BIRD ON A WIRE - COME SUNDAY

This song is in my prayers ..... "come Sunday, oh, come Sunday, that's the day".... sung by the in-comparable Mahalia Jackson, from Duke Ellington 's so very wonderful album BLACK BROWN & BEIGE.

I don't believe I have been more moved as this morning, outside in my garden, looking up and seeing a bird on a wire...... singing so happily and proudly. I ran inside to grab my trusty Nikon, and took this picture....

It was as I had felt recently, with only a very thin wire to stand on, and a very far way down, as if I had lost my wings and my voice to sing. I looked up, as I say, and there was the most joyful song I could imagine sung by this little bird, so joyous it made me laugh with happiness and I thought, if this little bird can be so happy with such simple things, well so can I. I choose to live the Extravagant Life now... this morning with glorious organic Stash earl gray black & green tea, instead of just plain tea, (the bergamot is exhilarating) together with an almond croissant from the French bakery around the corner. And last night, instead of plain salad with dinner, organic arugula roquette with luscious organic tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and dark green virgin olive oil. Lovely........the simple things shared together...

I tried to download a live visual version of the above song Come Sunday, but at least listen...... and I found quite by accident, a live video recording of Mahalia singing "How I Got Over" how wonderful...... " we are gonna sing, and never get tired!"

DESIRE & THE PINK LAMBORGHINI

Desire - the beginning of creation and adventure, begins with thought. We think, therefore we are. Desire, what would life be without Desire? Very, very boring, I can tell you that. I go a fairly long time without really desiring anything, but once I get bitten, watch out! I am incorrigible.

This painting is part of the Rebel series. I just delivered this and other paintings to a gallery in downtown Miami getting ready for Art Basil 2009 in December .... I miss it already. A part of me is inside that painting, which is inspired from a photograph my husband took of me when I was nineteen years old and newly married. We were at Sebring, Florida, watching the races. Andy loved to race and loved race cars. He taught me how to drive in an old TR4 which I later inherited. I became a very good driver from that experience. I can remember driving home late in the old TR, when lo and behold, the alternator light came on, and me without a clue what an alternator even was.... I did get home safely, although I cannot remember how exactly.

Desire & The Pink Lamborghini, a diptych, has Mizner Park in the background, distressed. I wanted to juxtaposition two realities, then and now. As if time is frozen forever and I am still dreaming now of then and then of now and ... of more desire. The painting is oil on linen with a free form abstract panel, done in pink, black, baby blue and silver, 5ft x 5ft.