Diary Of An Artist In A New World

Sleep At Last In A Month Both Traumatic And Exciting

Managed to get good sleep last night. Had set the alarm for 8 1/2 hours but was woken an hour early but even so it is so good to feel relatively refreshed. With the funeral last monday, and an extra busy week following sleep became a luxury I could not afford. This coming week will be at least as bad. November is always my most difficult month of the year. It seems that Scorpios are disproportionaltely represented in my family and friends. The birthdays alone make this a busy month, add in hens events and Lisa's death, and I have many reasons to be glad to see December this year.

Norman Mailer: A Brilliant Mind

Norman Mailer (1923 - 2007) is possibly one of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 20th century. Possibly not. However, according to some of his critics he was little short of the devil incarnate. That such a range of statements is found in the same paragraph is a mark of the contradictory and provocative nature of a man who new no fear when it came to the role of the writer as artist.

Some people sample life, others observe it. In Mailer's case his philosophy was "be physical" - get in there and live life with passion, and an appreciation for those moments that separate leaders from followers; those times when fear, duty, experience, and courage come to the fore, as when a pugilist steps into the ring against someone who may well cause great pain and loss, yet does it anyway because winning is not possible until that bridge is crossed.

Of course as every war shows, the heat of the moment sometimes brings out the worst in people and Mailer was very publicly exposed when he was alleged to have stabbed Adele, one of his 6 wives.

Lisa Will Never Be Forgotten

Lisa Kruger lost her battle earlier tonight. Sometimes it is the smallest things that are most memorable. For me it is Lisa cooking a roast dinner and worrying that everyone was well fed with the warmth of her distinctive American accent.

Polish Women Are Beautiful Brides-To-Be

There have been many claims over the years about the extraordinary beauty of Polish women. Kamila certainly is never going to prove them wrong. But then maybe beauty rubs off on your friends because Kamilas friends were a particularly beautiful group of women

Leif Kicks A Goal

When I saw this image of my son Leif on PhotoBucket I just had to share it on my diary. The proud parent loves seeing their children grow into young men and this photograph is so different from the younger boy just discovering his way in the world. Now he is confident and heading into manhood with grace and style. A father could not ask for more.

Art In The Rain

It was pouring with rain this evening before class. I thought for sure it would be a quiet night. Yet there was a full room and an electric excitement among those passionate artists who would rather draw than be concerned about the rain.

One Year In The Pool

It is now a full year since I returned to swimming. A year ago I could barely swim 25 meters without a racing heart and gasping for breath. Now the minimum distance I swim is one kilometer, and at the end of that I am breathing just a little heavier than normal.

New Ideas Versus Tradition In Yemeni And Saudi Film

"A New Day In Old Sana'a" is representative of the difficulties facing potential film makers in the Middle East. While some west asian countries have a long established film industry, notably Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran, other countries have only a handful of films to their credit.

A New Day In Old Sana'a, released in 2005 is the first film shot in Yemen. On the first day of shooting religious fundamentalists stoned the set and the film crew needed to be guarded by soldiers during the rest of the shooting. Despite this state security effort there were reports of continual difficulties faced by the film makers from the Yemeni Authorities.

Yemeni women are said to have refused to be filmed and Lebanese and British actresses took the female roles. Even so, criticism of the film has included the observation that the females are so well covered by veils that it is difficult to discern the subtleties of emotion that enable audiences to engage with the characters. The plot is about the choices a young photographer faces as he is faced with the alternatives of rebelling against his family by choosing true love, or obeying tradition and accepting the marriage his family has arranged for him. The backdrop of the intensely beautiful city of Sana'a and the respectful depiction of the very real conflicts between tradition and new ideas won the movie widespread acclaim and a special screening at Cannes.

Beauty In Motion: Kate Turnbull

I have the best job: I stage a party, and beautiful women turn up. It is loads of fun doing these Arty Party's but it is a special pleasure when the group is as wonderful as this one, and, as promised, we worked hard to put a big smile on everyone's faces.

More Jacarandas

I just adore the Jacarandas in Sydney so much I have to share a couple more photographs from Darlinghurst. Aren't they beautiful?