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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

Barbara Falconer Newhall

Sculptor Patricia Bengtson-Jones — Connecting with the Cosmos

July 31, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Patricia Bengtson-Jones in her Berkeley, CA, studio. To the left is a fountain cast from the base marble of "Kento Warrior." Photo by BF Newhall

The mythology of prehistory continues to beckon to sculptor Patricia Bengtson-Jones. The Berkeley, California, artist has been exploring stone, bronze, steel and glass for decades — and a few weeks ago I had a chance to explore her studio. Read more.

Judy Seidel: Click Here for an Eyeful of Her Life-Affirming Paintings

July 24, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

"Diptych," by Berkeley, CA, Painter, Judy Seidel is two jig-sawed pieces of wook painted abstractly with red, green and yellow shapes. Photo by BF Newhall

Some artists seem to be able transfer the way their minds work onto paper or canvas. And of those artists, every once in a while, it’s a mind that you’d like to spend more time with. I’m thinking of abstract painter Judy Seidel. Read more.

Institute of Mosaic Art — A Berkeley Spin on an Ancient Art

July 17, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

"Holy Cow" a mosaic with ceramic tiles and cow & angel figurines by Marcy Schaff, $155, at the Institute of Mosaic Art. Photo by BF Newhall http://BarbaraFalconerNewhall,com

The Institute of Mosaic Art left its creative mark on facades all over Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood before moving last year to Berkeley. Visitors are welcome to stop by, and on a recent afternoon there was plenty to see: mosaic lemons, mosaic limes, a mosaic bird — and a mosaic bundt cake. Read more.

In Judge Harbin-Forte’s Courtroom — Where Jury Duty Is an Exercise in Mindfulness

July 10, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

David and Ruth Falconer of Scotville, MI, and their 7 childen ca 1935. Photo by Falconer

What does a farm family in Michigan have in common with a courtroom in Hayward, California? A nearly forgotten social skill. Read more.

Amazing Places: A Walk Around Oakland’s Jingletown

July 3, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

a car entirely covered with mosaics parked in Oakland, CA, Jingletown neighborhood. Photo by BF Newhall

Is Oakland the next Brooklyn? Lots of people are saying so. As rents and living expenses skyrocket in San Francisco, thanks to the tech boom, hipsters and artists are relocating across the Bay to Oakland. Read more.

Oakland’s Jingletown: Arts, Crafts, Cool Kitsch — And Cookies

June 26, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Bright green letters spell out the word "art" on a black background on a sign for East Bay Open Studios. Photo by BF NewhallIt was a lovely afternoon for wandering in and out of artists’ studios in Jingletown, Oakland, California’s vibrant, up-and-coming arts neighborhood, earlier this month. More than a dozen neighborhood artists had opened their doors for the annual East Bay Open Studios. Read more.

The Summer Solstice, Arriving Right Now in a Sky Near You

June 21, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Yellow, orange and lavender sky at sunset on the eve of the summer solstice 2014 in California. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s midsummer. Right now. Today. It’s the summer solstice. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Case of the Human Condition: I’ve Got a Dirty Little Secret — I (Still) Can’t Say No to Toys

ewok hut toy about 16 inches tall with ewok characters. Photo by BF Newhall

Some people can’t resist chocolate. For others, it’s clothes. Some folks, oddly enough, will spend $110,000 on a Ferrari with no back seat and hardly any trunk. Imagine that . . . For me as the mother of young children, toys were my weakness. Read more.

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

jon-barbara-newhall-wedding

Widowed: We Were Two People — And a Marriage

Pages in Hebrew and Aramaic from the Bleichrode Jewish prayer book published in 1923 in Franfurt. Photo by BF Newhall

A Case of the Human Condition: When a Young Mother Dies

grandmother-on-beach

When My Mother Was the Grandma

rollin-first-you-cry-cover

Betty Rollin: A Light Has Gone Out. And So Have Many Others

MORE DON'T MISS!

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