art

News of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday is barely 24 hours old, and already I have to turn away from reports -- they're too difficult to read, and hear, and watch.  As a native of another Caribbean island, Trinidad, this news feels very close to home. In the same way that someone from Texas might deeply feel the misfortune befalling citizens of the neighbouring state of Louisiana (Katrina, anyone?), those of us from the Caribbean are deeply moved by any catastrophe that a neighbouring island suffers.  I feel helpless. As an artist, I wonder how I can help.

While I was in Chicago for BlogHer this summer, I shared a hotel room with the amazing Jen Lee, one of the most beautiful writers I know in real life. As soon as we'd checked into our hotel, we wandered to a nearby grill for some much-needed lunch, and our conversation turned to journaling.

My father collects frogs. No, not real frogs.  Like, ceramic frogs.  Glass frogs.  Frogs made by famous crystal designers, like Lalique and Waterford.  Intricately-made frogs fashioned by friends with great detail out of discarded aluminum foil.  And these frogs are all over the house.  It's done tastefully-enough -- it's not like he's a hoarder -- in fact, you barely realize the frogs are there, until you look.  But once you notice, you realize it's like a Plague of Egypt up in there.  Of course, when your name is "Kermitt," you're sort of forgiven for having the Largest Frog Collection in the World.

I've mentioned before that my husband Marcus and I have been pretty avid art collectors.  It's not like we own Picassos or Monets or anything, but we own a lot of art, purchased, for the most part, when we travel.  Some of the pieces were pricey, but others are just the works of local artists -- sometimes even street artists --  of various cities where we've vacationed.  We just buy what we like.

My friend Beth is currently in the process of re-writing her book, Healthy Mother, Healthy Child.  Beth is both a registered nurse and a certified yoga instructor, and her book is basically about how to create a peaceful, healthy environment in your home, all with an eye to reducing the number of health-related problems or issues for you and/or your family.  It includes tips on healthy eating, alternative, complementary therapies to Western medicine, and creating a peaceful home through ritual and a focus on family life.  As part of the rewrite, she has invited me to contribute some images to her book, and this morning she invited me to her house to take a few shots.