Its Been Awhile!

Please forgive my hiding from you lately. Its not that you haven't been on my mind, I've just put off writing for the next day, and then the next, and then the next. Things have picked up steam and I seem to have less time than earlier in my residency. Three weeks ago I signed up for docent training at the Hungarian Museum of Fine Art. It is a time commitment - about 8 hours of lecture and study a week - but I love it!  Also, I'm leading an after school Art Club with middle and high school students in Diosd (a small town just south of Budapest.) This doesn't sound like a lot, but believe it or not, it basically eats up three days of work.

Also, to my happy surprise, the Hungarian Multicultural Center has decided to host an "end of residency" exhibit of my work at the Medosz Budapest on December 1st. So, I'm working like a mad woman getting pieces created and ready for display.

On Monday I decided to take my "artist within" for a little feeding, so I went to Margaret Island for a quiet walk. Margaret Island is located in the middle of the Danube in the middle of Budapest.  Its a natural "central park." The entire island is a covered with trails, a fountain, a soccer stadium, a huge swimming pool, a hotel, a zoo, etc.

One of the interesting stories about this island is that in the 12th century, King Béla IV was trying to repel the Mongol invasion and promised God that if he succeeded, he would give his daughter to His service.  He was successful and in turn sent his 9-year-old daughter (Margaret) to the island to live in a nunnery for the rest of her life.  (This sounds awful, but after the visiting this gorgeous island, it doesn't seem half bad.)  Margaret lived on the island until the end of her life - she died at age 29.  Here are a few pictures of what remains of the nunnery.

St. Gellért!

This is a statue of St. Gellért, an 11th century, Italian missionary invited to Hungary by King Stephen to convert the pagans to Christianity. The pagans weren't too keen on the idea and stuffed him in a barrel and rolled him down this hill and into the Danube at the bottom. 100 years later the people of Budapest felt terrible about it all and created a exquisite manmade waterfall as well as a gorgeous monument to him on the hill of his death.  Today the entire area is called Gellért Hill and hosts a wonderful art nouveau hotel, thermal baths, a citadel, and a church in a cave.

I've been in Budapest for awhile and yesterday I finally found the time and willpower to climb the hill and see it all for myself.  The hill is crisscrossed with scenic paths and benches to view the city on the other side of the river. What a perfect day weather wise - its a bit cooler here than in South Carolina, last night it got into the 30s. One of the trees outside my little apartment is bright orange and the leaves are starting fall.  I'm SO grateful to be here!

Two final photos from the top of Gellért Hill.  The first shows the Pest side of Budapest with its dense blocks of apartments, shops, and churches.  The second shows three of the five main bridges of Budapest.  This is looking north towards Vienna.  Come and see!

Movie Star!

So here's a fun video that was done a little over a month ago.  Its my fellow artists, Debra Benditz and Beata Szechy (Director of Hungarian Multicultural Center) and me talking about Budapest.  We thought the interview was going to be about our artwork and exhibit, but it ended up being more about what we like about Budapest.  Its in hungarian, but you might hear a little english peeking through.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1geWioykPqA&feature=share

Self Portrait

I've been working on this piece for a week or so. Thanks to the Maureen and Tad Mallory for helping me with then title, "Self Portrait #1."  I'm not so good at faces or flesh tones, but I think this one worked out pretty well!

Street Art

A few years ago I saw a documentary called, "Beautiful Losers."  Since then, I've been fascinated by street art of almost any kind.  Here's a few that I've been saving for you.  The first two are from Budapest, and the last three are from Krakow.

This little stenciled owl is all over Budapest.  He's on the bus, on the sidewalk, on a building.  I think his creator is copying the "Andre the Giant" guerrilla artwork marketing model.

This vintage mural is in an area in Budapest with lots of design shops and fashion studios.

Here's a happy guy tripping down the streets of Krakow.

Not sure what the lion skin cap means - maybe something to do with the Lion of Judah?

And last, but my favorite - I love the megaphone that turns into a bell!

This morning I took the 105 bus.  It was supposed to take me to Hero's Square a large memorial in the middle of the city honoring the founders and great warriors of Hungary. I planned to walk to the huge Saturday morning flea market not far from there.  The 105 takes me across the old Chain Bridge into the heart of Pest.  As the bus approached the bridge - it continued around a circle and took an entirely different direction.  I noticed the fellow sitting across from turn around and look at the driver.  Then he muttered something in Hungarian and got up and tapped on the bus driver's window.  (The bus drivers sit in an enclosed box for protection from bus riders.)  The bus driver said something back in Hungarian and continued down the wrong path.  At the next stop, my fellow passenger got off.  As the ride continued - person after person tapped on the driver's window and conversed with him, and time after time, shortly after their conversation - they got off the 105.

You're probably wondering why I didn't get off the 105.  Well, unfortunately, I left my handy little iphone at home which has a sweet little app with a map of Budapest and a blinking blue dot (which represents me).  Those of you who know me well, know that my sense of direction is simply not there.  (I get lost in Greenville - even though I've lived there for at least 30 years - and its not that big.)  We were traveling on streets that I had never seen before.  Finally - when I was the last person on the bus - I tapped on the bus driver's window and said, "Hero's Square?"  He had already pulled away from the bus stop and immediately stopped the bus in the middle of the street and pointed down the road.  There it was...Here's Square.  Thankfully, he opened the doors and set me free!

So what was the problem?  Why had he taken this crazy route?

Here's Square had been transformed into a horse racing track.  No kidding - in the middle of Budapest - they had laid down tons of sand and bleachers and tents for a day of horse racing.  It would be like putting a race track around the Washington Monument or the Reflection Pool of the Lincoln Memorial.  In between the Hungarian Museum of Modern Art and the Fine Art Museum of Budapest was a horse race.  Take that Heritage Green!

I eventually made it to the Flea Market and had a great time.  One lady thought I was Polish and kept speaking to me in polish - one man chased after me with a gorgeous gold frame that I refused to buy because he was asking too much, and all I purchased were these delicious, freshly-cut potato chips.  YUM - where's my woodchuck?

Please forgive my lack of blog posts this week.  I've been working hard on a few new projects and will hopefully show them to you in the next few days!

Signs

When one is unable to read or understand the language of a foreign land - signs with pictures become quite important.  Here are a couple that have me puzzled.

No cigarettes, no ice cream, no hamburgers, no bicycles, no rollerblades, no skateboards allowed on the subway.
How about french fries?

No cigarettes, no hamburgers, no red backpacks, but green ones are okay and watch out for the big hand coming out of nowhere to steal your purse.












My personal favorite - men are devils and women are angles!

A Sweet Passage

This little drawing was started weeks ago and I just got around to finishing it today.  Its a scene up on Castle Hill on the Buda side of Budapest.  I've been working on it a little at a time and have totally enjoyed the process.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Finished!

Sisters

There are many things I like about living in Budapest.  I've already mentioned that dogs are allowed on all public transportation, but here are three more!

I love that everyone carries a shopping bag with them at all times.  Typically Hungarians don't go to Walmart on a biweekly basis to stock up their freezer and fridge.  Shopping for them is a daily task.  Most folks here use public transportation, so shopping must be done in bits and pieces. Its nothing to see a man carrying a large bottle of laundry detergent and a young lady with a 12 pack of toilet paper under her arm on the bus.  I stop by the grocery store almost every day to get milk or bread or potato chips.  (Did I mention the chips here are fried in sunflower oil and they're fabulous?) Food is super fresh and goes bad quickly because preservatives aren't use much.

Secondly, I love all the second-hand clothing stores.  In the states - I'm not really into digging through someone's discarded clothing, but for some reason its different here.  Yesterday I found a pair of prussian blue Gandhi pants - for only $5.  I didn't have the guts to wear them to church today, but you bet they'll be sportin' around town tomorrow.

Last of all - public displays of affection are everywhere.  At first it made me a bit uncomfortable - I didn't realize how reserved I am.  But now I find it comforting to see how much a person enjoys the company of another.  Hungarians are known for being frowners, but when they see a friend or family member - their faces light up like a Christmas tree.  They greet and hug and kiss because they're happy to see each other.  Yesterday, as I was getting off the subway, I spotted these two sisters, arm in arm.  It made me think of my sweet sister (who has a birthday tomorrow!)  She's a trooper - watching my fat, mean, black cat for months on end.  Can't wait to go shopping together when I get back!

Jodi, Oh Jodi!

I have seven nieces (four had a choice, three didn't) and they're ALL special - each has her own unique point of view, style and taste.  Because I lived for a few years with Miss Jodi - I probably know her taste best.  Budapest has a fancy street that might be the equivalent of America's Fifth Avenue - its named Andrassy Utca (street).  Today I saw this window display and couldn't help but think of JoJo!  Books falling from the sky, funky skirt with an old fashion/mod blouse and ankle boots.  The only thing missing is a sparkly necklace!!!

Another window that made me think of Jodi was in front of a shop that made handmade gloves.  Jodi would have certainly gone inside to take a closer look - maybe try a few on.

One last display caught my eye -  I'm not one for furs, but this fuzzy vest would be welcome in my closet anytime!  I'm just sayin'...

Shoes...

Yesterday I went on a wild goose chase to find a "garage sale" that turned out to be four women selling their old clothes and shoes in a basement of a damp store.  I heard about it through a facebook group and the description and pictures were greatly exaggerated.

So, I decided to go on a sunset walk along the Danube to end a really nice day. I had heard about a sculpture located near the Parliment Building - so I headed that way.  After walking about 15 minutes, I found it and not a soul was there.  No plaque or words could be found to tell the title or the artist, just the sculpture.

Its a somber scene - scattered bronze shoes pointed toward the water on the edge of the river wall. I've been told it commemorates the lives of jewish victims during World War II. These people were ordered to take their shoes off at the edge of the water before they were machine gunned into the current.  I'm glad no one was there - words can't express my quiet sadness.

First Day of School

Yesterday morning as I was fixing my morning latte, I heard voices of children singing in the back yard.  I opened the back window and found I was right.  The kids weren't actually in my back yard, but at a school about a half a block away.  They were singing the Hungarian national anthem with all their heart.  The school year here starts quite formally.  Each school has an opening ceremony on the first day of school - where the students sing, recite poetry, dance and even pray.  Students of all ages usually wear some variation of black and white.  I'm not sure if this is a requirement or tradition or being polite or just trying to make a good first impression - who knows.
As I was running around town yesterday, I saw lots and lots of young ladies wearing black skirts and white blouses and hose and young men in black suits and ties. Kind of fun to see!  

Buy Some Peppers!

A few of you have asked if my little watercolors are for sale - well now they are!

I've placed one on eBay as a test.  Needless to say, marketing hasn't been my forte, but we'll give it another go.  Auction is up for 7 days or you can use the "buy it now" option to head straight to the top of the class.

These sweet little peppers were painted during the first week of my residency and will be carefully packaged to make it safely to your home.  Beautiful Hungarian postage stamps will be used to ship the painting, all included in the eBay price.  More peppers to come - so start your collection today!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121169480940?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

One Month Down...

Last Tuesday was the end-of-the-year exhibition for Hungarian Multicultural Center residency program and was the culmination of five sessions of artists from around the world participating in month-long residencies.  My colleagues, Rexy Tseng, Alexis Neider, and Debra Benditz, and our director, Beata Szechy (pictured in next post) will be friends for life.  Its impossible to live, eat, work and play with folks and not grow attached.  Debra, Rexy, and Lexy have departed for home and Bea will leave early Tuesday morning to return to Dallas.  Last night as I walked away from the Marriott after saying goodbye to Debra, a sense of excitement grabbed my heart.  Soon I'll be on my own in this great city.  Some of you may think that sounds sad, but I'm REALLY looking forward to it.  I can't wait to do more creating, writing, painting and exploring.

Alexis Neider

Beata has graciously allowed me to stay another three months in her lovely downstairs apartment. Its so perfect and simple.  I'm grateful to my kind Father for allowing me this amazing opportunity to heal and grow!

Rexy Tseng

Debra Benditz

A Building has Two Faces

About a week ago I was walking down a street (lost again), and found a building with two different faces placed at the top of every other window arch.  At first I thought they were two different people, but then upon closer examination - I think they're the same guy.  One happy face and one angry face - I wonder if this guy was the owner, builder, architect or someone else?  Time to do a little research...

What do you think?

Music Lovers Everywhere

Hungarians are known for their love of music and musicians.  In one of the city squares near the Opera House sits this wonderful sculpture of Franz Joseph Liszt.  I love the expression of his hands, his hair and and tapping foot.  Not sure why he's sitting instead of standing, but...

As I sit here in my bedroom I hear the faint strains of an aria from Madame Butterfly wafting through the open window.  What a perfect Sunday afternoon!  Oh, Katherine - you'd love it here - opera season begins in September!!!

Missing My Pup...

Its probably because I'm missing my pup, Zoli - but I'm noticing dogs everywhere.  Dogs here seem to be better behaved than many I've seen back home.  In general, less hyper and content to be with their owners.  Hungary has a long history of noble hunting dogs - the Hungarian Vizsla.  Here are a few sculptures from a fountain up at the Castle - beautifully done!

A New Doo...

It was eight years to the day that I arrived in Budapest to teach school in Eger.  What an adventure it turned out to be - one that I will never forget.  Today I conquered one of my biggest fears - the Hungarian hairdresser.  Some of you may recall my account of seeing my bike helmet reflection in a window after my last encounter with a hairstylist in Hungary.

My experience today was totally different.  I went to a proper shop and took a picture and used as many hand motions as possible to explain what I didn't want.  I think it worked this time and here are the before and after photos to prove it.

Last night we went to the Fisherman's Walk on Castle Hill to watch the fireworks on the Danube.  It was quite breezy, but we had sweet seats and saw all three synchronized displays from the boats on the river below us.

Here's another gentleman offering me a cake on the side of the road today after my new makeover!