Almost wordless Wednesday; A break in Paris & Pere Lachaise

   After a blogging break, some upheaval, and a lot of travel, there's really so much to say...
but it is wordless Wednesday, so I'll compromise.

Pere Lachaise is probably one of my favorite spots in Paris, and I took more photos, but this one captured the overall feel.

 While strolling the streets of Paris is beyond amazing, there really isn't a better place for a quiet, reflective walk in the city than Pere Lachaise cemetery in the 20th arrondisement. The cool of autumn provides the perfect light and temperature for the kind of contemplation that comes with a walk among the graves.

 If you aren't too star struck by the monuments to famous people like Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Jim Morrison -and the list goes on- you'll see that everyone lying in repose here is equally still, and your mind will settle on the sunlight. Your senses will heighten as you feel the breeze and hear the leaves rustle, because you are enjoying these small pleasures while you can.

Do you like to walk or sit in cemeteries?

What's your favorite?

Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by, 

~D. Renée

Auld Lang Syne; lyrics to the song that makes me weep for no good reason

Last sketch of 2015 (probably);
 Life drawing, quick charcoal & pastel sketch on mi-teintes, Auld Lang Syne,
click through to read sketch narrative.

The Scots have given us many wonderful things, 

and tonight we will sing a tune that is perhaps one of their most far reaching creations.

Penned by poet Robert Burns, this song stirs my soul like no other.

It's one of the most beautiful songs in the world, and it is sung all over the globe.

It doesn't matter if I'm having a blast, this song starts and I'm all choked up.

Seriously. It's like this song embodies all the melancholy I could ever possibly feel in the span of five minutes.

Literally translated, auld lang syne means "old long since", or long, long ago, days gone by, etcetera..

For the record, it's basically a song about remembering people and times gone by, 

not about forgetting them, but you do what you gotta do on New Year's Eve.

(But My God, the line about the "seas between us broad have roared"...*blinks back tears*)

And taking a cup of kindness is raising a glass and toasting to times gone by. 

Below are the modern lyrics, because Scottish is hard. 

(Visit Scotland.org to learn more about Burns and the original Scottish dialect lyrics.)

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear*, 

For auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne,

(this "my dear" is sometimes "my jo" or love)

We two have run about the hills

And pulled the daisies fine;

But we've wandered many the weary foot

Since auld lang syne.

Chorus

We two have paddled in the stream,

From noon till dinner time;

But the seas between us broad have roared,

Since auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty friend!

And give a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good willy waught, (goodwill drink of ale)

For auld lang syne.

Chorus

And surely you will buy your *cup (*pint)

And surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus

 (yes, again)

Stay safe out there tonight.

May you look back with love, 

release what you don't need, 

and take a cup o'kindness~

Always

PVB & 10 Step Course of Treatment.

It was magnificent. 

 Sure, there were a few things that could have been better, like the fact that we somehow brought the hot, humid Florida weather with us, giving SoCal record October temps, but it was still amazing. I had moments of soul nourishing inspiration and clarity, intellectual engagement, and natural beauty that still leaves me speechless. I had a thousand new ideas for paintings, drawings, and other projects, so why did I feel like crawling into bed and sleeping for days when I finally got home?

 I'm sure a teensy bit of jet lag is to blame, but I know that the core of it lies with my heart. The reason for our trip was to celebrate our anniversary. Spending nearly every waking moment with my husband for the past twelve days was wonderful. 

While we absolutely love and appreciate where we live (we know how very lucky we are to live in a place others come to vacation), we really don't get to spend much truly relaxed time together here at home. 

 Sure, we chill and do fun things, but there's a different vibe in a week with no work or obligations. There was a freedom and joy that we haven't shared in, well, almost a year. 

 That's why when I woke to his good morning/goodbye kiss today as he left for the office  my heart sank a little. 

Friends, it has happened to all of us.

P.V.B.

 So, instead of hitting you with a novella about my vacation, 

I'm working on getting my bearings back and out of the PVB funk.

 I've already started in on a few of these, and I'll blog the vacay in bite-sized posts later, but here's a little list I've put together to help in case you ever need it.

1. Unpack.

Yep. Sounds simple enough, but getting my home back to normal a.s.a.p. helps me readjust and put roots back down. Fishing through a suitcase for necessary items only makes me resent not still being on my now dead vacation. Unpack. Just do it. Trust me. 

photo by Charlie Philips

2. Cuddles

 Again, the routine of a cozy abode has me appreciating the little things I missed. 

One of those little things is my teensy Sugar! Lots of play and cuddles with her help me feel happy to be back. (Cuddles also happened before and after all other numbers on this list, but I couldn't leave her off of it.)

3. Take a Salt Bath

There's nothing like getting ready in my own bathroom. I also missed out on my salt bath soaks while traveling. These help my back pain immensely, and they just plain feel great. I prepared a nice salt bath with all of my favorite essential oils. Heavenly.

4. Sleep

There's also nothing like a nap in my own bedroom with my dog. Clean up and hit the hay, it helps everything. 

5. Check that DVR

 We were way too busy during our trip to watch any television. (We even missed the debate!)

I still felt too tired for much else, so I gave myself time to veg out on the couch with Sugar and enjoy some programs I normally watch. 

(Dr. Who, The Leftovers, SNL, & AHS.) SNL was surprisingly funny last week, and I highly recommend comedy. Best medicine fo' sho.

6. Work Out/Get Outside

 A run on the trail got my endorphins pumping and had me appreciating being back home, and I saw some of my beloved gopher tortoises. I see them almost daily out here, but there aren't any on the west coast. That made it even more special to be back. I also saw a gator, deer, and wild turkey. 

(My husband actually saw four wild turkeys that morning in our yard!) 

7. Comfort Food!

 We dined out every single meal for over a week straight.
The food we ate was delicious, but I was actually really ready for a meal cooked in my own kitchen and devoured in sweat pants. The cooler weather last night was perfect for roasted red pepper tomato soup & ultimate grilled cheese on rye. (Eaten in paint stained clothes on my couch.)
We also grocery shopped and stocked up on veggies and food to prepare for the week, and a replacement Nutri-bullet has been added to the kitchen. We are ready.


8. More Nesting/Seasonal Decor (more on that later)

 This one involved more laundry, cleaning, and nesting, (tbh I'm still going through our physical & e-mail) basically the clean home is a happy home vibe.
We also have a seasonal home tradition that was put on hold until we returned, and I'll give that its own post later in the week. Find something that makes you happy about being in your home.
This seasonal tradition really helped me get my roots back into the ground and my heart glowing again, and it leads nicely into the next...


9. Make Plans/Be a Hometown Tourist

 As I've said before, we live in a place many people come for vacation. On the flight home, a couple behind us was marveling at all the water in Florida from the plane and discussing if bull sharks even have large enough mouths to bite humans. (They totally do, but I did not say a word.)
 We made plans with my sister (who also lives here in FL) for Halloween. It's one of our favorite holidays, and I love spending time with her. This also gives me something fun to look forward to, and we have a ton of arts and entertainment to choose from in the central FL area, like Phantasmagoria, our seasonal fave!
 After my DVR veg out, it was pretty awesome to take a quick drive to New Smyrna Beach and walk along the water. My lucky little piggies were in the chilly Pacific just a day before and they were now in the warm waters of the Atlantic. Pretty cool.


10.   Upload or Print your Photos and Share your stories

 I'm kind of still kicking myself for not taking my "good" camera with me, but I know I was having such a good time and really too in the moment to drag out an SLR. So, blurry iPhone pics it was. We are still working on this one, but we did make the first step! My husband actually suggested buying a photo album specifically for our travels. We purchased it last night.
 I know it will be more fun to print them out and put them into an album than simply uploading them, but tech is an awesome backup system.

 I'll be sharing bits of my vacation in the next few weeks here on my blog. Yay! It's like the old days when people sat around and shared their boring vacation slides, but you don't have to sit in my house and you can click off whenever you want. ;)



  I suppose the next natural thing on the list would be to take any remaining blahs with me into the studio, but at this point the inspiration far outweighs the blues. It's really just a matter of figuring out what to do with it all!
I'll see you soon.

Stepping into the dreamworld of Sandra Bottinelli

 A while back on a trip to Asheville, my husband and I came across an artist in the River Arts District. I was immediately drawn to her work. Her subjects included beautifully rendered wildlife portraits with  ethereal dreamscape backgrounds and gorgeous sky and cloudscapes.
As we talked with her, we learned she had once also lived in  central Florida. (That's where we live!)

 We had recently suffered a loss, and we found great comfort in a piece titled
Eye of the Needle.

Eye of the Needle

After purchasing a wood print of this piece to take home and add to our personal collection, I got Sandra to agree to an interview with me.

Titan

I love learning more about artists whose work I adore. I hope you do, too. Here's a little insight into Sandra.
(Italicized = D. Renée questions, followed by Sandra's response.)

What is your Quest?
     My quest? I don’t have a specific quest but an idea of how I want to live my life and that would be by living it guided by what is good which is relative. I want to be as true to myself as possible so I can be true to others. Discovering who I am or what I am is a daily quest.
(Interviewers note: So much yes to this answer!)

The Bridge, Sandra Bottinelli

Describe your work for us.
    My work moves from abstract to realistic to a combination of both. It has been described to me as a realistic dream. I have an aha moment every time I am working on a piece that I know is going to be “one of those pieces” and even in between when I am working on pieces that are more like sketches for the masters.

How do you play?
  I play with my sons. I act like a child and this seems to seep into my adult life.
With older folk? I love to dance! Love it!

 How do you mix work & play?
   I mix work and play regularly and cannot seem to separate the two.

Bathing Beauty

\

Who inspires you?

Cloud Nine

  People who can do nothing but follow their dreams because the dreams pull them so strongly inspire me.

What's your biggest challenge?

     To stay on the side of light.


What's your biggest dream?

     To stay on the side of light.





 
Where can we find you?

My studio and gallery is located in Asheville’s River Arts District: whitespace,
 129 Roberts Street 2B7, Asheville NC 28801. My work can also be seen at www.sandrabottinelli.com




(You can also Like Sandra on facebook!)

What's the best advice you were ever given?
  In a dream my grandfather (who had since passed) sat across a table from me. There was a great deal of commotion going on around us. He handed me a gift. When I opened it I found a large blow-up raft (that was already blown up – how it fit in that small box I don’t know). On the raft the words were written in large letters “SWIM”. My take on that: Don’t float in life, don’t always let the current take you. You must swim, make your path, struggle for what you must do.

You can see Sandra in her Asheville studio or visit her online.  
She also has the honor of being the featured artist this June during Asheville's Woolworth Walk, Friday June 5th. 
If you are in the Asheville area, stop by the Facebook Woolworth Walk Gallery Page for more info. 

My thanks to Sandra for obliging the curious mind of a fellow creative, and a special thanks for creating such wonderful paintings. Eye of the Needle is one of the first things I see every morning, and it makes all the difference when it comes to staying on the side of light. <3