Art By Tali Landsman

We live in Mind-Clouds. The world we seem to live in, is not the real world. It is a world created by our thoughts, ideas, feelings, and projections, yet we fully believe it is real. This is because we love what we create, and even if it is not wholesome, nor perfect, we hold on to it... Many people argue, that what you BELIEVE to be true, is indeed REAL and true for YOU.... But this is only half of the truth. A person suffering from severe paranoia, might fully believe that people are looking to harm him, and therefore will suffer fear and pain that will effect all areas of his thinking, feeling and actions, yet it does not make it the truth. His unreal fears only debilitates and hurts him, but they are still not real nor true. This person still have the option to turn his mind away from  fear based delusions and heal, to live a full life. But let us not take extreme examples... Let me tell you about something smaller that is very common... I read a research saying,

Auckland is our favorite city in NZ to enjoy an urban break from our rural retreat. We go there to catch up on movies, classical concerts, dine in great restaurants, sit in cafes, shop and watch people... We have our list of favorite hotels in Auckland that are located in the city center, and offer comfortable, clean, and somewhat luxurious rooms. During many of our city breaks in Auckland, we have stayed in the Sky City Grand hotel, but we had never visited the casino located up in the tower of the Sky City needle building. This time, when our friendly hotel receptionist presented us with free coupons for the casino, we decided to cross the street and check the casino for the first time. We are no gamblers. Since we worked and earned everything we have, we do NOT enjoy losing money.... personally, I also do not understand what there is to enjoy by placing a bet, or gambling on roulette or a blackjack game. Still, we ventured into the casino, an

I once did an art show next to a painter who painted wonderful realistic paintings. He painted mostly still life. His paintings depicted bowls of fruit that were overflowing with fruit so real, that you felt the urge to reach into the canvas and taste the juicy pomegranates and the sour plums... When I first met him years before, he painted very large oil paintings, but in that art show that we did together, he had mostly small paintings, and even some miniature paintings. I asked him why he went so small......And he answered that big, realistic paintings take so long to finish, that his prices simply HAD to be expensive and beyond the normal reach of most small collectors. He said that expensive paintings do not sell as often, and so he switched to smaller canvases, in order make some art at a price range that would sell. He also said that miniatures are collector items by themselves, and it opened up to him whole new marketing possibilities. I was curious about how h

We are going on a diet! It is amazing how those extra pounds creep up on you... One day you look in the mirror and you love how you look, and a month later you go on the scale and you find that you've gained five pounds.... How? You think to yourself.... I did not indulge in cakes or desserts.... I did not even eat much more than normal.... The truth is that it does not take much to gain weight. But it also does not take much to lose it... Recently I read that most people in America admit to drinking one can of soda or soft drink per day. The research said that this means that they consume about 250 calories per day from a soft drink. Accumulated over ten or eleven days they will gain one pound.... Or... An average of three pounds per month, just from adding one soft drink or canned juice. Over the course of a year, it amounts to a staggering weight gain of 36 pounds... Imagine that.... 36 pounds, just from adding to your daily diet 250 calories. Those of us who

We were sitting in a coffee shop, researching our trip to Japan. The northernmost island of Japan is Hokkaido, and it is a remote island with high mountain passes, the least populated island in Japan. The Island has harsh, cold Siberian winters. And historically, it was only inhabited by the Ainu people, who lived much like the Eskimos, subsisting on fishing and ice fishing for food and provisions. Nowadays, Hokkaido is home to Japan's best ski resorts, but it is still sparsely populated. The best way to explore the island of Hokkaido is by car. We were told that the train and the bus services in this region are not the best, and that we need to rent a car and drive around, in order to really enjoy and explore the area. As we sifted through the dozens of car rentals, it became obvious that we must have an IDP- an international driving permit. Unlike Europe, America and most of the world, Japan still requires an IDP.... Most of the world gave up on them when driving lic

The depth and real joy that comes from doing something with all your heart is a lost art in a modern life that values monetary returns and academic degrees. But beyond the exterior of what constitutes success in a society which sees only the exterior, there are the rich rewards of personal growth that come from living the life of a master. A master is a person who has devoted his life to the search, the study and perfection of himself along with his craft and philosophy. It is a person who has overcome many difficulties, but has kept on going... A person who was motivated from within... I do believe that a life of personal growth and yearning to improve oneself, of being open to new knowledge, to understanding life more fully and to finding contentment in the appreciation of the little things in life, is a much more rewarding life than a life that is focused on exterior pursuits. I also always enjoy either meeting people who live such a life, or even hearing about them, or wat

The weather forecast called for a rainy day in Northland, but besides a short spell of rain, we encountered nothing but sunshine for the duration of our drive from our home in the Hokianga, down to Auckland. We drove to Auckland to deliver some art to The Original Art Show, and for a much desired city-fix. The narrow road curves between beautiful open farmlands, and passes through a succession of small towns. With an appreciative eye, you could take in many beautiful sights... The only trick is to shake off the drivers who are not interested in the scenery, and just wish to get to their destinations at the fastest speed. We had dinner at "Number Eight," the restaurant at the Langham hotel, which is famous for its fresh seafood buffet. Everything is displayed raw, and they cook it to order the way you like it. The food was super fresh and tasty. The place is expensive, but it was packed to capacity......perhaps because it was Mother's Day.... We did see a lot

Life is awesome! I enjoy so much being here on the shores of the Tasman Sea in NZ. It is so beautiful, and from every window and door I can see vast views of the harbor, or my eyes can rest on our lovely garden, so full of flowering plants, trees.... Butterflies and birds. Life is so quiet, easy, stress-free and fun...... Days can pass by, and the only thing that casts a tiny shadow on my day is how well I did in the studio.... If while painting in the studio I did something I was less than happy with, I usually carry it with me as if it really matters..... Of course all of those tiny dissatisfactions with the progress of my work are all fixable and easy to change the next day, yet I find that I allow the feelings of dissatisfaction to stay with me a little longer than I should... I should shake them off and dismiss them into the nothingness from which they came...  I sit in front of the water and dream.... This morning the mist on the harbor made the boats look li

Recently I read an article, entitled, "Are your parents addicted to drugs..." The article explains that aging parents are now consuming prescription drugs as if they were candy. We seem to live in an age in which people want quick solutions for their ailments. For the most part, their terminal conditions have no known cure, so they seek a relief for the associated aches and pains.... Something to calm their nerves... And something to help them through the day... Something to soothe them out of their fears and into sleep.... The tables have turned, and now the children who once were pot heads and alcoholics are looking at their aging parents with concern, asking: "Mom.... Do you really have to take all those pills?" Mother: "Yes.... The doctor prescribed the pink ones for my urinary problem, the blue ones for blood pressure, the orange ones for my aches, the purple ones for digestion, the white ones for sleeping.... Or was it the yellow ones for sleeping

There is a desire in us to be loved and accepted by our peers and by our community. It is an innate human desire, that originated when we first started valuing living in groups. Primitive men started living in communities, as a way to ease their work loads, to search for food more effectively, and as a means of protection from outside dangers. Communal living developed in us some psychological needs, which we still carry inside us, into what we now call 'modern living.' Even if we live alone in remote places, or in city high-rise apartments, even if we believe ourselves to be artistic or eccentric individuals, we still have a hidden psychological need to belong.... To be accepted.... And to be understood. Everybody knows it.....In order to successfully belong to society, you must obey the rules. There are many rules, and many systems to trust and to obey, in order to rise up the unseen social ladder. We are trained from early childhood to understand how society