“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can.” – Neil Gaiman

“Art must be an expression of love or it is nothing.” – Marc Chagall

My recent travels have revolved around family, and have involved a myriad of emotions. Yawn for you.

During my cabin-in-the-redwood sojourn, a fellow traveler relayed fond impressions of the Ansel Adams exhibit on display at de Young museum in San Francisco. The artist’s photographs and environmentalism are renowned, but I’d yet to give him much mind. At the same time, The Legion of Honor was exhibiting, “Sargent and Spain”. John Singer Sargent captivates me with his illuminations of light…and shadow. I am drawn to his black shades; they mystify me – dark hues wherein secrets might be kept.

It was to be an eight-hour day of driving so I had only a short time at each museum. Still, I made better acquaintance of the impressive Ansel Adams and was further enriched by John Singer Sargent. No matter the time – as art can do, it changes you.

The strength of emotion in black and white. Image below is not upside down, it’s a reflection. Stupefying.

“Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.” – Ai Weiwei

“You know everybody’s got their own way of doin’ anything. Like I could take this particular song for instance, it’s been done by many, but I gotta do it my way…” -Bobby Womack, Intro to his version of “Fire and Rain” (slays it).