Wood Cut Room

Jazmin's Photos of Party Day at the
j Ferrari Gallery. April 14th 2007

The Party is Over! The Retrospective Print and Paint Show is over! My birthday month is over. It is really over!
Yesterday, April 28th was the Ending Party of the Retrospective Show and people came by to enjoy the last time they would see these works together and to pick up their paintings. Today was packing and labeling boxes to be returned to the owners. My paintings are back in my house and going up on the walls. Tomorrow will be mailing.

It is over too soon! The jFerrari Gallery is a wonderful place to hold an exhibit, although I think more space would have been better for seeing individual paintings because there were so many. We didn't get that art critic I was hoping for. Susan Metzger, Kate Amend Assistant came and video taped my talking about the paintings and Kate said she'd edit it as a birthday gift for me. If she does she'll give it her magic touch and maybe we'll win an Oscar for a mini documentary! Bob Hertzberg also videotaped the show the day before and we may have a virtual tour from his taping. I can't wait to see and share the products. Mike Locke took photos of the paintings, the Opening and the City Hall morning and Jeremy Roth-Kachell's friend took photos at the party. I haven't seen them yet.

I am sure this show will never be mounted again and am sad to see it end. Everything, however, worked out very well. The April 7th Opening was a charm and the April 14th party was wonderful. I will add more to this Blog as soon as I get more photos. Thanks for following the story.

As usual I suggest you read this blog bottom up.

I am going to have to learn to write backwards. More bloging to come.

My Grandson Jesse made it to join us and we all got to go to the top of the beautiful City Hall. The views are wonderful and you can be proud to live in this city.

Now back to Silver Lake, the end of a wonderful adventure. Thank you my Councelmen LaBonge and Garcetti and Deputy Patty Malone for all you do.

The cake, the card, my family, my friends, the song, were all incredible. The best birthday celebration I ever had!

Finally we all thanked our organizer and best advocate ever - PATTY MALONE!!!

The City Hall event had a movement that was energetic and went from transporting us to City Hall and to the City Council Chambers to watch the Council at work. We saw Jackie Robinson's wife honored and saw the respect paid to that extraordinary man, ball player, who changed our society. It was very heartwarming. We saw a plea from the Animal Service to adopt animals and a puppy there to tug our hearts. Then it was my turn and Councilman LaBonge and Council Presiden Garcitti cam to the Podium and I was brought up. Council President Garcetti read a history of me that was very impressive (I'd like to get it to use as my vitae if I ever need it) then he presented me with a large bouquet of Silver Lake flowers. Councilman LaBounge gave me a large Pumpkin Bread made by an order of nuns. He assured me he was not trying to convert me. I got to make a little speech. I'm not sure of what I said except that I loved Los Angeles.

April 13th, the day before my Birthday Party, at the gallery, was the trip to City Hall to have the the City Council and audience sing Happy Birthday. Really! The dynamic Patty Malone, Tom Labonge's Deputy, developed a plan to celebrate my birthday by bringing my guests and family to the Los Angeles, City Hall, Council offices. She sent a beautiful bus to come to the Silver Lake Recreation Center and pick us up! Incredible! All my kids and and my girl grandkids were there. Jesse and Norman's family were in the air on the way from Washington D.C. Some of my favorite Seniors came to celebrate with me. It was fantastic. Michael Locke took photos and documented the event and Glen Dake pretended to be a senior.

The last time I wrote was on April 12th just before I picked my Cousin Barbara up at the Hollywood/Burbank airport. Of course the plane was late so I sat around for about an hour waiting for Barbara. Maybe that was a good thing because I think it was the last time I sat for about a week! It was great seeing Barbara and I immediately took her on a whirlwind program. First to IKEA to buy tiny cups for Creme Brulee for the party. It was a luxury I really wanted and Gloria and Elizabeth said they'd make it but couldn't find the cups. 200 cups purchased and then on to Smart and Final for Chinese take out boxes and chop sticks for Chinese Chicken Salad for the party. We didn't want people to have to line up to fill plates. Then to the gallery to meet with Jazmin and Midge and her friend, Carolyn to see the show.. Then I left Barbara at the gallery and ran to Staples for party game supplies. Perfect purchase! Small, easy writing pens for $2.50 for 12! And they had beautiful Card weight bright colored paper for the game. I could just picture people walking around each with a different colored card looking at the paintings to answer the questions on the game. What a great sight.

I went back to the gallery and we all went to see Jazmin, gallery owner and Rosemary Lowe, realastate agent cooked up using my and Dan Wooster's paintings for sale and display. We got there just before dark and all the lights in the neighborhood were out because of the ferousious winds that had come up. It was avery pleasant event and we all visited with people at the open house. From there we went to a restaurant I had never been to before called Spain. Nice real Spanish food. I'd go there again. It's on Glendale Blvd in Echo Park and has been there for may years. Home at last! Midge stayed over to help the next day and to go to City Hall. Midge's friend went back to Laguna Niguel and Barbara fell asleep very fast. I can't remember if Zavi joined us or not. Brain just too full! Next Installment will be the City Hall trip. What a trip!

I don't know where to start!

So Much to Share!

The last three Saturdays have been the Opening, the Party and the Atwater Festival. I will write all about everything in a bit but first a nap.

The weekend is coming! I pick my cousin Barbara Macy up at 1:00pm at the Burbank Airport, Midge comes up with a friend to see the exhibit and Midge stays over. Scott, Wendy, Leila and Wendy's mother Irene come up today. Tomorrow, is the day the Los Angeles City Council sings Happy Birthday to this Octegenarian. Really? I will report tomorrow! Anyway, things are moving along and the party is coming together, the dinner at Regent China Inn will be fun. I ordered the dinner menu and we should have about 3 tables tomorrow night at 7:00pm. Today, Jazmin is taking part in a Rosemary Low, house sale, Open House and Art Show, from 5:30 to 8:30pm, at 2362 Peru St. Elysian Hights in Silver Lake where some of my and Dan Wooster's work will be displayed. Come if you can, I'll be there.

I realized when I sent out the last posting to my blog that I thought I had mentioned a couple of other out-of-towners who came to the show but in fact I had taked about them in my lost story. First, the Friedman Clan came, Susan and Alanah from San Jose and Peter and the boys from Seattle. It was such a pleasure seeing them together and seeing them enjoying their paintings and being able to visit with them, even if only for a bit. Howard, Dora and Evelyn and Elliott came to complete the family scene. I love that group!
Then Stephanie Baker came from Santa Barbara and brought her mother. They got a bit lost coming but made it. What a treat! I wonder if they had a good dinner on the way back.

I fell asleep last night on the computer after I had written a whole story about the opening but when I woke up my story was gone! Let me see if I can remember what I wrote - There were many people who came to the Opening - It was very heartening for me because people were very complimentary. Mostly people talked about my being very prolific and that there was a happy feeling in the work and that I was a good artist. Zahava prepared a lovely array of snacks that were set out in the patio and everyone seemed relaxed and at ease. Cory, Drew, Brad and Anna and Jesse and Midge, Randy and Mason were there and visited with people . They were all terrific family representatives. Our good friends the Deutsch/Wittenberg Clan came very early and it was a pleasure listening to them as they looked through the paintings to find the ones that belonged to them. Our Senior Club members also came in the early hours because the start was set for 5:00pm to give them time to drive while it was still daylight. It was so good to see so many there and they really enjoyed the exhibit. A little later friends and relatives and people I didn't know who read about the Art Opening in the Los Feliz Ledger or one of the internet information guides came. It was very crowded at one point and really fun. Ron Lissak and his family came in from San Francisco to my surprise and as usual it was a delight to get to visit with that family. Those three kids are really something wonderful! Heath Liner and Katherine and the twins came and they set off to find their painting. Lots of nice comments and lots of questions. The woodcut room was a great draw and there were several sold. Michael Lock and Donna came and Michael took some photos of guests. Friends from my woodcut group, the Baren Forum, came but were not there at the same time so I had woodcut friends there all night! Carol Lyon was here from New York visiting her daughter for Pasover, georgia garside came from West Covina and Ellen Shipley came from out Valencia way. It was great having Baren friends whose work I know and own with me on this day. Hali Eliza, my darling actor friend, came with two of her friends and said my work needed to be in a museum. I thanked her and I told everyone who said something so complimentary that they needed to contact the LA Times, Art Critic to tell him he should come see the exhibit.

The evening wore on and it continued to be exciting until about 10:00pm when I realized I had been on my feet since about 4:30pm. I had to sit!

I want to thank everyone who came to the Opening for making it worth my spending all that time and enery to get the paintings together and finding a wonderful gallery to show them in. I was right to have this Retrospective Print and Paint Show and I just wish Jack had lived long enough to join me. He loved my paintings and was a great support all our lives together.

More to come tomorrow. I just fell asleep at the computer. Time for bed! Night.

IT HAPPENED!

Yesterday was the Opening of the Retrospective Print and Paint Show at the jFERRARI Gallery at The Complex, 3015 Glendale Blvd, Atwater Village, CA 90039, http://www.jferrarigallery.com 323-877-5542
and it was wonderful. Jazmin, the gallery owner did a great job getting everything hung. I know she had a lot of help but her hand and mind was in it from the beginning. It was very impressive. I had 117 paintings on display and everything looked spaced and comfortable.

I kept feeling like I was missing a painting and today Zavi and I found it. It was the one called Crawling Baby but then we found several more. Some are very old and some not so old. Most should be framed so I don't know if I'll try to get them into the show. Nothing like too much. I was worried the whole time paintings were coming in that there wouldn't be room for them but the genious of the gallery owner put my mind at ease. Should I give her abother challenge and add some more? I only know of one that didn't get here. Michael Locke, took photos of almost all the paintings. Some you haven't seen yet are above.