We spent
a wonderful weekend with our friends Alice and Richard Matzkin at their home
and art studio in Ojai, California.
I always feel like I’m at an idyllic
retreat when I’m there. It is so quiet, so lush with greenery and interesting
things to look at, so filled with beautiful art, and the conversations are endless. Alice was my first friend when I moved to Los Angeles in 1961. We
went to art classes together for quite a few years. Needless to say, she stayed
with her painting. I found another creative outlet.
Around the Matzkin yard
We went
up Friday night in time to hear Richard drumming with his jazz trio at a local
Ojai restaurant. Besides being a drummer he’s a sculptor, mostly of aging men.
Alice, a painter, has her work at the Smithsonian portrait gallery. Her commissioned
painting of Chelsea Clinton once hung in the White House private
residence. Our portrait by Alice hangs
prominently in our home.
Alice, Chelsea, and Hillary, 1997
Madeline and Bob, 1998
Alice and
Richard also wrote an award-winning book, THE
ART OF AGING: Celebrating the Authentic Aging Self (Sentient Publications
2009), filled to the brim with photos of their artwork.
In this
beautiful dual award winning art/inspirational book, painter, Alice Matzkin and
sculptor, Richard Matzkin explore their fear and curiosity about aging through
their art, writing and experience of growing older. (Alice's painting of the ceramist, Beatrice Wood, is on the cover.)
Please go
to their online studio to see more of
their wonderful paintings and sculptures.
3 comments:
To our dear "old" old friends.... We loved spending precious time with you too. Thanks for posting this on your blog. We love u.
How nice to have such wonderful friends to visit, and such beautiful surroundings too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Mike. Yes, it was a beautiful weekend. Alice and Richard are wonderful friends. Plus Richard helped me find a Ganesh for our garden too.
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