Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Adam Lee

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Adam Lee (1979-) is a contemporary 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 – folklore, legend and biblical narratives to natural history, music, film and literature – his works on canvas and paper build elaborate worlds where allegory and atmosphere converge.Lee’s 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.His painting and drawing practices tie 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 (a style of painting that uses strong contrasts of light and dark for dramatic effect.)

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

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Beate Kuhn

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Beate Kuhn (1927–2015) was German ceramicist who created sculptural objects from wheel-thrown elements and glazed stoneware.Over the course of a more than a 60-year career, Kuhn created profound and extraordinarily well-crafted ceramic objects, beginning with functional ceramics, moving to sculpted vessels, and then to sculpture itself.Kuhn learned to throw on the potter’s wheel at the Werkkunstschule (School of Applied Arts) Wiesbaden, then furthered her ceramic education at the Werkkunstschule Darmstadt, where she perfected techniques for mixing and applying clay slips, engobes, and glazes.At the intersection of Modernist painting, sculpture, and studio pottery, Kuhn found creative resonance for her practice.

The beautiful and sublime aspects of nature were another muse as she channeled brilliant assemblages of parts: seed pods, succulents, exoskeletons, fungi, and shells.Throughout her career, Kuhn skillfully played with contrasts in her artworks: shiny and matte, light and dark, convex and concave, stillness and movement, individual and collective, birth, death, and decay.        Her free sculptures were created from single hand-thrown and cut elements, which she assembled into a whole.She transferred this style principle of stringing together geometrical bodies to her designs of large-scale ceramic fountains.More of Beate Kuhn’s amazing sculptures can be found at https://carnegieart.org/exhibition/beate-kuhn/ and Ceramics Monthly.

 

 

I’m Doing It … ! …?

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Well, I think I’m finally going to do it.

After years of fiddling around, drifting off to other causes, other creative crafts, I have gone back to my first love — writing. 

At least for this moment in time and space.

I have written two novels and part of a third about Gaia Borealis, a middle aged astralologist who travels to an alternate dimension to help the kingdom of Tinaria.

Ummmm, yeah. My heroine is not your typical heroine. She is middle aged, flaky, cosmic, and modern. (At least I hope she is.) She’s different — she’s older, settled down somewhere between astrology and astronomy, and clever in an  eccentric way.

Of course the premise sounds daft. But you know me. I am often daft. And this is some of the most creative daft writing I’ve ever done (I think).

I am going to do a final editing and find an editor and see if I can get it published. If not, I’m going to put it on Amazon. I mean — why not?

I’ve said this a million times. I tried years ago to get my first two novels out to the public, with little success. I probably didn’t try hard enough. Or whatever. But these novels are quirky enough that someone may think they’re bankable quirky and can be shared with the public. 

I am taking a big chance here, but I’m going to publish my prologue here and see what you all think about it. The feel, the mystery, the promise. Does it pique your interest? Nudge you to want to read more? You don’t have to be a fan of this sort of writing to share your thoughts.

 

SOOOO … ALL of you followers … let me know what you think. 

P.S. If you know of any editors who might be interested in this sort of story, let me know that too! You know me … always open to new experiences … and people ...

 

Gaia and the Etruscans

 

My name is Gaia Borealis.

I was told most introductions, most self-driven non-fiction recordings, start out with a name and an insight. Well, as you can see, my name is not of the usual variety. I suppose you could say the same about my life. Of course, doesn’t everyone say that?

I am about five feet six inches tall, with shoulder-length curly Moroccan hair and round hazel eyes held in place by a few wrinkles. I weigh – dear me, I don’t believe that is relative to this part of my biography. Let us just say I am neither stick thin nor robustly round, but just perfect for my age.

Spirit says I should record my experiences for posterity, and also that I record my experiences before I forget the details. I am not sure about the validity of either, but I have to tell you, it is hard to begin my story talking about the first forty-some years of my life. Truthfully, there is little to tell that would surprise or titillate anyone.

But all right – let us cut to the chase. I went through the normal rounds of high school, a bit of college, and held several jobs through the years, including working in a bookstore and as a hosiery salesperson. My mother and father are still alive, residing in comfort in Fort Meyers, Florida, and my older brother lives in a commune out in Colorado.

I’m not sure if that’s what you were looking for. I wonder if you can hear me sigh. I have written and deleted the beginning of this story a hundred times, wondering what is pertinent and what is bramble. But let it be for now. Let me grab my glass of Alopa and continue.

I was recently asked to become a part of the legacy of King Rexor of Etruria. Rexor is the name of the King. Etruria is the name of a city on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea on the planet Tinaria. (Tinaria, by the way, is the ancient Etruscan name for the god of the sky, a.k.a. Jupiter. Zeus.)

How do you like it so far? Oh, I know it sounds babbly brook, and perhaps it is. But believe me – no one was more surprised than I to be solicited by the Consigliore of Etruria to save their world.

Now, I know you are tempted to close this book and find something more … mmmm … middle-of-the-road, as they say, to read. After all, who wants to have to remember outer space names and places and such? Trust me, though. Soon the names and places will become second nature, and you will be brought along on a journey of a most extraordinary sort.

And once I get into the “meat” of the story – well, let’s just say it will keep you quite entertained. For the story I am about to share with you is the latest addition to the archives of the world known as Tinaria.

 

As much as I would like to say I have had a life just like everyone else, I did not. There were male and female companions, even a few good friends throughout my life on Earth. But I was also lonely, as I had a gift like no other, a gift that no one could understand. A gift no one wanted to understand. I don’t blame my parents – I wouldn’t want to bring around a child who claimed to have just had a conversation with Galileo Galilei either.

You see, I am an astralologist. No, not an astronomer or an astrologer. An astralologist. Someone who communicates directly with the cosmos on a physical level, so to speak. I communicate verbally with spirit guides, prominent scientists and philosophers, and others who are pursuers of Conversation and the Arts.

How could such nonsense be a part of my daily routine? How could I believe in things that science said did not exist? I don’t want to get lost in the cosmic or religious inferences of such claims. For the moment, let’s assume that you, the reader, have accepted the possibility of such, and move on.

As I got older, my “psychic ability” (if you wish to use such a pedestrian term) exploded in leaps and bounds. I found my intuitional tentacles reaching out and touching realms I never dreamed possible. Sometimes I sat and channeled sentences or paragraphs or essays from beings on the other side. Other times I would peer past the edge of the painting, seeing objects or landscapes or people the artist imagined but could not fit on the canvas. Intruding, perhaps, but thrilling as well.

Why then, you ask, did I leave my world to become lost in one whose existence could never be proved? I suppose it is like asking why you fell in love with a particular person, or why you ordered fettuccine instead of pot roast. Sometimes choices are made for us. Other times we just choose. Period.

So through my choices, I took my first-ever magic carpet ride through the cosmos to a world I never imagined existed.

And this is what happened. 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Luciano Pavarotti

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Luciano Pavarotti (1935—2007) was an Italian operatic lyric tenor considered one of the finest bel canto opera singers of the 20th century.He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and gaining the nickname “King of the High Cs“.Pavarotti took his first steps in the world of lyric poetry as a choir singer.After working for two years as an elementary school teacher, he studied singing in his hometown with Arrigo Pola, and years later perfected his technique in Mantua with Ettore Campogalliani.Pavarotti made his debut on April 29, 1961, in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia in the role that would later make him famous: Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini ‘s La bohème.Pavarotti’s voice and performance were very much in the powerful style of the traditional Italian tenor.His voice, at once capable of sweetness and immense volume, is considered the ideal medium for Italian opera’s celebrated bel canto works, those works calling for purity of tone and articulation even in the upper register.Pavarotti’s success was due to two fundamental elements: first of all, his extraordinarily powerful voice with its wonderfully moving timbre, and secondly, the uniqueness of his great and radiant personality.“People think I’m disciplined,” Pavarotti said.“It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference.”

More of Luciano Pavarotti’s amazing career can be found at https://www.pavarottiofficial.com/

 

 

 

 

(try not to) Second Guess Yourself

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My first craft show of the year — a double day chance to show off my creative wares, chat with people, and make a little money from my hard work and creativity. It was supposed to be a sunshine day. A bright and bubbly opportunity to share the magic. 

Saturday was hot and humid, sticky and wicky. The craft show was set in a circle pattern, and I had a great spot (four or five spots from the entrance). But as most people turn right whenever they enter a venue, and I was five spots on the left, by the time they made their way past my booth most were hot and sweaty and tired and in no mood for sparkly things.

It wasn’t a total loss, but it could have been better.

Then came Sunday. 

Pouring rain and thunderstorms started at about 6 a.m. We headed to the craft show with positive vibes. Surely it would clear up by show time. Showed up a little after 7 a.m., and sat in the car in the pouring rain until about 7:45 a.m.. Received an email from the craft show boss that the committee would decide by 8:15 a.m. if they were going to close the craft show part of the fair. 

9 a.m. and no word. A number of booths were emptied the day before (lots of rain at the end of the day), and those who showed up Sunday morning were packing up the rest of their wares and heading for the exit. Thunder. Rain. Indecision.

We finally decided to pack it in and go home.

Half way home I received an email that the craft show wasn’t actually cancelled, merely moved to a cement section closer to the center of the fair. We didn’t have the right equipment for a cement setup, so we decided to just go home.

Of course, the thunder and lightning and pouring rain stopped about 12 p.m., and the sun had the nerve to try and peek out from behind the clouds.

Then the guilt trip started to set in.

Maybe I should have sat in the rain for another hour while the committee decided what to do. Maybe I wasn’t a real crafter because I didn’t stick it out. Maybe I should have finished the 40 minute drive home, stopped at the store, bought eight gallons of water, then turned around and headed back to the craft fair and taken 45 minutes setting everything up again and sell my wares for a couple more hours. And, of course the obvious — I wasted a whole day of sales (even though it was more like three hours).

But the decision had already been made. 

Every decision is always 50/50. You will or you won’t. You do or do not. Even if you spend days and weeks thinking and angsting you still have a 50/50 chance of making the “right” choice.

I wanted to savor the self pity I was pouring on myself, but I found it hard to do. I had made the decision to try again another day, and moved on. After all, there are so many more 50/50 decisions to be made.

I wound up making enough to cover my booth fee, a few dollars for my daughter in law (who made my Garden Fairy Wands), and a little money to cover going out to dinner next weekend. 

And there’s always my next fair at the end of September.

Don’t let guilt keep you second guessing yourself. What’s done is done. No woulda shouldas for you.

Your next adventure awaits!

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Peter Callesen

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Peter Callesen (-1967) is a Danish visual artist and writer.Callesen began studies in architecture, then switched to art, attending the Goldsmiths College, London and The Art Academy of Jutland, Aarhus, Denmark.Callesen works with A4 white paper, transforming it into playful sculptures, people, animals or nature motifs.The artist crafts each of his sculptures to closely resemble their real-life counterparts and also utilizes the space below his creations to tell the story.His sculptures explore the probable and magical transformation of the flat sheet of paper into figures that expand into the space surrounding them.Many of his artworks play with depth, and one of the ways he does this is by cutting up a sheet of paper in order to make the ground beneath a sculpture look cracked or textured.More of Peter Callesen’s creative papercutting can be found at https://www.petercallesen.com/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rock Therapy

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

Just returned from a few days camping with the grandkids and their other magical grandparents. It was excellent on one end of the scale, and exhausting on the other.

I now now why God and nature decided that 72 was too old to have babies …

But I digress.

I find I’m hooked on Creativity/Art. All the time. I mean, I don’t eat and drink art (I leave that for smores and morning camp coffee), but I do find it follows me along wherever I go.

Lake and pool swimming over for the most part, my two youngest grandkids and I had a rock painting party one hot late afternoon.

This is our second year of “sharing the art.” We find suitable-sized rocks (preferably light and smooth), bring them back to the campground, paint positive words and/or scenes on them, then place them at various spots around the campground, hoping someone else will find them and take them home.

In reality it’s a karma  kind of thing. It feels good.

So here is a pic of our final batch, and along with a couple of the ones I contributed….

 

You can do this too! Around the campground, around the park, around the neighborhood. Do it! It feels GREAT!!

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Spirit

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Spirit is like the wind, in that we can’t see it but can see its effects, which are profound.

~ Jimmy Carter

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — David Stoupakis

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David Stoupakis is an American artist known for his captivating and introspective artworks that blend elements of surrealism, dark fantasy, and emotional narrative.Stoupakis’ artistic journey began with formal training at the Art institute of Boston, where he honed his skills in traditional techniques while developing a distinctive style characterized by haunting imagery and intricate details.His paintings often feature ethereal figures, frequently children, infused with a sense of melancholy and mystery.Stoupakis’ works explore themes of innocence, loss, and transformation, drawing viewers into poignant narratives that resonate on both personal and universal levels.With a meticulous approach to composition and of light and shadow, Stoupakis creates atmospheric pieces that evoke a profound emotional response.Emerging during the Lowbrow art movement, the artist quickly garnered attention for his unique blend of beauty and darkness.His works explore themes of innocence, loss, and transformation, drawing viewers into poignant narratives that resonate on both personal and universal levels.More of David Stoupakis’ beautiful and dark art can be found at https://davidstoupakis.bigcartel.com/.

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Lisa Agababian

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Lisa Agababian, born and raised in New York City, is mostly a self-taught ceramic artist currently creating purposeful art in Tucson, AZ.Although Agababian’s journey with clay was shelved for several years as she gained her formal education in mathematics & computer science, she managed to get back to her passion when she moved to Tucson in 1989.Agababian creates unique, one-of-a-kind, ceramic heart wall sculptures.All of her hearts are designed, hand-built, and painted with low fire colorful glazes, crystal glazes, under-glazes, metallic/luster overgrazes, and anything else she can embellish a piece with to add to the depth, beauty, and uniqueness desiring to be expressed.Low fire earthenware clay is Agababian’s favorite medium to work with, because, as the artist says,  clay not only feels good, but it is a most friendly and forgiving medium to work with before the first firing.Her work is wonderfully three dimensional, her added flair highlighting depth and detail to her vibrant hearts.

More of Lisa Agababian’s wonderful ceramic hearts can be found at https://fuchsiadesigns.com.

 

 

Looking Back — Statues, Part One

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Another wonderful Saturday!

No matter what you’re doing, no matter where you are, no matter if you’re feeling low or high, flashback galleries are a way to marvel at the world of Art.

There are a number of galleries to choose from — how about visiting the world of statues?

 

Giant Heads

Gao Zehn and Gao Qiang

 

Nathan Sawaya

Don Esser

 
 
riding-the-wave
 
 
 

 

Giant Statues

 

Odani Motohiko

 

Donatello

 

Kang Dong Hyun

 

Penny Hardy

 

Carl Peverall

My Journey — Doors Part Three

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Thank you all for taking time to enjoy my photos of doors in Paris, Rome, and Florence. I’m sure there were thousands more that I didn’t see, hundreds more I didn’t photograph. 

I wanted to share the beauty and handiwork of those very old cities with you. Share and remember. It was a pleasure walking past these doors, and even more pleasurable to walk past them with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Betsey Johnson

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Betsey Johnson (born August 10, 1942) is an American fashion designer best known for her colorful, cute and whimsical designs.Her love of color and short skirt flair has earned her national and international recognition for decades.Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University, where she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta women’s sorority.The artist was introduced to the fashion world as the in-house designer for the youth culture punk boutique Paraphernalia in New York City in the mid 1960s.Johnson followed that becoming a creative director of Alley Cat, a youthful sportswear brand, and by 1969, she opened her first boutique, Betsey Bunky Nini, on New York City’s Upper East Side.She continued to have her own label with a variety of manufacturers, and by 1978, Johnson’s opened her own company, the eponymous Betsey Johnson brand.Johnson’s trademark look has remained the same over her decades-long contributions to the fashion landscape: sexy silhouettes, hippie inspired flowing fabrics, whimsical detailing, and bohemian flares.

More of Betsey Johnson’s popular fashions can be found at https://betseyjohnson.com/.

 

 

 

 

This Generation!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 19 Comments

I am old enough now to comment on my generation vs the current generation.

Like my parents complaining about the boomers, I have an open road when it comes to commenting on how things have changed, how values have twisted, and how important functions have been left to blow in the wind like a leaf on a branch.

For those who are curious, here is how the generations are branded:

Silent Generation (Born Approximately 1928-1945)
Baby Boomers (Born Approximately 1946-1964)
Gen X (Born Approximately 1965-1980)
Millennials (Born Approximately 1981-1996)
Gen Z (Born Approximately 1997-2009)
Generation Alpha (Born Approximately 2010-2024)
Generation Beta (Born Approximately 2025-2039)

There are traits attached to each generation; positives and negatives based partially on what the generation before left them.

This all hurts my head. And I haven’t even begun to analyze them.

In a world that is evolving faster than ice cubes melting, there are enough generations behind me to worry. What will the world be like when my grandkids’ Generation Beta kids are born? What will the world be like? The environment? The political stability? The home cooking?

Generation Alpha kids already don’t write in cursive or do addition or subtraction with carry overs and cross outs. Their books and classes are on the Internet, along with their entertainment and restaurant menus.

This is not a complain-about-the-generations kind of blog. We are all victims of our environment, and need to adapt to new changes and different horizons. Kids today no longer have to wonder what walking on the moon was like or how two airplanes crashing into skyscrapers would look.

If I could have the next generation and the next and the next take anything from my generation, it would be to carry on three simple things:

  • say please and thank you
  • understand what I am sorry means
  • help others

There are as many things you want to pass on to tomorrow’s generations as you want them to leave behind. No one will miss droopy pants that show your butt crack or pet rocks or light blue polyester suits for men.

Kids may not remember how to write in cursive or what a snow day was, but I hope we instill at least one trait they can pass on to their next generation…

Kindness.

Plain and simple.

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Kim Clough

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

By night, Kim Clough from Rochester, Minnesota, is a medical lab scientist.

By day however, she’s a miniaturist who creates amazingly detailed miniature foods that can fit right on your fingertip.Clough creates creates miniatures of food — anything from fried chicken to perfect chocolate cakes and other desserts.

The artist uses polymer clay to sculpt her miniatures, and every miniature is no bigger than 1:12 of the size of the actual subject.

When sculpting food in 1:12 scale, where one inch equals 12 inches, Clough  renders clay sculptures with acute attention to detail when representing their real-life counterparts.Clay is an ideal medium since it is easily molded into a rendition of edible cuisine that gives an illusion of being able to bite right into it.Clough’s intricate work is a visual delight, an amazing recreation of everyday foods.You can find more of Kim Clough’s work on her website, as well as on deviantArt and Instagram.

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Wonder

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Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability. To trace the remote in the immediate; the eternal in the ephemeral; the past in the present; the infinite in the finite; these are to me the springs of delight and beauty.

~ H. P. Lovecraft

 

 

 

Creativity Is Not Always What You Think It Is

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

creativity
noun [ U ], us /ˌkri·eɪˈtɪv·ɪ·t̬i, ˌkri·ə-/
the ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative.

 

We go round and round on this word — at least in this blog — without sometimes taking a look at what is entails.

I took my granddaughter to an “Enchanted Paint and Play” workshop in a nearby town. It was a little group of girls making magic wands and painting a picture and talk of fairies and all that fun. She loved it. At the same time I wandered into a health and wellness shop (owner of next door fairy painting session).

This shop offered massages and facials and salt spas and a few shelves of wonderful wares. I started talking to the only person there, a spa person who took me on a tour of the place. We talked energy and spirit and massages and my upcoming  craft show and all that dances around in that world. It was a moment of creativity. 

Last night I reflected responses and thoughts from those who say they have no creativity. And I thought — how wrong you are.

“I don’t sew. I don’t paint. I don’t crochet. I don’t do pottery.”

That’s not what being creative is all about.

I mean, yes, creative people look for outlets for their inner glow of energy. They write books and crochet blankets and and do diamond paintings. But there are other ways to be creative. Simple ways you may never thought of. And we all can do it.

Do you take walks in the woods? What a relaxing atmosphere. Enough to imagine centaurs and Bigfoot right around the curve of the path. Old trees and gnarly branches can conjure up people and entities not seen by mortal man. Look for them. Smile at them.

Cooking is often a chore rather than experience. You can change that. Even hot dogs and beans can be uniquely arranged on a plate. Experiment with tastes and spices — even if you state you don’t get “creative” about daily edibles. Read about a foreign cuisine. Watch cooking shows and try new recipes. 

What about arranging plants in the garden? Every garden could use pruning and arranging. Even some research. Learn unique techniques and share them.

Write. Not the Great American Novel — try a poem. A diary. A blog. Make lists to stimulate your thoughts.  Record your thoughts and draw a little stick person doing the action of the day. 

Get into music. You don’t have to play the piano or guitar to appreciate those who do. Do a little homework. Find out what an arpeggio and riff and a bailador is.  Learn what an adagio or a rondo or fugue is in classical music and see if you can identify them in popular classical pieces.

Bored at the camp ground? Put a handful of rocks on the picnic bench and arrange them in a Jon Foreman style design. Or find bigger rocks and paint them with regular markers and place them all around the campground.

I know it sounds like you’re increasing your knowledge rather than your creativity. Personally I think they go hand in hand. I myself tend to forget more than I learn these days, but just understanding words and worlds I never did before gives me “the ability to produce original and unusual ideas.“

Now that’s something we ALL can do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Ron Ulicny

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Ron Ulicny is a Portland-based contemporary sculptor and fine artist.His constructs are comprised of various ephemera re-imagined, and re-assembled to create intelligent, witty, and thoughtful new forms.All materials are carefully selected, skillfully crafted, masterfully altered, and presented with passion.

Armed with a keen eye for design and illustration, Ulicny pushes the boundaries of sculptural work that pushes and pulls the viewer with thoughtfulness and humor.The cuts and combinations of the materials are carefully planned out and assembled to make a beautiful and broad visual statement, one that is at the caliber of the heavy hitters in contemporary sculpture.With its visceral constructions, Ulicny challenges our initial perceptions of life, experience, and everyday hazards, creating simple yet stunning effects.“I will use almost anything — and have — if it is appropriate and fits within the the work,” Ulicny shares.“I try not to set any limits for myself or my work. My worst nightmare is being forced to use the same “thing” over and over again. Monotony is not your friend.”

More of Ron Ulciny’s unique sculptures can be found at https://www.ronulicny.com/.

Get Your Exotic On! (repeat)

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 16 Comments

Rummaging through my wild and astral-traveling past (I wish..) I came across a blog from 10 years ago about being exotic. I love that word, even though it’s as far from my every day life as ten million dollar estates. But have some fun Getting Your Exotic On!

 

Get Your Exotic On!

 ~ humoringthegoddess

15 - 1Saw this picture on Google+ the other day, and it made me wonder — what’s your exotic?

Most of us are closet voyeurs at best. A peek here, a daydream there. Then back to work/family/football games, content with regular sunrises and sunsets and football fantasy pools.

But you know that somewhere deep inside you’ve got an exotic idea. An exotic dream. An exotic fantasy.

And most likely it will never see the light of day.

But I wonder — are exotics different when you’re younger?

I used to think it would be awesome to be dropped into the middle of Japan or China and find my way out. Oriental worlds are as foreign to me as the canals on Mars, so I thought getting a real fix on a world where their language is nothing but mixed up sticks would be quite exotic. The trip never materialized, but my curiosity continued.

I am the same person at 62 than I was at 22. And 42. But my idea of exotic has changed through the years. Octopus was high on the list, as was caviar and croissants. Now days, ate that, done that, so exotic has to be a little more … risky. Makeup? Nails? Travel? Space Travel?

My dreams and my pocketbook are miles apart, but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming and researching the exotic. I looked up “exotic” in relation to clothes, and too many kinky selections popped up, so I will settle for BoHo for now. 

Food is an easy slide into the world of Exotic. Spices like Grains of Paradise (also known as Malaguena pepper) from Western Africa or Furikake Wasabi from Japan.  How about pho from Vietnam or  pambazos from Mexico or Tim Tam from Australia?  Our own American cuisine can be exotic, too, with turtle soup, grits, deep fried Coke, and alligator fritters. Who knew?

What about music? Can you tolerate strange melodies and different instruments? Different countries highlight different styles. How about Art? There are so many different types of art that exotic becomes an everyday word.

One cannot get hung up on words (unless you’re a writer). You have to explore words that dance on your dreams, words that make you say “Oh!” and “Wow!” and “Really?” It doesn’t matter if your version of a word is different than the next person’s. Who cares? Life is for us to explore. To dream about. To play with.

Exotic is just one of those play words. Like Unique. Adventurous. Surreal. Luscious. Savory. Words that make us want to explore more of what’s around us. To open our minds, our palates, our creative space.

What is your definition of exotic, anyway? Do you have fun with the word? With the imagery? Do you let yourself check out the extraordinary? The unique? The far away?

I like the word “exotic”. It makes me think of Mediterranean edibles and temples in Japan and punjambi’s in India. The exploration of words and worlds makes me feel like a kid again.

And there’s nothing wrong with that…

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Heat

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“August in Mississippi is different from July. As to heat, it is not a question of degree but of kind. July heat is furious, but in August the heat has killed even itself and lies dead over us.”

— Elizabeth Spencer, Fire in the Morning

 

 

My Journey — Doors Part Two

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I am excited and grateful that you enjoyed my first round of European Doors. I was knocked out to see such ornate specimens all over the cities of Paris, Rome and Florence. How many people have walked in and out through them? What were those people doing a hundred years ago? Three hundred years ago? i can’t even begin to imagine.

Here, for your in- and outdoor pleasure, are another collection of doors. Feel free to open and walk through them, and tell me what you find on the other side!

(and forgive that they’re not photographer quality)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Wyndham Lewis

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Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882 -1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited Blast, the literary magazine of the Vorticists.

Lewis was educated in England at Rugby School and then, from 16, the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, but left for Paris without finishing his courses.

Three years later, he moved to Paris where, after discovering Cubism and Expressionism, he created a new movement – Vorticism.

Vorticism is a short-lived but ambitious movement that aimed to give artistic expression to the vitality and raw dynamism of the machine age.Vorticist paintings emphasized ‘modern life’ as an array of bold lines and harsh colors drawing the viewer’s eye into the center of the canvas and vorticist sculpture created energy and intensity through ‘direct carving’.

Lewis was a radical and wanted to challenge compositional harmony in painting.

His Vorticist cityscapes, represented as bold geometric lines that criss-crossed his canvases at sharp angles, were perfectly matched to the noisy, chaotic and claustrophobic London in which he was living.

More of Wyndham Lewis’ bold paintings can be found at https://wyndhamlewissociety.org/.

 

Full Sunshine Caturday!

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Another glorious sunny summer Caturday!

Of course, that’s just here in Wisconsin. They say if you don’t like the weather, just wait. It changes with the wind.

I am also enjoying sharing frivolous and facetious facts with you on Saturdays. 

It’s hard to take Saturdays — or should I say Caturdays — seriously. For many it’s the start of a two day mini vacation; a kid’s baseball game; a motorcycle ride or a visit to a state fair. It’s a day that we jam 10 pounds of business into a leaky 5 pound bag. Too much to do, not enough time.

So as you have your morning coffee and (hopefully) a bakery donut with sprinkles, here’s some more Caturday nonsense to start your day with…..

 

  • In Japan, Saturday fever refers to the phenomenon of people rushing home early.

  • In Thailand, people wear purple on Saturdays for good luck.

  • The average American sleeps one hour more on Saturdays than weekdays.

  • In Scandinavia, Saturday is traditionally referred to as bath day. This dates back to Viking heritage, where Vikings would have weekly baths.

  • The word Saturday comes from the Roman god Saturn, who was associated with agriculture and wealth.

  • Those born on Saturday are believed to have strong intuition.

  • Saturday, oddly enough, is the only day of the week during which children can legally eat sweets in Sweden.

  • In folklore, Saturday was often viewed as the best day to hunt vampires, as this was the day of the week when they were restricted to their coffins.

  • In Australia and New Zealand, Saturday is known as “footy day” because of the popularity of Australian Rules Football and Rugby. Many people gather with friends and family to watch these sports on TV or attend live matches.
  • Saturday, also known as Saturn’s Day, is symbolized by Turquoise, a   stone associated with protection, wisdom, and positive energy. 

  • In Australia, elections typically take place on Saturdays.

  • According to the calculations, if any month ends on a Saturday, it means that the following month will have a Friday 13th.

 

 

Looking Back — Jewelry, Part One

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I am having a ball going back through all of my Sunday Evening Art Galleries and picking out artists or topics with similar themes and sharing them with you.

I am hoping NEW FOLLOWERS will peruse the galleries and the REGULAR FOLLOWERS share these amazing worlds with their friends and neighbors.

After all — what is Art for if not to share?

How about this week we look at some Jewelry Part One?

 

Earrings

 

Cartier

 

Rings

 

Jeremy May

 

Pierre Sterlé

 

Melissa Schmidt

 

Art Smith

 

Georges Fouquet

 

 

 

Watches

 

Terhi Tolvanen

 

John Paul Miller

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Hearts

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A heart is not judged by how much you love, but how much you are loved by others.

 ~L. Frank Baum, Wizard of Oz

 

Peter Max

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Arp-Daleo

 

 

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Heart Cocotte

 

 

Lisa Agababian

 

 

 

 

Jim Dine

 

 

Ivan Guaderrama

 

 

Aboriginal Heart Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alice … (Repost)

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I read this the other morning and thought it was delightful, insightful, and repostable! Enjoy Georgiann and her writings at https://gigisrantsandraves.wordpress.com/.

Alice …

“Why didn’t you stay in Wonderland?” he asked, hands in pockets, as he walked along next to her.  “I think I would have stayed.”

“If you found Wonderland, it would have been a completely different experience,” said Alice.  “It would have been a Wonderland tailored just for you.  It’s that way with everything, especially in out-of-the-way-places.”

“You mean places no one is supposed to know about?”

“I think certain people are supposed to know about those places, either by design or, accident.  It’s their destiny.”

“Tell me again.  What was it like?”

“It seems tighter,” she said, pressing her arms against her sides, Closer.  The sky felt lower.  It’s definitely  lusher.  Sizes don’t always make sense.  Plants and animals can speak.  The colors are deeper and alive.  There is danger and beauty.  There are people who might be considered a bit off, by our standers.  It’s more colorful, but the Queen…well, she’s a bit of a…”

“Problem,” he asked?

“She was unhappy.  Once I realized that, we chatted over tea, and she felt a lot better.  It’s not that she didn’t want to be Queen, it’s that her husband was boring, and not at all supportive or helpful.  She was hoping for the love of her life and instead, she ended up with Mr. Bland.  She was angry because she never felt loved or appreciated.  He never surprised her, or romanced her.  He was no fun at all, so her anger turned into rage and ended up being directed at the people themselves.”

“I can understand her dilemma, but she shouldn’t have taken it on on the masses.”

“I don’t think she realized that’s what was happening.  I told her to get a divorce and marry some hot young guy who liked to dance and party.”

“What did she say?”

“She hugged me and called her lawyer.  I think Wonderland itself let out a huge sigh of relief.  She felt trapped, was waiting for permission to move forward and get rid of the person who was breaking her heart.  She wasn’t sure a Queen could do that.  She baked a lot of tarts, believe me.  She said it took her mind off of him and she always burned a few pretending they were him.”

“Harsh.”

“You never met  him.  I don’t think he would have realized he was on fire.”

“That says a lot.”

“Indeed.  Now double it.”

“What about the Mad Hatter?”

“He was lovely and I don’t think he was mad as much as passionate.  He loved creating hats.  His passion was so large, it couldn’t be contained, and that’s why some believed him to be mad, when he was just unbelievably happy and excited.”

“Did you tell that to him?”

“I did and we danced for an hour, while he threw flowers and ribbons into the air.”

“That must have been interesting.”

“It was fun.  We laughed…a lot.  He also made me another hat.”

“The blue one with the pink and white feathers?”

She nodded.

“It’s my favorite.”

“Mine too.”

“Tell me about the White Rabbit.”

“One pill makes you taller and one pill makes you small….  He was kind of in charge of the drug situation in Wonderland.  He’s the one who put the bottles in the foyer.  The bottles I drank.  I got big, then small.  But I don’t really know what he gave me.  He’s quite a gentleman, dresses well, uses a monocle, which I don’t think he needs, it’s more for effect.  He’s polite, knows how to pour tea and he keeps in touch with everyone.”

“The Dormouse?”

“Adorable.  Sleepy, but so cute.  I doubt he would like to be described in that way, but it’s a true telling.  I think he has magic but he’s too tired to participate in anything.  I don’t know if the Rabbit is his dealer, but if he is, he needs to cut back on whatever he’s giving him.  It’s possible he just eats to much cake.  There is a LOT of cake at the Tea Parties.  I’m not sure which it is. 

As for the Tweedles.  Scary twins.  At least when I first saw them  They looked like rubber balls with heads, stripped t-shirts and matching beanies.  Not the brightest crayons in the box, that’s for sure.  But once I got to know them, I liked them.  They didn’t have many friends, so were a bit out of touch.  I never met their parents, if they had any.  I used to tell them stories, now and then.  They liked that.  I don’t think anyone spent enough time with them while they were growing up.”

“Cat?”

“He was the best.  Imagine a cat who could disappear and leave his smile for everyone to see.  So funny.  Although he didn’t think it was funny.  At least not at first.  We became very good friends.  I’m a cat  person and he could tell.  He did love to tease people and push them as far as he could.”

“It seems as everyone was starving for attention.”

“They were,” said Alice.  “It’s different there.  While they are always willing to help each other, and they do have remarkably strong  friendships, as children, they all seem to have been neglected.  Aren’t you going to ask about the caterpillar?”

“Next on the list.”

“It is absolutely the strangest thing to hear a caterpillar start talking to you,” she said, smiling.  “I thought someone was playing a trick on me and hiding somewhere, throwing his voice.  But no, the caterpillar had quite a lot to say, he’s also usually as high as a kite.  I don’t think he liked me at all, at least not in the beginning.  Wonderland is orderly and my appearance threw everything out of wack.  He did have some good advice, while looking down his many legs at me.  I think we were okay with each other by the time I left.”

“Tell me about the Kraken.”

“Poor thing,” she said, looking down.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll understand.”

Alice sighed and said, “He wasn’t anyone to be afraid of.  All the fear directed at him made him so unhappy.  He just wanted to be treated kindly, to live is own life, his own way.  He had the same dreams as everyone else, but no one asked him how he felt, or what he needed.  People are cruel. I guess it doesn’t matter where they are.”

“Again, why didn’t you stay there?”

Alice shrugged.  “In the end, I just didn’t belong.  I’m not sure I belong here either, but I know this place.  Wonderland felt like living in a dream where everyone dressed up and everything was alive.  It was exciting at first but most everything can lose it’s rosy glow, after awhile.”

“That’s true.”

“It wasn’t easy to leave.  I made good friends in Wonderland.  Friends who wanted me to stay.”

“I’m sure they knew they would miss you.”

“I think I can find Wonderland again,” she said, her eyes glistening, her smile bright.  “I’m  planning to go back for a visit.”

“Can you take me along?” he asked, excitedly.

“I don’t know,” she answered, honestly.  “But I can try and find out.”

Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

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It’s a quiet Sunday morning (except for my barking dog on the front deck). I have just posted my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog about an artist from South Korea who paints whimsical landscapes and, although I know she went on a 673-day journey across five continents and 46 countries, I wonder what inspired her to paint a snow white horse with trees on its neck or a green grassy door that opens to a snowy world.

I think many of us get wild ideas for doing creative things. Lots of What If’s. Most of them we pass on for a variety of reasons: it’s too crazy; I can’t afford the materials; I’m not really clear on the idea; I don’t have the right color pencils or yarn. 

I can see landscapes inspiring painters and fashion inspiring designers. I can see photography of anything imaginable leading to unique images and ancient scrolls inspiring calligraphy.

But what inspires artists like Meg Hitchcock to use type from sacred texts to create optical designs? What inspires Freya Jobbins to make heads out of baby doll parts? Or deconstructed vases by Michael Boroniec?  Who thinks of photographing iron filings clinging to magnetic fields like Zac Henderson? Who comes up with an installation art idea of desk lamps running up the hill like Rune Guneriussen? What inspires a transformation of an apple into playful sculptures like Can Sun? Or paint your face in a dozen bizarre evolutions like Dain Yoon?

Where in the world do they come up with these ideas??

I am always amazed by people and their inspiration, and the way their moment can be transformed into something totally out of the box.

I don’t always get what others get when it comes to figuring out an artist’s motivation and direction. But I do appreciate their determination to follow through on whatever hunch or thought they had to get where they were going.

If that makes sense.

I encourage you to try something you’ve always wondered about but were afraid to tackle. Who cares if it makes the Art Biennale of Venice art show or not? It’s a freeing feeling to go whole hog on something not everyone will understand. Even better if people DO understand what you’re doing!

I’m soooo tempted to do something pop art and textured with glued pop can tabs and a gold rhinestone or two and zig zags and …..

Slow down or go for it?  Or Add it to the list?

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Mulgil Kim

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Mulgil Kim (b. 1988) is a South Korean artist whose work explores emotional landscapes through serene, nature-inspired imagery.She is an artist known for her ability to capture the world’s beauty through the ‘Art Road’ project.This ambitious initiative involved a 673-day journey across five continents and 46 countries, during which she created over 400 artworks, reflecting her daily impressions, thoughts, and discoveries.After returning to Korea, Kim continued the project on a national scale, renaming it ‘National Art Road‘ and exploring Korea’s landscapes, seasons, and communities.Kim’s vibrant and expressive works offer a window into the places she visited, preserving their essence.Through her art, she captures the changing seasons and the beauty of human interactions, highlighting Korea’s natural and cultural diversity.“Ultimately, my art is about connection — to nature, to imagination, to memory, and to the softer parts of ourselves that are often left behind in the rush of daily life,” Kim shares.“At the heart of my work is an invitation to pause — to create a quiet space where viewers can breathe, reflect, and gently reconnect with their own emotions.”

More of Mulgil Kim’s lovely work can be found at https://www.kimmulgil.com/.

 

 

 

 

Looking Back — Optical Illusions

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The Sunday Evening Art Gallery is full of magical, unique, one-of-a-kind artists with one-of-a-kind art.

I hope that if you see something that tickles your fancy you tell your friends to come check out the numerous galleries waiting for exploration.

No charge, no promos — just unique art. One Gallery at a Time.

This visit let’s take a look at …Optical Illusions ….

(Be sire to click on the name for more images!)

 

Guido Daniele

22-Parrot-un-black

 

Liu Bolin

Alain Delorme

Valeriya Kutsan 

Mandalas 

 

 

Alex Chinneck

Dmitry Lamonov

Optical Illusions

David Zinn

Randall Rosenthal

Dain Yoon

Shadow Art

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery –Stan Lee

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Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber), 1922 –2018, was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer.Lee rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics.He was Marvel’s primary creative leader for two decades, expanding it from a small publishing house division to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.Lee created a rich collection of characters out of his nonstop plotting sessions with his artists, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more.These and other characters’ introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approach in superhero comics.Lee was particularly known for his dynamism with copy and for imbuing his characters with a sense of humanity, tackling real-world issues like bigotry and drug use, which would influence comics for decades.He created a revolution in the comic world through his satirical writing, bringing the elements of the real world into the world of superheroes, making his superheroes viable and responsible.

More about Stan Lee’s remarkable career can be found at https://therealstanlee.com/..

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Mysticism

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

 

Mysticism is not about escaping reality, but about diving deeper into it and discovering its true essence.

~ Eckhart Tolle

 

 

 

 

Why Blocks?

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 17 Comments

You know how old people like change.

I think of my mental state as still competent if not a little slo mo. I grasp new content and directions and thoughts with much enthusiasm, even if my retainment level is questionable.

I am not happy with WordPress these days, though.

I didn’t create my blog using blocks. I don’t like blocks. I don’t want blocks.

I get it I get it — it probably is much easier for today’s younger bloggers. Like the whole world of computers and AI, move forward or live forever in the gray.

But I still don’t like blocks.

So I find myself duplicating old blogs and retitling and rewriting copy and images and rechecking the boxes so my blog matches my categories.

Yes, there is a way to get into classic mode, but it’s so convoluted it’s easier to cut and paste the old fashioned way.

What is wrong with me?

Is it that once we get older we get stuck at roadblocks and would rather make a new road rather than go through the alternate route?

Are we that stubborn as to give up learning something new just because we don’t really “get it”?

Or are we just stubborn old fools?

I hate the word OLD. Any form, any insinuation. The word instantly puts a connotation in others minds that we’re worn out, useless, and out of date with the world.

Yet I find myself putting my toes in that pool all the time.

I hate not being able to learn as quickly and thoroughly as I used to. And I hate letting myself get worked up over something that I’ve already found an alternate for.

My husband says I always make things harder on myself… that  I do everything the LONG way.

He may be right. After all, I do love the song “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp …..

 

Does it feel that your life’s become a catastrophe?
Oh, it has to be
For you to grow, boy
When you look through the years and see what you could have been
Oh, what you might have been
If you would have more time

So, when the day comes to settle down,
Who’s to blame if you’re not around?
You took the long way home
You took the long way home….

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Kazimir Malevich

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Kazimir Severinovich Malevich (February 23, 1878 – May 15, 1935) was a painter and art theoretician, pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the Avant-garde Suprematist movement.

Malevich, who was born to parents of Polish origin, studied drawing in Kyiv and then attended the Stroganov School in Moscow and the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture.Malevich was the founder of the artistic and philosophical school of Suprematism, and his ideas about forms and meaning in art would eventually constitute the theoretical underpinnings of non-objective, or abstract, art.He worked in a variety of styles, but his most important and famous works concentrated on the exploration of pure geometric forms (squares, triangles, and circles) and their relationships to each other and within the pictorial space.Because of his contacts in the West, Malevich was able to transmit his ideas about painting to his fellow artists in Europe and the United States, thus profoundly influencing the evolution of modern art.Malevich worked in a variety of styles, but he is mostly known for his contribution to the formation of a true Russian avant-garde post-World War I through his own unique philosophy of perception and painting, which he termed Suprematism.He invented this term because, ultimately, he believed that art should transcend subject matter — the truth of shape and color should reign ‘supreme’ over the image or narrative.The term suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon “the supremacy of pure artistic feeling” rather than on the figurative depiction of real-life subjects.More radical than the Cubists or Futurists, at the same time that his Suprematist compositions proclaimed that paintings were composed of flat, abstract areas of paint, they also served up powerful and multi-layered symbols and mystical feelings of time and space.More of  Malevich’s wonderful abstract paintings can be found at Kazimi https://kazimir-malevich.org/,

 

 

 

 

 

My Journey — Doors

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 24 Comments

Last spring my husband and I visited Paris, Rome, and Florence. For two weeks I was in heaven. I had never seen anything like it — the history, the craftmanship, the food. I doubt I ever will again.

One of my favorite pastimes was to take photos of doors. They have the most WONDERFUL doors in the world over there. 

I thought from time to time I would share these with you. 

Open one and see where it leads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Helen Gordon

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Helen Gordon is a sculptor and painter living and working in Chew Valley, England.Born in Warwickshire, Helen moved to the West Country, firstly to read European Studies at The University of Bath in 1981.Having always led a creative life, whether painting in water colors, interior design or garden design, Gordon’s focus for the past fifteen years  has been sculpting.

After developing her skills on a ceramics course at The Bristol School of Art, she instantly showed great aptitude, and was hooked.Creating both animal and figurative sculpture, her pieces tend towards being quirky and amusing and certainly eclectic.Helen works primarily in wax and clay and most of her pieces are limited editions and are cast in bronze or cold cast bronze resin.

“If a finished sculpture makes me smile then I am satisfied.” Gordon shares.“If a viewer stops for just one moment to view, reflect and, above all, smile at a piece I have created, then I feel I have succeeded in my work.”More of Helen Gordon’s sculptures can be found at https://www.helengordonsculpture.co.uk/

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Sam Cox

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Sam Cox, known professionally as Mr. Doodle, is an illustrator and artist from Kent, England.Cox studied illustration at the University of the West of England in Bristol.Cox, known for his quirky drawings of squiggly lines and cartoon-like characters, has used his signature monochrome, cartoonish-style doodles on every wall, floor, ceiling and object of of his six-bedroom home in England.The artist used 238 gallons of white paint, 286 bottles of black drawing paint, 401 cans of black spray paint and 2,296 pen nibs to create his masterpiece.Doodle decor adorns bedding, the stove, kettle, toaster, microwave, kitchen cabinets, bathtub, door knobs, chairs, the dining table, windows, door frames, chandeliers, the fireplace surround, the chimney, and much more.For the artist, doodling is first and foremost an escape.“Doodling requires you to free your mind from stressful or crowded thoughts,” Cox shares. “It is like a meditation for me, and that’s why I love it.”More of Sam Cox’s mesmerizing doodles can be found at mrdoodle.com, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artist-mansion-covered-in-doodles-180980892, . And on You Tube.

 

 

 

Shake My What?

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There we were, driving to our cabin up nort’, listening to a music playlist I made years ago which, for some reason, I’d forgotten about.

The song “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches and Herb popped up, a disco-ish song from 1972.

Who downloaded this song? Shake your what?

“Shake your groove thang, shake your groove thang’ , yeah yeah!”

Ah …. another one of those highly intellectual songs from the past. A nonsensical drift from another place, another time.

Yet there I was, in the passenger seat, shaking my groove thing, moving my arms to the beat like I’m fighting off a cloud of mosquitoes.

How could music do that?

Music soothes the savage beast.. or breast … whichever.

It it also pumps up that same beast.

I air guitar and/or air drum Free Bird every time I hear it. Turn it up to distortion volume unless it disturbs the room around me.

I am worse than a little kid.

And I love it.

It’s not just rock/pop music, either. I jitterbug around the room to Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman and conduct the orchestra to the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky and sing along with Freddie Mercury to “Crazy Little thing Called Love.”  Heck— if I could do the Michael Jackson Thriller dance with the music I would!

Music keeps me in constant motion— and that’s not always a pretty sight.

Nothing is better than singing the words to a popular song with your granddaughter, though, or “shaking your groove thing” with your bestie. Music connects humans on so many different levels that one way or another you get hooked.

You may be embarrassed to close your eyes and move to the beat or sing with the singer, but you do it anyway.

You can’t help it.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t dance and sing and gyrate to the Music of the world. Sit side by side with someone and sing along loud and clear with a proud voice.

“So bye, bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die.”

Then look at them with a sparkle in your eye and ask….

What song do you want to hear?

 

 

Becoming Botticelli

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I was watching a fascinating program on Amazon Prime  called Botticelli’s Inferno, which analyzed one of the most mysterious works of Sandro Botticelli:  the Map of Hell in the Divine Comedy Illustrated by Botticelli which lies within the Vatican Library.

Inferno, Dante Alighieri’s poem about Hell, forms one-third of the monumental epic known as the Divine Comedy, written in Italy between 1307 and 1314.

The Map of Hell (in Italian La Mappa dell’Inferno) by Botticelli – regularly called The Abyss of Hell or La Voragine dell’Inferno – is one of the parchments that the famous Italian painter designed. The Renaissance master spent over a decade creating 102 drawings starting around the mid-1480s with the last stroke happening approximately a decade later.

The Map of Hell parchment shows the geography of Hell in the classical funnel section, which was used in later iconography.

Lots of research, lots of practice.

The manuscript’s illustrations were executed using silverpoint, a technique involving a metal stylus that leaves faint lines on the paper. These initial outlines were later reinforced with ink, and in a few cases, completed with tempera colors. Only four pages received full illumination, while others remained in varying stages of completion.

The point of this history lesson is to emphasize the amazing details found in these old parchments. The works are incredible visionary experiences reflecting an emotional depth in traditional Christian subjects, which was unique at a time.

Botticelli showed the emotions and reactions of Virgil and Dante as they climbed down the nine levels of hell; he depicts minute details like stress in muscles or crinkling of eyes or waves of clothing.

The details are more than amazing. Which makes me reflect on today’s art.

With the advent of AI , details can be computerized to the finest detail, adding depth and style to any artist’s drawing. Artists may still have to draw themselves, but if one makes a mistake it’s easier to erase or change styles with a push of a button.

Drawing with a stylus pen encourages more strokes and character — and no mistakes. Just using basic tools to create such intricate pieces of art is inspirational no matter what field of Art you are in.

I am inspired by the work of the Old Masters. Their knowledge, their talent, their styles with much more primitive tools is nothing but an inspiration for me.

When late Fall comes and my craft shows are over, I am thinking of doing my own Map of Hell and the so-many layers of something. Perhaps Etidorhpa by John Uri Lloyd (A bizarre 19th-century American fantasy novel with secret occult societies and hallucinogenic drugs; a voyage to an inner world inside the earth where they grow giant tree-like mushrooms whose juice creates visions of Dante-like hells) or perhaps follow the story of The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft. Or maybe I’d make something up like the seven levels up to Shangri La.  Who knows?

The point is — wouldn’t it be fun trying?

What impossible creative task are YOU ready to tackle?

 

 

 

Looking Back — Installation Art, Part One

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Bet you thought I’d forgotten about looking back through my Sunday Evening Art Gallery galleries to share more awesome unique art with you!  I didn’t forget — more like got side tracked.

The story of my life.

But I’m back today with more fun and different and talented artists and their fun and different and talented art.

This time around why don’t we look back at Installation Art?

 

Gabriel Dawe

 

Rob Mulholland

 

Rebecca Louise Law

 

Lorenzo Quinn

 

Yayoi Kusama

 

Naoko Ito

 

Rune Guneriussen

 

May Parlar

 

Sam Gilliam

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends I’ve Never Met Part Five

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

Imagine my delight in talking about and sharing another blogger with my name!

Claudias are few and far between in this world. My friend Claudia blogs over at Claudia McGill and Her Art World. She is an artist of many talents — she makes tiny houses, enamel work, collages, painting, artist books — how can she change from world to world, each one different from the other, yet be so consistent with her concentration and quality?

I enjoy watching Claudia wear all her hats. I get so many ideas from her. Some for me, some for future blogs. All the same circle, right?

Do take a trip over to visit Claudia McGill land check out all the things she’s tried!

Long Live Claudias!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Carrera y Carrera

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Carrera y Carrera is a Spanish jewelry company headquartered in San Agustín del Guadalix, Madrid, Spain.

The jeweler’s origins date back to 1885 when Saturio Esteban Carrera opened a small jewelry workshop in the Barrio de las Letras.

Once Saturio had taught his son, José, all he knew, José traveled to Paris to complete his studies. He returned to Madrid to take up the family business, opening his shop on Santa Isabel Street in Madrid.

Having no children of his own, José entrusted the business to his four nephews, tutoring them in the skills they would need to carry on the family’s tradition of fine jewelry and quality craftsmanship.In the 1970s, Saturio’s great-grandsons Manuel and Juan José Carrera established the brand, and the name Carrera y Carrera was born.

 The brand has become an icon of luxury due to its unique style, imaginative designs, and magnificent jewelry pieces where gold and precious gems come to life.

 

 

Today, Carrera y Carrera is revered as the top jeweler in Spain and one of the 30 most prestigious jewelry houses in the world.

More of Carrera y Carrera’s mesmerizing designs can be found at https://carreraycarrera.com/.

 

 

 

 

Another Caturday!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

With the temperatures near the mid-90s today along with high humidity, today is the type of day to stay inside and pretend you’re on vacation someplace cool (unless you spend the day at the beach!)

So on this Happy Caturday I thought I’d put my cat (if I had one) in Egyptian garb and throw out some fun facts on ancient Egyptian civilization!

 

Ancient Egyptians used sauteed greyhound’s legs to cure baldness.

A medical text in the 1550 B.C. called Ebers Papyrus recommended some absurd ways the Egyptians could get rid of baldness. They included creating a mixture of fats from ibex, tomcat, hippopotamus and crocodiles. The Egyptians boiled porcupine’s hair in water and applied it to their scalp for four days. Another suggestion that the book mentioned was to sauté the leg of a female greyhound with a donkey’s hoof in oil.

 

Rhinocolura Was a City Founded by Actisanes Where Noseless Criminals Dwelled.

The legendary Ethiopian ruler Actisanes who conquered Egypt dealt with criminals in a unique way. By his ruling, whomsoever committed a crime had to get their nose cut off. And they were then sent to a city founded by him named Rhinocolura.

Entirely populated by noseless criminals, they had to cope alone in one of the country’s most draconian environments. They had to live on infected water and scattered pieces of scrap.

 

Egyptians Used Beer as Currency.

The laborers who built the Great Pyramids of Giza were often paid in beer. It was considered both a refreshment and a form of nutrition. Forget about gold or silver; in ancient Egypt, liquid bread was the real treasure.

 

Ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells and pumice were used for oral hygiene.

Ancient Egyptians used a combination of powders derived from ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells and pumice on their teeth and gums to protect the teeth from hygiene issues.

 

Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows when their cat died.

The death of a family cat was a tragedy in Ancient Egypt. The family began mourning that in many cases involved shaving their eyebrows (according to the Greek historian Herodotus) as a symbol of the pain they felt.

In that vein …..

An ancient cat cemetery was discovered in an archeological excavation carried out in 1890. More than 170,000 cats were buried in it.

Do you know what 170,000 looks like?

Texas Motor Speedway claims to be able to hold 180,000 people, but that includes the skybox seats high above too.

 

Happy Caturday!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Bruce A. Wilson

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Bruce A. Wilson is a painter, designer, and illustrator raised in California and now a full-time resident of Orcas Island.Wilson studied fine art at Art Center College of Design, specializing in figure drawings, portraiture and painting. Changing his major to Advertising Design, it wasn’t until he retired from his advertising agency in 2005 that he retired and turned his attentions back to painting.

He began using a heated environment in 1998 while in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

His painting strokes were fairly uniform wavy lines to achieve an impression of the beaches and water around him, eventually moving on to hills, plants, clouds, trees and now other worlds.As his interest in this medium continued, Wilson learned to control the heat which would give him thinner and thicker strokes which adds a little more personality to his impressions.

Wilson mixes his own pigments with oil pastels and oils to creamy consistency and applies them to ultra smooth gessoed boards, a technique he calls Thermal Oil and Wax.

The varied thicknesses in his work enables his works to take on a textured  abstract/surrealist feel.

More of Bruce A. Wilson’s wonderful textured paintings can be found at https://www.brucewilsonpaint.com/.

 

 

I Don’t Want to Understand

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 19 Comments

To all my friends and listeners out there — (including follower 1,495 and 607),  I have a sad, confusing topic to ask you about today.

I have been around death a lot these past years. It started with my mom back in the 70s, then father, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and more, through my son three years ago. So I’m not new  to the game.

None of are, really.

All the deaths that have passed through my life have happened “outside” of my experience. Happened someplace else. We had to let my father go after an operation, although he never woke up from it.

This time it’s different.

I have a brother-in-law who has had a rough life physically. Diabetes, kidney problems, heart problems — that part isn’t important. We moved him up to Wisconsin from Illinois and for a while he was an active part of my family.

Now, due to physical complications, he wants to sign over his DNR rights and start preparing to die.

He’s 64.

And not on death’s edge.

He has given up trying to get better through exercise and nutrition; he’s already had it with physical therapy, his Cpap machine, and the rehab center. He wants to go back to where he was living (assisted living) and go on hospice. He wants his last rights.

And I can’t see why.

The first thing you will say — and you are right — is that it’s his life. That we all are born to die sometime, and it’s our right to go out with dignity and peace.

And you are right.

What I can’t understand is why he is willing to give up everything for a maybe chance of heaven on the other side.

He refuses to deal with his depression, with his terrible dental hygiene and his loss of strength on one side due to a stroke. So everyone has decided to let him go his own way.

I find that so sad.

I’m not comparing his situation with anyone in my family who has gone before. Shit happens. But to choose not to fight till the very end to stay in this world a little longer — I just don’t get it.

I know I’m not as sick as he is. I know that if I were, my ways of thinking and responding would be different, too. But I don’t believe I’d ever give up without a fight. And another fight. Especially if I could see some extra time to be had on this side.

Have you ever had to deal with this kind of prolonged sadness and confusion? How do you deal with it? Just do your best to let it go? Help him along his journey? 

Sorry to be a downer this morning. But I’d really like to know.

And as for follower 1,495 and 607 — don’t worry. I don’t have a clue who you are.

But I’d like to …..

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Billy Dinh

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

Billy Dinh is a New York based photographer whose work captures the beauty and complexity of everyday moments.Dinh’s dramatic, atmospheric images heavily rely on light and shadow, which coupled with his ability to capture unique moments, makes them look pulled from a film. Formally an illustrator, Billy has an eye on capturing the world in a dynamic way.He documents moments of everyday life and finds the beauty in the usual in his photos, which he presents as almost stills from something out of a movie or a dream.Originally drawn to photography as a way to document personal experiences, his journey evolved through travel, shifting his focus to capturing the world around him.Dinh’s approach is grounded in discovering the unnoticed details of life, often portraying dynamic, cinematic scenes that blend light, atmosphere, and storytelling.Through his lens, Dinh seeks to convey that beauty and reality coexist, and that even in the most ordinary settings, something extraordinary can be found.More of Billy Dinh’s moving photography can be found at https://www.billydinh.com/ and https://blog.tribul.org/blog/art-after-hours-billy-dinh.

 

 

 

THAT Moment

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 14 Comments

It’s after 9 o clock on a windy June night. Family is camping, and I am outside by myself this late eve, listening to the surf in the distance (I am camping near Lake Michigan) and the wind through the trees, a bit of minor chord music floating through the breeze from my phone.

It’s one of moments that just find you. Catches you Unaware. Open. Impressionable. A moment you find yourself not wanting to give up.

Not yet.

I like to think of these moments as Cosmic Connections. Extended mental moments where everything is possible. You know … that confusing moment where your daydreams becomes real.

THOSE odd moments.

Listening to the waves on the lake takes me  back to Florida with my family in the spring. Flushes and flashes of wonderful memories and lots of love. These reflections flash back further memories of years gone by. Beaches or oceans or lakes filled with waves of new ideas, new inspirations, even new loves splashing up against the beach ….. over and over again.

I enjoy minor chord music, often finding it through haunting titles or dark academia playlists on YouTube. Listening to the minor chords softly dancing off the speaker makes me think of faeries or spirits or ghosts of those who hide back in the foggy past. Names that have long slipped my mind or those who haunt my dreams still, all play in my consciousness and my dreams.

And the trees. Staring at the outline above, I’m alone in my appreciation, my interpretation of the dark  green against the dusty blue. The view is amazing. nature in all its glory. A stencil created by powers unknown just for that moment.

A stencil created just for me.

Back in the camper, I’m relegated to the bottom bunk, to which I readily agree. I lay with my head facing the window I’m free to open. I am separate from the rest of my family, free to wander where I will, connected yet detached.

Kinda like dreaming.

A moment all by myself. A moment TO myself. More may come, but none like this. A moment singular in its clarity.

So I embrace the unknown, the strange and the cosmic. I let myself wander and wonder. Something curious around every corner. Just for me. 

What better place to start wandering than my lower bunk in the camper with the open window.

I hope you find time to connect one-on-one with the beauty around you. Moments are created just for you. And only you.

Listen. Watch. Participate.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Jeremy Anderson

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments

Jeremy Anderson is a New York City based ceramic artist and designer known for his sculptural approach to lighting, furniture, and object-making.Anderson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has been working with clay for over 25 years.From the beginning of his work with ceramics, the act of creating has served Anderson as a conduit to tap into childlike play: the process of throwing, assembling, and painting built around meditative make-believe.His work explores form, texture, and surface, drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources, including natural landscapes, architecture, and the raw, elemental qualities of materials.

Anderson creates the pieces by throwing the cylindrical components, before cutting, stacking and blending them. The mesmerizing patterns and textural quality of the porcelain and stoneware vessels are a result of a meticulous process. Blending traditional wheel-throwing, hand-building, and casting techniques, Anderson creates pieces that challenge the boundaries between function and sculpture.“People use the surface of a vessel to tell a story,” Anderson adds.“For me, these are more like characters. It was really about dressing them up. They take on individual personalities.”More of Jeremy Anderson’s unique creations can be found at https://www.jeremy-anderson.com/ and https://galleryfumi.com/artists/jeremy-anderson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Miss the Mess

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 13 Comments

I love cleanliness — I love organization.

I love being able to find what I want when I want it.

Yet after running around all week (camping with grandkids), sports tournaments, fish frys, and strawberry picking, sometimes I find I just miss the mess.

Perhaps I leave my workroom/library disheveled just so I can be inspired to get back there to organize — AND create.

I’m coming back soon…. I promise ….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy Friday the 13th!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 7 Comments

Ahhhhh… Friday the 13th….

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year

Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.

Well, I’m here to celebrate this haunty scary day and turn it into a day of bright numbers and positive vibes! Here are 13 various combos certain to take the stigma away from today!

13 Forever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faerie Paths — Excellence

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 3 Comments

 

 

Striving for perfection is the greatest stopper there is. You’ll be afraid you can’t achieve it. It’s your excuse to yourself for not doing anything. Instead, strive for excellence, doing your best.

~ Laurence Olivier

 

 

 

Gimme a Gif!

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 16 Comments

If you’re lucky enough to have found a spare few minutes to peruse my delightful and blingy blog today, I thought I’d leave a few of my favorite gifs! I keep a folder of them on my computer for blogs or posts but mostly because they’re soooooo cool to watch!

Feel free to use them in your OWN blog!

Enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends I’ve Never Met, Part Four

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 13 Comments

Although my sharing social media friends may switch frequencies and even days in the future, sharing friendly writers is always a pleasure.

So is my friend Georgiann Carlson.

Georgiann is a writer, poet, artist, lecturer, blogger, vegetarian and native Chicagoan.

She blogs under the title Rethinking Life, and it’s about Art and the philosophy of life and everything in-between. Georgiann has been blogging since 2013, starting with great photographs and evolving into more great photographs and blogs that make you think and feel.

She also creates blogs featuring my FAVORITES: the Chicklets!

I never know what Rethinking Life will offer, but it’s like a wild ride going in all directions.

Stop by some day!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Zemer Peled

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Ceramic artist Zemer Peled was born and raised in Israel. She earned her MA at the Royal College  of Art (UK).Her sculptures and installations consist of thousands of hand-crafted porcelain shards: a technique that yields a texture both delicate and severe.The arrangements are a spellbinding combination of colors, texture, and forms that have an otherworldly appeal. Peled’s forms are complexly ordered from the inside out, often bulging or spilling over with textures both delicate and severe.Her ceramic fragments are geometric barbs that mysteriously take on an alluring form, offering a sense of softness despite a sharp actuality.The forms are never static; the visual dance of sharp ceramic parts conveys a sense of constant movement.The process behind the installation is perilous: the artist adds the hooked porcelain fragments one by one, pushing the material to its limit to create a precarious yet sustained environment, manifesting the idea of musical notes sustained in time and space.As the installation grows more complex, the work is continuously in danger of collapsing from the weight of its own individual pieces.

More of Zemer Peled’s amazing sculptures can be found at https://www.zemerpeled.com/.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Adam Lee

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 8 Comments

Adam Lee (1979-) is an Australian artist from Melbourne.Lee holds a Bachelor and Masters of Fine Art, and a PhD from RMIT University. Lee’s painting and drawing practice ties together narratives of memory, imagination and transcendence.With a personal outlook informed by a wide range of interests including folklore and legend to natural history, music, and literature, his works on canvas and paper build elaborate worlds where allegory and atmosphere converge.Lee’s work references a wide range of sources including historical and family photographs, spiritual narratives, and contemporary music, film and literature, to investigate aspects of the human condition in relation to ideas of temporal and supernatural worlds.His artwork and vision is reflected by a community of hermits, shawl-shod women and regalia-laden gentlefolk traversing deserts and reposing in tabernacles or dreamed abodes.These explorations find their physical manifestation in Lee’s well-honed individual style, characterized by moody landscapes and a contemporary take on Tenebrism (a style of painting developed by Caravaggio and other 17th-century Spanish and Italian artists, characterized by predominantly dark tones and shadows with dramatically contrasting effects of light.)More of Adam Lee’s mesmerizing artwork can be found at https://adamlee.com.au  and https://stationgallery.com/artist/adam-lee/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Galleries

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 2 Comments

I am scooting in for just a moment — between meeting a friend for lunch and taking our puppy to the vet — because I just finished putting together a BUNCH of new Sunday Evening Art Gallery ideas, and am soooo excited to share all this art with you!

I hope you are loving this unique art as much as I am. I wish there was a way to get this art out to a wider audience, but just sharing these artists here and over at the Gallery makes me ecstatic.

Here are a few upcoming artists:

 

Jeremy Anderson

 

Paul Kaptein

 

Zemer Peled

 

Billy Dinh

 

Tell your friends! Tell your boss! Tell your dogs and cats! 

See You Soon!

 

 

 

Friends I’ve Never Met, Part Three

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 4 Comments

I find I am enjoying sharing my friends with my reading public on Monday mornings. 

Internet blogging, Internet friendship, is something mankind has never experienced until say, 20 years ago. Yes, mankind wrote letters on paper to each other, shared calling cards, and sent messages through second parties to build on whatever friendship they could gather.

Now days people pop up everywhere — Facebook, Word Press, WhatsApp — all to make new friends or to con someone into giving away family codes and secrets. 

I am blessed to have made good friends through my blog based merely on writing and sharing snippets of their lives and creativity avenues.

Laura Kate at Daily Fiber is one of those.

Laura is into so many different crafts I can hardly keep up with her. She crochets, knits, quilts, paints — each piece she shares is a mark of craftmanship and of enjoyment. I never know how creative people do what they do, but I’m so glad I found her and have chatted about basics I’ll never really get.

I hope you all continue to make creative friends in the blogging world. Your own world will be richer for it!

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Philip Anthony Treacy

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 17 Comments

Philip Anthony Treacy OBE  (1967-) is an Irish haute couture milliner, or hat designer, mostly based in London for his career, who was described by Vogue magazine as “perhaps the greatest living milliner”.

His hats are works of art that live timelessly in fashion history, untethered to an obvious decade or trend.Treacy studied fashion at the National College of Art and Design, where he  graduated in 1987. The next year he won an MA scholarship for the Fashion Design course at the Royal College of Art in London, graduating with first class honors.Widely credited for changing the perception of the hat, he designs hats to flatter and enhance the wearer.Treacy’s process begins with a drawing, followed by a 3D mock-up in the material.

He then sends the hat shape to a block maker located in Paris who carves it in wood, which serves as the base for the construction of the hat itself.Everything is handmade as couture manufacturing.

This keeps the hat-making process human as opposed to machine-manufactured and stamped out.His hats run the gamut between sophisticated and alien, always one of a kind designs from one of a kind dreams.More of Philip Treacy’s amazing hats can be found at https://www.philiptreacy.co.uk.

 

 

I Need a Vacation From my Retirement

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 27 Comments

Don’t get me wrong.

I love being retired. I worked 50 long years to earn this measly social security check. I paid my dues, putting up with chitty bosses and second jobs and downtown Chicago just so I could sleep past 5:30 a.m. most mornings.

But  these days I’m busier than I ever was — even when we had babies.

My dreams of retirement included quiet mornings, coffee on the deck, playing gently with my dog, crafting and reading and filling the dishwasher after every meal.

I’ve been retired for four years, and every year seems to get busier and crazier.

I need a vacation from my retirement.

We recently got a second Labrador who endlessly wrestles with the older one, knocking into tables and human legs with ferocity. We have soccer games and shooting tournaments and camping and baby showers and mowing the field we call a lawn and I’m way behind in making purse charms for the craft fair in August and paying bills and I just can’t keep up with it all.

Dare I say it’s starting to take a mental and physical toll on my airy fairy psyche?

Don’t misunderstand — I enjoy being busy. Too many times I’ve heard retirees complain about being bored or ignored or losing interest in doing things that bring them pleasure. I don’t want to fall into that shadow.

Yet I can’t keep up with the constant running around my current lifestyle dictates.

My husband is on his second year of retirement, which had led to him finally being able to do things he’s always wanted to do but had no time to do — volunteering as a baseball or shooting coach, fishing, disappearing into the garage/barn to work on who-knows-what.

I should be able to do the same thing.

Yet I want to go with him to all the grandkids games and grade school performances, work to help my brother-in-law with whatever rehab I can, clean the house, feed the birds, cook new recipes from scratch, fetch the dogs, plant a garden, grocery shop, yadda yadda yadda.

I know you didn’t come here today just to listen to me whine. I didn’t know ~I~ was going to do this much whining.

So I ask you — do you have any tips for slowing down?

Do I just say “no”? Do I put my daily life on a schedule? Do I learn how to prioritize?

Maybe it’s just that I have fewer years ahead of me than behind, and I want to take advantage of every spare minute I can. I’d rather spend time with friends and family than do laundry, or sit and listen to smooth jazz while I craft rather than vacuum and dust.

Be prepared for retirement. You’ll have to put on your running shoes to keep up!