Art By Tali Landsman

Currently I am traveling by bicyles along the ancient Silk Road in China. I am NOT able to update this blog while in China, as it is blocked, along with all other blogs on Blogger.com. Facebook is also blocked in China, so I cannot reply to any messages that my friends so caringly sent to me. To Read about my adventures along my cycling trip in China, I set up another blog: www.talilandsman.wordpress.com To read my partner Jules blog while in China: www.juleslandsman.wordpress.com

Dinner yesterday was pure poetry. The Morita restaurant at Swanson street in Auckland, serves creative Japanese dishes, done in a mixture of Japanese and French cuisine. The chef offers an eight course meal for a set price. They start at $80 per person. Then $100 then $130... Per person. I read reviews about the restaurant, and all loved the food. Some said it was too pricey, others said it takes too long, or that the dishes are too small... Most people did not like the decor of the place. In my own opinion, a tasting menu should take time to savor and enjoy... In fact, if you are in a hurry, you should go somewhere else and come another time, when you can take your time to enjoy a leisurely meal. A tasting menu also should NEVER serve large amounts of food. In order to be able to taste and enjoy eight courses, they need to be really just a taste each... Otherwise you simply get too full too soon... and unable to enjoy all the creative courses. I would say that the food was superb. The...

Today I dropped the art at the depot, for the Original Art Show in Auckland. "It is an honor to finally meet you!  We only ever see your work... We never get to meet you in person." Says the friendly lady at the counter. I feel my eyes get moist... She tells me she loved the work I submitted four years ago....  The one with the thick texture of the swirly thick acrylic paint... It is nice to hear her say so... I have met people in NZ, who were quick to tell me that they do NOT like this style...  And of course many who also loved, bought and collected them....  It would never occur to me that I have a right to tell an artist that I do not like his work...  All the effort and creativity that goes into creating the art.... It feels so cruel to say something like this... Sum it up this way.... Yet people did tell me that..... without blinking an eye... Artists have to deal with all sort of hardships... It is the unfortunate part of the life of an artist. In China, there is a poe...

There is a casual term that is used in China, which is a cross between "Oh my God!" and an exclamation of surprise/ awe/ shock..... It translate to: "Heavenly bastard in the sky!" Considering the stormy weather in NZ, in the past two days, I would say: "Heavenly bastard in the sky! whazz up with the weather?" We drove to Auckland in a storm. We expected the rain to ease, as we drove south...but no such luck... It rained with heavy strong winds, all the way to Auckland. Sunday early evening in Ponsonby, was not a happening time. It felt a little sad... as the strong wind blew the fallen leaves all over the road....and the rain pounded on us, as we walked from our parked car to the Ponsonby Pub to have a beer. A friendly waitress asks us to select our own table... I picked the one closest to the warm fireplace. Jules grumpily said that it is OK.... But he was not very happy to be sitting next to a dirty table, full of leftover food next to us.....