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.