Visit to Sparkling Amazons at the Katonah Museum of Art

A Convergence of Art, Women,
Style and Birthday Cake

On Saturday, a group of friends traveled north from New York City on a Metro-North train to Katonah, N.Y. There we met my sister, Jeanne Markel, and continued to the Katonah Museum of Art to see "Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionist Women of the 9th St. Show," a 1951 exhibition of 11 artists who showed work at a pop-up gallery (to use today's term) in New York City.

It was Jeanne's idea to plan this trip, not only to celebrate my birthday, but also to see the work of artists who had not been shown together since 1951 and who were dynamic leaders in a world of art dominated by men. It was Thomas Hess, an art critic for Art News, who called them "Sparkling Amazons". It was an apt sobriquet, as they were dedicated to making incandescent art and were fearless women in their practice.

The well-known names, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler and Grace Hartigan are joined at the KMA by lesser known ones: Perle Fine, Anne Ryan, Sonia Sekula, Day Schnabel, Jean Steubing and Guitou Knoop.

We were 10 fearless, sparkling women who love art, style and creativity. There could not have been a better segue to a joyous day than the convergence of these elements.

Jeanne Markel and Carol Markel.
Jeanne is a trustee of the Katonah Museum of Art.

Arriving at the KMA are Carol Markel, Debra Rapoport 
and artfulcitystyle.

 Michael Gitlitz, Executive Director of the KMA with 

Inge Brouard Brown, trustee emeritus and the

founder of the Katonah Gallery which later became the

Katonah Museum of Art.

Jean of the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas.

Our KMA docent, Bonni Stanley, informed us
with her deep knowledge and vibrant  anecdotes.

 1959 painting by Elaine de Kooning entitled "Bullfight".
I love the passion of its color and brushwork.

1957 masterwork by Lee Krasner called "The Seasons".
On loan from The Whitney Museum of Art.
I respond to its swirling forms and lush color.

Here is our group at the KMA with Valerie of the
Idiosyncratic Fashionistas front and center in the harem pants with orange splashes.
Photo by Katonah Museum of Art
Did somebody say "Birthday?"

This day was also my birthday.
We gathered at The Whitlock restaurant in Katonah for lunch.
 Jeanne ordered a beautiful pear
and dark chocolate mousse cake from L'Anjou Patisserie Francaise in
Mt. Kisco, N.Y. 

Ready to make a wish. 

 Because she knows I love all things French, Jeanne
make these place cards and used one of my drawings.

She also created a trivia game for each person.

Trivia questions.
Debra Rapoport got the most right and won the prize.

 Darsie Alexander, Chief Curator at The Jewish Museum
in New York, (center) with Inge Brown.
I told Jeanne no presents, but guests made
the most imaginative cards and gifts anyway.
Of course they did!

 Maryann Van Dongen in a
beautifully embellished sweater.

 Maryann made this magnetic board using pictures of me, 
my art and my dresses. Each picture is a separate magnet that
you can take off and move around.
It's amazing.

Farewell shot at the Katonah train station.
L-R: Debra Rapoport, Valerie of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas,
Nonnie Balcer and Jean, of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas.


A Bientot!

Some Time in Brooklyn

No Passport Needed:
A Trip to Brooklyn

On a crisp, fall day in September, I took the F train to Bergen Street to meet my friend, Elke, for a lunch date at a cafe called Bien Cuit, or in English, well baked. From my time in Paris, I remember that at la boulangerie you can ask for une baquette bien cuite if that is your preference.

Elke and I ordered a turkey and Swiss sandwich on a croissant, coffees and desserts. It was all delicious.

 At Bien Cuit, I tuck in to a chocolate gateau while

a grapefruit treat awaits.

My blouse is by the French label, A.P.C.

 After lunch we walked to a charming store

called Salter House.

The owner, Sandeep Salter, discovered a

trove of little-girl dresses

from a label called Pom' Flore in a

barn in Normandy.

 The company was founded by three French sisters in 1988.

One was a ballet dancer, one was a classical singer

 and one was a business woman.

 The fabrics are all from Liberty of London.

 Elke and Sandeep in the shop.

Elke is wearing a necklace that I designed

and made.

 Salter House carries a selection of items for the home.

 There are dolls.

 Elke and I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey at 

Salter House.

 A view across Atlantic Avenue

looking toward the Long Island Restaurant.

A Bientot!

Some Hand-Painted Dresses by Carol

I designed some dresses
and here they are.
A few years ago, I got the idea that I wanted to design and hand-paint some dresses. I chose a simple a-line style and decided to airbrush geometric designs on the fabric.

My fabrics were cotton which I purchased from B & J in the garment district. B & J is a well-organized fabric store that makes choosing fabric easy because it's all displayed on large, hanging samples, and you do not have to sort through jumbled rolls of cloth like you do at Mood.

I did a lot of airbrushing in the 70's when I was making geometric, abstract paintings so I knew my way around an airbrush. For these dresses I had to set up a table, lay the fabric down, which had already been cut in to the a-line pattern, and tape off the shapes, being careful to cover the areas that I did not want to paint.

Grasshopper Green Dress with

beads and hat of my own design.

The hat is covered in vintage fabric and

hand-painted cotton.

A friend of mine asked me to supply some photos of my dresses for a book that she was writing on wearable art. I engaged a professional photographer to take photos of me in the dresses. The book never did get made, but I now have a record of my dresses.

Pappillon Dress with beads and hat

of my own design. The fedora is covered with

hand-painted cotton.

Cornflower Blue dress with beads

of my own design. The hat is store-bought 

and trimmed with a flower from La Sirena,

a Mexican folk-art store in the East Village.

Framboise Pink dress with beads and hat

of my own design. The hat is one of my

signature patchwork cloches.

 Beads ready to be paired with dresses.

 In the studio.

I was invited to pose in the Museum of Modern Art

garden for sketchers of all ages.

This is a drawing by a young girl of me

in one of my dresses.

The dresses are a size six and available for purchase.

Thank you to Paul Levitt who helped me for

the photo shoot.

A Bientot.

A Vacation in Orient, Part 3

The Event of the Season
with Tout le Monde attending
(or anyone who is anyone in Orient).

The first Saturday is August, Orient turns out for a festive and stylish party in Poquatuck Park. The white tents are up, the seafood bar overflows with shrimp, clams and oysters and the wine flows.

It's the annual  Oysterponds Historical Society Benefit, with not only socializing, but also a wonderful auction of art produced by local artists. OHS, with seven historical buildings in the center of Orient village, is the repository of over 30,000 documents, photographs, art and archival objects with ties to Orient and East Marion. OHS has programs for families and youth, and also hosts community events throughout the year including unique exhibitions in the Schoolhouse gallery.

I am wearing a dress by Archerie in lawn cotton.

It is an absolute joy to wear. It's light and cool and

does not wrinkle. I stuck a flower from Jeanne's garden and

 a vintage feather in this old straw fedora and thought it perfect.

Photo by Carl Timpone

Jeanne and Chris arrive via bicylclette, the 

de rigueur mode of transportation.

Jeanne is wearing a floral frock 

which she acquired from the Marie Eiffel shop

on Shelter Island.

 Susan is lovely in a powder blue

dress with pink roses and a new hat

from a Greenport shop.

Jeanne had one of her ink drawings

on offer in the auction.

Jack Wedge with his beautiful girlfriend, Sophie.

The are both animators.

Three siblings together:

Dave, Carol and Susan.

Dave, just Dave.

A Bientot, mes amis.

A Vacation in Orient Part 2

Les Trois Soeurs
We Bake and We Bake

As we continue our time in Orient this summer, we find Les Trois Soeurs, Carol, Susan and Jeanne, baking away, and I do not mean in the sun on a beach.

We are following in the footsteps of Mary Berry, one of the judges on The Great British Baking Show.  Have you watched it on Netflix? On each episode, amateur bakers vie for the top prize of Best Baker in the U.K by baking cakes, breads, pastries and desserts.

Mary Berry, a cookbook author, and Paul Hollywood, an artisan baker, were judges for a season or two. Jeanne, Susan and I were quite captivated by the show.

Susan borrowed Mary Berry's cookbook, Simple Cakes, from her library and brought it with her to Orient. Thank goodness the cakes were simple, because I was in no mood to work hard baking a cake. In Britain they call the goodies "bakes" as in "that's quite a good bake." If something goes wrong with bake, the contestants throw it in the "bin."

We are making the Simple Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing. It did not go in the bin. We served it for dessert at our supper after the Oysterponds Historical Society Benefit. The cake turned out to be delicious although Jeanne and Susan proclaimed it too dry. I had no such complaint and happily gobbled up my portion.

Les Trois Soeurs (The Three Sisters) sporting the red

aprons I had customized with our names for the baking event.

I begin the sifting process. 

More baking was going on in Jeanne's kitchen.

Here Jack and Sophie make a Pavlova -- a

meringue with fruit.

No day in Orient is complete without a Scrabble

game with Dave and Sue.

Dave's scorecard with drawings.

I believe he was winning.

 Taking a break from the hot kitchen, we took the

ferry to Shelter Island and had lunch at

Marie Eiffel.

It was my pleasure to meet Marie after our fabulous lunch

on the deck overlooking the bay.

A Bientot

A Dedication to Fern

Fern Markel Wedge
Fern Markel Wedge, my sister Jeanne's dog, died peacefully today in Orient, New York. She was 12. Fern, a Labrador, was lovable and sweet and compassionate and empathetic.

Fern loved to take long walks on the beach in Orient. Jeanne would sometimes throw a stick in the water, and Fern would happily splash into the bay to retrieve it. She loved to take dips in the water and swim with you. She would wend her way along the sand with the sea grass swaying near the marsh and daintily walk on the pebbles at the shoreline at low tide.

Fern notoriously had a mind of her own and, on walks, she would dictate which direction she wanted to go and make it hard for an unseasoned dog walker, like her Aunt Carol, to get her home again.

Fern's sweet face and soulful eyes.

Fern had a job. Jeanne trained her to go to the end of the driveway and get the paper. Jeanne would say, "go on, pup," and after a few looks back, Fern would trot down the hill and pick up the paper. You could not watch her do this because she would not go if you did. She would bring the paper in the house and drop it near her food bowl. Fern's salary was paid in biscuits. If you put both hands behind your back with the biscuit in one hand, Fern would lift a paw and choose the correct hand.

Fern's favorite section of the Times was Sunday Styles.

Everyone in the Markel Wedge family loved Fern. I loved her too, and she loved me. When I visited Jeanne's house, Jeanne would tell her, "Carol is coming." Fern would go to the door to see if I was there. The last time I saw Fern was a few weeks ago in Orient. Fern was up in studio when I arrived. My nephew, Jack, told Fern that I was there, and she came bounding out to find me. She was ill then.

When we were all sitting at Jeanne's long dining table, Fern would lie under the table. Sometimes she made the rounds of people at the table. You would feel a soft touch and took down, and see Fern's face on your lap looking up at you. Then you told her that you loved her.

Au revoir, my dear one.

Have you missed me? I missed you. Part 1

Hello, Again. 

I just looked at the last time I posted on my blog. It was seven months ago. My life has been taken over by care giving. Richard, who will be 87 next week, has dementia and needs full-time care. I do have help, but not enough. I am in the process of getting more help.

When you have to care for someone, it is exhausting and depressing. My creative life has suffered, as has this blog. You have to fight your way back. I want to do that.

So this post is a celebration of a renewed creative life that I want to kick-start. I had the chance to get away last weekend to a wonderful place called Orient, New York on the tip of the North Fork of Long Island. I was able to do this because Richard's daughter, Dianna, and her husband, Michael, came from Chicago to stay with Richard. They are two terrific people. Am I not lucky to have them in my life?

So it was knowing that R.C. was well cared for, that I got away as a guest of my sister, Jeanne. Joining us were sister Sue, brother David, nephew Jack, and his girlfriend, Sophie. A full house and a happy house.

Getting Ready To Go

First, a hair cut at Fringe, my Lower East Side go-to

salon on Broome Street. This is my stylist, Chenoh Maia,

who gave me the perfect bob.

Next -- nails at Blair, a stylish nail
salon on Orchard Street.

Bordeaux on the toes.

Magenta on the fingers.

We're here!
Deep Roots Farm Stand 

Friday arrival...I'm fresh off the Hampton Jitney.
 Jeanne, Susan and I head to Jeanne's 
favorite new farm stand, Deep Roots.

My bag, from London's Muzungu sisters, 
is taking over my body.
Nice radish.

   It's the honor system, and
 Jeanne is paying for her tomatoes. 

Have you ever not been satisfied with your melon,
and wished you could return it?

The Yard Sale

 It's impossible to pass up a good yard sale.

Susan, who just moved into a mid-century modern house,

contemplated a snack server that might be ideal
for serving mid-century snacks.
Better get a fondue set, Sue.

 Jeanne makes a call on an ornate phone. 

We are all going to a fancy party on Saturday night,

so we consider this belle-of- the-ball frilly frock,
mold included.

A Someday Rental

 But first a word about peaches!
There were no good peaches on the North Fork.
Come clean, farm stands, where did you get these mealy peaches?

 This sweet little house is a rental in Orient.
It's the stuff of dreams.

 A screened-in porch in the back for
morning coffee or evening wine.

The back yard with a view toward the bay.
A girl can dream, can't she?

A Bientot mes amis.
See you soon with Part 2
of the Orient Getaway!