My Rococo Day...sort of

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The 18th century artistic movement...

Rococo...

[originating in Paris intending to rebel against its 

proceeding dramatic and tension-packed movement,

of the Baroque style]

depicted the frolicking and whitty compositions of opulent lifestyles.

Such as this painting by Antoine Watteau c. 1718.

titled, Embarkation for Cythera (the Berlin version)

or...

The faces of jobless, wealthy youth,

basking in the sun,

no drama,

no tension,

just passing the time.

Frolicking in the present day...

Although gainfully employed

[and youthful is a subjective term]

and by far not in the highest tax category to date...

this is the face of me...

[at 0.0 miles and counting]

basking in the sun

no drama

no tension

passing the time

just like those 

swanky, frisky Rococos

engaged in passionate tryst...

except I'm riding a shiny new bike...

on the...

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Not lounging...

yet.

However...

I did have a quick picnic at a local waterfall.

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On my return route home...

after many steep, long, laborious hills

at about mile 19...

this is the face of me...

not so joyous...

not so frolic-like.

But...

I kept going...

and found some street art.

[in the mountains, on a river, far from urban life]

So I did a handstand...

because that's what I do.

J. H. Fragonard, in his painting, The Swing, c. 1767...

composed a classic Rococo painting

of people having fun...

[and flirting 

and painted 

through a male lens 

for 

the male gaze...

 but I won't get into that here...]

I seem to be doing something similar.

[and I'm wearing a skirt]

[sort of]

And once again...

I kept going...

Until I reach the car.

[25 miles]

At this point in my day...

all touchy-feely aside, as seen here in...

Fragonard's The Musical Contest c. 1754...

I felt sort of like these guys.

But even more so... 

I felt like this.

From my now lounging somewhat Rococo

perspective...

Sasquatch.

So not Rococo.

But of course...

he could be.

[Fragonard's The Progress of Love: The Pursuit 1771-1773]

And I'm pretty sure he's got that 

Rococo touchy-feely thing down.

Off to the hot spring I went.

Louis Jean François Lagrenée 1755

The Abduction of Deianira by the Centaur Nessus

and

Dawn Nielson 2015

The West Sky of the Columbia Gorge

;-)

[See...there's still a bit of drama in the Rococo

they aren't fooling anyone.]

Aparently Sasquatch meditates at the hot springs...

and I'm OK with that.

After a good, long soak...

I napped.

Aaaahhh...my frolicking, Rococo day.

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The Things I've Seen...I Miss

I'm missing last year...

the laughter,

beauty...

simply 

the amazing things

I got to see and experience.

I got to do things

like this...

And see things like this.

Then there's my sailing friends

and their secret wine storage.

So nice.

The work commute wasn't

bad when

there's this

 in front of your face.

(as long as your window is rolled up

and that coal dust doesn't pelt you in the cheek...

it

 happens...

every single time...

ouch...

and ick...

and shame on them).

Waterfalls were and still are always a short drive down a gravel road.

Bridges to jump off into the

crisp water were and still are

here and there...

but I don't jump off this one...

I crawl under...

to get to that waterfall above.

I did a lot of thinking

and morning coffee drinking

here. Now it's a bit too chilly to enjoy.

I had a visitor or two.

This...

was and still is my favorite way to 

enjoy my time.

It's close.

Like right there close.

Amazing enough I find friends floating out here.

We then paddle into tunnels that go under roads

and lead to winding

tall grassy

marshes lit by the full moon.

Drawing with the moon

is something I find myself doing...

often.

Last year maintained my city life...

and my rural mountain/river town life...

and created a marina life.

That's three in one.

Pretty damn good.

So that's what I'm missing...

but I know it will return along with a plethora of new experiences

that I will cherish as well.

In a work meeting recently...

I was asked how I handle stress at work.

My reply: 

I'm just happy I don't have to work and be on chemo at the same time...

because THAT really sucks.

No one said a word.

I either freaked them out...

or perhaps they agreed and just didn't have anything to add.

Because really...

come on...

the day isn't that difficult..

unless...cancer.

Then you have to really get your shit together,

get your foggy mind focused as much as you can,

and make things happen. 

Cancer changes a person in big ways.

Very big ways.

It may not be apparent during the process...

but after, in those years following...

KAPOW...

I did discover a nice little spot just for me last summer.

I will return to this space.

And again...

that commute...ugh :-)

This is one of my most

favorite Portland escapes...
discovered it with a dear friend
on a First Thursday in the Pearl District evening...

the art and wine are wonderful.

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art...

there's always art...

currently I'm waiting for plaster to

dry over ink washed printmaking paper...

a layer of encaustic wax is next...

it's a 3 x 4 ft. panel.

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a favorite song from last year...

with an interesting video...

It Ended w/a Panel

Today I made this...

a masonite 3ft. x 4ft. panel

for encaustic wax & ink

but before that...

last Sunday

I took my friend on a stick

[long story]

kayaking on the Columbia...

two days later...

went kayaking

beneath the full blood moon...

and took some photos

drawing with the moonlight...

two days after...

I bought a sailboat...

[that deserves a name]

the next day...

I added some fabric bunting

to construction site

welding walls

for an event for work...

[a duct tape and staple gun extravaganza]

[did a little yoga too]

after the event and

a night on the boat...

[awesomeness]

I headed home

grabbed some power tools...

cut some wood...

made said panel...

and

stared at it 

while the sunset,

as I mentally prepared 

for tomorrow.

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amazing work well documented...