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Greetings, 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, where we are enjoying a beautiful Lipetsk summer day.  And it's confession time.

I have been procrastinating.  Dragging my feet.  Holding back.  Waiting.

How many times lately, have I told you about the lovely park that is just across the fence from our apartment here in Lipetsk?  I have known for some time now, that I need to be painting said park.  I should be painting said park.

But you know how it  is - that means setting up the easel where people can see you working.  See you making mistakes.  It means some of them are going to want to talk to you about the painting.  No, wait.  Change that from "want to talk to you" to WILL TALK TO YOU about the painting.  You've got to know they'll be curious about what you are doing to that canvas, with those colors.  Why you are in their park, stuff like that.  No big deal, right?

Did you know Russians speak Russian?  And being an Iowan at my roots, I pretty much speak English?  

Yes, I've been working at my урок русский языка, but I am ever so far from good conversation  (btw, that means Russian language lessons.  See?  It's not as easy as you thought!)

Anyway.

The day dawned bright and sunny, and it found me in a give-em-hell-Harry mode.  I had my spot picked.  It required the afternoon light, for the sun to dapple things properly.  I ignored the lunch dishes reclining in the sink and headed out.

I was just barely set up when I heard a click and saw a flash at my left peripheral.  Hunh. Someone just took my picture.  спасибо they said.  "Пожалуйста"  I reply.

Whoa.  Either they took my picture because they think I'm crazy, OR they took my picture because they like that I am painting in their park.  Let's go for the latter.

Then a boy walks up on my right side.  He's maybe 9 or 10 years old.  He watches for a while.  Then he ask's a question.  Yup, in Russian.  I reply with my standard Мой русский язык не большим, which lets him know my Russian language skills aren't all that great.  Ha.  

But Russian kids study two languages in school, and the other one is English.  He's got a long ways to go too :)  But we have a little discussion.  He wants to know if I'm from England.  нет, Америка, I say.  "Cool", he says, with a cute accent :)  Pretty soon, his friend joins us.  He has something he wants to say, but is embarrassed to try his English.

Okay, back up for a minute.  My pre-plan involving the location in the park?  I'd seen a couple sitting on a park bench a day or two earlier, had a sketch and a photo of them, thought if I painted the park setting and added the couple back in, that I would like the combination.  So of course my easel was set up accordingly.  No one was sitting on the park bench today.

No one was sitting on the park bench today UNTIL they saw me painting it!  So here come two women, one pushing one of the гигант (yeah, that's giant) baby carriages they use here.  They strolled up the sidewalk at my left, turned the corner and went right to the park bench in question, and sat down.  They were there for a half hour or so, while I worked and the two boys continued to watch over my shoulder.  

I know, I know, when opportunity knocks you have to grab it, but I WASN'T READY to paint people in yet!  But they get up from the park bench anyway, come back around on the sidewalk to see the painting.  They smiled and said здравствуйте (hello).  I did too.  And then they went back and sat down on the same bench!

I wasn't going to miss the same opportunity twice.  They very quickly got added to the canvas.  

Did I mention there were others who came and commented?  Ever so polite and kind.  I kept using my phrase about not being able to speak much Russian.  Once they knew that, they would offer up a few English words they knew, and I could respond with a few of the Russian words I knew, and we had some communication.  It worked pretty darn well.

About then, the two boys decided it was time to move on.  The one who was scared to try his English, finally got up some nerve, and in very stilted, but also very correct English told me "your painting is very beautiful".   The other one got out his phone, held it up and said "smile, please".  Click.  I should really work at being more photogenic  :)

As they walked on, they went by the aforementioned park bench where the two women were still seated.  The boys must have mentioned to them that they'd finally made it onto my canvas.  

A few minutes later the women with the baby carriage were back around the sidewalk again.  The one in the red dress, showed me her camera phone, and asked "фото?"  I smiled a yes.  Click.  And they went smiling on their way.

I finished up my afternoon park time shortly after that, and went back to our flat with a smile on my face.  Yup, turns out, I'd had a heck of a good time.  Did the interruptions impact the painting?  Likely.  Is that a crisis situation? Not hardly.  

Getting out of your shell, out of the box, out of your comfort zone EVEN when all that happens in a different language - hey, no big deal.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Later, KCooper

yes, of course you get an image of the painting

and I promise to have it in my website portfolio soon

Tete-a-tete, a plein air oil painting on a lovely sized 24 inch square canvas.  Painted in Bykhanov Sad (garden) Park, Lipetsk.

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio.  Yup, still on assignment in Lipetsk!

Yesterday, Saturday, something strange happened.  We were out and about on the streets of Lipetsk.  In our part of town, everybody walks.  And walks.  (it's done wonders toward getting rid of those 10 extra)  And fitting right in, we walked to the Carousel Market, one of our least favorites, but we are still not real savvy about shopping for "extras" like a fluted round baking pan, and we were thinking we'd likely find one there.  (yes, you may say "sheesh!")  You may also say, at this point, "cut to the chase!"  

Okay.

Next door to Carousel Market is a new store that from the sign on front looks to be "m. bugeo" but since we have learned that Russian cursive is crazy, whenever possible, we convert cursive to text, which in this case becomes  " м видео" or in our favorite язык, M. Video.  Who knew???!  

So, right, that's not too amazing.  

BUT!  Stage 1:

In front of the store, with a heck of a sound system, and playing for all he was worth, was a saxophonist, obviously hired to help celebrate the grand opening.  Despite the fact that his weekend gig was playing for the grand opening of an appliance/computer/video equipment store, this guy has a few skills.  He was wowing the crowd.  Yeah, a crowd standing on the sidewalk and in the parking lot of a shopping center.  I like to ask myself why, once in a while, why a crowd of people would gather in a place like that for an event like that.  He was real, and live, and rocking the people.  He was an attraction, and of course, the smart PR folk at m. bugeo knew that, which was undoubtedly why they hired him.

And then, Stage 2:

Later, being Saturday night and a beautiful summer night in the city, we decided to go downtown to de Bassus, one of our favorite restaurants.  And guess what?  There right across the street and down two doors, is a grand opening for a new salon going on.  Out in front on the sidewalk, there's a pretty girl in a striking red dress, belting out the blues.  In English, no less  :)  Obviously THAT did not bother the people that only speak Russian.  Because folks of all types were being drawn in like moths to a back porch light bulb.  I would suspect that salon is already booked solid for the next month.  The chic had a heck of a voice, and was dancing up and down the sidewalk - she was real, and people couldn't seem to resist gravitating toward her.

Before de Bassus, we had an errand to do at Euoropa Mall, the big one in town, and also right across Ulitsa Sovetskaya from this vocalist.  We noted that much of her crowd was folks coming out of the mall.  But as we walked in, and were riding up the escalator, I mentioned to husband, that those two events happening on the same Saturday, wow, I think there's got to be an analogy for a blog post in there somewhere.

Without missing a beat, or stumbling off the escalator, he said "the attraction of real".  

Whoa!

"Oh no", I responded.  "Does this really mean I have to go THERE again?  I get in so much trouble when I go THERE."

On this Saturday, we were interacting with musical arts rather than visual arts.  We also know the two arenas share interesting commonalities.  And as I said earlier, every now and then I like to ask myself the why questions.  So, I did it again.  And included the husband in the conversation.  As we sat at de Bassus, enjoying our Dunkels, we answered the why question.  We agreed that no way would people be attracted to that music if there was not a real person there, belting out the tunes.  If it was just a sound system and a CD, no one would even slow their stride.  The reality of their art was an amazing attraction.  It worked for them and their gallery spaces (err, I mean store front & employer)

We managed to make it to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam last month  (another story for another day!)  As we finished our visit there, of course the exit goes right through the museum gift shop.  And of course we succumbed to a coffee mug, with Vincent's purple irises on the side.  I am certain I don't need to explain to you what a disparity that is from the real, do I??  :)

Real art.  Not reproductions, real.  Make your copies if you have to, but know that it's not the same, and you should not pretend that it is.  Real art.  There's nothing like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Later, KCooper

On Sunday, it occurred to me:  how cool would it be if the vocalist was doing a repeat performance, so that my camera and I could catch an image of her?  Surely a salon opening in Lipetsk is of widespread interest!!  :) So ever enduring husband accompanied me back downtown.  Yup, the salon was still in grand opening gala mode, but they must have worn out Saturday's vocalist the day before.  Sunday's vocal artist was wearing hot pink platforms, and singing pop.  Yeah, I prefer Chicago style blues, but singing contemporary pop stuff, the general consensus was that she was appreciated anyway  :)

Yes, it would have been great if I could have gotten more of the scene, but I would have had to stand in the bus lane.  Nope, no way  :)