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Another Monday Blog — Riding in the CCE

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This morning I found that I have written 15 Monday morning blogs through the years (not counting Sunday Evening Art Gallery on Mondays). That’s not a bad count, considering I’ve written 3,533 blogs.

Most of them are about recovering from the weekend (whatever that may haven been), starting a new creative path, or buckling down on the one you’re already on.

Why does that seem such a big deal to me?

Sometimes I feel like a life coach.

Why does it matter what someone does with their free time? Not everyone wants to pull out fabric or clay or a calligraphy pen when they’ve got a free hour. Some just want to close their eyes and breathe. Or read a book. 

As Michael Crichton from Jurassic Park says, “Life will find a way.”

Rather, Creativity will find a way.

I never had a lot of time between projects to do things that were out of my daily box. Raising kids and working and keeping up on housework took all of my time. Every day. Every month. I’m not sorry I spent that time doing what I needed to do, either.

But I also found time to escape with Creativity. I was a online role player for a while (when that was a big thing), playing mostly a half fae living in a world of castles and pirates and who-knows-what-other kinds of beings. No one knew my personal life. No one knew my personal name. I was just one of dozens of people in a chat room playing out one drama or another.

There was a painting stint back then too. I remember creating some Avatar-looking land masses floating in the air and a stencil in a diamond shape that said “Space the Final Frontier.”

I also found time to do some writing.

I was also a big journaller. Lots of schmaltzy stuff after I turned 40. When that got boring (or once I ran out of self pity) I started writing stories. Poems. Novels. I found a style and a genre I felt comfortable with and ran with it. Later in life I made/forced/encouraged my way into writing for my company blog. Found I enjoyed doing that, too. 

Perhaps that’s what brought me to blogging.

I’ve always wanted to tap into that Creative side of my life, my thoughts, my dreams. I didn’t care if I got famous or got published or showed my creations to the neighbors. I just wanted to push myself a little further into the CCE — the Creative Cosmic Ether.

I just wanted to have fun.

Which leads back to a bunch of Monday Morning Encouragement Blogs.

Don’t be bored. Be bold. Practice on something old. Try something new. Glide between crafts. Don’t listen to the negatives — Just Do It.

Now I sound like a life coach that works for Nike …

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Simon Beck

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Simon Beck was born and raised in England, his first career path as a civil engineer and cartographer leading him to the University of Oxford.Beck creates magnificent patterns by walking in the snow wearing snowshoes.This very physically demanding performance allows him to transform vast areas into stunning, if transient, artworks.Simon first draws the patterns on paper and then using a compass and measuring tape, string, and an anchor with a clothesline attached, Simon paces the snow creating curves, triangles, geometric swirls and complex configurations.Some of the patterns cover an area as large as six football pitches.Beck says that on average it takes him 10 hours to complete a creation.“Finishing a pattern is tremendously satisfying,” Beck shares. “Especially as the last several hour’s designs are at night and created using a head torch.”More of Simon Beck‘s snow work can be found at https://www.instagram.com/simonbeck_snowart/ and  https://artincontext.org/simon-beck/.

 

 

15 Weird Facts for a Saturday Morning

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Every once in a while one needs to be weird and out there on a Saturday morning  (although I’m weird and out there more often than not…)

So here are 15 wild and weird facts to stimulated your already over stimulated mind this morning …

 

Flamingos bend their legs at the ankle, not the knee. They essentially stand on tip-toe. Their knees are closer to the body and are covered by feathers.

There is an uninhabited island in the Bahamas known as Pig Beach, which is populated entirely by swimming pigs.

Before toilet paper was invented, Americans used to use corn cobs. Alternatively, they’d use periodicals like the Farmers Almanac, which was designed with a hole so it could hang in outhouses.

The fear of vegetables is called Lachanophobia.

A flock of ravens is called an “unkindness”. They’re also known as a “conspiracy.”

The world’s smallest wasp is smaller than an amoeba. The Megaphragma mymaripenne wasp has the same body parts as any other bug (brain, wings, eyes, and more) but is a fifth of a millimeter long, making it smaller than most amoebas, which are made of just one cell.

Apples, peaches, and raspberries are all members of the rose family.

Jousting is the official sport in the state of Maryland.

Humans cannot walk in a straight line without a visual point. When blindfolded, we will gradually walk in a circle.

It is physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

Ketchup leaves the bottle at a measured speed. It leaves the bottle at a rate of 25 miles per year.

A jiffy is an actual measure of time. It is calculated as 1/100th of a second. This is 10 milliseconds.

A kiss stimulates 29 muscles and chemicals. This causes the person to relax. Women are found to like light and gentle kisses, while men are found to enjoy more intense ones.

 

Hope I helped pack more nebulous nonsense into your head this morning!

 

 

Looking Back Friday High Day — Landscapes

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

I had so much fun last week pulling out Galleries for you to peruse — just in case you haven’t been over there in while.

Unique art is free — you just have to find it. And share it. I love that you marvel at the ones I’ve already come across. Thank you.

Let’s try the word{s)  … LANDSCAPES...  (that should be interesting!)

 

Mark Gee

 

Jacek Yerka

tower_of_subconsiousness

a-guide-outof-here

 

Su Blackwell

 

Wolf Kahn

 

Alexander Young (AY) Jackson

 

Aydin Büyüktas

 

Boguslaw Strempel

 

Mountains

 

Ansel Adams

 

Carsten Wieland

 

Inoue Yasuji

 

Arabella Proffer

 

 

 

 

 

The Mad Hatter (repost)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

So I love to break up gallery posts with entertainment I find perfect in one way or another.

The Mad Hatter … A Short Story was written by my friend over at Rethinking Life. Somehow it hits with a strange lovely chord, encouraging me to share it with you. It might seem a bit long, but it’s a story, you know. 

I encourage you to check out her blog sometime. You’ll have a pleasant ride.

 

The Mad Hatter .. A Short Story

 

it was a day like any other
at least that’s what I thought
the Rabbit was late
but that was nothing new
the table was set
the tea was hot
and it was just a matter of time
before the party would begin
then I saw him
running
watch held in his paw
spectacles
sliding down his white face
yelling
I’m here
I’m here
I smiled
happy to see him
he was always so well dressed
he said he was sorry for being late
and gave many reasons
for his tardiness
but my attention was drawn
to someone
walking down the path
toward us
it was a girl
she came to a stop
I waved her forward
in invitation
to join us
she curtsied
and sat down
she said she was rather hungry
and gulped down a cup of tea
then smiled and said
thank you so very much
she was beautiful
the way sunshine is beautiful
and I instantly saw the many hats
I could make for her
that would bring out
the color of her eyes
the Rabbit meantime
was explaining the layout
of  Wonderland
drawing on the tablecloth
and bent over his work
with great intensity
she followed his every word
pointing and asking questions
but the sound in my head
had been turned off
as I thought of blue felt
feathers
ribbons
and beading
yes
it had to be blue
then somehow the mouse
was rolling across the table
and the girl was apologizing
for waking him up
suddenly
embolden by my thoughts
I stood and said
I shall make for you
the most beautiful hat
that has ever been created
the girl smiled
thanked me in the most glorious way
then said she didn’t wear hats
I felt as if I had been stabbed through the heart
I felt the color drain from my face
she didn’t wear hats
but then
just before I fainted
she said
I meant to say that I didn’t wear hats
because I never found anyone who could make
the perfect one
I was instantly revived
my heart started beating once again
and I fell madly in love
with the girl sitting at our table
right about then
the cat showed up
well
his grin appeared
the girl handled things quite well
and in the end
the Cheshire stopped disappearing
stood on the table in front of her
and politely introduced himself
the girl accepted his introduction
and said that her name was Alice
which quickly became
the most wonderful name
in all of Wonderland
then she put out her hand
and the cat put his paw on her palm
some kind of deal had just been made
but I’m not sure what it was
we had more tea
and the most delicious
chocolate cake
filled with fresh strawberries and cream
Alice gently placed the mouse
back into his teapot and wished him
the happiest of dreams
far too soon
I was forced to return to my work
the Rabbit was explaining that we had duties
to attend to
I said my sad goodbyes
and promised to have her perfect hat finished soon
she smiled
thanked me and touched my arm
the Rabbit said
that’s all fine and good
but what are we going to do with her
we can’t let her just wander around
it’s far too dangerous
Alice said
she would just go wherever he was going
and that ended the conversation
rather quickly
I watched them walk away
already longing
to see her again
a human
in Wonderland
if that could happen
there was no end to the possibilities
but those thoughts
would have to wait
the only thing that mattered
at the moment
was the perfect blue hat

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Travis Louie

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Travis Louie was born in Queens, New York, in the area near the site of the 1964 World’s Fair.

He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where he graduated in 1990 with a BFA in Communication Design, and the intent of pursuing a freelance illustration career.The visual style of Louie’s work is mostly influenced by the lighting and atmosphere of German Expressionist and Film Noir motion pictures from the Silent Era to the late 1950’s. The results are tridimensional portraits from an alternative universe that seemingly may or may not have existed.Louie’s world is grounded in Victorian and Edwardian times, inhabited by human oddities, mythical beings, and otherworldly, grotesque characters who appear to have requested their formal portraits to state their existence and place in society and history.

To achieve the dramatic “mood” in his paintings, the art is produced primarily in black and white or limited color.

Louie uses acrylic paints over tight graphite drawings on smooth grounds, like “plate” finish illustration board or finely sanded, primed wood panels.

The works reflect, in Louie’s words, a desire for a world in which fear of “the other” might be superseded by curiosity and acceptance of those who are different.More of Travis Louie’s marvelous surrealistic art can be found at https://www.travislouieart.com/.

 

 

Oops!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 5 Comments

I just wrote — and published — a Monday Blog — on a Tuesday.

A major faux pas.

So to cover up my embarrassment, let me share some cute fuzzy pictures….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s the Time of Year

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

Today (Saturday) I spent quite a bit of time going through the blogs I follow,  reading them, liking them,  commenting on  them.

Tonight there is a teeny tiny lump in my chest, reflections of an over-reactive reaction to some of the blogs. Nothing overwhelming — just writers writing. Sharing their thoughts.

There were blogs about heroes and their counterparts:  Day 4406: Bullies and Heroes; an outrageous law: Global outrage as Iraq lowers marriage age for girls to NINE…; melancholy memories: A Sweet Aroma & Memories; even a painting touched by the California fires: Blustery. 

Of course, there were many blogs that brought a smile to my face too: a beautiful homemade quilt: Friday Finish : Here Be Dragons; a painting: Some Semblance of Morning Fog;  a haiku: Can’t Wait for Spring (a haiku);  and photography:  My Trip to the Desert.

There should be a balance of feelings in your life. Hitting deep both from highs and lows.

But I am also thinking that some of the most powerful writing comes at this time of the year. The time of cloudy skies and snow and cold temperatures. Of isolation and politics. People can’t get out and around and disappear in the woods or on the beach like they can in summer.

Yet, truth is, many of you live in warm climates and countries and write emotional things just as much as the winterites.

I’m glad I’ve got you all in my life. You keep me on my toes!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — David Gilliver

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David Gilliver graduated from the Fine Art Photography (BA Hons) course at the Glasgow School of Art in 2001.

Gilliver specializes in long-exposure photography (the art of ‘Light Painting’) as well as macro photography (the ‘Little People’ and Toy series).Light Paintings are created using a very long exposure time and are created at night when it is very dark.

The nature of the long exposure allows the artist time to walk into the shot while it is being photographed.

He then moves around portable light devices to create the colors and shapes you see ‘frozen’ into each image.As long as he keeps moving around during each long exposure and avoids illuminating himself, he remains completely invisible in the photograph.“My light painting work is all about shape, form and color existing (or not truly existing?) in space,” Gilliver shares.“I love the fact these forms aren’t tangible like typical sculptures are, but they are in essence light sculptures that exist in space, made only visible through the magic of long exposure photography.”

More of David Gilliver’s photography can be found  at https://davidgilliver.com/.

 

 

 

 

Go Ahead — Scream! (repost)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

A Happy Saturday Morning Rerun!

Go Ahead — Scream

 ~ humoringthegoddess

Have you ever had one of those days? Weeks? 

Sure you have.

So since I so recently highlighted Edvard Munch and his famous “The Scream ” here are a few versions for your various moods. Use and emote at your leisure.

 

 

Edvard Munich

 

Nathan Sawaya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Paths

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The scariest moment is always just before you start.

~Stephen King

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Nike Savvas

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Nike Savvas is a senior Australian Artist based between Sydney and London.Much of Savvas’ work has consisted of largescale installations that translate painting into three dimensions, and popular culture into high art.Her minimalistic installations utilize repetition of simplistic forms often in the thousands, creating order within an apparent scattered chaos of separate elements.Breaking down the boundaries of high art, Savvas aims to create works that a playful and accessible by all, with her works open to drawing a multiplicity of meanings from each viewer’s interpretation.Savvas has a reputation for creating art that pulls you in for a surreal experience. What is more, the creation is full of life.Her minimalistic installations utilize repetition of simplistic forms often in the thousands, creating order within an apparent scattered chaos of separate elements.Breaking down the boundaries of high art, Savvas aims to create works that a playful and accessible by all, with her works open to drawing a multiplicity of meanings from each viewer’s interpretation.Her objects and installations often invite the viewer to partake in the active experience of her work, by physically shifting, repositioning and refocusing their gaze, in order to unveil ever-changing facets to the works.

 

More of Nike Savvas’ amazing installation art can be found at https://nikesavvas.com/.

 

 

 

Look Back Tuesday — Faces

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I am always looking back over my shoulder and digging into deep holes and ball pits, flipping on the lights, looking for some fun Galleries to bring back to you. 

Here are a couple of flashback that deal with  FACES:

(And I DO hope you are clicking on the titles and going through the galleries themselves…!)

 

 

 

 

Svetlana Bobrova

 

 

Hans Holbein the Younger

 

Face Off

 

Frida Kahlo

 

Chrissy Angliker

 

Oleg Dou

 

Kelvin Oakafor

 

Ben Ashton

 

Marchal Mithouard

 

Masks

 

Pegi Smith

 

Maria Rivans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Clocks

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I want to cultivate my own sound in my own atmosphere, where the clock is not running. ~ John Rzeznik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Been Bitten by the Creative Bug Yet?

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After
Before

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday in Wisconsin it was 46 degrees. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 2.

Welcome to Wisconsin.

Christmas was hectic and stressful. I figured this winter weather would flatten any Creative balloon I was riding for some time to come. I cleaned out my library/art room/craft room, (↑) since it had stayed dormant since my last craft show. I finished my Art Series …. (more to come!) I thought about what was next — diamond paintings or more circle of life (?) sketches or sewing sparkles on a few T-shirts or coloring mandalas in coloring books.  

Nothing sparked any interest. Cold weather makes me lethargic. Very cold weather makes me a zombie. I hoped I was merely between projects. Not done with them.

Who thinks of arts and crafts when it’s two below outside? Who cares about crafting sparkles when your car won’t start because of the weather or the pipes crack? It’s so much easier to cover up with a blanket and watch stupid TV shows from the past or catch up with Game of Thrones reruns.

Yesterday I thought about with two more products I could add to my Angel Tears inventory. And suddenly my energy is returning. I found myself going through my inventory and sketching new ideas and running through Amazon or Allstarco for gemstone ideas.

I believe that once you open your Creative portal you’ll never be able to close it again. That is, unless you really want to.

I don’t want to. And I hope you don’t want to, either.

Life often sucks around us. I’m dealing with some pretty serious “situations” around me these days, lives and futures in the balance, tomorrow never a given. I never underplay the importance of someone doing what needs to be done to take care of themselves or their friends and family. 

Sometimes being creative is a release from all of that. A dance up in the ether, a bit of sunshine and wind and glorious sunsets. It’s reaching out and doing something no one else can do — not the way you do it. Understand it like you understand it.

Refusing to go quietly into the night, I have set a few “real” goals for this year.  I am going to open a website for my wares. I am also going to expand my business to include windchimes and bookmarks. At least I’m thinking about on doing it all.

Maybe it’s only January, but I hope it’s not too early for you to toss around ideas of starting something new (and creative) or expanding what you’re doing.

Let me know what you’re up to. We can always toss off ideas off one another — even while sitting comfortably on the sofa under a blanket — 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Andrew Fox

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Andrew Fox is a designer and illustrator based in London.Fox has created a series of minimalist animal drawings using only a calligraphy pen and black ink.The result is rather amazing considering that he created each character with only a few strokes.Fox’s style is characterized by its deceptive simplicity that creates individuality and character.His illustrations create entities that have unique personalities of their own.

These few strokes allow viewers to make their own interpretations of these teeny animals.

Fox’s work is a testament to the power of simplicity in design, demonstrating how a few well-placed strokes can convey not only shape but also emotion and character.

More of Andrew Fox’s amazing calligraphy can be found at  https://www.behance.net/afox.

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Rainbow Bar

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments
Elisabeth Lucas

 

Dedication: Riley Child-Rhymes
James Whitcomb Riley

He owns the bird-songs of the hills –
The laughter of the April rills;
And his are all the diamonds set
In Morning’s dewy coronet, –
And his the Dusk’s first minted stars
That twinkle through the pasture-bars
And litter all the skies at night
With glittering scraps of silver light; –
The rainbow’s bar, from rim to rim,
In beaten gold, belongs to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under the Sea

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 13 Comments

The other afternoon I went to my granddaughter’s first grade singing concert named “Under the Sea.” In this world of madness, chaos and indifference, I still have faith in our future.

To watch the joy and concentration on the faces of 30 six- and seven-year-olds while they make swimming arm gestures and sing songs like “Baby Shark” and “Yellow Submarine,” I truly believe there is hope for mankind in general and friends and family in particular.

All colors, all sizes, all levels of interest, these kids represented the best in all of us. I could see future singers, actresses, doctors, and engineers in the sing songy off-key voices.

I have to laugh, because the other day I was watching The Story Channel and they were talking about ancient Egyptians preparing for the after life. They had ideas and hieroglyphics and even directions on how to move into an eternal world of warmth and peace and love.

They believed in tomorrow — a tomorrow that didn’t include depression, apathy, and CPAP machines.

So did the children singing in front of me.

I enjoyed the fact that, for practical purposes, those kids and I had a lot in common. We still  have much to learn, we have faith in others, and we believe all will turn out well in the end. We all do our best to  ignore the brutes and big mouths and troublemakers and make it a point to enjoy life. 

And, like the Egyptians, we both believe in tomorrow.

Maybe one of those glow-in-the-dark fish or starfish in today’s picture is me. Glowing in the dark, behind held firmly by the next generation.

There’s a lot of fish and starfish glowing in the picture — maybe you’re one too.

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Chocolate

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Mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.'”

~ Forrest Gump

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Adel Abdessemed

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Adel Abdessemed (-1971) is an Algerian-French contemporary artist.He fled Algeria after the beginning of the 1992 civil war, taking with him the memory of the war and the range of atrocities.The artist has been educated at the International City of Arts, Paris, National School of Fine Arts of Lyon, France, the higher School of Fine Arts of Algiers, and Regional School of Fine Arts of Batna, Algeria.Abdessemed embraces a wide variety of media, including drawing, sculpture, performance, video and installation. His work often deals with the themes of war, violence and religion and is characterized by brutal imagery that attempts to depict the inherent violence of the contemporary world.

He is known for his strong works, breaking and transforming the flow of images and the tension of today’s world.Abdessemed manipulates familiar materials and images to create provocative and often violent works influenced by his exposure to the Gulf War and its global impact.

More of Adel Abdessemed’s heartfelt artworks can be found at https://www.adelabdessemed.com/.

 

 

 

Monday Monday — Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery Blog

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

Looking back on my Monday posts, I noticed a lot of Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery Blogs —

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery — Ercole Barovier
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2017/02/20/sundaymonday-evening-art-gallery-ercole-barovier/

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery – Alain Delorme
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2017/05/29/sundaymonday-evening-art-gallery-blog-alain-delorme/

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery – David Martin Stone
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2017/08/21/sundaymonday-evening-art-gallery-blog-david-martin-stone/

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery – Latchezar Boyadjiev
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2017/09/04/sundaymonday-evening-art-gallery-blog-latchezar-boyadjiev/

 

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery – Randall Henry Riemer
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2018/01/01/sunday-evening-art-gallery-on-monday-randall-henry-riemer/

 

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Chris Maynard
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2018/03/19/sunday-evening-art-gallery-on-monday-evening-chris-maynard/

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery — Jamie Moreno
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2020/11/09/sunday-evening-art-gallery-on-monday-jamie-moreno/

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery — Mosaic Art Buildings
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2019/05/13/sunday-evening-art-gallery-on-monday-mosaic-art-buildings/

 

 

 

Sunday/Monday Evening Art Gallery Blog – Tina Lane
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2018/04/09/sunday-evening-art-gallery-on-monday-tina-lane/

 

And I started to wonder — why was I late in posting Sunday’s blog??

 

I’m certain it was because I was out walking on  Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands    or having a cup of Caffè Totò  at the Grand Café Gambrinus in Naples

or sniffing L’Or de J’adore by Jean-Michel Othoniel  at the DIOR Boutique in Paris. 

 

Maybe it was just because I was busy doing something else. How droll.

Enjoy the flip back!

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Shangri-La

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Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by English author James Hilton.

Gary Renegar

 

Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains.

Eleanor McKnight

 

Set in the troubled years before World War Two, the book tells of a community in a lamasery (a monastery for Tibetan lamas), in the lost Tibetan valley of Shangri-La, cut off from the world and from time.

Morgan Richardson

 

All the wisdom of the human race is contained in this place, in the cultural treasures stored, and in the minds of the people who have gathered here in the face of an imminent catastrophe.

Wai-Sin Tong Darbonne

 

Hilton visited the Hunza Valley, located in Gilgit−Baltistan, close to the China–Pakistan border, a few years before Lost Horizon was published.

Sue Downes Allen

 

Being an isolated green valley surrounded by mountains, enclosed on the western end of the Himalayas, it closely matches the description in the novel, and is believed to have inspired Hilton’s physical description of Shangri-La.

Matthew Wong

 

Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia – an enduringly happy land, isolated from the world.

Phyllis Hollenbeck

 

It is obvious that Shangi-La did not exist as an inspiration to past Masters until 1933, but there are modern artists that share the dream of the mystical world through their work.

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Stephen Hawking

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Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) was a British scientist, professor and author who performed groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology, and whose books helped to make science accessible to everyone.Hawking studied physics at University College, Oxford (B.A.), and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (Ph.D.).

Gary Hogben

Hawking suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and was confined to an electric wheelchair for much of his adult life. He continued to work despite the disease’s progressively disabling effects.

A Cambridge University professor, Hawking redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate.

In 1971, Hawking proposed the area theorem, which set off a series of fundamental insights about black hole mechanics. The theorem predicts that the total area of a black hole’s event horizon — and all black holes in the universe, for that matter — should never decrease.

Lushsux

He also showed that the universe had a beginning by describing how Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity eventually breaks down when time and space are traced back to the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.

Charis Tsevis

Hawking applied quantum theory – governing the subatomic world – to black holes, which he claimed discharge radiation that causes them to disappear.

Black holes are formed when a massive star collapses under the weight of its own gravity. Detected by the movement of surrounding matter, they devour everything in their path and may play a role in the birth of galaxies.

Sean McCabe

Hawking’s work greatly spurred efforts to theoretically delineate the properties of black holes, objects about which it was previously thought that nothing could be known.

BONB Creative

His work was also important because it showed these properties’ relationship to the laws of classical thermodynamics and quantum mechanics.

More of Stephen Hawking’s research and theories can be found at https://www.biography.com/scientists/stephen-hawking and https://www.space.com/15923-stephen-hawking.html.

 

 

 

Peace (repost)

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Wonderful truth for us all from Rainbow Wave of Light …

 

Peace | The Creator

 

You may believe peace is something that needs to be created, worked toward and/or manifested before it will appear. The Universe would like to remind you that peace has always been. It is in every thought, every emotion and every action of your Earth plane existence. The only thing you need to do is realize it is there and allow it into your life.

~ Creator

 

 

Sending You Wishes for 2025!

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Wishing you a fun/creative/peaceful/wild/adventurous/hot-chocolate-in-the-cold (or Piña Colada at the beach) kind of 2025!

 

~ Friendship ~

Sandra Apperloo

 

~ Creativity ~

Tiffany Arp-Daleo

 

~ Relaxing Sleep ~

Debra Bernier

 

~ Good Food ~

Famous Food Paintings

 

~ Inspirational Music ~

Musical Notes

 

~ Writing Time ~

Elegant Fountain Pens

 

 

~ Remembering~

Abandoned Cars

 

~ Sharing ~

Lorenzo Quinn

 

~ Fresh Air ~

Arnold Böcklin

 

 ~ Discovery ~

Arabella Proffer

 

♥

No Resolutions!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

I don’t know if New Year’s Resolutions are still a big thing these days.

Years past people have made big vows (lose weight, stop smoking), medium vows (finish writing novel, walk more) and small vows (give up chocolate shakes, text friends more).

Some resolutions are no brainers (learn a new creative art), others are impossible (lose 20 pounds in two weeks).

It seems we are never satisfied with ourselves, so we pick one “official” day to go cold turkey and turn our lives around.

Of course, such an abrupt stop and start often doesn’t work out, because we don’t change the energy around such abrupt changes. 

We can’t eat a pound of chocolate chip cookies one day and give them up forever the next. We can’t start walking five miles a day when we can barely walk to the corner and back. 

We all get very lofty with our new resolutions, and become depressed and disillusioned when we don’t fulfill them within a few weeks.

I have stopped making New Year’s Resolutions.

Life is hard enough without bringing the wrath of Armageddon down upon myself for non compliance.

What I have been doing is changing my life one step at a time. I am changing, even though it’s at a pretzel logic pace. 

We don’t buy snacks like chips and cookies and junk food anymore. To compromise, I do make homemade banana bread and pineapple smoothies. I don’t walk a marathon every day (as the small of my back protests) but I do walk up and down the stairs at least five times a day. I no longer have novel writing in the near future, but between blogging and making suncatchers and drawing and a few other creative ventures I’m kept quite alert mentally.

I believe every day is a chance to improve your lot in life. I laugh because I’m always saying “I learned something new today!” The things I learn (and sometimes later forget) aren’t earth shattering — but they are things I’ve never known about my whole life.

I look in the mirror every morning and ask myself what I can do to improve what I’ve been carrying around for 70+ years. A haircut? Undereye cream? Get rid of clothes that don’t fit?

New Year’s resolutions are more of a marker in life. Ideas and wishes that have crystalized into a determination to do something sooner than later.

I say — let’s just work on ourselves one day at a time. Work to to learn something new, eat healthier, move move. No time restrictions — just a mental note that you achieved something yesterday and will do so again today.

Let’s let the resolutions disappear into the mist, leaving a good heart and good vibrations in its wake.  

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Marc Chagall

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Marc Chagall (1887-1985),  born Moishe Shagal, was a Russian-French Draftsman, Painter, and Printmaker.

Reims Cathedral, Reims, France

 

Constantly on the move throughout the major European cities, this notable figure developed a unique aesthetic profoundly infused by the Jewish folk culture while being influenced by Fauvism, Symbolism, and Cubism.

America’s Window, Chicago, Illinois
Panel One, America’s Window

 

An early modernist, he was associated with the École de Paris, as well as several major artistic styles and created works in a wide range of artistic formats, including painting, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints.

Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex, England.

 

One of the most remarkable aspects of Chagall’s stained glass artistry is his seamless blend of traditional religious motifs with a modern artistic language.

St Stephen’s Church, Mainz, Germany

 

Chagall’s stained glass windows are characterized by their intricate details and harmonious interplay of colors.

Western View of the Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
Closeup, Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel

 

They often feature scenes of love, hope, and spirituality, rendered with a poetic sensitivity that touches the soul of the beholder. 

The Good Samaritan Window, Union Church, Pocantico Hills, New York

 

His ability to convey profound emotions through the use of ethereal imagery is what sets his windows apart and endows them with a timeless appeal.

Peace Windows, United Nations, New York

 

More of Marc Chagall’s amazing contributions to the art world can be found at https://www.marcchagall.com/en. 

 

 

 

Saturday Morning — Glass!

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I need a bit of sparkle this gray Saturday morning. While a glass of chocolate milk or cranberry/raspberry juice might do, I thought I’d go back and highlight a couple of amazing glass artists that have blown me away in the Gallery.

Be sure to use a stemmed goblet for your morning drink while you look out your stained glass window …..

 

STEMMED DRINKING GLASSES

 

LATCHEZAR BOYADJIEV

 

RICK SATAVA

 

RONNIE HUGHES

 

NAOKO ITO

 

WILFRED GROOTENS

 

SIMON CRESTANI

 

BUBUN

 

STAINED GLASS HOUSE

 

RICH EGGERT

 

LINO TAGLIAPIETRA

 

JOHN KILEY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Dizzy

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As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.

~ Mel Brooks

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Albert Paley

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Albert Paley (-1944) is a metal artist known for his monumental architectural ironwork and sculptures.Initially starting out as a jeweler, Paley has become one of the most distinguished and influential metalsmiths in the world.Paley earned B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees at Tyler School of Art and Temple University, in 1966 and 1969 respectively.In 1969 he joined the faculty of the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology, and the following year established gold-and metalsmithing studios in his Rochester home.Paley was a highly successful jewelry artist in 1974 when he won the Renwick Gallery’s national design competition and was awarded the commission to design decorative metalwork doors for the gallery shop.His Portal Gates sculpture opened the door to a new career for Paley, leading to numerous commissions and world renown for his monumental architectural ironwork and sculpture.Within each of Paley’s works, three foundational elements stay true: the natural environment, the built environment, and the human presence.The artist aims for the structure and form of his work to emotionally connect with our thoughts, creating a sense of empathy.As he describes, “I try to achieve this through linearity, the dance of line as you walk around a piece.”More of Albert Paley’s amazing designs can be found at albertpaley.com.

 

 

 

 

Merry Artmas!!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

 

Merry Christmas ARTMAS to All!

Sending Love and Creativity to ALL of You!

 

 

 

It’s Coming….

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

At this point on the cosmic timeline, everyone and their mothers are posting Christmas stories — sad stories, inspirational stories, funny stories — there’s something about the season that brings out the nostalgia in all of us.

I myself have a different view of Christmas than I did 50 years ago … 25 years ago … even a year ago.  It’s my yearly lack of patience. It’s the overly sappy, overly optimistic view of the world that is promoted for that one day before it disappears from existence.

So I’m not gonna chat about Seasonal Cheer this morning.

Let’s talk about  … What?

What topics are you TIRED TO DEATH of talking about/listening to others talk about? Like  enough already!

Being home and retired, we often turn on the TV in the morning to watch hubby’s (stupid) game shows. The airwaves are filled with commercials about prescription drugs, lawyers, and, depending on the time of year, Medicare Supplemental Insurance.

I am TIRED TO DEATH of the dozens of commercials aimed at old people. Please. I’d rather have them advertise pizza or Doritos … something I can relate to.

I’m also TIRED TO DEATH of listening and reading about the U.S.’s upcoming president. It’s done. Get over it. Move on. Work to make it work for you.

I could go on complaining and aching and yacking about all the things that bug me these days. But I’d rather go back and talk about my opening sentence.

“…there’s something about the season that brings out the nostalgia in all of us.”

The wonderful thing about my life is that I have a long line of memories to look back on. Kids and grandkids and friends that I’ve loved through the years, places I’ve visited, lessons I’ve learned. I’ve been blessed with decent health, a vivid imagination, and a chance to leave my mark on those around me.

All I need to do is turn off the TV and crank up the music and share my life with others.

So … where’s that movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Meg Hitchcock

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Meg Hitchcock is a painter and text-based artist living and working in the New York Hudson Valley.

Heart Sutra No. 1..letters cut from the Koran
(detail)

 

She received her BFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and studied classical painting in Florence, Italy.

Allah Twice — Letters cut from the Torah
(detail)

 

Her paintings and wall sculptures are intended to draw the viewer into an internal state that transcends the need for salvation. Inspired by Byzantine icons.

Bodhisattva Vow — letters cut from a very old German Bible
(detail)

 

This shift in perspective suggests an alternative to the Judeo-Christian paradigm, in which one’s attention is directed toward a deity located just beyond her reach.

The Satanic Verses “Repentance” — from the Koran
(detail)

 

The viewer is instead located front and center in the transitional space, where she is both the subject of the painting and the object of devotion.

Diary, 1971 Excerpts from My Grandmother’s Diary letters cut from the Kama Sutra
(detail)

 

“I combine sacred texts with painting, sewing, and burning, rendering a contemporary interpretation of an ancient tradition,” the artist shares.

Self Portrait. The Lord’s Prayer — letters cut from the Tibetan Book of the Dead
(details)

 

“But instead of illuminating a long-established, patriarchal religion, I illuminate the state of awareness, the origin and destination of all religions.”

The Book of Revelation — letters cut from the Koran
(detail)

 

More of Meg Hitchcock’s amazing artwork can be found at https://www/meghitchcock.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Snowflakes

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Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.

~ William Hamilton Gibson
 
 
 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Famous Clowns

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

I hesitated showcasing the world of clowns, because some have frightened the world to the end and back. But there are a number of familiar names that once upon a time brought joy and happiness to thousands.

These are those joyous faces.

 

Lou Jacobs

 

Harry Deems Dann

 

Emmett Kelly

 

Diamond Jim Parker

 

Bozo the Clown

 

Otto Griebling

 

Paul Jerome

 

Dime and Connie Wilson

 

Duane Thorpe

 

 

A Referral of a Poet by a Poet

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 6 Comments

The other day I read a post by my friend and fellow blogger Michelle Lee at my inspired life.

Michelle is an inspiration all by herself, often sharing wonderful poetry and moments and emotions with her followers. Although I was tempted to share a snippet of her poetry (next time!) I wanted to share a poem SHE shared by Michael Raven in her post GALDR Spotlight.

I just thought it a powerful poem. Maybe it just hit me at the time. I don’t know much about writing poetry, but I do enjoy a poem I can feel. 

Please feel free to visit both Michelle and Michael’s sites when you can and enjoy getting lost in their magic.

 

this is the sea

unmoored and adrift
i reach out for two hands
to plunge me into icy waters
delve into my felon chest
to draw the poison of
forever years from my soul
black burnt pitch thick
with coagulated blood pudding

draw out the fetid fantasies
draw out the traitorous dreams
tear out the scarred soul meat
and
            and
                        kill off the pale, sick-filled me

this dying is necessary
            the vessel, cleared and
                        the soul filled with the
            the ever-moving sea

horizons draw eyes
            for this is the sea

good night, though

in the shadowlands
and their loathsome lonely
I talk to ghosts who
with nothing much to say
they nod and murmur
grow distant, fade
away away away
their talk, idle stuff
small talk soliloquy
lacking depth, substance
phantom words from
phantom mouths
and, like the ash in the plains
weightless, choking
and tastelessly crisp
lost paper dolls
at the forever party
doldrums

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Christian Siriano

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Christian Vincent Siriano (born November 18, 1985) is an American fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).With his edgy, daring, and unexpected designs, Siriano carved out his own place in the highly elite world of fashion design.

After graduating from Baltimore School of Arts, Siriano studied at American Intercontinental University.He was awarded an internship with Vivienne Westwood, and later with the Alexander McQueen Studio.

Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season of American design competition show Project Runway in 2007, becoming the series’ youngest winner at 22.The designer is known for whimsical and show-stopping designs, full and bold with a tinge of fantasy.His collections are aimed at both high-end and more mainstream customers, proving he is one of the fiercest and most inventive designers of his generation.Siriano has been a strong advocate for body positivity and inclusivity in the fashion industry, regularly featuring models of various sizes, shapes, and backgrounds in his runway shows.

More of Christian Siriano’s innovative designs can be found at https://christiansiriano.com/.

 

 

 

Some Fun Back Gallery Posts

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On a beautiful (if not freezing here in the Midwest) Friday, I thought what better way to visit with you than to share some past Sunday Evening Art Gallery posts. I chose a few artists you may not remember, but whose art is wonderfully different. Drop by any time and spend some time wandering the endless galleries!

Who knows — you just might find me wandering around too!

 

Jacek Yerka

boudoir

dragon_pleasure

 

Ray Villafane

44575200-cached-15

44575200-cached-12

 

Thomas Joynes

 

Aline Campbell

 

Fence Murals

 

Druzy Stones

 

William Utermohlen

 

Matthew Grabelsky

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Adam Lee

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Adam Lee is an Australian artist from Melbourne, Australia.Lee holds a Bachelor and Masters of Fine Art, and a PhD from RMIT University.With a personal outlook informed by a wide range of sources – from folklore, legend and biblical narratives to natural history, music, film and literature –Lee’s works on canvas and paper build elaborate worlds where allegory and atmosphere converge.His work references a wide range of sources including historical and family photographs, spiritual narratives, natural history, and contemporary music, film and literature to investigate aspects of the human condition in relation to ideas of temporal and supernatural worlds.Lee’s painting and drawing practice ties together narratives of memory, imagination and transcendence.These explorations find their physical manifestation in Lee’s well-honed individual style, characterized by moody landscapes and a contemporary take on tenebrism.

More of Adam Lee’s atmospheric artwork can be found at https://adamlee.com.au/ and https://stationgallery.com/artist/adam-lee/.

 

 

 

Getting Older

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 23 Comments

I don’t often share personal information or emotions on this blog. I am a cheerleader for Creativity with a capital “C” and a lover of unique art and thinking, and try and share that enthusiasm with those who will listen.

I just recently had a birthday, and it has not been sitting well with me.

I am the oldest of our set of friends, and fourth oldest in our circle of families. It has been a natural progression, and for the most part it has been a smooth ride forward.

Yet yesterday there was a bitter taste in my mouth for having been on this earth 72 years.

YES, I am more than thankful/blessed/happy for all the life I have been granted. I outlived my mother (54) and am heading towards breaking the record of my dad (85).

But this year there was a little more bitterness about the fact that the road ahead is shorter than the road behind me. A crack in my happy facade. A waiver in the solid acceptance of the inevitable.

I suppose we all reflect and react on our limited time on Earth. That’s a very human trait. I was born before there was a vaccine for polio. Before the landing on the moon and the Vietnam War. Before computers, cell phones, and Barbie Dolls.

I was born before the Internet.

That’s just a weird place to find myself. Older people always muse that today’s kids will never know what getting their first TV was like. What it was like to use the Dewey Decimal System  cards in the library. What a typewriter was. That the only place you could listen to music was a transistor radio. All those weird inventions that were, at the time, amazing.

I admit it. I don’t want to get old. I don’t want to become irrelevant.

Yet after our grandkids’ generation we will become dust in the wind, just like our grandparents and great grandparents and great-great grandparents.

That’s why all we truly have in this world is living for today. And, if we’re lucky, tomorrow. And the Next Day and the Next Day, until one day it doesn’t matter anymore.

Make today count.

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919) was a French painter originally associated with the Impressionist movement.His Rubenesque paintings display his eye for elegance and beauty which resulted in his prominence within the Impressionist movement.Renoir is most appreciated for his artworks that depict the leisurely lifestyle of contemporary Paris in the last 30 years of the 19th century as well as his Rubenesque nudes.His paintings are notable for their vibrant light and saturated color, most often focusing on people in intimate and candid compositions.Though celebrated as a colorist with a keen eye for capturing the movement of light and shadow, Renoir started to explore Renaissance painting in the middle of his career, which led him to integrate more line and composition into his mature works and create some of his era’s most timeless canvases.The female nude was one of his primary subjects. Yet in characteristic Impressionist style, Renoir suggested the details of a scene through freely brushed touches of color, so that his figures softly fuse with one another and their surroundings.Renoir was the first Impressionist to understand the potential limitations of an art based primarily on optical sensation and light effects.

Though his discoveries in this field would always remain integral to his art, he reasserted the necessity of composition and underlying structure in modern painting, achieving in his mature work a structured, monumental style that acknowledged the strengths of High Renaissance art.

More of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s amazing paintings can be found at https://www.renoir.net/ and https://www.theartstory.org/artist/renoir-pierre-auguste/.

 

 

 

Saturday — or Caturday?

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Happy Caturday!

What in the world is a CAT-ur-day? I had to look it up.

According to Amanda Blain:

Caturday has been around since roughly 2006. The tradition is pretty simple. On Saturdays, people on various websites, (starting with 4chan and gaining mass popularity on site “I Can Has Cheezburger”) people would post pictures of cats with funny text know as “lolspeak”. Lolspeak is a type of broken English, generally grammatically incorrect, almost a type of “baby talk”, that can often included well known internet memes. This adds to the humor as you can sort of imagine the cat speaking in that “child like way” to explain the situation it is displayed in.

Okay. Catspeak. Saturday. LOLspeak. I’ve got it. UhHuh.

I lost my cat a few months ago, and, although I am enjoying not changing the kitty litter all the time, I think it might be time to find another kitteh to “baby talk” to…. 

HAPPY CATurday!

 

 

 

Poetry of the Heart — Ivor Steven

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 1 Comment

To those of you who write blogs — and to those who read them — we all have a few fellow bloggers who feel like they’ve become friends too, even though we will never see them or meet them.

Ivor the poet is one of mine.  (https://ivorplumberpoet.press/)

Ivor was formerly an Industrial Chemist, then a plumber, and now writes poetry. He has gone through many trials and tribulations and heartbreaks (as have all of us) and he has found an outlet for his emotions through poetry.

Today I want to share just a couple of his short odes to life, and hope you wander over and read the magic for yourself.

 

Is There More?

Beyond my front door
Will there be more?

When the lights a dim
I quietly sit and stare
To see what is out there

Is there more?
Than starlit stairs
And when will I?
Begin the climb

Reflecting the Light (a Tanka)

The magpie’s wings glow
Under the clear twilight sky
Like the Milky Way
Decorates our universe
With incorruptible light

The Blackbird’s Domain (a Musette)

Grey sky
The wise blackbird’s
Disguise

Dark rain
His undisturbed
Domain

Bird calls
Nature’s bedtime
Soft shawls

Tit Bits #9

I’ve a red-hot poker in my belly
I’m bleeding fiery ember ashes
Choking my blackened reality
Blinded by my burning eyelashes

…….

Please don’t kick me
Pick me up, I’m free
Carry me one more mile
My stone-face will smile

…….

Green blankets everything
Under our earth’s blue sky
From here to your side

…….

May you balance like a petite ballerina
Toe-pointing your way through the tulips
May you taste fragrances of truth and pleasure
Tip-toeing gently upon your goddesses flower
Waltz Me to the Tune Of a Happy Mandolin

Open your eyes a little wider
Let your heart feel a little lighter
See the blue sky appear brighter
And there upon the ocean floats the big blue sky
Reflecting the white caps of nearby mountains
Where the melting snow feeds the oceans’ rivers
Which meander across the lands’ grassy plains

And we look to drop anchor
In the calm of a safe harbour
Away from our daily helter-skelter

Hoping to find that peaceful shelter
But a truly happy mandolin
Is soulfully played from within

A Step Beyond Shadows (a Tanka)

An archway of trees
Cast shadows over my path
The light glows brighter
As I dare to step beyond
My uncharted existence

A Flower-bed Of Dreams

The clouds parted, exposing a river bright blue
My hazy visions, suddenly became true
I’m standing in a flower-bed of dreams
I see strawberry fields covered in sun-beams
My veins feel like bubbling mountain streams
The family circle, has my heart bursting at the seams

And his first blog poem, posted in June 2017…

Liquid Joy

Tears of liquid joy.
Like rivers of fear.
The memories so clear.
And drinking plenty of cheer.
Tears of liquid joy.
Like waves from the heart.
Two great oceans apart.
And wishing for another restart.
Tears of liquid joy.
Like dredged canals of the soul.
Leaking from the broken porthole.
And wishing for a free parole.
Tears of liquid joy.
Like a flowing molten alloy.
Passing through a secret convoy.
And singing like the last choirboy.
Crying liquid joy.

 

 

My Art Gallery #2 –Fall

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

Fall

 

My second piece of abstract art. This one I call Fall.

What I’ve been learning from artwork to artwork is that each one evokes different energy from me. The more I practice the better I become … which is a given for all of us. I feel I move forward every time I don’t accidentally touch the paper with a dark marker or blend and re-blend colors from pencils. 

Every piece of art is different. Every piece is a free-handed effort to turn emotions from a particular word into a design on a piece of art paper, trying not to be too obtuse or obscure. All in all it’s been a learning experience. One I’m currently addicted to…

What’s in your bag of creativity this week?

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Wayne Barlowe

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Wayne Barlowe (-1958)  is a world-renowned science fiction and fantasy author and artist who has created images for books, film and galleries and written novels, screenplays and a number of art books.Barlowe is best known for realistic paintings of surreal alien life, hellish landscapes, and esoteric landscapes,  as well as paleoart.He has painted over 300 books, magazine covers and illustrations for many major book publishers, as well as Life and Time Magazine.Barlowe has also created concept art and creature design for films such as Avatar, Harry Potter, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim. His first solo work, Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials, appeared in 1979. It was filled with 150 full-color paintings depicting fifty of the most famous aliens of science fiction literature.His artwork is often done in acrylics, although he is also well known for his pencil sketches.  Barlowe has a talent for creating believable surface textures, important in creating everything from aliens to space heroes.His art spans alien worlds, alien creatures, and the realms of hell. His work portrays his imagination in painstaking detail. 

More of Wayne Barlowe’s amazing artworks can be found at https://waynebarlowe.com/.

 

 

 

 

Are You Still BoHo-ing?

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I have been toying around (AGAIN!) with becoming more “BoHo”. I know — I’m already one of those flighty wild child old ladies, but I’m always thinking of fooling around with my wardrobe so that each piece reflects the swirl circle that often pops inside of me.

The topic felt familiar, so I went back and checked out a few past BoHo blogs. 

Of course I found one.

Only written 10 years ago, it still rings true for me. And, hopefully for you, too.

Let your BoHo Out!!!

 

Old Lady BoHo

 ~ humoringthegoddess

I have finally discovered my fashion calling.  It’s calledimagesCASW5EHX BOHO CHIC.

Now, I’d never heard of this phrase before. Sitting having coffee with my oh-so-chic bestie, the word came up in conversation. So off to GoogleLand I went.

One site said Boho-Chic is “a style of female fashion drawing on various bohemian and hippie influences, which, at its height in 2004/5, was associated particularly with Sienna Miller and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.  I must admit I’ve never put Sienna in the Peace/Love/Dove generation, and, seeing as I barely know who the twin kittens are, I didn’t count much on their ideas of fashion. But with all those negative, scrub-woman adjectives, the style seemed perfect for me.

Another site said the Boho style of dress has been described as the “retro-hippie-shabby-chic.” That seems like a lot of hyphens to describe something you wear. And since I’m a little closer to the senior world, retro is relative. A third described this style as “sweet and tough, grunge meets Chanel.” Since I own a bottle of Chanel (it’s 15 years old), I would have no problem spraying some on something grungy.  I don’t mind the word “hippie,” since I always wanted to be one of those (I was much too dorky to be one).  Chic has never in my repertoire of words (or thoughts), and I still can identify with shabby.

I have always loved the Bohemian look, although I always thought it was more for young, willowy things.  But I love the idea of looking like I blew in on some oak leaf.  Boho-Chic is wild and flowy and free — something my size, wallet, and creativity can handle.

And  I mean — Fringes! Shawls! Beads!  What perfect timing! I really don’t like any of my clothes; too tight, too conservative. I’m tired of curling and fussing with my hair, and I’m too flighty to have to match shirts and pants all the time. My favorite place to shop is second hand stores.

So why can’t I start adding shawls and beading and mish-mash accessories to my every day wardrobe? I love embroidery and vests and skirts, and have been known to sit and sew beadery around necks of tops and loungewear. I love sparkly jewelry, and now that I’m older I don’t have to worry if it goes with the outfit. I have been looking for the day where the blue in my shirt doesn’t have to match the blue in my pants, and the liberating thought of wearing two different patterns — oh my word! Dare I dream?

You have to understand that the first two-thirds of my life were pretty conservative. No…boring. Vanilla. I just haven’t felt secure about myself to wear those things until right now. I have always been afraid to experiment, to be myself. Now that I’m getting older I really don’t care if I fit in with everyone else. If I don’t slip out of the box now, when will I do it?

But the thing that sealed the deal on my current Boho-Chic thing was watching American Horror Story-Coven the other night. I saw the queen of the gypsies, the gravelly voiced Stevie Nicks sing and swirl around in her beautiful flowered shawl, and I decided — I want to be her. She is 65 and still going strong. Go Your Own Way, as the song goes. Maybe I’m a few pounds heavier, and don’t have the styled hair or the great voice, but I sure can twirl in a shawl.

Let’s get boho-ing!

Love you! Happy Monday!

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Costa Magarakis

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Costa Magarakis is a Tel Aviv-based artist who takes footwear far beyond its functional purpose.His work often incorporates dark and shadowy themes, making the shoes appear more like haunting apparitions than everyday wear.His work can be expressed as a gothic wonderland illuminating the grey area between truths and lies. Different types of glass, bronze, resin, clay, paint, and other media are used to craft the pieces, typically on fiberglass structures.His heeled figurines combine mythology, religion, and science with modern symbols and icons and depict grotesque imagery of surreal machines and impossible worlds.Magarakis’ work has often been seen as a commentary on our relationship with fashion and consumerism.

By twisting a familiar object into something unsettling, he compels us to question the societal pressures surrounding footwear and appearance.

More of Costa Magarakis’ unique and wonderful shoes can be found at  https://spiderjelly.wixsite.com/costa-magarakis.

 

 

 

 

Thank You For Being You!

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Thanksgiving is a time to say

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Giorgio Griffa

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Giorgio Griffa (-1936) is an Italian abstract painter living and working in Turin, Italy.Griffa never received a formal art education. He began painting as a child, taking lessons from local painters at the Circolo degli Artisti in Turin.In 1968, Griffa abandoned figurative painting in favor of a format of abstract painting that still characterizes his work to this day.His visual language is simple and universal, comprising lines, dots, geometric shapes and repeating linear patterns, which are often used alongside letters, texts or numerals.Another distinguishing feature is the artist’s preference for diluted pigments in luminous, desaturated colors.Painting with acrylic on raw un-stretched canvas, burlap and linen, Griffa’s works are nailed directly to the wall along their top edge.When not exhibited, the works are folded and stacked, resulting in creases that create an underlying grid for his compositions. In keeping with his idea that painting is “constant and never finished”, many of his works display a deliberate end-point that has been described as “stopping a thought midsentence.”

More of Giorgio Griffa’s paintings can be found at https://www.fondazionegiorgiogriffa.org/  and https://www.artnet.com/artists/giorgio-griffa/.

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Optimism

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After you have found inner peace you have endless energy — the more you give, the more you receive. After you have found your calling, you work easily and joyously. You never get tired.

Peace Pilgrim

 

 

When Do You Get Inspired?

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I have a question for all of you this cloudy, dreary morning — even you, my hundreds of friends who follow and never comment.

When do you get inspired?

Maybe not so much get inspired to “do art”, but when do you just sit and watch the world pass by and wonder if there’s meaning to all the chaos?

What kind of atmosphere do you create for yourself to mellow out, become introspective, and, if you open up a little more, get inspired to create something?

In the working world there’s little time to get inspired about anything. Whether it’s being home with your kids or working in an office or serving customers, there’s not a lot of inspiration time. And in that precious few hours/minutes that you do have, how can you choose? Read a book? Sketch a drawing? Embroider a few stitches?

Sometimes it’s just easier to turn on the TV and be numbed by the nonsense you find there.

Now that I’m retired I find my quietest inspirational moments in the morning. A cup of coffee, the dogs fed and content, hubby doing whatever someplace else, I look out the window at the bird feeder and open up my soul. One artist I’ve grown fond of is an artist on You Tube named Ophelia Wilde who plays instrumental piano, whimsical tunes with fun magical titles like “A Playlist for Living in a Little Cottage Together With Your Cat.”

She’s imaginary, too. Perfect.

Sometimes I think about some art I want to create; sometimes I think about my next blog. Sometimes I go on my laptop and find new unique artists.

Sometimes I just sit and look out the window.

I believe there is inspiration around us wherever we look. We just have to be in the right state of mind to absorb it. My inspirational times don’t last long, as reality has a way of interrupting even when you’re in the Zen. 

But at least I know I have inspirational times, and strive to return to them when I can.

Fight the murky cloudy Monday blahs and find yours, too.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Beatrix Potter

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Helen Beatrix Heelis (1866 –1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter, was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.Potter is one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time, writing and illustrating more than 20 children’s books starring Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Benjamin Bunny.Potter first tasted success as an illustrator, selling some of her work to be used for greeting cards.Her most distinguishable artistic traits are well known to be the whimsical anthropomorphism that her stories surround.Studying book illustration from a young age and developing her own tastes, Potter’s earliest illustrations focused on traditional rhymes and stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Puss in Boots.However, most often her illustrations were fantasies featuring her own pets: mice, rabbits, kittens, and guinea pigs.As Potter grew older, she spent her time alone learning to drawing with her eye to a microscope, and eventually developed an interest in fungi. Invited to study fungi by the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, she produced hundreds of detailed botanical drawings and investigated fungi’s cultivation and growth.

More of Beatrix Potter’s whimsical art work can be found at https://beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/ and https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/characters-of-beatrix-potter.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Look Who’s Coming!

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I feel like I’ve been on a role lately!

I’ve been hitting my artwork with fervor and enthusiasm, fixing, cleaning up, and resketching my latest art sketches. I’ve also been on a role building up artists for upcoming Sunday Galleries!

Here’s a peek at upcoming guests —

 

 

Costa Magarakis

 

Margaret Macdonald

 

Simon Beck

 

Christian Siriano

 

Cameron Limbrick

 

I hope you’re looking forward to these and other artists making their way to the Gallery!

Happy Friday!

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Otherworld

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Otherworld: a world beyond death or beyond present reality

In this small series, I tried to find original artwork with the word “Otherworld” in the title. I did not want to include art that “depicted” other worlds, as that is too wide a territory for this blog. I also tried to avoid digital art, as that is a world of art unto its own as well.

Enjoy!

 

Otherworld — Arpita Gaidhane

 

Other World II, MC Escher

 

Into the Otherworld — Ricardo Herrera

 

Otherworld — Andrew Wyeth

 

Otherworld — Cascail

 

Otherworld Signpost — Cameron Limbrick

 

The Otherworld Immersive Exhibit, Philadelphia

 

The otherworld — Jennifer Farina

 

Tropical Otherworld — Joseph Feely

 

Otherworld — Ivan Pavlenko

 

The Otherworld — James Llewellyn

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Dinosaurs

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It’s very simple why kids are crazy about dinosaurs — dinosaurs are nature’s Special Effects.

– Robert T. Bakker, Paleontologist

 

 

 

 

Getting Older Changes Your Reality

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How many times have you said “I wish I knew then what I know now”?

Makes getting older sound much more appealing, doesn’t it?

It is a basic fact that older people have a larger pool of information to pull from when it comes to shaping their reality. Many years worth of pooling. 

And not all that’s drawn from the pool is useful.

Would middle schoolers benefit from the knowledge that other kids can be bullies and things brighten up once they get to high school? Would college kids be more successful if they knew the intricacies of moving up in the working world? Would millennials be better off if they realized how important health care and savings plans will be thirty years in their future?

Unfortunately, human beings learn from personal experience. Not that all personal experiences are soul building and world awakening. I have never smoked in my life but I knew then and know now how bad a habit it is. I’ve never had a broken bone nor had an emotional trauma experience before I was 25.

Does that mean I should have experienced all of the above to be a more well rounded senior adult?

When I chose the topic Getting Older Changes Your Reality I was thinking about reality from a senior point of view. My body has changed, my energy level has changed, my hormones definitely have changed, forcing me to adapt in ways I never imagined when I was 30.

These kinds of changes cannot be planned for. You can be fit all of your life and still lack energy to hike to the furthest soccer field. You could watch your sugar intake all your life and still turn into a diabetic. You could go to college and major in Anthropology just to work on computers in a bank 10 years later. (I knew someone that happened to…)

What you can Do and what you can Be changes as your reality changes. You may have wanted one child and would up with three. You may have wanted to move to Paris when you were young and still find yourself in suburbia. Often your youthful reality is not your future reality.

One pleasant surprise of my senior reality is that I’m finally getting to do some the things I wanted to do in my youthful reality. I’ve touched the Eiffel Tower and walked through Roman ruins. I’ve had wonderful grandkids who have made me feel young again (mentally, at least), and have the time to continue art art projects I started in my 20s.

I still worry about money and my health and if I’ll wake up tomorrow to enjoy another day. But those are things I have minimum control over, so I do what I can and let time take the wheel.

As you get older you find that the things you worry about today won’t matter much tomorrow. You have no say about political candidates, company policies, and illness such as cancer. You have no control over who lives and who passes on. You don’t even really know if there’s an afterlife. 

Getting older changes your reality, and you finally get that you have less control over you life than you thought. What will be will be and all that.

All you can do is choose the swirly bumpy road instead of the straight one, and see what happens.

You will wind up at the same place anyway.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Petr Axenoff

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Petr Axenoff is a jewelry designer from Moscow, Russia. Born to a photographer father and an icon-painter mother, Axenoff was immersed in a rich artistic world from a very early age and went on to study painting, architecture, ballet, theatre and historical costume.Eventually his creative and scholarly pursuits led him to pour his passions into fine jewelry and establish the Axenoff Jewelry brand.Axenoff’s intent and creative designs are intertwined with the Russian jewelry tradition of the 16th-19th centuries, as well as the beginning of the 20th century. Axenoff delicately blends modern trends with classical jewelry traditions, creating lavish jewelry designs with a deep, historical meanings.The artist uses silver and semi-precious stones such as topaz, onyx, moonstone, and lapis lazuli, along with more expensive materials such as platinum, gold, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, all to create one-of-a-kind pieces that pay tribute to the charisma of Russia.Always beautiful and unique, “Axenoff pieces are to be enjoyed and worn as they are admired and treasured,” the designer shared.More of Pytr Axenoff’s designer jewelry can be found at The Jewelry Editor and Jewelerss. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m Okay

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 15 Comments

It’s one of those days. It’s been one of those days for the past several days.

Not much happening.  I finished my burst of artwork creativity — I’ll be posting my fabulous (???) abstract whatevers very soon. Otherwise it’s been the usual boring housework/plantwork/nothing-good-on-TV kinda week.

Do you have these kind of boring forays between bursts of creativity?

Part of me thinks I should be pumped up every day. After all, I am alive and awake every morning — a blessing, to be sure. Part of me thinks I’m over 70 and I’m entitled to slow down now and then. More now than then. Part of me wants to sleep all day.

I guess that’s what the gap between Fall and Winter is all about. That murky, cloudy, kinda rainy cold weather that creeps around before really cold weather and snow move in.

One positive achievement today is that I’ve spent the day reading others’ blogs. So many interesting wonderful people out there. That’s important these days, too.

On days like today I tend to research my ever-expanding list of unique artists that I want to share with you. The list never ends. And that’s what carries me along through these day-to-day blahs. 

Creativity — and energy — is always around the corner. Sometimes all you need to do is find it.

What are you all up to?

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Malene Hartmann Rasmussen

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 Danish artist Malene Hartmann Rasmussen works with figurative narrative sculpture and installation, creating work from individual hand-modelled ceramics and found objects.Graduating with an MA from Royal College of Art in 2011, she also studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Design in Denmark.Rasmussen is part of a vanguard of artists who choose not to define themselves by discipline or craft but instead blur the boundaries between Applied Art, Design and Fine Art, with exceptional handcraftsmanship at its core.The artist works with mixed media sculpture, making and arranging multiple components into complex narrative tableaux of visual excess.Rasmussen’s ornate ceramics may initially appear excessively sweet, but upon closer inspection reveal themselves as impossible and absurd objects, imbued with the artist’s own dark narrative.A recurring theme in her work is the forest and the mythological creatures that lurk in the dark woods. She weaves together notions of memories, daydreams and childhood nostalgia into a fairy-tale of her own making.“Folklore relating to Scandinavia is a great inspiration and something I have grown up with during my childhood and adolescence in my native Denmark,” says Malene Hartmann Rasmussen.“I want my work to look like a very skilled child could have made it, clumsy and elaborate at the same time. Initially the viewer may, mistakenly, be drawn to my figures thinking them to be toys; however closer examination reveals their rather darker narrative.”

More of Malene Hartmann Rasmussen’s remarkable artwork can be found at https://www.malenehartmannrasmussen.com/ and https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/10/malene-hartmann-rasmussen-ceramics/.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Unique Buildings #2

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There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners.

~ Antoni Gaudi, Architect

 

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

 

Pavilion Of The Enlightened, Bangkok

 

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Baku, Azerbaijan

 

Hohenzollern Castle, Germany

 

Russian Ministry Of Agriculture, Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia

 

Les Espaces D’abraxas, Noisy-Le-Grand, France

 

Agora Tower, Taiwan

 

L’Hemisfèric, Valencia, Spain

 

 

Unusual Buildings #1

.https://humoringthegoddess.com/2015/05/03/sunday-evening-art-gallery-unusual-buildings/…

 

 

Brave Little Leaf

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I was sitting out on my back deck this morning and noticed this little guy hanging on from the top branch of the tree.

Brave little leaf.

Was little leaf holding on precariously or with brut strength? With rugged determination or last moment panic? Most of  little leaf’s associates had long departed for lawns and trenches and woods near and far. What was little leaf hanging on for?

Brave little leaf.

Little leaf had endured much:  blazing sun, pounding rain, thunderstorms and whipping winds. Little leaf survived birds and bugs and still hung proud and flexible in the morning sunshine.

Would little leaf hold on long enough to endure snowy winter? Mushy spring?

Brave little leaf.

Would little leaf hang on until the next generation of leaves forced leaf off the branch and into the twilight of existence? Or will the coming-of-age leaves on the branch protect and keep the leaf safe an additional season or two?

As I watched little leaf twinkle and blow in the morning breeze, I realized the leaf was going to do what we all do. Hang around until we cannot hang around any more.

That’s the best any of us can do.

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Rachel Wright

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 Rachel Wright is an embroidered textile artist from  Buckinghamshire, England.Wright studied fashion and textiles at Birmingham City University and undertook both a BA and an MA course there before graduating to set up her own business in 1994.Her beautiful machine embroidery often depicts nature, and the combination of her attention to detail and artistic flair makes her work incredibly life like while elevating the subject into vivid and compelling images.The artist takes her inspiration from landscapes and cityscapes and has a particular love of the sea, harbor towns, boats and lighthouses.The shapes, colors and details of these subject matter are then borrowed and echoed in delicately hand or machine embroidered fabric collages using vibrant threads worked onto papers and fabrics.Wright usually begins with a pencil sketch straight onto the background material which is always cotton calico.From there she starts to cut and lay down little pieces of fabric, choosing carefully the appropriate pieces,  and once she’s happy she begins to stitch, sewing down the fabric scraps.Wright doesn’t use bonding or pins or any kind of glue or stabilizer. She  builds up slowly and gradually, working in small areas at a time until the piece starts to come together.

More of Rachel Wright‘s amazing embroidery can be found at https://rachelwright.com/.

 

Faerie Paths — Stars

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Star Factory Messier 17

 

Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

 

 

Art is What??

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Georges Seurat

Michael Hussar

I imagine I jump started your heart Sunday with the bright, bloody, curious art of Michael Hussar. It’s (hopefully) not what you’re used to waking up to, that’s for sure.

I’m not used to jump starts. I  don’t need my  blood pumping and rushing through my veins at lightning speed at 8 o’clock in the morning. 

But I came across his art some time ago and it just stuck with me. There is beauty in horror as much as in a field of flowers. Sometimes it’s hard to see the correlation — sometimes I don’t see it at all. But I know it’s there.

Again, it’s all in your perception of art.

Do you have to understand it to appreciate it? Is appreciating it the same as liking it? Do you need to know the personal history of an artist to understand their art?

I believe that knitting a shawl is art. Doing a craft in an evening class is art. Making a suncatcher from a kit is art. But is it high-end art? What makes the dot painting you just completed any different from one by Georges Seurat?

I came across a “famous” artist who is classified as an abstract artist. His work hangs in such institutions as the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Rome. They are nothing more than 3 lines of small rectangles that stop halfway through line three. Or 13 beige lines starting on the left side of a brown background and stopping half way across.

I could paint the same thing. I HAVE drawn and colored similar things. What makes his work any more museum-worthy than mine?

These are cosmic questions for another time… questions that really have no answers. So back to my opening spiel.

We all have our favorite artists and forms of art. Most we understand, others we like even though we are clueless as to why. 

Maybe liking certain art simply depends on the time of day you look at it and where you are looking at it and if you had coffee before you look at it or someone else was talking about it.

They say art is subjective. SUBJECTIVE means based on, or influenced by, personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. That tends to be all of us.

I will continue to try and be OBJECTIVE ( not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering or representing facts) in my art selections so our reactions can all be SUBJECTIVE.

Please keep checking in to see which side of the Ob/Subjective line we wander down next!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Michael Hussar

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Michael Hussar (-1964) is an American Painter who attended the Art Center in Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.He taught Portraiture-Head Painting for almost 10 years at the same Art Center College of Design, and continues to teach portrait painting workshops in the United States and Europe.Hussar uses a combination of rococo, baroque and other classical styles combined with contemporary subject matter to create intense oil portraits.His paintings are provocative and shocking from certain angles, playing around with religious codes in a universe combining the fantastic and the horrific.Instead of canvas, Hussar prefers to work on gessoed wood panels to create paintings, as opposed to a surface mixing technique.There is an incredible beauty in the harsh colors and nightmarish realities of Hussar’s paintings, dark yet bright at the same time.Hussar describes his work as a voyeuristic snapshot of perceived humanity,  complete with “freaks and fakery; a gothic wonderland illuminating the gray area between truth and lies.”Hussar’s attachment to his paintings runs deep; each piece is a journal of sorts, allowing him to come face to face with his demons and exorcising them with each new stroke of the brush.

More of Michael Hussar’s striking paintings can be found at https://hussar.bigcartel.com/.

 

 

Where in the World Are You? (repeat with thoughts)

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The way a squirrely mind works…

This morning I laid in bed a little longer and just looked out the window at the trees with their falling orange and brown leaves, and for some very weird reason artwork from an artist I followed popped into my head. Rising, I grabbed my cup of coffee and went to my computer to find him. 

He hadn’t posted since 2023. 

Turns out he changed his website and has gone in a different direction.

Then I thought about other blogs I followed and haven’t heard from in quite a while. 

There were a lot. And I wondered — where did they go? 

I know I wrote a blog about this sometime ago, so I typed in the word “where” in my post search. The article I was looking for didn’t show up, but this one did.

And since I also just read a disturbing quote from a political candidate, this article from 2018 suddenly became cosmically important. 

I won’t post a link — I’ll just repost it here. I hope you get it’s message.

 

Where In the World Are You?

 ~ humoringthegoddess

Today I want to show you a couple of pictures. I’d like to know what you think of them — where they’re from, what kind of people live there. Houses just down the block from you and me.

How about this one?

And a third.

Are these the homes of terrorists? Hostile Politicians?

Is the mother divorced? The father cheating on his wife? Are they Democrats? Republicans? Independents?

You see — you know nothing about the people who live in these houses. You have no idea of their problems, their dreams, their struggles. You have no idea if they’re African American or German or American Indian.

And you know what?

It shouldn’t matter.

I may be naive, but I tend to believe that most of the people in the world are good. They work, they love, they cry. They buy groceries, they take their kids to soccer, and stay awake at night.

We’ve got to get rid of this hatred of other people … hatred towards people we don’t know, never knew, or will never know. We have to fight the prejudices our parents and grandparents passed along to us. We don’t have to LOVE each other, but we certainly don’t need to HATE each other either.

Let them plant their flowers, mow their lawns, and wish upon a star at night. They deserve that chance free of hatred. So do we.

As for the pictures…?

The first one is from Poland, the second Greece, and the last Australia. All done with Google Earth.

Right down the road….

 

 

Happy Halloween! (repost from Eat With an Artist)

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Anne Fisher always combines the best backgrounds with the best — and sometimes outrageous — objects to make a fun, simple blog. Go have some fun!  Eat With an Artist

 

Pumpkin and ginger cookies with Anonymous

Anne Fisher

Inspired by a 1908 Victorian Halloween Card, Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd

 

https://eatwithanartist.wordpress.com/2024/10/31/pumpkin-and-ginger-cookies-with-anonymous/

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Clara Holt

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Clara Holt is a ceramic artist from Milan, Italy, specializing in illustrated tiles, wheel-thrown pots, and and ceramic projects.

Holt’s work focuses on storytelling, the ongoing impulse to tell and convey stories, characters, and experiences.

Each piece tells its own story, illustrated with a drawing inspired by places, mythology or childhood stories.

Holt carefully incises shallow cuts out of the smooth surface of a glazed pot, revealing the outlines of figures, animals, plants, and landscapes.Some pieces are decorated with the sgraffito technique, applying a layer of colored slips to leather hard pottery and then scratch off parts of the layer to create contrasting images, patterns and texture and reveal the clay color underneath.Other pieces are handmade and bisque fired, then decorated using oxides and pigments which are glazed and refired again to make them water safe and food safe.More of Clara Holt’s amazing pottery can be found at https://claraholt.com/.

 

 

 

 

Rah! Rah!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

I am hoping that by now you have jumped off that fence and landed onto the field of Creativity. That you have decided to try something new and/or different and/or advanced in your field.

I know I’m a weirdy, but since I started my pencil/gel pen art I have been in such a great mood. I’m pumped up to the tree tops! Every new art piece is different, yet stays within the parameters that I set for myself.

The parameters are pretty solid, but they are so flexible I often don’t see them. A certain theme for each piece, the use of only colored markers and glitter gel pens, the size of the paper, a certain repetition in each piece … blah blah. The rest is whatever hits me at the moment.

I am now even able to weave a mistake into the general design. How cool is that?

I know a lot of you find time to squeeze in a little Art time. For others there’s almost no hole to squeeze into. Then why do I keep pushing Creativity down your throats?

Because getting lost in Art is the only time no one can tell you what to do. It’s you and your craft. No one to tell you you’ve colored out of the lines or missed a stitch or that your squares are crooked. You find a mistake, you flow with it. You find a new twist, you go with it.

YOU go with it. Not because your teacher or hubby or sister-in-law told you to go with it.

There’s a lot of noise out there. A lot of sad things we can do nothing about. But we CAN do something about how we feel inside. We can find a way to express ourselves no matter what our beliefs and origins and talents are.

Do it. Find a half hour or an hour or half a day and just EXPLORE this wonderful world we live in. And share it! Don’t let it gather dust in a corner underneath a month’s worth of laundry or old newspapers.

And, oh — by the way — I’m still waiting to hear from you other thousands of Creativity lovers about what Art you’re doing or thinking about.

Let’s encourage each other!

Rah! Rah!

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Kites

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

 

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.
~ Lauren Bacall