Author: lauramchugh

I’m in Cork on business and staying at a new hotel. The exterior is modern and I don’t feel it is attractive. It’s important to be curious and open-minded about art, I think. But my judgement intervenes when I drive up to the outside of this place.

However, it is a beautiful and well-appointed facility. There is a full spa, pool, and grounds surrounded by a wildlife refuge. Out the windows are green, gently rolling hills so typical of Ireland, complete with the bleating sheep that have full coats, pregnant for shearing in a few weeks.

This photo shows the FRONT of the hotel, quite unspectacular, and what’s up with that big green facia? The whole modern-ness of the building and stark landscaping really distracts from the countryside. But then, maybe that discontinuity is the point – the building definitely does not compete with the natural beauty.

Inside is another story. The reception area is sit-down desks, like when you open a checking account, except that each of the three desks is in it’s own private alcove with beautiful mossy green curtains hung back on either side. The rooms are also beautiful and environmentally friendly. You have to put your door key into a slot on the wall just inside for the power to go on. The bathroom is the gem in the room:

European in design, the shower has only a wall, no door. The first shower I had flooded the entire bathroom because I don’t think the drain is working properly, so I put a towel across just in case. There are two shower heads, one of the huge rain type, and a second traditional head. Not shown is a huge tub, plenty big enough for two, with two headrests and a waterfall-type water spout on the side.

The glass panel in the shower divides the shower from the rest of the room. This architectural feature is repeated in the bar area of the lobby, where you can see the bottles of Irish whiskey lined up behind the frosted glass.

This is a sketch from a painting I did in 2004. The painting hangs over my fireplace in my family room. Today I was working with how my core values of Ease – Flow – Connection – Fun show up in my artwork and I realized there are four figs and four core values.

So – I will call them the figs of ease, flow, connection and fun.

I now have a beautiful used Eurovan to haul art supplies and finished art around in. Yay! I was worried about messing up my beautiful little convertible Beetle. The Eurovan, which was sold to me by a lovely couple, Yula and Luda, in SF at Discount Auto Sales was a real deal and the transaction was actually a pleasure.

They were straight with me about the price, fun to talk to, and Luda and her sister who was visiting from Sacramento even helped me drive the van home. They were a delight to interact with and now we have a good car for hauling the dirty dog around in, a way to go camping, and something I can use to pick up people (and all their luggage!) from the airport.

She’s a beauty!

Today I made a mistake and almost went to LA for a meeting that isn’t happening until next week. To make the most of it, I’m saying I had breakfast at the Oakland Airport. First time in my life I left without getting on a scheduled flight. Weird.

I ended up back at work and in a meeting where I did this doodle to settle myself down and work through feelings of waste and stupidity. I call it “spikey tomato.”

Tonight, we went to see jazz at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. It was raining like crazy and at one point, the rain seemed like it was louder than the music.

We saw The Michael O’Neill Quintet featuring Kenny Washington, a virtuoso singer with an awe-inspiring four-octave range, and special guest, Joe Locke, regarded by many to be the most gifted vibraphonist of his generation.

The BDDS has a long history of being home on Sundays to many great jazz artists who were up in SF playing on Saturday night. The list of people who have played at BDDS is impressive, including Count Basic, who I remember meeting when I was 4 years old in Ohio. It is an intimate club and with the music being in the afternoon, it is suitable for bringing along your kids to expose them to jazz.

The BDDS founder, Pete Douglas, has this to say about music and art: