These photos of model Kate Moss were featured in last year’s “Vanity Fair” magazine…
…Nudity is gorgeous…The body is art created by The Goddess…
…
Androgynous personas always make a provocative statement…
…Everyone has an underlying elegence, waiting, lurking to shine…and that’s okay…
Not even the downpour stops the people of the city, for there are things to do, places to see, experiences to experience…
There I am, standing near the museum’s main entrance…
Once inside the museum lobby, peeking upward is an architectural vista - a walkway bridge that connects one portion of the fifth floor gallery with another portion. While walking across it, one can view downward through the transparent floor…
Since it was against policy to take photos of the masterpieces in the museum, I am sharing other photos here which are illustrative of various artists which were featured. One such artist, Paul Klee, (1879-1940) was noted for his hieroglyphic style. This particular painting, “Lomolarm,” is emblematic of such styling. Klee had an intense interest in dreams and the subconscious, many of which watercolor paintings portray. This artist’s works are associated with the Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter, an avant-gard group of painters working in Munich. He taught art at the famous Bauhaus school in Weimar, but was forced to leave Germany by the Nazis because of his so-called radical artistic tendencies.
In this painting, “Checkboard With Dark Colors,” by Piet Mondrian, (1872 - 1944), the artist uses his customary asymmetric grid theme to illustrate in deceptively simple composition the shapes and colors in perfect equilibrium. It was Mondrian’s theory that the square and right-angle were symbols of nature. His later works were influenced by the sounds of jazz music heard when he later moved from London to New York City.
Along with Picasso, Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954), is widely held to be the greatest artistic genius of the twentieth century. In paintings such as this, “The Dance,” the painter uses bold and uncompromising colour, which some critics began to characterize in derogatory terms as “Fauve” or in English - “wild beast.” This bold use of colour has inspired generations of painters since…
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) is hailed as having been the twentieth century’s “master of form.” Single-handedly this spanish painter dictated the direction of art for the first fifty years of the 1900’s - from Cubism which he founded, then to Dada, then to Surrealism.
This painting, “Marilyn Monroe,” exemplifies the Abstract Expressionist style as painted by dustch artist Willem de Kooning (1904 - 1997). This artist’s style of forcefully splashing paint onto the canvass with intense emotion became a controversial trait, later seen in the works of Jackson Pollack.
Jackson Pollack (1912 - 1956) completed his first “drip painting” in 1947. Pollack explained, “painting has a life of its own, which I let come through. He would stand in the middle of his canvases while he worked which he called the “action painting” process. Interesting, he applied so much paint that items such as embedded cigarettes and buttons would be found dried in the paint…
The painter, Diego Rivera (1886 - 1957), was a passionate socialist who’s paintings were often times depictions of working people. This painting, “South American Indian Spinning,” is such a portrayal. Rivera’s wife, Frida Kahlo, went on to surpass her husband in terms of fame. Like other Social Realists, Rivera believed that art should serve as a direct social and political function, as illustrated in city squares and buildings in forms of huge murals for all to see and to inspire.
It was spanish painter Joan Miro’ (1893 - 1983), who came the closest to achieving the Surrealist goal - utilizing chance and the unconscious mind as methods of exploring the so-called “unreal.” This painting is called “Dragonfly With Red Wings Chasing A Serpent Whcih Slips Away In A Spiral Towards The Comet.”
Gerogia O’Keefe (1887 - 1986) was inspired to paint her works of sensual abstract extreme closeup interpretations of organic nature by studying photographic prints, as in this painting, “Red Gladiola In White Vase.” Flowers were one of her favorite subjects, as were other natural forms such as mountains, rocks, bones and sunsets.
Another art lover sophisticate was lurking about the art museum entrance…Yes, that’s her - Joni Ernest, my adorable mother. After a few hours in the museum we were greeted with a bit of sunshine…
There we are, that couple about town - Mike Canepa and Yours Truly…
…And then it was across town to the Fisherman’s Wharf, where we had a splendid dinner at the Sabella & Latorre Restaraunt. While Joni had fish and chips, Mike enjoyed his dinner of fried calamari. I was bibbed and fed a huge bowl of out of this world cioppino…Now, thats-a wonderful…! (That old man in the foreground must be some wandering ol’ fisherman…he he)
And posing for my camera was a ham for the cam, a very photogenic sea gull…!
As night was approaching, Coit Tower took on a positively magestic stance…
…My mom and I - overlooking the city of San Fransisco…
…Mike C. and I taking a moment to pose for the camera at Coit Tower…
…As night time came around, the city grew darker, and it was time to say goodbye to the City By The Bay…What a wonderful day of art, great food and spending time with some of those I love most….
After a delicious buffet style champaigne brunch, which consisted of custom designed and cooked omelettes and a host of other tastey breakfast items, the group of us huddled close for an all-inclusive group photo. In this photo (from left to right): Jeff, Tami S, Joni Ernest, Mike Canepa, Tommy Skiens (me), Susie Autry (Mike Parlette’s longtime girlfriend) and Thom Skiens Sr. Since Mike Parlette was the photographer for this shot, he is not pictured here…(See photo at bottom of this blog page).
The woman of honor was Susie Autrey (Mike Parlette’s longtime girlfriend). In the over ten years I have known Susie, I have learned to admire her ongoing and always persistent sweetness. Unlike most of the people in our group of odd-balls, Susie is calm, soft-spoken. She is reflective and tranquil with a kind empathic heart. With never a mean-spirited word to say about anybody, she is truly a spirtual haven of sorts. Although she never pronounces aloud her heartfelt beliefs, she astounds me at her soft-spoken yet articulate manner of stating - in gentle matter of fact terms - the nature of spiritual truth. For example, one time I inquired - “Susie, in the world of hell and heaven where human souls go to a higher plane, maybe heaven or the likes, what occurs to animals? Do dogs and cats go to heaven? And what about the snakes and bugs? Do they go to heaven also?” Without any hesitation, Susie answered back, “Yes, they all go to a higher plane. They just have a different heaven. Humans go to one spirtual plane, while the other life forms have other heavens…” In all my inquiries over the years to so-called religious know-it-alls and to those agnostics and atheists, only Susie Autrey has been able to sum it up in such simple and logical terms, sans all the ego-enhanced hot air.
My favorite woman on the planet - my mother, Joni - was also in attendance at the get together. Dressed in classic beige tones and aglow with a smiling face and good-humored anecdotes from recent times and past, every social occasion is made more memorable because she is present.
My partner, Mike C., (also lovingly referred to as “Palooka”) enjoyed the foods offered at the semi-posh eating establishment. Hilarious is Mike, for his facial expressions always reveal exactly what he is thinking at a particular instant. He is not one for fluff and bs - but rather, he is matter-of-fact and to the point. After the brunch, we went for a drive into the gold rush portion of the foothills nearby where he lives in the wonderful “enchanted forrest” where he resides. I am most blessed to have such a kind, generous and genuine partner like this Italian Palooka…
One of my best friends over these past twenty years is Mike Parlette. On hand to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday, Mike was spirited with commentaries about life as see from his original perspective. By the looks of it, he enjoyed the food tremendously, except for the moment when he accidently took a swallow of too much horse raddish added to his food intake…Mike survived and left the premises full-bellied.
Love was in the air, as seen with my sister Tami and her charming boyfriend Jeff. The sunshine was aglow and so were these two lovebirds. Love really is the answer…!
When all was said and done and our hunger had been satisfied, we were all smiling and happy to be alive and relatively well. The message here seems to be - you gotta have friends…! In this wide world of strife and hardships, we are thrown together with an odd assortment of humanity…and God bless us all in the family of human kind…!
- The Things He Said -
BY THOM SKIENS
wounded moon
is bloody red
i recall the loving
things he said
tall and blonde and super hero
a mighty giant was he
until he fell
the moon the stars 
they all conspired on us
i rose like sun
i burnt with blazing fire
i simply had no choice
the winds were unkind
the devil tried to wind
the goodness rose from somewhere
deep 
i inhaled the fragrant fumes
i took his lead
i blew ‘em all away
with my wit, my bravery
they with their big square
perfect caucasion kennedy faces
all smiled with incredible kindness
i allowed them to see
me: 
i wouldn’t be their bloody
wounded moon
inspite of death
- nor would he
i recalled his voice
his pressence
the things he said
i would not be their wounded moon
-nor would he 
(Today on this October 9, 2007 my Jim Gill would be turning 37 years old if he had lived beyond the accident which occurred on Sept 17, 2004. After almost three weeks in a coma, and in spite of a determined desire to survive, to live, my Jim Gill passed on from this plane unto the next world. He passed away on Octover 6, only three days before his 34th birthday…I miss him and wrote this poem today in his prideful memory…)
John Lennon was born October 9, 1940 during the course of a German air raid in England. As a musician who urged on peace during the heighth of the Viet Nam War in the 1960’s, one can only imagine what the super star/ peace activist would think of the world during these turbulent times. Like Richard Nixon, we now have the war monger, George W. Bush. As in the Viet Nam War, we now have the immoral, illogical and mis-directed campaign and occupation in the soveriegn country of Iraq. In both wars, it is us - the USA - who are the instigators, the bullies, the oppressors, who are waging a war against a country and it’s poplace who have done nothing toward us. To date, we have killed over 800,000 Iraquis, many of them innocent women and children.
In honor of Lennon’s upcoming 67th birthday, I am including here the lyrics to one of his most famous songs which advocated the all significant spiritual component - Karma.
Instant Karma
instant karma’s gonna get you
gonna knock you right in the head
you better get yourself together
pretty soon you’re gonna be dead
what in the world you thinking of
laughing in the face of love
what on earth you trying to do
its up to you, yeah you
instant karma’s gonna get you
gonna look you right in the face
better get yourself together darlin
join the human race 
how in the world you gonna see
laughin at fools like me
who in the hell do you think you are
a super star
well, right you are
we all shine on
like the moon and the stars and the sun
we all shine on
everyone come on
instant karma’s gonna get you
gonna knock you off your feet 
better recognize your brothers
everyone you meet
why in the world are we here
surely not to live in pain and fear
why on earth are you there
when you’re everywhere
come and get your share
we all shine on
like the moon and the stars and the sun
yeah, we all shine on
on and on and on on and on
we all shine on
like the moon the stars and the sun…
- BY Thom Skiens -
the leaves are swirlin’
like little lost souls discarded
by their mothers - scattered
to harsh pavement;
others - to dirty ponds and
rushing hopeless puddle water
to desperate places afar;
few find solace on peaceful
grounds where lillacs bloom like smiley faces,
daisies play like rowdy kids:
the world is safe, for now
mother nature blushes,
her cheeks turn rose;
atop her thrown autumn goddess
wills for mystic universe - “unfold”;
flurries of energy here and there
yet i take my central stance
what souls lurk here
this scattered plane?
what spirits have travelled
moving past, move forth,
within, without me?
what part does the goddess take
while winds rush on
then to places remote?
fall is sad
yet restless
she touches you
with urgent strength
she gives birth to awsome color
stirring, something alive emerges
takes power, takes hold
gives hint of what is to
be:
that place of gold
that heart of red
that harvest mother sits amongst
us
a million winds thrust
life to places we don’t recognize -
but only sense
like fallen leaves broken away
we are scattered souls
