Ride the Wavy Bumpy Road

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I have been under the weather lately, having fought a flu-like bug or something similar. It’s the time of the year when most of us are vulnerable …. warm spring weather one day, below freezing the next. There is a phrase for those living in Wisconsin — Don’t like the weather? Wait a day.

This fluctuation is frustrating for my mental state as well. Like they say on Project Runway, One Day You’re In, the Next Day You’re Out.

Who knows where these quotes came from, but they are apropos for our lives.

I like to be up every day. Not necessarily up in the clouds up, but more of a good mood up. I hate wasting each 24 hours on fretting about things I can’t change, past mistakes, or misdirected choices of 50 years ago.

As if I can remember 50 years ago.

But, as you know, being full time positive is a full time job.. And it doesn’t take much to knock you off your  path.

I used to thing age had something to do with it — like it was easier for youth to be upbeat and positive every day. Then I look back at the time when I was raising kids and working and there was a lot of stress back then, too. A lot of choices. A lot of futures to mold.

You would think being older and retired would be easier. Not always.

With my flu-like symptoms the past few days, my mind always wanders to cancer, tumors, heart disease, and a dozen other lethal conditions. I don’t really know why, except the odds of developing one condition or another multiplies as you age.

I don’t think I was that much of an extremist at 30 or 50. But then again, my body wasn’t as worn out as it is these days.

The point of today’s chat is to pay attention to symptoms but leave room to be positive every day. The world goes round and round no matter what you do. Except for stepping  off a ten story building or jumping out of an airplane, your life is going to carry on no matter what you do, so why not choose a positive outlook as you go?

Do your best to ride the waves. If you feel sick, be sick. If you feel like walking through the woods, walk through the woods. No matter which direction you go, the yin and yang of life will bring you back to the starting point again and again.

Make an effort to hold on to the end. Do one thing every day that brings you joy and revel in the feeling of being alive.

Let’s ride this wavy bumpy road together for a long time to come.

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Books

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One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.

~ Carl Sagan

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Josh Tafoya

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 Josh Tafoya is a textile artist born and raised in the American Southwest who works within the concepts of his Spanish, Genizaro, Chicano heritage.Tafoya is a reflection of his New Mexican home’s rich textile history.He studied fashion at New York City’s Parsons School of Design before working with designers like Charles Youssef.Tafoya is mostly self-taught, reading books and employing techniques he learned at Parsons to master the medium.Coming from a ranching grandfather and a weaving grandmother, Tafoya infuses his knowledge of traditional Spanish loom weaving with his experience in New York Fashion.He weaves boisterous shapes with bright colors, clashing-yet-complimentary patterns and fringe details that inspire movement.Tafoya always infuses old and new techniques into his weaving’s and garments, each taking ideas from the other influencing the process.More of Josh Tafoya’s weavings can be found at https://www.joshtafoya.com/.

 

 

 

Cloudy Blues

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

Today is one of those days everyone wishes they had more often … one of those therapeutic, do nothing, think nothing cloudy rainy days at home.

I dreamed of these kind of days when I worked in an office. My Facebook memories are filled with years’ worth of wishes I didn’t have to go to work, didn’t have to get up early in the morning, didn’t have to go to bed early so I could function the next day.

Now I have those days and every  now and then I wish I were back under the florescent lights of an office.

There was a comradery among the cubicles and warehouses of employment that existed outside our daily lives. We might not have known alot about everyone else’s lives, but from 7:30 to 4:00 we could commiserate about employers and workloads and vacations and achieve that strange, unusual bond co-workers have.

I have no one to commiserate with these days.

I have family and good friends, and I do get together with them as often as possible. I love them dearly and am so happy to have them in my life.

But it’s days like this, days that are cloudy and rainy and my other half is gone for a couple of days and the cats are climbing on everything and I’m trying to lose weight and stuff two pieces of toast in my mouth for breakfast that make me wish I had someone to complain to.

You know the kind of complaining I mean — the whiny, crabby, toddler sort of complaining that gets you nowhere but, given in small doses, make you feel better.

I am grateful I’ve made it long enough to enjoy my retirement. I wrote and dreamed for these days 10 years before it was even possible. I go for walks and shopping and do my crafts and clean and organize and read what I want when I want. I have earned that right, having worked 50+ years in this crazy world.

But as I sit at watch it rain while watching Downton Abbey, there are fleeting memories of sitting next to my work bestie laughing about the stack of pages we had to proofread before we hit the birthday treats in the lunch room. 

I miss those days.

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Lion Statues

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments
Art Institute Lion, Chicago, Illinois

 

Lion of Babylon, Iraq

 

Winged Lion of St. Mark, Venice, Italy

 

Lion of Lucerne, Switzerland

 

Medici Lion, Florence, Italy

 

Chinese Guardian Lion, Forbidden City, China

 

Trafalgar Square Lion, London, England

 

Brunswick Lion, Braunschweig, Germany

 

Lion of the Vittorio Emanuele II, Venice, Italy

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Madness

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Art will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind born out of struggle between wisdom and madness, between dream and reality in our mind.

Magdalena Abakanowicz

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Jeff Rosenfeld

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Jeff Rosenfeld (-1975) is a contemporary American sculptor based in Dallas, Texas.

Specializing in the use of marble, alabaster, and onyx in a diverse range of colors and patterns, Rosenfeld personally designs and carves each of his sculptures.His commitment to pushing the boundaries of his technique is evident as he constantly experiments with new concepts.Through intricate and thoughtful creations, Rosenfeld continues to push himself and his chosen medium, creating a body of work that reflects both his artistic evolution and a deep connection with the natural materials he transforms into art.Despite this ongoing exploration, the artist maintains an unwavering dedication to the highest standards of craftsmanship.“While my focus so far has been in using simple contemporary forms to let the natural beauty of the stone be the hero, my current obsession is exploring the boundaries of myself and the stone through complex interwoven designs,” the designer shares.

More of Jeff Rosenfeld’s remarkable stone works can be found at https://www.jeffrosenfeldstudio.com/.

 

 

 

Take It Seriously

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Sorry I haven’t been around to chat lately…. I’ve been doing full-time granny duty while my son and his wife took a business/pleasure trip to Hawaii.

It was exhausting, enlightening, and delightful.

It has been a long time since I’ve spent long quality time with young ‘uns.

It wasn’t as much as a marathon as I thought it would be. I couldn’t believe 8 and 10-year-olds actually acting grown and responsible. But it happened.

I think us oldsters often underestimate the maturity level of those we watch playing soccer and video games. They might not be as innocent as we were at that age, but it seems that strong emotions result in strong connections and strong respect. Especially when grandkids and grandparents are concerned..

I hear so many stories about beatings and abuse in the world between children and adults. I don’t know where that originates from — children aren’t born bad. They are taught that reaction by being abused themselves.

This moment of sharing doesn’t have anything to do with situations I have no control over. It has to do with what I can do myself when it comes to others.

Especially grandkids.

Stop and listen to yours now and then. They will show you new worlds while still playing in yours. They don’t care if you don’t count cards right or give them white milk instead of chocolate. They only care about being with you.

They are a reflection of you. How you’ve lived your life. And you have the power to keep them on the right road. Connect with them.

And allow yourself to be holding the Old Maid card now and then.

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — SilllDA

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SilllDA is a Korean-born artist who lives in Japan.Her digital work is a construction born out of frustrations fueled by the pandemic.After being accepted into art school to study fine art, SilllDA’s dreams were brought crashing down in 2020, when global restrictions and lockdowns prevented her from advancing her education.She turned this period of isolation into a creative hub, endlessly creating a series of surreal illustrations. The resulting images are a finely balanced act, marrying equal doses of beauty and horror.Influenced by her heritage, Asian motifs litter SilllDA’s work. Her traditional imagery makes way at times to a darker and emotive personal touch — a touch that evokes the deep subconscious fears of her own mind.“I draw scenes that infinitely come to my mind inside my subconscious,” SilllDA shares.“From what I guess, most of my inspiration is my repressed desires and deficiencies.”More of SilllDA’s artwork can be found at https://www.instagram.com/sill.da/  and https://gatamagazine.com/articles/art/silllda.

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Friendship (repost)

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Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Maria Innocentia Hummel 

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Maria Innocentia Hummel was born on May 21, 1909 in the city Massing located in southern Bavaria.She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where she developed a style that was a fusion of traditional German painting with modern European and American influences.In the 1930s, Hummel began creating illustrations for children’s books, which quickly gained her a following.In 1934, Hummel joined the Convent of Siessen in southern Germany, where she became a nun and continued to paint and draw in her spare time. It was Hummel’s work for the publishing house Ars Sacra that would make her a household name.In the 1930s, Sacra began publishing a series of postcards featuring Hummel’s illustrations that depicted children engaged in everyday activities.

Her postcards became hugely popular in Germany and were soon exported across Europe and America.

Hummel’s images were delicate and detailed, and her characters had a cherubic quality that captured the innocence and simplicity of childhood.Because of their widespread appeal, Hummel’s illustrations were eventually adapted into figurines, ornaments, and other collectibles, making her one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century.More of M. I. Hummel’s historic creations can be found at http://mihummel.org/

 

 

 

 

Looking Back — Things Part Two

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“Things” are everywhere! And so many artists create so many things that defy categories. That’s what makes this unique art.

Come follow along and see what marvelous THINGS we can find in our Gallery!

 

Eyewear

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Ice Sculptures

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Wonderful-Creative-Ice-Sculptures-16

 

 

Gazing Balls

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2

 

 

Blessed Mother and Child

 

 

Architecture in Blue

Blue-Architecture-Miami-Depth

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Mézesmanna — Judit Czinkné Poór

 

Harps

 

 

Shovava

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hand-drawn-winged-scarves-that-will-turn-you-into-a-bird-5__880

 

 

 

Bathsheba Metal

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Pysanky Ukrainian Easter Eggs

 

 

Ray Villafane

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Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Rostislaw Tsarenko

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Rostislaw Tsarenko is an Ukrainian ink artist from Poltava who taught himself how to turn tiny dots into entire emotional worlds.The artist independently studied art and started with paints, pencils, felt-tip pens, and later settled on the dot work style to create his intricate art.Tsarenko works almost exclusively in ink, using dot work and stippling to slowly build up highly detailed images.He selects the desired liner thickness depending on the subtleties of the image he transfers.From afar, his drawings feel realistic. Step closer, and they start to slip into something more surreal.Like many artists, Rostislaw draws inspiration from music, movies, the aesthetics of details in his environment, as well as classical sculptures of ancient Rome, Greece, Italy and more, which you can often see portrayed in his works.

His mix of realism and symbolism is what makes his surreal ink art so powerful.

 

More of Rostislaw Tsarenko’s works can be found at https://www.rostislawtsarenko.com/

 

 

 

 

Granny’s the Boss … Kinda

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A big task ahead — one that takes patience, energy, and perseverance. I wonder if I’m up to it….

Hubby and I are taking care of three grandkids for ten days while their parents and the other set of grandparents go to Hawaii for a conference and add a few days to this once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

We are becoming the parents.

Now, I haven’t been an active parent for 30 years. Things have changed in 30 years.

My grandkids are 8, 10, and 15. The apples of granny’s eye. They can do no wrong.  They are perfect examples of childhood — for the few hours a week we get to spend with them.

Ten days in a row, just about 24/7, is another story.

Of COURSE I am looking forward to this experience. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us grandparents, too. The kiddos are in school, giving us time to go back home and get a few things done before overnighting it by them. We can talk and play and snuggle on the sofa in the evening, go to the movies, do homework together.

Yet kids are kids, and there’s no doubt there will be a few of sour gum drops in-between the rainbows, too.

No glass of wine and rewatches of R-rated series at night. No sleeping in. No quiet coffee in the morning before I hit the housework list. No walking around like a zombie not taking a shower for a few days. No swearing. 

What fun is that?

Even though I squeal about the stress of being in charge,  I’m not sorry I volunteered for this excursion. Life has been good to me, and these kids are proof.

Nonetheless, I have to remember that I’m 73 not 53, and my energy level will never match theirs. And that’s okay. I’m a different kind of role model. Kids need grandparents as well as parents in their lives. And we need youth in our lives so we don’t become old fart fogies.

And, after all, there’s always ice cream cones in the freezer …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Nikitha Yelchuru

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Nikitha Yelchuru is a San Jose-based artist who crafts jewelry and sculptural objects through a unique technique called quilling—rolling, shaping, and gluing strips of paper into decorative designs.Originally from India and now based in the U.S., Yelchuru blends traditional techniques with modern aesthetics, often collaborating with illustrators to add depth and emotion to her work.

Using the ancient art form of quilling, Yelchuru transform strips of paper into intricate, vibrant compositions that tell meaningful stories.Each of her works begins as an observational sketch, inspired by her everyday life and the natural world.Using these sketches as a jumping-off point, Yelchuru quills paper objects by making intuitive associations and finding formal parallels.She uses the character, shape, and color she sees to articulate the poetic meaning in everyday life and translate positive energy into spontaneously constructed forms. Her delicate hand-made pieces bear witness to her commitment to excellent craftsmanship.

More of Nikitha Yelchuru’s marvelous craftmanship can be found at https://papersweetly.com/

 

 

 

A Heart for Saturday

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Everybody’s doing it
Some hearts are empty
Some hearts are full
Some don’t like red
Others don’t really care
A saint, a love, a token of faith
Take the love and heart
Along with you this day.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking Back — Statues, Part Three

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Welcome to another look back in time at some wonderful Sunday Evening Art Galleries. Let’s take statues and move along to even more wonderful structures!

I hope you are clicking on the blue and checking out even more examples of great art!

Lorenzo Quinn

 

 

Woodrow Nash

 

 

Love Statues

 

 

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

 

Sergio Bustamante

 

 

Tom Every — Dr. Evermoor

 

Guy Clement Cohen

 

Christina Bothwell

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Bill Barrett

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Bill Barrett (-1934) is an American sculptor, painter and jeweler.

He is considered a central figure in the second generation of American metal sculptors and is internationally known for his abstract sculptures in steel, aluminum and bronze.Barrett earned a B.S. and M.S. in Design from the University of Michigan, and later an M.F.A. from the same institution.

Barrett’s sculptures of fabricated aluminum, bronze or steel address the interplay between positive and negative space with grace, elegance and exquisite balance.His innovative use of materials and forms has inspired countless artists and reshaped the landscape of contemporary art.Each sculpture tells a story and invites personal interpretation, allowing viewers to engage with the piece on a deeper level.

Barrett’s sculptures often feature intricate models and detailed metalworking techniques that create visual interest and emotional resonance.His works call to mind the fluid effortlessness of calligraphic strokes, and betray a positivism to which many viewers feel drawn.

More of Bill Barrett’s amazing sculptures can be found at https://www.billbarrettart.com/.

 

 

 

 

Hugging Angels

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I can’t tell if I feel a little creeped out or it’s just adjusting to the next step of AI-ness.

Amongst all the nonsense I see on Facebook these days, I’m starting to see videos of movie stars hugging each other, one the younger version of the other. 

At first I thought that was cool. This is young Russell Crowe from Gladiator hugging an old, oversized version of himself. Here is a young Keanu Reeves Point Break age hugging a 60-year-old long haired version of himself.

Then it started getting creepy.

Half the ones I see are younger versions hugging an AI older version of themselves with wings, meaning they have passed along.

Maybe it’s that I don’t like being reminded of my own mortality by all those wings.

Unless someone is taken younger in life, your last memory of them is the last time you saw them. I don’t try guessing what my parents or my son would look like today — I’m happy with the memories I have.

Same is true with movie and music stars.

I loved the Beatles when I was in my early teens. They were cute and bubbly and dreamy, and, like millions of others, I fell in love with them then and there. I don’t care about the older hippy versions or the old balding versions I see cross my Facebook. I want to remember them as I loved them.

Maybe this is one of those “living in the past” moments.

But what is life but looking back at moments? The moment I type this blog the words are in the past. You don’t need to see a picture of my high school graduation to know it’s still me.

If I want to see younger versions of famous people I’ll Google them or watch their movies.

I’ll hug those in wings when I get there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Peter Paul Rubens

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Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640) was a Flemish painter who was the greatest exponent of Flemish Baroque painting’s dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance.He began his artistic apprenticeship at age fourteen and completed his education in 1598 when he became an independent master painter.Though his masterpieces include portraits and landscapes, Rubens is perhaps best known for his religious and mythological compositions.As the impresario of vast decorative programs, he presided over the most famous painter’s studio in Europe.His powers of invention were matched by extraordinary energy and versatility.During Rubens’s eight years (1600-08) as court painter to the duke of Mantua, he assimilated the lessons of the other Italian Renaissance masters and made a journey to Spain that had a profound impact on the development of Spanish baroque art.By completing the fusion of the realistic tradition of Flemish painting with the imaginative freedom and classical themes of Italian Renaissance painting, Rubens fundamentally revitalized and redirected northern European painting.More of Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpieces can be found at https://www.peterpaulrubens.net/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Janet Pulcho

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Janet Pulcho (Zhanna Pulcho (- 1997) is a contemporary Ukrainian watercolor artist based in Florence, Italy.

A graduate of the Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, she became the youngest member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine.With a keen eye for observation and a vast collection of botanical photographs, Pulcho weaves narratives that transcend the canvas.Based in Florence, this Ukrainian-born artist has carved out a distinctive niche in the art world through her masterful command of watercolor technique and her profound understanding of botanical beauty.She has developed a distinctive approach combining monumental scale, refined realism, and abstract backgrounds.Flowers in her work are expressive forms conveying movement, emotional depth, and inner harmony, exploring the tension between control and spontaneity, strength and delicacy.

Pulcho exclusively employs professional watercolor pigments, a deliberate choice ensuring the enduring vibrancy of hues over time.Each petal, stem, and leaf is incredibly detailed. Her work feels almost alive, as if you could reach out and feel the texture of each bloom.More of Janet Pulcho’s amazing flowers can be found at https://janetpulcho.com/ and https://artisticmasterclass.com/artist-janet-pulcho/.

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Loss

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Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.

 — Vicki Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing a Blank

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 14 Comments

 

These days I find I don’t have a lot of chit chat to share. It’s like there’s a gap in my brain somewhere that provides a bit of numbness to the world around me. 

And I’m liking the peace and quiet.

My brain is like popcorn — so many thoughts popping in and out that I can’t keep track of what’s going on. Combined with the nonsense in politics that’s happening in the U.S. and an overload of useless information from the Internet, there’s a lot of nonsense floating around out there. That, encouraged by the lethargicness of cold cloudy weather makes me hover around a base of noncommunication. 

Do you ever have times where you  just have nothing to say? Times where you think it doesn’t matter what you say, things will keep going as they are?  That your garden of wisdom has just dried up?

For someone who always has something to say, this is a new world for me.

I think once again it’s merely an adjustment to my way of life. I know when it’s spring and I’m out running around to soccer games and outdoor concerts and  craft shows and spending evenings on the deck I’ll have more to say. For I’ll have more to feel. More to stimulate me, more to nudge me back into sharing with the world.

And hopefully I’ll reconnect to the madness around me.

Until then, let’s keep going with unique art and quotes from a wide berth of society and blogs about cats and dogs. 

Something about those little faces brings out the chat in me….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Sherry Serafini

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Sherry Serafini is a bead artist based in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania.

Serafini earned her degree in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh before turning her attention to beadery and the freedom of design it represents.

Unusual objects and shapes become part of a new story as Serafini stitches beads and gemstones, one at a time, to a felt like base. 

Each piece designed by Sherry is entirely unique – no two pieces are the same.

Drawing from nature, myth, fashion, and fantasy, Serafini creates wearable art that invites close inspection, revealing complex ecosystems made entirely from seed beads, cabochons, semi-precious stones, and hand-stitched embellishments.

The labor involved is part of the work’s power. It infuses the piece with a sense of devotion and ritual, elevating the act of making into an act of worship—of beauty, of craftsmanship, of complexity.

Her work is a reminder that beauty still grows bead by bead, stitched patiently into being, and worn not only on the body but also in the imagination.

More of Sherry Serafini’s amazing work can be found at https://sherryserafiniart.com/.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Confucius

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Confucius (551 — 479 bce) was China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist whose ideas have profoundly influenced the civilizations of China and other East Asian countries.Confucius was born near the end of an era known in Chinese history as the Spring and Autumn Period (770–481 BCE). His home was in Lu, a regional state of eastern China in what is now central and southwestern Shandong province.His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity, and a ruler’s responsibilities to lead by virtue.He advocated for filial piety, endorsing strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and the respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives.The Analects is the work most closely associated with Confucius. It is a record of his life in fragments, collected into 20 sections.The sections contain descriptions of his character, deportment, and moments of his life in exile or at home in Lu; bits of conversations he had with his disciples and other people he knew; and remarks spoken in his voice but often in the absence of a context.

Confucius taught that one’s individual desires do not need to be suppressed, but that people should be educated to reconcile their desires via li, rituals and forms of propriety, through which people could demonstrate their respect for others and their responsible roles in society.

More about Confucius and his life can be found at https://www.worldhistory.org/Confucius/.

 

 

 

 

Feeling Like a Teenager

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Howie Green

Sometimes I feel that the older I get, the more childlike I get.

I don’t mean the innocent toddler version — more like the carefree high school teenager. The one who doesn’t quite do everything they’re supposed to do. The ones who’d rather play and talk to their friends than do anything coherent like Math or chores.

I have the same amount of responsibility I had when I was young — not so much as a teenager, but as a young adult. Rent, groceries, bills — responsibility out the gazoo.

I then got married and had children, settled down and played the part of mother and wife and employee. I think I did fairly well.

Now that I’m way past my 20s and 30s I feel like being irresponsible again.

Being irresponsible is different for everyone. For some it’s meat on Friday or splurging on Ferrero Rocher candies. Sometimes it’s watching B horror movies or blasting rock and roll on a Wednesday night.

Now that I’m 73 I’m trying to fit into the hole of “Who’s going to care anyway?”

As long as I don’t set the house on fire or accidentally dial 9-1-1, what does it matter if I have pancakes for dinner or eat fruit out of the can? Does it matter if I watch Hellraiser or Downton Abbey? Does it matter if I have an extra glass of wine or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before I go to bed?

All my life I’ve followed the rules. Got to work on time, didn’t do drugs, took my kids to church. Raised my boys. That turned into spending time with Grandkids.

Now that I’m in my last third of life on this plane I feel I deserve to go with my mental flow. Even if the mental flow is zigzaggy a lot of the time.

I enjoy reading about lucid dreaming and watching shows on ancient Romans and taking ashwagandha. I like having a glass of Baileys at 3:00 and not have to worry about driving home or taking care of my children. I love watching film-noir black and whites and jamming to Motley Crue. I love making culinary concoctions only I enjoy, and coloring mandalas that make me dizzy.

I suppose I’ve always been this wild and restless fae all my life — it’s only now that I can live that life without a lot of second guessing.

Is this a prelude to Alzheimer’s? Of senility? And is there anything wrong with that?

I hope that if living a crooked life paves my way to a positive dream world on my way out, I’ve lived a good life.

And had a good imagination.

How about you? What semi-wild things are you embracing these days?

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Cohn-Stone

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Cohn-Stone‘s award-winning and widely collected works are inspired by natural forms of leaves, fruit, flowers, birds, the human figure, creatures of the sea and the patterns of nature.

Michael Cohn graduated from UC Berkeley where he studied glass art in the 1970’s with Marvin Lipofsky, Dale Chihuly and Richard Marquis during the early days of the glass studio movement.

 Molly Stone also graduated from UC Berkeley, and her hot glass experience began at Pilchuck Glass School in 1977 where Dale Chihuly was her first glass instructor.

Both artists create their individually designed and sculpted blown glass art pieces which are larger than life.Nature, inspiration, technical mastery and science come together at the hands of these accomplished artists who create transcendent works of glass that inspire collectors, museums and galleries around the world.

Cohn and Stone derive satisfaction in the creation of high quality decorative and/or sculptural glasswork as well as in the design and construction of the furnaces, ovens and other equipment which make the work possible.

More of Cohn and Stone’s wonderful blown glass can be found at http://cohnstone.com/.

 

 

 

Looking Back — Faces, Part Two

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The face is the perfect canvas for artists — and, I imagine, the hardest to get right. Every muscle can perform dozens of expressions with just one movement. A world of emotions in one place.

It has been a while since I shared Faces, Part One with you — let’s see what Faces galleries bring us this morning!

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Alexa Meade 

 

 

Kalman Aron

 

Vanessa Davis

 

 

Margaret Keane

 

 

Beatriz Hidalgo de la Garza

 

Dasil (David Silva)

 

Luke Nugent

 

William Utermohlen

 

 

Albrecht Dürer

 

Salman Khoshroo

 

 

Kip Omolade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Peter Max

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 13 Comments

Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein -1937) is a German-American artist known for using bright colors in his work.

After immigrating to the United States in 1953, Max continued his artistic pursuits by enrolling at the Art Students League in New York City.

Works by Max are associated with the visual arts and culture of the 1960s, particularly psychedelic art and pop art.

Max’s diverse cultural experiences, ranging from his Jewish heritage to his exposure to Chinese and Buddhist art, laid the foundation for his unique artistic vision. 

An instant media sensation when he made his debut in the 1960s as the go-to artist for the leading rock bands in the heyday of the Woodstock era, Max’s career became ever more public over the decades.

Max’s journey as an artist reflects a lifelong dedication to pushing artistic boundaries and capturing the essence of the ever-evolving cultural landscape.

Through his vibrant paintings and iconic artwork, he has created a visual language that transcends time and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

More of Peter Max‘s extraordinary artwork can be found at https://petermax.com//

 

 

 

 

             

Faerie Paths — Faeries

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

Brian Froud

Faeries are seen through the heart, not through the eyes. Remember that faeries inhabit the interior of the earth and the interior of all things, so look, in the first place, in the interior of yourself.

~ Brian Froud

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In Substitution

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 11 Comments

Here in the Midwest we are preparing for -40 degree windchills tonight into tomorrow. I am planning on keeping the bird feeders full, throw out some carrots or celery to boot, and fluff dry my blankets for my vigil upon my livingroom sofa.

Pray you all do as well.

In the meantime, come dream with me for warmer times…..

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Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Anne French

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

Annie French (1872 –1965) was a Scottish painter, engraver, illustrator, and designer.French studied at Glasgow School of Art (GSA), from 1886-89, under the influential teacher Francis Newberry.Known as one of the Glasgow Girls (a group of women artists and designers active in Glasgow at the turn of the twentieth century), French was well known as a watercolorist, illustrator, designer and teacher.The artist excelled as an illustrator and developed an exquisite linear technique.Influenced by both Art Nouveau and the Pre-Raphaelites, French’s delicate, patterned style worked well for the illustration of fairy tales and poems.Her drawings are often quite small in scale, and are characterized by both an intricacy of composition and a delicacy of handling.She produced children’s book illustrations, designs for greeting cards (for which she was perhaps best known in her lifetime), and independent compositions in watercolor on vellum.More of Anne French’s exquisite artworks can be found at https://www.stephenongpin.com/artist/236593/annie-french.

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Do I Like Every Art Gallery I Post?

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 11 Comments

 

from the Museum of Bad Art

An interesting thought came to mind this morning as I replied to a comment over in my Gallery.

My acquaintance stated she didn’t like the art I posted. Which is fair. Which got me thinking —

Do I like the art in every gallery I post?

Almost every time I would answer yes. Art is such a big world that one can’t help but be impressed by its variations.

My Sunday Evening Art Gallery is a little different than many, though, for it’s supposed to be “unique” art. Things the viewing public has never seen before. I don’t mean such artists as Renoir or Charles L. Schulz — most everyone has heard and seen their work. 

My artists are often a bit more obscure. As you can see from my “Looking Back” galleries, some art defines categorization. It’s just lovely but different.

Sometimes it’s not even lovely.

So many artists are similar in their style that I sometimes think I’ve already highlighted their work. While variations of style are still unique onto themselves, I try and find work that is just … different. Every once in a while I’ll choose an artist whose work is, upon reflection or inspection, more of a past time dalliance than a true calling.

Undoubtedly that’s where my own art fall in.

But I appreciate it so much when someone responds that they don’t get it or don’t like it just as much as when they fall in love with it.

Art is supposed to hit you that way.

Don’t ever hold back. Allow yourself to feel something.

Even if now and then the feeling is “ehhhh…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Sidney Hutter

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

Sidney Hutter designs and fabricates original, sculptural glass vessels from his Newton, Massachusetts studio.Hutter has developed a unique design style, influenced and cultivated from his passion for art and architecture and melded with an interest in the commercial glass and adhesive technology industries.Using commercial plate glass, adhesives that react to ultraviolet light, and vibrant pigments, the artist  creates mesmerizing sculptures that respond to light and movement.

With a combined use of rough or highly polished glass surfaces, along with specialized pigmented adhesives, Hutter creates three-dimensional sculptural objects in which the intersection of form, glass, color and light unite to create works of art with an amazing and ever-changing spectrum of color, reflection, and refraction.Each piece is created using sophisticated and refined processes for cutting, polishing and laminating commercially available plate glass.Hutter’s interest in glass, ultraviolet light and adhesive technology, and pigment applications have taken him around the country, attending conferences and researching the latest advancements in those fields.

“It is both exciting and humbling when a viewer steps up to a piece and says, ‘Wow, I have never seen anything like this before’.”  the artist shares. 

More of Sidney Hutter’s marvelous glassworks can be found at https://www.sidneyhutter.com/

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Time

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

 

Every day is lost in which we do not learn something useful. Man has no nobler or more valuable possession than time.

~Thomas Jefferson

 

 

 

Looking Back — Landscapes, Part Two

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 11 Comments

It has been too long since we took a trip back through the Galleries and peeked at the beautiful Landscapes found there.

Why not come and take a stroll with me and see for yourself?

 

Robert Finale

 

 

Ellie Davies

 

Eiffel Tower

 

 

Caspar David Friedrich

 

 

The Woods

 

 

Alexander Young (AY) Jackson

 

 

Valerio D’Ospina

 

 

Martin Marcisovsky

 

 

Santiago Rusiñol i Prats

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Charles Sequevya Loloma

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

Charles Sequevya Loloma (January 7, 1921 — June 9, 1991) was a Hopi Native American artist known for his jewelry.A highly influential Native American jeweler during the 20th century, Loloma popularized use of gold and gemstones not previously used in Hopi jewelry.Loloma was a leader in modern Native jewelry design whose innovations made him the most famous and widely collected Indian jeweler of all time.  He was born near Hotevilla on Hopi’s Third Mesa and attended Hopi High School where Fred Kabotie led the art program.
In 1949 he received a fellowship from the Whitney Foundation to study Hopi ceramics, and in 1954 he moved to Arizona and opened a ceramics studio in Lloyd Kiva New’s Kiva Crafts Center in Scottsdale.

Loloma started making jewelry around 1955 and gradually abandoned his Lolomaware line of pottery. By the 1960s he had earned an international reputation for innovative jewelry using sandcasting, fabricated silver or gold, and a variety of stones and other materials including ironwood and fossilized bone and ivory.Loloma used unconventional materials like sugilite, lapis, ivory, gold, pearls, diamonds, and even exotic woods.With the founding of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in 1962 came the realization of a long-time dream of building a school directed toward helping Indian students find an individual expression of their cultures through the arts.More of  Charles Sequevya Loloma’s jewelry can be found at https://wheelwright.org/publication/loloma-beauty-is-his-name/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Faerie Paths — Music

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

 

 

 

Music is the wine which inspires one to new generative processes, and I am Bacchus who presses out this glorious wine for mankind and makes them spiritually drunken.

~ Ludwig van Beethoven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same-O Same-O

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 24 Comments

Here I am in January, talking the same &hit I’ve been talking for the past 30 years.

Gotta lose some weight. Gotta get some more energy. Gotta Gotta Gotta.

This has been the same sing song for most of my life. As age has crept up on me, so have the pounds, the ticks and twicks of being female and being human.

I get so tired of listening to myself.

But something feels different this time around. I’m not as flippant about losing weight. Not as smarmy I-can-do-it as I used to be.

This year feels more serious than those of the past.

I realize that deep down inside I want to go to my grandkids’ graduations and weddings. I want to visit Ireland and go back and have a birthday dinner on the top of the Eiffel Tower and walk in the Pacific Ocean. I want to be able to fit in cute summer dresses and not look like a Telletubbie in my swimsuit come Disneyworld in April.

And that I can’t do that comfortably if I don’t make an effort to get rid of the mental and physical burden of all these extra pounds.

I’m not talking miracle weight loss here. Ten pounds could make a difference in how I feel about the world — and myself.

I know many many friends who have gone the GLP1 route, finally having come across something that works for them. And I’m happy for them. I don’t have the money for weight loss shots, and I’m not sure I’d want to go that way if I could.

I want to do this the old fashioned way. Stop eating chips and platefuls of pasta and drinking sugared drinks like I’ve been wandering through the desert for days. I want to stop making excuses for bad choices.

I really need to do this for me.

Viruses and cancer and broken limbs and heart attacks always dance around people of my age. Life is finite. Yet somewhere in this finite future there has to be a way to prolong the inevitable. A way to work on that which can be worked on and leave the rest to chance.

And this time I think it’s going to work.

I know at least half of you reading this this morning has set similar goals this cold January morning (or warm if you’re on the other side). I know many of you have started, fallen, and failed.

But there’s something to be said about trying one more time. For YOU. No matter if it’s quitting smoking or losing 10 pounds or finding a way to deal with your OCD or ADHD, you always have the chance to start again today. One step at a time.

Wishing you all a successful New Year’s resolution, or, if you’re like me, a successful day.

One day at a time.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Anne Fisher

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

Anne Fisher is an Australian visual artist/community artist.Fisher studied sculpture at Canberra School of Art and the Victorian
College of the Arts, and has taught people of all ages in different institutions and community workshops.The artist started her “Eat with an Artist” WordPress blog in 2019, creating over 2,500 posts of still life photographs she calls “playful interpretations” of classical works.Fisher combines images that relate to a creative person (i.e. a sculptor, a songwriter, an architect, a writer) with a picture of them or their artwork or a scene they may have created in their writing, adding in a reference to a food or drink.She reads references to foods in biographies, poetry, interviews and some cookbooks specifically based on the favorite recipes of the visual artists.There is powerful social commentary in writing, art, music, and design, and Fisher sees her photographs/montages as an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the artwork of artists of every genre.

Fisher looks at working life, domesticity, aging, survival during wartime, poverty, diversity of life style, food addictions, and absurdities, and is pleased when she can introduce readers to a new sculptor, poet, musician or dish from another culture.At the same time she has broadened her own reading, eating, knowledge and appreciation of other cultures and periods of history.

Anne Fisher’s wonderfully creative images can be found at https://eatwithanartist.wordpress.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/eatwithanartist123/.

You Texted What?!? (repost)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

I was wandering through my past blogs yesterday and this one popped up and made me smile.

I so believe in seizing the moment you get an inspirational idea for something new and creative. I so believe that inspiration has no rhyme nor reason — something just catches your eye and brain and you know you have to flow with it right away, no matter where you are.

Find a way.

You get weird and excellent and silly ideas all the time. You never know when those ideas will turn into something grand. Save those ideas!

You Texted What?!?
September 5, 2019 ~ humoringthegoddess

 

Well, now that I’m far enough away from white wind turbines not to be haunted by them, I have been hit by the writing bug again.

Creative artists are a curious bunch. You say you’re not, but of course you are.

Anyway…

I already have too much on my plate, and not a big enough plate to hold it all.

Last week when I was camping with my family I couldn’t sleep. I’m in a tent with my hubby. The wind is howling and so is his snores. Mine will accompany his if I ever get to sleep. So wandering as my mind often does, I get this idea for a story.

I’ve been wanting to write something about my dreams and connecting them to real life for some time now, but never could get a feasible idea going.

Until 1 a.m. in the tent.

No paper, no pencil, no computer to record my thoughts. Great. You know me — I’m afraid I’ll forget tomorrow’s grocery list if I don’t write it down.

So I get this great idea.

Type my idea into a draft into my email from my phone. Sounds simple, right?

Nothing is ever simple for me.

So here I am, under the covers in my dark tent, trying not to wake up hubby who is delightfully snoring away, trying to write down my idea with my two thumbs.

Here are part of my notes. No lie.

She is terrifird. Hm. Dreans start to get weied. Still knonve but dreans like dinner in lasr samari or talk through glllass wall. They funalky meet. In dream workd reality of work does nt exist. Reakirmty knows intensiry of dream wirld but not vuce versan what to do.

Uh huh. I understand that.

Good thing I’m not in a typing bee, though.

The point is that you can get inspired any time, any where. On walks. At work. In a sleeping bag. Walking to the bus. You can see a color for a design that is so cool in nature you want to reproduce it. You hear a chit of conversation and think it would make a great screenplay. You see a sunset and wonder if you could needlepoint it.

But you have no way of recording these outstanding, blast open ideas.

Or do you?

Do what you have to. Write on toilet paper, take a leaf with you. Write code words in ketchup. Take a picture. Write on your arm with an ink pen. Draft an email.

Just get your thoughts DOWN.

Inspiration will come and go, but you will never have that exact idea or moment again. And who knows — that could be THE ONE.

Hexxv goes on teip, dreans geeet better.

Good thing I speak thumb text…..

Faerie Paths — Time

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

The years go by one after the other; time slips past us with out our being aware of it; we grow old like ordinary men and we shall end like them.

~ Louis XIV

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Philip Johnson

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

Philip Johnson (1906 — 2005) was an American architect and critic known both for his promotion of the International Style and, later, for his role in defining postmodernist architecture.

550 Madison Avenue (formerly AT&T Building)

He studied at Harvard and co-founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where he helped introduce modernist architecture to American audiences.

The Glass House

Known for his bold vision and innovative designs, Johnson reshaped the architectural landscape, blending modernism with his unique flair.

The Lipstick Building

His early work blended modernist principles with his distinctive approach, influencing the architectural world from the onset.

The Crystal Cathedral

Johnson’s career faced significant controversies, largely centered on his ideological affiliations and perceived opportunism.

Chapel of St. Basil

Though his legacy is complicated by early associations with fascist ideology in the 1930s, views he later renounced, Johnson remains a central and provocative figure in American architectural history.

David H. Koch Theater (formerly New York State Theater)

More of Philip Johnson’s impressive architecture can be found at https://illustrarch.com/articles/38897-philip-johnson-architectural-biography.html

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Looking Back — Things

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

There is a lot of Art that doesn’t fit in particular categories — art that makes it’s own category.

So for those individuals who are as unique as their creator, today I am sharing Sunday Evening Art Gallery artwork that, for practical purposes, are Things.

Enjoy!!

 

Snowflakes

snezhinka-0024

snowflake-11

 

 

Bubbles

 

 

Doors

15

 

 

Stemmed Drinking Glasses

 

 

Trees

 

 

Crowns

 

 

Aquariums

ultra-modern-decorative-fish-tank

 

 

Paperweights

 

 

Fabergé Eggs

faberge23

 

 

Kirigami

 

 

 

 

 

Is It Art?

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 15 Comments
Image from The Square

I was watching a very artsy movie the other evening called “The Square” about an Avant-garde Swedish museum that is opening a controversial art display called The Square, a 4×4 square in the cement in front of the museum, outlined by a rope light.

The movie went on to relationships and other bizarre interactions so I stopped watching, but the controversy at the beginning really made me think.

“It’s meant to represent a communal ‘safe space,’ ” the artist explained. “The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it, we all share equal rights and obligations.”

I never knew a 4×4 square could be so deep.

Am I missing something here?

An artist can make anything they create mean anything they want. A few sentences of explanation and you may understand it’s a political statement or a state of mind or world of chaos. It’s all up to the artist.

The discussion group in the movie states that they “need to harness social media attention with something other than the uncontroversial and bland artist’s statement.”

The square is nothing more than a 4 x 4 cement square. Another exhibit in the museum was a room with 15(?) piles of something arranged in 5 pile lines.

Why is this considered art?

Most people glance at displays like this and don’t give it a second thought. We don’t understand and don’t feel like understanding.

One of the quotes from the movie is, “If you place an object in a museum does that make this object a piece of art?”

This is still my question about modern art.

If a handful of people get the meaning you assign to your piece, is it still museum-worthy? Will it be remembered and cherished as a reflection of the world at the time?

Does every piece of art have to make sense?

I wonder about it all.

 

 

 

Fairy Paths — Today

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

 

 

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Collected Poems and Translations

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Johnny Pham

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

Johnny Pham specializes in crafting unique and eye-catching moss creations.From handmade wood and cement moss bowls to custom framed moss art and large-scale moss panels, each piece is a one-of-a-kind work of art, designed with a distinct creative twist.Each moss art frame is meticulously hand-assembled, starting with a layer of preserved moss as the canvas, upon which he add 100% natural elements like mushrooms, fern leaves, and driftwood to create depth and texture.
Preserved moss is real moss that’s been treated with a natural glycerin-based solution to maintain its soft texture, color, and shape — no water or sunlight needed.His handcrafted pieces bring unique texture, depth, and organic elegance to any interior.Pham’s art is the perfect way to create an earthy and sophisticated atmosphere in the world of creative art.His love of nature combines with his artistic talent to produce realistic plant designs that will last a lifetime.More of Johnny Pham‘s amazing moss work can be found at the Moss Shop, https://themossshop.com/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





First is not always Favorite

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 17 Comments

These sleepy cloudy cold Saturday mornings are often an impediment to my creative thinking process. Too cold to really enjoy going outside, the closest I often get it filling the bird feeders or letting the dog out to do her morning or afternoon business.

As I just released another Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog over at http://www.sundayeveningartgallery.com, a question came to mind:

When you think of classical art, what is the first piece you think of? 

Not necessarily which artist or piece of art is your favorite — which piece of art first comes to mind?  Your answer might surprise you.  I know mine did.

Sitting here listening to Haydn’s London Symphonies, the first piece of art I think of is the Mona Lisa by da Vinci.

Why is that? Is it because I see her in advertisements and memes and an occasional story from the Louvre? Is it because it’s a magnificent painting or more like it’s the most famous painting by one of the most famous artists in history?

Now take a moment and think — what is your favorite piece of art?

Although it’s hard/impossible to pick only one piece of art that is my favorite, when I sit and think about it, is The Coronation of Napoleon  by Jacques-Louis David rates right up there for me.

I mean — who would pick that one? But quickly running through my visits to museums and art galleries, that one first popped into my head. It’s huge and the colors are beautiful and it’s full of famous people of the time. It is almost overwhelming, as most art is.

I also stood in line to see the Mona Lisa when in the Louvre. Tons of people standing in line to get close to the roped-off portrait, it was indeed lovely, but nothing that knocked my socks off.

What is the piece of art that first pops into your head when you think of classical art? And what is your favorite actual piece of art?

It will be interesting to see if both are the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year in Art

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

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Happy New Year, Pq Haus

Happy New Year, Frances Brundage

Happy New Year, Margareth Perfoncio

Happy New Year, Nataliia Martseniuk

New Year’s Sun, Ito Jakuchu

The Party, Marisol Escobar

Party’s Over, Norman Rockwell

Baby New Year and Crystal Ball, Joseph Christian Leyendecker

Apartment Dwellers New Years Eve, John Falter

New Year’s Kite, Katsushika Hokusai

Three Boys Merry Making, Judith Leyster

Slipping Back 10 Years

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Ten years ago. Ten. I was healthier, more optimistic, less focused on age and all that goes with it. Reading this blog has shaved a layer of non-commitment off my hard hide. I couldn’t read tarot cards back then and I certainly can’t translate them now. But I’m looking forward to reading this blog ten years from now and being healthier doing it.

I hope you’re here reading along with me. 

Unicorns and 2015

December 29, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess

Well, here it is, December 29th, 2015. Two more days/evenings until New Years Eve, three more days until we roll on over to a new year.

Soon our favorite bloggers will be writing beautiful prose and poetry about letting go of the old, embracing the new, Father Time, memories, love, sentimentality washing over us until we feel bad about feeling so good about feeling so sentimental.

What I want to do now (seeing as New Year’s Eve I’ll probably be playing Gauntlet (video game) with my kids, I’ll play my Tarot cards now.

Two of Pentacles. My two grandsons came to live with me/us this Fall, the pentacles of love and childhood. Soon they will be off in their own house, but, I tell you, as much as I adore them, I understand why childbirth and childrearing is left to women under the age of 50.

Queen of Swords. I admit I’ve gotten sucked into Game of Thrones, including the hype and spoilers (after I’ve watched the episode). I raise my sword in salute of poisoning, White Walkers, the God of Many Faces, Sand Snakes, incest, dragons, wights, High Sparrows, and the Wall. A bit of mania wherever you look.

The Hermit. Can’t tell you how many times I just wanted to burrow into my bed and not come out until a week later. I take the role of Drama Queen seriously, you know.

Nine of Wands. This reflects the number of edits on my novel. Nine wands now, twenty wands tomorrow. The wand is the pen/typewriter, and the nine is the number of times I gave up and went to my Art Gallery instead. Next year is the year.

Wheel of Fortune. Riding the highs and lows of work, I look forward to the days of getting snowed in. Oh darn. Car is stuck in the driveway. Let’s go back inside and write a blog.

Ace of Cups. Got my lack-of-sleep thing under control this year, cut back on some meds, and generally back on the middle-aged road to energy. The Ace of Cups toasts my clean mammogram. Did you get yours??

Two of Dreams. Not a real Tarot card, this card represents the continuation of my two favorite blogs. I love writing, I love unique art, I love magic and I love the shadows between the stars. I love my family, my music, my books, and my followers. And the blogs I follow. And sunrises. And warm summer breezes. And IrishFest in Milwaukee. And cats. and spaghetti. And chocolate.

Wait — that’s more than two dreams.

Hope you are thankful for more than two dreams, too!

 

 

 

 

AI – AI – Oh

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …”

A Charles Dickens world if ever there were one. 

I am both fascinated and irritated by the marvels that keep unraveling around me. Like many of you, I have a stockpile of experience doing without things we could not do without today.

That is the privilege of being a granny. The good old days.

But I am also a fairly aware and engaged senior citizen too, watching new inventions unwrap around me like wrappings on Christmas presents.. Technology taken places I never thought I’d see.

There is a lot of AI in the world these days. Artificial Intelligence. According to Wikipedia, AI is “Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making.

Computer programs designed to make things easier to do, to see, to imagine.

As you may already have guessed, I’m on the fence about this one. I am fascinated by what AI can accomplish. Lately I’ve been seeing clips of movie stars and their younger selves, movie stars and their older selves, landscapes only dreamed about; and computer generated galaxies and star clusters. I love that dinosaurs come to life on the big screen and that you can watch water in a swirl in slow motion up into the air. I love the preciseness drawing and creating with AI gives us average humans, enabling us to tweak nature like never before. 

What bothers this older BoHo lady, though, is how AI is taking over jobs and tasks meant to be  developed in the human brain.

These days AI can write letters, resumes, stories and research papers. AI automatically corrects your text and suggests different words in cases of awkwardness.  It can create paintings that look so real you need to touch the canvas to see if there’s really paint there.

How will today’s kids learn to spell and put sentences together and do research if they don’t do it on their own?

The Internet has unlimited directions on information, real and made up. You can ask whatever you want and their is an answer out there somewhere. No going through books or figuring out logic with pencil and paper. Ask and you will receive.

I struggled — and succeeded — to be a prolific writer. I was a proofreader and blogger for my last company, and corrected the most confusing grammar from those making ten times more than I did. Yet these days writers of copy and information and proposals let an intelligent computer do the work for them. 

I guess this  walks the same line as schools not teaching cursive anymore. I can’t imagine not being able to write my name or a sentence or note to a friend without it. These days as long as you can sign your name you don’t need the rest.

I know I know — it’s the inability of the old to give in to the new.  I am not an old fogie — I’m more of an older BoHo Gal. I am absolutely for advancement of the species. I have seen and learned things past generations could only dream of.

But I still want to hold on to the old way of doing things for a little while longer.

What do you younger stallions think?

 

Repeat of Gates

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments
 

An oldie but goodie while I finish recovering from Christmas….

Now Watergate does not bother me..
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth…

…..Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1974

I must admit that about the time Watergate came along I was working my first job as a linofilm typist, and politics did not really concern me overmuch. Today’s generation looks back fondly at Watergate just as they do the Battle of Gettysburg or the Boston Tea Party. Just another history lesson.

The suffix -gate derives from the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s, which resulted in the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon. The scandal was named after the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. What I find really funny, though, is that the “gate” part started a whole slew of scandalous escapades. “Gates” abound everywhere.

There are Arts and Entertainment gates:

* Closetgate (2006); controversy after the TV show South Park aired a parody of Scientology

* Nipplegate (also known as Boobgate) (2004); Janet Jackson’s famous “wardrobe malfunction” during half time of Super Bowl XXXVII

There are Politic gates:

* Billygate (1980); Billy Carter, younger brother of then-President Jimmy Carter, creates a media firestorm when he aligns himself with the government of radical Libya.

* Bridgegate (2014); Lane closures to the George Washington Bridge create major traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The bottleneck is seen as a political incident ordered by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who did not support Christie’s reelection.

*  Hairgate (1993); Controversy surrounding a haircut given to U.S. President Bill Clinton

There are Journalism and Academic gates:

* Hackgate (also known as Rupertgate) (2011); Allegations that the now defunct News of the World had hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians, and members of the British Royal Family

There are Sports gates:

* Deflategate (2015); Did they or did they not under-inflate the footballs?

*  Bumpergate (1982); During the Daytona 500 race, drive Bobby Allison allegedly modified his car so that his rear bumper would fall off, giving him an aerodynamic edge

Funny thing is that these scandals aren’t limited to U.S. soil. Just listen to the names and places:

* Portraitgate (2009, Ireland): Two oil paintings depicting Brian Cowen, Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, in the nude, were briefly displayed in Dublin art galleries in March 2009 as an act of guerilla art

* Toiletgate (2006,  Elista, Kalmykia, Russia); The allegations by Veselin Topalov and his manager Silvio Danailov during the World Chess Championship that Topalov’s opponent Vladimir Kramnik was visiting the toilet suspiciously frequently during games

* Pastagate (2013, Canada); Controversy in which an Italian restaurant was investigated by the Quebec government for using words that do not comply with their language laws, such as “bottiglia”, “calamari” and “pasta”

* Porngate (2012, India) Three members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in India resign from their offices after accusations that they watched porn during government proceedings.

* Bottlegate (2001, Ohio); Rowdy fans of the Cleveland Browns threw plastic bottles and other debris on the field after a controversially overturned call in the final minute of the game led to the Browns losing the game to the Jacksonville Jaguars

You get my drift.  So I figured, if there’s so many scandals out there with gates on them, why not create a few of my own?

* Grannygate: Busted for keeping grandson up way past his bedtime and offering him sugared drinks

* Catgate: When coaxing live cats to lay on the toy train track didn’t work, I offered my collection of stuffed unicorns as test subjects

* Employeegate: There are enough infractions in this scandal that this blog cannot list them all. I am on double secret probation until I am 85

* Flippergate: numerous violations of the “put the TV flipper back on the end table where you found it” rule. The scandal is that I never remember the rule — until I lose the flipper

* Irishfestgate (2012); I boasted to my 6 foot, 225-lb. son that I could keep up with him beer-for-beer at Irishfest. Guess who won, and guess who was sick for two days

There are a whole slew of gates for those who are curious — check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate%22_suffix.  I’m sure if you scoured your past you’d find a lot of gates, too.

But thankfully, since most of us are just regular guys/gals, the media won’t be knocking on your door — er, gate — any time soon.

Just be smart, and keep your gate locked.

Just in case.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Domenic Bahmann

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Domenic Bahmann (Munich, 1981) is a multidisciplinary illustrator, artist and designer living and working in Canberra, Australia.Originally, Bahmann used to work for agencies and studios as a designer before he started his ongoing creative initiative Stop, Think, Make in 2013.Shortly afterward, he began to create everyday related visual metaphors and illustrations, contributing to magazines, campaigns, and social media projects.Bahmann’s clever visual metaphors and thought-provoking illustrations inspired by everyday life. ““I find it interesting to turn seemingly boring things into something new that has a surprising element,” Bahmann shares.

“My work is the result of daydreaming and trying to turn mundane situations into something interesting.”

More of Domenic Bahmann’s whimsical art can be found at https://domenicbahmann.com/.

 

 

 

Cookie Traditions

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Cookie Mania has hit the snowy Midwest!

Saturday was make-cookies-with-the-grandkids day. My mere two cookie contributions — kolackies and oatmeal raisin — were but a drop in the baking bucket for future Christmas parties.

Actually only a couple of grandkids contributed time and energy, but there was enough assistance to give granny a break between cookie sheets.

Sometimes it’s hard to really get into the Christmas spirit. Like I said in a previous blog, Christmas Again?, it’s not always easy to get into the Christmas spirit. Energy and social security and other excuses often put a damper on my Deck the Halls nature.

But baking cookies with someone else makes all the scroogeness disappear … not to mention how I love eating the results.

We always bake the weekend before Christmas. It’s sort of a tradition. As is wrapping presents on Christmas Eve late at night for the next day. We add boiled shrimp and a glass of wine to our routine, and even though the wrapping date has changed through the years, we still try and keep the tradition we started when our kids were babies and we worked all day Christmas Eve.

I think you can make a tradition out of anything you do more than once. As long as there’s heart and togetherness mixed in with whatever you’re doing, you’re creating a safe place for laughs and love year after year.

And as you get older that becomes more and more important. 

Do you have any traditions you try and keep with family and/or friends? 

If so, Share! Share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — John Atkinson Grimshaw

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John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836 – 1893) was a Victorian-era painter, notable for his landscapes, usually known as Atkinson Grimshaw.Self-taught, Grimshaw started exhibiting in Leeds in the 1860’s with minutely observed still life paintings.Grimshaw experimented with a looser technique and with classical subjects — historical subjects and contemporary ladies — that were particularly successful.He was interested in photography and sometimes used a camera obscura to project outlines on to oil canvas, enabling him to repeat compositions several times.He also mixed sand and other ingredients with his paint to get the effects he wanted.

Around 1880 Grimshaw suffered some unknown financial crisis and retrenched, returning to Leeds and boosting his output to around fifty paintings a year.

Certain elements of social realism come into his paintings around that time, night being a good time to record less respectable forms of life.

More of John Atkinson Grimshaw’s inspirational landscapes can be found at https://johnatkinsongrimshaw.org/.

 

 

Who’s Coming Now?

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

 

 

Are you watching out?
Are you crying?
Are you pouting?
Knock it off and I’ll tell you why
You-know-who is coming to town.
I heard he’s making a list
and double checking it
to see who’s in trouble
and who is off the hook.
You-know-who is coming to town.
He knows if you’ve taken a sleeping pill
He knows if you’re up watching tv late
He knows if you’ve gained or lost five pounds
So behave, for Pete’s sake.
Are you watching out?
Are you crying?
Are you pouting?
Knock it off and I’ll tell you why
You-know-who is coming to town.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Quilts of the 1800s

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Historians cannot be sure when exactly quilting was invented, but they do know that the history of quilting goes back at least to medieval times. It is possible that quilting was used in ancient times: an ancient Egyptian ivory carving shows a king wearing what appears to be a quilted cloak. 

Out of curiosity I searched for quilts made in the 1800s. The variety was amazing. Remember: these were created before electricity. Some were created before the sewing machine was invented in 1842. Some were created around the American Civil War.

Zoom in and take a closer look at the quality  of mid-1800s.

 

Contained Quilt, 1880

 

Bunch of Grapes, 1870

 

 

Field Of Diamonds Quilt, 1860

 

 

House Medallion. 1880

 

Pinwheel Quilt. 1845

 

 

George Washington Quilt. 1876

 

 

Star of Bethlehem With Pomegranate Trees, 1850

 

 

Name Unknown, 1870

 

 

Foundation Rose And Tulips, 1865

 

 

Mariner’s Compass Quilt, 1840

 

 

 

 





Faerie Paths — Paths

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The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

J. R. R. Tolkien

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Charles Dana Gibson

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Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1955) as an American artist and illustrator who was best known for Gibson Girl – an iconic image that best represented the stunningly independent Euro-American woman at the start of the 20th century.

Gibson attended New York’s Art Students League from 1884 to 1885, then traveled to Italy, Spain, and France to study painting from 1905 to 1907. 

Gibson’s illustrations included the refined upper-middle-class idealized woman known as the Gibson Girl, as well as gentle satirical depictions of American mores and public life.

She became known as an ideal image of youthful American femininity, the modern woman: athletic, smart, stylish, and desirable, and she sold magazines.Charles’ skill allowed him to create pictures using mere black ink and basic paper.Gibson’s use of bold lines, as well as his techniques in utilizing contrast, are still being admired and studied by contemporary illustrators who are serious about perfecting their craft.Add in his unique application of tone, character, and humor, and his style started to be emulated by the artists of his time.

More of Charles Dana Gibson’s unique artwork can be found at https://americanillustration.org/project/charles-dana-gibson/ and https://www.artlex.com/artists/charles-dana-gibson/.

Inked (repost)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

As some of you may know, I lost my youngest son four years ago. Last Saturday I finally got a tattoo honoring him and my love for him.

My friend Tiffany at Tiffany Arp-Daleo Artworks had lost her mother, someone who meant as much to her as my loved ones do to me. Today she posted a lovely post about the tattoo she got to honor her mother.

Tattoos are not for everyone. But for those who get them, each one is special and magical. It takes a special person to share their grief and connection both in body ink and in a blog. 

Here is hers.

 

Inked

 
Tiffany Arp DaleoSan Diego ArtistWomen ArtistCalifornia ArtistSan Diego

I wanted to do something special to remember my mom, who passed away on December 9th. We often joked about getting matching mom/daughter tattoos, but it never happened.

When she was first diagnosed with dementia, she went through her things and got rid of a lot. Besides being a great artist, she was also a writer and wrote poems and stories, but sadly, most of that she threw away. While I was going through her remaining belongings, I found this poem on a small piece of paper and decided to keep it. She probably wrote it after my dad passed away.

It took some effort to find someone who was willing to do the tattoo on the specific date, and someone who could do the lettering exactly in her handwriting. I found my guy at Seventh Serpent Tattoo, and I couldn’t be happier with the final tattoo, he nailed it. 😊

 

The original handwritten poem

”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Vision

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

 

 

Everything begins in the mind. If you want to see clearly, you need clear vision.

~ Swami Satchidananda

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Maarten Vrolijk

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Maarten Vrolijk is an Amsterdam-based artist and designer who considers it important to elaborate on the simple, unequivocal nature of a product or art work and has been creating his works for over 25 years.His aesthetic and ‘art language’ is particularly unusual because it consciously plays with shapes, colours and materials in an uncontrived way.

He also believes his pieces should also make people’s everyday lives that bit more beautiful through the many little details that evoke the unexpected.Vrolijk is perhaps best known for glass vessels with their outgrowth of colored glass fragments.The volatility in accomplishing the exceptional thickness of his vases creates a risky balance between strength and delicacy.The thermal stress caused when trying to equalize the interior and exterior temperature of the cooling vessels, is fraught with the threat of breakage.

To create each piece, a meticulously patterned bed of broken glass pieces is strategically laid down and heated to a specific temperature in order to be properly fused to a nascent blown glass form.

The temperature and timing must be precisely in tandem. It is a high-stakes process that results in a kind of frozen sense of chaos.

More of Maarten Vrolijk’s unique glasswork can be found at https://www.maartenvrolijk.com/

 

 

 

 

Additions to the Family

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 22 Comments

Say hello to the two newest additions to our family. Darth and Vader.

I need two cats like I need a hole in the head. 

Having just turned 73, I find myself with less patience for disruptions in my daily life. Art and Crafts and laundry are done at my speed, not the world’s. As my productivity has slowed, so has my organizational skills.

And you can’t organize two little black kittens.

Don’t get me wrong — we lost my cat Mysty last Fall, and as you can see (Caturdays) I do love cats. We just put our 14-year-old dog down two weeks ago, and my heart was heavy. 

This is the way of life. I get it.

We have a year-old lab, who is still full of energy and curiosity. Match that with two 10-week-old kittens, and you can imagine the chaos it brings.

We were told that, if possible, take two kitties, for they will keep each other occupied, keeping the stress away from you. But with all the clip clip clip from one side of the house to the other, they do indeed keep each other busy.

And even though I complain like an old granny half the time, it warms my heart to see life start all over again. Life and laughter and discovery of new friends, even though the friends are of the feline variety.

Don’t let life slow down for you too much. Two kitties might not be the answer, but make sure there’s life around you — life that’s full of life. Life that brings hope to your open heart.

Even if they meow louder than a thunderstorm …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Bookcases

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

 

The contents of someone’s bookcase are part of his history, like an ancestral portrait. 

Anatole Broyard