A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Anniversary

April 18, 2016April 19, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess

The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him. ~Pablo Casals

Five years. I swear to the goddesss almighty, I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for five years. Five years today. So much has happened in this short period of time — and so much yet to happen.

I almost forgot the significance of tonight — it’s like last Friday I realized that Monday was going to be my writing anniversary, then I got fried watching my grandkids all weekend (I love the tan from that!), then my Sunday Evening blog. So I almost forgot — no, I did forget — until I was laying in bed, in the dark, trying to fall asleep.

My mind was running and running, but not about what you think. It wasn’t full of anniversary sparklers and referrals to past blogs — it was centered on a Facebook experience I had earlier in the evening.

You know how ads and reposts from other people drift in and off of your account. Most I glance at then pass by. But someone posted this picture.

And I thought, wow..kinda cool. Maybe this is something for my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog. So I followed the breadcrumbs and found out that this artwork — and a number of others — is done by a 14-year-old girl named Candace Walters, who just happens to be severely autistic.

I say “happens to be”, because once I did more research, her parent’s pride shown through every word they shared. Her parents wrote, “Candy is showing the World what children with autism are capable of achieving!! They have great potential for excellence!!”

How can you forget something like this?

How can you not love the beauty, the colors, the love this child brings into this world?

I have written to the e-mail address, asking if I could highlight Candy’s work on my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog. Sometimes I just highlight artists, as they are out of reach, but this felt so much more personal. I want to shout out her light, her beauty, on my blog, but I also want her or her parents or her guardians or her family to know I’m shouting it out.

In this case it’s called respect.

So tonight, my 5-year anniversary of having shared my thoughts, my heart, and my love of writing and art to all of you, I find myself turning the spotlight to someone who deserves recognition so much more than I do.

You can find Candy’s artwork at https://www.facebook.com/candywatersautismartist, and her work can be purchased at http://www.zazzle.com/candace69/products.

Hopefully I will be able to share more of her magic with you in the future. Yet, with the sun having set on my 5th anniversary, I’m already filled with magic.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Katsushika Hokusai

April 10, 2016July 19, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess

An image seen on a hundred different walls, on placemats, screensavers, postcards.

And yet the incredible history of the artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is a magical tale of its own.

Hokusai was born on the 23rd day of 9th month of the 10th year of the Hōreki period (October or November 1760) to an artisan family, in the Katsushika district of Edo, Japan.

Hokusai was a Japanese master artist and printmaker of ukkiyo-e, a style of wood block prints and paintings.

Hokusai is best-known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831) which includes the iconic and internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s (first image above).

Hokusai was known by a dozen different names through his lifetime, most likely reflecting the different artistic manifestations he went through.

It is this restlessness, this thirst for life and art, that inspired countless other artesians on this continent and others.

And it is this quiet beauty that has withstood the winds of time.

You can see all of Katsushika Hokusai‘s art at his website http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/.

Went Gif Shopping Today!

April 5, 2016January 12, 2024 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

I went gif shopping last night.

I feel like a weirdo…or a geek. What in the world I’m going to do with this ever-growing collection only heaven knows. Gifs are all over the Internet — they are free, they are cool — and I haven’t a clue what I’m going to do with them all.

I suppose I like the simple movements a small bit of animation holds. I’m sure they are fairly simple to make, but like a magical act, I don’t want to know how it’s done. I am content watching water flow or objects spinning. They don’t take up much room — not like a salt and pepper shaker collection — and when you bore of them there’s not a lot of guilt disposing of them with a “click”.

I suppose when you are creative (as opposed to logical), the how isn’t as important as the happening. I once had a friend who told me why pretend, when Science was so much more fascinating. This came from a very logical person, an electrical engineer, who also happened to dabble in astronomy and physics. And this opinion twisted my own when it came to letting my imagination fly.

There is truth in what my friend told me. Science, physics, astronomy, engineering, all are fascinating truths that continue to evolve into more fantastical truths. This is the foundation of all we hold dear. The physics of balance and weight built us shelter. The simple mathematics of 0’s and 1’s is what powers computers, Iphones, and automobiles. I can’t imagine a world without these fascinating sciences, these powerful tools.

Yet I am simple in a lot of ways. Mathematics, Pi, integers, all that stuff means nothing to me because I don’t have any idea how it works. It’s like part of my brain refuses to function. I am fascinated by quantum physics, by quarks and black holes, but I haven’t a fig what they really are or how they are really formed. Like watching computer graphics. If technology can create dragons and Transformers and hobbits, all from what started as binary code, who am I to judge the validity of such?

But as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that it’s okay to be imaginative as well as factual. Being a writer, an artist, and a grandmother, it’s important to always have a storytale ready. Whether created by me or J.K. Rowling, there is a need to dazzle an audience. To make eyes widen with just a sentence. To paint a landscape that doesn’t exist on this plane of existence. To call fireflies faeries and coyote howls werewolf songs.

There is a need for both fantasy and reality in this life. Most linear folks have little to do with the imagination side, unless it’s computers or cars or airplanes. And truthfully, many imaginations don’t care how something works. In their world, it just does. The crazier the better.

Which brings me back to my being a gif hog. I try and use them on blogs now and then. But more often I sit with my little grandbaby and show them the magic that someone else made. Like believing in unicorns and astrology and thanking God for the free throw you made to win the game. Just because you can’t prove it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

So for you giffys out there, here are a few that have caught my fancy….

Now how can you not laugh at at this last one?

Life is amazing. And so are gifs.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Sarah Kaufman

April 3, 2016July 19, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

Sarah Kaufman is a Nashville, Tennessee-based artist who creates magical, textural mixed media paintings that explore aspects of the human experience “through the lens of surreal and ethereal narratives.”

Starting with a with a blank canvas, Sarah smears, drizzles, and splatters it with venetian plaster and gesso to create texture, then seals it with layers of translucent acrylic paint.

Once the base of the painting has settled, she paints her idea brings it to life with oil paint.

Sarah’s paintings are often soft and bright, yet sparkling with ethereal feelings.

According to Sarah, “The idea of being separate and distinct from the world around us is an illusion…”

“…we are simply a collection of energy for the moment. The houses represent our concept of self, with energy swirling around us in the sky, ground, trees and animals.”

More of Sarah Kaufman‘s lovely art can be found at http://www.sarahkaufmanart.com

https://artandinventiongallery.wordpress.com/art-artists/artwork/sarah-kaufman, http://www.larkandkey.com/artists/sarah-kaufman/, and can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sarah.kaufman.14.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Jewish Paper Cutting

March 6, 2016July 19, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Jewish paper cutting is a traditional form of Jewish folk art made by cutting figures and sentences in paper or parchment.

It is connected with various customs and ceremonies, and associated with holidays and family life.

Paper cuts often decorated ketubbot (marriage contracts), Mizrahs, and ornaments for festive occasions, and works of art.

Paper cutting was practiced by Jewish communities in both Eastern Europe and North Africa and the Middle East for centuries and has seen a revival in modern times in Israel and elsewhere.

Today, Jewish papercut art has grown in popularity beyond ritual items to art and expressions of Jewish faith, not only in Israel but worldwide.

The sacredness of this ancient art is evident in the precise drawing and cutting of each piece.

It was truly an exquisite form of art even the poor could do.

though in the past few decades the art form has seen a veritable renaissance in Israel, with artists really pushing the medium to its thematic and technical limits.

Examples of this fantastic hand-cut art can be found at http://www.judaicpapercuts.com/,

http://www.papercutjudaica.com/ and http://www.nanrubin.net/, among others.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Liu Bolon

February 7, 2016July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

Some people are magic, and others are just the illusion of it.
― Beau Taplin

Calling Liu Bolon Master of Illusion is putting it lightly.

Using his own body as a canvas, painting himself into the background, Bolin creates scenes that are statements about our relationship to our surroundings.

Liu Bolin was born in 1973 in Shandong, China and studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, graduating with an MFA in 2001.

He discusses the social concerns of his home country through his artistic practice, most prominently through his ‘camouflage’ installations.

Blending in with the world around you is not as easy as it seems

But with the imagination and creativity of Liu Bolon, it becomes seamless.

More of Liu Bolon‘s amazing art can be found at

http://www.kleinsungallery.com/artists/liu-bolin, http://www.artnet.com/artists/liu-bolin/

and a great article written by the The Telegraph in the UK: http://liubolon .

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Ice Sculptures

December 27, 2015July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

As winter settles in, we cannot help but think of snow and ice as a relentless adversary, reducing us to nothing but frozen icicles in an endless night.

But if we could get past the chill in our toes and red of our noses, look at what incredible sculptures it can bring…

Christmas Bonus

December 26, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

Happy Holidays my favorite readers!

On this day-bef0re-Sunday-Evening-Art-Gallery-blog-Day, I thought I’d drop off a few gifts for a Saturday afternoon.

Two more luscious galleries have been added to the expanded SEAG blog:

The outstanding driftwood sculptures of James Doran Webb (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-uE)

and the ultra colorful contemporary art of Janet Fish (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-uX)

If you’d like a bit of amazing Mother Nature, I can also recommend the incredible Universe (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-ov)

Or Snowflakes ( http://wp.me/p5LGaO-31).

Enjoy the Season, the Gallery, and your Life. For after all……All we are is Dust in the Wind (thanks to Kansas).

See You Soon!

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Spencer Byles

December 20, 2015July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. ~~ Henry David Thoreau

Sculptural artist Spencer Byles spent a year creating beautiful sculptures out of natural and found materials throughout the unmanaged forests of La Colle Sur Loup, Villeneuve Loubet and Mougins, France.

Surrounded by flora and fauna, Spencer used only cables and natural, found materials to create his stunning, large-scale works of art.

One of the most beautiful things about his work is its temporary nature.

The pieces were not intended to last — as life itself, each sculpture will eventually be reclaimed by the natural environment that helped Byles shape it.

Spencer says, “The temporary nature of my sculptures is an important aspect of my experiences and understanding. I feel my sculptures are only really completed when nature begins to take hold again and gradually weave its way back into the materials. At this point it slowly becomes part of nature again and less a part of me.”

More about Spencer Byles and his fantastic forest art can be found at:

http://frenchforestsculptures.blogspot.com

http://www.viralnova.com/spencer-byles/

http://www.boredpanda.com/forest-land-art-nature-spencer-byles/

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Glass Frames

December 6, 2015July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

When you wake up in the morning and the light is hurt your head

The first thing you do when you get up out of bed

Is hit that streets a-runnin’ and try to beat the masses

And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses

Now go out and get yourself some big black frames

With the glass so dark thay won’t even know your name

And the choice is up to you cause they come in two classes:

Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses

~~Z Z Top

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — René Magritte

November 29, 2015July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream. ”

– Rene Magritte

René François Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898 – August 15, 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist best known for his witty and thought-provoking images and his use of simple graphics and everyday imagery.

We all have seen a few of these images throughout our life, but often we don’t remember where or when.

Magritte’s work frequently displays a collection of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things, challenging observers’ preconditioned perceptions of reality.

To Magritte, what is concealed is more important than what is open to view: this was true both of his own fears and of his manner of depicting the mysterious.

A meticulous, skillful technician, he is noted for works that contain an extraordinary juxtaposition of ordinary objects or an unusual context that gives new meaning to familiar things.

Not only were a number of artists intrigued by, and influenced by the work Rene Magritte created, but popular culture, and the art world in general, were extremely influenced by his creative, unique ability to take something ordinary and make viewers see something completely different.

Magritte‘s art has been so popular that it has been copied in posters, ads, and other commercial venues. Perhaps that’s why it feels so familiar.

You can find more of René Magritte‘s art at http://www.renemagritte.org/ http://www.abcgallery.com/M/magritte/magritte.html, or http://www.theartstory.org/artist-magritte-rene.htm.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Sunday Evening Art Gallery

November 22, 2015July 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

www.sundayeveningartgallery.com

This quiet evening I thought I would introduce you to world you may not know exists

A world filled with even more views of creative inspiration

If you have enjoyed sitting back on Sunday Evenings

enjoying the discoveries of creative artists of all genres

Then you will love the full version of my Sunday Evening Art Gallery

Click on any of these images and see more magic

Explore more creations by these amazing artists, these amazing minds

Art that is limited only by the artist’s imagination and talent

I have collected dozens of extra images that could not fit on my Goddess blog

Images that deserved their own gallery

I add new galleries every week — I collect so many images on each journey my arms and blog cannot hold them all

So please come and visit a world of unique images and unique artists

Come see what creativity is really all about

And if you like what you see, come back often.

And please — tell your friends what a world you have discovered!

www.sundayeveningartgallery.com

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Janet Fish

November 1, 2015November 6, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

Janet Fish is a Contemporary Realist American painter whose still life paintings seem t0 radiate and reflect color.

Fish invigorates the still life form, both by the energetic way she paints and the often witty and ironic combinations of objects that she depicts.

She often chooses as her subjects objects that are translucent, transparent, or reflective, in particular colored glass.

Janet surrounds these objects with flowers, bright cloth patterns and other objects in brilliant hues, balanced with strategically placed rich darks.

Fish sometimes works from photographs, but often her paintings are composites of many photographs and still lifes, which she rearranges to form her compositions.

Her remarkable way of painting light and shadows puts a surrealistic glow on her fantastic art.

I feel like I can almost see my reflection in her glass works. Can you?

More of Janet Fish’s fantastic realism artwork can be found at the following sites:

http://linesandcolors.com/2011/03/08/janet-fish/

http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/janet-fish

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Kirigami

October 25, 2015November 6, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Most have heard of Oragami, but have you heard of Kirigami?

The major difference between the two is that, in origami, you fold paper, whereas in kirigami, you fold and cut paper.

Typically, kirigami starts with a folded base, which is then cut;

cuts are then opened and flattened to make the finished kirigami.

A difference between kirigami and the art of “pop-up” is that kirigami is made out of a single piece of paper that has been cut into a design.

Kirigami are usually symmetrical, such as pentagrams and snowflakes.

It is an art that takes a true plan, a steady hand, and a piece of paper.

Not to mention … imagination.

Kirigami artists and clubs can be found throughout the Internet.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Jose Vergara

October 18, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

They say the eyes are the window to the soul

For 20-year-old artist Jose Vegara, he has captured those windows with impecable talent.

Based in South Texas, Jose has created a series of beautiful and hyper-realistic drawings of eyes.

The most mesmerizing aspect of the images are the colorful and luminescent irises which expertly catch the light and appear to shine back at the viewer.

Each eyelash and pore of the skin is meticulously crafted, using only a white gel pen to pick out the highlights.

This kind of detail is incredible for an artist to begin with — no less one so young and determined.

More articles about Jose Vergara can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/jose-vergara_n_4989013.html and https://instagram.com/redosking/

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Fabergé

October 11, 2015November 12, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

The Age of Faberge

The age of elegance, of decadence

The series of exquisite eggs shaped by Faberge for the Imperial Russian family between 1885 and 1916, is considered as the artist-goldsmith’s ultimate and most long-term achievement.

Gold, diamonds, rubies, enamel, all decorate the over-the-top gifts to the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers.

These are often referred to as the ‘Imperial’ Fabergé eggs.

The House of Fabergé made about 50 eggs, of which 43 have survived.

Two more were planned for Easter 1918, but were not delivered, due to the Russian Revolution.

It was a time of rarity; of riches beyond compare, and poverty unimagined.

And from those Easter gifts created long ago, a name, a heritage, was born.

Fabergé.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Craig L. Haupt

September 20, 2015March 1, 2021 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream — Lingering in the golden gleam — Life, what is it but a dream?

~~Lewis Carroll

Craig L Haupt is a Maryland based artist who works with Pen & Ink, watercolor, color pencil, and acrylics to create whimsical abstract images.

The words of artist Craig L. Haupt are as honest as his works.

“Though having earned an Art Education degree in 1999 (at 50 years old) and taking the required art courses, I am for the most part self-taught.”

“During my professional career, the early and latter part has been mechanical drawing/drafting. From childhood to present, I have been surrounded by my doodles and countless stick figures that have never left me.”

“Over time, they all have been unintentionally blending to create a menagerie of different subjects.”

Craig’s artwork can be found in several spots around the galaxy — his blog is www.craiglhaupt.com, his website is http://www.clhaupt.com, and his FaceBook Art Page is Craig L Haupt.

Take some time and explore his works. You will enjoy them as I do.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Dean Russo

September 13, 2015December 28, 2018 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dean Russo draws inspiration from urban landscapes and his love for dogs to create truly unique artwork known for its brilliant colors and bold abstract designs of mesmerizing shapes and symbols.

To create these one of a kind images he uses a minimum of ten mediums per painting including pastels, ink, oils, pencils, wax, charcoal and spray paint.

“I used to paint portraits of rock icons and Hollywood stars for so many years with my dogs by my side. Till one day I thought, why not paint my two favorite subjects?” says Russo.

Initially inspired by his two cocker spaniels, Dean began working with rescue centers to raise awareness and donate his work.

Dean strives to communicate a message that encourages people to choose adoption, to acknowledge the world-wide failure of breed specific legislation and to combat dog fighting around the world.

“When a child sees, hears and acts upon my message, I feel successful. Anytime someone puts a message of love or respect towards people or animals into the universe it builds like a ripple. I hope I live long enough to see my ripples come back to me. That will make me smile.”

Dean Russo’s designs can be found on t-shirts, posters, tote bags and framed art. His creations of dogs fills the world with magic — and love.

You can fulfill your love of Dean Russo‘s art and dogs at :

http://deanrussoart2.myshopify.com and http://dean-russo.artistwebsites.com,

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Gazing Balls

September 6, 2015March 15, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

I used to like to walk the straight and narrow line
I used to think that everything was fine
Sometimes I’d like to sit and gaze for days through sleepless dreams
All alone and trapped in time
All alone and trapped in time

I wonder what tomorrow has in mind for me
Or am I even in it’s mind at all
Perhaps I’ll get a chance to look ahead and see
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball

Tell me, tell me where I’m going
I don’t know where I’ve been
Tell me, tell me, won’t you tell me
And then tell me again

My heart is breaking, my body’s aching
And I don’t know where to go
Tell me, tell me, won’t you tell me
I’ve just got to know

Crystal ball
There’s so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
There’s so many things I’ve got to know
Crystal ball

If you should see me walking
Through your dreams at night
Would you please direct me
Where I ought to be

I’ve been looking for a crystal ball
To shed the light
To find a future in me
To find a future in me

Crystal ball
There’s so many things I need to know

Crystal ball
There’s so many things I’ve got to know

Crystal Ball by Styx

Songwriter: Tommy Shaw

Crystal Ball lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Su Blackwell

August 30, 2015December 13, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Su Blackwell is an artist working predominantly within the realm of paper.

She is a British artist best known for constructing delicate sculptures from the pages of books.

Su creates tranquil unique landscapes from cutting up pages of old books.

“I always read the book first, at least once or twice, and then I begin to create the work, cutting out, adding details.”

“The detail is what brings it all together, the magic element.”

Su Blackwell’s art is delicate, intricate, and personal.

She brings the magic of books into this dimension.

More of Su’s fantastic paper art work can be found at www.sublackwell.co.uk.

Do take time to visit her worlds.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Angelo Musco

August 23, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.

Harry Houdini

Artist Angelo Musco‘s painting of an elegant white floating feather is actually a digital photo made out of tens of thousands of naked bodies weaved together using Photoshop. He created this image by first photographing dozens of live models in pre-planned poses, then adjusted the size and color of each body and put them together to form the realistic-looking textured feather.

More of Angelo Musco’s incredible photography can be found at his website http://www.angelomusco.com.

His other artwork is just as magical as these feathers.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Michael Massaia

August 9, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Michael Massaia’s photography evokes unusual, yet sentimental, emotions.

Bugs Bunny

To create his images, collected together under the series title “Transmogrify,” Massaia spent some time experimenting with the aesthetic possibilities of melted ice cream.

Dora the Explorer

His long-exposure images capture a subject matter familiar to most — he frames the frozen treats most people’s summer memories are made of.

According to Katherine Brooks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-brooks/), he distorts the childhood favorites by melting them before his lens, until the pops resemble ominous pools of paint or celestial snapshots.

Powerpuff Girls

Ice cream? Or something more … surrealistic?

Batman

A great article on Michael’s art can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/15/michael-massaia-transmogrify_n_7067284.html by Katherine Brooks.

More of Michael Massaia’s creative photography can be found at http://www.michaelmassaia.com/. And, of course, a more extensive collection of MIC (Melted Ice Cream) can be found at www.sundayeveningartgallery .

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — John Lemke

July 28, 2015October 5, 2021 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

In celebration of the re-opening of the Sunday Evening Art Gallery we present…

“But I find that for myself, without exception, the more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.”

Marian Bantjes, Canadian designer, artist, illustrator, typographer and writer

Artist and graphic designer John Lemke starts in various media: pen & ink, charcoal, acrylics, electronics, transforming the basic doodle or painting into something quite different.

He takes his creation to the next level, adding detailed depth through different media, enhancing the basic piece while tranforming it.

As a Senior Graphic Designer, John constantly comes across a number of ideas that beg to be enhanced.

John believes anyone can find inspiration for art. All you need to do is go outside and open your eyes. There is cool stuff everywhere.

And I do mean cool stuff.

John Lemke’s art can be found at http://johnsconsin.deviantart.com/

and at the Sunday Evening Art Gallery

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Tal Peleg

July 19, 2015November 23, 2018 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…

Or is it beauty is in the beholder of the eye?

Israeli make-up professional and blogger Tal Peleg paints scenes from fairy tales, imagery from classic novels and pretty embellishments — including intricate designs of sushi — onto tiny areas of the face using only liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow.

One needs a steady hand, a feel for color, and a wonderful sense of play. Tal Peleg has all of that and more.

Tal says she loves art, color, creation, makeup and all that between.

Looking into her eye — into her eyes — you see her love of all of the above

Tal Peleg shows the world that color is makeup’s best friend — and every eye reflects it

Tal Peleg’s incredible eye art can be found at the following websites:

https://www.facebook.com/TalPelegMakeUp

http://www.tp-artwork.com

http://www.boredpanda.com/eye-makeup-art-tal-peleg/

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Kaleidoscopes

June 28, 2015February 25, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Intermission

June 21, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

Tonight’s Gallery is a break between worlds. A pause between dreams.

I am so delighted with the direction of the Sunday Evening Art Gallery that I am taking time to make it whole and circular and ever spiraling. I hope that every Sunday Evening I bring more magic into your life; more sights to share with family and friends; more ideas to bring creativity to your own life.

I hope to expand my site http://www.sundayeveningartgallery.wordpress.com into a continuation of the uniqueness I find around me. That includes changing the domain name and making it a presence like no other.

So for our intermission, let me share a few of my (amateur) photographs of the world around me.

Let us wander the roads and lake shores together, setting our imaginations of fire, and find out what lies just around the corner…

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Glass Houses

June 7, 2015February 15, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

…People in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Stones…

There are all sorts of glass houses jutting out majestically from other buildings, upper floors, and lower levels. My choice this evening are glass houses that are just that — glass houses.

Standing free and glistening under sunrise and sunset.

~imagine~

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Willard Wigan

May 31, 2015June 1, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

Willard Wigan might not be a familiar name to many of us, but once you see his work you will never forget it.

Willard Wigan is an English Sculptor from Ashmore Park Estate, England. His sculptures are typically placed in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin. His sculptures are so minute they are only visible through a microscope.

On average, it takes Wigan about eight weeks to complete one sculpture in a process that is physically challenging. Because the works are microscopic, the sculptor has learned to control his nervous system and breathing to ensure he does not make even the tiniest movement.

When working, Wigan enters a meditative state in which his heartbeat is slowed, allowing him to reduce any hand tremors and work between heartbeats.

To carve his figures, Wigan uses surgical blades or hand-made tools, (some of which are custom made out of a sharpened microscopic sliver of tungsten), which he makes by attaching a shard of diamond to a pin.

Wigan uses a range of materials, including nylon, grains of sand, dust fibers, gold, and spider’s cobwebs.

My mind cannot wrap around an artist who can control and create like this. A true direct connection between Wigan and the Divine is the only explanation I can muster.

But then again, what is talent but honing that connection?

Willard Wigan’s work can be found at his website, http://willard-wigan.com, and various sites around the Net.

He is so worth discovering.

A New Gallery Is Open! Guido Daniele!

May 26, 2015May 26, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

For all of you who enjoyed my Sunday Evening Art Gallery salute to Guido Daniele this past April (https://wordpress.com/post/20906013/3920/), I have finally added a boatload of additional hand images for your pleasure.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery http://wp.me/p5LGaO-bH

Guido Daniele’s repertoire is far more than painted hands — his body art is fantastic. Do drop by his website sometime and appreciate his artistic flair: http://www.guidodaniele.com/.

Enjoy!

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Guido Daniele

April 12, 2015April 12, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

Come in close

Because the more you think you see

The easier it will be to fool you.

J. Daniel Atlas, Now You See Me, 2013

Guido Daniele is an Italian multimedia artist and body painter. He has worked in many different media and has also worked for two years in India, where he attended the Tankas School in Dharamsala.

He produced a sequence of animals painted on the human hand, which he calls ‘handimals’.

The work is so intimate, so impeccable, it’s hard to believe it’s painting at all.

Guido Daniele was born in Soverato (CZ – Italy) in 1950 and now lives and works in Milan.

The beauty of Art is Illusion. What you see vs. what the artist sees.

And because you are on different sides of the canvas, you see different angles of the Illusion.

So look closely. But not too closely.

For the magic is in the Illusion of the Art.

You can find more of Guido’s exquisite art at http://www.guidodaniele.com/

New Images in the Gallery!

April 10, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

Ever wish you could be King or Queen for a Day?

I have added a whole world of crowns on my new site, Sunday Evening Art Gallery (www.sundayeveningartgallery.wordpress.com). Come try on a crown or two. You never know how good you’ll look!

Crowns

Crowns

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Nails

April 5, 2015October 5, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

This is Cherry Blossom Season in Japan. Gorgeous trees blooming in brilliant colors of pink and rose and white.

The Japanese are stars ahead in another flowering world as well — the world of Nail Art.

When I first came across this fashion statement, I had marveled at the shorter versions.

But then they got longer…

And longer….

True works of art.

Some are hand painted, others glued wonders.

It made me wonder…….do you think they do the dishes?

Do they type?

I decided these questions are best left to the mystics. Or at least to the manicurists.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — George Rodrigue

March 29, 2015November 2, 2020 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Meet Blue Dog. Possibly one of the most iconic pop art figures created by artist George Rodrigue.

Blue Dog has been everywhere from the permanent collection of the Smithsonian to the White House and all over the world.

Born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana, George began painting during the third grade while bedridden with polio.

A Faster Breed

Later in life, his art studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette followed by the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena gave him a foundation that spawned one of the greatest success stories in southern art.

Mardi Gras 2010

Rodrigue was a gifted artist who started out painting the landscape and the rich history of Louisiana and the Cajun people. But that all changed when he found his model in his studio: a photograph of his dog, Tiffany, who had died.

“I’m expressing the feelings of mankind today through the Blue Dog,” George said. “The dog is always having problems of the heart, of growing up, the problems of life.”

His heart was in his work, in his love of his blue dog and his beautiful wife and loving kids.

**Are You Trying To Get On My Good Side**

More of George Rodigue’s amazing blue dogs can be found at https://georgerodrigue.com/.

Good Intentions Still Need a Disclaimer

March 23, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

As I sit and add images to my newly created Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog, my mind wanders back to a non-incident last week.

I know that, for the most part, showcasing others’ artwork is a step through the thornbushes, to be sure. The reward: fields and fields of fragrant, beautiful flowers. The punishment: thorns that can rip and make you bleed. And that, even with the best, most honest intentions, someone, somewhere, might get upset. Such is the chance I’m willing to take.

I placed a disclaimer on this wandering, unusual blog: not much, I imagine, in the scheme of things. But nonetheless, an attempt at honesty.

Here it is for you all as well.

DISCLAIMER

There are so many unbelievable, fascinating, beautiful works of Art out in the world. The intention of this blog, Sunday Evening Art Gallery, is to share this beauty with the Internet Public.

These are creations that most of us never come across. I know every time I find something new and unusual I can’t wait to share it with you. I am taken aback by the genius behind the art. And I believe their passion should be discovered and appreciated by everyone.

Whenever possible, I have listed the artist and their website for your further exploration. In other situations, the topic is so diverse that often there is no one source for the images.

At no time is it my intention to steal or claim as my own photography any image I put on Sunday Evening Art Gallery.

I make no money from this world; I claim only the photography that is mine. My intention is to share the websites of these gifted people so you may further enjoy the fruits of their labors.

If at any time you discover I have taken your image and not given you proper credit, please let me know. My e-mail address is humoring_the_goddess@yahoo.com.

I hope my intention of spreading the beauty I come across has lightened your day. There are so many hard-working, creative artists in the world whose creations most of us never see. I hope to make this blog a melting pot of the unusual, the unique, and the awe-inspiring.

I hope you come along for the ride.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Elizabeth Berrien

March 22, 2015July 19, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

When you think of wire, what do you think of?

Blue Heron in Flight

Barbed wire? Electrical wire? Telephone wire?

Amaranth Arch

Elizabeth Berrien has a totally different view of the world of wire. And the Art World couldn’t be more thrilled.

Year of the Horse

Elizabeth Berrien is one of the world’s foremost wire sculptors. She pioneered her own form of textile-based, hand-twisted, non-traditional wire sculpture in 1968.

Owl Spirit

Elizabeth Berrien’s wire sculptures are made “the hard way”. No gloves, no pliers, no chicken wire. Each sculpture starts by twisting together two or three strands. Then, one by one, dozens or even hundreds more strands of wire are spliced in.

Anthemm

Elizabeth continually digs and delves into the world of her subjects – whether real, or imaginary. She taps into the soul of animals, bringing that spirit into this world to create this awe-inspiring wire art.

Wall Art

You can find much more of Elizabeth Berrien’s museum quality wire sculptures at her website, wirelady.com. Please pay her world a visit.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Doors

March 15, 2015June 19, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 10 Comments

Open the door and you shall see

The most wondrous things from land to sea.

Your dreams await on the other side

Imagination beckons far and wide

What do you think awaits you there?

Come! Let us venture without a care

A chance to explore worlds never seen

Magic and reality and all inbetween

Open the door and you shall see

The most wondrous things from land to sea.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Unmask Group

March 8, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 1 Comment

Photographs and paintings often give us a full representation of the subject.

If we are all more than the sum of our parts, what are we if parts of us are missing?

Can we be ever-so-much-more by showing ever-so-much-less?

Or, more likely, what if we are more than just one thing?

The Beijing-based group known as Unmask Group has managed to not only honor the human form through sculpture, but added a new twist to its visual appeal by subtracting redundant parts from the sculptures.

I am amazed that so much can be said with so little.

Liu Zhan, Kuang Jun and Tan Tianwei met while at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and have been producing sculptural work together since 2001.

More wonderful art from the Masked Group can be found at

http://designcollector.net/sculptures-by-unmask/ and http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/01/dissolving-figurative-sculptures-by-unmask/.

See if you can decide which parts of you are shown, which parts have been cut away, and which parts have been melded with someone or something else.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Dawn Whitehand

February 22, 2015July 19, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Australian abstract artist Dawn Whitehand starts off her “about” page this way:

I am an Australian artist, making unique mixed media sculptures from clay, found objects and textured materials which are based on organic natural forms.

I have always thought of myself as a traditionalist when it came to Art — Renoir, Rembrandt, Redlin — those people I can understand.

I never really paid attention to Abstract Art until I wandered into Dawn’s world.

Working from my studio on the outskirts of Ballarat at the base of a slumbering volcano, I am very aware of my environment, its constant changing, and its vulnerability. I am also very aware of the current global environmental crisis.

Within this context my art practice attempts to address these issues by making sculptural artworks that attempt to remind, though subliminally, the viewer of their innate connection to the Earth, and our reliance upon it for survival.

And I started to understand. A little. That all art doesn’t have to be literal. That trees don’t have to look like trees, and volcanoes didn’t have to look like volcanoes.

That Art, like Emotions, like Life, is different for everyone. Some just choose to share their unique view through creative arts.

The thrill of interpretation is the same thrill we take with each breath. And that there’s always someone willing to share their breath — and view — with you.

Dawn is a multi-talented spirit. She creates jewelry and pottery and custom-made art sculptures. You can find her art at https://dawnwhitehand.wordpress.com, and contemporary poems, art, and drawings at https://apoemandadrawingaday.wordpress.com/.

Stop by and learn a little bit of Abstract Art for yourself.

Coming Soon!!

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

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Art is Fun. Art is Intriguing. Art is a Happy Dance.

I have so enjoyed finding Art in different places, in different guises. I can’t believe the diversity of creativity that has been out there all this time… and I and am just now discovering it. I have gathered more images for my Sunday evening blog than I could thoughtfully put into my posts.

so…..

I am opening a new Sunday Evening Art Gallery page so you can explore more of the magic that lies right outside our door. These creators are marvelous. And I can’t wait for you to explore their worlds with me.

I am hoping to have the Grand Opening this Sunday, the day after Valentine’s Day. After I love the world, my friends, my family, and my readers.

Hope to see you there!

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Nathan Sawaya

February 8, 2015February 21, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

I remember when I was a kid, one of my favorite past times was building castles and mansions with Legos. Little black and white Legos.

Amazing how those little blocks have changed the way the world looks.

Nathan Sawaya is a New York-based artist who creates awe-inspiring works of art out LEGO building blocks. Sawaya’s ability to transform LEGO bricks into something new, and his devotion to scale and color, enables him to elevate an ordinary toy to the status of fine art.

Today Sawaya has more than 2.5 million colored bricks in his New York and Los Angeles art studios.

He doesn’t use special space station sets or pirate boat sets that you buy off the shelf — just bricks.

His work is obsessively and painstakingly crafted and is both beautiful and playful. He is both inspired and an inspiration.

He makes me want to pull out buckets and buckets of red and white and blue squares, yellow four-pane windows, and little red doors.

He makes me want to pull out those buckets and sit down with my son and grandson and build towers and people and flowers and anything else my dreams desire.

You can find more of Nathan Sawaya’s wonderful creations at http://brickartist.com/.

You will be amazed.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Wine Glasses

February 1, 2015February 15, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 22 Comments

In hand-blown crystal glass I see

Reflections of how it used to be

The finest wines in heaven poured

In vessels fit for any Lord

Finely crafted of wood and glass

A stem created from materials past

To hold God’s work in one’s small hand

Is to drink His brew throughout the land

Creations from His thoughts to man’s delight

Turned into a display of shadow and light

So fill your glass with revelry bought

Whether water or wine it matters naught

Drink to love both present and past

And friendships made that ever last

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Jeffrey Vanhoutte

January 25, 2015February 15, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

As I work on revising my Sunday Evening Unique Art page to include all the great art I have found, I want to turn you onto another blogger and the fantastic art he led me to.

Live & Learn by my friend David Kanigan is a wonderfully creative world where he brings in poetry, quotations, photography — whatever his inspiration at the time. I asked (and he graciously agreed) to let me highlight an artist he highlighted a few weeks ago.

Brussels-based photographer Jeffrey Vanhoutte created this stunning project featuring an acrobatic dancer displaying various expressive poses that seem to be frozen in time.

The dancer throws clouds of powdered milk up in the air while fulfilling graceful and fluid movements.

A unique look at movement in motion. A spray caught in mid-air.

Movement is art — photography is art. This is a delicate combination of the two.

More of Jeffrey Vanhoutte’s black and white marvels can be found at http://www.ignant.de/2015/01/14/dancer-freezes-time-in-jeffrey-vanhouttes-project/ or at http://www.designboom.com/art/jeffrey-vanhoutte-freezes-acrobatic-angels-in-powdered-milk-showers-01-20-2015/.

You can find Jeffrey’s unique art at his own website as well, http://www.jeffreyvanhoutte.be/.

And do stop by David’s blog, Live & Learn — http://davidkanigan.com. Tell him the Goddess sent you!

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Stairway to Nowhere

January 18, 2015December 28, 2020 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

Ooh, it makes me wonder

Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.

Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.

Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.

And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she’s buying … a stairway … to heaven.

Lyrics — Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin, 1971

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Modern Museums

January 11, 2015February 15, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

I love Art Museums.

When I used to work in downtown Chicago, I used to walk to the Art Institute during my lunch hour and wander through its halls one room at a time. I could meander for months and never see it all. The building’s step-back-in-time classical architecture is what art museums are all about.

But in my quest to open my mind and soul to other forms of art, imagine my delight in the structure of modern art museums.

Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin

You can’t help but notice the unique, almost impossible, angles.

National Museum of American Indian, Washington

Like most Modern Art, these buildings challenge your senses.

Boston Museum of Contemporary Art, Massachusetts

Their designs ask you to make sense of sleek lines and sensual curves.

Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

Sparkling glass and sleek stainless house countless creations that reflect a different side of the human mind.

Modern Museum of Art, Fort Worth, Texas

I admit that I don’t always understand a Modernist’s point of view.

Museum of Contemporary Art, New York

But one does not always have to understand to appreciate. Or to feel.

Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota

And, after all — isn’t that what Art is supposed to do? Make you feel?

The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Ramon Bruin

January 5, 2015March 20, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

I have heard that life is nothing but an illusion.

Then what would you think of Optical Illusion..ism?

Ramon Bruin, born in 1981 in Alkmaar, The Netherlands, graduated in 2010 from the Airbrush Academie in Lelystad, The Netherlands. In 2012 he made a worldwide breakthrough with his own invented style which he calls ‘Optical Illusionism’.

Optical Illusionism is a combination of drawing and photography. Bruin creates drawings that come to live when photographed from the exact right angle.

Ramon Bruin makes you want to reach out and touch his creations. As if they existed in your own three dimensions.

It takes incredible hand and eye coordination to bring a creation to life. To give it breath and depth.

But it takes less than a moment to appreciate the same. Less than a flash to marvel and appreciate.

And all the while you wonder — how does he do that? And like the true magician, the truth will be always elusive.

And that is the beauty of it.

To find more intricacies of Ramon Bruin, I encourage you to go to his website, http://www.ramon-bruin.com/art/ .

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — It’s Okay to Have a Big Head

December 14, 2014February 23, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

I can’t begin to tell you the wonderful things I find on my way to other things. Art, in its most banal form, is an expression of emotion. Primal emotion. We all have those deep, basic feelings — we all just find different ways to express them.

You may say that some just have a “head” for creativity.

What makes artists want to create things larger than life?

Is it a chance to look into the eyes of God?

Or is it merely a chance to challenge space? To see what our vision looks like fifty feet high?

No matter what the artist’s vision, grand is grand. Ambition has no limits. No dream is ever too small, ever to big.

Nothing is more impressive than wearing proudly a head that is too big for your shoulders. For only then do you glimpse the world on the other side of the rainbow.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Snowflakes

December 7, 2014February 23, 2015 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Snow Fairy

by Claude McKay

Throughout the afternoon I watched them there,

Snow-fairies falling, falling from the sky,

Whirling fantastic in the misty air,

Contending fierce for space supremacy.

And they flew down a mightier force at night,

As though in heaven there was revolt and riot,

And they, frail things had taken panic flight

Down to the calm earth seeking peace and quiet.

I went to bed and rose at early dawn

To see them huddled together in a heap,

Each merged into the other upon the lawn,

Worn out by the sharp struggle, fast asleep.

The sun shone brightly on them half the day,

By night they stealthily had stol’n away.

*
*

Find more poetry from Claude McKay at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/claude-mckay

Find more images of real snowflakes at SnowCrystals.com

*
*

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — For Use/Numen

November 16, 2014May 6, 2020 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

Art comes in many forms. Sometimes technology walks hand-in-hand with mediums, transforming simple space into something wild and crazy — and creative.

A wonderfully imaginative design collective called For Use/Numen uses nothing but packing tape to create huge, self-supporting cocoons that visitors can climb inside and explore.

I have a hard enough time wrapping a package with packing tape. But wrapping an entire interior? Poles and beams and ceilings?

What is beautiful about these concepts is that each of these tape creations started as a thought, an idea. Ideas that grew from an inkling into a full-fledged piece of art.

Your creativity can blossom into magic like this too. Never be afraid to take your idea to the next level. And the next. For this is just one version of what I love to call Unusual Art.

More from the world of For Use/Numen can be found at http://www.numen.eu.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Bubbles

November 2, 2014August 25, 2025 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

I’m forever blowing bubbles

Pretty bubbles in the air……

They fly so high, nearly reach the sky

Then like my dreams they fade and die…….

When you look at a bubble, what do you see? Do they reflect reality? They are ethereal. Like a thought. A kiss. A memory.

They exist for only a moment. Yet resonate in our memory long after.

They make us wonder: What did I just see?

The possibilities are endless. You ask — is it real? Does it matter?

Are they reflections of our existence? A moment out of a million? A billion? Out of a nanosecond?

It doesn’t matter if their existence makes a difference in the world.

A difference in my life, or yours.

All that matters is they are beautiful. Fleeting. They float on air.

And for the briefest of moments, they exist.

As do we.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — M.C. Escher

October 20, 2014February 21, 2017 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

When you think of M.C. Escher, what do you think of?

I think of college dorm rooms with Escher posters on the wall, symbols of pop culture, statutes of intricate confusion and (no doubt) sources of psychedelic contemplation. They were the kind of images you were supposed to look at and see if the fish move or if the stairs go anywhere. And if you stared long enough, your whole world tilted sideways.

As an adult I have revisited his world of lithographs and woodcuts and wood engravings, and have discovered a delightful new way to look at the world.

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. During his lifetime, he made 448 lithographs, woodcuts and wood engravings and over 2000 drawings and sketches. These feature impossible possibilities, explorations of infinity, and the magic of mathematics.

Art like this is done every day by those familiar with computer graphics. But the curved perspectives, the stairs to infinity, the play of light and dark, were sketched at the turn of the century. Which, to me, makes it even more fascinating.

When you stop and look — really look — at the thought and planning that went into the impossibilities in Escher’s work, it makes you appreciate his work even more. Where do those stairs really go? Which angle am I supposed to be identifying with? Is it a fish or is it a bird?

Minds like Escher’s work in the fourth dimension. It’s as if they look down at the world from a strange angle and record what they see.

Take some time and visit Escher’s official website, http://www.mcescher.com. You will find yourself wandering through gallery after gallery, wondering how a human mind could be so creative yet so spiral. Take a few moments and just look at the artwork — you will be enchanted by his point of view, and lost in his sketches.

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Luke Jerram

October 6, 2014May 13, 2016 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

Glass is exquisite in its delicate beauty. A crystal vase, a hand-blown wine glass, a stained-glass window, all stir the pot of reactions that make the word “sparkle” sparkle. Working with glass is an incredible art. It is so delicate, so refined, a true art of mind over matter.

So what if glass represents a disease? Is it still “sparkling” and “refined”?

E. coli

There is beauty in the micro world as well. Artist Luke Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe.

Salmonella

One of his highlights, Glass Microbiology, is a body of glass work that puts a crystal spin on some of the most deadly viruses.

Swine Flu

According to his website, ” By extracting the colour from the imagery and creating jewel-like beautiful sculptures in glass, a complex tension has arisen between the artworks’ beauty and what they represent.”

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Find time and wander over to Luke’s website: www.lukejerram.com/glass . You will find it hard to believe that such horrible diseases could look so lovely.

Ebola

Something New!

September 23, 2014December 26, 2014 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ Leave a comment

The older I get (I never get tired of saying that!), the more I am taking time to discover corners of the world that I’ve never seen before. Now, that statement is all encompassing, all omnipotent. Yet for me, it’s very simple. I can only explore one line of extraordinary at a time. There is fantastic scenery, scrumptious foods, unusual land formations and mystical forms to be discovered.

For me, it is Unique Art.

What does that mean?

There are thousands of fantastic images floating around the Internet. Blogs and websites dedicated to all branches of the hallowed world of sculpture, photography, painting, sketching. I couldn’t possibly visit, showcase, and recommend all the beauty that exists outside my middle-aged sphere.

So I have decided that once a week I will showcase creativity that stands outside of reality. Outside the every day. Now, everything can fit into those parameters. So I hope to show you images you’ve never seen or imagined or saw somewhere on Facebook and let pass. Some will have links to websites; others will just be visions that have passed my way. I will honor the sites I borrow the visions from, and I do hope you take a few minutes to visit their homeworld.

If you’ve come across any unique worlds, let me know. Let’s make our next 20 years as out-of-the-box as we can make it!

And if any of my wanders tickle your fancy, let me know that, too. For I’d love to have company along the way….

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Kurt Wenner

September 4, 2014March 26, 2020 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

The imagination is so much bigger than the mind can conceive.

Do you let your eyes tell you what is real? What is make believe? And in the reality of this universe (and, undoubtedly others), does it matter?

I am swept away by the street art of Kurt Wenner. This fantastic artist attended Rhode Island School of Design and Art Center College of Design, worked for NASA as an advanced scientific space illustrator, and in 1984, invented an art form all his own that has come to be known as anamorphic or 3D pavement art. A form of perspective, his art is depth and illusion wrapped up in classical dimensions.

This is street art. Street Art! I can’t imagine the time and talent of a genius such as Kurt. But I can marvel at his magic.

You will find yourself spending hours at his site. Or returning again and again. Have a good time! Find him at http://kurtwenner.com/.

Have A Great Weekend!

August 28, 2014 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.

Al Hirschfeld

Keep your crayons and colored pencils and pens sharp and ready this weekend! Ready — Set — Go!!

Creative Face Offs

July 24, 2014 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

They sculpt! They mold! They paint! They foam! And they are amazing!

I’m always a television season or six behind the rest of the world, but when I do catch up I find the wildest, greatest stuff. Only last week I recorded the latest season (Season 6) of Face Off. It’s a wonderful little show on SciFi TV that showcases another one of the “Arts”.

According to the IMDB, Face Off is a competition/elimination series exploring the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination which allows them to create amazing works of living art.

Now, I’ve been a fan of shows that highlight personal creativity for years. Take cooking shows. The Iron Chef Japan was one of my earliest introductions into the exquisite beauty of food. Food as Art, as they say. Today’s contestants on Iron Chef America, Master Chef, and even Chopped, create these masterpieces that leave your jaw extended and your mouth open like a bass. I always find myself saying, “Oh…I could do that…couldn’t I?” Or “What didn’t I think of that?” Knowing darn well that I’d need a Master Kitchen, unlimited budget, a plethora of cookbooks and magazines, and a budget the size of a Presidential Dinner just to be clever on the plate.

Face Off is the “Master Chef” of sculpturing, molding, and painting. These contestants do things I only dream of. Each week they are assigned a different “creation”: dragons, wizards, robots. They have to come up with their own design, then use a warehouse full of props, materials, and models to create pieces that would easily fit in any blockbuster movie.

The most amazing part of this show – aside from the raw talent and imagination – is that these are (to my way of living) KIDS! They are 24. 26. 31. There was an oldie at 41. I can hardly remember what I was DOING at 27 – getting married, I think – but it certainly wasn’t creating magic like this, that’s for sure. They have cherry-colored hair and sticky up hair and mustaches and yellow Mohawks. They look like the guy next door or the girl from Planet 9. But they all share the love of creativity, something that runs through all of us.

I am just in awe of anyone who has such phenomenal talent to be able to create something from nothing but their imagination. I happen to be a proponent of writing, but there are so many other artistic expressions out there that I am often in that jaw dropping/bass-mouthed state of being.

I encourage you to constantly take a fresh look at the world around you. There are so many beautiful self expressions out there — in words, in sculpture, in jewelry. Encourage everyone who has even an inkling to be artistic to do so. Whether it’s your grandbaby, your girlfriend, or your grandfather. Get them out there and get them to embrace their artsyness.

You will find it’s a rewarding feeling on both sides. And who knows what magic will blossom along the way?

all images courtesy of Face Off and the SciFi Channel

Art Thou Curious?

April 23, 2014 ~ humoringthegoddess ~ 15 Comments

When I think of museums, I think of antiquities. Old, musty books. Relics from the Renaissance. Crystal serving pieces from the Russian Dynasty. I am not a Modernist. Or a Futurist. But I have recently discovered that I am a Fascinationist. And what a delight! Through the magic of one of my favorite bloggers, Hugmamma’s MIND, BODY and SOUL, (http://hugmamma.com), and a newly followed blog, Sandra at Third Person Travel (http://thirdpersontravel.com) , my senses were awakened by images of art and buildings that just blew my mind.

The museum was the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es), which, in all closed-mindedness, I’d never heard of. The image that caught my fancy is called “Maman”, by Louise Bourgeois, who, according to Guggenheim, “created a rich and ever-changing body of work that intersected with some of the leading avant-garde movements of the 20th century.” To an armchair museumist, that doesn’t ring home. Ring a bell. Ring a doorbell. But how cool is this?

You don’t have to be a modern art aficionado to be able to appreciate a bronze, marble, and stainless steel sculpture.

Or how about Tall Tree & The Eye by Anish Kapoor?

The Gug says, “This illusionistic work continues the artist’s examination of complex mathematical and structural principles embodied in sculptural form. The mirrored surfaces of the orbs reflect and refract one another, simultaneously creating and dissolving form and space.”

That’s a lot of four-dimensional words for a wonderful stainless steel and carbon steel sculpture of shiny balls.

I am an over-the-top advocate of teaching old dogs new tricks. You don’t always have to understand something to appreciate it. To enjoy it. To experience it. I never had sushi till I was 50. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that squeamish me would look forward to watching The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones — bloody, flashy TV shows?

Sometimes your introduction to something new is through your kids. I know my TV voyeurism came from my college son. I just tried quinoa for the first time two weeks ago. That was recommended by my best friend. There are as many types and tastes in food, art, books, and movies as there are fish in the sea. Almost. Why not open your mind to some of them?

I have to admit I would not have wandered to the Guggenheim Museum in Spain had I not spotted that unusual sculpture on another blog. Through other blogs I have seen the most amazing pictures, poetry, and points-of-view. Opportunities I never had when I was younger because we didn’t have the Internet when I was younger. We could be voyeurs by reading books and magazines and taking classes.

But now…

Now the world is open to all of us. We don’t have to age mentally, artistically, or metaphysically. Give something new a chance. You don’t have to live with giant metal spiders in your back yard, but appreciating the creativity that went into something like that takes little effort at all.

I have to admit I don’t get modern paintings that are all one color with a different color circle in the corner, or a plate with a piece of kale and a silver dollar-sized scallop and one drizzle of green that’s called dinner. But then again, not everyone finds fantasy fiction interesting (which is what I write). There is something out there for everyone. Something new. Every day.

I encourage you to check out the Guggenheim (there is one in Spain, Venice, Abu Dhabi, and New York). Since this blog is about art, why not check out a local art fair? They’re at local colleges and in the park and even in the mall. Look at the world through someone else’s eyes. And, of course, a day trip to a museum would be frosting on the carrot cake of life. Squeeze one into your summer.

It will add years to your soul life. And couldn’t we all use a few more?

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…People in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Stones…

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DISCLAIMER

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Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.

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