As an only child I played with the neighborhood children, who were mostly boys. This worked well for me since I had rejected every doll my family had ever given me. I loved playing baseball, basketball and even tag football in the streets with the boys. And I turned into a tough little girl too. I played as rough as I got, and I had the scrapes and bruises to prove it.
The boys would often play nice with me and then when I would win, they would step up the intensity. I always wanted them to play with me like I was a boy, an equal. Playing like equals was pretty easy between the ages of 4-7. Something happened at age 8 though. I think I become a GIRL, and now the foe.
Ever since I was 8 years old, I have never regained that easy camaraderie with boys or men. My attempts to be an equal whether in school or work have been rebuffed at best. I was now restricted to the company of girls and women. And, so I discovered by age 11 that females were considered by many people to be unequal to males.
But I knew better from my tomboy days...and so since then I have devoted a significant part of my life to ending sexism. I have become a feminist. I have gone to rallies and marches, I have been an editor of a feminist newsmagazine at UCLA, and I have worked at women's organizations in Washington, DC. I guess you could say I've contributed to the women's movement.
But I don't know if this tomboy will ever get to play like an equal with boys and men. But my hope is that future generations of women will have far more opportunities to play ball with the guys. And I hope they win too!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
For Art’s Sake
Have you ever wanted to be a painter and live on the Left Bank in Paris? Well I have. So I just decided to teach myself how to paint. For me it was just like the Nike slogan, "Just Do It."
I used up a tremendous amount of paint and paper. My discovery process required making a lot of mistakes. Some mistakes were moments of serendipity where I had an "Ah-Ha". But most moments were just the makings of bad art---no grace or beauty about it. But I persisted, and with each and every attempt I became even more charged up about painting.
Finally, I had a breakthrough in technique, and voila I produced two or three paintings I could put up on my home's walls. (Kathleen has been a very supportive partner who has been willing to live with my art. She's wonderfully kind.)
Since boldness has always been my strong suit, I decided to share my work with the world. I choose to show at Artomatic. It's a non-juried show, so I didn't have to worry about not being "good enough." I just had to worry about being "bold enough" to do it. Well, I debuted in the 2004 show, and several other artists liked my paintings. I had accomplished my goal: paint and show. Now I needed to show and sell---much harder to do.
Meanwhile I kept buying enough paint and paper to fund a third world country. It was using up most of my discretionary income, but I was hooked on painting. I produced a few more presentable paintings and got an opportunity to be a part of a staff art show where I worked. Showing at work was like coming out as an artist to people who only thought they knew me. And since my work is abstract expressionism, they really saw a side of me that I hadn't "shown" them before. Despite my anxieties, everything went well. I now had two shows under my belt.
Finally, I got my big break. I donated a painting to a charity's gala, and my painting sold for a modest amount. But unfortunately, by then, I had painted myself out of money. And I'm still looking for another good job so that I can afford to paint again.
But above all else, my painting odyssey gave me confidence in myself. While I hope to do it again soon, if I can't, I am satisfied with the time I had with my painting---She was a lovely mistress, and she taught me some of my first lessons on becoming a Renaissance woman.
I used up a tremendous amount of paint and paper. My discovery process required making a lot of mistakes. Some mistakes were moments of serendipity where I had an "Ah-Ha". But most moments were just the makings of bad art---no grace or beauty about it. But I persisted, and with each and every attempt I became even more charged up about painting.
Finally, I had a breakthrough in technique, and voila I produced two or three paintings I could put up on my home's walls. (Kathleen has been a very supportive partner who has been willing to live with my art. She's wonderfully kind.)
Since boldness has always been my strong suit, I decided to share my work with the world. I choose to show at Artomatic. It's a non-juried show, so I didn't have to worry about not being "good enough." I just had to worry about being "bold enough" to do it. Well, I debuted in the 2004 show, and several other artists liked my paintings. I had accomplished my goal: paint and show. Now I needed to show and sell---much harder to do.
Meanwhile I kept buying enough paint and paper to fund a third world country. It was using up most of my discretionary income, but I was hooked on painting. I produced a few more presentable paintings and got an opportunity to be a part of a staff art show where I worked. Showing at work was like coming out as an artist to people who only thought they knew me. And since my work is abstract expressionism, they really saw a side of me that I hadn't "shown" them before. Despite my anxieties, everything went well. I now had two shows under my belt.
Finally, I got my big break. I donated a painting to a charity's gala, and my painting sold for a modest amount. But unfortunately, by then, I had painted myself out of money. And I'm still looking for another good job so that I can afford to paint again.
But above all else, my painting odyssey gave me confidence in myself. While I hope to do it again soon, if I can't, I am satisfied with the time I had with my painting---She was a lovely mistress, and she taught me some of my first lessons on becoming a Renaissance woman.
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