Lately I have been pondering what else I can do with our living room concerts — showing art on the walls while musicians perform, hosting writers for a reading in between music sets? Or maybe I try something different entirely — a home-based supper club idea with food or cocktails as the focus instead of music?
My artist husband, John Tebeau, shows up as a guest star on my blog fairly often. But today, he’s the focus — specifically, an art show he has opening Thursday on a subject that’s near and dear to my heart. “You Want It, You Got It” focuses on the way your attitude and approach to life affects the quality of…
I didn’t know much about David Foster Wallace when he died. I’d read a few of his essays and his widely circulated commencement address at Kenyon College, but that was the extent of it. The intensity of the reaction from well-read friends when Wallace committed suicide gave me a view into how admired he was. Flash forward a few years,…
Timed to Cirque du Soleil bringing its new show, Zarkana, to New York this summer, the New York Times offers up a lengthy profile of its creative force, who is described as a “very nice bulldozer.” With the caveat “analyzing his character is challenging since he has few close friends, and even his longtime associates say they hardly know him,”…
John and I arrived in New Orleans for our quasi-sabbatical on March 25 so we’re approaching one month in our temporary hometown. I’m already getting pangs about time running short. We have Easter weekend coming up, then two weekends of Jazz Fest, then we pack up for home a few days later. So after we’ve crossed the halfway point in…
Since arriving in New Orleans Friday, several people have asked us what our goal is for the next six weeks here. Depending on who it is, I might quip back that my goal is to have no goals — to just be, which is the opposite of hyper-achievement oriented New York. But that’s not actually true. My biggest goal is…
Earlier this week, I wrote about the most popular blog posts in the two-year run of Newvine Growing and about the most common search terms that bring people here. Studying those data points is part of some work I’m doing to refine my focus for 2011. I launched Newvine Growing in January 2009 with broad goal: to have a forum…
John has an art show tonight in Brooklyn and I will beam like the proud wife I am seeing his paintings showcased by ContaminateNYC. But one of the things I love about New York is that even when you aren’t at a gallery, museum or other designated art event, you’re surrounded by art. Last Friday we were headed to an…
One of my most popular posts ever was about the artist Chuck Close reinventing himself after a blood clot left him physically unable to use his hands the way he used to. So of course I was intrigued to start seeing AOL ads featuring Chuck Close. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, AOL commissioned Close to do a “Project on Creativity.”…
Because our society doesn’t generally pay well for creativity, many people who aspire to act, sing, paint or write have a day job to pay the bills. They might aspire to that glorious day when they’re discovered and can quit the practical job, supporting themselves solely on their art. Richard Russo, a Pulitzer prize winning novelist, got to do just…
John and I both committed to daily creativity in November: I launched the Month of Thanksgiving with the declaration I would blog every day, and John rolled out 30 Paintings in 30 Days, in which he created a daily series of art works themed on things we love to eat and drink. So I felt a kinship as I watched…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me in a Month of Thanksgiving, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 26: An open love letter to my husband, who I am beyond grateful for Earlier this week, I wrote a post giving…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me in a Month of Thanksgiving, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 24: Giving thanks for the simple pleasures in life Many Thanksgiving dinners I’ve been part of have included everyone going…
Today, election season kicked off in Grand Rapids, Mich. Not to choose a mayor, but to decide who will win about $450,000 in prize money up for grabs in ArtPrize. ArtPrize bills itself as a radically open art contest — some 1,200 artists have their work on display, competing for first prize of $250,000, which is chosen by votes from…
Some people don’t pursue their dreams for very practical reasons — they have to pay the rent and they worry that being a musician, artist, filmmaker or writer won’t make any money. A story in the New York Times this week introduced me to Kickstarter, based in our back yard here in Brooklyn. Earl Scioneaux III is not a famous music…
Newvine Growing’s audience is growing each month, but I still have Chuck Close to thank for lot of my visitors. I blogged about artist Chuck Close’s reinvention back in January, just a few weeks after launching this new effort, and that entry continues to lead many people here. Maybe even you? Here’s a sample of some search terms that landed…
If you’ve visited Newvine Growing any time in the last few months, you might have noticed I’ve done some redecorating recently. As a birthday gift, my artist husband, John Tebeau, offered to design business cards for my blog. He planned to use moo.com, a nifty site that allows you to add full-color artwork to the back of your card instead…
Editor’s note: This post is by far the most popular on my blog, thanks to people landing here searching for Chuck Close. If you are interested in art and painters, please check out some of my other posts with those related tags. In the green bar on the right, scroll down until you see “tags” and click on any word…
