alien drifter

I bought a dianthus (carnation) really cheap last year at someplace like WalMart or Lowes. It came in a hanging container. I put it in the ground at the end of the fall. It came up this spring in two colors. Wow! I did nothing to it at all. Last year it was only dark violet. This year it's pink and violet. I guess dianthus react to acid in the soil like hydrangea do.

I visited Dali in Philadelphia. It was wonderful. I deeply enjoy retrospectives. I like seeing the artist's work collected from where it has been scattered and put back together all in one place. Seeing a comprehensive body of work helps me understand the artist's development and, in Dali's case, learn more about what it all means. My sister said, "What's with the beach? What happened at the beach?" I suspect Dali was happy there. He made a home at the beach all his life. It's interesting how non-artist's pick up on stuff. I suppose if they didn't Art wouldn't work. A guy I was dating went with me to a Vuillard retrospective in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago. Vuillard played around with a variety of styles, like Dali did. Then, when Vuillard's mother died, he suddenly produced these sophisticated, bright, portraits and images in a very strong, refined style. My companion remarked, "He had to support himself so he got serious." Stunning!

Back to Dali—no further elucidation on the ants, except I think they were just a tool to make an image vague. I really noticed the juxtaposition of vagueness and clarity in Dali's work. I also noticed what a thorough master he was of any style from any century. He painted a lot of drapery style stuff to challenge himself. There wasn't anything he couldn't paint. So impressive. I saw many pieces I'd never seen before.

My favorites are Corpus Hypercubus (Crucifixion) and The Railway Station at Perpignan. You can't really say you have see The Railway Station unless you've seen it in person. It's huge. So much is lost in reproduction. Also, a lot of the subtle symbolism is lost when you look at a small copy in a book. You can't print what Dali painted. Here I am on the steps to the museum.
Current Fads
Music. U2 Achtung Baby
Movie. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Activity. herding cats
Gadget. Palm Zire 31
News Source. BBC News - Americas
Books. Blow Fly - Patricia Cornwell; Beauty: The New Basics - Rona Berg; 2005 Guide to Literary Agents - Editors of Writer's Market; The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation - Ngaire E. Genge; The Elements of Style - E. B. White
(Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a book addict. What can I say?)