diana_potts_art

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/world/asia/04soldier.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

The freedom of movement in Michael Jackson's dance technique is about as superb as it can get for any human being. Even though he was very slender even at his prime, it takes enormous strength and coordination of the inner thigh muscles to execute his moves. It takes hours of practise for years to get it at even half of his skill level to do it well. It requires doing it almost subconsciously or without thinking to bring it to his level of freedom, meaning the freedom of soul he showed in his performance.

I recognise his moves as a technique I became practised at during the late seventies under the guidance of Kyne Franks, my ballet teacher, at the School of the Garden State Ballet studio in Morristown, New Jersey. He always started us with foot warm ups of slow tondues to work on articulating the feet. Then the warm up period of the class were more tondues in the different directions. Then we worked faster incorporating switching beat accents from in, in, in, to out, out, out and then back again along with switching legs doing that. To do it well the body needed to coordinate balance and centeredness along with transferring weight from one foot to the other along with the switching of beats.

This was very basic and when I go about to do an exercise routine, to this day I still start out with this. This technique is in my body until the day I die. It will never leave. It has so much freedom in it as difficult as it is or was. I had a very hard time with it in the beginning. Kyne was a very demanding teacher and I admire him for it. Eventually it became a part of me.

I had taken other ballet classes at another school briefly and it felt boring compared to Kyne's dynamic. By this I know that this style is distinctive and not the usual in ballet.

In Michael's perforamnces I recognise what his practise routine would have been in the warm up period of his day.

I think what happened to him is that at some point he got out of practise. It takes going back to the basic routine to build this back up in the muscles. The skill never goes away. My other ballet teacher, Fred Danielli, always used to say, "The body remembers." But if the muscles get laxed then it takes time to get the precision back.

To be a dancer, it is all consuming and the entire being is involved including eating right to sustain the body in the purest and most excellent form Michael needed to continue as one of the best dancers in the world. Unfortunately his life at times went in other directions and he didn't keep it up. For him, to be a whole person, which is totally necessary for him to be an artist he wanted to do good in the world. I don't know exactly what he did because I wasn't there but his behaviors got scrutinized and his focus got put in other directions. I need not elaborate as it is common knowledge. Right or wrong, this was draining for him and it affected him physically and the finely attuned body lost that precision.

I think to prepare for this tour he had to make demands of his body faster than his body could do it. This must have thwarted his expectations of himself.

I don't follow the news that closely but they are talking about the possibility of prescription drug abuse? I am not a professional in sports medicine at all or even a professional dancer or dance teacher. But what I strongly feel is that to be the best dancer, it is imperative that the body gets to develop at its own rate and that no drug can bring on muscle strength and coordination.

The medical profession would better serve people if it would recognise that the body has its own rules and to abide by them. Docotors should advise patients to try as much as they can to listen to the body's wisdom.

I feel Michael has made some mistakes in judgement regarding his own body and that perhaps others around him including medical people had possibly misguided an artist.

I am very alarmed at what happened to him over the course of the years.

Martha Graham, who took care of herself as a dancer her whole life was in excellent condition for well into her senior years. In the fifties a dancer who has taken care of her/himself well should still be in great shape.

This whole thing is very tragic.

I am trained in part of his lifestyle. I had to say something. I feel sorrow as one of his kind.

I know directly in my own experience the joy of how his body felt when he danced because I used the same mentality and the same group of muscles to express myself that way.

Diana

I don't have TV now so I go to my parents' house down the street to catch up on news. They weren't home tonight and on my way to a job it seemed like a good idea to see what is going on in Iran. I turned on the TV not long before it was announced of his passing.

I cried at first.

I will always remember him for his commitment to excellence in his art. His humanitarian videos are powerful and moving along with being artistic.

I have a dance background and appreciate what it takes to do the moves he did. My ballet teacher was a young black man. Some of the techniques I learned from him I saw later in Michael's movements.

Brilliant!

When I think of his excellence I am inspired to do my best.

I'm glad he went fast and maybe it is good he has died like this. It is a very painful for people, especially dancers, to have the body age and a career slow down. I think his older years would have been painful. This is actually a blessing.

Rest in peace, Michael.

Diana

I just heard a gunshot outside of my home. I have no phone. I was in small bathroom. Not sure of direction.

It's not hunting season.

Was very close.

I was about to walk out to a locla cleaning job.

Not sure of my safety now.

Hmmm...

Diana

http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2009/06/unimaginable-horror-in-tehran/

article speaks for itself!

Finally, I have a day to make art. The project is to make a set of nine themed ACEOs. Colored pencil.

Diana

Gas prices are going up again. It's best if my art involves imagination instead of going around drawing things on site which takes gas. Also, if working in the studio with a subject in front of me, lighting and change of lighting as the day goes by is a constant concern. I just want to be at my table and work.

I want the playfulness of colored pencil again. An ACEO series is running through my mind.

Diana

Ben Bernanke taught himself calculus in high school he mentioned in an interview on TV the other day.  I saw this on the fly so am not sure what program it was.  It's been on my mind to do that and this summer it is on my to do list. 

Is it possible to do my schedule and art and that?

And what if I actually accomplish something like that?  If it does get done, some serious thinking will have to be done regarding career and academic choices.

I haven't wanted until now to discuss publically what I was studying during one of my courses in college this past semester.  The course wasn't physics based, but my research project involved physics.  It involved art also.

I saw my advisor yesterday and  mentioned I am considering that an associate in science interests me stemming from what I had done the last few months.  She thought it is a smart move.  I do too.

Right now my life is a double one.  My interests seem to be conflicting ones. 

What Bernanke did has got me curious.  I have been told it is very difficult to teach one's self calculus.  ANd yet I think of it often and have peeked into the calculus textbook in my study and it looks totally possible.  I feel ready for some reason.

Physics has often interested me.

Diana

myartistdate  I have a memory challenge posted for members from June 8th-18th.  The one I am making for myself is to do from memory a statue of Kuan Yin, the Boddhisattva of mercy in Buddhism that is in the Chinese Rotunda in The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Art and Archeology.  I haven't been there for a couple of years.  I have done a drawing of it a few years ago and am curious how much I will remember.  See my posts myartistdate for more info.

Diana

Last night it began to feel creepy so I put it down. But now it is intriguing me again now that the day is settled.

Last night someone said something really weird to me about why I didn't go out for so many months. He asked me if I was under house arrest. It creeped me out at first but now I think he was just being funny. He's usually a light hearted fellow.

He trains Clydesdales for a living. What a cool job!

Perhaps he was goofing on me because I went out last night in khaki style pants and cotton vertical thin blue and white stripes. It's a good men's shirt from Kuwait and is a favorite. Maybe it reminded him of prison. I don't know. I have never been in jail. Don't know what the style is in there. Blue and white stripes? Not particularly interested in what prison chic is.

But maybe he was goofing on me about my clothing.

My style is kind of classic and casual at the same time. It never occured to me that I was in line with prison style.

I'm never wearing THAT shirt out again if people react like that!

Diana

Last year money was so tight I didn't go out anywhere at all. I stayed home between jobs and waited out time before making more money for the next bill. I didn't go to events I was invited to.

On Halloween I managed to go to a local gig where Scott Weis played. Then I disappeared and went to work and school. The days wore on to weeks and months and enjoying a night out was forgotten.

Last night Scott was playing at the Waterwheel , but I was out of social practise and forgot how to enjoy the night. Shyness took over and I slunk home.

He and some others played for a charity today and I decided to go after all and figured out how to come out of my shell and socialize.

It ended up being a fun day. My dollars went to supporting our troops and I made some new friends and deepened friendships with others.

I totally forgot how much I love live music from the local musicians around here. And forgot how important it is to have a little fun with people I know.

Not sure when I'll go out again. It's still pretty tight. But maybe it's good for me.

Still not drawing. I brought the drawing pad but shied away from it. I'm scared.

Diana

If people would treat other people with the sensitivity, finesse, care and thoughtfulness that Scott Weis puts into his musical performance the world would be a fine place.

Unfortunately it isn't that way.

By the way, while working he and his bandmates aren't on anything. I believe it is a work rule for them.

Funny how that works.

Diana

It was a busy week workwise. The turmoil of work and school really messed up the office. While doing priority projects, a lot of paperwork got shoved around. It's finally put away and vacuuming was actually possible. The middle of the floor is graced with a needlepoint rug I'd made a few decades ago. Now, it is the center of attention in the room again in front of the love seat. The room is tiny because of the bookshelves and the desk. But, here is where I like to do my schoolwork and read.

Each night I am reading Stephen King's, "Insomnia" which seems to put me asleep just like any other book I read late at night.

David Carradine's passing saddens me. I used to watvch "Kung Fu" whenever I could which wasn't much because of parental restrictions and a hectic life at that time. It was on during late high school and early adulthood which is when there isn't much time for TV. I used to watch it with a friend though and then took to watching it on my own. I found it very inspiring.

During the Tian An Men demonstrations in 1989, perhaps a subconscious memory of this show came during these events and I became engrossed in Chinese culture and philosophy afterwards. It didn't occur to me until yesterday how much his character, Caine, influenced my life. Several years ago I bought a book he had written and gave it to a friend for Christmas because she was into kung fu. I have also taken some lessons in that and tai chi. It has been many years but I learned enough to practise on my own if the desire to do so comes again.

He was very much into the deeper parts of Chinese philosophy and culture.

I find the coincidence of the suppression of the Chinese government because of the twentieth anniversary of the massacre and his death disturbing. He would have been supportive of the movement and I wonder if he had expressed anything to anyone that Chinese authorities found not to their liking and had to do something about it.

I know this post has just messed up any chance of me ever going to China, but maybe this needs to be said. Is anyone else thinking the same thing?

I personally know several people who survived the night of June 3rd and witnessed bloodshed. I am unable to say any more. I know I am in America, but in many ways since Tian An Men I have been living by Chinese law and not American. I don't have freedom of speech the way others do because of my closeness to many Chinese people.

I love them very much. I also love China.

Diana

This needs to be documented:

Early last week a bear came through the south end of my property, through the woods, crossed the street, went through a corner of woods and walked up the road across from my driveway.

Yesterday, on the way home from my parents house for dinner, I left early because I am aware of bears in the area. I heard a dog bark across the community woods in back of my parents' house and heard something like crying. It ocurred to me it was a bear or a bear cub.

Today, my father told me that a bear and three very small cubs were in back of their house. He mentioned one of them was scrawny which could either mean it is hungry and the mother can't find enough food or that there is something wrong with it and the mother isn't giving it enough attention. The hunger situation is of concern as the mother would be worried about food and could become angry.

After seeing my father this evening, I ran into Stanley who is the president of our association and he mentioned he saw a bear earlier today. It had one cub although he said there could have been more as there were ferns in the area. But mothers tend to scurry their cubs into trees. Anyway he saw one.

The one I saw definitely didn't have a cub with it and was strolling along not being concerned about any cubs. I am thinking he that was a male. So that's one.

The mother and three cubs is another adult bear.

Then if Stanley saw a different mother given that there was only one cub, the potential adult bear population around my neighborhood is three.

Two years ago my neighbor said that a mother had a couple of cubs. They would be young adults by now. Last year a bear in the area was hit by a car and died.

Bears have cubs every two years. There is a bear hunting season around here probably in the fall. There are coyotes in the area.

I am very careful not to have garbage out. I keep it in the house because of this problem. My eating habits make it so I don't have much, if any, smelly garbage in the house. I don't eat meat at home so I don't have that issue in the garbage. The other day I cut up a pineapple and the skin is in the garbage tightly bagged up in a small shopping bag. I don't any where near have a full bag of garbage, but I am disposing of it tomorrow.

When cooking it isn't a good idea to have windows open.

Tonight I was wondering if the traditon of Christmas cookie baking came about because that is when it was safe during Colonial times to bake so bears don't come in people's houses.

I like bears. The one walking by last week looked very peaceful walking by and only looked at me quietly and walked on. I was a good distance from him. But every night I go to my parents house for dinner and I stay and watch TV with them, I feel scared and make noise in case a bear is around so he/she knows that someone is there and they quietly go away.

But with the info that there are cubs in the area changes everything. If, in the dark, I inadvertently walk between cubs and its mother it could be a dangerous situation.

Living in the country is very enjoyable and I like to take walks in the woods and on our dirt road. The bears have been seen in the daytime and not in the early day or early evening per usual. Eating outside on the porch is another enjoyable pasttime. The bears being around make me feel concerned.

Bears are good for the local ecology as they keep the insect populations down because they eat them. I'd rather not go in the woods so their patterns of living don't get disturbed. They are important animals. Their intelligence is between that of a dog and a primate. In this case they have my respect and I respect them.

And yet because of growing human and bear populations in this area, the potential for danger is very real. The people in my area know not to feed them and take care about not leaving garbage out. In my area we can take our garbage to a place that handles it for a small fee per bag. The only problem with me is that I make very small amounts of garbage and they charge the same fee no matter what size. But for safety I will take the small shopping bag out as made and will time big cooking sprees when the garbage facility is open.

Anyway, this post is to note the sitings in case anyone needs it. I think I will contact the game warden tomorrow to let him know about the bear population increase here.

I'm keeping the windows closed.

Diana

Cooking and gardening- they go hand in hand. Having a garden with things like parsley and cilantro help save me from having to go to the store to get last minute items that give pizzazz to a dish.

The last few months were very hectic and the cooking hobby got forgotten. Usually, during the weekend beginning with a shopping trip I do a lot of cooking. That seems to be a habit over my lifetime whenever I have access to my own kitchen. The interest in food began during my teen years when I wanted to live naturally and healthily. After moving out I kept on finding roomates who were also into the kinds of cooking and food styles I'm into. Food became a lifestyle. The whole process is fun. About three quarters of that fun is in the sharing of it with family, friends and neighbors.

Several months ago I got myself a digital camera, but haven't gotten to using it yet for some reason. Maybe, being so used to 35mm being expensive, the thought is that to really enjoy it is to use it sparingly. I tried taking a picture of my art with it and that didn't work out so well. The 35mm is better.

Well...

maybe...

Maybe it can be used for photographing the meals and treats I make. This is a lifestyle for me. Someone on my friends' list requested that I write and share about my cooking here. This is an art blog, however for me cooking is an art so why not post about it?

The fare planned tomorrow is homemade pita bread and falafel. The chick peas used will be the green style from India as that region of the world has several varieties. I make everything from basic ingredients and some of the herbs come from my garden. I shop in Indian markets and Chinese markets. Falafel is middle eastern.

Sundays are good for making some recipes for the week. I'll probably be making hummus and a pepper and pineapple chutney and maybe a mint chutney.

Hopefully there will be pictures, but I am not sure exactly how all of that pans out. The software is on the computer. I think I know how to use it.

Diana

Last week at Jihan's store I found a Stephen King novel. It's huge and called, "Insommnia." It only cost a dollar. Many years have gone by since reading his works. He amazes me. I read a literary magazine article by him on how he approaches his craft and lifestyle as a writer.

He said he commits ten pages per day to writing. Stephen likes to write in the morning and he mentioned that as he gets older the time seems to be drifting later and later in the afternoon. He used to finsih in the early afternoon. There is a rule in his house that while writing, that he isn't to be disturbed. His wife is very supportive of his life which is why he is so prolific.

Families really need to get how important it is to respect the time an artist, writer or musician takes to do their craft.

What is also astounding from what I remember about his writing is the level of description and detail he puts in his work. And he does all of that to the tune of ten pages a day. That is an incredible amount of imagination to pump out. How does he do that? He must also take time to work out ideas in his head.

Totally amazing.

This book is 787 pages long. That means it took 79 days to write it.

And I am going to try to read it in a few days.

Diana

Music is a cherished part of my life and a lot of it fills my soul with its resounding beauty. A goal has been to make art that has this fulfillment quality to it.

I was just listening to Tracy Nelson the former singer of Mother earth from the late sixties. Her voice is so rich.

To be able to create that richness visually...

Diana

Time is freed up for awhile. A breather is needed to make art. It's been awhile. A lot of papers had to be written for school so drawing and making art had to go by the wayside.

I have a few journals. It would be nice to have each one be of a different body of work so that there isn't cross-posting and so that anyone looking all of them over gets a different view of my world. It's all me. It's just that it seems blogging could be fun this way.

This is the central one though.

Tonight I am off to myartistdate which is a community I began on LJ a couple of years ago.

Diana

An 8" x 10" graphite drawing on cream colored Canson 90 lb. paper.

Watphrathat-Lumpang Luang, Lampang Province, Thailand. After a photo reference by Chakarida Nukoolkit. 8" x 11" graphite drawing.

Diana