Kathryn visits Iceland

The highlight of my mini-break yesterday, as well as my birthday week, was the gift of this lovely painting by friend and relative Kathryn. Kathryn took a brief trip to Iceland (in her imagination, inspired by a photograph), and I was the lucky recipient of her work. Kathryn is a talented artist and musician, and her artistic talents are equaled by her lovely personality. Doesn't this remind you of the majestic Jokulsarlon? Here is Kathryn with her painting, and a photo we took while visiting Jokulsarlon.

This came about due to a train trip I took to DC yesterday, where I enjoyed friends, relatives and art. It was very hot, but the weather was too beautiful to go underground, so I walked from Union Station, to the National Galleries of Art, to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, to Eastern Market. Kathryn and Kim took me to a wonderful meal at  Cava restaurant, near Eastern Market. I highly recommend their Greek mezza dishes, and their fruit and mojito drinks.

I also got to take a notstalgic trip "home" to Sonoma County, California while viewing a wonderful exhibit at SAAM which was: Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the Running Fence. The exhibit featured beautiful pastel and charcoal mock-ups that Christo created to convey the concept ahead of time, as well as photographs, a slide show, interviews, movies, a scale model, and actual pieces of the curtain and cables.

The National Gallery of Art featured an exhibit From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, which allowed me to view in person two of the Roen Cathedral paintings by Monet, one of the places where we will perform this summer. I also liked The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600-1700

Finally, can't you just imagine the infusion of color and atmosphere and memories that my new painting gives to our home!