Rijolles and Madrid

The things you find just wandering along, heading to the Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid [ http://www.gomadrid.com/museums/decorative-arts.html- the blurb and pics don't do it justice]- do visit if you have a chance -the kitchen on the 4th floor is unbelievable- my friend and I wandered in and went WOW!!! so loud the gurads came running to see what had happened.

We spotted these wonderful, exuberant sculptures in the Retiro Park

Cast bronze and cast Murano glass, they were fun but taking time to look and think he suggests many things: the many attributes of people, possibilities of transformation but perhaps most of all for me was embrace life- get into it- live it...

Anyway enjoy the snaps and imagine a fresh spring morning, just perfectly warm, the sun shining but not burning, trees in fresh bud and simple happinesses....

I learnt a lot from my new friends at EOMWorkshops http://www.eomworkshops.com/ Murano glass is the glass of choise used by hot glass sculptuers and bead makers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murano_glass In recent times China has been copying a lot of these traditional designs and flooding the market place with cheap copies.

This has effected things such that 4000 Murano glassworkers has lost their jobs- along with them goes the knowledge and experiences of centuries old tradtions. China needs and deserves work for their people but finding it at the expence of other people in the world is not fair....

Many countries and people do this type of thing, not respecting people's intellectual copy right on their work [whilst mimicry might be a compliment to the originator it is not fair! Put in the work and development yourself!]

Choose wisley in your choice of glass although in some ways it is hard choice sort of because it feeds people both ways. BUT if we let the holders of tradtion and the caretakers of the keys to innovation founder where do we go to in the future? Copying is only copying...

anyway off my soap box for the moment, enjoy these wonderful works and thanks to their creator for sharing them with us

even the trees in the park were sculptured- I want trees like that!!

Praveen is my new gardening partner- I'll have to see what he can do...poor man he won't know what I am on about. Aren't they delicious?

My friends in England are always a treat to visit,

I like the place but really the weather scares me, cold and dark and rainy so often spring to mind- my mates cheery good humour throws a lot of sunshine around- here is a quote Anne sent me recently that she found in a novel set in Roman times England- love the humor of it.

Here is that quote from 'Ruso and the Demented Doctor' by R.S.Downie. "Ruso had now been in Britannia for eight months, most of them winter. He had learned why the province's only contribution to fashion was a thick cloak designed to keep out the rain. Rain was not a bad thing, of course, as his brother had reminded him on more than one occasion. But his brother was a farmer and he was talking about proper rain - the sort that cascaded from the heavens to water the earth and fill the aqueducts and wash the drains. British rain was rarely that simple. For days on end, instead of falling, it simply hung around in the air like a wife waiting for you to notice she was sulking."

Gorgeous Lichfield on a late spring day....says it all

the clouds are so low as to almost sit on the spires- truely!

Lichfield, UK and Fair Trade

I have just had a lovely few days in Lichfield an hour from Birmingham in the UK.
I have really fallen in love with their Cathedral, so pretty , quite femine in decoration, I found it mesmeriezing and kept wanting to go back again to look at the details.
Her are a few snaps form clos up to a bigger view.

and great moss or lichens on it as well!

One thing I really admire about England is the way it has embraced Fair Trade [here is a definition, if you have not heard of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade]- an example of how our small choices [this coffee or that? type thing] can be done with thought and make a real difference to other pepole's lives.

Lichfield seems to have really embarced it with both arms, one lady was saying they have a Fair Trade Church stall each month and the city is designated a Fair Trade city as a large percentage of goods used in restaurants has been bought making that choice. Good on them , may more places follow their good heart!

Essence of Mulranny Workshops

Life is full of hard decisions some days, I love being on the road teaching, I get to see the world, meet truely wonderful people and enjoy myself,
I now have a very full life at home in Pushkar too, many projects and plans, a studio that would like some talking to and Praveen.....what to do?? when I am in one option I really love it, and I miss the other....I am blessed, but have to start arranging it somehow to find a balance because all together it is too much
[I know - what a whinger!! that is what I think too, the Universe has been so kind and I truely appreciate that...but I think there is a little lesson in balance going on here or priorities- just trying to work out where the path is to follow!]

Here are a few pictures of my lateset gig- the view that greeted me on my first morning- what temptations the Universe throws you!!
That is the Bay of Clew[ I think?] across the water is the Sacred St Patrick's Hill, down in front is the most extraudinary landscape of salt meadows, beautiful and mesmerizing. The view changed in colour all day long and transformed as the clouds moved in and out.
Here in Ireland they make jokes you can experience all seasons in one day!! Seems to be based on fact.

Cheryl and her husband are turning a dream into reality with the Essence of Mulranny Art Centre they have created here on the West Coast of Ireland http://www.eomworkshops.com/ will give more info. People come from all over the world to stay with them and join the workshops. In my class participants came from the next village, the far end of the country, the States and me Australian from India. The mix of people a treat in itself.

The new purpose built studio complex, hot glass, textiles and many more things will happen here...

really look forward to the chance to return in a year or two and see how it is all progressing.

This quote was on Cheryl's wall and seemed so apt; placed there by a really inspiring lady

"the fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose" Gandhi.

Ireland

Out the door and off, not as scary as I thought,
Living in India means getting anywhere is so much closer than flying from Sydney; so it is easier to adjust when I land.
I am in Ireland and the weather is mild, not warm but a few cardigans and I am warm enough.
I visited the National Gallery of Ireland http://www.nationalgallery.ie/ , I still have the colours of India in my eyes and it was hard to appreciate the light in many of the paintings…
They had a special exhibition upstairs Caravaggio www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio and some of his mates- boy does the quality of Caravaggio shine out, it was a room of large paintings many on religious themes- really all just oil paint on canvas but Caravaggio's shone with light and intensity and emation...
In a later room was a Vermeer, “Lady writing a Letter” www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer , again the intensity of the of the light and concentration of the woman suggest a whole story within the image. Having read Tracy Chevalier’s “The Pearl Earring” http://www.tchevalier.com/ [love her witing and imaginations!!] which weaves a story around another of his paintings I kind of itch to hear what she would imagine and weave around this painting.

lovely Ireland, pretty as a picture book!

Indian Elections and Veggies

News from home, our first harvest from our new Veggie garden,
My first garden in India and Praveen’s first garden ever, he started out just giving me a hand but has really been enjoying looking after the garden, watching the plants grow and keeping up the water- it is pleasing to be sharing the pleasure.
It is so hot in India that the plants are just springing out of the ground, growing so fast.
And tow funny things I have found in the papers about the Indian elections- it is a serious time in India, people are being urged to have there say, lots of exposes of corruption so it is a good chance to clean some things up as well.
These are a few fun images- one from Times of India and one I found in a newspaper here in Dublin.
The guy with the shoes is hoping to be elected and is coming prepared, there was an incident a few weeks ago of a reporter throwing a shoe at a minister in frustration about announcements her was making, this guy thinks by arriving with shoes around his neck he will be able to stream line the processes of governance! Haha.
The other is a candidate in the Punjab going to a rally with his security officer riding pinion- he is definitely of the people, hopefully also for the people….