Edward Gorey's way with words enchants everyone from the tiniest titmouse to the most vociferous violinist. He teaches us more about language and the texture of vocabulary than any SAT vocabulary calendar.
So my Christmas gift to you, available for download for a limited time, is a printable copy of his Eclectic Abecedarium to frame and give to your favorite budding logophile. Please support Edward Gorey's cultural contributions by considering purchasing a hard copy of his work.
|
|
Watching me play with magazine clippings this morning, Micah wanted to know why Aunty Carla gave us "all those magazines with houses" in them. I explained that they were interior design magazines that helped people choose how to make a room look pretty and how to plan it out.
Micah asked for some watercolors to make her "own interior design". Here is what she created with a scrap doodling page and her paints. I think it would be quite a cheerful room.
|
|
Part of our foray into portraiture today led to questions about how we see things- whether a nose is situated atop a face or as part of a face- and how these perceptions lead to different representations while drawing. To emphasize the different ways of seeing things, I scribbled a few images for the kids in the hopes of stretching their imaginations.
OVERTURNED LIGHT BULB ACTIVITY
Borrowing a tune from Bach on the Goldberg variations, I tried to see how many different things could be created from an overturned lightbulb. Download the jpg version.
SEEN FROM A BOX ACTIVITY
Then I drew a few simple images and gave them descriptions of things "seen from". Download the jpg version.
The kids had fun trying their own hand with these two activities- though Max is more comfortable with drawing and doodling than Micah, whose perfectionism is often a barrier to free-drawing fun.
|
|
I've been known to tear pages from the books of Edward Gorey and Shel Silverstein, frame them, and put them on the walls. Something about those fantastic illustrators of the curious and uncanny appeals to my imagination. So a brief little love letter of images and links to inspire and excite the most unimaginable imaginings by these illustrators of the curious...
EDWARD GOREY
Edward Gorey's Elephant House
2012 Edwardian Ball
Edward Gorey documentary
SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Uncle Shelby Silverstein
AUBREY BEARDSLEY
Aubrey Beardsley
JEAN GIRARD (aka Moebius)
The Official Moebius website
quenched consciousness
|
|
Exploring shapes, like circles.
And the "neat" version.
Blobs are shapes too. Kind of.
Prints replicate oval shapes.
Bringing out the glue and scissors for rectangles.
|
|
Why include only those "family members" in recent history?
Why not stretch back to the beginning of the genus?
A big, broad family includes even cardboard creatures.
Max's menagerie of pieced cardboard animals has taken over this week.
|
|
We are reading Adventures in the Wilderness by Rutherford Hayes Platt
as our historic inquiry into how the understanding of wilderness has
changed in American history.
Natural history makes every rock rise as sharply in our awareness as a continent. Unfortunately, I never cared much for natural history or geology in school. In fact, I can't even remember who my teachers might have been- only that I had to memorize a bunch of rocks and dates for various tests which seemed much less captivating than all those butterflies swarming around the flower beds outside the classroom window.
So I tried to give Max an "in" and an "out" to our learning adventure. When he lost interest, we moved on. What I didn't anticipate is how long it would take him to lose interest and how many different things we would "accidentally" learn before we finished. After reading, we printed the handouts below and Max used them to answer the worksheets.
GEOLOGICAL TIME PERIODS HANDOUT (PDF)
PREHISTORIC AMERICA WORKSHEET (PDF)
Max and I meandered through various visuals of prehistoric times, including a few online sources which extended the bounds of our imagination and even offered opportunities for cultural critique of how dinosaurs are presented and anthropomorphized. Our online favorites:
Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs for dinos and pop culture
Paleoartistry opens to door to art of paleohistory
Dinner Time Inside a Brachiosaurus, super fun to discuss
The World of Charles R. Knight, which led us to our art work for the day
Charles Robert Knight (1874-1953) was an American artist who took fossil records and brought them to life in magnificent oil paintings depicting what the world looked like millions of years ago. Apparently, the discovery of fossils led to "dinosaur wars" among the artists struggling to depict them.
Carboniferous Landscape by Charles Knight
Our art work of day settled on Charles Knight's depiction of a landscape from the Carboniferous Period in which he used 250 million year old fossils to receare the plant life of those times. Max said, "So ferns made coal?" That seemed like one way to put it.
|
|
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, tattoo artists are classified alongside porn shops and payday loan centers. As a college town, Tuscaloosa boasts a number of skilled tattoo artists who specialize in creating designs that allow customers to express themselves with body art. While the ear piercing is considered common currency among the preteen set, tattoos are still associated by some concerned citizens with Armageddon, heroin use, and eminent physical danger. That's why the Tuscaloosa City Council is trying to eradicate this dangerous practice from within the confines of the city. Or something.
Todd Boling, owner of The Tattoo Experience, a tattoo parlor located in Alberta City, lost his business in the April 2011 tornado. If the Tuscaloosa City Council has its way, he won't get that business back- not in Alberta City and not anywhere nearby. Currently, a minor vehicle repair shop, a tattoo/piercing parlor, and a tobacco shop already exist in Alberta City and have been "grandfathered in". None of the three meet the current aesthetic building codes recently enacted as part of the controversial Tuscaloosa Forward plan, but the fact that they survived the tornado means they are safe to continue business.
Call it "disaster discrimination"- what happens when natural disaster is by city officials as an opportunity to remake a town to their liking. If your business was destroyed by a tornado or flood, then you'd better make sure that the reigning officials consider your line of work to be part of their "vision for the future". Disaster discrimination plays favorites with people's lives and compounds personal loss for victims of natural disasters.
The Tattoo Experience wants to relocate and build a brand-spanking new mixed-use building approximately one-half mile northwest of its current location. Todd thinks this new location will "become a panacea for the Alberta Business District" by negating the opportunity for pawn shops, loan sharking shops, and other unsavories to open nearby. In his opinion, "property values should be positively affected by the construction of a nice, new building that meets the stringent new Tuscaloosa Forward codes".
But Todd's opinion doesn't matter as much as that of Kip Tyner, our City Councilman. And Kip has his heart set on making sure that tattoo parlors leave Alberta City. Honestly, it doesn't make sense to me and I hope he wakes up one morning with a rosier look on life and community. If Tuscaloosa is grow and bloom in a way that encourages and draws creative people, then tattoo parlors like The Tattoo Experience should be welcomed.
Todd sketches an original tattoo design.
The real reason for the attack on Tuscaloosa tattoo parlors lies in unspoken stereotypes and assumptions about body art and its artists. City officials assume that tattoo parlors bring crime or drive down property values- but this assumption is applied in a patently discriminating manner. For example, people may shop at Wal-Mart, but no one in their right mind wants to live near a Wal-Mart for fear that it would diminish the value of their property. Likewise, few families want a nursing home to relocate across the street. Such establishments do not promote neighborhoods and community- they promote traffic and mass consumption (something our City Council seems to favor when vote comes to shove).
Todd shows me how the blackwork lines up with the sketch design.
While the Tuscaloosa City Council cleans up the streets of riff-raff and social refuse, they might also consider closing down or re-zoning the following businesses which have been hot-beds for crimes and misdemeanors during the past year- gas stations, college football games, the Wal-Mart parking lot, Publix parking lots, and nursing homes. If the concern is crime, then football games and tailgating, a primary driver for DUIs and assault events, wouldn't even take place inside the limits of town. It's time to confront our prejudices and look at them through the lens of reality- we Southerners do best when we scrap the dated stereotypes and embrace a wide variety of art forms and fashions.
|
|
sLOVEnia by Meta Wraber caught my eye and wouldn't let go.
A map is a representation of a certain area of the earth's surface. It sometimes also shows key landmarks or features that are distinct to the area itself. While some maps simply aim to represent the geographic features of an area, other maps depict what is beloved about an area.
In a sense, the map is a medium for conveying information. Yet the nature of cartography creates a tension between technical detail and love. Map-making inevitably requires us to encounter a place intimately, to know every nook and cranny. The results of such loving attention to detail can lead us towards artistic representation, like Meta Wraber's map.
Max decided he wanted to make his own watercolor map, but he insisted on having a "map shape" to work with. So we printed up a Tuscaloosa county map (see below) and he traced it as a background on his paper.
Here's what came of our watercolor map-making activity.....
|
|
|
|
One of Tuscaloosa's best-kept secrets is a free Saturday event called Kentuck a la Carte. I suggest you promptly add this freebie of arts and crafts fun to your monthly calendar.
Ten really good reasons to visit Kentuck a la Carte with friends and family:
1. You might discover that your neighbor, Allison, has a secret watercolor talent.
2. You can learn about how to use plastic wrap with watercolors for cool resist effects.
3. Or print on watercolors with fruits.
4. You can learn how a clay artist creates a bas-relief lizard crawling out of a plate.
5. You might catch Hayes Dobbins demonstrating how to dig, refine, and prepare your own clay.
6. You might become fascinated enough to linger and learn.
|
|
This exhibit/contest started because the Friends of Hurricane Creek needed to clean up wood debris from the 2011 tornado. Most of the hardwoods and trees on Watson's Bend were brought down by the tornado. Let's face it- most of the wood debris in Tuscaloosa was added to landfills or burnt on-site at landfills. Neither improves our carbon footprint. How could we argue for the preservation of a local creek while adding wood to a landfill? Is recycling an esoteric or abstract concept that doesn't apply when undertaking disaster recovery?
Watson's Bend after the tornado.
What began as a clean-up operation soon evolved into a question of ethics and stewardship. John bought a sawmill and started milling wood, but the problem of wood scraps and debris remained. So we opened the door to artists to "make something good with all that wood" and something beautiful and unparalleled took place.
The front page of the Tuscaloosa News carried an article about the Creek Wood Art Exhibit today, and we are grateful to Bethany Blair and Dusty Compton for sharing the story with the community.
Go see for yourself. Spread the word about what students, teachers, and artists can do with reclaimed wood. Visit the Friends of Hurricane Creek website for more information on the Creek Wood Art Exhibit and the upcoming Creekstravaganza. Get tickets to the Creekstravaganza before we sell out. And don't think we haven't learned more lessons from this past year- that's right, this will be a "sustainable event". The extra work is worth the knowledge that we are being the change we hope to see in the world.
|
|
The best experiments come as opportunities to connect the dots between the ideas we love and the lives we lead. When we dropped by the Clay-Coop at the Kentuck Arts Center a few weeks ago, an unintended field trip turned into an incredible learning opportunity.
Hayes shows a bowl that she made with some kids in the summer clay co-op.
We met Hayes Dobbins, a truly unique local clay artist, who welcomed us into the wonderful world of clay. Many clay artists purchase their clay from online dealers or art stores- the benefit is working with a known quantity. Hayes finds her own clay and uses it in her sculptures. In the process, she gains a working, living knowledge of local soil and clay qualities that allows her to craft truly local works of art.
Finding and Digging Your Own Clay
Hayes walked us through the process of digging and preparing your own clay. (I've added a little to what she told us from information provided by Marvin Bartel.) First, you need to find local clay sources. The best locations are stream and river banks, construction sites, or any place that gets slippery after a rain and sticky as it starts to dry. When clay dries, it almost as hard as a rock. Next time you go for a walk around the neighborhood, look for locations that are super-wet after rain and then dry and hard in rainless weather. Many backyards have their own clay sources just beneath the top soil or in areas where top soil has been eroded.
Some clay is too sandy and some is too sticky. Mr. Bartel looks for clay that can be rolled between his hands into a pencil thick coil of soft clay and wrapped around his finger without cracking. If the coil cracks, it may be too sandy or its clay particles may be too large. Sticky clay sticks too much to the hands and tends to undergo drying shrinkage and cracking during drying. Potters often blend several clays to get the right properties.
We stand and watch as Hayes explains the process of getting clay. Grandma Vicki, the kindred spirit, enjoyed every minute of it.
Hayes explained that she takes a big bucket after it rains and visits her favorite sites where she digs and collects the clay- most of it doesn't even require digging because it seeps from banks. Then she takes the bucket home for the next steps.
Removing Impurities and Making A "Slip"
Most common clay contains impurities, often in the form of iron oxide, sand, roots, and other debris. Hayes encouraged us to remove the large obvious ones (pebbles, twigs, etc.) by hand. Kids get a kick out of this part.
Troublesome tiny impurities can be removed by making a thin slip. Let the clay become totally dry- don't break it up. Now it's time to slake the clay, which is another way of saying "turning it to mush".
Flood the clay with clear water in large bucket or garbage can. Use enough water to completely submerge the clay. Do not stir the clay. Just don't. Stirring it clogs up the porosity and prevents good slaking. In a few days, even large chunks of clay will turn to mush.
The sand settles to the bottom first. Allow the sand to settle a short time. Then decant the clay water (the good slip from the top down to the sand) and discard the sand in the bottom. Allow the clay (slip) to settle.
Now you're ready to make a slip and remove the little impurities. When it's all soft and mushy, stir it until it is a slip. You can used an electric drill, a blunger, or the little red tool that Hayes is holding in the photo above. Add some more water if it's too thick to stir.
Now pour the slip through an old window screen (the kind you find at any hardware or building supply store) into another bucket or can. This screen removes stones, roots, and other small but not teeny-tiny trash that gets in the way. You want to remove the limestone because limestone pieces and particles cause pots and sculptures to break after firing.
When the clay has settled and turned to mush, drain or siphon off the extra water from the top of the mixture. Hayes explains that she spreads the mush a few inches thick on a clean, dry porous surface like a concrete driveway, old jeans, or canvas. Smooth the top with your hand to avoid getting small pieces on the surface. When it is almost dry enough, make coils as thick as your arm and set them around like big arches (a foot tall) and they are ready to use in 24 hours or less.
Impure clay can be used to add special touches to clay creations. For example, stoneware potters use local clay as a source of glaze material. These "slip glazes" have been used for thousands of years for lining jugs and traditional crockery. The bright red Moundville clay pictured above probably has a high iron content.
Storing Your Clay
If you can't use your clay coils in the 24 hour time period, store them in an airtight plastic container for as long as you need before using. Hayes gave us a large chunk of creek clay stored inside a plastic grocery bag wrapped around the clay and covered by another plastic grocery bag wrapped around the clay. Everything she did made use of existing materials that might otherwise be thrown away.
Sense-Based Learning
After showing us the light grayish color of the Hurricane Creek clay, Hayes encouraged us to touch it. Milla couldn't get enough of the clay.
Touching the soft, feathery creek clay which Hayes gave to us to take home.
One of Hayes' creek clay creations.
We didn't get around to sculpting and crafting until yesterday, when some friends dropped by and clay caught the attention of all the little ones. They used stamps and twigs to leave imprints on the clay. Max decided to make a pot, a platter, and a pot hot plate. You can use the instructions for making a clay bowl with kids to arrive at a similar place- though letting them get there on their own is much more fun to all.
A side view of Max's clay "pot".
Max's "hotplate platter" for his pot.
A view inside the "scoured bottom" of his pot.
As Max's creation dries to a soft gray, I can't help thinking about how much I love the circuitous way in which this came about. All thanks to meeting a super-nature-knowing lady by the name of Hayes Dobbins.
If you live near Tuscaloosa and would like to play with local clays, stop by Kentuck A La Carte this month next Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm in downtown Northport and meet Hayes. She will be out there with to share her clay-work and let kids and adults experiment with clays.
|
|
Thursday, September 6
6-9 pm Art Night in Tuscaloosa
includes straum at the Harrison Galleries and
Reclaimed Creek Wood Art Exhibit at Kentuck Art Gallery.
6-9 pm Brendan Nolan House Concert in Tuscaloosa
Irish singer-songwriter Brendan Nolan gives a house concert
with acoustic guitar at the Chambless Home in Woodland Hills.
Friday, September 7
6:30-9 pm September First Friday at Habitat Alchemy in Tuscaloosa.
Paintings by artist Gary Stone and music by DJ Tom Kat Kitten. Spirits abound.
Saurday, September 8
9am to 9pm A Red Clay Revival Contemporary Bluegrass and Arts Festival at Horse Pens 40
Located in Steele, Alabama. The sort of thing you just don't want to miss.
Ever. Horse Pens 40 is a dream of a park and a hope for the future of Hurricane Creek.
Sunday, September 9
9am to 9pm A Red Clay Revival Contemporary Bluegrass and Arts Festival at Horse Pens 40
Located in Steele, Alabama. The sort of thing you just don't want to miss.
Ever. Horse Pens 40 is a dream of a park and a hope for the future of Hurricane Creek.
6-8 pm First Annual Garden Party in Tuscaloosa
Fundraiser and local food extravaganza for the Druid City Garden Project
at the L and N Train Station. Delicious and beautiful.
Followed by Tuscaloosa premiere of Eat Alabama! at the Bama Theatre.
Tuesday, September 11
8:30 pm "Social Conquest of the Earth" lecture by E.O. Wilson
in Sellers Auditorium of Bryant Conference Center thanks to
Christopher Dana Lynn and his incredible crew.
Saturday, September 15
10 am to 2 pm Kentuck A La Carte in downtown Northport
Free food, clay crafts, and learn more about Hurricane Creek
at this free event which encourages hands-on activities and explorations
for kids and adults.
Sunday, September 16
2:30 to 4:30 pm Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum Grand Opening in Tuscaloosa
at the Tuscaloosa Public Library Main Branch. Come
see what all the history is about.
Saturday, September 22
6 pm Bonfire Drum Jam at Nomad's Land in Attalla.
Families welcome, bring an instrument to jam and joy.
Thursday, September 27
6-9 pm Creekstravaganza for Hurricane Creek in Tuscaloosa at Kentuck Art Center
Live music, local foods, creek wood art exhibit and contest-
a beautiful, family-friend event for those who cherish our creek
and its future.
Ongoing
Down the Garden Path and to the Water's Edge Exhibit
Art exhibit at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens with free entry.
Features work of local artist Deborah Hughes.
It's All Good- Reclaimed Hurricane Creek Wood Exhibit
from September 6 through September 27th at the Georgine Clark Gallery
in downtown Northport. Free wood art with inspirations by art teachers
and their students.
Gee's Bend Quilt Exhibit
Through the month of September at the Westervelt-Warner Transportation
Museum. An awesome opportunity to see the quilts in the flesh
and add a coloring book of quilt meanings to your local history
repertoire.
|
|
Look at what we discovered at the Georgine Clark Gallery in downtown Northport.... Kudos to Tanya for her creative vision in using tornado wood for good.
|
|
The antlers above the mantle tend to attract hanging crafts.
Meanwhile, the mantle in general tends to accumulate "found objects" too loved for the floor but "in limbo" with respect to decor.
On the wall in the hall, secured with duct tape and all.
Strands of shells from the beach waiting for something to become.
|
|
Grandma Vicki poses with a print by Amos Kennedy that brought her coffee-loving ways to mind immediately. You know you love someone when they bring an Amos print to mind....
|
|
KAMILO, a sculpture by Aurora Robson
In making this piece, Robson used no hardware, no paint, no adhesives, only 100% plastic marine debris. The material was collected by the Hawaii Wildlife Fund during a bi-monthly coastal clean up on the Big Island. Plastic debris from all over the world washes ashore on the Southern tip of the Big Island. For the past 8 years, about 2 tons of plastic have been collected at each bi-monthly clean ups. Kamilo was created during a one month studio residency at the Parker School in Waimea, Hawaii. Students at the school volunteered their time to assist in the creation of this piece. All proceeds from the sale of this piece will go to help clean up our oceans and shorelines and to raise awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans.
Artist Aurora Robson is also the hands and heart behind Project Vortex, an international collective of artists working with plastic debris. But plastic is not her only focus- she also uses junk mail in her extensive collage pieces.
|
|
Rather than drive down to the beach in a hurried haze, we decided to start our vacation the moment the spaceship pulled out from the driveway. The first hour of the drive was filled with the sound of the kids singing Hungarian blues while I attempted to convince their father of the absolute importance of said Rural Studio Piligrimage at that precise moment in time.
Fortunately, the roads nudged us in the right direction and Patrick didn't put up too thick of a fight. After asking a young man from Los Angeles who was interning in Greensboro how we might get to the Rural Studio, he told us to hop on Main Street and keep going.
So we did. We drove for about 8 miles- right past the neat Newbern Fire Station and then right out of Newbern. There was nothing like a stop light, so don't bother looking.
Partrick perked up:
"Alina, I think we missed it. There's nothing here."
I smiled that patient, annoying, holier-than-thou smile:
"Okay, let's just go back to that store across from the fire station and ask someone. I'm sure people around here know..."
Patrick's reponse did not quite register to this over-eager pilgrim:
"(Sigh, grumble, grumble)...." to fade out.
And so we ended up in the parking lot beside the store in Newbern- and then out in the back, we found the Newbern Playground. Three men hanging out at the picnic table pointed us in the direction of a large warehouse two lots to the left.
One of the guys, a friendly man named James, explained that a tall sir with a British accent going by the name of "Andrew" was the go-to guy behind current Rural Studio projects. The gothic mansion right up the road with all the metal cans to the side was his residence.
Pat and Milla maneuveured the playground as Max and I chatted with the men in hats about how you should move (hint: very slowly) to keep cool in the sweltering weather.
The gent names James told us that we should check out the Lion's Park in Greensboro or Perry Lakes Park in Marion- "the kids will love those". He and Max got to talking about Rural Studio, and James told Max he needed to watch a movie called "Citizen Architect".
Max said:
"Why?"
James replied:
"Ha! Because I'm IN it, that's why!"
Max grinned:
"You mean you're a movie star?"
James flicked his cigarette:
"Something like that, young man. I pop up in all kinds of places."
Max jumped around and grabbed my arm:
"Mom, he's my first movie star. The girls at Capitol School love movie stars. I want to get his autograph because I've never met a movie star."
James asked us to call him "Mr. Peanut", and then proceeded to sign my journal with an autograph for an expectanct Max.
Max had a glow in his cheeks as we strolled back to the car to resume our pilgrimage. When I asked why he was so chipper, Max didn't miss a beat- "Mom! Look at what he wrote! Mr. Peanut LOVES me." And that was all the fuel we needed to persevere.
|
|
Image of Sam Friedman, Helen's father, discovered in a drawer at the Friedman home and shared with the world by the kindly folks at Tuscaloosa News.
After polishing off Helen F. Blackshear's memoir, Mother Was A Rebel: In Praise of Gentle People, I reread a few of her poems with the additional reference points. There is something so juicy and summer-laden about reading poems informed by the poet's biography, especially when the same scent of soil and sun runs through both lives.
Helen wrote this poem while wandering through her family's property along the banks of Bee Branch, one of the major tributaries to Hurricane Creek. It reveals her family's deep ties to the local landscape and its natural beauty. Next week, I'm going to ask her daughters about her ghost and whether Helen kept this poem-promise. In the meantime, savor the poem and ask yourself if there is some landscape which bonds you to your family. Or, explore the artwork of Helen's daughter, Sue Blackshear.
THE BONDING
These woods have captured me.
Ghosts wait where the past turns.
My grandfather, immigrant Jew from Hungary,
bought this land, searching for coal
and bored these prospect holes along the creek.
Perhaps, stopping to smell pink
honeysuckle clinging to the cliff,
he too fell captive here.
I feel his presence.
My father knew these pines from boyhood
when he swam naked in this stream.
Later he built a summer cabin here
for our holidays.
In his eighties he still took walks
most mornings, tree pruners shouldered
to free some tender dogwood sapling
from entangling vines.
If it is true that ghosts may linger
in places they have loved, perhaps my children too
will find me here,
caught in a woods spell.
|
|
There is a space between the window and the bookshelf where nothing ever fits. I've been playing with it and finally decided that Amos Kennedy's letterpress might be the rug that ties the room together. Amos, Gee's Bend quilts, drawings of imaginary animals by Romanian children, war agitprop, and suburban scrawl. We'll see if it lingers.
|
|
In the fall of 1968, Bill Owens began working as a photographer for the Livermore Independent, a paper in California whose daily route brought him into contact with hundreds of suburban families. Bill observed that these proud home owners considered themselves winners of the American Dream, with which they equated material success in the suburbs.
Bill published the photos he took over the course of two years in his book, Suburbia. I've shared a few of the photos with you because I love them and have them in various places hanging on my walls.
All the comments under the photos were made the persons in the photos, and they serve as flashlights onto how many middle-class Americans percieved themselves in the late 1960's.
Love this couple.
Yard work in the days when there was enough rain to make it worthwhile.
She is a proud subscriber to Good Housekeeping.
Perfect kitsch.
This one is a personal favorite- it's framed as a reminder of priorities in life. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
This could be applied to present as well, except now we know the truth about Bank of America.
I'm happy to be nowhere near these two.
"Wild party" indeed- can't help thinking this looks like a girl who used to be named Erin Fitzhugh. Only she could look that good in a polyester dress.
With suburbia came the requirement of a perfectly-tended, martial lawn.
I'm partial to their art and would love to buy a pair of those pants for my husband.
This is the text on the back cover of the book. Who's up for some car-gazing?
|
|
Just a hop, skip, and jump away from our home, beautiful things are happening thanks to beautiful people who can't help themselves from sharing their talents with the world. The Alberta City Gathering Place is a volunteer opportunity for local residents to pitch in from June 2nd to June 10th. Volunteers are needed from 7 am to noon and from 5 pm to 8 pm everyday.
Officially, the Gathering Place is a community project focused on building a useful and creative gathering space in an area of Tuscaloosa ravaged by last April's tornado.
The Alberta City Gathering Place Project is a community project focused on building a useful and creative gathering space in an area affected by the April 27th tornado. It will take place in the heart of Alberta, at Jaycee Park. An area affected by the tornado, Albert has been slow to recover. It is our dream that by June 10th, we can provide the residents of this community, as well as the residents of Tuscaloosa, with an artistic and imaginative gathering space. The focal point of the Alberta City Gathering Place will be a small amphitheater seating roughly 80 people. At the center of this amphitheater will be a concrete performance stage. Tall metal pillars will be erected around the boarders of the amphitheater in order to anchor a mesh roof to provide shade. A walking path will meander through the amphitheater, making its way toward a raised observation point. Picnic tables, benches, and barbecue grills will be included in the park.All of these features will include materials salvaged from the tornado. We are limited only by our imagination!
In order to make our vision a reality, we need your help. The Alberta City Gathering Place Project is an effort for the community by the community. We need volunteers to design, plan, and erect this park. On March 8th we are holding a meeting to reveal our building plan to the public, as well as to train volunteers in building and leadership techniques.
If you would like to be a part of this process, please contact [email protected] and let her know! Or check out the Facebook page and mosey on over to lend a hand. You can donate to the Pomegranate Center as thanks for their gift to our community.
|
|
The Tuscaloosa County Master Gardeners invite the public to a night of “Art Inspired by Nature” featuring works from artist/speaker Barry Graham.
Art by TCMG members Linda Baggett, Bobby Cherones, Judith Rives and Virginia Williams will also be displayed. This meeting / event will be held at the:
Tuscaloosa County Extension Office Auditorium
2513 7th Street - Tuscaloosa County Courthouse Annex
Tuesday, June 12, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
To get a sense of what you're going to see, this is a beautiful birdhouse by Barry Graham.
|
|
Mrs. Liddell knew how to tell a good tale. Here is a historical ditty about how the Presbyterian church put an end to the practice of "telephoning for catfish":
The men under the pecan tree never tire of talking about hunting, fishing, dogs, and whatever game is in season. Here is where they bring their turkey beards for comparison, bring in their fox tails, their deer, their biggest catches of fish, the longest rattlesnake, the biggest bobcat, often taking pictures for further proof.
When it was discovered that sending an electric current generated by an old crank-type telephone, into the water would cause the scaleless fish, stunned by the shock, to surface and they could then easily be caught and hauled into boats, fishermen went wild catching catfish by, as they called it, "telephoning for them".
When strangers dropped by the pecan tree, the men had no end of fun betting them that they could catch a boatload of fish merely be telephoning them to come up out of the water. Many bets were made and lost, always to the consternation of the newly initiated. But as the news spread, the method of thus catching catfish was so abused that, in time, it was outlawed.
But the practice did not subside, the pecan-sitters say, until the deacons of the Presbyterian church had caught all the catfish in the river for church suppers, and all their generators had been dumped overboard to destroy evidence.
(V. Liddell, A Place of Springs, p.141)
Robert Sloan's oil pastel pecan tree can be found online.
Viola Goode Liddell A resident of Alabama's Black Belt for nearly all of her life, Viola Goode Liddell (1901-1998) recounted the stories of many Wilcox County residents, including her own, in three memoirs. These works tell the story of her home and, through her own life experiences, the story of the South during the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, and into the 1970s. Liddell also published several short stories and a book of poems.
Viola Jefferson Goode was one of nine children of Robert and Annie (Gaston) Goode and was born on December 18, 1901, in Gastonburg, Wilcox County. The town had been named for her maternal grandfather, David Finis Gaston. After high school graduation at age 16, Viola followed in the tradition of her older sisters, attending Judson College in Marion, Perry County. She graduated in 1922 and married Oxford Stroud. The couple lived briefly in Demopolis, Marengo County, where Viola gave birth to their son (and future Auburn University professor and literary figure) Oxford Stroud Jr. Soon after, the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her father, apparently having misgivings about her newly chosen spouse, handed Viola $100 as train fare home if the marriage ended badly. Indeed, in 1931, Goode divorced Stroud and moved with her son to Linden, Marengo County, where she taught French. The following year, they settled in Camden, Wilcox County, the birthplace of her father and the residence of her oldest sister, Mary, whom she called Mamie.
(Excerpted from Encyclopedia of Alabama)
|
|
Since the early 1980s, artist Hubert Duprat has been utilizing insects to construct some of his "sculptures." By removing caddis fly larvae from their natural habitat and providing them with precious materials, he prompts them to manufacture cases that resemble jewelers' creations. Information theory, as explained by biologists such as Jacques Monod and Henri Atlan, helps us understand what seems to be the insect's aesthetic behavior. The activities of the caddis worm, as manipulated by Hubert Duprat, are prompted by the "noise"---beads, pearls and 18-karat gold pieces---introduced by the artist into the insect's environment. Learn more online.
|
|
On his website, Tino explains the purpose of his journey:
I came to this country in 2001, hoping to someday call myself an American. Now, ten years later, I am finally eligible to apply for citizenship. I am commemorating this event by taking a little walk—from my home in New York City, through North Carolina and Alabama, across the Mississippi and the Arizona desert. I'll finish out in Los Angeles.
The day of my naturalization I will become a fellow citizen of over 285 million people who call themselves American. Most have been able to use that label their whole lives, but I have not, so I am trying to better understand what it really means to them.
I will meet hundreds of people along the way, across a great spectrum of ages, races, ethnic backgrounds, and lifestyles that exist in this vast country. I will try to catalog as much as I can, but no matter who I meet, above all, I want to know what being American means to them, and find out what binds us together as a nation.
What does a 10th-generation New Englander have in common with a first-generation Hispanic in California? What does a descendant of antebellum slave owners share with the granddaughter of Vietnamese refugees? How is the life of a Native American today similar to that of someone whose ancestors were kidnapped in Africa and brought here as slaves?
I will chronicle my journey by writing regular dispatches for Arizona State University's Center for Social Cohesion. I will introduce you to the people I meet, and share with you their stories. And even if I don't make it to your town, I encourage you to reach out and tell me your own thoughts on what being American is all about.
See you on the road, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
A photo from Tino's recent travels across the South. You can get a copy here.
If you'd like to be a part of his exciting journey, read about where he is and what he needs right now. Or contribute to his travel costs by purchasing a photo from his gallery of travels across America.
|
|
Yesterday, Milla and I took a little trip to Canterbury Chapel, an Episcopal church located on the UA campus. A few lovely ladies were witnesses to Milla's shrieking phase, and their kindness was greatly appreciated by the mom who still sometimes feels guilty when her children don't act like well-tamed, conventional "adults" in public.
The "Our Father" at Canterbury Chapel.
While waiting to speak to Rev. Burnette, we marveled over a beautiful "Our Father" hanging on the wall in the hallway. You could see so many reflections and shafts of light reflected in the holy words- humbling and beautiful. The image of me holding Milla, an un-pieta, speaks strongly to my faith in the love He enables us to bear and share.
I encourage you to visit it and take part in many of the other wonderful programs, including the community garden, offered by Canterbury Chapel to Tuscaloosa residents.
|
|
We discovered a new world this week- a novel galaxy whose radioactive proximity excites the senses and imagination. In the past month, as I've tried to organize the Circles of Peace workshops for the coming year, various friends and acquaintances mention that I should meet David and Sonia Kopaska-Merkel. Never one to wait for stylized introductions, I packed the kids into the spaceship and cruised on over to make their acquaintance.
No one was home. Or, perhaps, someone was home but preferred to be "un-home". When Max asked why we had come to meet this family, I explained that I thought they were pretty neat and that they wrote speculative poetry, words combined into stalagmites and supernovas both fantastic and no larger than the gnome residing under the tree stump in our front yard.
Max said:
"Cool. I could do that. Maybe they'll teach me."
Alina said:
"Maybe. Either way, I think we have lots to learn from them."
When we got back to the Coryell Castle, Max continued to inquire about speculative poetry. I answered his queries with a few poems by Mr. Kopaska-Merkel, available for free in audio format at his magazine, Dreams and Nightmares.
Max said:
"I like how he brings the stars to earth."
Alina agreed.
Max said:
"Tell me more about the guy who wrote it."
Alina read aloud:
David C. Kopaska-Merkel is the editor and publisher of Dreams and Nightmares magazine, and was for six years the editor of Star*Line, the journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Fourteen previous chapbooks and hundreds of poems and short stories have been published in dozens of venues since the early 1980s. David lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with 2 artists, 3 cats, 1 dog, 2 bunnies, and thousands of books.
Max said:
"I wonder if he'd like to teach some kids about stars and universes and poems?"
Alina said:
"I wonder as well."
Max said:
"How do we find out?"
Alina said:
"Every point has the potential to create a line or a circle."
|
|
The Magic Babushka by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes is an engaging tale on many levels- sensory experiences, Russian culture, folk arts, and virtues. All three loved it so much that babushkas snuggled into the order of the day.
Reading it aloud entertained all of us, since there are a number of tongue twisters that might not be so cumbersome for Russian-seasoned tongues but certainly sounded a little disjointed coming from mine.
A collage I made from illustrations.
The illustrations convey the Russian village folk culture, costumes, and even the embroidery patterns. Nadia, a young peasant girl, sweeps the dirt outside their wooden hut, or isba.
Nadia's pysanky, or painted Easter eggs decorated using dyes and wax, require artisanship and skill. Pysanky comes from the Ukranian word meaning "to write". The designs are written on an egg with a tool called a stylus, which is filled with hot beeswax. The wax is used in the same way that crayons are used when doing crayon or wax resist with paints. If you'd like to try an egg-painting craft, my favorite online tutorials so far include:
Wax painted eggs with Counting Coconuts
Romanian painted eggs with Poppy Gall
The authoritative Learning Pysanky website
And for those who desire a hardcore challenge, Arlene's Ukranian egg painting how-to
Since Nadia's kindness to a butterfly plays an important role in the story, we tried to tie butterflies out of our babushkas using the model in the book.
|
|
Max's first symmography study- A Window with a Web.
Given the right kinds of line segments, you can find curves formed from a series of straight line segments. Geometry teacher Nancy Powell explains how symmography, a form of string art, brings geometric shapes and parabolas to life:
Line designs utilize basic geometric forms, making curves out of segments. Order and symmetry are the basis of string art's appeal. Elaborate designs can be created with geometric shapes, points, and colored string .Line designs form a basis for mathematical understanding of geometric shapes and relationships of points, segments, and angles. Each of the line segments is really a tangent for each of the curves being formed. But because of what we focus on, we often see the curves. For example, some of the curves that can be created are circles, parabolas, ellipses, hyperbolas, spirals, and some less known curves called cardioids, limacons, and deltoids. Yet in each case they were created with angles of different sizes, regular and irregular polygons, and a lot of segments and points.
As usual, the discovery of a thrifted book is what led us to this new fascination.
A book which shows us how to use our protractor, a gift from Pam, to achieve symmertrical curves.
WHAT WE USED
A piece of wood (we used a tacky old engraving which we painted over with navy paint)
Yarn, embroidery floss, and various strings
Hammer and nails (shorter than 1 inch so they don't poke out through back of wood)
Paints (for background and nails, if you desire)
Paper and pencil
HOW WE USED IT
Max created two different symmography designs, and this tutorial will alternate between the two. Max first painted his first wood piece navy blue and his second wood piece yellow. While the pieces dried, he decided he wanted to create two different pieces- a blue experiment with two squares and a happy owl. He used his pencil to draw these squares on one sheet of paper and an owl on a different sheet of paper.
Then we put the paper atop his wood piece and Max hammered in the nails using the paper as a pattern or template.
Thrilled to be using his new nailing skills which Patrick helped him to develop yesterday, Max placed his nails close together on the curves of the owl head so he could bring out the details.
Max laughs and exclaims:
"Hey mom, you're being selfish with the hammer but it doesn't matter because I can use the plastic hammer with these nails. Maybe I'll go down in history as the first symmographer to work with a plastic toy hammer."
Max wanted to work with triangles and "webby shapes", so he put the dark blue yarn on the bottom to create texture and add dimension to the navy blue paint.
Then he used green nubby yarn, gold thread, and blue embroidery floss for the details on his blue squares. He played quite a bit with the possibilities by stringing and unstringing until he got just the look he wanted. And I've started my own project for our bedroom, which I'll share as it progresses.
Beautiful beautiful string bubbles from our book to ponder and inspire.
In the meantine, as Max works on his owl and I try not to wet my pants with joy, you can get a detailed, printable explanation from this instructional for the String Art Girl Scout Badge, which almost makes me wish I had Scouted long enough to get past the cookie-selling stage.
The String Art Badge I never earned.
Or you can chase butterflies all around the web to fabulous free symmography tutorials and patterns like these:
A tall flower
A circle
A square or circle burst
A star
Circle 1 pattern
Circle 2 pattern
Nail-less string art for little hands
String art math
Christmas maths pudding pattern
Diamond pattern
Heart circle pattern
Scalloped circle on cardboard
String art teacher notes
Not to mention inspiring creations that make every piece od scrap wood smell like a potential masterpiece:
Sarah's driftwood symmography
Robin's nest on driftwood
Beautiful school string art gallery
Designs in string
The pumpkin
Mind-boggle
Star Wars string art
Earth map
Amazed face
|
|
The last lines of Nabokov's poem, "An Evening of Russian Poetry".
Vladimir Nabokov, or VN for short, shared his autobiographies with me last night in the form of collected, bound words entitled Speak, Memory. Originally, he considered titling the book The Anthemion, which is the name of a honeysuckle ornament consisting of elaborate interlacements and budding clusters, but it didn't resonate as richly with his friends or editors.
Memory speaks to him in "comets and eclipses" (see this excerpt for details). I'd forgotten how thick and tactile VN's descriptions can be- the heady, scented details of childhood conjure everything except the adult version of the moment. When he describes in intimate detail the horrors of bedtime, the thudding fear of the moment when his nanny would finish her reading and turn out the light in her room thus transforming his world in the terrors of pitch black, I remember a grade-school, flannel-clad Alina fearing the moment when he dad would turn off the hall light- the wide-awakeness of the interval between that first darkness and the assurance of his slumber which allowed her to sneak out and turn the light back on. My childhood bedtimes, like VN's, stand out for the vivid demons and shadowed strangers, undistracted by chains of prayers and guardian angels, those messengers of restlessness which selected me as medium while ignoring everyone else in my family.
VN revisits his childhood terrors with the sanguine complacencency of an adult who has grown accustomed to his "bedtime ordeal":
"All my life I have been a poor go-to-sleeper. People in trains, who lay their newspaper aside, fold their silly arms, and immediately, with an offensive familiarity of demeanor, start snoring, amaze me as much as the uninhibited chap who cozily defecates in the presence of a chatty tubber, or participates in huge demonstrations, or joins some union in order to dissolve it. Sleep is the most moronic fraternity in the world, with the heaviest dues and the crudest rituals. It is a mental torture I find debasing. The strain and drain of composition often force me, alas, to swallow a strong pill that gives me an hour or two of frightful nightmares or even to accept the comic relief of a midday snooze, the way a senile rake might totter to the nearest enthusiasm; but I simply cannot get used to the nightly betrayal of reason, humanity, genius. No matter how great my weariness, the wretch of parting with consciousness is unspeakably repulsive to me...."
Dear VN. You can imagine how comforting this was to read at 1:30 am last night if you are the kind of woman who finds sleeping pills and their attendant hallucinations more uncomfortable than a cumulative sleep deficit. Maybe I'll have time to catch up on all that sleep I missed when I'm comfortably nestled in a coffin. How to explain or understand this insomnia which only disappears as if by magic when I am pregnant? Does the existence of a sleep-loving life within me affect my sleep cycle? In the world of bedtimes, pregnancy makes me like you- a contented member of the go-to-sleep crowd unmolested by strange messengers and dim fugues. Having known both worlds makes it impossible to choose between them.
|
|
Suebee and Pops took the munchkins to All Fired Up, our local ceramic and mosaic painting studio, during their visit last week, and the results are fresh from the kiln. It was the perfect activity for grandchildren and grandparents on a rainy afternoon, and the munchkins have been inquiring about when their creations might be ready to pick up all week.
The kids were so excited to receive their final creations and to notice how the chalky, light colors turned into glossy bright colors after being "fired up".
Micah explained that "Suebee wrote the letters" on her switchplate.
The rest, however, is pure Micah.
Max created a Harry Potter vase which we are using as a pencil holder for his vast collection of pencils.
Micah told Max he should smile when someone takes his picture. So Max "smiled". I'll admit that I have reservations about teaching him a proper fake smile since I personally find such smiles difficult and rather exhausting. I'm sure Micah will step in.
I love Max's use of colors and textures.
|
|
The fantastic spring colors and textures of native plants are preparing their theatric annual entrance. Tuscaloosa residents can cultivate their drawing and painting skills this spring, possibly to record the theatre of life, by signing up for art lessons.
Beginning Colored Pencil Drawing
1-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 27-May 1 at the PARA Phelps Center
Instructor Diana Francko will guide you through the process of depicting the world in colored pencils. The cost is $65, though I'm not sure if this is for session or for the entire course. Supplies needed are 120 count or larger set of Prismacolor pencils and an electric pencil sharpener.
Watercolor painting
Evening session 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24-May 29, at the Miller Center
Day session 10 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, April 25-May 30, at the Phelps Center
This course is geared towards beginner and intermediate students. Cost is $70 per session, plus supplies. Instructor is John Tilley. Contact him at 205-562-3230.
Advanced watercolor painting
1-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 5-May 30, at the Phelps Center
Cost is $70 per session, plus supplies. Instructor is John Tilley. Contact him at 205-562-3230.
|
|
Carnival Pop Singer on Stage at Night by John Rombola, 1968. Gouache and colored pencil on paper.
Detail from Carnival Pop Singer on Stage at Night by John Rombola, 1968.
Max thought the word cloud was a neat effect because "I can almost hear him sing or know what he is singing about, which the artist had no other way to show." I told him that John Rombola has been called "an eccentric who had to endure being incorrectly labelled an original". Max's retort:
"Mom, please. Sometimes people use words to make nonsense. I like Rombola's art. I'm going to go and make a singer now."
Daily Prophet Draw Pop Singer by Max Coryell, 2012. Pencil and crayons on paper.
Detail of Daily Prophet Draw Pop Singer by Max Coryell, 2012
|
|
Romanian naive art, remarkable for its celebration of village and Danube life, as opposed to its precise representation of individuals and perspective. There's something jolly, almost good-natured, about naive painting. I love it and think it encourages young people to draw the world as they percieve it, as opposed to how older men and women drinking tea at a country club might see it.
|
|
Cristian Bassa is a Romanian photographer with a sense of humor and an eye for the poetry of everyday life.
A lady in a Sibiu window.
One from the time after time series.
Bassa captures his grandmother in her milieu, as patterned by age, sharpened by time, and worn by love.
Bassa describes learning from artist-professor Micrea Tocaci in the sculptor's quest to discover what lies within a stone:
when we arrive on site i followed Mircea around in his quest picking the right stone. he is looking for the right type stone composition, pattern and texture. not any stone will do, as i found out later while happily holding in my hand a small semitransparent stone, apparently not usable. for me, all the stones looked the same yet Mircea carefully baptizes them with water to remove their first mask, the dirt mask, revealing a little of their true selves.
Mircea pulling back layers from the stone.
The Weeping Lady
When she emerges from the stone, Bassa considers how many more possibilities lie beneath the masks of the ordinary and mundane:
what is there left to say? that maybe we are surrounded by beauty and we don't even realize? maybe we all have beauty within us and we need someone to come and shatter away our masks? maybe we are too afraid to take them off ourselves to reveal our inner light?everything is all so silent. again.
|
|
PEASANT LOVE SONGS
by George Cosbuc, translated by Maurice Aisen
I.
He
In the garden of my sweetheart
Sing two birds beautifully,
And the sun proudly shines,
And my darling sits and dreams.
Near the garden of my sweetheart
Runs a river clear and crystal
Where my darling sits and weeps.
She
When you are here, little man,
I dress all the time like a bride,
Wearing flowers and pearls
So you will like them.
Since you have gone away, little man,
The red belt and the tulip have vanished—
It is so sad.
Green leaf of the citron:
My little man has gone to the army;
He is gone and does not write to me,
Neither on the leaves, nor on the river,
Nor on the wings of the wind.
II.
Bad, O mother, is fever,
But far, far worse is love.
For fever you can eat and drink,
But for love there is naught but pain.
From fever my mother can cure me,
But love is far from her care;
From fever the priest can pray me,
But not from the evil of love.
All of us learn this evil,
As did I a year from last spring.
The longing is slowly killing me—
Yes, love is an evil thing.
III.
If you did not love me, little man,
God shall curse you for it.
You should marry nine times,
And you should have nine boys.
You should have a girl too—
She shall bring you water in prison,
Because when you left me
You broke my heart and my love.
IV.
Little man, tell me, is it true?
Be honest and tell me, please—
Do you love me or not?
If you like me only a little,
Take any road that you wish,
But never the one that leads to my house.
Cristian Bassa photographed the making of Doamna Care Plange.
V.
Goodbye, darling, good luck!
Remain beautiful as a violet
In a glass on the table.
VI.
Beautiful girl with blonde hair,
When I see you I begin to lean
Like the leaves in the acacia
When the wind is blowing through them.
Like the leaves of the oak tree I lean
When the breeze is blowing through them.
VII.
I had a beautiful neighbor,
And a path to her garden;
But she went and got married
And said not a word to me.
I would have taken her myself!
If she had married three villages away,
It wouldn’t have hurt me so.
But she married a man down our street,
The third door from my mother’s home!
When I am in, I hear her voice;
When I go out, I see her face:
It makes my heart burn like fire.
You can find a PDF version of this poem online at the archives of Poetry magazine. Aisen wrote translated this poem as part of his "Roumainian Poems" series by Romanian poet George Cosbuc.
Drawing by Tonitza.
|
|
Our one piece of artwork for today turned into a multitude of artworks by one artist in particular. Blame it on the book we found which captivated us for a few hours because, well, Nicolae Tonitza evokes everything.
I made a collage of four different paintings by Tonitza to compare his depiction of faces.
The way he paints faces always blurs the eyes. Depending on the viewer, this might appear morbid. Max and I both agreed that it made the figures appear innocent and doll-like.
Mother and Child by Nicolae Tonitza.
The Bread Line by Nicolae Tonitza, 1920.
We found this study for The Bread Line by Nicolae Tonitza in our book. It would make an excellent coloring or watercolor painting page to encourage children to explore shading and layering in paints. I think I'm going to print a copy and let them have a go at it.
Nicolae Tonitza (1886-1940) was a Romanian painter, engraver, lithographer, journalist and art critic. Drawing inspiration from Post-impressionism and Expressionism, he had a major role in introducing modernist guidelines to local art. Like most artists of his day, Tonitza spent the requisite years in Paris and, drawing on a Romanian tradition, spent a few years painting monasteries and churches (an example of one of these church paintings).
Tonitza's health remained precarious after fighting in World War I. As an artist, his compassion for the suffering emerged most clearly in his graphic work, which bordered on the furious. His graphics and sketches were published by numerous contemporary political magazines, often with a leftish lean. In 1921, Tonitza opened the door to a whole new medium by painting prototypes for a ceramics factory and organizing a ceramics exhibition. A few months later, he moved to Vălenii de Munte, and ended his fliration with journalism and political illustration. His new experiences as a father, husband, and rural dweller contributed to the development of his characteristic style and themes.
In the Red Corner by Nicolae Tonitza.
The tragic effects of World War I on Tonitza and his generation are revealed in this undated painting, Dupa Razboi (or After the War). Tonitza's compassion for the female experience of war is elicited through the harrowing expression on her face and the crosses in the background- every soldier is someone's child or father or husband.
The House in Doborgea by Nicolae Tonitza, currently held by the Museum of Art in Brasov, along with many other beautiful paintings by Romanian artists.
|
|
Toledo Bottle by Harvey Littleton, 1962.
Harvey Littleton is the man who brought glass art from the factory to the studio, blurring the line between craftsman and artist. Dale Chihuly was one of his students. And every glass artist currently blowing glass knows Littleton's name. The curves on Toledo Bottle are just beautiful and asymmetrical enough to be what Peter Berger might call "impossibly dynamic"- real enough to suggest intimate knowledge.
Of course, Littleton did not start off as a glass artist. He actually carved out a little clay niche in ceramics backed by a silent fascination with physics.
00 Buckshot State III by Harvey Littleton, vitreograph, 2001
You can see more of Littleton's vitreographs and learn about his sandblasting technique here. Max kept reminding me that "we saw a glassblower called Cornwall when Micah was a baby and he was really cool". Consider it commentary.
|
|
The Scream by Edvard Munch, 1893. Oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard.
Expressionism is a style of art in which the artist tries to express certain feelings about something. In expressionism, the artist is more concerned about having their painting express a feeling than in making the painting look exactly like what they are painting. Expressionist art often uses bold lines and colors to convey feelings and emotions.
Max said:
"I'm an expressionist, Mom! I just discovered! That explains everything!"
The Scream, also sometimes known as "The Cry", is considered by many to be the first expressionist painting. Munch regarded it as a "soul painting" because it expressed what laid in someone's soul. He actually painted four different versions, but the most famous is this one with the rich, red, vibrant sky.
Max said:
"I think the red one is popular because it was like his real description and because it is so shocking."
In a page in his diary from 1892, Munch described his inspiration for the image:
"I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."
Max wanted to use cardboard for his experiment in expressionism, since Munch used cardboard for The Scream. He also pointed out that we should use pastels if we really want to explore Munch's process.
So we assembled our supplies- pieces of cardboard, paintbrushes, pastels, cup of water, watercolors- and then list talked about the hardest feelings to express. Max said "a person who hears nature's happy cry", while Micah said "being sad". Milla just sat around looking wise. I said "tormenting confusion".
What colors would best represent these feelings? We chose the pastels we would need in the colors we found to be expressive. Then we each set out to draw a portrait of this emotion using pastels. Our goal- "to reflect feeling, not reality".
"The road ventures far off into the distance because nature can be followed forever," promised Max.
Person Who Hears Nature's Happy Cry by Max Coryell, 2012
(Pastel and mud paint on cardboard)
Detail from Person Who Hears Nature's Happy Cry
Then we used watercolors to wash over the pastel drawing. Actually, Max elected to use homemade mud paint because he felt it really reflected the love for nature (more on the mud paint later). Make sure to choose a watercolor that compliments the pastel colors- for dark pastels, use a light watercolor and for light pastels, use a dark watercolor.
Interior Monologue by Alina Coryell, 2012
(Pastel and watercolor on cardboard)
Detail from Interior Monologue.
|
|
Four Pharoahs by John Rombola, 1964. Gouache and inl on paper.
The World is Everything That Is The Case
a poem by Daryl Hine with reference to Ludwig Wittgenstein
Embodying the liar's paradox,
Why did he have to reinvent the wheel?
Unable, he said, to lie or cheat or steal,
Or understand it when a lion talks,
How to construe a language game that mocks
Significance, too scrupulous to feel
That others are indubitably real,
Puzzled the solitary chatterbox.
Ultimate mystery, another's pain
Even the saint that caused it might refuse
To recognize, like a strange, native place.
What does it profit anyone to gain
His own, imaginary soul, and lose
Forever everything that is the case?
|
|
Mystic Nativity by Sandro Botticelli, 1500 (oil on canvas).
Max enjoyed staring at this painting for a long time- "there are lots of things happening but I can't tell if people are happy or scared".
We learned from wikipedia that the Greek inscription at the top translates as:
This picture, at the end of the year 1500, in the troubles of Italy, I Alessandro, in the half-time after the time, painted, according to the eleventh [chapter] of Saint John, in the second woe of the Apocalypse, during the release of the devil for three-and-a-half years; then he shall be bound in the twelfth [chapter] and we shall see [him buried] as in this picture.
It seems that Botticelli believed himself to be living during the Tribulation or the Biblical end times, perhaps due to political turmoil and war in Europe at the time. We talked about symbolism in paintings, and Max made a list of all the symbols he could see in the painting and what they represented. I don't know if it's a developmental phase or a personal preference but he is currently a big fan of "perfect painters", or "guys who know how to make things look right".
Max didn't see any inconsistency of vision when comparing this to Botticelli's more famous work, like The Birth of Venus. I think that we adults tend to project our own discomforts with Greek and Roman mythology on little people to whom such stories make formidable sense. I remember as a child finding it very difficult to imagine a God who was not, in some sense, like me. And the character of God in the Old Testament includes a rich texture of human emotions, including rage, unhappiness, loneliness, and frustration. I wonder how Max understands Christ's role and character....
|
|
A Zuni pueblo mudhead from Mud Matters.
With so much rain, Max observed that Pontullia is "peaking" and "it's a great time for mud". He wanted to know more about the Mudheads so we did a little morning browsing. We found this information on a kachina website:
The Koyemsi, or Mudhead Kachina, is a clown who may be seen in most Hopi ceremonies. Mudhead Kachinas drum, dance, play games with the audience, and may act as announcers for events. They often give prizes or rewards for the races and guessing games they organize. The term "mudhead" comes from their masks which have mud applied to them.
Most of the time they accompany other kachina; probably the only time when they do not appear with other personages is during the Night Dances. Koyemsi are usually the ones that play games with the audience to the accompaniment of rollicking tunes. These games are generally guessing games or simple attempts to balance objects of performances of some common act and the rewards are prizes of food or clothing.
They may appear as a chorus, and on First Mesa and possibly other villages their songs are in Zuni. During the rests in a dance, they may engage in games with the boys and girls in the audience. At other times, only a single Mudhead may appear as a drummer for a group. Should a dancer not have the proper mask or be late in arriving, he can easily become a Mudhead by donning that mask. These kachinas appear in almost every Hopi dance.
A Zuni mudhead mask from New Mexico currently at the Met.
Alina reads an excerpt from Mud Matters in which author Jennifer Owens Dewey describes her experience at a Hopi mudhead ceremony (6:21)
Editorial note: You can enjoy Milla's latest vocalization phase in the background. She is currently exploring screaming at the top of her lungs and then looking around to see if Micah or Max will scream with her. I am so very glad they did not.
Hopi mudhead masks for auction.
|
|
Tino never runs out of cool things to teach us. Earlier this week, it was fibonacchi numbers. Last night, it was painting with light. According to Wikipedia:
Light painting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera. The term light painting also encompasses images lit from outside the frame with hand-held light sources. Light Painting Photography can be traced back to the year 1914 when Frank Gilbreth, along with his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth, used small lights and the open shutter of a camera to track the motion of manufacturing and clerical workers. Man Ray, in his 1935 series "Space Writing," was the first known art photographer to use the technique.
Fascination. We armed ourselves with various sources of light and proceeded to paint the town, ourselves, our lives, our bodies with light. How did we manage? Great question. Ask Tino- he's the one who set the exposures and handled the technical details. We just did the dancing.
I loved his photos so much that I added a little words and music to this slideshow for your viewing pleasure (and my creating pleasure, of course). Don't you think it's time you tried a little light painting with the family?
Untitled from Alina Coryell on Vimeo.
|
|
Skyscrapers by John Rombola, 1968. Ink on paper.
Comparing Rombola's drawing to a few photo of skyscrapers and noticing his technique:
Max wasn't overly impressed or interested in Rombola's rendition.
|
|
Self-Portrait with Cloak by Pablo Picasso, 1901
The most beautiful art I've ever seen by Picasso remains the sculptures in his Antibes home-turned-museum. The man is an artistic gold mine. As a learning adventure, Picasso presents the opportunity to study an artist's evolution from various vantage points. We know so much about his life- he enjoyed the publicity, the fame- that allows us to explore his thoughts, motivations, and political concerns.
Since blue is Max's new favorite color, I told him that Picasso went through a "blue period" from 1901 to 1904. In this time, his paintings make obvious use of the color blue. Picasso even went so far as to wear blue clothes throughout this period.
We looked at various blue period paintings. Max found them to be "sad" and "kinda crippled". I agreed. It seems that was Picasso's intention- he chose the blue, a deep and cold blue, a blue without any warmth, a blue evoking despair and misery, to intensify the hopelessness of the people in these paintings, including beggars, prostitutes, the blind, out-of-work actors and circus folk. Picasso also painted himself during this period, so we have an interesting peek into how he understood and felt this season of his life.
Living in Paris at that time, far from family and home, Picasso shares the plight of other social outcasts, other lonely people on the fringes of society. He felt this profoundly enough to paint it. Max pointed out that he "even used blue on his own face for shading" in the portrait. I love how Max shows me details that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed. Co-piloting is my preferred educational model. Even "facilitation" feels too forced these days....
"I want to paint my own blue portrait but I don't feel sad or outcasted. I just like how the blue background makes everything stand out. And I really like blue. It's like the sky- big and bigger and always seeming to get bigger."
Max's "blue expression" to match his blue portrait. Even Max's blue period portrait is set with a smile. He can't help it.
|
|
We read Van Gogh and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt, a gift from Todd and Lisa, part of our ongoing slow Christmas.
Then Max surveyed the section on Van Gogh in his Usborne Children's Book of Art.
Max showed Micah a portrait of Van Gogh from his book.
Micah was really bothered by the fact that Van Gogh "died" and that he "cut his ear".
"That bothers me too, Micah. I think you need someone to help you when you feel like cutting off you ear. I wouldn't want to wake up and realize I was missing an ear because I got upset and cut it off."
"Yeah, I know.... Mom, can we color?"
"Why not? Max, do you want paper too?"
"Sure! You better give some to Milla or she'll start screaming. Anyway, I think if you want to cut off your ear, you should. It could be part of science."
"Micah's Own Sunflowers" by Micah Coryell, 2012.
After asking me to put her drawing up on our art wire, Micah informed me that she had drawn sunflowers and her ear did not fall off. We were both relieved. I hadn't realized the two were connected in her mind.
|
|
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
