DJEMBE & DUNUNS

MANBABIES 2

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I know I have shown you ManBabies before, but this one is so hilarious that I can't pass it by.

THE LATEST

This one I had to fight with and it took me several days to finish.

PAINTING AGAIN

All this house hunting and school and the many parties of early summer kept me away from painting for a while, but here is this week's new water color.

FINALS

Yesterday was the last day of the ceramics class. We showed our work and everybody talked a little about the class. There was really a lot of nice things, but nobody had made as many things as I, 26 pieces!
I'll miss the class, but it's time to concentrate on the next task: finding a new house and moving into it.

RAKU

Raku is a Japanese glazing technique. Here are some pictures from our recent session:

Me in fire protective clothing

Kevin lifting his red hot drum out of the kiln.

And my three pieces:

DUNUN VILLAGE SPRING 08

MANBABIES.COM

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COLLAGE

This is Alaya. I met her outside my house yesterday and hardly recognized her. Some of her friends are moving in two houses from me.

Tomorrow I'm off to Dunun Village. The weather forecast says 100° (38° Celsius)!
The moon is near full and the nights will be warm. Bolokada is coming and I think it will be a big gathering this time.

When I come back there is barely two weeks to the first of June and we have not found a house yet. Wish me luck!

FUN

This is a small painting made on the computer and worked over with color pencils.

CERAMICS

Yesterday a bunch of things I have made in class came out of the kiln. Out of thirteen pieces only two were disappointing, so I was really happy with the result.

ANOTHER YEAR

Today was my birthday - 83 years old. I am lucky beyond belief, being surrounded by young beautiful friends who keep my inner child alive.

Today we looked at a house in Bonny Doon that seemed ideal except for the distance to town. I don't really care, but the others, who commute every day, are worried about the cost of gas and the change in lifestyle. I liked the house a lot; it is spacious and sunny, and if we were five the rent would be reasonable, but……
It's hard to make a decision and when four or five people have to agree - even harder.

THE TRUTH

My friend Shawn got this t-shirt at a powwow.

TIME OUT

Napoleon takes a rest after a hard days patrolling the neighborhood.

TIBETAN MONKS

Photos and letter sent by a friend living in Lhasa












Passed over in all the hype about the trials of the
Olympic torch, is the fact that the monks at Serah,
Drepung, Ganden and the Johkhang monasteries remain
confined in their monasteries.
"Being re-educated" is what we're told by the government - wonder what that means?
I sincerely doubt that these monks are enjoying their confinement, so let's not forget them. Please, say a prayer for them; they're a big part of what makes Tibet such a great place.

May they be safe from harm.
May they be healthy and strong.
May they be filled with love and compassion.
May they be happy.

ANDREW JOHNSTON

LISTEN TO HIM!

NO WORDS NEEDED

Speaks For Itself!

Copy this pic post it on your blog and tell your readers to do the same thing; see if we can get it on as many blogs as possible.

UNTITLED

SUNDAY NIGHT'S PAINTING

FRIDAY NIGHT

I did this oil pastel last night and afterwards Miguel and Leela came and we had Cherry Garcia ice cream and watched "There Will Be Blood". It's a long and painful movie that left me cold and bored; I could not feel anything for any of the characters. I really hate that kind of movie and I wish I'd followed my hunch; it's such a waste of time.

2ND ASSIGNMENT

This is my triangular vase ready to be fired. The black stuff is called engobe and is just clay. When it gets a clear glaze on it will become a shiny dark blue.

MAGIC FROM AFRICA

Sunday and Monday we had a visit, here in Santa Cruz, of one of Guinea's most accomplished dancers, Alseny Yansané. I missed his Sunday morning class, but his wife took him to see me in the afternoon. Afterwards we joined the players at the beach in a cold March wind and bright sun.
Monday night Alseny taught class. He is a mighty dancer and he inspired the whole group to out-do themselves. He finished the class with a solo with such incredibly fast footwork that he was virtually flying. And he didn't stop dancing; the drummers played Dununba, the strong men's dance, and Alseny showed his graceful strength in some acrobatic moves. I was too taken by what I saw to bother with taking photos, but instead I have these pictures from the garden:







Oh! I love my garden so! There is nothing like the light spring rain to make it sparkle.