Valetines Day

Elton took me out to a great dinner at in Grandcase, and bought me a rose (above). We sat on the balcony at a table over looking the beach. There in the spotlight on the beach by the water edge stood a Great Blue Heron. He had just caught a fish when we ordered and it was hanging from his beak. The meal was great but the main entertaiment was watching this bird trying to swallow this fish. For a start it was waaaay too big and kept wriggling about. He had it the wrong way round and tried for ages to turn it head first without putting it down or dropping it. I thought he would have luck when it finally stopped moving but he just could not get it into his gullet, it was flat but way too wide, I think it was some sort of angel fish. Eventually it went in, but got stuck. It was so funny to see this big triangle lump logged at the top of his scrawing neck. By then a few tables and the waiter were all watching and someone said "do you think its gonna choke to death?!'. He coughed it up and seemed to get real mad and flung the dead fish to the ground a few times in a sort of birdie rage. He was not giving up and tried again and again. Eventually the damn fish turned the right way and seemed to go down. The bird stood there motionless neck streatched, beak wide open, head tilted to the sky, aided by gravity we watched the lump make its slow way down the long neck to the body. My!, that bird was a lesson in the virtue of patience, the moral given by watching this birdie was, "if you are gonna bite off more than you can chew, make sure you have the patience to see it all the way to your gullet!". I think I am going to do a painting of this one.

Ruby's Gallery Openning

Artist Ruby Bute opened her new gallery in Friars Bay on the French side last week with an exhibition of several artists, music and a buffet. The guys playing are the same that was in "Art in the Park". I went along with fellow artist Mair and Elton came later. The Gallery is beautifully situated amid some very huge and ancient silk cotton trees. So, its fitting to call it The Silk Cotton Tree Gallery. The space is large and spacious and very nicely done. Ruby has her home on a plot next door. She has not got a sign yet but I guess its comming. I need to get some work displayed so I will pass by Ruby soon.

Lots to do/done

Art in the Park the other weekend was good dispite all thoses showers. It must of rainned serveral times, but I was ready with my plastic sheets and rocks. There was quite a few visitors surprisingly and I didnt do too bad by selling 7 watercolored prints. we has two local bands to entertain us with some traditional music and drumming , above and above that is my little setup where you can see my prints and my roller hand press.

My New Website

Yeay!, I finally got one. About time too!. I have posted a link on topright hand side of page. I will be working on it and getting it organized better with more work and and separate places for my multiple styles, especially my ultra weird stuff. here it is.

http://stephanietihanyi.mosaicglobe.com/

Raining again

I have an overflowing basket of washing that needs to be done. Its been like that all week. Its been raining a lot all week too. Last Tuesday night at Grandcase Harmony nights Art Fest was pretty good as sales go, its a lot of work but it was worth it. I was ready for the rain that night too. It rained on us twice but I rigged up this plastic sheet to the table whereby I can just flip it over my display. This rain here is like from a drop to downpour in 1 to 6 seconds, so you have to be quick.
I now have the hand-made prints in quite a few places around the island. In Philipsburg I have them in, the St. Gerain Gallery, The Museum and African Royalty store. In Simpson Bay, I have some in Top Carrot and in Marigot I have them in Amahoro gallery in the West Indies mall and opposite the market at Escale de Iles gallery. Here in Grandcase I put some at the Grandcase Beach Club boutique. I have a permenant exhibition of my large flower paintings at the Westin in the Silver Palms boutique. I have tried to expose at other places but not all places are suitable due to ignorance of the difference bettween a hand-made artist cut print and a photo copy and/or greedyness of wanting to take more than 50% while selling at too low a price. I dont need anyone de-valuing my artwork to the level of a photo copy!.
The art of printmaking has a long and respected history. Here, all the artists sell photo or lazer copies of their work. But there just over in Cuba, traditional printmaking is well respected as art.
No one except myself seems interested in block printmaking, Roland Richardson is the only one I know who earlier in his career did hand made etchings. There is a need for some educating. For that reason, I am doing an expo at the Philipsburg libary called, The Art of Print-making, at the end of Febuary. Where I can show my prints and also introduce the process of wood and lino cut. Lino was first used as a floor covering in 1860 England, a mix of wood dust, cork dust, resin and linseed oil backed on a fiber cloth. Artist in Germany first used it instead of woodcut about 1905. It was Picasso and Henry Matisse who first helped to establish it as a respectiable medium for proffessional artists in their printmaking. I have also written out an article for the Weekender in the Herald newspaper. Maybe some future classes to those that show interest.

Drizzling Friday

Thats what its been today. I have lost count of how many times its rained off and on. Feeling a bit blah today. No get up and go at all. Last nights aikido had an unexpected unfortunate ending. One of our students was injured during a fall. We had to call an ambulance for him and they took him out on a strecher. Luckily we are just down the road from the Marigot hospital. The reason I am not feeling so bouyant today is because I am the one that threw him. Granted, it was not a fast throw or particularly forcefull, but he failed to manuver his legs into the proper postition for his fall, which is a basic move. before I could see that, he was already going down. And down he went on the wrong leg, which popped out his knee cap as he fell on it. It must of hurt like shit, poor guy. I got thrown once and landed badly (due to my lapes of attention) on my shoulder, it pushed down my clavicle bone lower than the other one and the whole shoulder swelled up. I know last night was not excactly my fault but I still feel awful. I sent him a get well message today and hope he will make a fast recovery.
I picked up my new book yesterday that I ordered online in Dec. I think I will just sit quietly today and read abit. Its called "The Haunted Self-surrealism, psychoanalysis and subjectivity" by David Lomas. I want to expand my knowledge of the surrealist movement , its historical and psychological aims and its close links and affinity to the early psychoanalitic movement and why it has still endured strong today when psychoanalysis has seemed to wane. I mean, how can one be relevent and the other not?.

My New Linocuts

I had been working feverishly on some new linocuts last weekend in readiness for Grandcase Harmony nights. Above is a few samples on banana paper. (I am trying soon to order some sugarcane paper and mullberry paper. Tuesday night was pretty cool. I set up my table a few hundred yards from the Fishpot restaurant and besides Sexy Fruits, the ladies boutique, (NOT the gay bar). After putting out my display I got on with working on a new linocut of a pair of fighting Sugarbirds. It helped to draw people over to look and I could keep them interested by explaining how I make the prints. I sold 5 that night, so thats not bad especially these days when people are so worried to spend anything. Quality always wins thru somehow.