Thursday with My Family - My Inspiration

As you already know my family is everything to me. I get the most inspiration from them. Today I would like to share a few drawings I made all through the years.

This is a drawing of my little boy when he was about 1 years old. We had decided to take him of a trip to Mitsumine-guchi, the last stop on the Chichibu line. This picturesque station has a lot to offer because it is in the heart of the Oku-Chichibu Park. You can meet a group of monkeys there, have some tofu ice cream, and see an amazing outdoor museum of trains. This train ride was special because we took a steam locomotive that ran once a day. It was my son's first ever ride as well. I will never forget his little eyes full of surprise and fear when the world outside the window began to move! You can see it in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUI0tf5fPhc

This drawing of my husband is back from the times when we live at "Melrose Place" in Kamikawa, Saitama-ken. Artistically speaking it was a very productive period of my live. I had many notebooks with my poetry, sketchbooks and paintings. We also had a lot of time to drive around Japan just for me to stop and sketch or paint. 

This was a sketch for a painting which is still somewhere in a distant future. After finishing this drawing i looked at us and realised how we have changed, grew older. Our faces look so mature and serious even though we smile. Time is a very ruthless and non-negotiable thing. We should have the most respect for it, right beside love, water and fire!

Wednesday with "A Broken Heart"

Happy Thursday! I hope you are having a great March break if you are in Canada!! It is ugly outside but we have to make the best of it and get those skates out, don't we!!

I can't believe I found this "Broken Heart". The other day I dug out all my sketch books and notebooks and on the bottom of the drawer this was smiling at me. We haven't seen each other for at least two years! It is hard to believe that it survived so many years on the wall in Poland, immigration to Canada, then storage (when we were in Japan), and finally my art supply drawer! I am glad it did.

I painted this in Poland in grade 5. I made do with whatever i had. Just like my first canvas, i got some of my mom's fabric, my dad's oil pants, we are talking the ones that you paint walls with! It was a left over paint from the time my dad and my brother had painted the hallway a la wood imitation. This painting doesn't even have a proper frame. I made it with a piece of cardboard! That is how much I needed to paint! Nothing was going to stop me! Not even the lack of materials!

Why did I paint it? Grade 5, there was a boy a few years older than me. His name was Jack. I am sure some of my friends from Tomaszow Lubelski have known him and about him. All we had was one day at my friend's birthday party and a few phone conversations after that. He was the most genuine, the kindest and the most gentle boy I had known. He was just good. He didn't really break my heart but he did leave me very sad for a long time. He had no control over the place and the time of his departure...

Tuesday with Portugal

Portugal was the first stop when travelling on our bikes across Europe. Hence, it has a very special spot in my heart. I cannot forget the kindness of people in Porto and Aveiro. Two families took us in as their first couch surfers and entrusted us with their homes. In Porto we made friends forever and in Aveiro we left our Portuguese mother! We slept right by the sea or in fishermen front yards, the beach showers always worked well and little stores always had some great cheese and buns for supper after a full day of pedalling. Sunsets were inspiring us go to further and every sip of port wine was like the first one! That spells something, doesn't it! I am saying thank you, Portugal! You are tatooed in my heart!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtX3n8HdNHU&t=54s

Once we turned inland towards Lourdes, Tomar and Evora it was a bit harder because of the hills, private cork plantations and lack of showers so we were forced to sleep at small hotels and pensions. I will never forget one night when we were caught by the night and had to sleep in ruins of a castle in Monsaraz. It was a small town with pre-historic past built right on top of a mountain. Once we got up that picturesque mountain we new there was no way we would find any spot to pitch our tent before complete darkness took over. Although I was very hesitant to sleep with all those ghosts, we made a quick decision to sleep in the warmth and safety of this medieval castle. I hear you have to buy tickets to enter the castle these days;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=calwlx2Z4Jw

I have to say I had no nightmares, no ghosts sightings. I slept like a baby maybe even better, and woke up to the most beautiful morning with a view one could ever wish for! I hope I get to do it just one more time before I go to the Maker! I take my hat off to my adventurous husband here who was somehow able to convince me to go with this plan! Luv ya!

Monday with Sault Ste.Marie

Remember the last long weekend? Here is a result of it.

 Every time we go to our cabin in Sault Ste. Marie, precisely speaking Echo Bay, we leave on Friday and drive to Sudbury. Then, we spend there the first night. It makes the drive with a nine year old easier if we break it down. The last time we woke up in Sudbury there was an incredibly thick fog. It looked absolutely amazing. All you could see was red twigs and outlines of birches. Nature's miracle.

I love our family trips. We get to escape the city and get drunk on fresh air and lack of plan. But there are some rules and routines that we have developed over the years. The first thing we do as soon as we hit the highway is open a bag of junk food. We don't eat that stuff very often at home because we are aware how damaging it is to eat all the processed food and sugar. But there are no limitations when we get in that car and start driving.  Delicje, gingerbread cookies in chocolate with plum jam, Doritos, pop corn, Polish jelly in sugar, paluszki, party mix chips, etc, etc, and etc. Of course i try to sneak in some fruit and veggies but junk is what we want at that time!! And Tim Horton's tea and coffee is a big must! I honestly think the car would not start without it!!

Moroccan Women

Yes! Happy Friday!!

"Moroccan Women"
Memories are such fragile and gentle beings. If you don't take care of them they die or go away. I wish I remembered where this scene took place. I want to say this is in Tangier in the Medina. But it could have been Meknes. In both cities we stayed in hotels located in the Medina. This is clearly a scene from the inside of their walls where life was highly traditional. It was as if only there the time stopped. But just outside there was a modern Morocco with her modern king Mohammed VI.

During our cycling tour of the Mediterranean Europe we included Morocco because it was something that I personally needed to see. I had been brainwashed and infected with love for it by my favourite Anthropology professor. This man was a real educator. He made you think and question in order to understand. I didn't have amazing grades in his class but he always took the time to get to know his students to know their real knowledge and capacity. The same with me. Once, I was called to his office to have a conversation about my paper. He told me that he was giving me a B although the paper was very badly written. However, he said, "I see that you have a great knowledge about the topic. And I want to talk to you about it. Explain your thesis and your paper." So very casually in plain language I explained my point of view and he graded me upon my knowledge. This is the type of a professor that he was. His expertise was Morocco and Berber culture. I could listen to him talk for hours in his British accent. He was a tall, slim man with straight dark hair. He wore sandals all year round like a true Anthropologist. In winter he would just add thick wool socks. I wish for my son to have educators of his caliber!! Then, I wouldn't be worried about my son's intellectual development!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxwB39Zi_kE

We visited Morocco briefly leaving our bikes in Spain. Our couchsurfung friend's parents offered to keep them safe in Algaziras. So we boarded a ferry and after short two hours at sea, my university dream came true. I was standing on a Moroccan soil warding off all the taxi drivers that so readily waited for tourists at the ferry pier.  We chose to walk to Medina. Ah Tangier! City of poets, writers and fashion designers. It is traditional, architecturally mesmerising, breath-taking, busy, colourful. If this is your first point of reference to a Moroccan culture you will fall in love irreversibly! Once, we wondered the streets in search of the famous mint tea. We saw a "bar" with mostly men sitting and watching TV, soccer of course! So we sat down and ordered our tea with fresh mint and two cubes of sugar on the side. It was awesome to rub elbows with the locals. And although we didn't understand each other's languages ,we felt united because we did understand soccer. It was a really singular, incredible moment.

Morocco slipped into my life very briefly but it gave me so much. A short rendezvous, a moment, but stole my heart forever. We peeked into people lives, work, kitchens. In return, they embraced us with our imperfections of being ignorant travellers. Morocco for me was an invite for a sleep over on the living-room floor, making Moroccan sweets with condensed milk in the kitchen, camel meat balls grilled to the perfection, ladies in djellabas at the market selling mounts of flat breads, mosaic makers, friendly kids endlessly asking "how are you!", Imam's calling in the middle of the night. colourful water fountains and cats drinking from them, groups of women walking with kids, groups of men in black and white djellabas with their hands in their mysterious pockets. pointy shoes, spectacular jewellery, narrow streets, old walls, hotels with windows with views of the hallways, men praying on little carpet, tajines with amazing food. And so much more. And there is always someone watching you and smiling at you...  

Istanbul

Let me tell you, I am not done with Turkey! This country deserves your attention! Especially such a breathtaking city like Istanbul. And breathtaking is an understatement! One look at my painting and you will fall in love too!

As soon as we arrived here I was love-struck by the local kindness and sincerity. The city has some passages under the bigger streets to make it easy for pedestrians cross to the other side easier. You can imagine how hard it was for us to carry our bikes with all the panniers, up and down the stairs. My bicycle with all the luggage weighed almost 30 kg.  At one of the passages an older gentlemen carrying shopping bags in each hand offered to carry my bike for me. He didn't take no for an answer, just picked up my bike and carried it up the stairs for me. I couldn't believe the kindness!

In Istanbul, we stayed on a small island at our friend's (or rather our Portuguese mother's) friend's summer place. Again, you have to admire the trust and kindness. Everything was arranged for us all the way back in Portugal where our adventure with Coach Surfing and cycling across Europe began. This wonderful lady gave us the keys to her place without asking any questions or taking any money. All in the name of friendship!

What you can see here is Hagia Sophia adorned by the setting sun. This architectural wonder is a heaven for art lovers but at the same time can be an incredible religious experience, Muslim and Christian.  This 6th century basilica has features that can be associated with both religions. Further, not long ago people discovered that this mosque has hidden treasures under it's plaster, Christian mosaics!! Some I believe are still there to be discovered by the archaeologists. So this religious place was adjusted a few times in the history of Turkey to fit the ruling religion.


Once again, here is a video of Ankara and Istanbul with a split second of the real picture of which I copied on canvas.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6glbA7W674


The only city that I found equally amazing was Rome. No matter where you go, where you get lost, you will find nice people, beautiful architecture, and I kid you not, AMAZING food! In Sultanahmet District, the historical part of the city you walk up a very steep street where you can buy pastry and breads with meat and vegetables to suit any taste bud on the planet!!

Every day we took a ferry on The Sea of Marmara from our little island to the mainland, Kadikoy. I think our island had more cats than people residing! It was quiet and cozy and you could always count on a company of a cute furry friend to stay with you while you sipped your tea at the local tea shop. In the evening, there were some fishermen enjoying each others company, but in the morning, the island and the shore seemed deserted.

One evening after an entire day of walking I decided to go back home and rest while my husband who never gets tired wanted to stay a bit longer to take pictures of the setting sun. So we kissed 'see you in a bit' and parted. Hours passed by, it became dark, but my B. wasn't coming back. I got really concerned and decided to check the shore and the ferry schedule. I completely lost it when I saw that the ferry that had just docked was the second last one for the night. I panicked. Of course, the ferry operator came up to me immediately when he saw my distress. I don't remember now in what language I explained my problem but the gentlemen at the ferry terminal immediately called the other shore at Kadikoy Station to check if there was a foreigner boarding the last ferry. They were so incredibly warm, comforting and helpful. Soon enough the last ferry arrived. Of course B was on it. He really likes to keep it interesting for me doesn't he!

Istanbul was the last stop of our bike tour. It was a perfect ending to the adventure of our lives. It was like a honeymoon but 6 months long!!

Ankara

There is nothing better than a company of honest and genuine people. In my life so far I have been lucky to meet people like that all over the world. You live in Portugal, Canada, Bangladesh, India, Turkey, Japan, China, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Albania, Greece, Vietnam. Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Poland, Holland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, England, France, and many other countries that I have been lucky to find you. You know who you are. You have brought so much light into my life. You have restored my faith in human kind. You made me believe again that people are good. Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person. Thank you for showing me what is the most important thing in life. I hope that in each post, in each painting you will recognise yourself and your influence on me. You made me. Thank you.

This is Ankara, The capital city of Turkey. It's not a big city. But like many other capital cities is it charming and offers a lot of history. Ankara was the second last stop of our Mediterranean bike ride. From beginning to finish this country and Ankara did stop to amaze me how incredible the people were. Good-hearted, honest, fun-loving and extremely giving. The first moment we arrived at the bus station in Ankara, we were greeted by three guys, devilishly handsome inside and out. They were standing there, all smiles with a sign in their hands. I can't remember now but I think it said something humorous like "Cyclists Wanted".  And that is how our adventure with them started. They were so good and inviting to us that we ended up staying with them for almost two weeks. They had nothing but good intentions and lots of strength to party and show us the Turkish hospitality. Their apartment was always filled with friends, guitar music, singing, smell of tea and good conversations. There was a lot of passion to show us the Turkish culture. It is here that I learned the only phrase in Turkish I know. Strangely, it is not "thank you" or "I am sorry" or "hello", which in good taste should have been! "CHAI HAZYRRRRR", "the tea is ready". After this phase we would all flock to the table like hungry chickens! Tea meant that it was time to socialise and share moments together in friendship. It was also here I learned that "kaloryfer" is not only a Polish word for a radiator/heater!

They were students and they didn't have much. But whatever they had they shared with us. How do you I even say thank you for such kindness. I have no pictures at hand of those glorious days but there is a small video. Turkey rocks!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6glbA7W674

Above you see a painting of some young women sitting on the old walls of the Ankara Kelesi (Castle). Nobody knows when it was build but who is counting years or centuries! It is still standing and it is still good-looking. It caught my eye how nicely these women arranged themselves in colour. It is as if there were two teams. Team Blue and team Brown. But even more mesmerising to me was the shadows they created.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal. I immediately recognise it's shape and colour. Whenever there is a picture of any image related, my 9 year old son quickly points and calls out, "look mama, Taj Mahal in India!" Yes. I get excited about it too. Because why not! It is an amazing place in India that emanates light, love and glory. This big marble has a history that we all know because it is romantic and full of kingly weakness towards feelings that we all want and crave in our lives. Shah Jahan, this powerful Mughal emperor was so much in love with his second wife, the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal from Persia. She was 19 when they married. And the story goes that he loved and trusted her so much that he allowed her to be his adviser and his confidant in all decisions. So no wonder that when she died at childbirth with their 14th child, a daughter, Gauhara Begum, he crumbled with grief and promised to lay her in peace in one of the most majestic, the most beautiful resting place in the wold. Hence, today we can visit Taj Mahal (1653) in Agra. It has been protected under the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Every year there are 8 million people coming to visit Mumtaz. There is a nice bench right by her grave where you can sit and contemplate your relationships and your love. How far would you go in the name of your feelings...But you have to be really good at blocking out crowds of people and their voices if you want to fall into a deep meditation. Outside in the garden there are hundreds of people, talking, posing or taking pictures. Then, there are monkeys that can chase you majestically at any moment, there are incredibly colourful parrots sitting in the trees.

So there is a lot to see and experience. But if you look outside of the box you see this. Just outside of  Taj Mahal India happens. A normal, everyday life happens all around it with no fuss, no cameras. A lot of tourists don't get to see this since their buses pull over just at the entrance to the Taj, so they don't even see the ticket booth!

I have to say we accidentally stumbled onto this place just across the Yamuna river. There are a lot of people there who come not to view the monument  or to take pictures, although there are some romantics there as well, but local people who go about their regular daily chores. In this painting there are two women who were part of a bigger group of people who came here to feed their goats. We even passed a girl maybe 9-10 years old who was holding a little baby goat. Her mom or grand-mom walked in front of her carrying big metal jar on her head. I am thinking, she just finished washing dishes in the river.

In my painting, there should be one more women with them but for the purposes of an arrangement I omitted her. She carried a big pile of sticks to make fire in the kitchen. I admit now that I look at the painting and I think it would be nice to have her there, too. Please notice, there is a gate to the river but not much of a fence left. I liked that paradox.  If you don't have eyes to see you will try to open the gate as opposed to just go around it freely!

I almost didn't get to see Taj Mahal. I seriously got sick. This was a beginning of something much bigger that we all suspected. I got e-coli and it wasn't detected until I came back to Canada three weeks after. But going back to Taj, thanks to some very sincere and kind people in Agra who brought me medication and some home made cure, i was able to experience and see this amazing city. I remember one man saw me sitting at a table in a restaurant. He came up to me because he was concerned I didn't look happy and healthy. So he brought some home remedies from the restaurant's kitchen for me to take. I got little breaks in between hotel stays so I was able to see the one and only, Taj Mahal. In conclusion it all ended well;) And here is my painting to prove it!

Bangladeshi Women

Travelling is one of my greatest passions. But ever since we came back to Canada I haven't been able to do that very often. There is always something more important to do or spend money on. In Japan everyone travels frequently even if it is within the prefecture. Even if it is a small trip to an onsen or Tokyo shopping...

"Bangladeshi Women"
This was a scene in Dhaka, the Old Town. We wondered into little streets full of vendors, rikshas and tuk-tuks. The heat was insulting everyone and made street dust and pollution stick to people's necks and faces. It is hard to believe that this is a parallel world that still goes on while we , here, enjoy our supersonic cars, electric can openers and nose-hair shavers. It seems that time had stopped there. Women wear saris and everything is made by hand. I imagine these two women to be a mother (in law??) and a daughter. They just bought these new pitchers and a new broom. Now their home will be a better place. All around them you see a lot of fruit, especially watermelons. How sweet and delicious! Not far from where these women are walking there is a dock on the river Buriganga. And by this dock there is a huge watermelon market, with many varieties of watermelons. It is a place crowded with men bringing fruit by boats, and selling them. I have never seen such enormous piles, mountains of watermelons.

Bangladesh street scene is a place of very pleasant yet curious people. So it is not a surprise that while my husband was taking pictures, men would gather all around me and my son. Some would just stand there and stare, some would pinch my son's cheeks and smile at us. But most often there would be questions about how many children I had and if I wanted more, and if my husband was working hard, and if he was making a lot of money, and if he was making me a happy woman. They were very honest, genuine and asked close to their lives questions. These men were compering our lives and measuring them. The conversations would usually end with a lot of laughter as the punch-line crowned the exchange of ideas.

There would be similar conversations with children who would come in groups out of nowhere at the market places. They would smile and use hand gestures to ask questions. But one time, we just finished walking around the shell market, two women approached us and gestures us to come with them. They were smiling and had honest faces. We followed them. The women led us through a labyrinth of narrow streets. We ended up at this amazing, brightly painted gate. We walked in and there was a group of young women, maybe teenagers, who spoke some English. One of them shook hands with me and told me she was Jasmine. Then, we were taken inside of a house. It was a nice break from the heat of the streets. The inside of the house was dark, simple but very clean. We were led into the kitchen. We were gestured to sit down on the bed by the window.  So we did. But as soon as we touched it we felt there was someone sleeping on it!!! A young man jumped up as he saw us. I could feel his embarrassment. By this time there was a crowd of women in front of us. They all burst out laughing. We sat there for a brief moment in an awkward silence. I decided to start a conversation about who is who's mother or neighbour. A few moments later we kindly thanked for the hospitality and left. In commemoration, we took a few pictures just outside of the home. And what a memory!

We both added something out of this world, something incredible to our lives that we will be talking about for the rest of our lives. I want to say thank you to all these women who gave me a moment of their time and let me and my family into their home. I feel especially honoured because a kitchen is a sacred place. Ladies, I am sending " The Warmest Thank yous."

Twisted Silence

Happy Friday Friends!

This is "Twisted Silence". I was talking to my friend yesterday about the importance of having something of your own. Some secrets that nobody needs to know. And that is great. I guess it adds a little glamour and fun to life knowing that you have something of your own or something that you share with a small group of people. It is sort of like a good marriage. You feel whole and worthwhile. When you take a secret vacation with your loved ones. The next day at work you greet everyone there with a smirk of smugness. That feeling makes your marriage or relationship special!

But there is another side to silence and secrecy. A very hurtful one. The twisted, premeditated and vain silence. It is like a wall that you are building between you and others. At first it is fun because you feel in control and you have the power over the information. But then, it becomes damaging. We start ignoring and silencing people with a calm and viciously meditative composure that defines us. We usually feel comfortable and confident the most when we are doing that to the people we love. Comfortable because we think that we know everything about them and that we don't need anything from them anymore. Confident because we think that because they love us they will never leave and stop asking question. And that wall becomes so high that the loved ones do stop asking questions even though they don't leave.  The Love gets broken. The Trust gets damaged. In the end, we learn that it is ok to be numb and indifferent a little bit more each time it happens.

Love one another. Share and listen. Don't be twisted, my friends! Only with love and trust we can rebuild Atlantis! Only genuine and truthfulness can build healthy relationships with your mother, father, husband, wife, son, daughter, sister, friend, neighbour. Love is the word for this weekend! Also, that is my meditation and resolution for this Advent.
Have a great weekend filled with trust and love!

Mushroom Rain

Life is full of high flights and falls. That's why is it so addictive! Yesterday I wrote about Love and today I want to write about saying goodbye. The weather is on the same page with me. The sky is crying with us.

Today is a very personal post that i would like you to help me with. Today. my family is saying goodbye to someone very dear. We try to think of the last time we saw her. Was it in her home, was it at dinner time, did she wear blue or beige? Did we have cake or jello. Was she happy? Did we make her happy? These are the thoughts, the guilt, the mourning, the meditations. It is the same for all of us. No matter where we come from.

We think about the empty space she is leaving in our physical world without realising that the emotional and spiritual space will never really vanish. Her smile and her hair, the way she graciously with her love from up above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obvizJRnezA

"A kiedy przyjdzie także po mnie                         

 And when the purple watchman of the world comes for me

Zegarmistrz światła purpurowy                        
By mi zabełtać błękit w głowie                          

  To brainwash me with blues
To będę jasny i gotowy

I will be ready and pure

Spłyną przeze mnie dni na przestrzał               

Days will flow right through me

Zgasną podłogi i powietrza 

The air and the floor will dim

Na wszystko jeszcze raz popatrzę                     

I will turn back once more to look at everything

I pójdę nie wiem gdzie - na zawsze                  

And i will go who knows where - forever"

I am giving you something that spells rain and something heavenly. because as we say goodbye to our loved ones we imagine them going to heaven and turn into starts that forever look down upon our lives.

"Mushroom Rain"

I imagined that it rains only where you want it to rain. I believe that children, as opposed to adults, love rain. They actually wish for it! Because they can play with it, they can get all muddy and wet. It shows that children are so pure and can satisfy their hearts with such simple fun. Yet, we spoil it with game boys, DSs, video games and TV. Somehow we don't believe that whatever made us happy when we were small can work for them.

This picture was sold in Japan after Aleksander's Dream Box exhibition.

" Stars in my Pitcher"

This vision is about Alek releasing stars at night so that all the people in the world can enjoy them. I am just calmly supervising while he is so competently doing a such great job. I love this picture very much because of it's colours. The idea of having Aleksander's Dream Box came to be with this painting. It is in a  care of a great mother and an amazing friend of mine residing in Japan.

Tuesday Love

I love love! It is such a blinding feeling. In a good sense. You can see only the good in people and your surrounding. And you are good to others. Love gives you strength to smile even if your love is not reciprocated or even when others hurt you. I am talking about all love. Love of a friend, a boy-friend, a husband, a mother, a father, a brother, a cousin, God, angels, a home, a pet.

When I got pregnant I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I felt that this new person that was residing in me was going to take over not only my body and mind but my entire life. But when my son was finally born I discovered that this love was so strong to the point of paralysis. Overwhelming, breathtaking, dumbing and enriching at the same time! I think it was only natural that I wanted to call on all the powers of heaven to always protect him from everything that could ever hurt him. The following is an expression of all the feelings that I carried during my pregnancy and after. 

"Cello Player"

When I was pregnant I would constantly rub my belly and think that this person would be a cello player. Also, I thought it was going to be a girl named Hana! Hence we have here Studio Hana. This name represents my love and adoration to this person that today is Aleksander and completely rules my world! Hana means a flower in Japanese. He truly is my love flower!

So here we have |Alek sitting on his Guardian Angel's hand that carries him over a storm. Alek enjoys the safety and warmth of the sun. The cello in his hand represents my hopes for him.

"Angel and a Boy"

This is my favourite drawing ever. I love how safe this boy is. He is completely submerged in the angel's arms. No harm can come to him. Outside of the embrace the storm is growing wild. The sky is black, the wind is furious and the leaves fly everywhere in confusion. But my boy is safe.

Both pictures have a poems at the back. I wrote them for my son to read to guide him and to ensure him that i will always be there for him. Both pictures are not for sale. They are for him to remember that love i have for him. They are in my son's possession for as long as his decides to have them.

Ordinary-Interesting Weekend

The weekend was eventful. Not with obvious and grand events but the ones that you see with a corner of your eye. They are small, ordinary yet interesting and meaningful. I always keep them in my head for a long time because they usually inspire me to analyse my deeds and to be a better person to the people I meet in my way.

Saturday morning I take my son to the Japanese school. When he is there getting knowledge I sit at the close by Tim Horton's and work on my art, read, observe people. This Saturday as I was drawing more circles in my sketchbook, a tall Chinese man approached my table. He put a tooney, a looney and a dime next to my coffee. I looked up in surprise and amazement. He explained that someone had given him the money but he already had tokens. No further explanation. Why me? Do I look like I need money? Of course I do! We all do, but why did he choose me? Highly generous and unselfish act of kindness! He sat across from me with his coffee and his thermos still looking at me. After a while he added, "You don't drive?! Use it for TTC! Good luck!"

At noon, after I picked up Aleksander from school, we decided to have lunch at the same Tim Horton's. As we were sitting down I noticed an interesting man coming out of the washroom. Shaved, bald, tall, very clean-looking. He wore red sports pants, snow white t-shirt. And in his hands he had a black laundry basket. The basket was filled with things you normally don't bring outside. A pillow, cover sheets, clothes, a book, and a few other things. Everything was spotless and extremely clean looking. I knew this man was homeless. So did my son. He started asking questions about homelessness and about this particular man. I tried to answer the questions the best I could to encourage a good and sympathetic heart in my son. This man looked very strong, confident and proud. I wanted to offer something but I was afraid he would be offended by my donation. I wanted to give him the money I got earlier from the Chinese man, but decided not to. Instead, I remembered about a "roll up the rim to win". I had a "coupon" for free potato wedges. Still very hesitant, I decided we should give it to him. My son went to his table. I couldn't hear anything but I saw very well they had a conversation about that coupon. After a few more sentences exchanged my son came back with the coupon in his hand.

"Mama Chameleon"
Mother's job is so hard. We have to adjust to ever-changing situations. We always have to know the right answers. We have to be flexible yet strong to carry the world on our shoulders. All for our children. We are everyday chameleons. We hold our children in our arms firmly to cuddle and to protect while holding on to the branch that we live on. This painting is very important to me because it is exactly about that. And we, chameleons smile all through that even if it is hard and overwhelming.

This painting was sold in Japan after the Aleksander's Dream Box exhibition.

Aleksander's Dream Box

It's year 2012. After three years of carrying the idea of an art exhibition,  painting and collecting pictures on paper, I finally work up the courage to approach the owner of the local gallery organized in a beautifully renovated "kura" building. Kamiishi-san says "yes", in fact he is wondering why I haven't done it sooner!

Kamiishi-san. I don't know if I should say this but every time I speak to him and look at him all I can see in his face is "the divine stone", the exact translation of his last name. He is calm, gentle, sensitive yet a very good businessman. There is something royal about him.We have known him for the last three years of our residence in Chichibu. We were introduced by the other Polish person in this town.

Oh my goodness! Kamiishi-san and his family turn out to be the most gracious host of my art. He helps me organise and hang it the night before the opening. I have goosebumps. They become a very normal thing now! Aleksander's Dream Box it very much happening! Aleksander's Dream Box is a collection of very light pictures. They are what I think is in a child's collection of dreams and thoughts. An illustration of child's psyche. I don't dispute I simplified them, making them easy to understand for adults.

This event in my life was made so easy for me! This is HUGE! All I can say is "Thank you" to all the people involved, the earth they walk and the air that surrounds them!

The day of the opening. November 1st, 2012. We come to the "Kamiishi Gallery" at 11:00. As it turns our Kamiishi-san opened it an hour before. I walk in with some snacks and some drinks for the first guests. I am incredibly surprised. No! I am blown right out of my boots by the kindness of some of our Japanese friends. I find amazingly beautiful, magnificent arrangements of flowers in the corners of the gallery. They are sent to me with little notes of appreciation. I read them and I cry. Wow! I belong here! These wonderful people see me for who I am. Thank you Ikeda Family, Ideura-sensei, Hikaru and a few others. This is too much! I am too lucky! I am accepted!

This picture was added to the collection on the day of the opening. I painted it the same night that we hang all the pictures in the gallery. When we finished we realized that there was one more spot empty and available. I came back home. Got my paints and pencils, brushed, and just made lines without planning or thinking about the painting. I guess this amazing subconscious came out on paper. I call this 'Mother's Love', although most of the pictures in this collection have no names. They are for you, the viewer to develop them for yourself. This almost octopus looking hair, resembling arms and hands,  covers and protects her son. There is a lot of peace and comfort in this picture. Her eyes are closed while she is embracing her little son who is also sleeping. Pure harmony and safety. We all crave what she is feeling at this moment. 

This painting was not planned. It was meant to be. 

Manna

We all have certain aspirations, plans, ambitions when we grow up. But some of us grow with a sense that the world owes them everything, that everything comes in abundance for free. When I first met my husband I was blown away by my luck. I thought that since that moment nothing can conquer me, own me, nothing can harm me. I also thought that from that moment the world would give us everything because we are so incredible, larger than life together! "Manna From Heaven" relates to that cocky and eccentric period in my life. I was studying Anthropology, painting, travelling and spending money that wasn't mine to keep. I am relating here to the ever present student loan. Although life has not spoilt me one bit, I can't complain. I won't complain. I am not really going to say that I am haven't got my  "manna from heaven."

"Manna From Heaven"


Many years later, while living in Japan, when we experienced life beyond "free manna from heaven" I decided that it was time to reach higher. "Star Gazing" came to life. We had everything handed to us on a silver plate. Japan was kind, inviting and generous. The symbolic sky was right there within our reach!

"Star Gazing"

There was one more idea called "Surprise from Heaven" which i sketched many times but always threw it in the trash can. So part three doesn't exist in the physical world. I am certain that it never will. It was supposed to represent the same two characters. One of them is turned sideways to show us a big belly. Yes, you are guessing right. There is a surprise hidden there waiting to be born. My surprise has been born in 2008, so the element of reference and relevance for me has gone irreversibly. There will not be another.

Self-Portret

I. There is a lot of preoccupation with "I" these days. Why? What turned us to be like that? Have we always been like that? Why in English language "I" is a capital letter. You know, one of the first things i have learned while growing up in Poland and studying Polish language at school was that we always put capital letter when referring to "You", "Your", Mr., Miss, Mrs., etc. It was a culture shock for me at the age of 15 to start using capital letter for the selfish "I" as opposed to my listener, my friend, my correspondent "You". So sometimes when you see me type my own "i", please don't mind me...I am just practicing being "me" once in a while.

It feels right to give you one of my recent works today. It is one of many "Colouring Pages". I have produced most of them while being inspired by my work with the disabled persons. I hope that one day I get to use my "Colouring Pages" as a form of therapy. It has been my therapy to draw it for sure!

My idea here is that whether you want to colour each circle a different colour or just colour the entire thing in one hue, it will serve it's purpose of getting your mind of everyday things. It will make you start thinking about nothing else but this picture. Or it will calm you enough to re-think your problems, your issues in a different view. This way my work of art will be a shared work of art. Egalitarian work of art. And definitely there is no one way of doing it either. I love choices because choices make a person special, a genius in his/her own way, and included.

Let me know what you think? How would you colour this? Would you decompose it into different colours, if so, how? Or would you simply go for the entire picture in one colour. Would you choose crayon, pencil or marker? Let me know. I am curious;)

Ste. Sault Marie Weekend

A Monday after a long break can be very depressing. But there is nothing worst than a Tuesday that feels like a Monday after the long weekend! However, you have to look on the bright side of things!
Let's face it, we had an amazing long weekend! We couldn't have a better weather! It was glorious! I am smiling just thinking about it! Also, on Friday as I drove my family to Sudbury, I saw the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. The clouds were like strawberry swirl ice cream. The pinkiest pinks and purplest purples. That reminds me of one time when I painted a sunset with only purples and pinks in it. Absolutely no blue. The clouds were swirling around each other and expanding their bellies full of water. My husband said that there were no sunsets like that in reality! Well, there it was! Last Friday, February 17th, 2017.

Today, I don't have a painting for you but I am offering you three pictures of the place I visited this weekend. They truly inspire me to pick up the brushes! And I can guarantee you that there is a painting coming very soon! That place is my muse and my inspiration. There is nothing more breathtaking than standing in a complete silence that is broken by a sound of crow's wings up in the sky. I hope this paints a picture for you. Also, I want to tell you that I have always known this but it surprises me every time when I see it. As soon as you leave the city you see how much colour there is in winter! You have brown leaves over-sleeping on tree branches, white bark of birches, deep browns of the ground, greens of pines and other evergreens, and bright reds of twigs here and there. I saw that with my own eyes last Saturday as we were leaving Sudbury for Ste. Sault Marie.  All that goodness was crowned with a morning fog and virgin snow. Amazing. Romantic. Real!

Jiving Alek and Viktoria

This is it my friends! Friday is here! I have been busy all week working on a painting. This is an image taken at The Falls Premier Dance where my son and his dance partner competed. They won the first and third place. I am one proud mama!! On January 29th, we all got in a car and drove to Niagara Falls for this competition. It was held at Marriott by the Falls. Surprisingly both kids were not nervous at all as opposed to us, parents! The first dance was Cha-Cha, then Jive at 14:00. At 14:30 they danced again, only Cha-cha. They did a superb job! I had to hold my breath to stop myself from crying. I will not pretend that I thought they were the best pair on the floor even though they just did the basic steps. But after only a month of lessons to be able to compete with your head up high... that is an achievement. To win the first place after just a month of learning is the whole new ball game! Watch out people! These are the Champions in the making! And I am not just saying this because I am his mama! Mark my words!

When I saw the pictures from this event I knew I had to paint them. They look amazing together! She is so beautiful and elegant. She reminds me of a graceful and a delicate swan. Tall, slim and so incredibly straight like a real dancer. And he beside her looks like a grown up gentleman! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this feeling of adoration that I have for them! I love them!

This is jive. It is a very fast dance. Dancers must move very vigorously yet manage to raise their knees high and keep they posture straight for 1 minute and 30 seconds (at this competition). This dance used to be popular in the 1940's in the U.S where it found its origins in Afro-American culture. It quickly became popular as the American soldiers danced and partied in Europe after the WWII.

Keep jivin' all weekend long!! See you on Tuesday! I am off to Ste. Sault Marie for the weekend!

Jiving Alek and Viktoria

Kamikawa

Happy Thursday! The week is getting better! We will have a long weekend! We will be celebrating a Family Day! Family is the most important thing in the world! Where would you be without it? Who would support you the most in your weakest hour if not your family? They will argue with you, judge you, scream at you, call you names but in the end, they will hug you, kiss you and love you forever! They accept you for who you are because they have seen you ugly and small, big and strong and they have stuck by you all this time! What I am saying here is... LET'S CELEBRATE! I am starting the celebrations with a parent-teacher night. Then, I am going to pack for the long weekend. Ste. Sault Marie awaits!! 

Hang in there friends! To cheer you up I have here a really nice piece of work. One of my favourites from a great time in my life!

Kamikawa.
I love this atmosphere. The sun is setting somewhere in the distance. You can see only silhouettes of objects and people. From the parking lot of our apartment building, across the fields, I could observe this image every time sun set. My life in Kamikawa was good! I can't say that I produced a lot of paintings due to my vibrant social live at "Melrose Place". We would have bonfires, get-togethers, soccer nights, rugby nights, eating and drinking nights, "my music is the best" nights, "watch my skiing videos" nights,  Mizube Koen nights by Kanna river as well as "hide your neighbour's plants"nights. If you were there and you are reading this, you certainly remember what I mean!

Whenever I had a quiet moment I would sit myself with my sketchbook in the parking lot and sketch and re-sketch this house. I couldn't get enough of this fascinating and mesmerising structure of the roof. I don't know this for certain but I think somebody had told me that there was a handicapped person living in that house. Come to think of it, I had never seen any people around it...  I lived right next to it for three years (2002-2005) and I don't know anything about it...  No regrets. Shoganai-ne!

My Beginning

One day during summer vacation, sometime before grade three i felt the unstoppable urge to paint on canvas. I had always known that arts was my favourite subject at school and not only because the otherwise strict and eccentric art teacher loved my work. But because there was freedom in it. I grew up in a communist Poland so getting materials for art was not easy.  In fact, it wasn't easy to get anything apart from vinegar. Without asking I snuck into my mom's sewing stash and I picked up some of her white and blue checker pieces of fabric with a white reverse side. I had stretched it over a picture frame and put a few thumb tacks in. I had sat down with my elementary school poster paints and began to make strokes with my brush. The result was three yellow pyramids with a proportionally huge black cat sitting in front of them. Since that day the need for creating and art has never disappeared nor diminished. I have painted and drawn many pieces that have reflected my travels in Asia, personal experiences and most of all my family. They are the main source of inspiration.

Today, I have four paintings from Japan. Naruto beach in Tokushima prefecture, Mamba in Saitama prefecture, Trekking Ryokami-san in Saitama prefercture and Geisha-san from Kyoto.

Naruto Beach. This painting was done just for the sheer need of painting. There had been many days in my life at that time when i missed being a kid again, worry-free and careless. I missed having things that i lost and feelings that i wasn't sure come back for good. Naruto encases that uncertainty and the need for renewed feeling of love and marriage.

Mamba. I painted while surrounded by friends from different parts of the world. It was an amazing day by the riverside. We shared happiness, Asahi, Kirrin, BBQ meat, conversations that were typical only to this mixture of people and only at that point in time of our lives. We lived like campers, endlessly partying, working, listening to music and complaining. We called ourselves "Melrose Place", like the TV series.

Kanna river (Kannagawa), in different parts of it's flow,  gave us a lot of great memories. This is one of them. It is worth mentioning that Mamba village is now called Kanna, Saitama Prefecture.

Trekking Ryokami-san. My husband is a man of incredible vitality and energy. Once, when we lived in Kamikawa, he had made up his mind to go trekking in the mountains by himself while I stayed behind and enjoyed the company of my friend and neighbour. In preparation for it I had made him some nice rice balls, simple sushi and snacks to last him three days,  Fortunately and to my happiness, I had him back after one night. I always miss him when he is away. I hate sleeping alone. He kept me entertained with some amazing stories and pictures from the trek for days. This is one of the sights he saw during that walk in the woods of Mt. Ryokami (Ryokami-san). We did a day trip there together a year later. It truly took my breath away!

Mt. Ryokami (1723 m) or as the Japanese say Mr. Ryokami (Ryokami-san) is an amazing and a dangerous walk. Every year there are at least a few who die or get seriously injured while trekking that mountain. It encompasses ropes and chains on its way that help you pass the most dangerous spots. Yet it is worth the climb for it's magnificent views and animal spotting of Chichibu Tama Kai National Park!!

Geisha-san. This is a painting that came to be after my family's first stay in Japan ended. We had lived there for 6 years. Suddenly, i found myself back in Canada, underappreciated, underpaid and over worked. It had been nothing like we imagined it would be when we made the decision to go back to Canada. The longing for life in Japan struck me badly.

I looked through some pictures that we take millions of whereever we go and chose one of a Geisha standing on one of the romantic bridges in Kyoto. In the background you can see the sun had already set and there is a flat view of the fall leaves just lifelessly sleeping on a tree. In an instant I decided to take a shot at this beautiful lady, the ultimate symbol of Japanese mystic beauty in the western eye.