Happy Nowruz and Moby Dick

Happy Nowruz! It doesn’t feel like it because both my husband and I are Covid bound since last Thursday. We managed to escape this horrible thing after being so careful for four years only to get it now - ten days after being vaccinated/boosted. Earlier last week we had ordered  a place holder for two Moby Dick Sabzi Polo Mahi special dinners to celebrate the holiday. Now we don’t even have a sense of taste or smell anymore and it’s a chore to force something down. So last evening we put on our masks and hobbled down to the car to drive and pick up the special fish dinners. Usually we get all sorts of other fixings but just didn’t have an appetite. But we will have enough to cover two meals and not have to worry about making dinner. So we are trying to take this virus day by day, hoping it continues to improve. There are the obvious ebbs and flows and anger and frustration and sense of loss for the simple things. I know it could be a lot worse and we are thankful for that. Unfortunately it started on our anniversary, continues through the holiday and my husband’s birthday, and ruined our planned weekend getaway to visit family in central Virginia. Spring was always such a season of promise. It’s a little different this year. 

Happy Nowruz!

Happy Nowruz! 

Happy Nowruz - LOC Program, City Bonfire, and Moby Dick Sabzi Polo

The first day of spring is glorious - especially with full sunshine - even if it’s only in the thirties. You could say we have been celebrating all week. My husband is from Iran so it’s a special holiday. On Tuesday we watched the Library of Congress Middle Eastern zoom presentation about “The Spirit of Nowruz.” It almost felt like being at the Library, but not quite. But it was the first program we have “been to” since the pandemic. Then on Wednesday we lit our City Bonfire on the balcony and envisioned jumping over the fire. We didn’t have the space nor the nimble ability to actually do it. But it was a great diversion and fun thing to pretend to do. We also preordered Sabzi Polo from Moby Dick and picked it up last evening for dinner. It was a special order for the holiday and was delicious! We have enough for another meal this evening. We don’t usually celebrate the Persian new year, but for whatever reason it just seemed right after hibernating for so long. My second vaccination was two weeks ago so now I am fully immunized. Maybe we will begin to do things that are a little more normal. If nothing else, things just feel better. Happy Nowruz! 

The Spirit of Nowruz at the Library of Congress

I miss the old days! I worked at the Library of Congress for ten years. We really enjoyed going to the library for all sorts of programs. I liked it even more after I retired five years ago. Since we moved to northern Virginia two years ago, it was a great excuse to take a ride in to town, see the program, and then if it was late afternoon, we would catch a bite at the Hawk and Dove for dinner. Well, that hasn’t happened for over a year. But the next best thing is to watch a virtual program. The first program was yesterday and the subject was a film about the spirit of Nowruz. I received an email about the program about a week ago and signed up for it. We got comfy on the couch, followed the link, and watched the show. A familiar face was introducing the guest speaker, and the film was a documentary in nature - very colorful and interesting to watch. My husband is from Iran, and I have visited the country twice -  so we like the Middle Eastern section program options. It wasn’t quite the same as actually going to the beautiful building - right now it is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. But it was an opportunity to recreate our old way of life. For a moment it felt like we were actually there, so I guess it was well worth the time. I sent Hirad a Happy Nowruz email at the Library and thanked him for getting the production on Zoom. Maybe some day we will be able to venture out again. 

Nowruz Digital Art Options

It started with my Etsy shop about eight years ago - painting custom pet portraits with my iPad. I always liked to paint and draw, and the iPad was a great way to rekindle my interest in art. Then I added a section on travel and living in DC. That included scenes from Iran, England, Denmark, Sweden, and France. The images were added to my other websites - Zazzle, Pixels/Fine Art America, Amazon Merch and Redbubble. When I got my new IPad Pro last summer, I had to learn a new app because the one I was using would not be compatible with system updates, and the new version seemed difficult to learn. Everything I do is self taught, so I decided to try ProCreate instead. While I was relearning the approach, I thought practicing on several Persian scenes would be fun. So I picked several of my photos from our visits to Iran and tried a few different things. I liked the way they turned out - especially the png formats that allow any background color to come through. Some of the images are quite stunning against a black background. So I added all of the images to my Etsy shop with both white and black backgrounds as digital downloads. And seeing that Nowruz is just around the corner, there are several products that showcase the images on all my websites. It’s been an interesting journey. I knew I couldn’t make a living as an artist, so I landed in healthcare because I knew I could get a job. Now I can enjoy creating art. What’s fun is to be noticed from people all over the world. I really appreciate it whenever I hear from someone who wants a custom portrait, or just likes an image I created enough to want to purchase something for themselves or give as a gift. It’s a lot more fun than a “real” job. Please take a look around my shops - need a painting, bag, pillow, coffee mug? You never know what you might find. Thanks so much for looking. I’d love to hear from you! 

Redbubble Happy Nowruz Persian New Year Mug

I’ve been drawing and painting on my iPad for about six years. A lot of my work is commissioned pet portraits. Once the painting is completed, I upload the digital files to a variety of websites. If someone likes the image enough they can make something out if it - a t shirt, pillow, card... the sky is the limit. The sites I use for this purpose are Fine Art America/Pixels, Zazzle, Amazon Merch, and Redbubble. So rather than have to paint anything, I get a notice from these places whenever something of mine has sold. So it’s always a treat when this happens. Yesterday Redbubble sent an email that someone in the United Kingdom bought a coffee mug with my Persian new year motif. The haft-sin display is actually from a photo my niece sent to us several years ago of their celebration. I also have a Persian art section in my Etsy shop for ready made downloads. These images were painted from photos I took when we were visiting Iran ten years ago. I also have several Washington DC scenes, as well as paintings from the three children’s books I wrote and illustrated. Digitalart is a really great hobby. My studio travels with me wherever I go. It is really exciting to be noticed out of the millions of images out there. Thanks so much for that! 

Artwork Sold on Fine Art America - Pixels.com

I have been sketching on my iPad since I got the first device about four years ago. I wouldn't leave the house until it arrived. Since that time I opened an Etsy shop and Fine Art America website to name just two to showcase my digital art. I do a lot of custom pet portraits, but also scenes from holidays and places we travel - Iran, England, France, Copenhagen. And of course Washington DC has inspired quite a few images as well as three children's books. But it is always so exciting to get a notice when someone purchases one of these scenes - this time it was a Nowruz haft-sin - from someone in Los Angeles. The notice comes via email and it can be shared on social network sites. It's really pleasing to know someone appreciates what you produce and share or display it in some way. It is the highest form of flattery for any artist. Additionally, sometimes fellow artists comment on the purchased artwork and I always thank them for noticing. That makes it even better! Thanks for looking at my Fine Art America/pixels.com website. I really appreciate it!

Yekta Market and Kabobi Anniversary Dinner

Although we have been together almost forty years (!) our official twenty year anniversary was yesterday. We had a wedding day lunch at Reza's in Chicago - a place we went to almost every couple of months when we lived in Milwaukee. So we decided we should celebrate at Yekta Kabobi in Rockville. Because Persian New Year is upon us, the market was still open for business selling out on Haft-sin items. The little grass containers were sitting out front, and a haft-sin was on display at the entryway. The restaurant was really busy, and we were lucky to get a seat without reservations. After dinner we wandered about the market. Everything is so fresh - in fact the salad in the restaurant is my favorite because it is so fresh. My husband had a taste for cookies, and was also on the hunt for quince. This place reminds me of the outdoor markets in Iran and in most other places, including Eastern Market right here in the neighborhood. Obviously tea, rice, and pistachios are well stocked. It's all so very colorful and ethnic. Just as I love pierogis and all things Polish, my husband loves all things Persian. Unfortunately there is not a polish restaurant that we know of here. Milwaukee and Chicago were full of those. So Christmas is the time for Polish food and Spring is the time for Persian food. Although nothing stops us from enjoying it all any time of the year.