Sunday Stroll…

I think I am in heaven…

Today’s Sunday Stroll may be a day late, thanks to the very eventful week of weather here, but I am so excited to take you to a place that felt like heaven to me. We were walking down a street in South Philly, eating our way through the neighborhood, when I saw this wall. I didn’t have my camera, having decided to focus on being with my family, but thankfully, my trusty iPhone was ready to be called into action. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this mosaic of “The Real World” and was so happy that we just happened to be able to retrace the route our cab had taken earlier.

 

A few steps further down the block, though, we saw a sign and gates for “Magic Gardens”, a place that my husband had heard about and knew that I might like. Understatement of the century. We entered into a small area with a desk and small gift display. There were a couple of young volunteers who were happy to tell us a little bit about the project, but mostly I think they just had fun watching me try to keep my eyes in my head.

It quickly became clear that the entire rowhouse was covered – floor, ceilings and walls – with the most amazing mosaics. We started in the basement, where we found faces…

faces…

and more faces.

Faces of all sorts and styles…

clearly the artists (I was assuming plural, at this point) had many influences!

And then, still in the basement, I started seeing quotes, like this one,

which was so big, I had to photograph it in three parts!

Armed with a map of actions to be taken – he/she could then revel in the process…

And another one I found later, in the courtyard, I think.

And in the courtyard, there was sculpture…

and there were paths and a whole maze…

and more figures.

The exterior of the building was, of course, completely covered, too.

There was a gallery for self taught artists, which made me feel even more welcome, if that was possible. Magic Gardens does all sorts of work in partnership with local artists and the community. I can’t possibly do it justice here, and I hope you will visit – either on their site or in person. I know I’ll be back. As we headed out, I took the time to learn a little more. I was really floored to discover that all of this incredible art is the work of one man, Isaiah Zagar, who has spent the last forty years or so embellishing over a dozen buildings in South Philadelphia. He still leads mosaic classes and I hope to head back and get to know this incredibly generous man someday soon. I left inspired and hopeful, not just in an artistic sense, but in a social sense. The world needs just this kind of guy. And the people who support him, too.

And I left dreaming of meeting him, at some point. As I walked down the street, trailing my family and taking in Isaiah’s work here and there, I saw a figure up on a ladder. My day was made. It was the man himself, hard at work, with a smile on his face.

Heaven.

Setting things up… (or what to do the day after an earthquake!)

A musician must make music,
an artist must paint,
a poet must write,
if he is to be ultimately
at peace with himself.

~ Abraham Maslow ~

So what does one do, the day after an earthquake?

After I closed all the drawers and the cabinet doors,
and straightened all the artwork on the walls, I thought
about that.  Given that, yesterday, my whole world could

have collapsed – my to do list didn’t look so important anymore.

What did I really want to do with my day? The answer was clear,
almost immediately.

It’s time to paint again. The screen door went up on Monday, and
while my new studio is far from finished, as the weather cools, I can get back to
the easel and let whatever comes out spread across the canvas.

It was like coming home again, just getting things set up. And this
weekend, while the hurricane rages off shore (or not), this is where
I’ll be.

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt,
and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.

~ Leonardo da Vinci ~

There is only this…

Dear you

you, the one reading these words

you, with your ancient, wanting heart

you, wondering if you’ll ever

get it right

I invite you to pause

for a moment

and listen to the space

between

these words

to the space where softness

rests

and hunger

fades

to the space that so

gently

asks you to

stop

the thoughts

that doubt your worth

to stop the voices that compare

and leave you feeling

less

There is no less

there are no shadows or shoulds, no pretty or good

no bad or broken, no right or wrong in

Love

There is only this breath

and that which breathes it

there is only You

and your giggling, fully blossomed

Self

ready

ready right now

to shine

its newborn

ancient

just right

Light

~ Julia Fehrenbacher ~

Today, I want to share one of my favorite new places in the Wireless World. Julia, who blogs at Painted Path , is an artist and writer who seems to embody the life I have only recently envisioned for myself. Her poetry is stunning, her artwork – beyond gorgeous, her site is just a wonderful place to spend time. What I love most, though, is that she so clearly is just being Julia.

Thanks very much, Julia, for allowing me to share your work, and for all you do. Namaste.