Cherie Bender's Blog

A Dream Come True: My Affair With Greece!

2011-02-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

Last year, after selling the painting ~ Crown Of Thorns ~ to the Museum, in Athens, Greece, I ecstatically made plans to deliver, rather than ship my precious cargo, to Athens.
I had mixed feelings about selling this painting ~ my most true, most profoundly moving to myself, work, so far ~ But, I had always a fantasy of Athens, Greece, the islands, and the Goddesses.

When I arrived in Athens, the initial thrill of opening my hotel room window onto the panorama of the city laid out before me like a jeweled necklace, with the crown jewel on top of the hill before me, the Acropolis, was incomparable. Opening the window, leaning out to take a picture, I heard whistles from the street. Gotta love those Greeks, so handsome, charming and the best flirts on the planet, in my opinion.
I loved Athens, the old city, the Acropolis, and particularly I adored the islands, Mykonos & Santorini were breathtaking, but Patmos has my heart forever.
Ohhhhhh, PATMOS! Island where St. John wrote the Book Of Revelation. I was there, in the sacred grotto, I put my hand in the rock where St. John put his hand. I felt tremendously moved, I cried. I shall return to beautiful Patmos, I promise!
Blissfully, after leaving the grotto, I drank ouzo with the Greeks beneath the cliff, blowing kisses and happy happy happy ! The best thing is at times ~ anticipation ~ I plan on spending a month or so in the summer, in Beautiful Greece! Especially beloved Patmos, where Goddess Aphrodite bathed nearby. Enchantment is there, gorgeousness is there! ~

After two full weeks of travel, finishing up with a few days stay in my favorite hotel in Rome, I arrived home in the States, where I immediately had miracles happen ~ The first was the next morning, when I awoke to the sound of a beautiful goddess-like voice singing my name, calling for me to return to Beautiful Athens, Greece and the Islands. I am positively breathless with excitement for my next adventure there! Many Blessings. Featured: Pencil & Gauche Drawing 36" x 48" ~ Luscious Garden ~ by Cherie Bender

HOW THE LITTLE SURFER GIRL LEAVES NY AND ENDS UP IN THE SIGNET GALAXY

2010-04-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

I thought up doing a shimmering surfer girl overcoming the plunging waves and ending up in the Signet Galaxy as a sort of visual catharsis for all artists who are alive and kicking right now and still riding! It's been tough but whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.....
The buildings of New York in the background are also shimmering, but I think they look friendly and besides....she rises above.

I added the i-phone as a commentary of our times. How we are connected through it all and how technology has advanced by leaps and bounds...

What would I do without my i-phone? Music is part of the deal, and history, so I had my web designer install the Beach Boys singing "Surfer Girl" which can be switched on/off by the tiny speaker icon rhs. If there is anyone out there who doesn't like the Beach-Boys .

So this is to the memory of my Mum, a tough but sweet cookie.... just wanted to say thanks to her by creating this little ani movie on my web-site. And good timing! Mother's Day is Sunday May 9th.

Little Surfer Girl is my gift to her and to all who are brave enough. Keep On Surfing!

HAPPINESS!

2010-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Now is the appointed time. Time ..... what a concept.

I have been following A Year In Pictures for quite some time as you can see on my list of favorite blogs, and very pleasantly discovered today that one of my favorite photos of Twinka was chosen for the Happiness Project!

"And from Cherie Bender who coincidentally had photographed Twinka at about the same time as Cynthia MacAdams (who I just wrote about) "

I met Twinka while in California and photographed her in Yosemite. It was such a happy and free time and I also met Imogene Cunningham; the slide above captures the sunlight and fragility of the moment... I had taken some great shots in black and white film during the work shop which were stolen along with all of my photo equipment from my bungalow while I visited with the Ansel Adams family. They very kindly let me stay in their house after that in Yosemite because I was so young and scared!

The First Night Of The First Day of 2010-Photos by Cherie Bender

2010-01-03T01:29:00.000-08:00

.....a heart, two doves, a cat, a fawn, an elf, a fairy, a womb, a vulva, a baby

these are the forms I see taking shape in the blue moon as it rose through the branches of my bamboo trees on Friday, January 1, 2010.... as if the moon was being born into the new year.....

"The subject of the artist is emotions and ideas - both" Louise Bourgeois

THE INCANDESCENTS: Marilyn Monroe; NikolaTesla & Georgia O'keeffe

2009-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

"If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays" Luke `11:36

"Marilyn In Her Pucci Mirror Blouse" oil on canvas 62" x 48"painted by Cherie Bender: When I paint, I need light. There is no question, an artist may not paint in the darkness. Light is a necessary part of the creative process. In actual fact and in the rendering of a work of art, light is an absolute factor. I am also committed to bringing light into my paintings visually. My oil painting of the incandescent, iconic, actress Marilyn, as pictured here, is a work in progress as I plan on creating an abstract panel in oils, which will make this painting ~ Marilyn In Her Pucci ~ a diptych.
This leads me to the second luminous presence of this unlikely grouping which I have chosen: Nikola Tesla, inventor, the father of modern electricity. Born in 1856, the man was a pure genius. As a child he had the vision of harnessing the power of Niagra Falls, New York, having never been there and while living in what is today known as Croatia. Later, he achieved his goal and changed history. Nikola Tesla worked for Edison in this country who ripped him off for over 1 million dollars which Edison had promised him. Just before he died, Edison admitted his greatest regret was trying to pursue direct electrical current rather than the vastly superior alternating current invented by Tesla. Tesla became a US naturalized citizen and was awarded posthumously a patent for the radio which had been denied him by the US during his lifetime and given to his rival Marconi who was later discredited.

I like very much that Tesla believed in the equality of woman, and predicted that women would become the dominant sex in the future, the "Queen Bees". He certainly was way ahead of his time, and it was spoken about him in his lifetime and even believed now,that he was really an alien or angel from the planet Venus, come to earth to give us these great electrical gifts.

Tesla's luminous presence is still very much with us: along with the many obvious inventive gifts he left us, there is a popular heavy metal rock band "Tesla" named after him; and recently a car, the Tesla Roadster, which runs on lithium battery cells and can go from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds; David Bowie starred in a 2006 movie "The Prestige" about Tesla's life; The US government owes most if not all of our early warning defense system to Tesla, and Google honored Tesla in their search home page this year, on his birthday, the tenth of July, 2009, with the G as a Tesla coil ..... these are just a few of his great contributions. Tesla died alone and financially indigent in the New Yorker Hotel in 1973.... although he is greatly honored today. Which leads me to the third and last luminous presence, unlikely though it may seem, but likely in view of the fact of myself as painter.....

Georgia O'Keeffe. Georgia who has been my inspiration and personal hero ..... a "Queen Bee" of women painters if there ever was, she is most certainly one.

Georgia who did the opposite of all the "city men", Georgia who painted in vibrant, pulsating, moving color when they painted in static grays "I can paint one of those dismal-colored paintings like the men" she said in 1922, and she did so: a painting of a shed "all low toned and dreary with the tree beside the door" calling it "The Shanty" and hanging it in her next show. "The men seemed to approve of it" she said fifty four years later. " They seemed to think that maybe I was beginning to paint. That was my only low-toned dismal-colored painting."

Because she was her own person, and because she did not do the expected, Georgia decided to live in Texas with her sister for a time, where there were no trees and no one to tell her how to paint them... there was only the horizon. She and her sister Claudia would go for walks in the late afternoon away from the town and toward that horizon, to watch the evening star come out. "That evening star fascinated me" she wrote. " It was in some way very exciting to me. My sister had a gun, and as we walked she would throw bottles into the air and shoot as many as she could before they hit the ground. I had nothing but to walk into nowhere and the wide sunset space with the star. Ten watercolors were made from that star" I am compelled as much by Georgia's sister Claudia with the gun, as by the painter Georgia with the star...... but only the painter left us this incandescent, luminous, shining record. Ten watercolors were made from that star.

BLOG ACTION DAY-BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY Photo by: Cherie Bender

2009-10-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

After quite a bit of thought and research about today's Blog Action Day topic: Global Climate Change, and being a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information received, I decided to include these very excellent and pertinent posts and links, so that, dear valued reader, you may decide for yourself exactly what you, personally, can do to aid the cause for Planet Earth:

www.americanprogress.org
www.pewclimate.org
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Greenpeace

So now, for my very own personal opinion, I have to be honest, the Tree hugger blog: a little bit too much, and some of the rest, with the angry children........ well, listen, talk is cheap. What is it that a person, individually, can do?
It's very simple, Give Back

When we first took this country from the Native Americans, we forgot that for every action there is a reaction. This is law. Now, we must make amends and tighten up the belts. That means a little sacrifice and.... how about those Hummers? I mean, they are worse than the old gas guzzlers! I just had to mention. To me, very, very, very, Obnoxious.

If this country, The United States of America were completely serious, we would have a mandatory change in vehicles (allow only hybrids or better) and therefore in the consumption of OIL. Well, that is all I have to say.

PEACE

BLOG ACTION DAY IS OCTOBER 15, 2009

2009-10-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

BIRD ON A WIRE - COME SUNDAY

2009-09-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

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.

WE ARE ALL FRAGILE....

2009-08-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

I attended another funeral today. Well, almost attended. I lost my way there. Which was just as well, because I just did not want to have another "viewing" so soon after my mum...

I like the idea of being cremated more and more. I want my ashes to be scattered from a cliff overlooking the thrashing ocean. At this point.

Water has and will continue to play an important role in my life. The above photograph was taken by me in Yosemite National Park on a photo holiday. It has a feeling for me of a birthing, an innocent awakening. Of trust and vulnerability.

The Alpha & Omega. A journey for all of us humans. We know, that we know, that we are, and we are fraught with the fear of the unknown, which is also beautiful in its mystery.

Everyday we die a little. But what if we willingly die every moment, what if we are not afraid? What if.....we experience life as if every moment is the last moment? As in an orgasm which is, as the French say " la petite mort" The little death.

I include this video from ColdPlay from their latest, Vive La Vida (or Death and all his friends...)

HANGIN' BY A THREAD

2009-07-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you were just hanging by a thread? I woke up feeling like this these past few days.... just clinging to a shred of my dignity.

I then observed a spider outside my bedroom door, after a rain shower, mending her damaged web diligently. I watched her for quite a few moments then decided I had to photograph this and write about it, so I could remember, and also share, how a spider, tiny and fragile, just kept mending away and creating, no matter what. And she always knew the correct pattern. It was inbred. It was instinct. It was survival. I loved it. I love this spider!

She is still outside my bedroom door, hanging in there, and her beautiful web is larger and quite intact. I will not harm her. She is a symbol.,,,, An artist...... and a pretty good one at that..... Meanwhile,
I discovered the music of Death Cab For Cutie - Here's the video. Great music to spin by.

JULY FOURTH "KISMET"

2009-07-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

It was very evidently all meant to be...

I had traveled to Scotland on a return trip (I spent my childhood in Edinburgh) to visit some friends and soak up that gorgeous atmosphere of purple heather, great pubs and the Castle on Princess Street.

I stayed for all too few days at the Caledonia Hotel - waking up to Sunshine in a room with an excellent view overlooking Princess Street and Edinburgh Castle,with kippers and poached eggs in bed, marmalade and toast burnt on one side, served on a tray with fine linen napkins,and really,really good china and silverware.....
That was truly heavenly.

But the reason for this July 4th post is the celebration of the connection between all of us and particularly with me and my connection to America, and quite coincidentally with a fantastic artist named Duane Hanson.

After the marvelous breakfast that day,I decided to go to the Museum across the street from where I grew up - the National Galleries of Scotland and took a cab there. I saw, much to my amazement, as soon as I walked in the door, "Mr & Mrs Miami Beach Tourist" a life size sculpture by artist Duane Hanson, standing there for all they were worth looking as if they had stepped from a tourist bus and wandered into this gallery from across the pond.

Now, I lived then and do now, in Florida. And Mr. Hanson lived and worked in cowboy territory, Davie, Florida. I had met Mr. Hanson after this quite powerful, to me, "coincidence" and he is one of the most amazing and real people, as an artist, that I have ever met. A quiet, reserved, attractive man who looked quite human and frail, it was hard to believe that he was a world renowned artist who caused controversy by staging riots in the street, causing the police to come a number of times in the 70's to North Miami, with his installed life size and extremely life-like sculptures "Race Riot", among others. Mr Hansen had also done a sculpture of my painting professor, the artist Robert Thealey, sitting on his helmet, of when he was a player for the Canes, my school the University of Miami's football team. This sculpture is still in the Lowe Gallery, I do believe. For those who wish to know more about Mr. Hanson:

The other connection to me of Florida and America, is that when I was growing up in Edinburgh, I lived opposite the National Gallery of Scotland and visited there many times, in the National Park of Scotland. There I discovered hot houses, huge glass domes built to house exotic plants, where I saw my first palm trees and hibiscus flowers. Quite amazing to experience the extreme cold of Scottish winters and visit in warm, enclosed, womb-like, moist environments, to see then flowers and trees which surround me now in my beloved Florida. Happy July 4th!!!******

A FATHER'S DAY MESSAGE ON SUMMER SOLTICE

2009-06-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

I choose to honor my father, who had passed away over ten years ago...... today, on the day Summer officially begins and also, coincidentally, Father's Day. The above photo spread of my fine art oil paintings appeared in ART IN AMERICA magazine,2009. The top painting, a diptych, is entitled "My Father At Work In His Paisley Tie" Oil on Canvas, 5ft x 3ft, to be found in the Fine Art section of my web.

Our fathers are also men......

There can be issues between Fathers and Daughters. Some of them epic in scope. I have found gratitude to be the great healer, and that my issues were NOT epic and that I am grateful to love my Dad.

Dad was forced to serve in the Polish army in Poland, against his will, for many years after his contract was up. Ever since, Dad loved his freedom and after meeting my birth mother in Scotland, traveled to his beloved America and proudly became a naturalized citizen.

I chose the pattern of the painting honoring my father to be the Black-Watch Tartan, worn by the guards in Scotland as they watched over the sleeping city. My father's name was Michael, and I am also especially attracted to the Archangel Michael for protection on my sacred journey here on planet earth.

OPENING & CLOSING

2009-06-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!

OPENING: My above named painting arrived this morning, having had a sojourn in New York at the Salmagundi Art Club May 11- 29, 2009. As a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists since 2007, I have shown in the NAWA New York gallery and in the Salmagundi Club,which originated in 1871 as a sketch class in Johnathan Scott Hartley's studio and is now housed in a mid nineteen century brownstone. The club adopted its present name a hundred years ago after Washington Irving published his potpourri of wit and wisdom called "The Salmagundi Papers" which name also serves as the club dining room's famous "Salmagundi Stew". For the past 137 years, fine artists throughout the US and around the world may display their works here in an atmosphere of conviviality.

Through the years the club has been the gathering place for such great artists as Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Ogden Pleisner and many others. Honorary members have included such luminaries as Sir Winston Churchill, Buckminister Fuller, Paul Cadmus, Al Hirschfeld, Thomas Hoving and Schuyler Chapin....... I have been humbly touched by such luminary company......

CLOSING: I have taken a closer step to my place in American History, but the time seems very short and all too soon the show is over. I have to call it a day, be grateful, and prepare for the next adventure. Sometimes, I try to remember, the fun is in the journey!

EARTH DAY

2009-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the day to celebrate our beautiful Mother Earth! It is so beautiful today that I just had to honor the environmental consciousness of all of those who are trying so very hard to make it possible for us to change for the better all of the mistakes made in ignorance in the past.
Thank you! I remember when I lived in New York and visited a friend's family for dinner when they shamed him for being so selflessly involved in correcting and solving problems of our environment. (He was ahead of his time) He was making so little money at this and was so dedicated! He opened my eyes when at the time I was modeling for a living and only living for and thinking about being physically beautiful. Now I know it is important to live beautifully. And for me, that means taking care of my beautiful planet in every small way I can, as the microcosm so the macrocosm. Thank you so much Buckminster Fuller!

One of the most informative websites I have found on the subject of environmental responsibility is www.climatecrisis.org
Peace.

LOVE

2009-02-14T06:56:00.001-08:00

I was watching the birds this morning feeding from the bird feeder I hung in my garden, in front of the kitchen window. I especially love the red cardinals, who mate for life. The male watches over the female as she feeds,from his hideaway in the ficus hedge. He is patient and willingly lets her feed for a long time before he claims his own. I love that! How wonderful, I thought, to experience this kind of unselfishness and generous patient love. I desire to have that in my own life also and will accept no substitute! (And so shouldn't you).

I am sharing this story with you, because there are also less unselfish and actually very greedy birds that I feed. Such as the morning doves, who also mate for live. They fight over their territory and only allow certain birds to share in their stash. Sometimes they get so rowdy, they smash into things by accident (no casualties as of yet)

The difference is that we are human, and can change our behavior through our decisions. It is not ever too late to experience unselfish and unconditional love. It starts with us. We can rise above our base instincts and transcend into freedom.

Valentine's day is the day set aside for love, "a perfect day to go within and glance back with affection and understanding at your real life journey so far...... we'll need courage to retrace our steps. But 'courage is the price that Life extracts for granting peace', the pilot Amelia Earhart reminds us... Today is the day for being. Be with those you love, be kind to yourself. Be quiet and call forth the dream you buried long ago. The ember is still glowing in your soul. See it in your mind, hold it tenderly in your heart" advises Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. www.simpleabundance.com

Today is the day to just be, be in the moment the only one we have, the perfection of now. Be with the ones you love and be grateful. www.cheriebender.com

POVERTY IS A DISEASE - GIVING IS THE CURE

2008-10-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

This the time, people, NOW.

Allowing ourselves to be grateful for all that we have. Joy in the small things of life and noticing.... being generous also to ourselves as we can do no good without abundance in our own lives.

I will donate 50% of all sales from my website: Visit My Website October 15, 2008 - November 15, 2008, AND 10% thereafter until THE ENDING OF POVERTY; YEAR 2015.

"http://blogactionday.org/js/81eb5283bba72ed0d466148df8da6dc983ae0486"

WE ARE THE NEW TRANSCENDENTALTISTS!

2008-10-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about how WE who hold to metaphysical thought as applied to tweaking "real" life are the NEW TRANSCENDENTALISTS.....

Here is a quote by transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson: "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men."

When America was first settled, and with our first drafting of the Declaration of Independance, our forefathers were the original metaphysicians, including Ben Franklyn, the great inventor. Later, during the 1900's America flowered into the "New Frontierism" which unfolded as "Manifest Destiny" and we progressed into new territory and new thinking through art and literature

I have recently excavated a book I had read while working in a law firm as a legal secretary when I was going to college and studying art: REFLECTIONS AT WALDON by Henry David Thoreau, born July 12, 1817, Concord, Massachusetts. I had been struck by a quotation of marching to the beat of a different drummer . I now propose DANCING to the beat of a different drummer by our paying attention to the positive and beautiful always and having a zero tolerance for pain. I had loved Thoreau's quote so much at that time, I taped it to my wall beside my desk. Many people commented on that quote because it spoke to us all, and especially speaks to us now, so here it is:

"WHY should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. It is not important that he should mature as soon as an apple tree or an oak. Shall he turn his spring into summer? If the condition of things which we were made for is not yet, what were any reality which we can substitute? We will not be shipwrecked on a vain reality"

And, here is another from the great bard:

"GOD himself culminates in the present moment and will never be more divine in the lapse of all the ages. And we are enabled to apprehend at all what is sublime and noble only by the perpetual instilling and drenching of the reality that surrounds us. The universe constantly and obediently answers to our conceptions; whether we travel fast or slow, the track is laid for us. Let us spend our lives in conceiving them... The poet or the ARTIST never yet had so fair and noble a design but some of his posterity at least could accomplish it."

Now, there are lots of tools out there to help us achieve this state of blissful freedom: SO MANY wonderful books and tapes by DOREEN VIRTUE; the fantastic book "MONEY AND THE LAW OF ATTRACTION by Esther and Jerry Hicks; The Teachings of Abraham" ; and the simple and effective book,"THE SEDONNA METHOD, your key to lasting happiness, success, peace and emotional well being by Hale Dworskin. Also, my very favorite, the book THE WISDOM OF FLORENCE SCOVEL SHINN.

I paint my paintings to bring these thoughts out visually with my choice of subject matter and colors, for healing and light. I feel that there is already enough challenges out there to do with the darkness and the sinister force, why add to them? I err on the side of the light always and forever with my work, this is my commitment.

I leave you with a final quote from REFLECTIONS AT WALDEN POND by Thoreau:

" IT is very rare that you meet with obstacles in this world which the humblest man has not faculties to surmount. It is true we may come to a perpendicular precipice, but we need not jump off, nor run our heads against it. "
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MARY IN TEARS

2008-09-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

EULOGY FOR MY MOTHER

MY MUM IS MY HERO AND WAS MY BEST FRIEND.

I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF MY FEELINGS ABOUT MY MUMMY, MOLLY BENDER, EVEN THOUGH IT IS PAINFUL FOR ME TO DO SO AS I MISS HER TERRIBLY AND I SO WANT TO HEAR HER VOICE AGAIN IT HURTS.

YOU SEE, THERE WAS NEVER A TIME I SPOKE WITH MY MUM MOLLY BENDER, WHEN SHE DID NOT PUT MY THOUGHTS, CONCERNS, AND EVENTS BEFORE HER OWN.

BECAUSE I HAD MOVED A FEW TOWNS AWAY, I DID NOT VISIT IN PERSON AS OFTEN AS I WOULD HAVE PERHAPS LIKED TO, BUT I COULD ALLWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO A COZY TELEPHONE CONVERSATION AT THE END OF A HECTIC DAY, WITH MY MUM. MANY TIMES I ASKED FOR ADVICE AND GREW TO TRUST HER JUDGMENT, BECAUSE IT RARELY FAILED. SHE HAD AN UNCANNY WAY OF GETTING RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER, AND KNEW HOW TO RESOLVE A SITUATION WITH A GREAT SENSE OF STREET SMARTS AND SIMPLICITY. AFTER I HAD SPENT QUITE A FEW MINUTES RAMBLING ON ABOUT MYSELF UNTHINKINGLY, SHE WOULD ASK ME IF I HAD GONE FOR A SWIM YET TODAY, OR WHAT PLANS I HAD FOR FUN LATER ON, OR FOR DURING THE WEEKEND. AND SHE WAS HAPPY FOR ME WHEN I WAS HAPPY, THIS I KNOW.

LATELY, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HURRICANES, I WOULD TELL HER ‘THE ANGELS TOLD ME WE WOULD NOT HAVE A HURRICANE FOR FIVE YEARS AND WE ARE ONLY IN THE THIRD YEAR WITH TWO MORE TO GO AND THEN, IF WE TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OPF THE ENVIRONMENT, WHO KNOWS??!! ”THEN SHE WOULD SAY ‘WELL THEN, LISTEN TO YOUR ANGELS, LISTEN TO YOUR ANGELS….. ‘

ONE TIME I TOLD MY MUMMY “ YOU KNOW, MUM, IF I WERE EVER SHIPWRECKED ON THE TITANIC, YOU ARE THE ONE I WOULD TRUST IN MY ROW-BOAT. YOU ARE THE ONE I WOULD WANT TO BE TRUSTING WITH MY LIFE!!”

I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH A FINAL THOUGHT. I HAD A VERY STRONG IMPRESSION ONE DAY LATELY AFTER VISITING MUMMY IN THE ICU OF DOCTORS HOSPITAL. I SAW MUM RISING UP OUT OF HER BED AND SHE LOOKED BEAUTIFUL, LIKE SHE DID AS A YOUNG GIRL……HER HAIR WAS IN PERFECT BRUNETTE WAVES, HER FACE WAS GLOWING AND SHE WAS SMILING AT ME. THEN SHE LOOKED UP AND MY DADDY WAS THERE HOLDING HIS HAND OUT TO HER. SHE TOOK HIS HAND AND THEY BOTH STOOD HOLDING HANDS AND SMILING DOWN AT ME IN A GOLDEN LIGHT. I SUDDENLY REALIZED THAT THEY WERE SOUL MATES AND TWIN FLAMES. HE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR HER, AND NOW THEY WERE TOGETHER. I FELT SO HAPPY FOR MY MUM AND FOR JUST A MOMENT, IT MADE EVERYTHING FEEL BETTER. A FEW DAYS LATER, MY MUMMY WAS GONE.

I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THIS LAST VISION WITH ALL OF YOU TODAY, SO THAT MAYBE IT WOULD HELP ALLEVIATE THE PAIN OF SEPARATION FOR YOU ALSO, BECAUSE MAYBE THERE IS NO SEPARATION,

I THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TELL A SMALL PART OF MY STORY ABOUT MOLLY BENDER, MY WONDERFUL MUM AND HER INNER STRENGTH AND COURAGE. I WILL MISS HER TERRIBLY.

GOOD-BY MUMMY. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH.

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SHOOT IT, SHOOT THE CURL!!

2008-09-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I was born in the "BITCHENIST" month of the year - September. This is when all the news is about hurricanes, hurricanes and more hurricanes.... now I have a choice to either live in fear of storms or get into glorious SURFIN!! when the waves here in Florida are almost as BITCHEN!! as the waves in Malibu or Hawaii ..... surfing is not only a fantastic sport, it is also a metaphor for living in courage and the light. Riding the waves and shooting the curl. Being so totally immersed in the art form of strength and balance, at one with the elements ..... Ole'! Ole'!

I quote below from the book "Gidget" written by Gidget's father Frederick Kohner about the real "Gidget" now Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, who was listed in a special commemorative issue of SURFER MAGAZINE as number seven of twenty-five most important surfers of the century, and one of two women to make the cut:

"No, I wouldn't go back. Not for the life of me. The scenery had been all set up for me like an opening performance. This was the final testing ground I had picked for myself..... I whirled around and brought the board in position. There was no waiting. I shot toward the first set of forming waves and rose. I stood it. I have to come in standing, I told myself. I gritted my teeth.
"Shoot it" I yelled. I was lifted up, sky high... and went down. But I stood it. One wave, another one. "OLE'!" I yelled. "OLE'!"
Up I was - and down I went. And still standing. I stood, high like on a mountain peak and dove down, but I stood it. The only sound in the vast moving green was the hissing of the board over the water. A couple of times it almost dropped away under my feet, but I found it again and stood my ground. "Shoot it, Gidget. Shoot the curl!!" My own voice had broken away from me and I could only hear the echo coming from a great distance.
"Shoot it.... shoot it.... shoot it, Gidget!" ..There was the shore. right there. I could almost reach out and touch it" ......

That was a simpler time in surfing history: the 50's and 60's when Kathy "Gidget" surfed in Malibu with Nicki "Da Cat" Dora a/k/a The Black Night; Mysto who had been surfing in Malibu since 1954, never missing a good day; Bill "Moondoggie" Jensen and of course, Terry "Tubesteak" Tracy, the Great Kahuna! who in the book and in actual fact lived in a hut on the beach.

That was the past. Let's go to the present. Gidget, now Kathy Kohner Zuckerman -- is marking her 36th wedding anniversary with husband Marvin Zuckerman -- turned 60 this weekend. But what else can we call her, other than Gidget? The term "Gidget" is not only part of the English language, it is is a vital link to one of the major American cultural shifts of the 20th century, the celebration of the beach and of youth culture. Gidget is an icon to teen-age girls everywhere, and a kind of team mascot in surfing history. "Today" Honolulu Star Bulletin 2001
Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman now prefers her sunsets from the sand-floored outdoor bar at Duke's, where she works as a hostess....
"Malibu is eternal," she said. "It's the endless summer along the Pacific Coast Highway. It's where the sun, surf and California lifestyle are at their sparkliest."

Now, one doesn't have to actually surf to enjoy the sport!! My 60" x 48" oil painting featured above is of one of my heroes, Laird Hamilton, the BITCHENIST big wave surfer ever!! I enjoyed the vicarious thrill of painting this painting and I share with you the eternal thrill of this moment, captured and frozen in time.....

I DEDICATE this blog entry , with beautiful memories, to my beloved mother MOLLY BENDER who recently gave me the book "Gidget" before she passed away this Sunday, September 7th, 2008. May she rest in GLORIOUS PEACE with My Father MICHAEL BENDER, GOD, and the ANGELIC HOST.

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MAGIC IN THE GARDEN

2008-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have always loved to connect with my garden, and especially my huge Banyan Tree "Anastasia" which I have spoken about on a previous post.

Today, I am inspired to speak about our mother earth and the care of her children, plants, animals, the wetlands, such as our Everglades and us... I implore each and everyone to take good care, recycle (of course!) and appreciate by doing all that we can together to preserve and retain the abundance that is here.... it is so very important!!!

I am grateful for the opportunity to share my drawing, "MAGIC IN THE GARDEN" I sometimes need to review my own drawings to rediscover the feelings and sensations of another moment frozen in time, where in this case, gratitude is the answer and the order of the day....

Right now, it is imperative to feel in the moment the perfection of NOW, and to have faith in the positive vision. I invite you to enjoy the movie clip of KATE BUSH singing one of my favorite songs, "Sensual World"Visit My Website

SUMMER IS "CARESSING"

2008-06-09T05:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, hundreds of dragonflies flew in my garden to herald the magical time of summer..... aah SUMMER! where everything is sizzling and sparkling with bubbles from swimming, diving, skiing, snorkeling, and of course, delightful refreshments!

Vacations, vacations, vacations. For the past few years, I have been taking business style vacations, and this year, I wonder, would it not be beneficial and more abundant for me to just run away and find the magic and romance in a distant land, either to re-visit beautiful people and experiences, or somewhere brand new to me, where I can again spread my wings and fly in happiness and freedom, with new experiences and pleasures?

It does sound so good, and I love to be tempted in such a way...

This painting created specifically for my new web, "CARESS" has all of the fantastical, lovely and soothing visions of a day spent in love, pampering, beauty and fun! Freedom is the key word in this world of my imagination, and I intend that wherever I may be this year, I will take the time to manifest this reality for my own abundant healing and rejuvenation.
I wish this for your too. Indulge yourself because, you really deserve it!

I highly recommend reading on the beach for a mini getaway such as ELIZABETH GILBERT'S "EAT PRAY LOVE" so wonderful, and a classic book that will take all summer to read, but such an extreme pleasure and well worth it, is AYN RAND'S "ATLAS SHRUGGED" To know your own potential for creating reality as you experience it, FRED ALAN WOLF makes quantum mechanics a visual,virtual getaway in "TAKING THE QUANTUM LEAP" Visit My Website ENJOY!

SPRING INTO SUMMER

2008-04-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

Summer to some is taking of your shirt and jumping a few hoops in the backyard. I caught these neighborhood guys with my camera taking a break from a work day, just tearing up the cement! Of course this is one of the ways to demonstrate freedom and agility. There are many others, and kicking back with a margarita and your favorite pal, listening to the waves,feeling the cooling breezes at the beach is one of my favorites.

Summer is a magical time of relaxation, vacations and travel. The colors of summer are aqua, gold and green. The crashing sound of the waves beckon to me, the hot sand soothes and feels delicious. Ahhhhh! ...... enjoy!Visit My Website
p.s. I just discovered this cool blog very relevant, I think, and lots of great pictures www.pictureyear.blogspot.com

MARILYN IN HER PUCCI MIRROR BLOUSE

2008-04-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have finished the painting "MARILYN IN HER PUCCI MIRROR BLOUSE" which has taken me some three months to complete, through Christmas and Easter and a few other projects in between! The physical painting is 5Ft X 3Ft, oil on Belgian linen, with wrapped painted 2" edges.
I am so happy with the result, and feel what I wanted to accomplish, I accomplished completely (that is why it took me so long). This is the first time that I had published an initial drawing of my work, so people can actually see my brain thought process involved, before I even start work on the painting. And work it is, a lot of it. And I love it.

My 2007 December blog entry with the same title, features the sketch of Marilyn Monroe, and my thoughts about how she made it cool to wear spectacles and how the poet Frost, President Abe Lincoln, and the brilliant Einstein, were her heroes. The colors I chose for this painting are cooler than are usual for Marilyn, but I feel she fits well with the turquoise bedspread and cobalt blue capri pants, the aquamarine and green reflections in the lamp on the night stand, and the gold for the mirrors on her Pucci blouse. Each mirror reflects the sky and clouds. I chose a green untitled book for her to be flipping through, and the painting has her name MARILYN and my own CHERIE BENDER on the two books by the reflective lamp. My last touch was to add rose madder genuine to her cheeks, which gave her a healthy, warm glow!

This painting MARILYN IN HER PUCCI MIRROR BLOUSE and my oil painting CROWN OF THORNS are currently on exhibit in the Images Gallery of the Boca Museum Artists Guild until May.Visit My Website

EASTER THOGHTS

2008-03-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

As Easter and Spring approach, I am torn between the need to contemplate the truth of this season, the huge sacrifice made by Jesus the Christ, the great examples left us by a true Master, and my personal desire to wander..... without a care in the world, and travel to parts unknown and far away. Carefree and sun-kissed. Traveling light......

My painting "CROWN OF THORNS" which I feature here, is an example of how I feel sometimes also....... bleeding and troubled but with the knowledge that blood can be beautiful and we all bleed. Such is the dichotomy of life.

I also think of the new seeds sending out their tender green tendrils through the dark, cold earth, waiting patiently underneath the snow, for winter to end. They find their way, finally,through instinct and faith, into the spring and sunshine to share their beauty with us, and to feed us. I think especially about those who live in the North, and are rather sick of Winter.. how wonderful to breathe in Spring at last!

Perhaps now is a good time to speak of gratitude, and being in the perfect moment, the only moment we have ever had, and the perfection of NOW. Visit My Website

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! - THE RAINBOW & THE ROSE

2008-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

In the garden many magical things may happen, when you just notice - as when I took this image "THE RAINBOW AND THE ROSE" the other day. It was just an ordinary day made extraordinary by taking a moment!

The great artist Georgia O' LKeefe said it takes time to really see things.... "nobody sees a flower, really - it is so small - we haven't time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time..."

Our lives are made up of moments strung along like a fine string of pearls. These precious time pearls are a rare gift. Sometimes the pearls can be dark and mysterious, sometimes painful..... or iridescent, airy moments of joyous light.

We are the stringers of our necklaces of shadow and light. We have the ability to create whatever we choose in our lives, perhaps more so than a lot of us realize..... let us not forget that all thought is part of the mix of wondrous substance we call the universe and take responsibility for our thoughts!

An incredible movie which highlights the power of will and thought is LA VIE EN ROSE, the extraordinary life of Edith Piaf - http://www.edithpiafmovie.com/

I send you thoughts of love, light and peace for this Valentines Day!

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ST THERESA

2008-02-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

Today is ASH WEDNESDAY

I have been thinking about my painting of St. Theresa, The vision as I described yesterday, really did happen to me. I don't know if it was because of the special church I was in, The Church Of The Little Flower, or that I was open to receive and trusting. Perhaps that is the most important thing to remember in life, to always trust in yourself! If you put the right stuff in, feed yourself spiritually with good food and being of the single eye; following your path in the most sincere way and doing the physical work to make it happen. My questions may change as I grow but the results are part of my belief system and my having faith in God omnipotent.

I have also been listening to Joan Osborne's CD "RELISH" and discovered anew the song "ST THERESA" which has an excellent video on UTUBE, click on the link provided above to go to my space there.

AMAZING how synchronicity works in my life!Visit My Website

PAINTING ON "ST THERESA" ONE OF FOUR SACRED HEADS

2008-02-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I would load a picture of me working in my studio. It is a beautiful day today, and I really appreciate the weather here. I can paint and look outside at my garden, it is awesome.

Here I am working on one of the four sacred heads I started last year. "ST. THERESE" I was inspired to create this particular head from a vision I had when visiting The Church Of The Little Flower. I was praying at the alter in the back of the church, when in answer to my prayer I was showered with hundreds of white flowers falling on me, it was so healingly beautiful!

A few years later I discovered this is how ST. THERESE, known as THE LITTLE FLOWER, appears to her sincere and faithful seekers.

I wish St. THERESE would come down and shower me again with hundreds of white roses again today, I could really use some extra help here! Visit My Website

"IMAGINATION" oil on wood "THE CHINESE YEAR OF THE RAT 2008"

2008-01-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

Now that the partying is over and the dust has settled before writing more in my blog, I have come to the conclusion, this year feels much better than the last!

We are now facing a new election for the president, hopefully this time one who is a better diplomat and one who the people can trust not to send their babies off to war. Hopefully, also, the arts will again be allowed to flourish in this country, and artists can experience prosperity and well being again, with the support and respect of the American government. I have enjoyed a book about EDITH HALPERN called 'THE GIRL AND THE GALLERY' . I loved reading about her support and care of her stable of artists, which included Georgia O'Keefe, and Frank Stella. America hired a lot of artists for government supported projects......

This oil painting on wood "IMAGINATION" speaks about the courage to dive deep and let your faith keep you afloat!
Like the day when your daddy taught you how to swim....."big enough to let go of me, like the day you learned to swim...cause you're all grown up now!" from 'The Sensual World' song artist: Kate Bush
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VISIONS OF GOD - MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

2007-12-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

I have been unable to get into the holiday spirit, until I had my open house party this Friday, for the season and for my art.

And then there it is......you give back and sometimes magic happens, It was a really GREAT party, thanks to all of my guests, quite a few phone calls in appreciation afterwards, that warm glow and some sales......

VISIONS OF GOD is al oil painting on wood, which was commissioned by City Link Magazine a few seasons ago, as the cover for a series of stories about different folks impressions of who God is to them personally.

I chose this image as I had just come back from an extended trip all through Italy (which I love love love) and I was very inspired by the many churches I had visited, the pillars, and faux marbling everywhere. The Italians are very good at faux.

I had wanted to portray a quite different viewpoint than the standard Madonna and child. I wanted to show a father's viewpoint and the holiness and the rather formal structure of the pillars and background.Visit My Website

"STARCARBON"

2007-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about being a millionaire, but I'll bet I'd be darling at it!
DOROTHY PARKER

A great quote for today! My oil painting"STARCARBON" found in the Covers & Illustrations section of my web, says a lot about the feeling of abundance inspired by having fun with your imagination. Sometimes, the most important thing to do is to become a money magnet. I chose the purse and shoes in this painting as symbols of wealth and stability while connecting to the abundant flow and majesty of the universe. Taking the time to observe and feel grateful can change your life.....

I chose the name 'STARCARBON" from an article in a scientific journal about how we all have a piece of the stars in every cell, and how on the cellular level, we reflect the majesty and magic of the Universe.
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ARCHANGEL MICHAEL - THANKSGIVING DAY 2007

2007-11-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

My golden sunflower tree is in full bloom, the bright yellow flowers peaking over the fence of my neighbors.. they asked me if the flowers seed so they could plant a tree of their own. I told them it is much simpler than that, all you have to do is take a good cutting, place it in a jar of water outside, then when it takes root, re-plant in a pot until it outgrows the pot then plant in a good sunny spot, preferably in the area for ABUNDANCE in your garden, according to compass style feng shui. A book I highly recommend to learn about this effective ancient science is "LILLIAN TOO'S EASY-TO-USE-FENG SHUI" www.lillian-too.com

Today is the day for extreme GRATITUDE! In the book and movie "THE SECRET" the ancient truth is revealed that we attract what we focus on, and today is a beautiful day for enjoyment, family, even extended family......let us allow the universe to bring us the love, joy, and abundance we so richly deserve, and so it is!

The painting of "ARCHANGEL MICHAEL", oil on canvas, represents love of self and love of planet earth....Visit My Website

Enjoy!

WOMAN UNCHAINED! MARILYN IN PUCCI as part of the REBEL series

2007-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

In this world without quiet corners, there can be no easy escapes...
from hullabaloo, from terrible, unquiet fuss.
- SALMAN RUSHDIE

I love that quote! It applies to this Monday's frantic feeling......

Reading has always been a great escape from the world for me. I just so love Marilyn reading and talking on the telephone in her Pucci mirror blouse. She made this blouse famous throughout the whole world. In this first drawing I start my series of "WOMAN UNCHAINED" I have the canvas picked out and it fits perfectly. I still will decide about the pucci panels and how the painting fits with the decorative panels I have been doing lately.

Marilyn also made it cool to wear spectacles and to read literature. People forget that about her. Part of what this painting is about is her feminity, beauty and sexiness combined with a natural and innocent quality of curiosity and playfullness.Visit My Website

GEISHA WITH RAINBOW

2007-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

I have many thoughts which roam around this rattletrap brain of mine, filled with treasures and spider-webs from disuse, but the sunlight shining through the window of the croweded attic of my house-brain illuminates the beautiful objects and rare memories to be found there.......

When I first moved to Boca Raton, I fell in love with the Japanese culture that still exists here. I visited the MORIKAMI MUSEUM in Delray many times and nine years ago, anyone could bring a picnic and use the redwood tables and barbeque pits, under the towering pines and soft carpet of the forest and dine like Gods & Goddesses. Later, after lunch, one could wander off down to the pond where carp swam in golden iridescent shimmers and tortoises lazily basked in the glimmering waters. It was all free, the land donated by Mr. Morikami to the city of Delray. Part of his ashes are buried there and part in Osaka. Thank you, Mr. Morikami!

A beautiful waterfall splashes in abandon down the rocks and I find inspiration there, and love.... here is.....
"GEISHA WITH RAINBOW"
A painting about ABUNDANCE and the universe within. Here is one of my Geisha's,my tribute to the lovely Japanese culture, how they honor grace and beauty, tranquility and PEACE

COMPASSION ON A MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY.....

2007-11-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

Monday morning is almost over.... that is a very good thing I think, because this Monday they changed the time on us again away from Daylight Savings, we are now dark at 5pm and I find it VERY inconventient to have my neighbors taking out their garbage VERY noisily at 7 am this morning!

ANYWAY, I chose "Compassion" as my image this morning. For this week, I will try to remember at all times to be compassionate to those other struggling human "beans" on this planet Earth and gratitude, gratitude, gratitude!

Peace,

Cherie

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MY SECRET GARDEN

2007-11-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

This morning awoke TOO EARLY to the sound of the grass being cut, weed whackers, leaf blowers.....?!
I would love to have awoken to the sound of birds singing as usual. Now I know I will appreciate tomorrow morning, when I can awake to a more pleasant sound of birds and the sun shining. finally, after many days of rain and wind. GOOD MORNING! to all, have a great weekend, and enjoy Mother Earth this weekend, take time to give thanks and be grateful for this beautiful planet Earth.

I hope to start painting on my new project 'WOMAN UNCHAINED' this weekend, and to having fun with it.

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PEACE

BREAKING FREE!

2007-10-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

In the "COVERS & ILLUSTRATIONS section of my web site: WWW.CHERIEBENDER.COM are some of the original works I have done in the past few years,for magazines and books. This image "BREAKING FREE" is a pastel on sandpaper.

ALL images are available for rights of usage and purchase of original art & commissioned art.Visit My Website

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Featuring Dalai Lucky Dragon As Dalai Desparado

2007-10-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hi, Everyone!

All those that know me well know my doggie Dalai Lucky Dragon is the greatest doggie ever. He is a Japanese Chin and he is so good, patient and wise, I swear he just loves to wear costumes and play!
Yesterday, we took pictures in my back yard and he went along with the program like the trooper he is and I did get a whole bunch of great shots.

I have a new idea for my fine art series "REBEL!" called "WOMAN UNCHAINED" The painting "Uber Femme" was in THE ALL FLORIDA SHOW this year in the BOCA RATON MUSEUM as part of that series. I am still working on initial sketches for 'WOMAN UNCHAINED' and will be posting same in the very near future.

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PUMPKIN DANCING

2007-10-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Nearing the end of October now in Florida, and we seem to be free from the threat of ....... dare I say the name? no, better not....

PUMPKIN DANCING is an oil painting on wood, to be found on my web: WWW.CHERIEBENER.COM in the institutional section, commissioned by the Song of Norway cruise lines for installation in their ship's master stateroom. I include the image here in celebration of this time of year, my favorite when the weather gets cooler, and we can breathe a sigh of relief, as we seem to be free from the .............. YEAH!

I am pleased to be working on a few commissions, and I am in the middle of a direct and email campaign. Very busy, miss my friends in the UK, and California. Hope to see you very soon, and feeling a little cabin fever, the wide open spaces are calling to me. Hello all of you travelers, will be joining you as soon as I am finished.

"Be with you in a minute Mr. Peabody!"
Answer to the quiz question: From the movie "Bringing Up Baby"

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Peace

ANASTASIA'S HAIRCUT

2007-10-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful tree right outside my house, her name is "Anastasia" and she is magnificent. A few years have gone by since her last cut, and yesterday was the day designated to give her a trim. Wow! Talk about size - I never realized just how huge this tree is, until Chino & his saw, who rides the "cherry picker" like a cowboy on a wild horse, told me he could not reach the top even though he is high up in the air, about 90 feet or so, and he is at least 6ft. tall......

This picture was taken today, as I was struck by her massive beauty, My Anastasia speaks to me about strength, she has survived numerous hurricanes, and I have lived through four big ones with her. I hug her frequently, and she appreiciates that, I am sure. The last hurricane we had she assured me she is strong and would stay standing and proud, and she was right!

Today, I honor her and the value of trees. I would never consider chopping her down, and she has been kind to my house, providing shade, beauty, food & shelter for the various birds such as morning doves, blue jays, hummingbirds, orange finches and deep purple black crows and many kinds of beautiful butterflies. Thank you Anastasia!

BLOG FOR GREEN!

2007-10-15T15:29:00.003-07:00

IT AIN'T EASY BEING GREEN! From Photo section: CHERIEBENDER.COM

2007-10-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

October 15 is Blog Action Day, and all greenies are joining hands in blog fashion to inform and disseminate on how to keep and improve our beautiful planet earth!

This is very exciting news and how wonderful to be a part of the growing awareness of caring for Mother Earth.

I do have a few tips which personally have worked for me as an artist and consumer. It is a given that I recycle. Now, how about keeping all glass jars with lids? They are perfect for medium containers and make great pencil and brush holders. Saving brown paper bags from the grocery store is a good idea too, they make good wrapping paper for parcels and are excellent for sketching.

I was totally against the cutting down of our citrus trees the past few years, that 1900ft radius within an "infected" tree was bogus! Many, many, healthy citrus trees were cut down unnecessarily in Florida. Thank God the United States stepped in and stopped the craziness. You cannot cut down millions of trees and not expect repercussions! Especially on a peninsula such as Florida...... Mother Nature did not like, and we had three major hurricanes as a direct result, Hello? Jeb and George Bush?

How wonderful that Al Gore has received the Nobel Prize! One last thing, we should all plant a tree, I plan on planting an orange tree right outiside my bedroom window, where Ezekial, my Key West Lime tree used to reside....

SASEE! MAGAZINE: CHERIE BENDER THE COVER ARTIST FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

2007-10-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" is one of my favorite fantasy paintings influenced by a Winter sojourn to London, England two years ago. In the painting, the fairy in the winter garden looks up at the tiny dragon, and invites him to play with her. She holds a deco ball, which is turquoise, as is her chiffon gown. Turquoise is the color for the heart center and healing. The flowers are pansies, my very favorite fall and winter flowers.

My art has many dimensions, from large wall murals to fine art paintings and comminssioned works. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" is very close to my heart. I create these fantasies purely for the joy of painting. I have been an artist since childhood and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, I attended Art Center in California and recieved my BFA from the University of Miami.

The turn of the century to the twenties is my favorite time and allthough I do not limit my style, I interpret Art Deco Expression in a modern feminine voice with an understanding of spirituality, beauty and positive vision for today's world.

HAPPY SUNDAY MORNINGS: ONCE I WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND

2007-10-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer in spiritual practice.

A woman I know well insists on "taking care of business" before prayer. This has proven time and time again to be the long way 'round. Time is all relative. A moment of prayer, reflection, and gratitude saves many hours of frustration, when things seem to get lost, tasks become troublesome, people are abrasive ...

TODAY: I feel the need to re-connect with the Universe, God, and Nature. To light candles in a sacred space. To give thanks for all that I have because

"All that I have is All that I need..." Simple Abundance, Sara Ban Breathnack's book adivses. So, along this path we call life, I feel not alone but filled with love for the light and the light filled beings around me. THANK YOU GOD!

IT'S FRIDAY AND I'M IN LOVE!

2007-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

When I lived in New York, I met The Cure and actually hung out with them and their manager who was from Scotland and cute but Robert Smith was moody and withdrawn.... an extremely talented musician! I named my painting "Love Cats" from one of their songs, and it is a painting I really treasure, because of my beloved Nutmeg, a gorgeous calico persian who I had the privelege of being friends with for eleven years.

I have a thought for the day: to transform myself and believe the vision!

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!

2007-10-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Friday, I received a telephone call from the editor of SASSY magazine, she had searched the web and found me! My painting "GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!" will be on the cover of SASSY magazine, for the month of November, and launched at a party in the Cornell Museum, Delray Beach.

BODHISATTVA

2007-10-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of rain for over a week, and now it is sunny and the birds are singing!

I am inspired to hang out and just soak in the atmosphere of my garden, but unfortunatley, I have a lot of grunge work to do, like pay bills, and manage my new lists account, which needs to be in their hands by tomorrow, so I can do my mailing, so I can make some money so I can pay my bills..........

I wish everyone a happy sunny day all day.
Namaste

TIPS FOR SKETCHERS WHO ACTUALLY SKETCH

2007-09-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, the gathering of materials to begin a project can be the most challenging. I used to carry a small sketchbook and a few well sharpened pencils with me at all times. That was before I made my bliss my business!

It's time to enjoy creating again. That is the lesson now for me. Mornings are creative, afternoons are implemented to "get my art out there!" "Get it out there, Cherie" I hear them calling to me, and so I must listen.

Now I have what I need in hand, I feel the morning beckon and the golden feeling of a new painting series being born is very soothing to my soul. If all else fails, I will always have my art and my ability to render on a blank page or canvas a vision I have. Wnen an idea is given as a gift from the universe it feels as if God is in His heaven, and all is well with the world. That is why so many wish. desire and covet the title of "artist" but beware! This crown has thorns! The thorns are the false pride which goes beyond pride in accomplishment. Nothing less than total committment to the process of creation is called for here.

"...and the day came when to remain in the bud was more painful... than the risk it took to blossom"
Anais Nin

STRAWBERRY FRENCH & WHIPPED

2007-09-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

September 21...just a few days before my birthday, visions of strawberries dance through my head!
Just loaded this new pic to my website, photography section: WWW.CHERIEBENDERCOM

SKETCHES OF JOHN LENNON; NEW YEARS AT TOMATLA; THANK YOU MUM !

2007-09-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

WOMEN UNCHAINED SERIES

2007-09-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

September 16 2007
I have been working on some new ideas for a series called "Women Unchained" which is now still in the sketch stage. As soon as I have something worthy, I will be uploading these drawings!
Also, more promoting needs to be done, and this has been a little challenging as the email is acting up. I will be sending out a new postcard via snail mail, together with the email campaign this month and beginning of October. Please email me to be included in all new events and gallery openings!
I will be traveling soon as I have the travel bug, and I do miss California a lot! Hello to all of my friends out there and I hope to see you very soon!

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS - June, 2007
I have been juried into the National Association of Women Artists this year, 2007. This is a wonderful honor and I certainly know I am in good company, with Judy Chicago and Marisol, two of the many great artists I have admired my whole life.

THANK YOU ! - July 5, 2007
My web went live on July 4, 2007, yesterday, after more than a year! My Mum has been in my corner throughout this process and I wish to thank her from the bottom of my heart for being there for me through it all.

GOOD FRIEND & PHOTOGRAPHER - July 5, 2007
Dan is a good soul and a terrific photographer. He has taken the best shots of me both in my modeling career and now. One of his photographs is the one I hand painted with green hair and the inverted peace sign to my head on my BIO section. His web is: www.danlittlejohn.com.

THE BEATLES - July 5, 2007
I am a fan of the Beatles and especially John, who is my favorite of the fab four. He has so inspired me. He was allways way ahead of everyone else, too bad he had to go so soon....

MY GOOD FRIEND MERCEDES - July 5, 2007
My very good friend Mercedes lives in California so I don't get to see her very much, but I did have a lovely visit with her and her mother Marjorie in North Carolina, where she grew up. I felt priveleged to see her father's sculpture which lines the road called Tomatla, and to sit by the creek on their property to meditate and sketch and communicate with nature and art! This sketch was done New Years Eve in her mom's kitchen. Mercedes web is: www.mercedesmcdonald.com. Thank you for being a wonderful woman and a great artist.

On Finding A Feather!

2007-09-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

I found a large grey feather, with a black tip, on a street in Lake Worth when I was there last week on business. I took it as a good luck message from one of my spiritual friends, Rae, who raises African Greys, that all will be well, and things will work out in my favor! I use this feather, together with many other feathers from my morning doves who wait patiently every morning for their bird seed! Cardinals, orange finches, and a multi colored bunting visit me in my garden, to inspire and enlighten me on this journey as an artist on planet earth!

Many Rivers To Cross

2007-09-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Manhatten, in the 80's I loved the movie with Jimmy Cliff's songs. It seemed so exotic to be sitting in a darkened movie theatre with my date, a Broadway star I had a total crush on, and watching Many River's To Cross! Reggae music never fails to lift me up.

I have been inspired many many times by the thought of another vacation to Jamaica and to swim in their crystal clear waters, bask in the sun, drink cooling refreshments while listening to the rythm of infinite spirit would be divine. Anyway, I don't know why I got on that tangent, as I had mentioned in my last blogger, I have the travel bug and I am sure the need will become unbearable until satisfied! I also have never been to Greece, which is number one on my list of places to visit.