Monday, March 8, 2010

Manuel Neri



 

 


This morning as I sat savoring the last drops of my tasty French roast, I was inspired by a section on the American sculpture Manuel Neri, in Artworks magazine.
Neri is an incredibly talented, passionate man. A truly GREAT artist.

He is known for his life size sculptures of Women, which he does mainly in plaster, and sometimes in bronze or marble. Each one is a metaphor for life and it's complications. An ever immortalized adventure. His women accept who they are. Strong and powerful, yet fragile and vulnerable. They embrace both times of joy and times of pain, which I think is a good reminder to us all to keep our heads up and to look to the light, when all that we may see around us is a place dark and unknown.

Neri says his use of the female figure
“has to do with the role art is playing in society – it deals with everything, our fears, etc. I wanted an image that represented all of mankind, and for me, the female does that. Man may have the power, but women have the magic.

Ohhh I love that. "Women have the magic" thanks Neri :)

It is very easy to be moved by these beautiful sculptures, and after looking at one, I felt a strong desire to see more. Neri has spent years intensely studying the female form, and the use of color and materials. By drawing and painting in preparation for each piece, he has analyzed how shape and hue fit together and says that
"this work is not a blueprint, instead an avenue to find feeling in the female figure."

I found myself wondering what other sources of inspiration were behind his amazing masterpieces, and this led me to Mary Julia Klimenko.
A stunning woman, with long dark hair and large captivating eyes, she is a poet. She is his muse. In fact their relationship historically may be one of the best examples of an artist and his muse.
Over the last 34 years, they have developed a relationship so strong, so desirous. Their appetite for each other is uncontrollable.
How exciting a life they must lead. I am always attracted to these type of relationships, ones that drive and motivate everything within you. A life that is certainly never boring.

They live in a converted church close to the waterfront in Benicia, California. The sun streaming in through the stained glass windows as Mary Julia stands
"naked and trusting"
before her artist and love. He now knows every detail of her body with his eyes closed, she is merely a reference. One that he could never have too much of.

When she is not posing she wears a kimono and writes her poems with a longing affection. They are always about Neri.
"I am your music
I am the words through which you pass to get to the lake
The lake accepts us totally and there we commit
All the acts of humans"

Ahh what pure emotion, derived from a tension so thick.

I can imagine myself in a vintage kimono, cigarette delicately positioned in between my lips, writing my own poetry on an antique type writer and drinking the freshest China tea. A perfect moment anytime. Day or night. Yes please.

I am SO happy I picked up Artworks this morning. It was just the inspiration I needed, and now I can familiarize myself with yet another artistic genius, Manuel Neri and his spectacular muse.

<3

(Images from artshiftsanjose.com and images.artnet.com )

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi



I'm So excited for the first solo album of Jonsi, the lead guitarist and vocalist of Sigur Ros. Entitled "Go" it will be released April 5th and then later in the month I will get to see him perform live at COACHELLA music festival.

Unlike the music of Sigur Ros which is sung some in Icelandic and some in their own gibberish language know as hopelandish, on Go, Jonsi sings in a mixture of Icelandic and English. Yay, we will actually be able to make out some of what he is saying.
Love it .

Originally the album was intended to be a low key acoustic collection, derived from a large selection of songs he had written over his time with Sigur Ros, however it soon exploded.

As it says on Jonsi.com - It is "not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators"

It will be AMAZING.

Come soon April, come soon...

<3

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hunter Wellies - A Britsh staple.

Kate Moss at Glastonbury '08. Photo: dailymail.co.uk




Wow, the weather at the moment is pretty intense. At least here in central California. Yesterday I heard that LA was the only place in the whole state that it wasn't actually raining. On the Monterey Peninsula it rained more than an inch before noon. In fact the city is only two inches short of it's average yearly rainfall, and it's only the beginning of March.

When I went to my local coffee shop in Carmel this morning, it was raining SO hard it felt like I was in the midst of a tropical monsoon. Without the 90 degree weather, bellowing thunder and monster lightening strikes, ripping through the sky.
Stopping at Wells Fargo on the way, I parked as close as possible to the ATM machine, only to have a waterfall of fresh rain water come crashing down forcefully upon the windshield. Not exactly the morning shower I was looking for, but certainly one the trees are making the most of. Oh how lush and green everything has become. The dry, dead grasses of summer have long gone, and the land is being given a new sense of life all around us.
It is refreshing to be able breathe in the clean, ocean air after spending the last 4 months in Shanghai. A concrete jungle, where the only view of anything even remotely green and vibrant comes on a rare afternoon in the park.

These storms are the perfect excuse to dig into your closet or maybe your garage somewhere, and bring out a classic British staple - the HUNTER wellington boot. Invented by the first Duke of Wellington in 1817 (seriously guys, it was that long ago )! And first made of soft calfskin leather, these boots were considered very fashionable and remained the main fashion for British men through the 1840's.
In the 1850's the boots started being made in rubber and by the end of the second world war, had become hugely popular by both men, women and children across England as wet weather footwear.

Now over a hundred and fifty years later the wellington boot has become a necessity worldwide, for keeping feet dry no matter what the weather is. A long time favorite of royalty and celebrities alike, the hunter wellie is the perfect solution for a multitude of occasions, from mucking out the horses, to slopping around the muddy fields of summer music festivals such as Glastonbury, in the south of England.
Ladies, It's time to switch out your louboutins for a pair of Hunters, at least while the stormy season persists. The weather man calls for it.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Where the mind can be free...



























I am currently staying at my parent's house in Monterey, CA while I wait for my dual citizenship (between Britain and America ) to be processed and hopefully accepted. Providing me with two passports. This day can not come soon enough and I will feel honored and extremely blessed to be able to call not one but two countries home.
In the meantime I need to provide my love and support to both of my wonderful parents, who are both currently suffering from back and hip problems. My Dad, Simon is on his third herniated disc, and my beautiful Mum, Joanna it turns out has been suffering from a rare problem with her left hip. Feeling pain in this area since she was a teenager, the actual problem has only recently been diagnosed.
Today I am up at Stanford Medical with her as she undergoes a surgery that will hopefully relieve her pain, and get her on the path to recovery. There is a 50/50 chance it will be successful, so I'm praying it will all turn out for the better.
After days of rain, yesterday provided us with a beautiful, clear, sunny day not to be missed out on. I gathered my youngest sister Annabelle, the dog Biscuit and both my folks into the car and headed to Ribera beach in Carmel.
There is a path there that starts up on the cliff, and meanders down and along the crashing waves past the beach. My Dad tries to stretch his back out by walking this path as often as he can. He describes it as a place "where a man's mind can be free". Maybe that's the valium talking, but I'd have to agree with him. It is truly a wonder of nature.

After years of journaling and quite a collection of Moleskines (my favorite type of notebook), I have decided to switch from paper and bring my thoughts to the internet instead.
This way I can keep those who know me a little more in the know, no matter where I am in the World. That's the idea anyway, and who knows, if I can inspire anyone else along the way, then that will be a bonus.

From now on I will try to have regular updates, that will include written posts and lots of photos. My blog is called Bekahsphere, because it is the world according to me. My thoughts, my inspirations, my aspiration's, my style, my dreams and anything that I want to journal about. This is my life. I hope you enjoy it ;)