Tag Archives: art

Nov16

nothing more nor less.

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early evening in the washington boulevard historic district of detroit

i’m reminded of the whimsy of willie wonka’s chocolate factory

—

‘genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.’
-charles baudelaire
*Charles Baudelaire was a 19th-century poet French poet, critic and essayist who explored themes of modernity, urban life, and decadent beauty. He is considered a father of modern poetry and an influential figure in Symbolism, a movement he helped inspire through his exploration of subjective experience, mortality, and “spleen”—a state of melancholy and ennui.  

Baudelaire was fascinated by the details of the bustling, modern city and its inhabitants, capturing both the beauty and the decay he saw in everyday life. 

Nov15

man sitting by the stove.

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“i will always be on the side of those who have nothing

and who are not even allowed to enjoy the nothing they have in peace.”

-federico garcía lorca

—

“Man Sitting by the Stove The Pauper” by Vincent van Gogh, created in 1882 in The Hague, Netherlands.  Chalk and pencil on paper. Currently held in a private collection.

Oct27

palette.

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this thoughtful young artist

has left a painter’s palette

and kind hearts

for any passerby

feeling inspired

to create

using the colors left for them

moved by

the surroundings

and such kind generosity.

—

‘a world of colors on the palette remained….

wandering…

on canvases still emerging.’

-wassily kandinsky

Oct10

‘creativity takes courage.’ – henri matisse

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a colorful marble orb spider, not unlike this one, came down on its web

(and not on anyone’s hand, the spider above is a model/actor)

appearing as we were having a glass of wine outside before dinner

it lowered itself down checking us out

with excited and mixed reviews from the group

not long after

we moved inside

while some of us

were in the kitchen finishing up dinner preparation 

the rest of us were left to our own devices

 in the living room

with more beverages

and a tray of appetizers 

i thought it would be a great idea

to fashion 

a marbled orb spider hanging from its web

out of leftover pieces from the tray

everyone pitched in

when it was finished

it seemed a challenge

to decide which was more lovely 

the outside real spider

or 

the inside interpretive spider

art and beauty

are very personal choices

as we all know

—

‘life is like art. it’s all interpretive.’ 

-robert holden

‘

Sep3

nothing to lose.

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Milana Skoriic, Disheveled Flower Painting, watercolor on paper

—

September 

then the flowers became very wild

because it was early september

and they had nothing to lose

they tossed their colors every

which way over the garden wall

splattering the lawn shoving their

wild orange red rain-disheveled faces

into my window without shame. 

~ grace paley

Aug15

superior service.

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while recently at my friend’s lake house

we made this beautiful puzzle

of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

 she purchased during her recent visit to the northern regions

 beautifully made of wood, precision cut, and challenging

but together we managed to complete the puzzle

except

for one piece

that I tried to jam in

 I broke it

our ‘gluer’ didn’t put it back together quite right

so we accepted that it was finished without it

but I felt bad

so I wrote to the company

to see if they could possibly replace the piece

I took photos of it and where it was supposed to be

always worth a shot

the artist who made the puzzle

also the company owner

said she would replace it

(talk  about customer service!)

 I thanked her

 excitedly waited for the piece to arrive

within days it showed up at my house

 what should arrive at my house

all the way from the upper peninsula

but an entire puzzle

at no charge

from the artist herself

as her and her husband

are the small business owners

of their own family owned company

she is a Ukranian artist

who makes the puzzles

among many other things

 he is an American veteran

 I was so amazed by their kindness

that I’d like to publicly thank them here

by sharing a connection to their business

I will certainly buy puzzles from them myself

thank you again for reminding me

that there are wonderful people out there in the world

and for your beautiful work

(all links are below)

Artist, Kateryna Nelson

https://www.facebook.com/artfactorytwinportsWIMNMI

https://www.artfactorytwinports.com/shopall

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtFactoryTwinPorts

artfactorytwinports.com

Gwinn, MI, United States
artfactorysuperior@Gmail.com

—

“customer service is an opportunity to exceed your customer’s expectations.”

-John Jantsch

*John Jantsch is an author, speaker, and marketing consultant who specializes in assisting small businesses. He is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, and The Commitment Engine.

Jul18

creative endeavors.

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here we meet again

 my former kindergarten student

now at the annual Ann Arbor art fair

having grown into a wonderful human

and innovative artist.

—

‘creativity is like scientific research in that it involves things that haven’t been done before. as such, creative endeavors are essentially experiments, and if they really unique, you have no idea what will happen.’

-tina seeling

 

* tina seeling is an american educator, entrepreneur, and author of 17 books on creativity and innovation. she is a faculty member at Stanford University and currently the executive director of the Knight-Hennesy Scholars.

 

https://www.masonkupina.com

Jun26

they are us.

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                                                                                   “Soul” by Ugo Rondinone, 2013 ​
​
​“Stick-to-itiveness” is now included in the dictionary. It’s about perseverance — whether we’re born with it or learn it. It’s about continuing to show up and doing what matters, even when you don’t feel like it, and especially when the world is yelling that you don’t matter, that you’re crazy, that who you think you are and what you have to say doesn’t matter. I’ve been thinking a lot about what matters and why I care so much when someone feels what I think doesn’t matter. Why do we keep having to learn, again and again, that we get to choose what we care about? Today, as I listened to Erin Brockovich tell her story, I was reminded that thinking differently is beautiful, and whatever we think, feel, and care about is valid and matters. It is our responsibility to amplify what we care about. There is no special reward for conformity of thought or action, but there is an internal reward for expressing the uniqueness of who we are.
​
Ugo Rondinone made a series of stone figures in a variety of sizes for his exhibition Soul in 2013. Each one is different, but they have a visual uniformity, as if they’re all from the same humanity. When you look closely, though, their heads sit slightly differently on their bodies, their legs are longer or shorter, their torsos are thin or thick. They are us. And we are them.

 -Heidi Zuckerman,  CEO and director of the Orange County Museum of Art and author of Why Art Matters: The Bearable Lightness of Being.​

 

—

Installation view, Ugo Rondinone, soul, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Maag Areal, Zurich, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.

Photo: Stefan Altenburger
​

Jun8

do not wash this car.

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 when you see a dirty car

someone will often

write ‘wash me’ on it

but on this one

there was no writing

only cool artwork

  hope it stays just like this for a while longer

so more people can appreciate it

as much as I did.

—

‘i see art in everything. your shoes. that car. this coffee cup. it’s art if you see it as art.’

-andy warhol

May23

cat art.

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i stared at this for a long time.

—

”mystery is at the heart of creativity. that, and surprise.’

-julia cameron

 

 

—

art credit: artitsallinsideus(mitch), cat art