The morning light is
the most beautiful light

If I was a painter
I would paint while I run

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!

Everything feels so new in the spring. My curious boy has been showing me the world from a new perspective. This weekend, we spent long hours with friends, playing in the park, and looking at fresh bits of color — trees, magnolias, daffodils. Very refreshing!

The beautiful sun has inspired me to introduce him to the magic of running. So I’m looking for a running stroller and would love to hear about your experiences. Here are some of the qualities I’m looking for:

*lightweight (mama is petite and our charming neighborhood is old — streets have different levels)
*easy storage (we live in Brooklyn = small apartment)
*reasonable price

I really appreciate any suggestions and/or recommendations.

Thanks and happy spring to all!

This week, I found myself running through an ocean of beautiful yellow leaves, looking at an orange sunrise and a faint moon still hanging in the sky.

It’s at fleeting moments like this I feel I can run stronger. It’s great to hit a runner’s high. And there I was on an empty street with a tough hill, feeling my core working and my heart open.

I compare the experience to looking at my sketchbook. As an artist, I’m always searching for inspiration, but my sketchbook is where inspirations and ideas begin to solidify. I find it the perfect place for artists to be themselves, open-hearted and unfolded.

I recently read the Brooklyn Rail’s Tribute to Elizabeth Murray (1940–2007). It was so nice to learn that Elizabeth Murray was not only a great (and famous) artist but an amazing person. My favorite part was written by artist Robert Gober:

“Elizabeth meant the world to me. My father worked in a factory and I grew up in front of the television. I had no idea what being an artist was about. I met Elizabeth because I had a terrible job demolishing her sheet rock walls and putting them in a dumpster—the lowest rung on the construction ladder. We got to talking and liked each other, and she told me that she needed someone to make her stretchers. She was making flat irregularly shaped paintings and I helped her transition to the overlapping and interweaving works. I spent five formative years in her home and studio while she unselfconsciously showed me what an artist’s life can be. On a normal day, I had a baby in one arm and a hammer in the other. That wouldn’t be my path, but made abundantly clear to me the fact of how art comes out of life, and that you had better pay attention.”

“Art comes out of life” – simple and beautiful words. I see an artist’s life like a circle – everything is part of it. In my experience – family, friends, nature, running, yoga are all part of my life and subsequently my art. I am very lucky to have a lot of wonderful friends. But there are two great artists that are my New York sisters: Bibi Calderaro and Lynne Harlow. We all grew up in different places in the world, but we have so much in common. As Robert Gober wrote about Elizabeth Murray, they “constantly show me what an artist’s life is about”. I admire how they balance their lives to be wonderful artists, mothers and people. They just amaze me!

Rossana Martinez, Art is Great! Life is Greater!, 2007
Letter for Escape from New York exhibition, SNO, Sydney, Australia; Curated by Matthew Deleget.