4:24 PM: just back yesterday evening from carbondale. first day in my studio. i felt a bit dizzy and generally out of it, but very happy to be back in my big, beautifully lit studio, where silence rules. a dear friend in nyc sent me this photo of an egg tempera painting of mine she purchased probably in 1981, when i was living and exhibiting in nyc, at fischbach gallery. this was painted in my central park west 10th floor studio/apartment overlooking central park west. i was still painitng in egg tempera, the ancient medium i learned to use during my 15 years living in greece. it’s painted on board, which is the best and safest surface for this medium, which can easily crack on a flexible surface like canvas.
this was a period when i was almost exclusively painting nyc architecture. i was especially inspired by the reflections in the huge panes of glass that are everywhere in the city. this particular one is in my friend w’s neighborhood. egg tempera is the perfect medium for painting these subtle reflections, and i have deep gratituse for the athens painters who helped me discover egg tempera: yorgos manousakis, niki karagatsi (my then mother-in-law) and yiannis tsarouchis. you couldn’t ask for better guides, teachers, mentors.
8:43 PM: this afternoon at 5 we sat down on our deck for dinner & drinks with friends. as it grew later, the skies turned red/purple/warm grey and we were blessed.