Constance Hobbs Art & Photography

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cabinet D'Arts Graphiques

Last night was a beautiful evening here in Geneva. The cafes were full and alive with the buzz and excitement of spring. It seemed as if the entire town were out and about. We were invited to the opening of the new Cabinet D'Arts Graphiques Museum located in the old town. It is part of the Musee d'artet et d'histoire and the Swiss museum network. It is the arm of the museum responsible for drawing, prints and all works that come under the umbrella of graphic arts. Following is the cover of the brochure from the show and some selected works. My favorite piece is by artist and sculptor Charles de Montaigu.

Charles de Montaigu

Anri Sala

Pipilotti Rist

Philippe Deleglise

Josh Smith

Markus Raetz

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

European Airspace Closed

What a fiasco we are having here in Europe with most of the airspace still closed. People are stranded all over the world. Goods and services are grounded and food stuffs are decaying with devastating financial results. Flights in Asia are being cancelled because the airline companies can't get their planes back from various destinations. The rail system here is being over taxed, it's terribly crowded and there are numerous delays. Perhaps the only companies and people profiting, from this spewing volcano and its ash, are the car sales and rental people. This is a good lesson in just how interconnected we actually are.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Down the Road

Have you ever looked down the road at all the things you have to accomplish, would like to accomplish or both? Only to find that you become overwhelmed or discouraged? It's just way too much! Well, me too. But, I've had another one of my epiphanies. I realized there is no need to look down the road, especially if all it produces is anxiety. Looking down the road is an idea, a concept, created or imagined in your head. You can't accomplish anything there in actuality. The only place to effect your future is today. In the present moment. If you can do one small thing today towards that future concept, then you're on your way. It's such a miracle to realize everything is wrapped up into the now. The now is all there is. It contains the totality. The past, the present and the future.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Signs of Spring

Friday, April 9, 2010

Happy Birthday Victoria

My younger daughter's favorite place in the whole world is Hawaii. Now you might think, she couldn't possibly have visited many countries for her young years to make such a statement. But this is certainly not the case. She was born in New York, raised in Switzerland and has traveled on her own as far as Australia, Thailand and Cambodia. When she was quite young, maybe five or so, she had this growing passion to visit Hawaii. We never understood where it came from, it was uniquely her own aspiration. So for her 16th birthday, instead of a traditional sweet sixteen party, we took our daughter and her cousin (also her best friend) to Hawaii. We had a wonderful time. Today is her birthday and as I was reminiscing our trip I thought it fitting to post a photo of this beautiful Hawaiian tree. It's a bit of a gift. She is in New York for her birthday weekend and I am in Geneva.

Happy Birthday Victoria

Monday, April 5, 2010

Plagiarism in the Arts

There is such a buzz going around the Internet regarding plagiarism in image making, or taking, that I thought I would put up this quote that I found on someone else's blog. Forgive me, but I can't remember whose blog it was. OOOPPPS, appropriation without consent! I especially like the last line from Godard.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

It is a beautiful Easter Sunday here in Geneva. This is the view of the Jura mountains from my terrace. As you can see the snow is beginning to melt.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Happy Easter

Whether you are celebrating Easter or Passover I wanted to wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday.

Easter Preparation

Easter is such a happy time as it heralds in the spring with its vibrant colors and pungent floral scents. I must admit, I still love to color Easter eggs, just as I did as a child. There is something about all those deep colors. Dipping the egg in red then blue. Watching colorful transformations take place. I am partial to the royal blue and aqua green. Then again, the reds, purples and pinks aren't bad either. One can apply all kinds of resists with crayons, markers etc., such fun. I haven't met one child who doesn't enjoy this process.

We couldn't be living in a better place for the Easter chocolate. Switzerland has a copious number of fine chocolatiers. My favorite are the orange rinds dipped in chocolate. My husband likes chocolate truffles. There is a delicious white wine I like from the Loire Valley of France called Sancerre. We will have that with our various Easter goodies. Switzerland also has a very delicious selection of hams and smoked meats. If you're a vegetarian I guess you'd pass on these. We can't forget the bread. Last night we had the most wonderful prosciutto with olive bread and a local white wine. You can really enjoy everything as long as you eat in moderation. Bon appetit!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Tea Time

Yesterday was such a lovely day here in Geneva. Temperatures of about 15 degrees C. or 60 degrees F. Simply beautiful. I made myself an ice tea with strawberries and lemon. I situated myself out on the terrace. The view is very agreeable as you look across the town to the distant Jura mountains. The mountains are still snow capped but I don't think that will last much longer. I was jotting down thoughts concerning my photography and art work. It's important to just stop from time to time and take stock. Rewarding or disturbing as that may be. I asked myself, what do I want for the work and for myself? What do I expect? What am I trying to say? What do I want to put forth? These are just a few of the many questions that were rolling around in my brain. I sometimes feel there is such a gap between the cerebral aspect of the work and the impulse to create. They do go hand and hand but not at the same time. At least, not for me. Does the thought precede the work or the work precede the thought? Sometimes one way and I suppose sometimes the other.

The two photos above are advertising display pieces from the local optometrists shop here in Champel. They sell various designer styles of glasses and sunglasses at incredibly expensive prices. I pass the shop often and somehow I always find the photos on display so funny. Don't ask me why? I wonder if Tom Ford approved the advertising above for his sunglass line? What is on the woman's head above? You can just make out some sort of mesh netting or organza on the left?

Not to deviate, but then again I will. Have you heard about the particle collision scheduled for today at the Cern? Cern is the European laboratory for particle physics. It's just outside Geneva. They are colliding particles today at speeds similar to the force of the Big Bang. There is some concern that the collision could generate a black hole. So, if you don't see anymore posts from me, you will know that I was swallowed up by a black hole.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Winter Into Spring

Winter is transitioning into spring and so am I. The rebirth of spring is a passionate experience. Passion for all things new. The process of transition is an interesting one to ponder. We are all transitioning from one place to another all the time. Our cells dying and new ones being born. Our minds thinking one thing then transitioning into something else. This is life. Constant movement, transition and change. Easter is approaching and with it the message of death and rebirth. Resurrection and revitalization. What beautiful words.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Memory

Lovely Freesia

The other day I was walking through the park, reminiscing about something in my past, when I suddenly had an epiphany. It hit me so vividly that my past is dead. It's all ashes. It does not exist at all. It wasn't a sad thing, it was simply the revelation of a fact. I walked on and felt the wind against my face and realized that this moment is all there is. My past exists only in my head. Only in my head! What if I never visited my past again? Wow, what a thought. Now, intellectually, this was no new bright thought, but it was the first time that I felt the reality of it so vividly. It was very freeing and liberating. The same can be said about the future. It's all in one's head. I suppose the Buddhists achieve this on a regular basis or try to at least. It's positively wonderful to empty one's head of the past. Now certainly you can't empty your head about where you live or what to buy at the store. I'm not talking about those things. I'm talking about all the stories, opinions, conclusions, likes and dislikes etc. Just forget about the whole thing. Look at life anew, with an uncluttered mind and heart. Ahhh.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Portes Ouvertes Geneve

Last night was an exciting evening here in Geneva. The Fine Art Galleries in the area of the MAMCO, Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, had their doors open to the public and it attracted a surprising crowd. I say surprising in terms of numbers. It was so wonderful to see so many people interested in art. You can see the crowds in the photos above. The art work ran the gamut from photography to painting, works on paper and art books. The art work was internationally diversified and so was the viewing crowd. The International community has grown in Geneva. It's a substantial part of the life here.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St Patrick's Day

Today is Saint Patrick's Day. I searched inside my photo files and tried to come up with an image of some clover. Fortunately or unfortunately, I came up with this spring dandelion instead. What a lovely day we are having here in Geneva. I took a walk in the park and there were buds and blossoms everywhere. It really has happened. Spring has arrived. Officially it arrives on Saturday but I am celebrating today. So a happy St. Paddy's Day to all.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Geneva Flea Market

Yesterday I went to the Geneva flea market which is held every Saturday in the Plainpalais area of town. The assortment of goods is amazing. It runs the gamut from sheer junk to fine furniture. The surprising thing is that you can still find that unique piece at substantial savings. You can also find fine soaps from Provence, beads galore, jewelry, fine pens, reproductions and original prints and beautiful scarfs from the east, plus much more. I've included some photo's to give you a taste of what it's like.The second photo here is of Henry Dunant who was the founder of The International Red Cross established here in Geneva in 1863. The Red Cross is an international humanitarian movement created to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for the human being and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Nostalgia

I came across this photo today as I was organizing my files. It's an old image. I made it when I was experimenting with collage. Somehow it appealed to me today and I decided to share it. The sweet little moth came from my garden. The feather I found on the beach and the leaf I can't remember. All assembled in the US. The image has a sense of nostalgia and that's how I'm feeling. It's cold here in Geneva today. Certainly not the promise of spring. There is a radio station here called Nostalgie, which means nostalgic in french, and I've been listening to it all day. They play rock 'n' roll interspersed with romantic French songs and ballads. Some of it is simply beautiful but tugs at the heart strings. I miss the States. Europe is beautiful and Switzerland is "uniquely" centrally located. That means you can hop to the south of France in 3-4 hours by car, Paris 3 hours by the TGV train, London an hour or two (depending on traffic) by plane, Milan 3 hours by car, I think you get the idea. But, alas, today I miss the US.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Monday, March 1, 2010

Harbinger of Spring

It was a beautiful day here in Geneva. It certainly felt like spring and lots of people were out and about. The local supermarket had an abundance of colorful primroses outside its doors and a mountain of lovely tulips inside. I walked through the park and where the earth has been cleared away little leaf sprouts can be seen showing themselves off. Spring really is just around the corner. How simply wonderful.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

February Moon

The moon was visible from my bed last night. It was a crescent shape and the clouds moved across its face with no particular destination. As the moon illuminated the night I tried to imagine its entirety, out there in space, orbiting around the earth. The earth simply hanging out there, all on its own, orbiting around the sun. Did you know that the moon is 384,403 kilometres or 238,857 miles away. The moon makes a complete orbit around the earth every 29.5 days (taking into consideration the earths rotation around the sun as well). The moon is extremely cold and space is a very hostile environment to humans compared with earth. What an amazing fact.

All of this life is the result of the big bang. Of course its a theory but apparently the best one so far. If the big bang is correct, and we can use that as a marker for the beginning of time, was there anything before the big bang? What may have existed before? Anything? Nothing? What is nothing? Can you imagine nothing, no-thing? As I tried to imagine nothing, the thought occurred to me that If everything came from nothing, then the concept or reality of nothing is everything. Nothing must contain everything. Paradoxical. Pretty weird no? Think about the color black. It absorbs all light, all color. Black is the result, the totality of all color, everything and yet it is black, nothing. Is the idea of nothing like the color black? Everything and nothing at the same time. So, I lay in bed last night trying to make some sense of it all. I really should know better by now. Life is a mystery and there simply are no answers. But its a lot of fun to think about.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Winter's Melancholy

Winter is on the wane. Of course, we all know it can snow heavily in March, as winter makes its last effort to affirm her power. This is my birthday month which helps abate the melancholy spirit of February. One gets weary of winter about now and spring is still a way off. That's why this is such a popular month for tropical vacations. It's their high season. Skiing is popular too. If you go to the Geneva airport here you will see lots of foreigners arriving with their skiing gear. There is plenty of snow this season in the Alps so they won't be disappointed. We had one lovely sunny day here in Geneva this past week with 50 degree F. temperature. One could feel that spring is just around the corner. I'm really partial to the renewal of spring. It always holds such promise.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Sports Illustrated swimsuit Issue

The sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has hit the news stands with lovely Brooklyn Decker on the cover. Beauty is a commodity in our culture whether male or female, young or old. I wonder if it would be possible for beauty to "just be" and enjoyed for itself? Not used to sell things or to gain advantage. For the uneducated, but beautiful, I suppose its a very welcome asset. Or if you just happen not to be too bright, beauty comes in handy. As human beings there is something built into our sensibilities, a preference towards symmetry and hence beauty. This simple fact supports this weakness in our culture. It takes extraordinary character to recognize the power of ones beauty and not to use it for personal gain. Or to develop skills, a profession, something hard when It's so much easier to capitalize on one's beauty.

The very sad reality that these beautiful men and women fall prey to is the plastic surgeons promise and dream of perfection. There is some controversy over Brooklyn Decker's use of plastic surgery. She is only 22. What happens when you start so young with surgery? The constant demands of "touching up" and the obvious health risks? We all have favorite personalities that we hardly recognize because of plastic surgery. Over time it deforms one. These unrealistic views on beauty are largely American but do exist worldwide. What happens to Brooklyn Decker when she is no longer youthfully beautiful?

She is married to hot shot tennis star Andy Roddick. I took the photo of Roddick below at the US Open practice sessions.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

A Valentine greeting from me to you. Happy Valentine's Day to my family and friends and to the faithful followers of my blog. A little history of Valentine's Day to follow. Have a great Day and remember all those you love.

Saint Valentine's Day is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Monday, February 8, 2010

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Monday, February 1, 2010

F-Stop Magazine

My two images above are currently being featured in F-Stop online photography magazine. I am excited to be amongst such a wonderful group of photographers. The theme of the show is "Away From Here". Expressing and interpreting various modes of escapism, whether psychological or physical. I hope you'll stop by for a visit.