I am staying in a very cozy and quiet appartment in Nice (near the Italian border), as an Airbnb guest.  My hostess is a painter and a photographer from Ireland. Airbnb is a service to help you rent a room or an appartment (or an island) worldwide.  You can use Facebook or the Internet.  The hosts will help you find your way around their city and make you feel like you live there.  I would highly recommend it.

Tomorrow, I am leaving for Frejus to go birdwatching with a friend in the mountains.  I will not have Internet access for a while.  More later…

Nice

I am here in Marseille the weekend of historical presidential elections for the French people. It is also a 4 day weekend to celebrate the end of the second world war (May 8, 1945). This young man is trying to make me vote for Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate who eventually won the elections.

It was a very exciting time, both before and after the elections on Sunday. According to tradition, the day before the election was a day of reflection, with no mention of it in the media or in the streets. At exactly 8:00PM, the winner is announced. Then, what a clamor! The French people take their elections very seriously. Unfortunately for Mr. Sarkozy, his time is over as early as May 14th!

Marseille has 160 fountains from ancient times to now (it was founded in 600 B.C. by a Greek sailor), because of the abundance and the quality of its water. This detail is from a huge 19th century fountain on the Place Estrangin in Marseille.

Street Art in Berlin takes on a different dimension when portrayed by French-born artists Janine Free and Guy Mayenobe.  They tell their stories with opposite but complimentary styles in this new exhibit at Gallery 21 in the Spanish Village Art Center located in San Diego Balboa Park, between the Natural History Museum and the Zoo.

On view daily Sept. 21 to Oct. 3 from 11:00 to 4:00.

Come meet the artists at a free reception on Saturday Sept. 24 from noon to 4:00.

Janine Free and Guy Mayenobe don't tango in Berlin

You do not tango in Berlin or you would never leave the city and its vibrant art scene.  Guy’s digital cutouts of Poster Art eliminate the context to create its own artform, and Janine’s photographic investigation sets the environment where Graffiti Art lives.  This show dispels the negative perception of an art born in the streets for all to see.

The Point of View exhibit is on view until Monday September 19th at Gallery 21 located in the Spanish Village Art Center between the Natural History Museum and the Zoo in Balboa Park.  37 artists studios are open to the public 11am - 4pm every day.  These quaint buildings and courtyards were built in 1935 to depict a charming old village in Spain for the second California Pacific International Exposition.

Gallery 21 has rotating shows of juried artists every two weeks.  I am sharing the space with 4 other photographers: Dana Levine, John Valois, Jeff Brosbe, and Judi Works.

Come spend this Saturday or Sunday in Balboa Park.  There is a good exhibit of portraits at the Museum of Photographic Arts  called Face to Face: Works from the Bank of America Collection.

At the San Diego Museum of Art, you can view an exceptional collection of great Spanish masters from El Greco to Dali.

While you are there, stop at Gallery 21 and see the Point of View Show.