Month: September 2025

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Heath Satow

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Heath Satow (-1969) is an American artist who works in fabricated metals. Satow attended North Carolina State University School of Design where he graduated with honors with a concentration in sculpture.The curved facets of his sculptural surfaces pull apart our visual surroundings, distort and re-order them in unexpected ways, creating a new interpretation of the world we usually tune out and take for granted.Satow’s intention with these pieces is to tune us back into the world around us.”I work primarily with mirror-polished stainless because of the visual variety it offers daily,” Satow shares.

“As natural light changes, as the colors of the seasons change, even as people’s fashion changes, all these permutations are literally reflected in the work.”More of Heath Satow’s amazing sculptures can be found at https://www.publicsculpture.com/.

 

 

Looking Back — Jewelry Part Two

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The first round, Looking Back on Friday … Again — Jewelry Part One, was a hit with jewelry lovers!  I mean, where else can you find jewelry made by Cartier and Pierre Sterlé side by side with alien stealing cows earrings and R2D2 rings?

Let’s visit some of my other oldie jewelry blogs and see where we land!

 

 

Jaime Moreno

 

 

Diamonds

 

Pearls

 

 

Jewels from the Persian Qajar Dynasty

 

 

Ashka Dymel

Robin Callahan

 

Mariko Kusumoto

 

 

 

 

Buildings, Gates, Archways, Tombs, and More — Part One — Gates and Fences

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Going through some of the photos from my trip to Paris, Rome, and Florence last year for my new Frameo moving picture frame, I came across some kick ass photos of stone architecture.

What the architects of yesteryear created is past amazing. I am not familiar with the styles, but the words relief, frieze, architectural sculpture, and carvings all seem to be proper adjectives for the beauty I found over there.

I’ll never make my way over there again, and some of you might never make it there at all. Sharing these photos provide a realistic insight into what that world looks like from the comfort of your sofa.

Today I want to share with you gates I came across. Hopefully in future posts I’ll share altars, ceilings, buildings, and other wonders of the ancient world. Come walk with me!

Forgive some of the photography — I am an active learner still.

 

GATES/FENCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Günther Uecker

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Günther Uecker (1930 – 2025) was a renowned German artist best known for his dynamic use of nails to create tactile, three-dimensional compositions that challenge the boundaries between painting and sculpture.Uecker began his artistic education in 1949 when he took up studies at Wismar in Germany.After the East German uprising of 1953, he escaped to the West, settling in Düsseldorf where he studied under Otto Pankok at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.Beginning in 1966, after the group ZERO dissolved its last joint exhibition, Uecker increasingly began using nails as an artistic means of expression —- a material that, until today, stands in the centre of his oeuvre.His nail art, characterized by rhythmic patterns and a sense of motion, evokes themes of destruction and reconstruction, reflecting the post-war context in which he emerged as a leading figure in contemporary art.His idea of art as a cosmic practice may feel like something from the past, when artist-heroes grappled with essential truths on our behalf.Yet there is profound humility in the way he steps into his studio each day with the tools of a carpenter, and little else.More of Gunther Uecker’s expressive art can be found at https://www.levygorvydayan.com/artists/gunther-uecker.

 

 

 

 

I’m Bored

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‘I’m bored,’ I sigh.

‘What?’ You ask, a slight smirk touching your lips.

‘You? Bored? Come on,’ you tease. ‘You… with a hundred things on your creativity list? How can you be bored?’ You make a slight pointing gesture before opening your hand in mock surprise.

‘I’m bored at this moment,’ I repeat, fingertips paused pensively on the keyboard. ‘The brain has not kicked in yet.’

‘Even Michelangelo was bored sometimes,’ I reply, an ever-so-slight flip on the edges. ‘I’m sure half way through painting the Sistine Chapel he thought he’d had enough and took a break to have a beer.’

You chuckle. ‘Honey, he probably drank wine. Chianti or something. But that’s not the point.’

You put your hands together as if in prayer.

‘Pray tell… why are you bored? Haven’t you said the world is an ever evolving and exciting place? That there’s always something new to learn?’

I nod sheepishly. I sit back in my chair, taking my fingers off the keyboard.

‘Yeah… right. Happy Happy Joy Joy and all that.’ A pause. ‘Maybe I’m just exploring the world of boredom. Inspecting its boundaries. Tiptoeing to the edge to see how far down it goes.’

You lean back in your comfy chair. ‘Ahhh … checking out the abyss, eh? The depths of man’s passions and despair. All or nothingness. Possibly all for naught. I’ve heard the boundaries are endless. True nirvana vs true blackness. Tottering to the edge doesn’t make so. You have to take that final leap.’

I look at you in a new philosophical light. You know so much. Feel so much. A real Nietzsche.

I look out the window, watching the birds knock each other out of the feeder, the clouds rolling in, a thunderstorm not far behind. I think. I contemplate. I muse. I dig deep into my soul.

I smile at you, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

‘No … ’ I reply confidently. 

‘I’m just bored.’

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Callen Schaub

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Callen Schaub is an abstract artist based in Montreal, Canada. Schaub’s vivid, illusionistic abstract paintings feature sweeping patterns in colorful hues on rectangular and round surfaces.The artist forgoes paint brushes, instead using tools like pendulums, trapezes, and spinning machines to produce the freeform splatters of paint seen throughout his work.After creating the base, Schaub layered paint into a bucket destined to pass above the canvas while being suspended by a rope.Taking it into his arms, he released a plug on the bottom, allowing paint to flow through two large holes, then sends the bucket swinging over the canvas.The resulting swirls and blends makes for the most magical in-motion artwork.With over a decade of live performances and exhibitions under his belt, Callen transforms movement into mesmerizing color, exploring what it means to make and experience art.More of Callen Schaub’s exciting artwork can be found at https://callenschaub.com.

 

 

 

Finally! Another Caturday!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

It’s been quite a few weeks since we’ve celebrated Caturday and Doggerday!

How’s your cat doing?

How’s your dog doing?

How’s your pets and kids and friends doing?

Cats and dogs and hamsters and toddlers and friends all live in that same stratosphere. That same aura. That same world.

The world of love. The world of friendship. The world where, no matter what they do, you are there for them.

No money need be exchanged; no favors given or taken. No shouldas, couldas or wouldas. Just plain friendship. The buddy system times ten.

Caturday and Doggerday are just reminders that your best friends need you.

Don’t limit your love rays to just your dogs and cats. Spread your love and affection to everyone around you. Hug your kid. Even if your kid is 40 years old. Call your bestie and talk for an hour. Text your friend from work and say hi.

You all know what I mean.

Share the love. Even if you don’t get it back. Doesn’t matter. Loving is what feels good. Share your heart’s wealth.

Especially when it translates into petting and cuddling fur babies…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Treehouses

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TREE HOUSE
A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.
A street house, a neat house,
Be sure to wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all-
Let’s go live in a tree house.
~ Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Friendship

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If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.
~ Winnie the Pooh

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Marilyn Sunderland

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Marilyn Sunderland is an American artist and sculptor who is recognized for her amazing sculptures made from ordinary pumpkins.Sunderland has a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia, plus a two-year art course from the Art Instruction, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota.Having acquired carving certificates for classes completed in gourd and creative wood carving, Sunderland’s work transforms pumpkins into beautiful pieces of art, featuring blooming flowers, scenic landscapes, and swimming fish.Before starting to work with a pumpkin, she removes the pulp, focusing solely on the walls.She then treats the pumpkin using a special technique and applies layers of acrylic or oil paint.Only after the pumpkin is primed does Marilyn begin carving her whimsical patterns and scenes.She often cuts flowers, leaves, and other elements from other pumpkins and attaches them to her canvas-like pumpkin. The result is three-dimensional and incredibly intricate artwork.More of Marilyn Sunderland’s amazing carvings can be found at https://www.marilynsunderlandstudios.com/.

 

 

 

Looking Back — Colors

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You know how much fun I have looking back at Art Galleries — the diversity is just amazing!

Sometimes a highlighted artist is more a noun than a proper name. Generalities rather than specifics.

So it is with today’s highlights — color.

I do hope you are clicking on the blue title links and checking out the variety of images that tag along with the title.

See you there!

Silver

Beige

 

Gray

Black

Green

Brown

Turquoise

Pink

White

Orange

Blue

Yellow

Purple

Red

Gold

 

Making Something Out of Nothing

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What a wonderful topic for a Monday Morning!

The places you could go with an inference of this sort! The trips of imagination and logic can move as one as we take a thought or motion or occurrence and make it out to be bigger and more fantastic than it already is — or ever was.

Alas, today’s observation is neither cosmic nor scientific. But it makes me smile anyway.

Friday night I went to our local theater to see Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. For those of you unaquainted with the turn-of-the-century series, the storyline is thus: The series, set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era, and the effects the great events of the time have on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. (Wikipedia) The movie itself is the conclusion of the TV series and the subsequent two follow up movies.

Anyway….

Our local theater is like most small town theaters. Four different movies, four different theaters, very few in any of them. I’ve taken my grandkids to movies and have attended a few on my own through the years, and I would be tickled if there were more than 3-4-5 other people in the theater with me.

Last Friday there were a whopping 12 people in the theater watching this period piece. More than the Fantastic Four and Minecraft together.

Could this be a reflection, an indication, of society’s lack of interest in new and modern faces on movies?

Are people finally getting tired of watching slashing and brutality and dismemberment for an hour and a half? Are people tired of spending good money to watch superheroes save humanity once again or demons possessing innocent victims or beautiful people turning to drugs?

According to Google AI, fewer people are going to movie theaters now compared to the past, with attendance in 2023 being roughly half of pre-pandemic levels, a trend largely driven by the rise of streaming services, the convenience of home viewing, and higher ticket prices.

Now maybe this is nothing more than a Boomer resistance. After all, we’ve seen this and that for like ever (heh). Possession? Yes. Slicing open bodies? Yep. Drugs? Yep. College parties and adult parties where all act like high school parties? Bring it on. Been there, done that.

I think Hollywood is having a problem bringing something new to the table.

There are only so many ways you can fall in love, have a drug overdose, crash cars and fight aliens. Only so many ways you can introduce and reintroduce blood and guts to the big screen.

The “large” audience in the theater Friday night was most likely a fluke. If I had gone to a larger theater in a larger city, they may have been lined up to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.

But maybe — just maybe — people are getting tired of being scared, freaked out, and repulsed. There is enough of that on the nightly news.

Maybe a dose of Downton Abbey or F1 the race driver movie or even Stephen King’s non-demonic-yet-grueling The Long Walk is what people are searching for these days. Something with more brains and entertainment value over brutal and gory fare.

Or maybe I just like Downton Abbey.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Leena Nio

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Leena Nio (-1982) is a painter born in Helsinki and currently living in Espoo, Finland.Nio graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2010 and was awarded the Finnish Art Society’s Ducat Prize the same year.Nio is known for her ability to play with different techniques and perspectives through her oil paint.Her choice of theme and technique stems from her profound interest in painting and its potential.She makes use of traditional subject matter — such as portraiture and still life — but experiments with the materiality of paint, creating a range of impressions on a single canvas.Often her paintings look like blown up photos of knitted sweaters, needlepoint and buttons.More of Leena Nio’s delightful paintings can be found at https://leenanio.com/.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — The Aftermath of 9/11 in Art (repost)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

This blog was originally posted on September 11, 2016. I know that since the original post there have been thousands of art works created honoring this horrific day. 

I thought it appropriate to repost this one today. The only changes I’ve made is to add the artist’s name.

We will never forget.

 

 

Sunday Morning Art Gallery — The Aftermath of 9/11 in Art

 ~ humoringthegoddess

 

To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts — such is the duty of the artist.

~ Robert Schumann

 

Lady Liberty Memorial, 9/11 Memorial Museum

 

 

Eyes on New York, Tony Trigg

 

 

 

9-11-memorial-freehold-nj-nick-zelinsky
9/11 Memorial, Freehold, NJ

 

The Madonna in Hell, Fevorr J. Nwokorie

 

9/11 Memorial, Heath Satow

 

brooklyn
Brooklyn Wall of Rememberance

 

kenny-wang
Kenny Wang

 

Flight 93 Memorial, Shanksville, PA

 

hero-image-pentagon-memorial-photo-credit-mike-myers
Pentagon Memorial, Washington D.C.

 

Landscape Hero, Khai Nguyen

 

papquilt
Unknown Pap Quilt

 

Remembering Our Heroes, United Airlines Flight 175 Memorial Quilt. Collection, 9/11 Memorial Museum

 

Trinity Root,  Steve Tobin

 

tumbling-woman-eric-fischl
Tumbling Woman, Eric Fischl

 

fdny_quilt
Fire Department New York Memorial Quilt

 

lower-school-art-students-of-porter-gaud-schoolsc
Lower School Art Students of Porter Gaud School, South Carolina

 

Reflections. David Kracov

 

flight-crew-memorial
Flight Crew Memorial, Grapevine, Texas

 

911-dust-to-dnamikey-flowers-kevinclarke
Dust to DNA, Bianca Nazzaruolo

 

Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning, Spencer Finch, 9/11 Memorial Museum

 

to-lift-a-nation-ground-zero
 To Lift A Nation, Ground Zero, Stan Watts

 

teardrop-memorialbayonne-nj
Teardrop Memorial, Bayonne, NJ, Zurab Tsereteli

 

The National Tribute Quilt, 9/11 Memorial Museum

 

9/11 Memorial Museum, New York, Snøhetta and Davis Brody Bond

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Hengki Koentjoro

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Hengki Koentjoro (-1963) is an accomplished photographer specializing in capturing the spectral domain that lies amidst the shades of black and white.He learned his craft at the Brooks Institute for Photography in Santa Barbara, California.Upon his return to Indonesia, Koentjoro settled in Jakarta as a freelance videographer and video editor.Delving into what he believes to be his true purpose in life’s journey of expression, he indulges himself in the art of black and white photography on the side.Exploring along the borderlines of light and shadow, yin and yang, Koentjoro celebrates complexity in the minimalist.In his striking signature simplicity, the artist delicately preserves the dreamy awe in ordinary objects above and under water.“Photography can never be separated from the aspects of making the common things unusual,” Koentjoro shares, “welcoming the unexpected, indulging and embracing ourselves with the joy of photography.More of Hengki Koentjoro’s marvelous photography can be found at https://www.hengki-koentjoro.com/.

 

These Days Aren’t So Bad After All

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

 

I have finally taken upon myself to watch the turn-of-he-century series “The Gilded Age.”

For those who are unfamiliar with this Julian Fellowes creation, The Gilded Age is about new money vs old money in 1880’s New York City.

Like its predecessor, Downton Abbey, the series is glorious in its sets, fashions, and elegance.

Now I realize this is a fictional creation for mass viewers, but it does touch on the morals and habits of people who lived 143-ish years ago. 

It has all the raised prickles of a porcupine — upper class snobbery, racial bigotry, struggles of power and wealth and forbidden love and all that world entangles. And I know these fictional plights are separate from the true tragedies that still plague the world today — war, famine, poverty, bigotry. 

But that’s not the angle I take this morning. I’m more moved by the social laws and desires and struggles those of the upper class back in the 1880s. It was a world today’s women can’t imagine

Of course there were exceptions. But that’s not what today’s blog is about.

A woman of “class” couldn’t go out unsupervised. Women were discouraged from talking to men or women not of their social rank. Women could not have visitors unless her parents approved first. Could not have friends out of their class or color. Women didn’t bother learning household skills and were never party to the ways of money, bills, or financial security. You weren’t allowed to question those who provided for you. You couldn’t play with your children without a nanny or governess around.

And those corsets! Eeek!

Today I am reflecting on the freedom of women to be women. And to have that definition be whatever we choose it to be.

Equality is virtue that is rarely achieved. It is talked about, suggested, hinted at, and even achieved in some arenas. The opulence of the Gilded Age was a barrier in a class status that should not have had any barriers. After all, you had money. You had a beautiful house. You ate in the most opulent restaurants and danced in ballrooms. Other people did your laundry and cooked your food and made your clothes. You did nothing but study social protocols and keep your opinions to yourself.

You were more restricted than Imotep’s mummy.

I’m happy that I was born a hundred years later. I’ve had poor days and rich days. I’ve worked and vacationed and drank out of crystal wine glasses. I took care of my children 24/7 and changed my own sheets. I have friends of color and friends who are well off and friends who are struggling to make ends meet.

I am free to live my life the way that I want. 

I think my enjoyment of The Gilded Age boils down to crystal chandelier envy.

Which is fine with me…..

 

 

 

Looking Back — Needlepoint and Friends Part One

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A lovely day for just about anything you’d like to go, any place you’d like to wander! 

How about we take a wander back through some of my Needlepoint and Friends Galleries? I mean — a stitch in time makes nine — whatever that means — a stitch back in time makes for eleven great Galleries!!

 

Marina Printseva

 

 

Richard Preston

 

Ana Teresa Barboza

 

 

Vera Shimunia

 

Susanna Bauer

 

 

Michelle Kingdom

 

 

Yarn Bombing

 

 

Aiko Tezuka

 

Natalie Ciccoricco

 

Meredith Woolnough

 

Justyna Wołodkiewicz

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Tarik Kiswanson

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Tarik Kiswanson (-1986) is a visual artist and poet from Halmstad, Sweden.Kiswanson received his MFA from École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris and BFA from Central Saint Martins-University of the Arts London.The artist comes from a Palestinian family that was exiled from Jerusalem to North Africa and then Jordan before subsequently settling in Sweden in the early 1980s.Kiswanson transforms sculpture into a highly experiential artform.He employs simple-seeming objects to conjure the sense of rootlessness that pervades our age.Accordingly, what stands out from the empty wardrobes, cribs, cocoons, and chairs that recur in his installations is their overall impression of weightlessness.Kiswanson borrows from Minimalism, and, in his rejection of simplified geometry and form, ushers in a new type of abstract sculpture.

More of Tarik Kiswanson’s abstract presentations can be found at https://tarikkiswanson.com/

 

 

More Upcoming Galleries

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

Another wonderful day which just happens to be a Saturday!

On my way to a soccer game then a birthday party, so I thought I’d tantalize your party buds and show you a few of the AWESOME artists I’ve yet to post…

Hope you’re as excited as I am!!

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Clemens

 

 

Kathy Klein

 

 

Tani Bunchô

 

 

Volker Hermes

 

 

David Johnson

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Melinda Hutton

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Closures/Remnants was born when Melinda Hutton, designer and artist, stumbled upon the world of antique buttons 26 years ago and became hooked.Since then, she has been designing jewelry using antique and collectible buttons and has expanded her work to include handcrafting new pieces from well-loved vintage remnant pieces.Each piece is a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted piece of artwork.Texture, color, shape and type of button are factors Hutton considers at length before her designs are complete.As an artist, Hutton’s goal when designing is to create a very personal, heirloom quality piece of jewelry that will be worn often and for years to come.She combines old buttons with each other or with other ephemera to create one-of-a-kind jewelry.More of Melissa Hutton’s work can be found at https://www.closures-remnants.com/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s Do Life Together!

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I am finally back from a long weekend of running around with my family up North. I love my family and I hope they love me but I’m so glad to be home and quiet and retired.

As if those two things go together.

I worked all my life to be able to sit on the deck and have coffee  at the same time others are turning on their computers and making their first phone calls of the day.

Now that peace and quiet is always at the back door I find I can’t let it in for too long. It’s like my mind has turned A.D.D. on me. 

If you’ve kept up with me on my blog you see me rewriting a novel, making sun catchers, drawing and sketching abstract emotions, opening an Etsy shop — I make myself tired.

Yet I have a new idea. 

Bear with me.

Soon the craft show circa will be over. I accompany a group of typical male bonding fishermen up North for over a week so they can fish and tell fish stories and fish some more before we close the cabin. To take advantage of that down time, I have picked out several of last year’s drawings that I’d like to convert to watercolor paintings, resplendent with texture and 3D-ishment. 

Once I finish all these paintings I’d like to have an open house gallery show with all these marvelous (insert roll of eyes here) creations and, along with purse charms and sun catchers, donate the proceeds to charity.

Where did this idea come from??? Should I even consider such nonsense?

Of course, all depends on the quality of the paintings, something I haven’t done in a long time. And how long this keeps my interest.

I am already finding new artists for my Gallery that blow my socks off and sharing my crafts with local consignment shops and getting ready for one more craft shows and football games and grandkids’ soccer games. 

I should be satisfied with the crazy pace my life is already.  But peace and quiet goes hand in hand with crazy and busy.

I hope your life is full of all four.

Let’s do this together!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Paul Kaptein

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Paul Kaptein is an Australian  artist who specializes in sculpture and drawing.Kaptein graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Art and Design from the Claremont School of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Curtin University.Kaptein works with large blocks of laminated wood to reveal warped and distorted human figures, some pierced with a smattering of holes linked with drawn lines like star constellations.Dramatic contours and warped curves interrupt the traditional human forms, making the sculptures seem as if they been intercepted by a digital software glitch.Depending on the vantage point of the viewer, the figures can change from figurative to abstract, with some angles revealing an almost completely typically human body, while others uncover a striking warped effect.

Most of the Kaptein’s hand carved wooden pieces are in the middle of two modes of being – a stable, static appearance and some kind of mysterious state characterized by flexibility and fluctuation.His hand-carved busts and figurative sculptures are additionally punctuated by gaps formed from the laminating process, creating the impression of digital glitches or images skewed by poor reception.

More of Paul Kaptein’s amazing sculptures can be found at https://www.paulkaptein.com/.