Croning My Way Through Life
Another wonderful day which just happens to be a Saturday!
On my way to a soccer game then a birthday party, so I thought I’d tantalize your party buds and show you a few of the AWESOME artists I’ve yet to post…
Hope you’re as excited as I am!!
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:
Tell your friends! Tell your boss! Tell your dogs and cats!
See You Soon!
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 —
I hope you’re looking forward to these and other artists making their way to the Gallery!
Happy Friday!
Strike a Pose …. Vogue …. Madonna
I cant see me lovin’ nobody but you for all my life …. Happy Together …. The Turtles
They just wanna .. they just wanna …. Girls Just Want To Have Fun …. Cyndi Lauper
Crack that Whip …. Whip It …. Devo
She got her daddy’s car and she cruised to the hamburger stand, now …. Fun Fun Fun …. Beach Boys
No, today’s not a backwards look at pop music goldies (although that’s what I’m listening to at the moment). Sooner or later I’m going to forget blog titles like Remember These #385 and Weird Question Thursdays #6 … so whenever I get inspired I’ll just type the basics.
Today’s basics are look backs at fun blogs of the past. Ready for a zip ride?
Do you remember .. The twenty-first night of September? …. September …. Earth, Wind and Fire
HAVE FUN!
Every once in a while I like to devote a week to highlighting some of my Sunday Evening Art Gallery galleries. There are so many unique artists and galleries at my other website … 618 so far.
618 individuals taking Creativity to the next level.
To me, there’s nothing better.
So next week, for seven days, I’m going to highlight art in several different categories:
I realize that’s eight categories and there’s only seven days in a week, but, hey — I’ll adjust.
There are beautiful and bizarre and amazing artworks in each one of these broad areas — I’m sure you’ll find something you like! They are all so much fun!
If you ever have suggestions for artists for me to research and include, just let me know — through this post or any post.
Your input is always welcome. Always!
The more I delve into Art, the more amazing it becomes.
Many of my discoveries are distant links from where I started.
For instance, I was on a site, (the origin of which I forget), and found Paola Besana, whose art I enjoyed. Looking him up led me to a website, https://www.maestrodartemestiere.it/en/, MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere, promoted by the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art, (Italy), which featured not only Besana, but many other Masters of Arts and Crafts.
Curious, I checked out another artist, Elena Dal Cortivo, who makes handmade reproductions of parchment roses made for the sound holes of harpsichords, mandolins, and baroque guitars.
Her website had more links to makers of harpsicords and and other instruments.
Maker of parchment roses?
Where did this art come from?
And who makes homemade harpsicords?
I think I have found my passion. My life’s work.
That makes me laugh. It used to be writing. I’m still passionate about that – but now it’s more experiencing new amazing forms of art and sharing them with those who also have (probably) not experienced such creativity.
This is how I find so many wonderful artists in the world. People and places that those of us in small Wisconsin towns have never heard of.
That’s why I believe in staying away from horrid headlines and problems
I cannot solve and explore worlds that are still brand new to me.
I want to wander through fields of Art that are colorful and inspirational and unique. And I want you to discover them with me.
Don’t be afraid to explore the world. The positive parts of the world.
There is so much out there to discover!
Yes Yes Yes. You knew it was coming.
How could I finish this magnificent year without highlighting Galleries from 2021?
Where did 2021 go, anyway?
There’s not much that gives me more joy than discovering and sharing unique, different, and spectacular artists. Every time I come across something new I can’t wait to share it with you.
I go back and wander through my galleries often — I am always amazed at the individual and different kinds of creativity that wait back there for me — and you — to explore.
So allow me a few minutes of showing off. Here are some of the highlights from the Gallery of 2021.
MAY YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, AND VERY CREATIVE NEW YEAR!
Okay okay!
I need to take a breath!
I’ve been catching up on my Reader reading these past few days, and have I found some interesting, spectacular, enjoyable art of all kinds from my artistic friends! I mean, WOW!
I can’t decide if I want to highlight all of them in one blog, do one blog a day for five days, one blog a week, give them full spread value, mix them up between my wit and wanton words …
I cannot believe I am so fascinated with the world of ART. I mean — it’s only a way to pass the time, isn’t it? It’s only using a pair of scissors to cut out a design. A bit of glue and fabric on a piece of paper. A few brush strokes on a piece of canvas.
Of course, if you believe that, our relationship is tainted.
Seriously, though.
When one practices what they love over and over again, miracles happen. Little miracles, big miracles. Half miracles. Because it’s the soul, the ether, the cosmic power of life and beyond coming through.
Whew! Big words! Big emotions! Big exclamation points!
I think I’ll showcase them — and others — a couple of times a week. There are sooooooo many people whose work I enjoy, and I’m always making new friends out there, too, whose work is ever inspiring. Just last week I highlighted Carsten Wieland and his creative painting videos — just sitting and watching him create is amazing.
I should make up a week about celebrating artists. But I’d be celebrating 52 weeks a year. And I already do that!
Keep on being inspired! Keep on Creating!
I thought I’d do a little self promotion this fine evening.
Not just because it’s MY Gallery, but I can’t begin to tell you how many unique, different, extraordinary artists there are in the world! I am blown away by these people’s ideas, whether it’s miniatures, fabric art, ceramics, photography, metal work, or dozens of other mediums.
If you are bored one afternoon or evening and want to get a more detailed look at some of the fantastic artists I’ve come across, stop on by. We’re open 24/7, there’s no admission charge, and you never know what creative world lies just around the corner!
Bisa Butler
There is more — so much more. Take a break from the confusion of life and see what Art is really all about!
Now that I am retired I am not as much against Mondays as I was when I punched a time clock at work. If the day has nothing in particular scheduled, I sleep a little later, enjoy my coffee a little longer, and waste a little more time on my computer.
My Sunday Evening Art Gallery folder is filling up fast. Plus I have 2 pages of possible unique artists to explore.
I know no one is as excited or interested in the array of unusual and unique artists I’ve discovered, but I think that’s true for all of us, no matter what our creative outlet.
I’m a unique art fan. I also love writing and crafting (only one particular item). My family isn’t terribly interested in any of the above, which is alright by me. At least I’m not in competition with any of them.
But it’s nice to find others who are interested in the same things you are. I’ve let writing simmer on the back burner for a while now, but I have friends who are writers and poets and I love where they are going with their work. I have friends who have turned from active poets to active painters, and others who are active woodworkers or crocheting superstars.
I believe in shining no matter how good or talented you are.
But that’s just me.
But I digress.
The Gallery folder is filling up faster than I can post. I can’t even keep up with the actual gallery, although it doesn’t get as much traffic as my blog.
The seat of creation has to lie somewhere, doesn’t it?
Here are a few images of artists waiting in the wings:
I hope you all stay around for the ride. I love this stuff! I hope you do too. And stop by the Gallery and see all of the artists I’ve added!
Happy Monday, kitties!
For those of you who enjoy my Sunday Evening Art Gallery entries, I have added quite a number of beautiful images in many artists’ galleries. The depth of these artists (and many more) is just amazing.
Come stroll through the Galleries any time!
Since I have crossed my Internet usage limit until Tuesday, I thought I would repost this one from 5 years ago today!
I have often found that letting the artist explain his craft is the most rewarding explanation of all.
So it is with Don Esser: Blacksmith, Metal Artist, and Sculptor.
Since 1976, using hammer and anvil, I’ve been pounding, twisting, and shaping hot metal.
As a self-taught artist, my approach to life and art has always had an element of fearlessness to it. From childhood on, art has always been a natural, joyful part of my life.
There is a fluid lightness to my work partly because I’m enjoying making it and partly because, after so many years, I have learned the language of my materials.
I try to capture the essence in as few lines as possible, with a sense of fluidity and grace that can be achieved working in the forge.
It is a little like stealing fire from the gods and my goal is to put a bit of that sense of wonder into each piece I make.
That playful quality in my work also means that most of my pieces are one of a kind.
People often ask, “How long does it take you to make it?”
My answer is, “36 years of practice, 50-plus years of training, and a lifelong desire to make art.”
More of Don Esser’s remarkable work can be found at Steel Wool Studio (http://steelwoolstudio.com/don-esser.htm).
A quiet evening. Been wandering through some of my older Sunday Evening Art Galleries. Such talent, such imagination. Let me share some of the highlights with you. Then click on the blue name and take a look yourself at the magical creativity of our fellow artists.
They say art is a waste of time.
That young minds and old should be focused on more important things like finance and politics and how to earn a living.
Well, art is a miracle of the mind, heart, and soul, too.
I’ve been finding a lot of new and unique artists to share in future Sunday Evening Art Gallery blogs. And with each piece of art comes an overwhelming sense of self. Of accomplishment. Of caring and sharing.
Here are a few of the artist I’ve already featured. Take a look at the thought, the fine detail, the foresight these people had in just creating something:
Here is a sampling of some of the artists to come:
Just think for a moment all the work that went into each creation. All the thought, emotion, and precise movements it took to get their art just right..
Art is all around you.
If ever in doubt, just open your eyes. Here are a few views of art made by a more “cosmic” artist … be sure to take in this sort of art when you can …
The mind of a painter should be like a mirror which is filled with as many images as there are things placed before him. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
Alright, all you lovers (and merely friends) of Art….
Yesterday, my SEAG blog was about Infinity. As you can see, most of of the images are abstract, i.e., art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect (per Tate Gallery).
Now, I am a landscape scenery kind of aficionado — a fan of surrealistic fantasy scenes and purple skies. But I want to feel comfortable around abstract art. I may not understand it, but I often get a “feeling” from it.
From those of you who appreciate abstract art…what it is about it that you like? What part of it do you understand? What does it MEAN?
Although it may look to the contrary, abstract art is not just someone spatting paint on a canvas. There is a reason, an emotion, a question the artist is trying to convey.
How can you learn to appreciate it, though?
Through the Gallery years I have shared what I thought was creative modern art. I read about the artists, got an idea what he was trying to convey, and shared their work so that you could get a different taste in your mouth.
But I’m sad to say I don’t quite get it. And I’m not making fun of abstract art. I’m just trying to understand it.
I suppose it’s like poets writing free verse poetry. To me it sounds like creative writing broken up into stanzas. There are only a few poets that write like that that I truly feel are sticking to form. But I love what I read, so the style doesn’t always mean as much.
So all of your modern art affectionados — how do you look at abstract art? Or minimalism art? What do I look for? How do I understand it?
Any clues you can give me will be appreciated.
As long as they’re not abstract thoughts…
Upper Right Painting
Vir Heroicus Sublimis (1950–51), Barnett Newmane
Lucy Clark calls herself a “Hand Built” Potter.
Each pot is built in the coil method, one layer at a time. It is then embellished or carved and set to dry for a month before it is fired.
The firing process involves bringing the kiln up very slowly to a temperature of around 1300 degrees and then it is turned off and watched until it hits 990 degrees. After the firing, the piece is lifted out with Kevlar gloves and placed in sawdust to “smoke” the pot in the old Pueblo style tradition.
Lucy uses no glazes in her process –the sheen comes from burnishing (polishing) the piece with a small quartz stone until it is smooth and silky to the touch.
Lucy pulls from her many years as a massage therapist and touching people to listen to what the clay wants to be and how it wishes to be transformed into shape in the physical universe.
Lucy Clark explains her talent best. “To me, life is a work of art, always in progress and only finished when we take our last breath. It is through this belief that art informs all that I am and all that I do. Even within the daily routines that consume so much of our time, art is alive and only waits for our notice.”
More of Lucy Clark’s marvelous pottery can be found at http://lucyclarkpottery.com .
Sometimes an artist’s description by others is as mesmerizing as their art.
Motohiko Odani (1972-) was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, and received his MFA from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1997.
According to one creative description, “Odani, who possesses a keenly critical understanding of sculpture, has resisted (or taken advantage of) the medium’s conventional image of weightiness or substance.”
“Instead, he has given physical representation to ‘phantoms’ – entirely ephemeral sensations or amorphous phenomena.”
Odani’s works are comprised of complex layers of meaning that defy a singular interpretation, as the artist draws inspiration from various sources including horror and sci-fi films, Japanese folklore, Buddhism, and Futurism.
This last description matches Motohiko’s intrinsic art: “With Odani’s artworks transcending the conventional idea of sculpture and seeking to give visual representation to existence itself, this exhibition pursues new possibilities for artistic expression.”
I think that’s a perfect description.
More of Motohiko Odani‘s amazing art can be found at http://www.phantom-limb.com/ and http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/01/motohiko-odani/.
Spring…Summer…Autumn…all are perfect times to walk around the art gallery. Don’t fret — the art is protected from the elements. The weather is perfect, the sun is starting to set — a perfect time to explore a new and unique artist.
Since this is our premiere, let us showcase something…unassuming.
My trip to North Carolina last year.
My research folders for my Sunday Evening Art Gallery are bursting at the seams with new creative artists! I am so psyched at the amazing talents I’ve found that I’m almost tempted to open a second evening’s showing — Thursday Evening Wine and Art Gallery or Thursday Tea and Art or Thursday Evening Art Walk something like that. (Suggestions are welcome!)
Here is a peek of coming attractions:
Tell your family — tell your friends — every Sunday evening, and perhaps every Thursday evening, you will find magical art and artists here at Humoring the Goddess, then in excess at the Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
My creative artists will thank you.
British photographer Nick Veasey uses industrial X-ray machines to discover what makes up the natural world and highlight the surprising, inner beauty in some of the most common objects.
Veasey got the idea to use X-ray machines for art while dating the daughter of a truck driver who was transporting thousands of soda cans, one of which contained a prize worth 100,000 pounds.
He rented an X-ray machine from a local hospital to find the winning can. Although he was unsuccessful, he credits this moment for sparking the idea that launched his career.
Due to the high risk of working with radiation, Veasey custom built a concrete structure to contain it.
To get his pictures, subjects are placed on a lead surface with film behind it. The X-rays pass through the subject and then onto the film where from there he can control the exposure time in a separate room.
Veasey doesn’t actually use any human subjects, as they would have to endure radiation for about 12 minutes. Instead, when a model is needed, he uses skeletons in rubber suits or cadavers that have been donated to science.
Veasey focuses on finding an antidote to the “obsession with appearance” by revealing the beauty within.
Veasey’s work also comments on our society’s increasing paranoia and control by security and surveillance. “To create art with the technology … that helps remove the freedom and individuality in our lives … brings a smile to my face.”
More of Nick Veasley’s fantastic photography can be found at http://www.nickveasey.com/.
David Kracov studied at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and began his career in animation with the Brad Pitt feature, Cool World.
During his time as an illustrator, David began to experiment with different types of clay, and started sculpting the characters from those films he animated.
Kracov’s magical touch with a vibrant color palette turned into unique steel wall sculptures.
Each in a limited edition of only 55 works that begin with hundreds of small sketches that are then hand-cut from a single sheet of steel and then finished with detailed painting in a high-grade, water-based, acrylic polymer paint.
The meticulous steel work along with his scrutinizing attention to detail allow these sculptures to take on a life of their own.
More of David Kracov’s fantastic sculpture work can be found at
When you work inside an office all week, one tends to fist pump the air when the weekend comes and the weather is beautiful. So I expect all of you to go outside and fist pump today, then when you come in this evening, put on some great relaxing music and come visit the Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
It’s easy to follow, and the art I’m coming across is so wonderfully beautiful and unique. I’m adding galleries all the time, plus adding more images to the ones I have. Tell your friends! Say, “Man, have you checkout out that Sunday Evening Art Gallery? Man, that art is so awesome!” (or something to that effect…)
Happy Saturday!
Crummy Weather Got You Down?
Everybody Loves a Tour of the
There’s more unique, beautiful art to come in 2017 too!
Come On Over!
As we head into the “Last Vacation Weekend of the Summer”, I want to show off a couple of new Sunday Evening Galleries I’ve added recently. I have to admit the images are stunning, the artwork remarkable. Please go check them out if you get time!
See you on the other side of Reality!
Szymon Klimek was born in Poznań, Poland in 1954 of a family blessed with artistic abilities.
Szymon’s creations are fully functional machines, not bits and pieces tossed together to look like machines.
Made from 0.1 millimeter sheets of brass and bronze, Klimek’s miniature machines dance effortlessly in wine glass enclosures than measure little more than 4 inches across.
A typical miniature requires two or three months of work from starting the drawings to finishing the device.
But the most difficult step, according to Klimek, is installation of the miniature into a glass goblet.
From the start, the miniatures are designed to fit within a spherical glass goblet having an inside diameter of 112 mm (4.4 in), a height of 142 mm (5.6 in), and a mouth opening of 86 mm (3.4 in).
He manually forms the shapes (no fancy machine tools) and glues them together before applying a clear lacquer finish.
More of Szymon Klimek‘s fantastic machine work can be found at http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Klimek.htm and at his website http://edrobiazg.com.pl/.
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Lazy Saturday mornings always bring out the philisopher in me. Especially when I listen to Martini Music from the 60s in the background.
Ever take one of those online tests — What is your favorite (fill-in-the-blank)?
Sometimes they’re easy. Favorite Food: Spaghetti. Favorite drink: Milk. (I know..boring…) Other times it’s a little catchy. Favorite Music? Ah…in what category? Favorite Book? Again, I need a genre. Favorite Dessert? Now, you really need to specify…
So it is with picking out an artist’s work for my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog.
Sometimes it’s easy. Judit Czinkné Poór specializes in incredible cookie designs. Craig L. Haupt does whimsical abstract images. Jackson Pollock does…well, does Jackson Pollock things. The biggest problem with these artists are which 6 or 7 (or in the case of the larger Gallery, 12-15) images showcase their artistic range.
I come up with fantastic artists that span several techniques. Selecting which style or gallery to highlight is often an arduous task. Louise Bourgeois not only sculpted giant spiders but was actually best known for her representations of the female form and dreamlike imagery through paintings, prints, and installations. The Universe not only holds the glory of galaxies, but planets, stars, nebulas, gamma ray bursts, and galaxy clusters. I have had artists that are not only great sculptors but painters and sketchers, too.
How do you decide which side of their diamond to polish?
I have learned that sometimes an artist’s fame is not the same as an artist’s flame. Often what strikes an audience as unique is not necessarily what made them famous. I highlighted Luke Jerram‘s extraordinary microbiology glass works, but if you read his website, he also designed a sculpture based on the Tōhoku Japanese Earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 2011, and solar-powered kinetic chandeliers that consist of dozens of glass radiometers, which shimmer and flicker as they turn in the sunlight. Who knew?
Artists are such an eclectic lot. Writers, sculptors, painters, graphic designers, all have their favorite form of expression, their main obsession. But I imagine you can be 150% into oil painting and 150% into charcoal sketching and 150% into pen and ink and still find 150% to spend on computer graphics.
It’s all relative.
When I find an artist that I think my followers would enjoy, I research all their work. Often that’s a daunting task, for those who are truly creative, truly gifted, spread out in a hundred different directions at one time. One branch of their creativity is just as amazing as the next.
It’s not much easier when I pick a subject to highlight. In digging around, I often find 35-40 great representations under the headings of things like ice sculptures or paperweights. Each picture is more fascinating than the next. I try to include my favorites and others not in my top 10, just so I can show a fair representation of what the artist/subject is all about. After all, my favorite color may be blue, but yours may be red. And who am I to confront the difference?
That, to me, is the essence of an art director. Of a museum curator. Exploring the creative mind, the unique palate, and choosing just the right combination of awe and familiarity to showcase. We all do this in our own way — look at the pictures hanging on your walls. The crystal pieces on your mantlepieces. The books on your shelves. The flowers in your garden. The colors you pick for your outfits. The way you arrange your bookshelves.
You have created your own atmosphere with the gifts from the creative world. You are abstract, you are conservative, you are orange-reds and country blue. You are Amish and Renaissance and Science Fiction and Chick Lit. You are poetry in motion, an art critic in your own right.
And that is a beautiful way to spend your life, isn’t it?
<a href="http://feedshark.brainbliss.com">Feed Shark</a>
A busy weekend has taken me far away from my Artful meanderings. Taking care of family has superceded strolling down the softly-lit backstreet of the Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
So please sip your wine, your tea, your milk-in-in-a-wine-glass, and come peek at past Gallery surprises!
Raymond Bruin
Optical Illusionism
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Dawn Whitehand
Sculptor
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Abandoned Cars
Photography
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Angelo Musco
Photography
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Louise Bourgeois
Sculptor
Jewish paper cutting is a traditional form of Jewish folk art made by cutting figures and sentences in paper or parchment.
It is connected with various customs and ceremonies, and associated with holidays and family life.
Paper cuts often decorated ketubbot (marriage contracts), Mizrahs, and ornaments for festive occasions, and works of art.
Paper cutting was practiced by Jewish communities in both Eastern Europe and North Africa and the Middle East for centuries and has seen a revival in modern times in Israel and elsewhere.
Today, Jewish papercut art has grown in popularity beyond ritual items to art and expressions of Jewish faith, not only in Israel but worldwide.
The sacredness of this ancient art is evident in the precise drawing and cutting of each piece.
It was truly an exquisite form of art even the poor could do.
though in the past few decades the art form has seen a veritable renaissance in Israel, with artists really pushing the medium to its thematic and technical limits.
Examples of this fantastic hand-cut art can be found at http://www.judaicpapercuts.com/,
http://www.papercutjudaica.com/ and http://www.nanrubin.net/, among others.
Restless? Wandering? Don’t know where to go? Snow or Rain gotcha down?
How about an art gallery or two to chase the blues away?
My Sunday Evening Art Gallery has creativity of all sizes and colors for you to wander through.
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Who Knew the world was so Sparkling?
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Add a little Snazz to your Pizzazz!
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Whimsical Abstraction at its Finest!
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I Want to Hold Your Hand…
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You Mesmerize Me!
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Amazing Stairs Winding to the Stars
Come On — you know you want to — a little voyeurism never hurt anyone! And New Galleries are being added every week! Come take a peek!
Boring will be Boring no more….
Some people are magic, and others are just the illusion of it.
― Beau Taplin
Calling Liu Bolon Master of Illusion is putting it lightly.
Using his own body as a canvas, painting himself into the background, Bolin creates scenes that are statements about our relationship to our surroundings.
Liu Bolin was born in 1973 in Shandong, China and studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, graduating with an MFA in 2001.
He discusses the social concerns of his home country through his artistic practice, most prominently through his ‘camouflage’ installations.
Blending in with the world around you is not as easy as it seems
But with the imagination and creativity of Liu Bolon, it becomes seamless.
More of Liu Bolon‘s amazing art can be found at
http://www.kleinsungallery.com/artists/liu-bolin, http://www.artnet.com/artists/liu-bolin/
and a great article written by the The Telegraph in the UK: http://liubolon .
René Lalique (April 6, 1860 – May 5, 1945) was a master jeweller and glass designer during the Art Nouveau period.
His superior talent and creativity evolved over time and he developed his style to such an extent that he was able to dominate the Art Deco jewelry and glass market as well.
He designed an array of beautiful pieces — glass perfume bottles, jewelry, vases, tableware, bottles, lighting, figurines, and in his later years, car hood ornaments.
In the 1920s , his style morphed from the Art Nouveau nature-inspired forms, to more streamlined pieces to suit the Art Deco aesthetic.
Lalique’s glass pieces became more opalescent, produced by adding phosphates, fluorine and aluminum oxide to glass in order to make it opaque, and by adding tiny amounts of cobalt to produce an internal blue tint.
His work passes the level of everyday to rare and extraordinary.
More of René Lalique‘s exquisite glassworks can be found at http://www.renelalique.com.
Happy Holidays my favorite readers!
On this day-bef0re-Sunday-Evening-Art-Gallery-blog-Day, I thought I’d drop off a few gifts for a Saturday afternoon.
Two more luscious galleries have been added to the expanded SEAG blog:
The outstanding driftwood sculptures of James Doran Webb (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-uE)
and the ultra colorful contemporary art of Janet Fish (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-uX)
If you’d like a bit of amazing Mother Nature, I can also recommend the incredible Universe (http://wp.me/p5LGaO-ov)
Or Snowflakes ( http://wp.me/p5LGaO-31).
Enjoy the Season, the Gallery, and your Life. For after all……All we are is Dust in the Wind (thanks to Kansas).
See You Soon!
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. ~~ Henry David Thoreau
~
Sculptural artist Spencer Byles spent a year creating beautiful sculptures out of natural and found materials throughout the unmanaged forests of La Colle Sur Loup, Villeneuve Loubet and Mougins, France.
Surrounded by flora and fauna, Spencer used only cables and natural, found materials to create his stunning, large-scale works of art.
One of the most beautiful things about his work is its temporary nature.
The pieces were not intended to last — as life itself, each sculpture will eventually be reclaimed by the natural environment that helped Byles shape it.
Spencer says, “The temporary nature of my sculptures is an important aspect of my experiences and understanding. I feel my sculptures are only really completed when nature begins to take hold again and gradually weave its way back into the materials. At this point it slowly becomes part of nature again and less a part of me.”
More about Spencer Byles and his fantastic forest art can be found at:
http://frenchforestsculptures.blogspot.com
http://www.viralnova.com/spencer-byles/
http://www.boredpanda.com/forest-land-art-nature-spencer-byles/
When you wake up in the morning and the light is hurt your head
The first thing you do when you get up out of bed
Is hit that streets a-runnin’ and try to beat the masses
And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses
Now go out and get yourself some big black frames
With the glass so dark thay won’t even know your name
And the choice is up to you cause they come in two classes:
Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses
~~Z Z Top
If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream. ”
– Rene Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898 – August 15, 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist best known for his witty and thought-provoking images and his use of simple graphics and everyday imagery.
We all have seen a few of these images throughout our life, but often we don’t remember where or when.
Magritte’s work frequently displays a collection of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things, challenging observers’ preconditioned perceptions of reality.
To Magritte, what is concealed is more important than what is open to view: this was true both of his own fears and of his manner of depicting the mysterious.
A meticulous, skillful technician, he is noted for works that contain an extraordinary juxtaposition of ordinary objects or an unusual context that gives new meaning to familiar things.
Not only were a number of artists intrigued by, and influenced by the work Rene Magritte created, but popular culture, and the art world in general, were extremely influenced by his creative, unique ability to take something ordinary and make viewers see something completely different.
Magritte‘s art has been so popular that it has been copied in posters, ads, and other commercial venues. Perhaps that’s why it feels so familiar.
You can find more of René Magritte‘s art at http://www.renemagritte.org/ http://www.abcgallery.com/M/magritte/magritte.html, or http://www.theartstory.org/artist-magritte-rene.htm.
www.sundayeveningartgallery.com
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This quiet evening I thought I would introduce you to world you may not know exists
A world filled with even more views of creative inspiration
If you have enjoyed sitting back on Sunday Evenings
enjoying the discoveries of creative artists of all genres
Then you will love the full version of my Sunday Evening Art Gallery
Click on any of these images and see more magic
Explore more creations by these amazing artists, these amazing minds
Art that is limited only by the artist’s imagination and talent
I have collected dozens of extra images that could not fit on my Goddess blog
Images that deserved their own gallery
I add new galleries every week — I collect so many images on each journey my arms and blog cannot hold them all
So please come and visit a world of unique images and unique artists
Come see what creativity is really all about
And if you like what you see, come back often.
And please — tell your friends what a world you have discovered!
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Wild horses…couldn’t drag me away….
Rolling Stones
The amazing power of life and freedom has been captured perfectly in sculptor James Doran-Webb’s breathtaking driftwood sculptures.
The driftwood’s seemingly unique forms lend themselves perfectly to figures such as wolves and horses and dragons.
Working together with a team of craftsmen, it can take 1,000 to 3,000 hours to make a life size sculpture, depending upon the complexities of the armature and anatomy.
James started to design driftwood furniture in the early 2000’s and it was while playing with the various natural forms that he was drawn to experiment with his first driftwood animal sculpture.
His large supply of wood has made it possible for him to find the pieces which most lend themselves to the natural form and shape needed to give his animals the movement and reality he strives to obtain in every piece he creates.
James Doran-Webb believes that his art is meant to promote environmental consciousness.
“If I could make one person a little more aware of nature and the impact of nature on their lives I would be happy. I am a firm believer in our need to practice sustainable living in order to give future generations a better chance of survival.”
James Doran-Webb‘s fantastic driftwood sculptures can be found at his website, http://jamesdoranwebb.com; a great article also can be found at http://www.boredpanda.com/driftwood-dragon-sculptures-james-doran-webb/.
What is in a name?
Moreover, what’s in a title?
Society as a whole these days has developed name tags for every nook and cranny available. From companies as big as Apple to small ones like John Doe, Inc., everybody has to have an extra few words after their name to distinguish themselves from the guy in the cubicle next door.
Who sets the qualificiations for these titles? Who gets to say what qualifies as a Graphic Designer vs a Graphic Artist? And does one’s qualifications need to be set in concrete in order to be respected?
I personally know people that hold the following “titles”:
Internet Data Conversion Analyst Specialist
Author
Intuitive Life Coach
Catalog Coordinator
Artist
Creative Art Director
Tax Specialist
Consultant
Some of the above titles are corporate; others are personal creations. Can you tell the difference?
It’s one thing to hold onto a title in hopes of getting the next one up the ladder. Senior graphic artists usually make more money than graphic artists; art directors more than assistant art directors. Titles often are reflective of the time, education, and experience put into one’s life status.
But often these same rewards take hold of our creative minds and pigeon hole us into corners we cannot get out of. If I don’t have a career of writing copy or documents I don’t have much of a chance for a job labeled “writer.” If I don’t have a degree in finance or accounting I can’t be a financial analyst, no matter how much math and economics I know.
We must leave the corporate titles to the corporations — there is no getting around big brother. But we can do something about our own titles — our own definitions of who we are.
Robin Storey wrote an interesting article on Writer vs. Author: What’s the Difference (http://www.storey-lines.com/2013/04/writer-vs-author-whats-the-difference/). In it she said, “When I Googled ‘difference between writer and author,’ I came across the site ‘Difference Between,’ which explained it clearly. If you’re a writer, you can write about other people’s thoughts and ideas, but an author has to come up with the idea, the plot and content. ”
But in the same article, someone else said, “In other words, a writer is focused on the process of writing, and as soon as they publish one book they’re on to the next. Whereas an author is someone who remains in the past, resting on their laurels and promoting their book instead of getting on with the next one.”
So am I an author or a writer? Does one get more respect than the other? Didn’t the author have to be a writer in order to be an author? Am I a graphic artist or graphic designer? Don’t artists design? A beautician or hair stylist? Don’t beauticians style hair? An Internet Data Conversion Analyst Specialist or a Data Entry Specialist?
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. People will always see what they want to see. Once we step away from the way Corporate America sees us, we can better focus on a label that will fit us like a glove (even if the glove is fingerless..)
I took a (what was for me) big step today on Linkedin. I added a title of Creative Art Director to my work experience. No, I don’t have a M.F.A., nor do I work at an Art Gallery. But I am the master, er, mistress, of my own Art Gallery — Sunday Evening Art Gallery. I do all the research, the design of the site, the contacting artists and the decisions about what art is unique and what is ordinary. I have customers (viewers), take advice from readers, and spend hours upon hours devoted to my Gallery.
And I’m going to own that title. Just as I am owning the title of Author AND Writer. I’ve had articles published, and, hey! Doesn’t the mere fact that you are reading this mean I’m a writer? And I’m published?
Don’t undersell yourself. If you are well-versed in a subject, pick a title that reflects that. Don’t be afraid to take a creative spin on your creativity and sell it to the world. If you want your name on something, do it. You know your own limitations — don’t back down. Don’t let the corporate world define your personal space.
And while you’re at it — give yourself a raise!
A room without books is like a body without a soul.
— Marcus Tullius Cicero
Su Blackwell is an artist working predominantly within the realm of paper.
She is a British artist best known for constructing delicate sculptures from the pages of books.
Su creates tranquil unique landscapes from cutting up pages of old books.
“I always read the book first, at least once or twice, and then I begin to create the work, cutting out, adding details.”
“The detail is what brings it all together, the magic element.”
Su Blackwell’s art is delicate, intricate, and personal.
She brings the magic of books into this dimension.
More of Su’s fantastic paper art work can be found at www.sublackwell.co.uk.
Do take time to visit her worlds.
Michael Massaia’s photography evokes unusual, yet sentimental, emotions.
Bugs Bunny
To create his images, collected together under the series title “Transmogrify,” Massaia spent some time experimenting with the aesthetic possibilities of melted ice cream.
Dora the Explorer
His long-exposure images capture a subject matter familiar to most — he frames the frozen treats most people’s summer memories are made of.
According to Katherine Brooks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-brooks/), he distorts the childhood favorites by melting them before his lens, until the pops resemble ominous pools of paint or celestial snapshots.
Powerpuff Girls
Ice cream? Or something more … surrealistic?
Batman
A great article on Michael’s art can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/15/michael-massaia-transmogrify_n_7067284.html by Katherine Brooks.
More of Michael Massaia’s creative photography can be found at http://www.michaelmassaia.com/. And, of course, a more extensive collection of MIC (Melted Ice Cream) can be found at www.sundayeveningartgallery .
In celebration of the re-opening of the Sunday Evening Art Gallery we present…
“But I find that for myself, without exception, the more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.”
Marian Bantjes, Canadian designer, artist, illustrator, typographer and writer
Artist and graphic designer John Lemke starts in various media: pen & ink, charcoal, acrylics, electronics, transforming the basic doodle or painting into something quite different.
He takes his creation to the next level, adding detailed depth through different media, enhancing the basic piece while tranforming it.
As a Senior Graphic Designer, John constantly comes across a number of ideas that beg to be enhanced.
John believes anyone can find inspiration for art. All you need to do is go outside and open your eyes. There is cool stuff everywhere.
And I do mean cool stuff.
John Lemke’s art can be found at http://johnsconsin.deviantart.com/
and at the Sunday Evening Art Gallery
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.
Carl Sagan, Astronomer
Rob Gonsalves (1959-) is a Canadian painter of magic realism with a unique perspective and style.
During his childhood, Gonsalves developed an interest in drawing from imagination using various media. By the age of twelve, his awareness of architecture grew as he learned perspective techniques and he began to create his first paintings and renderings of imagined buildings.
You can see influences of Dali and Escher, realistic and surrealistic, yet a style that is all his own.
Rob Gonsalves’ work differs from the “surrealistic” category because the images are deliberately planned and result from conscious thought. His work is an attempt to represent our desire to believe in the impossible.
His ideas are largely generated by the external world and involve recognizable human activities, using carefully planned illusionist devices. A touch of magic, perhaps.
It is like he takes what we know, and turns the canvas just enough to make us wonder exactly what it is we are looking at.
Maybe the term “Magic Realism” describes his work accurately. But then again, why label anything so magical?
His fantastic work can be found all across the Internet such as http://www.paragonfineart.com/artists/rob-gonsalves.html and Rob Gonsalves.
For all of you who enjoyed my Sunday Evening Art Gallery salute to Guido Daniele this past April (https://wordpress.com/post/20906013/3920/), I have finally added a boatload of additional hand images for your pleasure.
Sunday Evening Art Gallery http://wp.me/p5LGaO-bH
Guido Daniele’s repertoire is far more than painted hands — his body art is fantastic. Do drop by his website sometime and appreciate his artistic flair: http://www.guidodaniele.com/.
Enjoy!
Come in close
Because the more you think you see
The easier it will be to fool you.
J. Daniel Atlas, Now You See Me, 2013
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Guido Daniele is an Italian multimedia artist and body painter. He has worked in many different media and has also worked for two years in India, where he attended the Tankas School in Dharamsala.
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He produced a sequence of animals painted on the human hand, which he calls ‘handimals’.
The work is so intimate, so impeccable, it’s hard to believe it’s painting at all.
Guido Daniele was born in Soverato (CZ – Italy) in 1950 and now lives and works in Milan.
The beauty of Art is Illusion. What you see vs. what the artist sees.
And because you are on different sides of the canvas, you see different angles of the Illusion.
So look closely. But not too closely.
For the magic is in the Illusion of the Art.
You can find more of Guido’s exquisite art at http://www.guidodaniele.com/
This is Cherry Blossom Season in Japan. Gorgeous trees blooming in brilliant colors of pink and rose and white.
The Japanese are stars ahead in another flowering world as well — the world of Nail Art.
When I first came across this fashion statement, I had marveled at the shorter versions.
But then they got longer…
And longer….
True works of art.
Some are hand painted, others glued wonders.
It made me wonder…….do you think they do the dishes?
Do they type?
I decided these questions are best left to the mystics. Or at least to the manicurists.
When you think of wire, what do you think of?
Blue Heron in Flight
Barbed wire? Electrical wire? Telephone wire?
Amaranth Arch
Elizabeth Berrien has a totally different view of the world of wire. And the Art World couldn’t be more thrilled.
Year of the Horse
Elizabeth Berrien is one of the world’s foremost wire sculptors. She pioneered her own form of textile-based, hand-twisted, non-traditional wire sculpture in 1968.
Owl Spirit
Elizabeth Berrien’s wire sculptures are made “the hard way”. No gloves, no pliers, no chicken wire. Each sculpture starts by twisting together two or three strands. Then, one by one, dozens or even hundreds more strands of wire are spliced in.
Anthemm
Elizabeth continually digs and delves into the world of her subjects – whether real, or imaginary. She taps into the soul of animals, bringing that spirit into this world to create this awe-inspiring wire art.
Wall Art
You can find much more of Elizabeth Berrien’s museum quality wire sculptures at her website, wirelady.com. Please pay her world a visit.
Happy Friday Creative People!
I have added another Gallery to my second blog, Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
It’s called Wine Glasses. Have fun drinking wine or water or chocolate milk out of these unique treasures!
And if you’d like to read the poem that went with this lovely blog, follow me …
https://humoringthegoddess.com/2015/02/01/ode-to-a-wine-glass/
Photographs and paintings often give us a full representation of the subject.
If we are all more than the sum of our parts, what are we if parts of us are missing?
Can we be ever-so-much-more by showing ever-so-much-less?
Or, more likely, what if we are more than just one thing?
The Beijing-based group known as Unmask Group has managed to not only honor the human form through sculpture, but added a new twist to its visual appeal by subtracting redundant parts from the sculptures.
I am amazed that so much can be said with so little.
Liu Zhan, Kuang Jun and Tan Tianwei met while at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and have been producing sculptural work together since 2001.
More wonderful art from the Masked Group can be found at
http://designcollector.net/sculptures-by-unmask/ and http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/01/dissolving-figurative-sculptures-by-unmask/.
See if you can decide which parts of you are shown, which parts have been cut away, and which parts have been melded with someone or something else.
I am not sure where the wanderlust for unusual art came from. It might be from stumbling across the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao; it could be from looking at Mount Rushmore in person so many years ago.
But once I opened the door, I was Dorothy discovering the Land of Oz. Shapes and colors I’d never imagined appeared before me. More than that — creative minds reached out and touched the creative muse inside of me. Art that was just a little — different. Unique. Art that brought discussion and engagement to the world.
I found that once I stumbled around and discovered these unique creations, I collected more images than a normal blog attention span could handle. So what better way to show even more examples of the creative mind than to create a gallery dedicated to them alone?
The Sunday Evening Art Gallery is a newly created site that is an expansion of my Sunday Evening offerings. It is an expansion of my weekly gallery — a place where you can enjoy additional creations from magical minds.
Including mine.
I will be adding new galleries every week, so please come and visit often. If you know of other artists/objects/representations of any form of Creative Art, let me know that, too. I am always open for more magic!
http://www.sundayeveningartgallery.wordpress.com
Australian abstract artist Dawn Whitehand starts off her “about” page this way:
I am an Australian artist, making unique mixed media sculptures from clay, found objects and textured materials which are based on organic natural forms.
I have always thought of myself as a traditionalist when it came to Art — Renoir, Rembrandt, Redlin — those people I can understand.
I never really paid attention to Abstract Art until I wandered into Dawn’s world.
Working from my studio on the outskirts of Ballarat at the base of a slumbering volcano, I am very aware of my environment, its constant changing, and its vulnerability. I am also very aware of the current global environmental crisis.
Within this context my art practice attempts to address these issues by making sculptural artworks that attempt to remind, though subliminally, the viewer of their innate connection to the Earth, and our reliance upon it for survival.
And I started to understand. A little. That all art doesn’t have to be literal. That trees don’t have to look like trees, and volcanoes didn’t have to look like volcanoes.
That Art, like Emotions, like Life, is different for everyone. Some just choose to share their unique view through creative arts.
The thrill of interpretation is the same thrill we take with each breath. And that there’s always someone willing to share their breath — and view — with you.
Dawn is a multi-talented spirit. She creates jewelry and pottery and custom-made art sculptures. You can find her art at https://dawnwhitehand.wordpress.com, and contemporary poems, art, and drawings at https://apoemandadrawingaday.wordpress.com/.
Stop by and learn a little bit of Abstract Art for yourself.
Art is Fun. Art is Intriguing. Art is a Happy Dance.
I have so enjoyed finding Art in different places, in different guises. I can’t believe the diversity of creativity that has been out there all this time… and I and am just now discovering it. I have gathered more images for my Sunday evening blog than I could thoughtfully put into my posts.
so…..
I am opening a new Sunday Evening Art Gallery page so you can explore more of the magic that lies right outside our door. These creators are marvelous. And I can’t wait for you to explore their worlds with me.
I am hoping to have the Grand Opening this Sunday, the day after Valentine’s Day. After I love the world, my friends, my family, and my readers.
Hope to see you there!
In hand-blown crystal glass I see
Reflections of how it used to be
The finest wines in heaven poured
In vessels fit for any Lord
Finely crafted of wood and glass
A stem created from materials past
To hold God’s work in one’s small hand
Is to drink His brew throughout the land
Creations from His thoughts to man’s delight
Turned into a display of shadow and light
So fill your glass with revelry bought
Whether water or wine it matters naught
Drink to love both present and past
And friendships made that ever last
Poetry by Claudia Anderson ©2015
As I work on revising my Sunday Evening Unique Art page to include all the great art I have found, I want to turn you onto another blogger and the fantastic art he led me to.
Live & Learn by my friend David Kanigan is a wonderfully creative world where he brings in poetry, quotations, photography — whatever his inspiration at the time. I asked (and he graciously agreed) to let me highlight an artist he highlighted a few weeks ago.
Brussels-based photographer Jeffrey Vanhoutte created this stunning project featuring an acrobatic dancer displaying various expressive poses that seem to be frozen in time.
The dancer throws clouds of powdered milk up in the air while fulfilling graceful and fluid movements.
A unique look at movement in motion. A spray caught in mid-air.
Movement is art — photography is art. This is a delicate combination of the two.
More of Jeffrey Vanhoutte’s black and white marvels can be found at http://www.ignant.de/2015/01/14/dancer-freezes-time-in-jeffrey-vanhouttes-project/ or at http://www.designboom.com/art/jeffrey-vanhoutte-freezes-acrobatic-angels-in-powdered-milk-showers-01-20-2015/.
You can find Jeffrey’s unique art at his own website as well, http://www.jeffreyvanhoutte.be/.
And do stop by David’s blog, Live & Learn — http://davidkanigan.com. Tell him the Goddess sent you!
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she’s buying … a stairway … to heaven.
Lyrics — Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin, 1971
I love Art Museums.
When I used to work in downtown Chicago, I used to walk to the Art Institute during my lunch hour and wander through its halls one room at a time. I could meander for months and never see it all. The building’s step-back-in-time classical architecture is what art museums are all about.
But in my quest to open my mind and soul to other forms of art, imagine my delight in the structure of modern art museums.
Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin
You can’t help but notice the unique, almost impossible, angles.
National Museum of American Indian, Washington
Like most Modern Art, these buildings challenge your senses.
Boston Museum of Contemporary Art, Massachusetts
Their designs ask you to make sense of sleek lines and sensual curves.
Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
Sparkling glass and sleek stainless house countless creations that reflect a different side of the human mind.
Modern Museum of Art, Fort Worth, Texas
I admit that I don’t always understand a Modernist’s point of view.
Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
But one does not always have to understand to appreciate. Or to feel.
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota
And, after all — isn’t that what Art is supposed to do? Make you feel?
The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil
I have heard that life is nothing but an illusion.
Then what would you think of Optical Illusion..ism?
Ramon Bruin, born in 1981 in Alkmaar, The Netherlands, graduated in 2010 from the Airbrush Academie in Lelystad, The Netherlands. In 2012 he made a worldwide breakthrough with his own invented style which he calls ‘Optical Illusionism’.
Optical Illusionism is a combination of drawing and photography. Bruin creates drawings that come to live when photographed from the exact right angle.
Ramon Bruin makes you want to reach out and touch his creations. As if they existed in your own three dimensions.
It takes incredible hand and eye coordination to bring a creation to life. To give it breath and depth.
But it takes less than a moment to appreciate the same. Less than a flash to marvel and appreciate.
And all the while you wonder — how does he do that? And like the true magician, the truth will be always elusive.
And that is the beauty of it.
To find more intricacies of Ramon Bruin, I encourage you to go to his website, http://www.ramon-bruin.com/art/ .
I can’t begin to tell you the wonderful things I find on my way to other things. Art, in its most banal form, is an expression of emotion. Primal emotion. We all have those deep, basic feelings — we all just find different ways to express them.
You may say that some just have a “head” for creativity.
What makes artists want to create things larger than life?
Is it a chance to look into the eyes of God?
Or is it merely a chance to challenge space? To see what our vision looks like fifty feet high?
No matter what the artist’s vision, grand is grand. Ambition has no limits. No dream is ever too small, ever to big.
Nothing is more impressive than wearing proudly a head that is too big for your shoulders. For only then do you glimpse the world on the other side of the rainbow.
Snow Fairy
by Claude McKay
Throughout the afternoon I watched them there,
Snow-fairies falling, falling from the sky,
Whirling fantastic in the misty air,
Contending fierce for space supremacy.
And they flew down a mightier force at night,
As though in heaven there was revolt and riot,
And they, frail things had taken panic flight
Down to the calm earth seeking peace and quiet.
I went to bed and rose at early dawn
To see them huddled together in a heap,
Each merged into the other upon the lawn,
Worn out by the sharp struggle, fast asleep.
The sun shone brightly on them half the day,
By night they stealthily had stol’n away.
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Find more poetry from Claude McKay at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/claude-mckay
Find more images of real snowflakes at SnowCrystals.com
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Art is subjective to the artist and their view of the world. Their experiences. Their loves, their hates, their insights. Often this point of view is obvious. Other times, it is a wide-open field.
Svetlana Bobrova, a surrealistic painter from Russia, has a view of the subconscious that feels female in nature: full of energy, passion, and exaggeration.
Her soft lines are in stark contrast to the imagery she brings to the world. The faces are hauntingly beautiful, the message in their bodies transcending every day emotions.
I am at a loss as to how to interpret the meaning behind her work. But isn’t that the point of Art? Are we always supposed to see the world as the artist sees it?
I get an emotional surge when I look at the paintings. From the expressions in their eyes. From the tilt of their body. From the poise of their limbs or their interaction with others.
A feeling I can’t quite explain. Nor, do I want to. Some emotions are better left unspoken. I hope you can’t explain yours, either. A wondrous feeling.
I discovered Svetlana’s art through another creative muse, Glorialana. Feel free to visit the blog that inspired mine at https://glorialana.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/dark-twin/ .
Svetlana’s artwork can be found at a number of sites around the Internet, including Tutt’ Art@ http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2011/07/svetlana-bobrova-russia.html , or in DeviantArt http://bobrova.deviantart.com/gallery .
Nothing soothes the savage beast (or is it breast?) than watching fish swim. There is something about their slow, undulating movements that simplifies the most pretzeled logic and unties the tightest knots.
But then again, there are fish in tanks and fish in tanks.
And as my mind begins to wander, so does my imagination…
And I begin to wonder — is this still relaxation?
Are these fish tanks whims of a creative mind?
Their mind? Or Mine?
Suddenly, the possibilities are endless. Swimming and relaxing and contemplating all in one place.
Yet I began to wonder….can you take swimming and relaxing and contemplating…just a little too far?
Art comes in many forms. Sometimes technology walks hand-in-hand with mediums, transforming simple space into something wild and crazy — and creative.
A wonderfully imaginative design collective called For Use/Numen uses nothing but packing tape to create huge, self-supporting cocoons that visitors can climb inside and explore.
I have a hard enough time wrapping a package with packing tape. But wrapping an entire interior? Poles and beams and ceilings?
What is beautiful about these concepts is that each of these tape creations started as a thought, an idea. Ideas that grew from an inkling into a full-fledged piece of art.
Your creativity can blossom into magic like this too. Never be afraid to take your idea to the next level. And the next. For this is just one version of what I love to call Unusual Art.
More from the world of For Use/Numen can be found at http://www.numen.eu.
In the beginning of October I wrote a blog called Magic Shoes (http://wp.me/p1pIBL-Dq) about the debacle of buying gym shoes. The pic I found for that article was awesome.
But in searching for the perfect image I came across others that made my eyes (and my feet) pop.
I can’t tell you how many foot-squishing, toe-breaking, gorgeous shoes I came across.
I have flat feet, so I have never fantasized about wearing shoes like these. I believe you have to have a certain kind of foot, along with a certain kind of personality, to walk out of the house with creations such as these.
If you can get past the outrageousness of the height, you can admire the creativity of the mind behind the shoe.
So instead of viewing these heels as foot torture to the hundredth degree, I choose to look at them at creative freaks of nature.
Just make sure if you think of dancing in these shoes, you have a paid health insurance policy as well.
I’m forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air……
They fly so high, nearly reach the sky
Then like my dreams they fade and die…….
When you look at a bubble, what do you see? Do they reflect reality? They are ethereal. Like a thought. A kiss. A memory.
They exist for only a moment. Yet resonate in our memory long after.
They make us wonder: What did I just see?
The possibilities are endless. You ask — is it real? Does it matter?
Are they reflections of our existence? A moment out of a million? A billion? Out of a nanosecond?
It doesn’t matter if their existence makes a difference in the world.
A difference in my life, or yours.
All that matters is they are beautiful. Fleeting. They float on air.
And for the briefest of moments, they exist.
As do we.
The beauty of Fall brings trees into the spotlight. The glory of golds and reds and browns dazzle the eye and the heart. But there are other incredible sights that we call trees.
The poet Leonora Speyer says:
The trees are God’s great alphabet:
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world His thoughts serene.
And so the usual becomes unusual. Or is it the other way around?
Never underestimate the beauty of nature. She will fool you every time. She doesn’t need golds and yellows and reds to be breathtaking.
A step back into time, or a step forward — these magnificent entities will be here long after you and I are merely memories.
Sunlight, Rain, Shadows. They forever endure.
Of course, Joyce Kilmer said it best:
When you think of M.C. Escher, what do you think of?
I think of college dorm rooms with Escher posters on the wall, symbols of pop culture, statutes of intricate confusion and (no doubt) sources of psychedelic contemplation. They were the kind of images you were supposed to look at and see if the fish move or if the stairs go anywhere. And if you stared long enough, your whole world tilted sideways.
As an adult I have revisited his world of lithographs and woodcuts and wood engravings, and have discovered a delightful new way to look at the world.
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. During his lifetime, he made 448 lithographs, woodcuts and wood engravings and over 2000 drawings and sketches. These feature impossible possibilities, explorations of infinity, and the magic of mathematics.
Art like this is done every day by those familiar with computer graphics. But the curved perspectives, the stairs to infinity, the play of light and dark, were sketched at the turn of the century. Which, to me, makes it even more fascinating.
When you stop and look — really look — at the thought and planning that went into the impossibilities in Escher’s work, it makes you appreciate his work even more. Where do those stairs really go? Which angle am I supposed to be identifying with? Is it a fish or is it a bird?
Minds like Escher’s work in the fourth dimension. It’s as if they look down at the world from a strange angle and record what they see.
Take some time and visit Escher’s official website, http://www.mcescher.com. You will find yourself wandering through gallery after gallery, wondering how a human mind could be so creative yet so spiral. Take a few moments and just look at the artwork — you will be enchanted by his point of view, and lost in his sketches.
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Glass is exquisite in its delicate beauty. A crystal vase, a hand-blown wine glass, a stained-glass window, all stir the pot of reactions that make the word “sparkle” sparkle. Working with glass is an incredible art. It is so delicate, so refined, a true art of mind over matter.
So what if glass represents a disease? Is it still “sparkling” and “refined”?
E. coli
There is beauty in the micro world as well. Artist Luke Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe.
Salmonella
One of his highlights, Glass Microbiology, is a body of glass work that puts a crystal spin on some of the most deadly viruses.
Swine Flu
According to his website, ” By extracting the colour from the imagery and creating jewel-like beautiful sculptures in glass, a complex tension has arisen between the artworks’ beauty and what they represent.”
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Find time and wander over to Luke’s website: www.lukejerram.com/glass . You will find it hard to believe that such horrible diseases could look so lovely.
Ebola
The older I get (I never get tired of saying that!), the more I am taking time to discover corners of the world that I’ve never seen before. Now, that statement is all encompassing, all omnipotent. Yet for me, it’s very simple. I can only explore one line of extraordinary at a time. There is fantastic scenery, scrumptious foods, unusual land formations and mystical forms to be discovered.
For me, it is Unique Art.
What does that mean?
There are thousands of fantastic images floating around the Internet. Blogs and websites dedicated to all branches of the hallowed world of sculpture, photography, painting, sketching. I couldn’t possibly visit, showcase, and recommend all the beauty that exists outside my middle-aged sphere.
So I have decided that once a week I will showcase creativity that stands outside of reality. Outside the every day. Now, everything can fit into those parameters. So I hope to show you images you’ve never seen or imagined or saw somewhere on Facebook and let pass. Some will have links to websites; others will just be visions that have passed my way. I will honor the sites I borrow the visions from, and I do hope you take a few minutes to visit their homeworld.
If you’ve come across any unique worlds, let me know. Let’s make our next 20 years as out-of-the-box as we can make it!
And if any of my wanders tickle your fancy, let me know that, too. For I’d love to have company along the way….
Humoring the Goddess 
