ARTISTIC WEDDING DAY

"Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love is kind." - I Corinthians 13: 4, 8- the Bible
"Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more intoxicating."- Leo Buscaglia

TITLE OF PAINTING: "WEDDING,WINE AND WONDERFUL FEAST"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS - SIZE: 40' x 30"
PAINTED IN 2008

INSPIRATION FOR THE PAINTING: This is one of the oil paintings exhibited during my solo art show last September 2008. This colorful oil painting was inspired by our wedding day, on June 12,1971. Today the 12th of June, marks our 38th wedding anniversary. Wow! It just seemed yesterday when we walked down the "I -Do - Avenue." It was a beautiful summer day on June, when Rhod and I exchanged our marriage vows in a lovely church named First Baptist Church of West Los Angeles in Southern California. Our theme color was yellow. All the bridesmaids and flower girl wore yellow. My bridesmaids sewed all their long gowns. I did the dress for the flower girl and my sister Ofel's gown, who was my maid of honor. My auntie, a good seamstress from San Francisco, made my simple wedding gown. It was her gift to me. I created the bride maids bouquets, flower girl baskets and ring bearer's pillow ring. I also made my own bouquet and beaded my headdress. It was a very creative wedding day where we put our resourcefulness into action.

Many details on the painting are true to the real event. Some are imaginary to make it more vibrant and elegant. I painted the church in purple, with complementary yellow color. The wedding reception was held at my parent-in-law's backyard in Van Nuys (San Fernando Valley), California. I painted the buffet tablecloth in bright yellow. I like to use contrasting colors such as yellow and purple, green and red, orange and blue. There were the traditional, festive Filipino foods like lechon (whole roasted pork), rellenong bangus, embotido, etc. Filipino desserts included leche flan and fruits were there. I substituted foods that are good to look at and delicious to paint. The yellow-buttery cake was home-baked by one of my aunts. She prepared real butter icing, and it was very divine. There was wine till you dropped. My colleague's son played the violin to the delight of the guests. Then my husband & I left the reception after we tossed the bouquet and garter. We flew to Honolulu, Oahu for our honeymoon.

OVER THE YEARS We celebrated our anniversaries in many different ways. Every five years starting with our 30th, we took family cruises with our children & grandchildren. It's two weeks of family fun & togetherness. Of course, my husband & I have time to bond and rekindle our love. During cruises, we always separated ourselves from the children during the day. We do our own thing and only meet our family during dinner.

This year, we plan to celebrate our anniversary with friends at the "Filipino Independence Day Celebration" at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. June 12 is the Philippine Independence Day, but the big date will be celebrated on June 13th, a Saturday. We look forward to dinning on a 10 lauriat Chinese courses. Sounds very yummy! I better not eat for the next two days, so I will enjoy this great feast.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK-END TO ALL!!!!!

A SUNFLOWER PAINTING

"I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers" - Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, letter to his brother Theo

Why Vincent Van Gogh painted sunflowers?
While Vincent Van Gogh painted over 300 works, he is perhaps best remembered, by many, for his sunflowers. So why did he paint them? Vincent himself never actually stated why he liked sunflowers in particular, references to them are made in his many letters, which help give us some idea. In a letter to his sister dated August 21,1888, he talks of his friend Gauguin coming to live with him in Arles. Then goes on to say that he 'intends to decorate the whole studio with nothing but sunflowers.' He went on to write further, to his brother Theo, on the same day, 'Now that I hope to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own, I want to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers.

In another letter to Theo dated September 9, 1888, he wrote, 'The room you will have then, or Gauguin if he comes, will have white walls with a decoration of great yellow sunflowers. In the morning, when you open the window, you see the green of the gardens and the rising sun, and the road into the town. But you'll see the great pictures of sunflowers, 12 or 14 to the bunch, crammed into this tiny boudoir with its pretty bed and everything else dainty. It will not be commonplace.

But weather Vincent painted the sunflowers because he was trying to please Gauguin, or because he really loved the sunflowers for themselves as they appealed to his joy in color, he certainly left us a legacy to enjoy.
THINKING LIKE VINCENT I don't know what the famous impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh saw in sunflowers that inspired him to paint lots of them. I know one of his favorite flowers was the sunflower. He left us all the beautiful gift of a collection of magnificent sunflower paintings to enjoy and learn from. His sunflower paintings became masterpieces. He painted the sunflower with so much beauty and vibrant color.

TITLE OF PAINTING: "MY SUNFLOWER" - (16" x 20") OIL ON CANVAS

Although I was inspired by Vincent sunflowers, I have a different version. This is my beautiful sunflower painting.

WHY DID I LOVE SUNFLOWERS? Because of the images of Vincent Van Gogh's sunflowers painting. He said...."You may know that peony is Jeannin's, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the SUNFLOWER is mine." Yes, it was Vincent's but the sunflower is also my flower.

I wish I had a flower garden with sunflowers. They will thrive in our garden because we have warm weather. I still remember a good friend who gave me a pocket of sunflower seeds long time ago. She said..."just scatter these seeds around your garden. They are easy to grow." Yes, they are easy to grow & take care. When we were living in one of our past houses, I scattered those seeds along the slopes. We no longer live in that house but I still remember those blooming sunflowers.

Today, I take the easier route. When I like to see fresh sunflowers, I go to our nearby Bristol Farm or Costco. I am always tempted to buy but looking at them is inspiring enough. The fresh sunflowers could be mine for an hour while shopping. But painting the sunflower and looking at my painting, makes me smile "forever."

50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

"Love is like a painting in the beginning it is only an idea, but over time it is built up through errors and corrections till you have a breath taking work of art for all to see." - Anonymous


TITLE OF PAINTING: "50 YEARS OF MAGNIFICENT MARRIAGE AND MEMORIES"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: 30" x 40"
PAINTED IN 2008
This is one of the paintings I exhibited during my first solo art show last September 2008. This painting is inspired by the memorable 50th wedding anniversary of my parents, Atty. Gregorio C. Dirige and Lourdes Villa Dirige. It was a lovely day in June 1987, over twenty two years ago. The beautiful ceremony and renewal of vows was held in the same church where my husband and I got married (First Baptist Church of West Los Angeles). It was an emotional ceremony to witness our parents, who had remained faithful to each other for 50 years. What a great love & accomplishment! My parents passed away but they made it to their 53rd wedding anniversary.

The last week of May brings back the beautiful memories of this magnificent event. I coordinated this event and suggested the rainbow colors for our theme. All the six daughters and three grand daughters wore a "terno" (traditional Filipino gown with butterfly sleeves). We had our gowns custom made in different rainbow colors. We wore floral wristlets. The men and ten grandsons wore "barong Tagalog" (a traditional Filipino outfit for men). The barong all came in beige color with white floral embroidery. My mother wore a lovely white "terno" and my father a white barong. A lavish luncheon reception with a Hawaiian Luau theme was enjoyed by family and hundred guests. It was held at "Don The Beachcomber" in Marina Del Rey, California. The setting was gorgeous overlooking the ocean. The food were very colorful and artful. This is a painting that I enjoyed creating.

I am blessed to have parents who made it to their 50th wedding anniversary. My husband's parents made it through their 50th anniversary and more. Last April 2008, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with family members. And that was the last anniversary celebration they had. Thanks to both parents as models of enduring and successful marriage.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

"Make a lot of pictures, play with colors, look at a lot of pictures, daydream, imagine." - Vera Williams-artist

PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN ART Yes, lately photography is becoming an intense hobby not for me but for one of my sons, Ryan. Last Saturday, he invited Dad and Mom (me) to this annual photography show at the beautiful Bridgeport Clubhouse in Valencia, California. He was so excited because his photographs gained many awards. He entered four photos and received 2nd prize, 3rd prize and 2 merit awards. We were so happy for his achievement. I am proud to share Ryan's photo blog. Please click his website to see his winning photos and the stories behind them: http://ryanresella.com/

"CONGRATULATIONS RYAN!!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

"LADY MYRA IN LOVE"

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way-things I had no words for."- Georgia O'Keeffe

TITLE: "LADY IN LOVE" (16" x 20"- oil on canvas)

This painting is about a reclining, modern Filipina lady, with dreamy outlook in life. She is a lady in love and gazing beautiful and lovingly at the full moon above her. The palm tree is bended into a sensual shape. This painting is an experiment in style and texture. It was influenced by Van gogh's impressionistic texture. It's very colorful and vibrant to behold like a Georgia O'Keeffe art.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE PAINTING This is one of the three paintings I showed during a recent "Love Is In The Air" group art show at the Hyatt Valencia. Two are sunset oil paintings and this lady in love. There were many compliments on this painting especially from the guys.
" THE LADY IN LOVE" WITH THE ARTIST AT THE ART SHOW
"LADY MYRA IN LOVE" is the new title of this oil painting. Here are two Filipina friends during the art show. The lovely lady on the left is Myra Miranda, the present president of the SCV Filipino-American Association. The one on the right is Judy, the secreatary of the association. I displayed this paining during my solo art show last September 2008. Many admired this painting despite of many art competitors. When Myra saw this painting at my recent art show, she fall in love with it. The painting had a happy ending. I SOLD it to Myra. She bought it as a birthday gift for herself. Belated "Happy Birthday, Myra!" And she and the painting lived.....happily ever after. I am happy to sell my painting to someone special. I am sure I will still see the painting when I go to Myra's charming condo. Thank you Myra!

THANKS TO ALL MY VIEWERS. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME A SHORT NOTE ON THE COMMENT ICON BELOW.

ART OF REINVENTING

"If I can put one touch of a rosy SUNSET into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with GOD."- G.K. Chesterton (English poet)

"SUNSET#1" Do you remember this painting? I know some of you would remember and others not. This is the same sunset painting that I posted on my blog few years ago. Somehow, I re-invented this painting last January. To fit the "love" theme of an upcoming group art that I wanted to join last March, I decided to do some renovation on the original painting. I added some palm leaves on the top and painted the lovers down below, to give it a more romantic edge and feel.
"SUNSET AND SWEETHEARTS" (18" x 24"- oil on canvas). I apologized that this photo wasn't as sharp and focused as the first one. I liked the first one better. Will do another photo shoot in the future. Meanwhile, I'd like to point out the differences. This is the renovated and reinvented painting. I gave it a new title too. I also moved my signature to the left side. This is now the new painting that made me the first place winner ( People's Choice Award) during the "Love Is In The Air" group art show at the Hyatt Valencia last March 29,2009. I am happy with the painting and there will be NO more future changes. There is nothing wrong with reinventing a painting if you could make it more......BEAUTIFUL.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY ART BLOG! Please take a moment to drop me a line on the comment icon below.

THE ART OF REMEMBERING

"True Blue Friends....make you feel good and warm; they are automatically on the same wavelength; they feel genuinely sorry and come to your assistance when you're in trouble; you can speak freely to them, you don't have to be on guard, they really listen; they care about what you're doing."-Adelaide Bry

REMEMBERING A WONDERFUL DOCTOR-Today is the unforgettable birthday of my favorite otolaryngologist (a doctor dealing w/ disorders of the ear, nose, and throat). This post is dedicated to him. I met him because I had hearing problem. In the late 80's and on the early 90's, I experienced a decade of devastating, progressive, and profound bilateral hearing loss. This was the most challenging experience I had in life. But thank God, I live in an advance world of technology where it's still possible for a deafened artist like me to go back to the world of sound. On February 27,1997 I had a successful cochlear implant surgery at the UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, California.
WHAT IS A COCHLEAR IMPLANT? It is a miniaturized computer device that helps hearing impaired people like me to hear environmental sounds and understand the spoken words. Cochlear implant is not like magic. I didn't get my hearing back overnight. It took months of rehab and practice to decipher the mechanical sounds from my cochlear implant. Today I am a happy recipient of the cochlear implant technology. I am forever grateful to my ear surgeon, Dr. Jim who gave me the chance to recover 80% of my hearing. EBB AND DR. ANDREWS - This photo was taken at his office two and half years ago."HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. ANDREWS! You're a wonderful doctor and true Blue friend. Just exactly like the quotation above. Thanks again for everything you did for me. I will always remember you."
"TAOS POTTERY" (18" x 24"-oil on canvas). Next to Philippine scenes, I love to paint Southwest scenes. I like the simplicity of the Southwest art. I think the "Taos Pottery" is the best realistic Southwest oil painting I had ever painted. I created this painting during one of the darkest times of my life. I was depressed w/ my worsening hearing problem and painting became my therapy. The original oil painting is far more beautiful than the photo above. This is the only photo I have. In deep appreciation for my successful cochlear implant, I lovingly gave this beautiful oil painting as a Christmas gift to Dr. Jim in 1997. What would I give to a doctor who has everything? I have no doubt that a gift of art from my heart and hand is perfect. I still remember what Dr. Jim told my husband while visiting him one day at his medical office....

"Please tell your wife, thank you for the oil painting. It's so......BEAUTIFUL!!! I displayed it in our family room."

I will never forget those nice and kind words. I was so happy and honored that he didn't hang my painting in the garage. I am truly honored that my painting is on display in his luxurious home. Over the years, I never regretted giving him few more of my oil paintings. He is the most compassionate ear surgeon I have ever known. I have so many doctors, but none as caring and as nice as him. Ever heard of a doctor taking the time to answer a patient's e-mail? Yes, he replies to my e-mails. He even reads my blog. Very rare quality among doctors today. He's not only my doctor but also a friend. How could I forget someone like him?

THANK YOU For visiting my blog. I'd love to hear your comment. Please drop me a line on the comment icon below.