Ahh...Autumn in New York. It certainly is my most favorite time of year. To me, Autumn has always had a romantic quality. The amber and golden hues lacing the horizon, coupled with the crisp morning air, and aroma of wet leaves pasted to the cement of my sidewalk. it yearns to be embraced in my thick wool wrapped arms. Yes, Fall has always been my unrequited love. It waxes and wanes as the luminous moon. Each cycle, it brings about its magical earthy palette, and teases me for moment. Only to once again escape, leaving behind an empty chill. 

As my poetic heart once again finds itself in this baron and frozen memory of winter, I'll attempt to search for warmth and light as I share with you the most recent events in my life that have come about with the return of Fall. 

I am once again a student! This time I'm finally pursuing my long awaited dream of a Fine Arts degree, Masters level, that is. The wonderful thing about graduate art school is that you HAVE to produce work, and you have a constant audience. There's always a curious passerby offering a critique, or sharing an idea. it's the exchange of ideas that I am most excited by. It's so inspiring to find oneself in an environment of contained creativity and energy. The air around you pulsates with electrical currents, sending your mind through a maelstrom of ideas awaiting execution. - As you can probably tell...I'm really excited about this. Many of my concepts are already in progress and i can't wait to share images with you. - it's just a matter of time time before they're up! Until then, I wish everyone the same level of energy and excitement in their days! Of course, for those of you living in a part of the world where Autumn appears...send my love!

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Almost every tuesday evening for about 2 hours, I get some free time. I take a break from toddlers, parents, chores, bills, and deadlines, and spend some quality time with me. Over the years i've become my best-friend. I've learned to ignore social norms and comfortably dine out alone, go to the movies alone, and even "think out loud" in public. It's the conversations that I have with me, be it out loud or in my own little head, that are most inspiring.

So tonight on my tuesday evening date with myself, I decided to hit the local mall. There I took in the usual sites...underdressed teenage girls and oging teenage boys. I tried on clothes cut only to fit a teenage girl, and priced for people too late in life to parent teenage girls. And after attempting to convince myself that i can once again achieve the body that i had as a teenage girl...I skimmed through decorating magazines, while sucking an over-priced Haagan-daaz non-fat mango smoothie (all the while cursing at the the teenage girls with 0% body fat and eating regular, rich, creamy ice cream...)

Now as i sit here and lose the battle with my slowed down metabolism over a Lindt truffle, the artist in me searches my memory of the evening for all the colors, patterns and shapes I promised myself not to forget. Always a lover of fashion, I often find myself inspired by the latest trends. I once painted a whole series using the colors found in my favorite scarf. That series inspired the color palette for my living room, which now feels like I'm living inside one of my paintings. (I'm still undecided about how this makes me feel.)

What I love about summer clothes are the colors and textures. The way that sandy shades of crinkled linens ripple as a warm summer breeze passes through their loose weave. Or the soft sway of patterned silk chiffon. My favorites are the endless shades of blue, like a deep sea navy. Or perhaps the royal blue woven into Iznik tile patterns, and chipping off grecian doors. The cleansing aqua of a Caribbean shoreline, and turquoise's mystical appeal. On the other side of the color wheel we have the spicey oranges and reds. Yellows splattered across tuscan fields, and the purity of white cotton.

I could write about what I found at the mall today for hours, but i"ll end at white...a blank page, a blank canvas, and what's most appealing now, the color of my bed sheets. For now I'll just talk myself to sleep about the colors of summer, and tomorrow i hope to find a rainbow spread across my studio wall.

Well, for those of you that live on the east coast, your quite aware of the dreary and soggy "spring/ summer" that we've been having. It's becoming more and more difficult to find inspiration on grey days. Especially when the sun hasn't made an appearance in what seems like a lifetime. So as i sit in my studio and stare at the raindrops blurring my view of a sunless sky...i try to close my eyes and imagine all the things i love about summer. A lame attempt at finding my muse, and an excuse to daydream and procrastinate! - Many thoughts on my list may be hunger induced...as i believe It's time for a late night snack. So as i raid my fridge, and try to convince myself that the minimal calories in mango salsa balance those higher ones in tortilla chips...you can read on to:

Reem's top 20 list of "things i love about summer"

1 - sun fuzzies tingling my cheeks

2 - savoring the last drop of cherry syrup from an italian ice

3 - juicy hamburgers off the grill

4 - outdoor dining in manhattan

5 - sand passing between my toes

6 - a late night game of flashlight tag

7 - leaping in warm rain puddles after a summer shower

8 - satisfying candy cravings

9 - the first wiff of salt air when approaching south shore beaches on the wantagh parkway

10 - the creaminess of my mother's bare arms

11 - waking up to her hugs on my birthday

12 - the disorientation, bewilderment and anticipated adventure when entering a foreign country

13 - watching my daughter discover grass, sand, insects, puddles, flowers and awaiting her next surprise

14 - fresh sugarcane or mango juice after siesta in cairo

15 - airport smells

16 - the stale air of a hot city night

17 - submerging my body in water

18 - hand surfing out the car window

19 - dragonflies zigzagging across the pool

...and a favorite of many

20 - the aroma of freshly cut grass

So, as i revisit memories of summers past have i stumbled upon my inspiration?...not quite yet. But I am longing for the long days of summer even more. As I await the unbearably hot day that forces me to seek a cool blast of relief from my AC. i'll continue to daydream of all the ways summer makes me feel, and hope one thought will inspire my next piece.

In my efforts to create a more eco-friendly home environment, I've been researching green art supplies. Just as household paint can contain V.O.C.'s (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are harmful to humans and the environment, so can artist's paints, varnishes and solvents. For many years I have been using Natural Orange Terpene Solvent. It's safer for artists who work in oil paint, as well as the environment. 

I have also been replacing all of my house cleaning supplies with eco-friendly products like Clorox Green Works. (I also replaced my Scrubbing Bubbles with the Green version of it, but I did more scrubbing than the bubbles. So i was a little disappointed in the effects of the product, but a sore arm is a small price to pay for my daughter's health, safety and future.) 

In addition to eliminating as many harmful chemicals as possible, I have also cut down my electricity bill significantly. By using power strips that i can shut off with a flick of a switch, removing night lights during the day, and keeping unnecessary lights, computers, TVs , etc. off when not in use. - I was able to cut my bill by half. I've always been big on recycling, but now make a more conscious effort to make sure everything possible is put into the bin. I even got my 3 year old into it! (I partially thank Noggin for this.)

I'll continue to share my discoveries on Green art supplies, as well as cleaning, or decorating. I would also love to hear from others! So if you have tips please share.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  After many years, my website is back baby! I owe this all to my old friend, savior, and a kick ass Cuban-American ARNOLD LEYVA! Much props to him on creating this whole website and recovering my domain, which was held hostage by my old hosting company. Not only is Arnold the king of webmakers, but he was my prom date and has given me the recipe for ropas vieja. I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully one day it will rival mama Leyva's. if that's possible (i doubt it) - For those of you who are not familiar with this Cuban culinary delight. it's a savory shredded beef served over a bed of rice, and perfectly seasoned with drops of colorful veggies. Yum! 

As you may have noticed i love food, which is becoming more evident in my waistline. I was planning to get back to yoga, but CT is keeping me from balancing my body weight on my hands...so in the interim I have purchased a Latin dance workout DVD...of course i haven't tried it yet because my daughter Zeina dominates the TV with hours of Disney princess films, Noggin, Nick, etc. So i'll keep you posted...my goal is to wear jeans without the muffin top or excess spillage. That's all i ask for. The waist I had before age 25.

On the topic of all things Latin, i just learned on HGTV that 25,000 Americans live in Panama. The cost of living there is equivalent to the cost of Living in the US in the 1950's! In this economy, maybe we should consider moving South. Apparently 20 years ago Van Halen was on the mark. I feel more and more like a fool for remaining here in the US.

This entry hasn't really stayed on track, which was to welcome all those who have taken time from their web surfing to read my ramblings, so I've changed the title.

I would love feedback on art, Arnold's handy work, grammatical errors (I'll leave that to my bro) or anything else you feel obliged to share! For now I have to complete plans for my parents master bath reno...sigh

Hasta Luego!

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