–John Lennon

You and Me
By Dave Matthews Band

Want to pack your bags something small
Take what you need and we disappear
Without a trace we’ll be gone, gone
Moon and the stars will follow the car
And then when we get to the ocean
Gonna take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world

Oh and when the kids are old enough
we’re gonna teach them to fly

You and me together
We could do anything baby
You and me together yes, yes
You and me together
We could do anything baby
You and me together yes yes

You and I were not tied to the ground
Not falling but rising like rolling around
Eyes closed above the rooftops
Eyes closed we’re gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky, we’re gonna ride the blue
All the way to the end of the world
To the end of the world

Oh and when the kids are old enough, we’re gonna teach them to fly

We can always look back at what we did
Always remembering how you and me did
Right now it’s you and me forever girl
And you know, we could do better than
Anything that we did
You know that you and me
We could do anything

You and me together
We could do anything, baby
You and me together yeah, yeah
Two of us together, we could do anything baby
You and me together yeah, yeah
Two of us together yeah, yeah
Two of us together, we could do anything baby

It’s so small
Till we reach the end of the world ]]> http://www.rossanamartinez.com/2011/01/together/feed/ 0 http://www.rossanamartinez.com/2010/09/touch-me/ http://www.rossanamartinez.com/2010/09/touch-me/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:48:39 +0000 Rossana Martinez http://www.rossanamartinez.com/?p=1394

Image:
Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel
fresco
ca. 1511

“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.

If you want to get a real view of what an artist’s life is all about, check out Julian Dashper (1960-2009): It Is Life at MINUS SPACE. On view from August 7 until September 4, 2010. A must see, read, experience, feel.

In 2007, I wrote the post, Your Heart Makes Me Feel, after I read a wonderful tribute to artist Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007) in The Brooklyn Rail. Since then my feelings about the connection between art & life have only deepened more…

As Robert Gober wrote: “…art comes out of life, and that you had better pay attention.”

Image:
Julian Dashper (1960-2009): It Is Life, MINUS SPACE

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.

Swimming in the Caribbean. Surrounded by family and nature. I’m counting the days…

Where is yours?

Where is My Mind
By The Pixies

Oh
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there’s nothing in it
And you’ll ask yourself

Where is my mind

Way out in the water
See it swimmin’

I was swimmin’ in the Caribbean
Animals were hiding behind the rocks
Except the little fish
But they told me, he swears
Tryin’ to talk to me, coy koi.

Where is my mind

Way out in the water
See it swimmin’ ?

With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
If there’s nothing in it
And you’ll ask yourself

Where is my mind

Oh
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Oh
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Oh
Oh

“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!

Here I am, thinking of tomorrow’s NYRR New York Mini 10K. My first “big” race after baby. Feeling excited. I ran this race in 2008 and the experience was awesome. This is a women only race and it is truly amazing to see a sea of women running in Central Park.

My main goal tomorrow is to apply what I’ve learned from my active 15-month old boy and that we as adults forget to do often — run, run, run and just have fun!

A friend sent me this quote a couple of weeks ago — and it is so true:

“You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.”

-Dogen Zenji (1200 – 1253)

My first experiment with triangle pose was a couple of years ago. I created an installation with colored rubber bands entitled, Space Between. I didn’t set many rules while installing, I just knew I wanted to create a connection between triangles and colors. I began the installation — on what first felt as a huge wall space — slowly and carefully making triangles. But as I continued making triangles, the installation felt as a yoga practice — it began to flow naturally.

These days I continue to explore triangle pose — both — on my mat and in my home/studio. I’ll be posting images of this new set of triangles soon. I’m excited.

Oh, and how much I love google… While researching triangle pose, I found these great articles: Angle of Repose by Julie Gudmestad and Triangle Pose by Teri Leigh.

Enjoy!

Image:
Rossana Martinez
Space Between, 2007
Rubber bands

I’m happy to write that the site-specific installation, Crash into Me will be on view this summer at el Museo de Arte de Caguas (MUAC), Puerto Rico.

There is lots to see in Caguas. The city is called the heart of Puerto Rico. The community is so friendly — including my amazing sisters who live there. It’s truly an honor.

I thank artist and curator Elsa Melendez for inviting me to participate in the exhibition. And as always, it’s a pleasure to be in the company of great artists.

Gracias Elsa!

Image:
Rossana Martinez
Crash into Me, 2007-2010
Site-specific installation
Fluorescent orange and hot pink ribbons

Part of group exhibition, No fue un mal entendido, on view at MUAC from June 4-September 30, 2010.

Artists: Claudio Chea, Ricardo Hernández, Rossana Martínez, Néstor Millán, Omar Obdulio Peña, Brian Rivera, Miguel Angel Torres, Cristina Tufiño, Rafael Vargas Bernard y el grupo de teatro, Papel Machete.

Photo:
Julius Shulman (1910-2009)
Case Study House #2, 1960 by architect Pierre Koenig.

Shulman’s photograph is so amazingly simple and beautiful. The film Visual Acoustics looks like a must see for those that love everything Modern. I do!

About the film:
Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away last year, captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.

Still curious? Interesting post, What Are Architectural Landscape Photos? by Gina Cortez.

Enjoy!

Finding of the week:

“A arte é a minha forma de conhecimento do mundo”

“Art is my way of understanding the world”

-Lygia Pape

Image:

Lygia Pape
Magnetized Spaces, 1968-2002
Spaces of the city

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!

Finding of the week:

The 5 Warrior Warm-Up by Margaret Burns Vap

-Swami Veda Bharati

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

***************

For Barbara Rose, who loved this beautiful poem. Thanks Janet for sharing it with me!

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 last couple of weeks have been full of creativity. I found some time to draw, run outside and explore for titles. I like titles especially for abstract work. To me, titles are the little things that tell our story. They help us share ideas with others, and begin a dialogue…

Finding of the week:

“What is often overlooked in this modern world is that everything and everybody has value, that each atom in the universe does indeed have a place…”

-Aadil Palkhivala

I was sleepy too and left my sleepiness guide me through the streets of Brooklyn. I set my iPod to shuffle songs. The cool air woke me up when I found myself in DUMBO right in front of the water. I stopped for a couple of minutes to look at the view. It felt as if I was right in the center between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. I’m petite, but at that moment I felt so small. What an amazing place, I thought.

Bruce Springsteen’s song, Working on a Dream started playing. The song’s lyrics are beautiful and I love his voice when he sings: “I’m working on a dream, though trouble can feel like it’s here to stay…” The song reminded me of yesterday’s yoga class when the instructor asked us to find intention before we began the class. The purpose of my practice was to have strength and patience when life seems tough.

So here I am today, ready to do all I can to help a friend. I invite you to join Art Movement on Sunday, September 13, for the 19th annual 5K run/walk — Komen New York City Race for the Cure.

To join us or to make a gift, please visit Art Movement’s Race for the Cure. If you can’t be with us on that morning, please consider making a donation.

Every dollar counts! The money will help local organizations provide breast health education, screening and treatment.

Let’s be active, be part of the change, and help make the dream of a world without breast cancer true.

THANK YOU!

Our next Art Movement event is next month. We are participating in the 2009 Komen New York City Race for the Cure on Sunday, September 13th in Central Park. It would be great if some of you can join us. I’ll post all details about how to get involved very soon.

And as always, I’m enjoying my most precious project, Mateo. He is learning and growing so fast. As you can see in the photo, he really knows how to make me smile!

I want to dedicate my art practice as well and wonder if there are other artists interested in dedicating their creativity to something larger than having exhibitions or selling work?

As artist Lygia Clark wrote to Mondrian: “If I exhibit it [sic] is to transmit to someone else this “moment” stopped within cosmological dynamics which the artist captures…Don’t you think that the work of art is the product of two polarities which are the dynamics of human life?”

Photo:

Rossana Martinez

Magical Movement, 2009

Colored pencil on journal

Here are some of the benefits of triangle pose:

*Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles

*Stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine

*Stimulates the abdominal organs

*Helps relieve stress

*Improves digestion

*Relieves backache

*Therapeutic for anxiety, neck pain, osteoporosis, and sciatica

For more information check Yoga Journal and Active.

Happy spring to all! It’s so nice to finally see the blossoms in the trees.

Video: Created by Dave Allen, Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Web Manager, from over 3,000 digital photos, one taken every 3 minutes from April 18 to April 26, 2008, of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s famed Cherry Walk.

This spring feels extraordinary. It’s the beginning of a new experience for me. I’m a new mama and I’m so crazy in love. Looking at our son everyday reminds me of how beautiful simplicity, innocence and unconditional love can be. He is definitely our best collaboration and work of art.

While reading the James Lee Byars’ catalogue Life, Love, and Death, I found this quote by Thomas Bernhard that perfectly describes my art & life:

“Each human being is entirely unique, and each is the greatest work of art ever created.” (Thomas Bernhard, The Loser)

Photo:

Mateo smiling with Mom

We all know that during tough times there is always space for positive thinking and change. But watching or reading the news lately, makes it a challenge to remember. Change doesn’t have to be huge. We can start making tiny changes in our homes, studios and work. A good place to begin is in our minds.

Here are some of my recent positive findings and highlights:

Down with the Cube!

by Jerry Saltz

“…But what’s on view isn’t really the point. “From the Archives” suggests that a gallery can be a white box but needn’t feel like a mausoleum or act like a museum. Too much purity, architectural or esthetic, is bad for art right now; that art needs to feel more connected to the world. In this way the show is a moment to remember that a gallery is foremost a test site, not a store…”

The Boom Is Over. Long Live the Art!

By Holland Cotter

“…This has happened more than once in the recent past. Art has changed as a result. And in every case it has been artists who have reshaped the game.”

“…At the same time, if the example of past crises holds true, artists can also take over the factory, make the art industry their own. Collectively and individually they can customize the machinery, alter the modes of distribution, adjust the rate of production to allow for organic growth, for shifts in purpose and direction. They can daydream and concentrate. They can make nothing for a while, or make something and make it wrong, and fail in peace, and start again.”

“…Why not build into your graduate program a work-study semester that takes students out of the art world entirely and places them in hospitals, schools and prisons, sometimes in-extremis environments, i.e. real life?”

“…Such changes would require new ways of thinking and writing about art…”

Growing Awareness

Seven simple acts to help you cultivate a happier, healthier life.

By Charity Ferreira from Yoga Journal

1. Shift your perspective

2. Waste not

3. Restore health and happiness

4. Experience silence

5. Be a creator

6. Make an offering

7. Love your body

My favorite is number 6 — Make an offering. Ferreira writes: “…Commit to one selfless act each week…These moments are a chance to share someone else’s experience of the world and see the richness of your own existence.”

5 Ways to Be Mindful and Achieve Optimal Health

By Deborah Kotz

1. Consider what’s right with you

2. Love yourself unconditionally

3. Live in the present moment

4. When life gets tough, don’t take it personally

5. Put the “being” back in human

My favorite is number 5 — Kotz writes: “If you fill every moment with frenetic activity—work, text messaging, household chores, computer games—you never give yourself a chance to simply be. Too many of us are human stuff, the sum of our actions, instead of human beings, points out Kabat-Zinn. As corny as it sounds, just sitting for a moment to contemplate the clouds, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, the pattern of stalled cars winding around the freeway, is what separates us from the nut-gathering squirrels. And science shows it’s a great stress reliever, to boot.”

Milk

Written by Dustin Lance Black; Directed by Gus Van Sant

After the movie, I left the theater with an incredible feeling of inspiration and hope. Sean Penn is fantastic. Two things Harvey Milk (Penn) repeated during the movie have stayed with me.

“It’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power — it’s about giving people out there, hope. You gotta give them hope.”

“I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living.”

Image:

Lygia Pape

O Ovo (The Egg), 1967

Performance

It’s a beautiful day!

A day to give us the chance to create and live with a new perspective, to find fulfillment in the real and meaningful, and to always give our best…

Here are my highlights from Barack Obama’s inaugural address:

“We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom…

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it”.

Image:
Visual representation of the most used words in Obama’s inauguration speech from Wordle.net

I wish you are already having a great holiday season and that the new year brings health, peace, and purpose to everyone!