I really appreciate if you look closer and find me naked in the toilet.

.

HOUSE PARTY (1998).



No, it's not another Frank Zappa Quote. It's mine.

I don't have green eyes but in 1998 I wished to have ;-).

With this tiny painting I wish you all, my dear friends, a Happy New Year.

May all your parties be crazy enough.
May all your lovelies be with you.
May all your wishes come true.
May all your resolutions be successful.
And may 2011 be full of love, creativity, health and luck for all of us.

XOXOXOX

Trying to hide behind...

It's easier in summer, he said.

.

.

THE CHIN-LINE EXPLANATION

.
I'm very often asked, why I divide the chins, or the whole faces, in my paintings with a line.

It started about 20 years ago with the theory (created in my crazy teenage brain) that:

The best key to happyness is to be as schizophrenic as possible.

I live about 4 different lives that are not really compatible with each other.
I mean, for example my stage performances and my main job.
So, I'm somehow 4 different persons in one body and sometimes ask myself:
WHO the hell am I at this moment mainly? *lol*

People say that I'm strange, mysterious, crazy, too versatile... but never boring.
And I'm very happy with this.
I experienced a lot sh** in my life but there was always a person in me that was lucky while one of the others was hurt.
So, I was never completely down. :-)

Here are two pictures to show you the development.

The rest is silence.
Or... your interpretation.

1991 (WITHOUT TITLE I)

































1999 (LIZA)

I MISS YOU, LITTLE BIRDIE.

I miss you.
I really miss you, little birdie.

I'd like to make a confession.

I'm a carnivore.
I  SWEAR, I tried to change it!
Without success...
It's a very long time ago but I was vegetarian for about 7 years.
I lost my hair (and had to cut the rest of it),
I was ill 25 times a year,
I had no muscles,
I was extremely underweight,
I got anemia and my doctor told me that he's sorry to say but being vegetarian isn't good for some people.
 And I seem to be one of these.

When I posted this months ago I disappointed and hurt some vegetarians, vegans, animal welfarists...















I'm DEEPLY SORRY for this.
I love vegetarians, I have a huge PETA-poster above my sleeper and my heart wants to be vegetarian but my body fails.
It took me many weeks to find a proper way to say sorry for my misbehavior and heartlessness.

Finally, here is my excuse...

10 years ago. Learning for exams.

I can't believe it's me.
My hair was black.
It's getting lighter and lighter since then.
And I hated that haircut.
I got it by mistake from a hopeless haircutter.

My very first cell phone!
And floppy disks!

The newest ones aren't, but these photos are all edited.
Superedited.
Very extremely edited.
Because in those times my face was covered with pimples.
All over.
I looked like a pizza with olives.

No, it wasn't the best time in my life.

KID ROCK AND UNIVERSITY.

You surely wonder now: What the f*** have these two in common?!?

I like Kid Rock.
I love his music.
He is a great musician.
Despite the fact that he was married to two big breast.
Or...maybe because he was married to two big breasts?
No...he already was a great musician before being married to these two big...whatever...

When I was studying at the university I was listening to "Wasting Time".
Often.
Very often.
Because the song-title is a perfect description of how being a student felt like sometimes...no, not sometimes...
Often!
Very often!
I didn't drink too much, I didn't smoke but I needed his music and some crazy lyrics regularly to free my mind from a lot of intellectual waste and to find my way back to normal life.

But I still know every damn part of my brain.
And its function.
So, when for example someone is about to smash my head with a baseball bat I know exactly which bodily function would be out of order afterwards, depending on which area he hits.
If he for example hits me somewhere behind my ears I could have problems to recognize that my mother is my mother.
WHO  KNEW ?????????!!!!!!!!!!
I need this knowledge:
NOT often!
Very...NOT often!
But I still need Kid Rock's music.
His new album is great.

**********
     
For "Wasting Time" klick HERE.
Headphones + LOUD!
I still know the lyrics by heart.
After my successfull university performance I covered that song even more successfully on stage.
I was dressed up like ... yeah ... I still have the sunnies, the hat, the tank top and the pants.
I wore the pants yesterday while writing that post.
The pants still fit my butt and the music still blows my mind.
I'm a lucky girl.

Enjoy your meal.

My squirrel.
Living in the tree in front of the window where I'm drawing and working.
Meanwhile, I know her schedule exactly.
She's eating 18 nuts per day.
She's climbing up and down the tree 29 times per day.
She looses her nut two or three times per day while climbing.
She's friends with the wannabe model cat and watches her performance on the catwalk twice a week.
My city is a friendly city.
Live and let live.

I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.

.
I'd like to make a confession...
I'm a crazy 24-addict.
I use to watch all 24 episodes of a season at a stretch.

In season 5 I tried to simulate being Jack Bauer.
I didn't kill or torture anyone.
But I didn't sleep and didn't eat.
And I did some hard workout.
20 pushups, 10 chins and 20 sit-ups per episode.
I only failed in episodes 21, 22 and 24.                   DAMN IT!

It was an experience I'll never forget.
I'm very buff now.
Watch out, men!
You need to be damn strong to cope with Joe!
Thank you, Jack.

 

14 years old Joe meets huge fiberboard.

.

The fiberboard was a piece from my parents' old wardrobe.
My mom reminded me that I completely destroyed the carpeting in my room doing this.
I have no idea why I called it "CHINESE  WOMAN  WITH  A  HAT".
?!?
It's written on the back.

I was a very strange child.
Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for my parents *lol*.

**********

Die Hartfaserplatte war ein Stück des alten Kleiderschranks meiner Eltern.
Meine Mutter hat mir in Erinnerung gerufen, dass ich bei der Arbeit daran die Auslegeware in meinem Zimmer komplett zerstört habe.
Ich habe keine Ahnung, warum ich es "CHINESIN  MIT  HUT" genannt habe.
?!?
Es steht auf der Rückseite.

Ich war ein sehr seltsames Kind.
Manchmal tun mir meine Eltern ein wenig leid *lol*.

After my Zappa-post 10 people asked me for a new pic of myself (***LOL***).

Okay.
Here she is.
Joe, Zappa-illustrator who got unbeautiful e-mails and lost 10 beautiful (but maybe a bit brainless) followers for that post.
Today. Early morning. Two minutes before leaving home.

And many thanks to all of you, who got the message RIGHT and left a comment.

Frank Zappa. Quote.

.

 

Birthday present.

Today is my birthday and that's what I've found on my terrace today, early in the morning.
I have no idea who put it there (A cat? A bird? The wind?) but,
isn't it wonderful?

**********

Heute ist mein Geburtstag und das habe ich heute frühmorgens auf meiner Terrasse gefunden.
Ich habe keine Ahnung wer es dort hingelegt hat (Eine Katze? Ein Vogel? Der Wind?) aber,
ist es nicht wunderschön?

Cat Side Story.

Neighbor A and neighbor B aren't best friends.
They don't talk to each other, never say hello, never set foot on each other's grounds.
But their cats take it easy and feel comfortable using foreign property as their own.
Neighbor A's sporty tomcat loves neighbor B's tree (as you can see here) and uses it quite often as a place to lie in wait for tasty birds.
And neighbor B's cat, blue-eyed aspiring model, uses neighbor A's private footpath almost every day to walk up and down and to present herself.
I'm not the biggest fan of my neighbors. But their cats often make my day.
I'm waiting for the moment when they fall in love with each other.
Could be a very exciting continuation of West Side Story.

**********

Nachbar A und Nachbar B sind nicht die besten Freunde.
Sie sprechen nicht miteinander, grüßen sich nicht, setzen niemals einen Fuß auf des anderen Grund.
Aber ihre Katzen sehen es locker und finden es angenehm Fremdeigentum als ihr eigen zu betrachten.
Nachbar A's sportlicher Kater liebt Nachbar B's Baum (wie ihr hier sehen könnt) und nutzt ihn ziemlich oft um leckeren Vögeln aufzulauern.
Und Nachbar B's Katze, blauäugiges, aufstrebendes Modell, nutzt Nachbar A's privaten Gehweg fast jeden Tag um ihn rauf und runter zu laufen und sich selbst zur Schau zu stellen.
Ich bin nicht der größte Fan meiner Nachbarn. Aber ihre Katzen retten mir oft den Tag.
Ich warte auf den Moment wenn sie sich ineinander verknallen.
Könnte eine sehr aufregende Fortsetzung von West Side Story werden.

Bette Midler. Quote.

Yesterday. Miracle of nature. Breathtaking. Mom's orchid.

Just stay long enough to hear me sing your song...

I reorganized my room.
Maybe I'll post some pictures of Joe wearing glasses someday, but until then, I'll try to avoid more eye damage by drawing in daylight.
:-)
It's a tremendous neighbours-fluctuation here.
Maybe I play this sometimes a bit too loud.
:-))
I love them both.
But, sorry Mick, I definitely prefer her version.
Maybe you'll forgive me sometime.
:-)))

**********

Ich habe mein Zimmer umgestellt.
Vielleicht poste ich irgendwann ein paar Bilder von Joe mit Brille, aber bis dahin versuche ich noch größere Augenschäden zu vermeiden, indem Ich bei Tageslicht zeichne.
:-)
Hier herrscht eine enorme Nachbarn-Fluktuation.
Vielleicht spiele ich das manchmal etwas zu laut.
:-))
Ich liebe sie beide.
Aber, sorry Mick, ich bevorzuge definitiv ihre Version.
Vielleicht vergibst du mir irgendwann.
:-)))

Rain.

Bill Withers' rainbow.

.
If I could, I would use every single color from my watercolor box to paint him.
Because his music is like the longest and most wonderful rainbow for me.

When I was five or six years old I've heard this song on the radio...I can still remember this moment...
Lifetime love...
Listen, then you'll understand...

Joan's and Joe's midnight.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Go there, please. 

Instead of me. 

Make photos, videos, enjoy the music...I would do anything...but I'm on the wrong continent. 

A real tragedy...

I was listening to "Day After Tomorrow" the whole night while drawing. 

And I do now. I know all lyrics by heart.

Wonderful album. Wonderful voice.

I can't tell what's my favourite song. Maybe "The Lower Road"...

Janis Joplin. Unfinished.

There were times when I wanted to look like her.

Portia Arthur...Stagenames instead of my real surname. She was born in Port Arthur.

First time I heard her singing I was about 5 and I hated her voice. My mom is the biggest fan. I preferred Joan Baez and at the age of 8 I could sing "Blowin' In The Wind" very similarly to her.

When I was 14 I started to love Janis. I had my voice break (yes, girls have it too, but you can only notice it when you're a passionate singer) and my voice wasn't that clear and silver any more.

In one of the biografies it's written that Janis hated Joan because of her clear voice, that she herself never had.
I can understand this. After my voice break I couldn't stand listening to Baez-songs.

When I was very much younger my mom said about me: "You're somehow like Janis. Born a singing baby, always self-critical, often sad, sometimes too wild, too emotional, too erratic..."

Janis had skin problems. Me too. When I was younger my self-image was: I'm ugly and I'll always be! But I wasn't. Like Janis wasn't. We simply didn't cover our faces with concealers and makeup like all the others.

I'm still very emotional and self-critical but I'm not wild any more. I live a calm and grounded life and I know now that I'm not ugly. It's a pity that we'll never know if Janis would have changed that way with age. She died unfinished.

Because of her sad and early death I never tried drugs, I was never dead drunk and I try to live as healthy as possible.

And my voice developed tremendously. It can sound clear or dirty, whatever is needed...

I don't know if I want to color her. She looks so pretty with the unpainted face.
She died unfinished. I'm sure.

**********

Es gab Zeiten, da wollte ich aussehen wie sie.

Portia Arthur...Künstlernamen statt meines richtigen Nachnamens. Sie wurde in Port Arthur geboren.

Mit 5 hörte ich sie das erste Mal singen und ich hasste ihre Stimme. Meine Mom ist der größte Fan. Ich habe Joan Baez vorgezogen und mit 8 konnte ich "Blowin' In The Wind" ähnlich gut wie sie singen.

Als ich 14 war begann ich Janis zu lieben. Ich kam in den Stimmbruch (ja, Mädchen haben das auch aber man merkt es nur dann, wenn man eine passionierte Sängerin ist) und meine Stimme war nicht mehr so klar und hell wie vorher.

In einer der Biografien steht geschrieben, dass Janis Joan wegen ihrer klaren Stimme, die sie selbst niemals hatte, gehasst hat. Ich kann das verstehen. Nach meinem Stimmbruch konnte ich Baez-Songs nicht ausstehen.

Als ich sehr viel jünger war sagte meine Mom über mich: "Irgendwie bist du wie Janis. Als singendes Baby geboren, immer selbstkritisch, oft traurig, manchmal zu wild, zu emotional, zu sprunghaft..."

Janis hatte Hautprobleme. Ich auch. Als ich jünger war war mein Selbstbild: Ich bin häßlich und werde es auch immer sein! Aber ich war es nicht. Wie es Janis auch nicht war. Wir haben nur beide niemals mit Concealern oder Makeup unsere Gesichter angemalt wie alle anderen.

Ich bin immer noch sehr emotional und selbstkritisch aber ich bin nicht mehr wild, Ich lebe ein ruhiges, bodenständiges Leben und weiß nun, dass ich nicht häßlich bin. Es ist schade, dass wir niemals wissen werden ob sich Janis in diese Richtung verändert hätte. Sie starb unvollendet.

Wegen ihres traurigen und frühen Todes habe ich niemals Drogen versucht, Ich war niemals total betrunken uns ich versuche so gesund wie möglich zu leben.

Und meine Stimme hat sich enorm entwickelt. Sie kann rein oder dreckig klingen, was auch immer gebraucht wird...

Ich weiß nicht, ob ich sie anmalen möchte. Sie sieht so schön aus mit ihrem nicht angemalten Gesicht.
Sie starb unvollendet. Ich bin mir sicher.

Pride.

JIMI HENDRIX.

Traffic Jam.

I wonder what's wrong here...

.

MARILYN II.

For all those who don't know my older paintings: You can see a more abstract version of Marilyn here.

**********

Für diejenigen, die meine älteren Gemälde nicht kennen: Hier könnt ihr eine abstraktere Version von Marilyn anschauen.

LOVEEEEEEEEEEE BLOGGER-HELP-TEAM!!!!!!

I SENT A MESSAGE AND AFTER ONLY A FEW HOURS MY BLOG IS
HEALED!!!!!!!
HEALED!!!!!!!!!!
HEALED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel SO relieved...now you can see me following you and I can add new blogs to my follow-list!

And many thanks to all of you, my dear readers, for the advices.

THANK YOU!

XXXXXXX

:-)))))

HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!!!!!!!!

MY ICON AND LINK ARE GONE!!
Do you have an idea why?
I mean, on every blog I follow you can't see my follower-pic.
I changed it and deleted the old one from Picasa and now I'm invisible everywhere and even not linked on most blogs...
There's only an empty hole instead of Joe between other followers.
I still follow you all but you can't see me on your Followers-list on the front page.
HELP PLEASE!
ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME?

CALLOMANIA...................SCHÖNHEITSWAHN.

(click to enlarge)

.

.

TAGGED!

I like to be tagged.

It forces me to contemplate about myself...how I am, what or who influences me...it's somehow wholesome for the soul...

Thank you Minnja.

**********

Ich mag es getagged zu werden.
Es zwingt mich, mir über mich selbst Gedanken zu machen...wie ich bin, wer oder was mich beeinflusst...es ist irgendwie heilsam für die Seele...
Danke schön, Minnja.

10 things I love...(click to enlarge the photos)

2. Hamlet.

I always carry this little paperback with me. 

It's very old and was part of a challenge.

Many years ago. 

The challenge was to learn it by heart. 

Completely. 

I succeeded. 

I still know about 60 percent of it by heart and reciting it becalms me...

**********

2. Hamlet.

Ich trage dieses kleine Taschenbuch immer bei mir.

Es ist sehr alt und war Teil einer Herausforderung.

Vor vielen Jahren.

Die Herausforderung war, es auswendig zu lernen.

Komplett.

Ich war erfolgreich.

Ich kann immer noch etwa 60 Prozent davon auswendig und es zu rezitieren beruhigt mich...

3. The Opera. 

Especially The Met. 

"Il Barbiere di Siviglia" was one of the most wonderful happenings in my life. 

I'll never forget it. 

It still makes me shiver with excitement when I think about it.

**********

3. Die Oper.

Insbesondere The Met.

"Il Barbiere di Siviglia" war eines der wundervollsten Ereignisse meines Lebens.

Ich werde es niemals vergessen.

Es lässt mich immer noch vor Aufregung zittern, wenn ich daran denke.

4. New York. 

I went there and instantly fell in love. 

I need to go back there soon. 

Photos: The Peninsula, rooftop-bar. One Bailey's on ice = 20 Dollars. 

But the photos were worth it.

**********

4. New York.

Ich flog hin und verliebte mich sofort.

Ich muss bald dorthin zurück.

Photos: The Peninsula, rooftop-bar. Ein Bailey's auf Eis = 20 Dollar.

Aber die Fotos waren es wert.

5. Classical music. 

Debussy's "Claire de Lune" is one of many pieces I really love. 

David Oistrakh's version arouses feelings that I can't describe...

**********

5. Klassische Musik.

Debussy's "Claire de Lune" ist eines der vielen Stücke, die ich wirklich liebe.

David Oistrakh's Version weckt Gefühle, die ich nicht beschreiben kann.

6. This film.

I can't help it...I simply love it.

I've shed so many tears watching it.

Again and again.

A thousand times.

And Joe Cocker's version of "Bye bye blackbird" from the soundtrack  is...wonderful...wonderful...wonderful!

(listen here: http://videolog.uol.com.br/video.php?id=458725).

**********

6. Diesen Film.

Ich kann nichts dafür...ich liebe ihn einfach.

Ich habe so viele Tränen dabei vergossen.

Immer und immer wieder.

Tausendmal.

Und Joe Cocker's Version von "Bye Bye blackbird" vom Soundtrack ist wundervoll...wundervoll...wundervoll!

(hört hier: http://videolog.uol.com.br/video.php?id=458725).

7. Astrophysics. 

At the uni I often "missed" ;-) the art history lectures and went to lectures about Hawking.

**********

7. Astrophysik.

In der Uni habe ich oft Kunstgeschichte Vorlesungen "verpasst" ;-) und ging zu Vorlesungen über Hawking.

8. Birdland.

It was a fantastic concert.

I want to sing there too. 

Sometime. 

I want it. 

And I will do it. 

Second big challenge. 

I love challenges.

**********

Birdland.

Es war ein fantastisches Konzert.

Ich möchte auch dort singen.

Irgendwann.

Ich will es.

Und ich werde es tun.

Zweite große Herausforderung.

Ich liebe Herausforderungen.

9. Berlin, Berlin, BERLIN!!!

10.Reading!!!

Books!!!!!

That's about 0,1 percent of what I've read. 

I just took an armful out of my bookshelf.

I started reading when I was 3,5 years old and at the age of 8 I've read mom's "Medical Encyclopedia".

I ended at the child psychologist who stated that I was highly talented.

I've never been proud of it.

Reading Gogol and Tolstoi at elementary school age was...embarrassing. 

And a girl who reads Dostojewskij isn't attractive for teenage boys. 

I'm very happy to realize that I go gaga a bit with age *lol*. 

And finally, at my age it's normal to read good literature.

**********

10. Lesen!

Bücher!!!!!

Das sind etwa 0,1 Prozent dessen, was ich gelesen habe.

Ich habe einfach einen Arm voll aus meinem Bücherregal genommen.

Ich fing mit 3,5 Jahren an zu lesen und im Alter von 8 las ich Mamas "Medizinische Enzyklopädie".

Ich endete beim Kinderpsychologen der erklärte, dass ich hochbegabt sei.

Ich war niemals stolz darauf.

Gogol und Tolstoi im Grundschulalter zu lesen ist...peinlich.

Und ein Mädchen das Dostojewskij liest wirkt auf Teenie-Jungs nicht anziehend.

Ich bin sehr froh zu erkennen, dass ich mit dem Alter ein wenig verblöde *lol*.

Und in meinem Alter ist es endlich normal gute Literatur zu lesen.

I'm sorry but I have to think some days about whom to tag...it's really not easy...

**********

Es tut mir leid aber ich muss einige Tage darüber nachdenken, wen ich taggen soll...es ist wirklich nicht einfach...

Strelitzia.

Someone asked: "What's your favourite flower, Joe?"

Neighbor A's cat in neighbor B's tree.