Gabriel's new paints! and something about far away

Today, Gabriel never went to school. We had a day together for a special treat. Childhood is so short, I need to relish it. Soon he will be in 'big school' .. and all that that brings...

Today we bought some paints, like Flora's! and we did painting!
The first two are Gabriel's first paintings,at least with me [thank goodness his school is one where kids can get their hands dirty and it's actually encouraged!] The paintings are in order, but along with painting on paper,  my face got painted,  my hands, the table, and other items within the vacinity of the paint box! Being with children is expansive!

I love these paintings. They make me so happy and so sad at the same time.
I am so happy to see my little boy making with his hands and asking for 'gialo' but I am so sad for other reasons.. I am sure I am absolutely biased but I just love these paintings so much.

The third painting he did when I was at work, and he was with his Papi. I love that one too.
It is kind of how I feel. How lovely to see a mirror of myself, and how ironic that it's my 3 year old son that created it.

I have put these pictures on the wall of the house we live in. I feel so happy that my little boy has made some pictures at 'home' because that was my dream, to live in a creative family where people made things with their hands every day and we talked not just through words but through being together in a creative space, making, be that with colour, music, words, lego, stuff, whatever. A space where everyone had a voice and everyone felt heard, at least some of the time, and seen, at least some of the time. I feel that these little pictures are a tiny window onto that world. I am sad about the circumstances and everything that looms outside of this tiny window of happiness.

 I feel sad that at the age of 3, I feel I am curbing and limitting his life through the circumstances we find ourselves in, and mine too [I have only been a mommy for 4 years, if I include he tummy time, which is vital, so I am a 4 year old mommy!]

I want to write about flutes, flutes don't take up much space and are gentle but resonant voices. I But it is too late. I will write tomorrow. or the next day.
But for now, I am enjoying Bevani's flute channel on youtube.

The main thing is that I wanted to say something about Gabriel's paintings, before his childhood flies away ...

'Urban Sketchers' Palermo, and a little bit of running, and Palazzo Adriano and Halloween... and...

I want to write a bit about running and drawing. And about a race, and a drawing experience specifically...  But no doubt, this will go where it goes... we have pictures for anchors!
Ok, I shall start:  Today was such a lovely day, one of my nicest so far since arriving in Palermo, because it was a day of making something with my hands, with other people!
For a little while I felt un-homesick for my ilk.
Palermo Urban Sketchers!!

Me and  Gabriel went, it was great. I shall write a bit about it, and the idea and the concept, but for now, here are some pictures.

First, these are two little pictures that Gabriel and his friend who is 6, made!.
They are actually very small, on little cards. Thank you to Gabriel's friend who is so generous with her patience, kindness and sharing of her things, with a bouncing 3 year old boy,  including her water colours and construction ideas!  

[see the parco dei dinosauri below!]

Then, here is my drawing of the river. It's not what the river looks like, obviously, but I enjoyed drawing it.  To just be, in a place for a period of time, without having to converse, analyse, rush, respond, etc. The simple act of just tuning into different sensations and feelings, and draw is a pleasure. So different to my recent drawings which are also important and valid, but very internal and less about the space I am in. Usually I am trying to hide away from the space I am in, and find a new imaginary space to go and play in, just for a while.
So it's interesting... I am pondering and my mind is turning stones over and digging a little with today's experience.

Also, no doubt drawing in community, so the idea of 'Urban Skecthers',  creates yet another experience.

It goes without saying, of course, that drawing, as a voice, is universal, and so for a little while, I get a break from my 'normal' stranieri speaking challenges, and I can just draw 'insieme'!

I also like the fact that Gabriel can have these kinds of experiences, and I hope we can do this again in one way or another. We shall! In fact, we do have a litle collection of drawings we did on our various excursions in the summer, we did it, but this is a little different. A little bit more expansive. Not just mommy and crayons!

So, my drawings from today are kind of rudimentary, and clunky. But, it is a start, and I feel inspired.

I was saying to Gabriel's friend's mommy,  that when I have been somewhere and done a drawing, my memory and recollection of the day or the place is incredibly different. It's as if drawing makes a real imprint on my memory and it adds roots and weight to the day, no matter how 'good' or not the drawing was. [or the thing I made, or whatever]

Time and time again, and this has been through out my life, I feel as if I speak most confidently with my hands. I have less of a need to have what I say with my hands 'validated' through feedback.  I mind less what people think. I can breath more freely.

It's interresting, I dont know... It can be music, it can be any kind of art, its the physicality of it and the sort of connection between heart and hands, and the senses. It's like running! sort of.. in running you aren't making something, but you are feeding your soul with the senses, and without words.
I think its the feeling of feeling connected. When I make anything with my hands: drawing, sculpture, paper mache, mosaics,  tapestry, anything, I feel connected. I'm using parts of me intuitively and I suppose you could say authentically.
It's so interesting though, how it changes, when you DO get feedback, even if that is just the dance of drawing in the same space as others, and connecting so subtly as to not even have to speak!

But having said all of that, I LOVE words, and I love to read them, write them and bask in them.

I just find saying them hard, is all.... 

Let us draw!!

This is the second drawing which is very unfinished, I will try to finish it with my imagination. I like where it is going.. even if it looks VERY rudimentory in this state!

And this was the first one, I like it. I dont like the composition and the bottem right hand side is a bit dud, but I like it still... more for what it made me feel like and the ideas it gave me.

So I like it for that. It's whats inside that counts!

Oh, and I like the fact that I still use LOTS of colour no matter where in the world I am.

Now running and other stuff!

And just quickly, some running pictures from last weekend. We went to Palazzo Adriano to do one of the ECO Trails. This is an important town because it is where the Crispi part of Maurizio's family is from, AND it is where Cinema Paradiso was filmed, and that was a film that I watched when I was in school, when it came out and showed in the Art House cinemas in South Africa. It had a HUGE impact on me at the time, and to this day, I still cannot fathom exactly how or why. . Little did I know, to what extent I would connect with it again!

So, I ran the trail run in Palazzo Adriano, well, in the mountains near by.. beautiful!!!

Since moving here, I have run a lot less than I every did in London, which is pretty ironic given that this is such a beautiful place to run in, with such an amazing climate, and the culture is so much more layed back and passive than in London.

But there we go, the mysteries of life... so I am pretty unfit and clunky in both drawing and running! 

But luckily both are in my bones, I grew up with them, so they are oldest and most trusted friends and I can connect very quickly and get back on the saddle and not worry too much.
Thank goodness!

After the run, and a nice lunch, we went to explore the old train tunnel. There used to be a train from Palermo to Palazzo Adriano, which Maurizio's father used to go on as a child, so it was nice to walk in that tunnel and tell Gabriel that his Grandpa used to go on a train through that tunnel a long time ago.

That was nice.  I like that kind of thing. Physical tactile things that feel real, especially as niether me nor Gabriel have ever met Maurizio's parents.

So here are the pictures!

[oh and also something from the Italian, but more prominant here in the South -  'Day of the dead'. Children get presents - supposedly from the dead relatives [so really, a bit like saying the present comes from Santa Clause]. You can see Gabriel with a most gleeful smile getting his day of the dead present, very sweetly written in English from his Pappi. We don't really do the same thing for our South African relatives, most of whom are not yet dead.

At the same time there was Halloween. Again, something a bit ambivalent here in the South as some people think its a bit evil, Perhaps they forget  that really its just about kids having fun and using their imaginations, and building community spirit through playful traditions, like thinking up and creating costumes, and Trick or Treating.

Finally some links to some cool stuff Mauri has done about Palazzo Adriano itself, and his family,  as well as the ECO Trail.

About the ECOTRAIL at Palazzo Adriano, by Maurizio Crispi

About the railway line of Mauri's dad's childhood

There might be more, I must look, I will add them.

Oh this is one he did at the time of another trail race, a few weeks ago,  which he went to alone.
It was near the mountain where his father died in the aeroplane crash,  so this piece is about that. I like this one a lot.

So, anyway, I hope we can go to the next Urban Sketchers meeting!