Relief and Rest In Peace

I went looking for an image for "relief" and Google didn't quite take my meaning. But that's OK because I do like this image that I selected from the many bas-reliefs they offered.

Some debate as to whether this is Innana, Ishtar or Lilith. Anyway, I like the pedicure.

Relief, the feeling
I finished the two commission pieces yesterday and felt so relieved to have accomplished the mission. I got a better feeling about them when I arrived at the studio after (day job) work on Tuesday afternoon. I think the photos I took did not represent the actual state of the work very well. In person they looked much better and there was less work left to do than I had agonized over. I spent a few hours putting on the finishing touches and went home feeling that the work was done to the best of my ability. Late today I delivered them to the photographer and tomorrow I should have images. I'm planning to deliver them to the gallery on Saturday for the client to see in person.

I am so looking forward to going to the studio tomorrow to begin new work that no one has seen before - including me.


R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor

Liz as Cleo

Looking at the image of the ancient goddess above reminded me of Cleopatra and her Isis worship since I am currently reading the bio by Stacy Schiff. Of course it's impossible to read about Cleo and not think of Elizabeth Taylor in that horrible movie, especially today. I actually tried to rewatch it recently just to see what it was like after all these years. It really is horrific. Seeing some of the get-ups that Elizabeth wore is pretty amusing. She certainly was beautiful although she had an unpleasant voice. You'd think the studio would have given her voice lessons so she could learn to pitch it lower.

Elizabeth Taylor at the peak of her mature beauty

I read the "scandalous" bio of her by Kitty Kelley, which you have to take with a pound of salt. It was actually rather sad that most of Elizabeth's childhood was sucked away by the Hollywood star system. Her mother was a notorious stage-mother type who controlled everything and promoted her daughter's incipient hypochondriasis (there's a word for you). Bad behavior set in early and continued for most of Elizabeth's life. She did not have a reputation of being a good actress, despite all the postmortem accolades.

One thing that she absolutely does deserve credit for is the acceptance that she brought to HIV/AIDS and the fundraising that she spearheaded. She apparently first became interested because of her friendship with Rock Hudson, and then became closely identified with AIDS-related charities. She is reported to have helped raise more than $100 million to fight HIV/AIDS. She helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and also created her own Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

Rock Hudson with Elizabeth at the Golden Globes in 1985

She was someone who spoke out in public when she had something to say. In 2003 she refused to attend the Academy Awards because she opposed the Iraq war. She publicly condemned President George W. Bush for starting the war and calling on Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq because she feared it would start World War III. Good for you, Elizabeth! If only the media and the war-mongering public had listened way back then.

An Andy Warhol "Liz" sold at auction in July 2010 for $10.1 million