with Doris Wasserman
Name and any story behind how you got it. When I was little, I asked my mother why she called me Doris. I thought it would be because of Doris Day, a popular actor back in the day, but my mother said "No,"she had no reason. Wow... I mean, my son just got a puppy and he put a lot of thought into her name.
Birthday 8 June. This birthday was a biggie.
Your family My family is made up of my son, Micah, my daughter, Mira, and my sweet new granddog, CJ. And a lotta Canadians.
Art and Soul Member since 2009
This is my painting for the Mosaic Wall at Art & Soul.
Little Sister. Acrylic, graphite, cold wax on panel. 8 x 8 inches
A favorite Art & Soul memory? So many wonderful memories, but my current favorite is Karen’s burial service in the woods at Larkspur Conservation.
The Feeling I Get, in situ. Acrylic, graphite, cold wax on birch panel. Tondo, 18 inches diameter
Last TV show you binge-watched? Currently watching West Wing. For the first time.
Most recent read Not my most recent read, but I want to give a shout out to Margaret Renkl’s Late Migrations. A touching book of short stories about the simplest of pleasures. She pays close attention to the comings and goings of the critters in her yard and the people in her life. Margaret is a local storyteller who hikes at Radnor and writes for the New York Times.
So Happy I Found You. Acrylic, graphite, cold wax on panel. Tondo, 12 inches
Guilty pleasure Chocolate.
Movie you love Also a guilty pleasure. Miss Congeniality (the first one.) I would drop everything and watch that movie whenever it aired on tv. My fond memories of the movie are mostly because I’d get to hang with my kids, relaxed on the couch, like a litter of puppies.
Favorite vacation There are a few, and the common thread is the breathtaking beauty of this planet. And I just made a new favorite vacation memory this past weekend! Asheville, Black Mountain, and Montreat, North Carolina with my kids and granddog. It’s the longest hike the pup has been on and she was a champ!
Many years ago, on a trip to Australia, our friends took us to Phillip Island to watch the Fairy Penguins surf the ocean waves. They do this every night. It’s called the “Penguin Parade” and it is hilarious and magical. These little creatures spend the day feeding in the ocean and return to their dens at the end of the day. At dusk, they ride the waves to shore. They have so much fun surfing the waves that they waddle back to the water, swim out a bit and ride another wave back to shore—and do it over and over again—until it’s ultimately time to return to their dens for the night.
Fairy Penguins are about 12 to 13 inches tall when fully grown.
On the same Australian vacation, we took a train to the Gold Coast. After an afternoon at the beach, my family and I rode a tram back to our hotel. In the distance, I could see the sky begin to darken. Energy shifted. Thousands upon thousands of bats filled the sky. This was a fruit bat migration. The massive movement across the sky changed the atmosphere. It was quite a thrill.
Continental Drift at home in St. Augustine, FL. Acrylic, graphite, charcoal on canvas. 48 x 60 inches
Favorite holiday My fave holidays tend to focus around food. Thanksgiving because there’s just so much of it and always so many choices and the leftovers go on for days. And Passover because of the Hillel sandwich and matzah ball soup.
Favorite food Hmmm. There are lots of things that I love to eat. A good queso comes to mind. I do love chocolate (also my guilty pleasure.) Sparkling water is my fave thing to drink.
“Your” song
“Cinnamon Girl” by Neil Young
“A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell
“Easy Like a Sunday Morning” by The Commodores
“Jet” by Paul McCartney and Wings
“Woman” by John Lennon
“This Little Light of Mine”
Something you’d like to learn in the next year. I want to learn how to advocate better for myself.
Craziest thing you believed as a kid I thought that tiny people were inside my tv. I remember looking behind the tv to try to figure out how they got in there, and how they got out, and where they ate, etc.
Here are the keys to a time machine. Where are you going to first?
I’d start over and be a better advocate for myself from the beginning.
What makes you laugh? Funny expressions on faces, people and animals.
What superpower would you like to have? Flight.
Outside My Window. Acrylic, graphite, cold wax on panel. Tondo, 18 inches diameter
How old were you when you had your first celebrity crush and who was it? Probably ten, maybe younger. Heath Barkley (played by Lee Majors) on The Big Valley. Swoon. Little Joe (played by Michael Landon) on Bonanza. Both Heath and Little Joe rode horses and horses were my bigger crush back then.
Proust’s Questionnaire:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? World Peace.
2. What is your greatest fear? There won’t be world peace.
3. What is the trait you most dislike in yourself? Insecurity.
4. What is the trait you most dislike in others? Dishonesty and telling half-truths.
5. Which living person do you most admire? There are lots of people I admire for a variety of reasons. One person I admire is Michelle Obama. She seemed to not lose herself while she was First Lady.
6. What is your greatest extravagance? My deluxe apartment in the sky.
7. What is your current state of mind? It’s complicated.
8. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? You tell me.
9. What is your most treasured possession? My kids’ baby teeth.
10.What is your motto? Honor your mother (Earth) and Treat others as you wish to be treated (the Golden Rule.) My word for this year is “ripple.”