Post Thanksgiving

"Study of icy farm fields in Pennsylvania" by Hilary J. England
8" x 11" oil on canvas

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we move into Christmas.  I enjoyed the holiday with my family, even if the 20 or so people was a bit overwhelming, it was a jolly time, and worth the three day post holiday clean-up!

Now, the quiet days before Christmas, if we can fathom that.  I don't proscribe to all of the crazy holiday shopping, etc.  I prefer to do things a little more slowly, and to give gifts from the heart, like home-made gifts, etc.  Plus, one really nice-store bought gift!

So, in the quiet late-Autumn, early Winter landscape...the frigid, frosty days and nights have been giving some very serene and lovely little vignettes for me to absorb, like the one above.  

Parallax opening

Parallax AF 2012
Prince George Hotel Ballroom, NYC

The show began last night, with a very heavy turnout, much more than I expected, due to all of the problems the city is still suffering after Hurricane Sandy.  The place was packed and bustling, which is always a positive note.  Many were more subdued than in the past, but given the nature of events in the last few weeks, that is to be expected.

Getting in to the city was not bad, and cross town traffic was about normal so that leg of the journey was unexpectedly smooth.  Mounting the show in an hour?  An absolute record!  We were like a Nascar pit team, with only one incident of someone getting yelled at, and that would be when Mark nearly drilled a screw through my finger, LOL.  And yes, I yelled at him.  And yes, he understood why he got yelled at, haha.

So, we were able to clean up, get back to the LES, grab an amazingly nice quick dinner of eggplant rollatini, stuffed mushrooms, chicken marsala with sauteed veggies, cappuccino, and even a piece of chocolate tiramisu at Goodfellas Pizzeria, buy a cashmere coat in a boutique, organic shampoo soap, shampoo and conditioner, shower up, primp and perfume, and out the door back to the venue for the preview party.  Talk about doing things on the fly!!

We stayed the necessary length of time, and met some very new and interesting people, including another artist from Colombia, just passing through by way of Boston.  The wine flowed and the ballroom moved and heaved with so many people, it was as if there was an actual ball going on.  It was quite amazing to see that many people come in for good art and free wine.  I guess that combo does the trick!  After leaving the preview party, we headed back to Orchard Street, where there was another gallery opening, and just took a peek in there.  Good things, and they were also enjoying a boisterous night, with lots of walk in traffic from the street.

I headed up early though.  A fifth floor walk up, sky high heels, and a long day all were factors in my just wanting to tuck in and relax.  I could hear the party in the street, and that is OK...I remember hearing that same sort of laughter in Paris, a timeless gaiety.  It was more of a comfort than an annoyance, that sound of happy oblivion.  Made me smile and think of happy days, and that is never a bad thing either.