Whatever it takes to finish things, finish. You will learn more from a glorious failure than you ever will from something you never finished. ~Neil Gaiman
Jun26
Monday Morning Wisdom #108
Jun25
From the Creator’s Heart #103
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-3 (NLT)
Jun25
Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet #60
Every Sunday, the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sundayshare 8-10-sentence snippets from their works-in-progress on their blogs for others to read and comment on. Join the fun! Click on the links to see the full lists.
From Gabe’s Garage of Goodies (picture book): Gabe has too many power tools, and his efforts to help always end in disaster. Can Mike ditch Gabe without hurting his feelings?
At the end of last week’s barbecue, Mike makes a request:
“Gabe, I was wondering—could I borrow your hedge clippers?” asked Mike.
“Sure–follow me,” invited Gabe, leading the way to the garage.
He raised the door, and Mike couldn’t believe what he saw: the entire garage was lined with shelves, and every shelf was stuffed with boxes, some of which had never been opened. The floor was covered with stacks of boxes and piles of tools. The men could barely squeeze their way among the merchandise.
“This section is the automotive department, and over here is the paint shop, and there are my carpentry supplies, and the lawn-and-garden stuff is right here.” Gabe wedged himself between an electric mower and a gas mower and slithered past a weed chopper before tiptoeing through a maze of rakes, hoes, hole diggers, and weeding claws. “Now, here are the manual hedge clippers,” he said, handing Mike what looked like an enormous pair of scissors, “but I’m sure my electric ones are here someplace.” Gabe rummaged around on the shelves. “I had everything in alphabetical order once,” he confided apologetically.
Please pardon the run-on sentences; I’m trying to keep to the 10-sentence limit. I know it’s short, but what do you think of this small excerpt? Any suggestions on how I can make it better? Please comment below.
Jun24
Phoenix Art Museum
This past Mother’s Day, my youngest daughter, Katie, spent the afternoon with me at the Phoenix Art Museum. Here is a sampling of what we saw–just a tiny bit of the museum.
Ballet Dancer by Everett Shinn
Birdie Serenade by Gregory West
Detail of above
The Golfer by Victor Vasarely
Nude Man by Viola Frey, glazed ceramic
When we were on the raised platform where the Nude Man sat, Katie looked across the way and asked about the view below, “Is that a hallway or another piece of art?”
Answer: it’s a hallway; but do you see why she thought it might be a large mural or something?
Below is the wooden facade from a house in Hue, Vietnam.
Upside Down, Inside Out by Anish Kapoor, sculpture made of resin and paint:
Below, Column Interminable by Betsabeé Romero: 17 “tires” inscribed with symbols from pre-conquest North, South, and Central America, the Aztecs, the Paracas people of Peru, and the ancient Hohokam people who lived in what is now Arizona. Romero’s themes are migration and borders.
The portrait below of Philip Glass looks photographic, no? It’s not. Viewed up close, you’d see it’s a jacquard tapestry woven of very fine colored fibers. I’m guessing technology was key in producing this. I can’t imagine it was woven by hand. Phil–State I by Chuck Close:
Fernando Bryce drew the collection of drawings below from advertisements and newspaper articles about Leni Riefenstahl, the German dancer and actress who directed Nazi propaganda films. His motivation for the work was to explore the tension of an artist working on behalf of an evil dictator.
Samurai Tree 2H by Gabriel Orozco
Message by Matthias Goeritz; gold painted perforated metal on painted wood
Detail of Message
Hopi Flute Player by Emry Kopta
Shift Change at the Magma by Lew Davis
Sphere Lit from the Top by Sol LeWitt
The remaining images are pieces of European art on loan from the Schorr Collection:
Portrait of Cardinal Domenico Grimani by Lorenzo Lotto
Portrait of Barbara Palmer by Peter Lely
Detail of Portrait of Barbara Palmer
Genoese Nobleman by Antony Van Dyck
Portrait of a Man, Probably Pieter de Graaf by Govaert Flinck
The following are woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer:
The Annunciation
Detail of The Annunciation
The Adoration of the Magi
Detail of Adoration of the Magi
Portrait of Baron Philippe François Didier Usquin by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson
Portrait of an Old Woman by Jan Anthonisz. van Ravesteyn
Bust of Julio Contarini by Alessandro Vittoria
Below, Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law and Christ Blessing by Benjamin West.
It’s been ten years since I’ve been to the Phoenix Art Museum. I’m so grateful Katie wanted to go with me. Thanks, Katie!
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Jun23
Creative Juice #47
A baker’s dozen of inspiring ideas to enhance your creativity:
- What a Pitti—artist inspired by Renaissance masterpieces.
- I love this artist’s blog. This post is from April, hence the Easter eggs; but there was so much good stuff in it I had to share.
- Everyone should have a dragon in their yard.
- Writing exercises.
- I love Ann Voskamp’s blog, because she puts a lot of ordinary beauty into it. Here’s her take on creativity.
- Yeah, college is great; but it’s not for everybody. Better yet is being a lifetime learner using virtually free resources.
- This is why that package you were waiting for took so long to arrive.
- Soap sculptures.
- The once-thriving AIR recording studio is now in ruins.
- If you want to be creative while you’re traveling this summer, put together a little kit like this one.
- How to throw a medieval birthday party for your kids. (I’m so bummed my kids are too old for this. Maybe I’ll throw one for my next birthday.)
- A good reading list.
- What Debbi Ridpath Ohi can do with broken crayons. Look how expressive the faces are.
Jun23
In the Meme Time: Temporary
Jun22
Alice’s Adventures in Covent Garden
Thank you to Donna of My OBT for this guest post about the fabulous ballet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! Click “View original post” under the photograph to read the article and see the videos. I especially like the caterpillar.
ROH/Johan Persson Jun22
Video of the Week #103: Earth
Jun21
Tuesday Photo Challenge–Music
When I saw this week’s theme for the Tuesday Photo Challenge, I thought, “What a great theme! If only I could think of a shot to take.”
You see, I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in music education. I taught elementary general music for twelve and a half years in two different centuries and two different states.
I sighed and glanced around my very messy study. This is what I saw:
Recorder and drumstick bouquets
Books about music (and art)
Djembe
My guitar
My music stand, with my recorder book open to some duets I checked out last night.
A mountain dulcimer made in the seventies by a friend’s brother; a “tick-tock” woodblock; a cabasa, and a cricket scraper.
Then I went to the living room, where my piano resides.
Photographs by ARHuelsenbeck.
Jun21
Wordless Wednesday: My Neighbor’s Roses
Is it wrong to covet my neighbor’s roses? Doing double duty today for Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.
Photographs by ARHuelsenbeck
