we learned about artist frida kahlo and how she created images of herself,
with things that had meaning to her placed all around.
here, h shares her collage with our class,
and it shows us
that she loves flowers, animals, sweets, and celebrations of all kinds.
no words are needed to tell her story.
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http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org
http://www.daytondailynews.com/videos/news/crime-law/male-strippers-subdue-robbery-suspect/vCT5cz/
crimestoppers come in all shapes and sizes. you do what you do.
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credits: daytondailynews, lasvegas.com, xjosimo
dawn painting by john miler – portland gallery
i went to this show last night, at our beautifully restored fisher theater, expecting to see a bit of fast-tapping irish dancing. it was created by the producers of riverdance, so i had a certain mind set going in, and was very happy to find it was so much more. the director/creator spoke at the beginning, and talked about how he had worked for three years to assemble this amazing ensemble of dancers and musicians from all around the world, (australia, spain, ireland, england, u.s.a, canada, mexico, and italy), to create this work of performance art.
while there was incredible irish dancing, there was also so much more.
each musician played at least 2 instruments and at times got out on the floor to interact with the dancers.
it was a fascinating blend of afro-cuban, spanish, irish, flamenco, latin, modern and street and classical dance,
all bathed in color and images and music.
at times it was strong and high energy, and then slow and powerfully beautiful.
it was a lovely performance in every way. and i was newly inspired with each dance.
I love tango, and I used to dance when I was young. Pope Francis
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image credits: broadway in detroit
loved our leaf man project. read the book to the kindergarten, they then created their own leaf art. we found out 2nd grade also read the book and created their own version of leaf art. the kinders created all kinds of cute pieces: cows, butterflies, and leaf men. after, we took a trip across the school to see what the 2nd grade had done. all kinds of cute pieces once again: leaf babies, leaf fairies, and then there was one – done by a little boy who had his own idea of what art is.
cute kinder projects
cute 2nd grade projects
and then of course, you have the scarlet johanson leaf project
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If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.
i never cease to be amazed, when walking around my city, by the surprising displays of art i encounter. they can be found in places of all kinds, and in every form imaginable. i’m always struck by the time and care that people have taken to express themselves, to share their creative spirits, and to put their visions out there, to be met with a smile or scorn, making our space somehow the better for it, and to open random strangers’ minds and eyes to new experiences. these beauties and the people who create them, from the simple to the sublime, all for the sake of self-expression and the joy of knowing others may cross paths with them , are treasures, each in their own distinct way.
a rabbit peeks out from a front yard filled with vine and picket fence
a wall covered in gum, once painted over, and coming to life once again with new color,
ever-evolving with the contributions of passers-by
a sidewalk, redrawn with chalk each day, into a new design, by a mother, purely for the delight of others
a pink balloon, placed by a child, to make her tree more beautiful, in hope the fairies will come
a mural on an underpass, painted by a teen who i have known to be a gifted artist since he was in pre-school
and has no idea how talented he really is
a dead tree stump given a second chance at beauty with the addition of color and life
poetry painted on an alley ceiling – look to the stars for inspiration
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The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic. Oscar Wilde
An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
after yesterday’s post, a few of you asked to see this piece of art that went on a long, disjointed journey as it made its way to my house. somehow, this whimsical pastel bunny made it all the away across the ocean from poland and then through a maze of american post office locations and crazy systems and insane red tape, all to finally land upon my wall. for that i am happy.
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“Strange as it may seem, I still hope for the best, even though the best, like an interesting piece of mail, so rarely arrives, and even when it does it can be lost so easily.” ― Lemony Snicket, The Beatrice Letters
recently, i ordered a painting online from an artist i’ve admired for a while and i really looked forward to finally having a piece of her beautiful work up on my wall. within hours of my order, amelie personally responded with a thank you, told me she lived in poland, said she’d post it the next day, and that i should plan to receive it within a week’s time. i happily awaited its arrival. this was where things began to take a turn.
true to her word, within a week, i arrived home and found a ‘you were out when we tried to deliver your package so you missed this chance and now we need to come up with another plan’ note from the post office, stuck to my door. the choices offered on the note were that i could check a box to have my package redelivered and left in my door, or i could pick it up at the post office. i went with the pickup at the post office option.
the next day, i waited in the long line, made my way to the front, and presented the woman at the counter with my note. after looking in the back, she came out empty-handed and announced, ‘funny, we can’t seem to find it. maybe it never made it through customs.’ i replied that i thought it was odd because it obviously had made it here as it was ‘almost delivered’ the day before. her response, ‘well, maybe it will get delivered to your house tomorrow or it will turn up back here. if you don’t get it tomorrow, call us or stop back in.’
the next day: still no package. i went back in, stood in line, got to the front, gave them my note again, all with the same results – no package to be found. they called the manager of the branch to the front who she said she would look into it and do her own investigation, as she could not figure out where it could be, told me to give it a few more days.
in the meantime, amelie emailed me from poland to see if it had arrived safely, and i told her it had been here, but was now lost. she wondered if said if perhaps her english wasn’t good enough because she didn’t understand. i assured her that i had a pretty good command of the english language and that i did not understand either.
in a few more days: still no package. i went back in and this time, the post office said, ‘hmmm, this has happened to a few other packages here, i think the night guy just likes to clear them out of here and sends them on. i’ll check into that. do you have any insurance on your package? i’ll let you know tomorrow what i find out.’
the next day: ‘oh it’s you again. let me get the postmistress to help you.’ she comes out and this is our conversation:
pm: for some reason it looks like they’ve forwarded your package on. do you have some other address or a forwarding address of some sort?’
me: ‘no i do not. i have lived in my house for 10 years and have no reason to forward my mail anywhere.’
pm: ‘well, for some reason it’s been forwarded, though we can’t tell where, probably downtown, and because it will get there with no forwarding address, it will be forwarded back here. we’ll call you when it gets here, it should only take a week or so for it to get forwarded back here.’
me: ‘so, are you saying it was forwarded somewhere but you don’t know where or why and because i don’t have a forwarding address it will be forwarded back here and somehow find it’s way back here to you?’
pm: ‘yes.’
the next week: i went in, brought my tattered note, and waited in line one more time. upon my arrival at the counter, the postmistress appeared at the counter, retrieved my package from the back, covered in postmarks and stickers, with no further explanation. i went home with my painting, emailed amelie to tell her it was in my hands at last, and assured her that her english was just fine.
how the postal workers at the counter appear. everything is under control.
what is really going on in the back. their system is up and running.
when it all gets to be too much. where some of the lost mail goes missing.
what a lucky find. while visiting my daughter in perth, australia i was delighted to discover that the friend we were meeting for tea was actually jenni, the artist behind the amazing world of art candy. jenni, modestly describes her work as, ‘sweetness with soul,’ and that is an understatement. i’ve admired her work online for quite a while, and am happy to know that others around the world have discovered her. jenni hand-makes unique cards, paintings, alphabets, and other magical delights. while there, i saw her works in progress and was even allowed a peek into her glitter drawer. it was an amazing morning spent with a wonderful, creative spirit. since art school, jenni has been inspired by a love of language, especially slang, colour, and a sheer exuberance for life. if you have a moment, take a peek into her work and her world, through the link i’ve provided. i think you’ll be delighted by what you find.
I didn't have my glasses on.... 