Notes from Moira's Diary
I'm a self-confessed Pierre Bonnard groupie. Whereas Mo Twister follows his beloved Coldplay band around the world (I heard he wants to catch the March 23 Singapore or March 25 Hong Kong shows next week), I get a bit obsessive trying to see all the works created by this painter who has been dead since 1947.
Born in 1867 at Fontenay-aux-Roses in France, Bonnard is known for his intense use of color. Yet, when you view his painting according to smatset.com's Morgan Meis, "every wavy line, every strange color in the painting is carefully chosen in order to portray what it feels like to be in that room, not what it looks like, so much as what it feels like."
I see one or two works at a time, the last painting I was fortunate to see was his work 'Dining Room in the Garden' in Las Vegas, of all places. The Guggenheim Museum opened a branch in the Ceasar's Palace in Sin City, and I found this Bonnard amidst casino tables and neon lights. I forgot about my quite gaudy surroundings when I saw this magnificent painting. I wanted to just stare at the painting for hours, but the security folks were quite antsy with people lingering too long in front of the painting, so I took a picture in my mind and just bought my 31st book on his works.
So imagine the joy I experienced when I heard that 80 of Bonnard's paintings are to be exhibited in one museum. The joy, the joy!!! The Metropolitan Museum of New York is the lucky home for all his works till April 19, and I was determined to view his paintings no matter what.
As I was preparing my things for my impending trip to New York, I happen to listen to the Twister's show at Goodtimes, and yes, I totally agree with him when he often says that it's so unfortunate that creating wealth is not taught to our kids. Money is important because it makes our life comfortable, it makes you safe, it affords you to just jump on a plane when a Coldplay concert is playing in Paris, or in my case, a once in a lifetime major Bonnard exhibit is offered to the public.
I was fortunate to learn about creating wealth because at an early age, I read this book by author John Gray who wrote How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have.
Written a decade ago, the famous author of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" postulates that "it is not enough just to be happy with what we have; we must honor our material desires as well." Everyone has the power to have more, and in this 310 page self-help book, Gray teaches how to achieve it.
Although some people might think this book might focus on blind positive thinking, this Gray book is a bit more complicated than that. A review from Amazon.com states that Gray "believes successful people experience unhappiness because they are cut off from their essential, unique selves by blocked emotions. He also posits that people who are not connected with the inevitable negative emotions associated with identifying desires cannot prosper materially. Finding and maintaining one's authentic self and allowing it to manifest its desires allow material success to flow into a person's life and enhance happiness."
I followed what Gray suggested, and all I can say is I've achieved almost all my dreams.
I keep a few pictures of Bonnard's work with me all the time. Some are used as my screensaver in my laptop, and some pictures are inside my journal. Most of the ones I keep are usually paintings I haven't seen yet and the pictures serve as a visual cue of what I want to achieve to see in the future.
I look at my journal now, and two of the paintings I haven't seen before is now in the current exhibit in New York. In a day, I'll be able to gaze at it.Hey good times!!!!
