A Few Of My Favorite Things

With so many talented designers, it is hard to pick favorites.  If you couldn’t make it Urban Air Market this time, check out their website for a full list and links to all the artists.

Read on for my highlights of May’s Urban Air Market.

These super cutie bags by Lady Alamo were the first things to catch my eye.   I love a cute canvas tote bag for their affordability and durability, throw in a cute design and great colors and it’s pretty much the perfect bag for weekends, errands, travel, etc.

Lady Alamo also makes really cute Rope Reversible Beach Totes (bottom) and  Reversible Cotton Canvas Hobo Bags.  The only thing I love more than a cute illustration is a chic stripe, and she has lots!  These bags are manufactured in the Bay Area!

Lots of action at the COATT table.

This was by far one of the best styled booths at the market.  Sarah Liller, seated, models one of her lovely dresses in a fiery red.

Everything in her Romantic Repurposing collection utilizes repurposed vintage linens, remade into feminine, modern separates with a certain je ne sais quoi.  Liller ’s designs are created in her studio in the Mission, using the same Kenmore sewing machine that belonged to her mother.

Interlude: Foxtails Brigade

From Sarah Liller’s lovely booth I heard the sweet sounds of the Foxtails Brigade performing on the square.  It was nice to take a break with the “ornate kind of chamber pop, intricate viola and violin arrangements are anchored by Laura Weinbach’s exquisitely played classical guitar and pitch perfect vocals,” and the sweet sounds of violinist Sivan Sadeh.

Voce Keen Jewelry is handmade in San Francisco by Amanda Bassolino, below, modelling her own organic, spirited creations. As a metal smith and dancer, she  brings a lifelong passion for art, performance, and the creative process to her designs.

My favorite piece is the Crystal Pyramid Wrap that can be worn in multiple ways. The clear quartz pyramid gives it both mystery and power.

M. Brûlée loves art, luxury, exclusivity. All of her pieces exude a richness, quality and thoughtfulness to both aesthetics and a luxurious feeling.   I love the red fox fur and golden hammered solid brass bracelet she is wearing below.

Soft leathers and unique brass fixtures make a bold statement.

These gorgeous beaded bags, below, caught my eye from across the street. Mei Vintage (Mei=Chinese for beautiful) uses the highest quality leather remnants whenever possible, hemp lining and exquisite fabric taken from vintage kimonos to create artful, luxurious handbags for fashion forward ladies.   The beaded bags had recently arrived from India where they were hand-beaded with abstract designs created by Designer Alice Huang, though most of her items are made in America.

Mariele Ivy creates sophisticated, one-of-a-kind pieces using materials from the natural world and those she creates herself.

“My father is a drift boat builder and i grew up watching him create beautiful boats that allowed people to explore and interact with the pristine rivers of Montana.  I think my jewelry does a similar  thing for people.  It allows them to take the beauty of  nature and incorporate it into their daily lives.”

Mariele Ivy

My last stop was at L’Aromatica Perfumes. They create luxurious handcrafted perfumes using exquisite botanical ingredients.  I found two delicious scents I want to add to my fragrance collection, one smell like violets, the other like a fragrant Indian desert.

The Bay Area has some amazingly talented designers, and it was so great to see so many people out taking advantage of all this talent to enrich their lives and boost our local economies.  Another reminder of why I love this city so much.

Top photos were taken at the de Young cafe, the Japanese Tea Gardens, and the pond by the de Young.   The Rose Garden a short walk past the de Young at Park Presido Blvd and Fulton Street.

The Legion is one of my favorite museums for many reasons.  First and foremost, they have a fine permanent collection that  is always easy to enjoy because overcrowding is rarely as issue.  There have been many days over the years when I walked through some of the galleries alone, just myself and the art, which I greatly enjoy.  The works are high caliber and varied between painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.  Because the collection isn’t massive, one can take in works from the 14th century to the 20th in a few hours without physical or mental exhaustion.   Intimacy  is one of my favorite characteristics of the Legion.

Second, the Museum sits right above one of my favorite places in the city, Land’s End, a mile long walk along the cliffs, overlooking the ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and stunning nature trails, and ending on the cliffs above Ocean Beach.

It makes me feel more in touch with the artwork to go outside and experience what inspired many of the works  across periods and style, the natural world.  

European Decorative Arts and Sculpture are part of the founding collections of the Legion of Honor, and they have some beautiful pieces.  I’ve always loved the 19th Century rooms from France, installed permanently into the Museum.

Louis XVI Style Room Installation.

Sedan Chair, Probably Italian, 1730

An eternal favorite, El Greco.

Detail, The Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, 1475

Ceiling from the Palacio de Altamira, 1482–1503

I love that the Legion is always pretty relaxed, and there are rarely issues with over crowding in the permanent collection, allowing one to take time to really look at and enjoy the works that resonate.

Pieter Fransz. de Grebber, Christ at the Column, 1632

I’ve always loved this piece, The Russian Bride’s Attire by Konstantin Makovsky.  This massive painting is so lush and vibrant.   I love the snapshot quality and the exquisite details that seem so real.

Detail of  The Russian Bride’s Attire.

This painting by Gionvanni Boldini is another favorite.  I love the use of light on the sleeve of the dress and on her face, it give the work such a sense of vitality and  aliveness.  There’s such a feeling of mystery in her expression.

Seurat‘s Eiffel Tower is an Impressionist treat.

The current exhibition is The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900.  The exhibition features 180 works from the British Aesthetic Movement.

British Aestheticism radically redefined the relationships between the artist and society, between the “fine arts” and design, and between art and both ethics and criticism. The iconoclastic belief in that art’s sole purpose is to be beautiful on its own formal terms stood in direct opposition to Victorian society’s commitment to art’s role as moral educator. Aestheticism is now recognized as the wellspring for both the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. (Art News)

Image Source and through overview of the exhibition by Art News.  This article also has a nicely detailed history of the Legion of Honor.

Heading back outside into the fresh ocean air, Omar and I were ready to start off our next adventure of walking the Land’s End Trail, but not before enjoying the last bits of the Legion’s loveliness.

Back view of Rodin’s The Thinker

The Legion of Honor is a San Francisco must see.  It is serviced by Muni, and has a parking lot for drivers.   Have a snack and espresso in the fantastic cafe after enjoying the works, and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the rough yet walkable Land’s End.

Since I talk so much about Land’s End, part 2 of this post will be about Land’s End.

]]> http://christinedonley.com/2012/05/04/art-day-at-the-legion-of-honor/feed/ 0 http://christinedonley.com/2012/05/03/kil-son-kim-the-heavens-welcome-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kil-son-kim-the-heavens-welcome-you http://christinedonley.com/2012/05/03/kil-son-kim-the-heavens-welcome-you/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 17:29:55 +0000 Christine http://christinedonley.com/?p=5338

Recently, my very close friend’s mother passed away.   She was struggling with an illness, but her passing came on quite suddenly.   As she experienced the last hours of this life surrounded by loved ones, I walked to a  friend’s apartment, using the time to say some prayers for her to pass to the next world peacefully, and for her family to be blessed with the grace needed to cope with this experience.

It was such a beautiful night; I could feel the heavens opening up to receive her.  The dusk sky obliged me.  I saw it as a sign that she had begun the ascent, and was already bathing in the light of eternity.  Alhamdulillah

Through my tears, I looked up to see her beautiful face in this flower.   I thought to myself that our souls ascend to the heavens, while our bodies return to the earth to be regenerated into all the things we see as beautiful.   Every time you see a beautiful flower, consider it a whispered hello and I love you from those who have already left this life for the next, and a reminder that they are always with you through the imprint left on the heart.

Kil Son Kim Leonino will always have a place in my heart because her story has become interwoven with my own.  Her experience has been a guiding light for me in my darkest hours, and she showed me that sometimes love and acceptance are slow to build, yet truly possible, even in the most difficult of situations.

Kil Son Kim, The Heavens Welcome You.

(Image:  Beach Night, Ajman)

What is it about water that makes humans of all walks of life and location so happy?   Where ever you find water, you find people enjoying it.

Central Park, New York, New York

Family Day at the See-o-Say Bridge, Isfahan, Iran

See-o-Say Bridge, Isfahan, Iran

On the Seine, Paris, France

Paris, France

We certainly build our civilizations around bodies of water.

View of the Bosphorus River, Istanbul, Turkey

View of Istanbul Modern from the Bosphorus River, Istanbul Turkey

We use the water for both pleasure and commerce.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Many around the earth make their living directly from water to land.

Boat Yard, Bandar Lengeh, Iran

Ajman Fish Market, United Arab Emirates

At the end of the day, where ever we live, we want to spend our time by the water, playing, praying, jogging, relaxing, whatever.

Persian Gulf, somewhere between Bandar Abbas and Bandar Bushre, Iran

Beach, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Aquatic Park, San Francisco, California

Beach, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

There are so many things I love about the Earth, but I’m most thankful for the happiness that water brings to our lives.   I think many of us would say water has provided the backdrop for some of the best memories of our lives, from childhood until the present.

Happy Earth Day to all you earth luvahs out there, here’s to many more lazy days by the water to come.

All photos by Christine, 2005-2012.

]]> http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/22/happy-earth-day-earth-luvahs/feed/ 0 http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/21/sunset-garden/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sunset-garden http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/21/sunset-garden/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 06:01:55 +0000 Christine http://christinedonley.com/?p=5234

On Tuesday, we took a walk to one of my favorite spots, North Lake, at 43rd Avenue and Fulton. We started at 36th Avenue and Fulton and walked a bit in the park before arriving at North Lake.

The first thing I noticed was how many trees and flowers were in full, glowing bloom.

Omar and I were looking at the American Bison at the Bison Paddock when this beautiful hawk appeared.

We finally made our way to North Lake .

The path is lined with trees, flowers, and blackberry bushes.  With the birds singing and swooping above, you will also find quite a few animals expecting snacks.

This spot is by a nice little bridge.

These 3 ducks were so interesting.  They did everything in unison.

We also found this little hummingbird enjoying a flowery treat along the way.

This is where our trip ends.  But this reminds me that I need to post more of my recent pictures from Golden Gate Park and Ocean beach.   Every time I walk through these places, I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

]]> http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/20/north-lake-golden-gate-park/feed/ 0 http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/18/traces-of-grace/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=traces-of-grace http://christinedonley.com/2012/04/18/traces-of-grace/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:22:25 +0000 Christine http://christinedonley.com/?p=5178 When I am feeling low, there is nothing like nature to remind me that life goes on, that all of us are in a perpetual state of renewal. It makes  petty insecurities and complaints seem insignificant when compared to the traces of grace all around us.

The endless showers of March bring new life to April.

In recent years, life has been lived through a tsunami of changes.  The myths and stories that we lived our lives by have one by one been smashed.  You wake up one day and feel like you no longer have any idea what to do, how to help, how to make things better, what is truth, right, justice, what is evil, just totally WTF is up with this world?

I plunged not into depression, but into darkness.  I looked at the world with fearful eyes.  It seemed daily in the news I see the absolute darkest side of humanity, and I felt so powerless in the face of reality.   It exacerbated my tendency to be distrustful, hostile, and victimized when I feel threatened. It made my every move tinged with pain and fear, which is an unbearable state to exist in.   I’m not one to deny my darker nature, to hide or fear it, but this was different.  It was closer to hopelessness than darkness.  Hopelessness that one day there will be peace on earth, that our species will evolve to our full potential and stop killing and exploiting one another.

To soothe my aching soul, I read alot, and I took many many walks in Golden Gate Park, at Ocean Beach, and through the streets of San Francisco, looking for illumination.  The weather flip-flopped between days of rain with a few glorious days of blue skies and damp, fresh air.   They days it rained I cried; the days of blue skies, I walked, took photos, watched the sky, and prayed for answers and the ability to hold it all together in the mean time.

It was on my walks through the city and in nature that I started seeing Hawks everywhere.

These were the first two that I flew above me at a low enough altitude to take a photograph. They seemed so joyous in the sun, swooping and soaring in harmony, splitting apart and coming back together.

Next I saw these two in a surprising place, downtown.   A quick errand to the drug store and I see these young hawks playing with ravens and sea gulls over the Tenderloin.  I loved that this one zoomed up the side of the Hotel Carlton sign and perched on top of it as we walked under.   When I looked back, they were gone.

My next sighting was so exciting.  Omar and I were leaving the playground when this huge predator swooped over us, catching a small prey.  I watched and waited as he quickly devoured it on a rooftop across the street.  I found myself silently thinking come to me as I watched. When he soared again, he swooped right in front of us.  I didn’t know what I caught with my camera, but he came so close he took my breath away.  This is the one I was waiting for.

After he perched on a low branch to survey, his next departure was also powerful.

 Over coming days, I see hawks everywhere I go.

Outside the Legion of Honor before seeing the Victorian Avant-Garde exhibition.  Before Omar and I went inside, I saw this lone hawk playing on the ocean/cliff side of the museum.  When we came out, we saw 2 hawks playing in the sun over the city side.  Eventually they came to the Land’s End side where Omar and I were walking.

The next day at Buena Vista Park during a walk with Omar.

A few days later  I spotted the hawk sitting quietly in a tree, surveying the territory.  I watched him for around 15 minutes, until he rocketed away.

They say that hawks appearing in your life can signal the need to ask yourself, what is stopping you from soaring?

It took a few weeks, but I finally found it in a book I bought from a street vendor called Broken Open.

Love the wounded world and its broken family.

The author quoted Einstein’s idea that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.  Whatever I decide to do with my life moving forward, I cannot do it in a state of negativity, fear, anger, hatred, or with greed,  unless I want to be a contributor to the things I see destroying our world.

I realized that in my fear, I started to experience the world in a way that wasn’t allowing my soul to soar.  Because of the way I was choosing to see and experience the world, my soul was drowning in darkness.   I wasn’t loving this crazy world and its broken family, and so really, I wasn’t loving myself, because we are all connected to this earth, and to each other.

Changing my outlook and looking at the big picture, I’m soaring again, mostly.  I still feel emotionally inflamed at times.  Change doesn’t happen overnight, but now when I respond negatively to situations,  I remind myself to have compassion, curb my reactions, and not take things personally, which seem like good points of departure when trying to identify and build new personal paradigms.

Irtijal (meaning: improvisation) is an annual festival of experimental music, this year focused on contemporary classical and electronic music, with outstanding musical talent from across the globe.

Read On

Muhammad Hamdar, Alakhbar.com

Click image to go to the article…..

Image: Lilian Shlela

“What is important is what the festival brings to the experimental musical scene in Beirut and its ability to create an interactive space between musicians of different backgrounds.”

Jim Quilty, The Daily Star

Click image to go to the article…..

Image: “A” Trio (Sharif Sehnaoui, left, Raed Yassin, Mazen Kerbaj) will perform a tenth-anniversary concert.

“My hope is that those who see a bit of everything will have a full grasp of the scope of experimentation in music – musics that have nothing in common but share that attitude of making something new.  That’s been the purpose of the festival since it was founded.”  Sharif Sehnaoui

A Taste of Irtijal

In Grabbing New Music by Both Ends (above) Sharif Sehnaoui  laid out the arrangement of the festival into 3 exciting parts: contemporary classical, experimental and electronic music, and folk and rock music tradition, tinged with improvisation.

In addition, this year’s Irtijal has an element of pan-Arab exchange through the project Triangular Exchange  (Cairo/Beirut/Tunis) through a grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture in attempt to bolster ties and relations between three major countries in the Arab world, through a collaborative synthesis between three close-minded festivals: Irtijal, 100Live and FEST.

In the spirit of sharing new things, have listen to some of the performers who graced the Irtijal stages, and get to know a bit more about experimental music in Lebanon and beyond.  

“A” Trio

If you are in Beirut and reading this right now (April 11th, 8pm) go out right now and see the 10th Anniversary show of “A” Trio…Sharif Sehnaoui, left, Raed Yassin, Mazen Kerbaj.  This promises to be an awesome show by the event founders.   Experience a piece of musical history darlings!

Contemporary Classical

Zad Moultaqa is a well-known and respected musician in the Lebanese classical music world.   He, along with by France’s Ensemble Mezwej will close the show with what promises to be a show stopper.

According to Time Out Beirut:

Now in its twelfth edition, Iritjal, the Lebanese International Festival of Experimental Music is one of the most anticipated music festivals making way for versatile collaborations and experimental compositions.  Don’t miss the festival’s huge finale concert which brings together Lebanese and French musicians, including an orchestra, choir and soprano with Zad Moultaka’s compositions and artistic direction. It’s going to be crowded on stage.

Zad Moultaqa and Ensemble Mezwej

Here Zad Moultaka and Ensemble Mezwej perform l’Autre Rive.  This is an interesting, performative piece.  Take a peak….

Zad Moultaka l’Autre rive by catherinepeillon

 Cynthia Zaven

Beirut composer and pianist Cynthia Zaven  has composed pieces for herself and other musicians for Irtijal 12, including the anticipated 3 Pianos, which will have Zaven, Magda Mayas and Dusica Cajlan Wissel on-stage and performing together,  providing a rare opportunity to see three distinct approaches to improvisation on three grand pianos. (Source: The Daily Star)

“3 Pianos’ is a beautiful project really. I feel extremely lucky to have managed to pull it off, thanks to the Goethe Institute. It’s not easy to get three pianos on stage. It’s not easy to get three pianists either, so it’s a really rare occasion.”  Sharif Sehnaoui, The Daily Star

Untuned Piano Concerto with Delhi Traffic Orchestra, 2007

I Heart this beautiful Wasteland:

Experimental and Electronic Music

Here are a few past projects from the Experimental/Electronic Music performers

Liliane Chlela

Ode to Cello is a 3 experimental parts variation, composed with layers of Live Improvised Cello melodies and sounds, as well as improvised post production. (Source: Youtube)

Jad Atoui (Video by Ella)

Shazzula v/s Osman Arabi— Black Mass Rising

Black Mass Rising is an alchemical mixture of images, sounds, and a collaborative mass of creativity.  I’m kind of in love with this dark, magikal project.

Osman Arabi

Click the image above to read more about Black Mass Rising…..

Porta Chiusa

“This interdisciplinary performance bases on the conflict, that we are living at the beginning of the 21st Century in a world, which is still built upon national states, within which the people are not treated equally; in which we still speak about color and race and within which nutrition, health and access to education are still greatly conditioned by hierarchical classification.”

PORTA CHIUSA a Composition from Paed Conca with the Artwork of Giovanni Di Stefano, Giorgio Andreoli and Heike Fiedler with Hans Koch, Michael Thieke and Paed Conca  (Source: Porta Chiusa MySpace)

Click the image to go to the Porta Chiusa Myspace page to see/hear elements of this project.

Folk/Rock/Improvisation

Eric Chenaux

Sam Shalabi

Radwan Moumneh

I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring the experimental musicians of Irtijal 12 with me.   I know I’ve found some new artists/projects that have deeply inspired me.

Rock on!

PS….if you are living my dream and actually in Beirut right now, why not take Tony Chakar’s Historical City Tour of Beirut?