ended up at the market. To Market, to Market is a timely book that shines awareness on the skill that goes into making good food.

-Editorial review from Amazon

On the Run, a blog about the New York City Marathon. The Marathon this year is on November 7 and will have about 43,000 runners. So looking forward to it!

A Running Start, a free online coaching resource developed by New York Road Runners in response to rising obesity levels in children.

Enjoy and wishing all a happy healthy weekend!

Image:
Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel
fresco
ca. 1511

Happy weekend everyone!

“Rather than entering any situation wondering how it will serve you, let your entire motivation be to serve the greater good. Ask yourself constantly, how do I serve here, rather than how does this serve me and you put yourself in the great flow, which paradoxically causes life to serve you far better.”

Enjoy!

Finding of the week:

“We always need to remember that behind almost every great moment in history, there are heroic people doing really boring and frustrating things for a prolonged period of time.”

From New York Times, My Favorite August by Gail Collins.

The taste of summer is…

fresh
I’ve been giving life to those whispery notes/sketches I often add to my Eco Ciak. I love that little recycled paper sketchbook. It’s always a fun process to go back to the notes/sketches and try to understand the where/what/how/why.

warm
To me there is nothing like a simple and open conversation about interests, ideas and life as artists. I had the opportunity to moderate the virtual panel Resource: Where Abstract Art is (From) with a great group of artists: Glen Cunningham, Mark Dagley, Laura Fayer, Molly Herman, Lori Kirkbride, Ben LaRocco and Rachael Wren. All artists were part of Source, an exhibition curated by Susan Ross and Melissa Staiger. Both, exhibition and virtual panel, were presented and sponsored by PowerHouse Projects. Source was on view at The Halls at Bowling Green from April 22nd through May 28th. Check out the virtual panel and take a look at their websites. It’s all good!

sweet
I finally signed up my family to a CSA. The fruit begins to arrive next week. I’m excited and so looking forward to it…

The upcoming weeks and months look exciting and enriching as well. This fall, I’ll be taking a course on advocacy for children at Citizens Committee for Children of New York. This is such a great organization and resource in the city.

More soon and I wish you all a great rest of the summer.

Hope you’re all having a great summer. Here are some of my summer thoughts after having a wonderful time with family and at my favorite place: the beach.

It pleases me immensely to see how my boy loves the ocean. He was born in NYC, but his blood is Caribbean…and I truly love that!

Fruit and vegetable stands, surf shops and Rex Cream’s Ice Cream are my kind of places.

<3 running barefoot on the beach. I know I’ll be fine in a couple of days, but it was hard to run this morning and wear running shoes.

A bikini never goes out of fashion.

My nieces and nephews are awesome! When I grow up, I want to be just like them.

Photo:
7am swim with mama.

“The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.”

-Oscar Wilde

“Yoga is about the union and integration of breath, movement and body, both on and off the mat. Our practice on the mat should hopefully guide us towards actions in the outside world: if we observe our actions on the mat, perhaps we can all try to apply them to the outside world, and together, in a united way, we can make a difference.”

Green Goa: Green Yoga, Karma Yoga and the Art of Transforming Practice to Life by Inna Costantini. UK Yoga Magazine, July 2010.

Happy summer!

We’ve been having glorious days filled with beautiful colors and sun. The weather always inspires me to choose what to experiment with in the kitchen. I have two new favorites: quinoa and kale. Cooking them is simple, their benefits are plenty and they taste great.

I was about to write about the benefits of kale when I found all I wanted to say (and more) in the great Brooklyn blog — Butter Beans Kitchen. This is a must read blog if you love real food. I agree with what they write about their blog:

“…If we want quality lives full of goodness, we have got to learn to make good choices about the food we plant and the food we eat. We have got to spend some more time in the kitchen and appreciating the food we have.

We have to teach our children, in a way that makes them want to celebrate. What could be more magical than the colors and tastes and sights that the Earth produces with sunshine, rain and a few pairs of dedicated hands…”

And here is the information about kale:

Kale — in April’s glow by Butter Beans Kitchen. They will add kale recipes this month.

Enjoy!

running with
my favorite music
creative thoughts
and a happy heart

returned home
found two beautiful smiles
and a cup of good coffee

simple things taste so good!

The list of things I would like to enjoy during these warm months is way too long. Sure I can do some of these things during the cold months, but the energy that the sun brings in the summer is unique.

I don’t know how it happened, maybe it was having beautiful Central Park as a background. I’m so excited that I’m running three miles again. Three miles isn’t a lot, but for me it feels like a marathon.

I also found a new yoga class that took me back to my very first experience with yoga. Everything felt so new and every muscle hurt the day after! I love when moments like this happen — when suddenly the things that we thought we knew how to do feel fresh and everything shines again.

Eating to Fuel Exercise, Runners Tell Their Stories both by Tara Parker-Pope, and The Reservoir in Central Park, an audio guide by the Central Park Conservancy are perfect to keep us moving and inspired.

I hope you’re all enjoying the summer and doing some of the things that you love to do!

The collection has four tiny books perfect for little hands: Alligators All Around (an alphabet book), Chicken Soup with Rice (book of months), One Was Johnny (a counting book), and Pierre (a cautionary tale). The simplicity of the stories and illustrations make them enjoyable for both kids and adults alike.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to an art opening in Staten Island. It was rainy and cold — June has been very wet in New York. As we were traveling back home in the S.I. ferry, I couldn’t stop thinking about Chicken Soup with Rice. When we got home, I went straight to the kitchen and cooked a warm and delicious chicken soup with rice…still laughing!

I love books and these days I’m enjoying reading with Mateo. I take him to our local bookstore where I found another great book called Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss. The book, also illustrated by Maurice Sendak has simple thoughts and illustrations like the books in the Nutshell Library. Some of my favorite thoughts are:

Look! I’m running away with my imagination.

There should be a parade when a baby is born.

Suppose old people grew down as young people grew up.

Easter eggs are all different outside but they’re alike inside.

A baby makes the mother and father — otherwise they’re just plain people.

Yesterday shows another day is here.

Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen.

A baby dances with its feet in the air.

I think a race looks prettier when everybody comes in even.

So always take some time to look, enjoy and imagine!

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand”. — Albert Einstein

It was during one of those tough runs when my attitude changed. I decided to give myself the chance to enjoy the process of slowly reaching my usual pace. Since then, I’ve been enjoying every single movement I make: running around the neighborhood, the treadmill and even cross training in the rowing machine — which I admit isn’t my favorite.

I keep telling myself something I think we all probably know, but surely always forget: patience is our best friend. When we feel different or everything is too new — a new business, moving to a new place or city, committing to a wellness plan — the word is patience, patience, patience…

Keep moving!

I went to Sahadi’s to get the nuts and dried fruit. Most of you probably know about Sahadi’s, but if not, this is a special store to visit. It has been in the neighborhood since 1948. I got dates, figs and almonds to mix with the rest of the ingredients I had at home (oats, cranberries, raisins, cinnamon, honey and sea salt).

It only took me about an hour to make the granola bars, but the funniest thing happened right after. I was thinking/hoping the bars tasted good when I heard Matthew call my name multiple times from the living room. His voice sounded like there was trouble…and there was. Well, we live on the fourth floor and a bold squirrel entered our apartment through the fire escape window. The squirrel was determined to find the roasted nuts and oats.

Matthew managed to get the squirrel out of the apartment immediately through the same window with the help of an Eames chair — like a lion tamer. Hilarious!

I never saw our little visitor, but that is the best review for my first experiment with granola bars. I’m now excited to experiment more…

While browsing the Food Issue of the latest Prattfolio, I read an interview with graphic designer Margaret Noon. Noon is the owner of a green event planning business called Sustenance. She is also the leader of Slow Food USA in northern New Jersey. She describes the reason she became a chef after a career in advertisement as:

“Creativity has many outlets… Sometimes you reach a point at which your passions change and it’s time to be inspired again…”

I totally agree! And to be inspired by the beautiful spring, nature and real food, herbs are in season. Here is a nice resource on how to plant a window box herb garden.

Enjoy!

On Wednesday, I had a pleasant experience while in yoga class. The group waited for about fifteen minutes (our instructor was running late) when one person suggested that we begin the class. Some people in the group left, but those of us who stayed began a sun salutation. The room filled with an immense sense of community.

When the instructor arrived, I think he was pleasantly surprised to see not only that we waited for him, but that we already started the class. He explained why his commute took so long. It didn’t really matter, nobody was angry and we were happy to see him. We all smiled and thanked our friend who had the initiative of guiding the class. She did so well! It felt so good to be part of a community.

I left the class with a bigger heart. I suddenly felt an urge to get home and be grateful for everything I have. When I got home, Mateo and I exchanged smiles, blablas and held hands. I thought of Gandhi’s words: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. And just like that, I realized the value of the wellness plan I started years ago. It was on display at yoga and gave me the best energy for the rest of the day.

Better late than never. It’s never too late to bring all the good people and things you want into your life.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

While I walked the bridge, I saw lots of runners, tourists and smiles. We’ve had a tough winter this year and yesterday was a nice break from the snow and the cold. I thought of how much I miss running the bridge in the morning, but I also thought about the happy time I’m in.

It’s funny how a big belly ⎯ the sign of a new life ⎯ brings so many good wishes and happiness. Strangers approached me to simply wish me the best and tell me a bit about their experiences. My due date is approaching, but at this time I’m (sort of) mentally prepared that baby boy may want to see the real world anytime now.

Some of you have asked me to write about my pregnancy experience as an artist, runner and yogi. I’ll be posting more soon, but to begin, I highly recommend to stay active during your pregnancy. Of course, you should consult your doctor. For me, being active, eating well and continue doing my normal activities (with modifications), has made my experience a very positive one. It’s quite amazing how our bodies are built to adjust to all these changes.

As an artist, I’ve had different reactions about my pregnancy. The’ve been mostly positive, but I’ve also had the strange looks and comments. Motherhood is just not for everyone ⎯ artist or not. As my mother taught me: be yourself no matter what others think. So if you’re an artist thinking about starting a family, I suggest to respect all opinions, but embrace what works for you and totally ignore the rest.

Here is an interesting study from the National Endowment for the Arts Issues Research Note on Women Artists: 1990 to 2005:

Women artists are as likely to be married as female workers in general, but they are less likely to have children. In 2003-2005, more than half of all women artists and all women workers were married. Yet only 29 percent of women artists had children under 18, almost six percentage points lower than for women workers in general.

To read the complete study, go to NEA research note Women Artists: 1990-2005.

Image:

Georgia O’Keeffe

Brooklyn Bridge, 1949

Oil on masonite

Brooklyn Museum

This year, Art Movement is participating in a Virtual Food Drive for the Food Bank’s annual campaign. I understand it’s hard to give when we don’t have much, but any amount — small or large — will help Food Bank provide free meals to New Yorkers in need. $1 provides 5 meals, a $20 donation can feed 100 people. Food Bank’s mission is “to end food poverty and increase access to affordable, nutritious food for low-income New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs”.

I didn’t want to set a specific goal amount. Art Movement’s goal is simply to give and help others.

If you would like to make a donation, please visit Art Movement’s Virtual Food Drive.

THANK YOU and Happy Holidays to all!

A while ago, my friend Margie, an awesome athlete, cook, and nutrition expert, recommended me to read the book Real Food by Nina Planck. One of my favorite things to do is to cook simple and fresh food, and I find so many similarities between cooking and working out an idea in the studio.

I’m currently hooked on the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I think these books are great tools to open our eyes and remind us that we have the power to change things — even if it’s a small change. Since I’m not into junk food (had enough in art school!) or diets, eating healthier feels natural to me.

As Michael Pollan says in his introduction to The Omnivore’s Dilemma:

“Eating is an agricultural act, as Wendell Berry famously said. It is also an ecological act, and a political act, too. Though much has been done to obscure this simple fact, how and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world—and what is to become of it. To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden, but in practice few things in life afford quite as much satisfaction. By comparison, the pleasures of eating industrially, which is to say eating in ignorance, are fleeting. Many people today seem perfectly content eating at the end of an industrial food chain, without a thought in the world: this book is probably not for them; there are things in it that will ruin their appetite. But in the end this is a book about the pleasures of eating, the kind of pleasures that are only deepened by knowing”.

So thanks Margie! And here is my list of recommended books for those interested in food, nutrition, wellness, and social responsibility:

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters.

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck.

Is it possible to order a bagel with everything and nothing at the same time? Is this a conceptual act? Is she a conceptual eater?

I’m still laughing about it, but wonder if there is ever a right way of wanting everything and nothing at the same time?

Anyway, these are the existential thoughts of a very sleepy morning.

Image:

Matthew Deleget

Everything & Nothing, 2000

Silver metallic ink and pencil on black paper, 25 x 50 inches

Private collection