Kung Fu Vollyball?

Okay! You all know that I have to share with you all the weird things or even the normal things that I learn about. Tonight I learned about Sepaktakraw. In English it translates - Kick Ball. Pretty simple right? I was watching a tournament on television and I have to say I have never been a Volleyball fan but this game - I really enjoyed watching it! They are not allowed to use their hands at all. They just use their feet and heads. But when the "attacker" goes to kick the ball over the net! Its insane! He is totally kicking that thing Kung Fu style over the net!! I love it. Alright. Well its late and I need to go to bed. I have been using my little mini trampoline. I might have spoke about it already but I did a little workout tonight and I am super sore! So I am going to bed now. :) Enjoy the video. Tell me if you have heard of it before. 

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Gross Flower? Is that possible?

I was reading about the Corpse Flower last night. I had never heard of them till then. Have you seen or heard of these? They are huge! They can grow up to 6 feet tall. The record high is 9 feet. They only bloom for 2 or so days and every 2 - 3 years and sometimes even longer between times. When they open up they smell like a dead body and they attract insects like flies and beetles to pollinate them. When one bloomed in a Botanical Garden in California, they said that normally they get about 50 or so visitors to the garden in a few days - but when this bloomed they had over 5,000. I am pretty sure that is what the number was. There seem to be different looks for these flowers so you can just do an image search for them if you are really interested. I am going to read a bit more about them too. Very interesting flower. Gross.. But interesting. :) 

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Have I forgotten to draw? Is that even possible?

I have reconnected with Paintings I Love recently and I decided to try another "photo challenge". I am no stranger to this photo because I am actually the one who took it and asked the admin to put it up. I was curious to see how others would paint it. I had no intention on painting it myself until about 3 days ago.

I have been trying to just draw the shapes of the lace out in the front. I am not really concerned with anything else behind the basket really but the front it important. I start to draw it then erase it. Draw it then erase it. The trouble for me is that I have been trying to draw the actual "white" shapes! Instead of just drawing the dark shapes. I could not figure out what my problem was. I was drawing and drawing and thinking "have I lost my touch? I can not seem to figure out the easiest way to do this". So tonight I just stopped trying and relaxed and just let it all come natural and I started to search for the less amount of information and drawing it and the lace is coming together just fine now.    I have done two other photo challenges through this artist (who is really quite good) and I enjoyed them and they came out very well. I believe you all remember this one - 

And then this is the second one that I did. So this other one will make my third. 

Anyway - I just want to do the lace again. I want to see if I can pull it off again. I remember the extreme struggle that I had with the first one and now I want to see if it is the same struggle or if It comes easier this time around. This lace is much more complex that I am working on. 

Maybe you would like to try it out? If you would please post a comment and let me know. I would surely like to see what you come up with! The photo is mine and I give you full permission to use it! :):) Just promise that you will show me what you do. I will post mine also.   If you would like to see what other artists have done with it then just follow this link - Paintings I love Photo Challenge. (Frankie's Photo)  I am pretty sure you can see it even if you are not a member. And if you are not a member you can sign up for free. Just please let them know that I sent you. I get no money.. Just big fat THANK YOU from them :) Always nice.   Do not forget to let me know! Happy painting! 

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Great weekend. :)

I had a very nice weekend. It was my birthday and I got treated very nice. :) Can not complain. I have a great family and lots of friends that love me and are not afraid to tell me that they do! The only sad part about my friends is they live so far away. :( There is one in particular that I am talking about and that is Gena. She is the SWEATEST! She gave me a gift certificate for her online store - Gena's Creations. I got to choose some super yummy smelly stuff that she made and sells for pretty nice prices. I can not wait to get them in the mail. :)

I went to paintings I love this weekend on the internet and was going to update my profile. It turns out they erased everything that I have had on there as if I had not even put anything in there. So I had to redo some things. I just added about 4 things. I am not going to add it all. I will just add what I am working on recently. I am also going to take one of the challenges again. I started the sketch today. A basket and lace. Geeshhh.. I have painted lace before so let me see if I can paint it again. I also made my aunt Heather a hat. I promised her I would last winter and she happened to remind me when she called me to wish me a happy birthday! Its actually really cute the way it turned out. Well anyways I am going to get off and work on the new painting. I am putting it on canvas paper and it seams that Strathmore has changed their way of making the paper. It is no longer stiff. Its actually really loose. I do not really like it. Its for practice purpose so it will be alright. Okay! Talk to you all later.... This post is kind of a bore.. Sorry.. ;) TALK TO YOU SOON!

Oh wow. So many ideas!

So I have a few ideas. Since the kids started school I have had some time alone. Its nice. And actually its not four hours.. I actually only get like 21/2. That is okay too! That is more than I have had in years! I have been making stuff. Lots of stuff. I actually took out my sewing machine! I pulled it out of the closet and dusted it off. Turned it on and it still purrs wonderfully. I am not really good with the machine but its really fun to use and try new stuff on.  So the first thing that I have made on it since I got it out yesterday is a cat collar! And that is what you see here.

I really wasn't sure if I wanted a bell on it or not so I just tacked one on with a tiny safety pin. Its a little rocky but its a start. My cats do not go outside so its just fastened with a button. I was just grabbing whatever I had handy!  I am going to make my dog a collar but I am going to use the pant legs from the jeans that all my girls cut this summer for shorts. I told them to save them for me incase I felt "crafty". Well I do.  Since last thursday I have made two hair clips for my girls, three necklaces out of thread, two pins and a cat collar! Wow. I did not know I had it in me! So I was thinking that

I should work on my "The Art Of Necking" blog. Then I can add all of my projects and even add some projects for others to do as well. I love blogs like that. This I just keep leaving to the painting. But really its more than that. It's just "ME" in general. So when I think I have to keep it to just painting I tend to stay away if I am not painting. That is not the way it should be done. So I will keep you all informed on my blog when I start adding things. I will link it here.   

Those are the other things I have made. I am off to the store now to see what I can find. Hope you all have a great day! Talk to you all soon!



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One of these days I will figure it out. Maybe!

My little Emmie was poking me in a place I did not appreciate being poked. I asked her to stop but instead she giggled and did it again. I wanted to tell her that if she did not stop I would break her finger. How could I say that to a little princess who kisses me on the cheek and tells me that she loves me and I am her favorite mommy? She trusts me to take care of her and to protect her. So instead I said "If you do it one more time I am going to break your... TOYS!"   She looked shocked - then her eyes filled with  tears and she began to pout. Uhh.  That is not what I expected at all. So I said, "Okay I will not break your toys  but I will break your finger?".  She looked up , smiled and then started to laugh.  I just do not get it!  She is getting ready to start preschool and she said that she can not go.  I asked her why and she threw her arms in the air and said " Because I do not know anything!" She makes me smile.  

They all go back to school this week and I am very curious what I am going to do with those 4 hours that I will have to myself for the first time in many years. I am almost nervous about it. But I know I will get used to it and most likely enjoy it. 

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Today is Trash Day!

Happy Birthday George Bellows! You 1800's American Painter, you! I am glad that you were influenced by Robert Henri, your teacher who was another American Painter at the same time. Shall we checkout one of your more famous paintings? Oh look there is one now! I believe you called it "Stag at Sharkey's"  Very nice.. Very nice! 

I called this post trash day because its Friday. Friday is one of our trash days. It was all I could come up with! I am reading a book right now that is called Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives (its a 1.50 if you follow this link actually). I have heard good things about the author and bad things. So far I have not read anything that I think is shocking or negative. I like it. Here is a quote out of the book that I thought was worth sharing -

 "Start dreaming...it doesn't necessarily have to come to pass. The dreams I've had changed. But it's important that you dream. Because if you can dream for your future, it means you believe in yourself now."

I think the book is useful. I have been taking bits and pieces from it and putting them in my pocket. 

So my 8 year old daughter has a friend over spending the night. She wanted to watch her favorite cartoon and share it with her friend. Lucky friend because its "Bleach". An anime series where they do not speak a lick of English. Only Japanese. Of course there are subtitles. But we are talking about 8 years and under watching this show. My kids are all sitting there laughing their heads off while this poor girl has not a clue what to do. She doesn't understand anything that is happening. Neither do my kids but they laugh so hard every time. So she is watching them and then she will look over at the show when they laugh and burst out laughing in the super fake laugh. Its making me smile to watch it. 

Nothing really going on today. Its supposed to rain again. All week it has rained! Yea! I have been loving it. I am ready for fall. The heat has been way too much for me this year. However.. I did get a rockin tan! ;) First time since I lived in Hawaii over 10 years ago. 

Now I need to start working on my stuff for my shop. I need to put new things in there. Crocheting just really takes a lot of time. Not that painting doesn't but Its all in the way you look at it *wink*. 

Well if I come up with anything else to rap about - I will come back. For now.. I am basically sitting here searching for things to talk about. ;)   

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Celebrating the life of a bully.

Last week I found out that my long time child hood bully passed away.  At first when I found out - my stomach sank and I felt sick and sleepy. Then I started to cry. I couldn't talk about him. Every time I tried to explain our relationship and how I felt about him, I would break down and cry. I could not think of anything good between us. Nothing. But yet I broke down and cried a lot. I really needed to figure it out. I was starting to think I was losing my mind. Maybe it was because I am over sensitive and death is not a comfortable subject for me? Who knows? Maybe because I have known him for so long that I actually cared about him? Yes I can see that as true. But how much did I care about him?  If you have some time I would like to give you a little history on our life. He made me cry a lot. He made me hate school. He made me feel so ugly when he would call me "Skankie Frankie". I hated going to PE because if you were on his team - he was so mean if you messed up. He would yell in my face and call me stupid. I think he teased me so much because we lived in a small town and they all knew my life at home. They knew my brother and I were not as fortunate as them. Kids can be so cruel. Everyone laughed at him of course because I believe they feared him. Its easy to get away from the bully if you laugh at him right? Wrong? He will still get you! I was not his only victim. There are others who remember him as I do. So he found me on Facebook recently. When I saw his friend request - I just stared at it for a while. At one point I had thought I forgave him because I thought I saw him weak. I was wrong. His friend request made me a little neurotic. I would go and creep his page over and over. I would follow all his conversations to see what he was saying to others. I wanted him to notice me so when I would leave any type of post I would think of him and wonder if he was reading it and if it made me sound "cool" to him. (Its funny because I did the same thing to a guy who I had known for so long and cared so much for. Him and his family. I ended up not caring as much as I had always thought. Nice to let that go finally.) Facebook is bad enough - Who needs this? I felt like I was in highschool all over again. So I ended up making a new Facebook. One for my friends and then the one I have now for all my close friends and family. I had a small conversation with him and the whole time I was obsessed about it. I was so careful not to say anything that he could use against me or make fun of me. So I joked with him. Seemed to work and I felt a little better. He really had not changed much by what I read and the things he was doing. He still seemed to be someone who made jokes at others expense.  And its so weird because all of those who used to laugh at him to escape him, were doing it on Facebook still!  So why was I crying so much? Well I was not sure why for a couple of hours. Then I figured it out. I was in mourning for this person because I could no longer tell him how much he hurt me! My chance was gone. I could have told him on Facebook and I thought about it - but I was so afraid he would make jokes about it and not care. So I avoided it.  I was on Facebook about 8 days ago and I found myself looking at his page again. So dumb. So I got off. A couple of days later my friend sent me a text and said "that is so weird about MH dying!" I had no clue who she was talking about. Then after I sent "who is MH" I said his name in my head. And that is when I felt sick and sleepy. She confirmed it with her next text.    So why am I telling you all this? Because I can not tell my old friend and peers. They all laughed with him and I think they would just be rude to me. So I am telling you. Whom I trust to just listen. So let me close this off as to how I feel today.   I am not angry. As a matter of fact when I was crying I found myself talking to God about him. Asking him to seek him out if possible and chat with him. Just give him a chance. Saying that right now makes me want to cry again. Yep. I am upset. Anyway - I do not want bad things for him. He taught me a very valuable lesson in life. "Treat others the way you want to be treated". That is a big lesson in my house. My children are constantly reminded to take care of those who are weaker or smaller. This includes other children at school, animals all the way down to ants and spiders. Maybe I have taken it too far with the spiders but still - We have to take care of each other with kindness and love. And for that lesson - I thank you MH! It helps me to celebrate our relationship that we had and accept it as something positive. I pray for peace for his family and for him to Rest Peacefully as well.                                  Life is what we make it. I just want to make it. 


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Mona Lisa

I was reading my art magazines today and I came across this interesting factoid about the Mona Lisa. It reads in "The Artist Magazine" :

Did you know there was a forced two year vacation from the Louvre that helped Mona Lisa achieve widespread fame? In 1911 a former employee stuck the portrait under his shirt and walked out. They found him in 1213 when he was trying to sell the painting to a dealer.   Now the most interesting part for me was the part where is says: "Meanwhile, people lined up to walk by the bar spot normally occupied by the Mona Lisa."  Wow. :) Here are a few more that I found around the net that made me say wow also. 

The Louvre build a room for this painting alone. And it cost them over 7 million dollars. There is even bullet proof glass in front of it. It is valued as priceless and that is why they went to such extremes. 

I never realized she did not have eyebrows but they think that maybe a long time ago a restoration went wrong and they ended up rubbing them out. Or perhaps Leo was just as lazy as they say he was and never finished her eyebrows. Maybe he forgot!? I remember in an art card I painted once of two blue whales.. Mommy and baby.. I was finished.. Gave it away and then realized.. I never painted in the eyes! So I can see it happening!

By the way.. Are any of you working on ACEO cards by chance? I need to do a few. I was looking around the kitchen for inspiration today. Maybe I will paint one of popcorn.. and another of a watermelon. Two of my favorites. Also.. you might enjoy this blog that I came across today http://art.jerryandmartha.com/ Martha's art history blog. 

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I read this book a couple of months ago - and I encourage you to read it too! I loved it. :):) I found a new respect for the impressionist and learned something along the way. Manet is now one of my favorite aritist. The book even made me cry.. Twice!

I have been gone for too long!

Wow. It seems like it has been forever since I was last here. I think I have been lost! A lot of little things have happened to slow me down. I have not been very productive "art" wise if you have not noticed. However tonight  I was sketching. I have been reading and studying up on certain things. I guess I can tell you what the big deal has been with me and art. Well I have been wanting to learn how to glaze. So I had tried with the last painting that I posted about. FLOPPED! I ended up painting white over her. Then I tried to paint her again.. No. Complete failure. So there went the self confidence. Funny thing about this all is I have painted people before! I did not think about it when I was doing it and they turned out fine! So I have a hang up now because I did not finish her. I will carry her weight until I do. I know I know. :) And when I do finish her or finally get it done.. I will fly! I know I know. I am going to do it a third time. I just need to start it. Canvas is ready and waiting...               So for now.. I was sketching... I am wanting to learn the facial features without the aid of graphs. Yes. I draw all my faces with graphs because it takes about 8 hours less time. I can do it without... but.. it takes me so long!   

So I want to work on that. This is the sketch I did tonight. A very fast one mind you. 

Either way its nice to be so loose with things and just do it instead of trying to be perfect! 

Oh and I almost forgot! I actually did do a painting in the last couple of weeks. This one. They are Apricots. I made them a little brighter and the table is much better but this is the basics of the painting. I painted it because I got some apricots from the store and I ate one and so many child hood memories came back. My cousin (might as well be my sister) had an Apricot tree in her yard. Before they were even ripe we would take them off the tree and eat them or have a war with them. I have not really eaten them since then. Sooo.. I ate them.. and I painted this because I miss her. She was going to come and visit me this summer but it has been way to hot for her. We are in the 110s this summer. Its not normal. Its way to hot! We do not go anywhere between noon and 8pm. No joke. Its depressing! My husband wanted to put it in a charity auction but I did not want him to because I did not feel it was really a nice enough painting to do something like that with and I have not painted in months. So I chose this one instead. They loved it so much they were thinking they would buy it for their offices but then decided they are going to raffle it off because they think it will make a lot more money that way. Whatever - its for charity. :) 

I am curious how much it will go for. I do not know how much the raffle tickets are going to be but maybe I will buy one and try to win it back! Wouldn't that be something? 

Anyways.. I will try not to stay away so much this time. :) I am probably going to totally dump the whole Avon Gig. Its really not working out for me and I have not really been trying very hard lately anyway! ;) 

Hope you are all having a great night! 

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Painting update. #2

So here is an updated picture of the painting. I  am trying to work on it as much as I can. It is moving kinda slow. I had a problem with her hand (had to completely re draw it) and the Mandolin. Perspective was all off. Not a problem though. I believe I have a handle on it. :) This morning I was looking up some stuff on adding color in layers and glazes. I found this one video that talks about "the dead layer" and that layer is to be applied after this one. But it is in black and white. Or "grey scale". Not sure how it works yet. I guess its a Flemish technique. I might have just made that up too. Who knows! I have been listening to the song from "I Am Legend" and I love it. So lastnight I decided to listen to my mp3 player while I painted. A few songs came on and then that song came on. I actually became excited! This was the first time I got to test the song out while painting! Some of you I know understand what I am talking about. I love listening to certain styles of music while I paint. It really does help me set the mood. Once I tried to draw a picture of my mother in laws mother. I started it and it was going fine.. Then my husband put on his music and a couple of min. later I noticed I started to make her face warp! I had to scrap it and start again. I did. Still listening to his music. Got half way through.. Scrapped it again! Looked nothing like her. Finally I decided to just wait till he was done. When he was I started again. She has the drawing hanging in her home. I gave it to her for Christmas one year. My point is - music makes such a difference. It calmed me down and I know it helped me to not stress over the mistakes I made and just fix them instead of worrying about it.    

 Here is a video I wanted to share. I think these are really fun to watch. Hope your mondays are fun! I am going to go out soon after I clean up a little more and get a tan! Woohoo! This year I am actually wearing shorts. Very nice. 

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The Stylish Blogger Award

I received this award from a very lovely woman by the name of Debbie. She is a fellow artist who loves to blog about her love for God and share her beautiful art work. <a href="http://debsheadstick.blogspot.com/">Debs Head Stick</a> you can follow this link and see what she is up to.    Debbie is an inspiration to me and I like reading her blogs because like some of the other blogs I read, she has forced me acknowledge things about myself that I really did not want to. But when I did - I felt so much better. Thank you Debbie!   Glad we found one another.                                          

I am now going to tell you a little about myself before I pass this on to four of my fellow bloggers. 

Let me see. What can I share with you that you might find interesting....         (thinking)    

1. I love God. 

2. I love Angels and the ocean.
3. I love the sound of Rob Thomas' voice
4. I love to wear arm socks in the winter
5. I hate to carry a purse. I carry anything that looks NOT like a purse.
6. I love scarfs and turtle necks. 
7. I would eat spaghetti every other night if the kids would let me.
8. I would eat all the cheesecake in the world if It wouldn't make me super fat or die of heart disease. 
9. I love chocolate. Have a stash just for those crazy urges. Dark is the best. 
10.I love to smell things unless they stink! hahah
11.My whole life I have loved everything Victorian.
12.I love garlic.
13.I would rather look at earth tone colors than bright pastels. 
14.Dislike the color purple and baby blue. 
15.I eat ice cream with a fork. And recently I have changed my preference from Ice cream to Frozen custard. OMGOODNESS its so good. 

Now I will decide who I will choose to send this award to... 

First I choose Kristen @ <a href="http://graphicdesignconfessions.blogspot.com/">Confessions of a Graphic Design Student.</a> She is a very lovely young girl and a very talented up and coming artist. She is goofy and very serious at the same time. I think you will like her. 

Second I choose Kate @ <a href="http://creativedegenerate.blogspot.com/">Abstract Ramblings of a Creative Degenerate</a>  Kate is a very talented artist I met on a web site where artists share their art. I met her a couple of years ago and I have loved her ever since. She is my British Buddy! Go to her blog and see what she is painting. Right now she is not blogging a whole lot because she is a "mummy to be". But I have faith she will return soon and dazzle us all with her wonderful artistic talents. 

Third I choose Carol @ <a href="http://www.artmusedogsharethecreativejourney.com/">Art Muse Dog ~ Share The Creative Journey</a>. I met Carol through Blog Frog. She blogs about many things. Many of her posts have really made me slow down and think about things and I appreciate it more than she knows. 

Fourth I choose Angela @ <a href="http://tractorenvy.blogspot.com/">Just A City Girl With Tractor Envy</a> I also met Angela on Blog Frog.  She makes me laugh! If you share the same sense of humor.. I know you will laugh with me on this one. :)   

Hope you all have a great day! 

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Starting a new painting.

I am actually a little bit further. I am going to try to paint this painting in Glazes. I have been doing a lot of studying about glazes and I am sure I am ready. So far.. So good. :)  I thought I could get the whole under painting done last night but my daughter decided to show me her new APP on her ipod that changes the way your voice sounds. So we played with that and laughed and laughed and laughed for too long. Then i was tired and started to see weird things on the painting and had to stop. ;) 

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If you ike this painting. please vote for it..

I am adding a painting to a contest. Its the first for me. If you like the painting - would you please give me your vote. You can also vote on others that you like. But you can only vote once per piece. Thank you!

Please Vote

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Stolen Identity On Facebook

I was listening to talk radio today. Yes, I listen to it a lot! You can learn a lot from talk radio. Anyway - So this woman author decides to get on to facebook after not really wanting to for a long time. She decides that she is going to join because her colleges are pressuring her and assuring her that she can get more readers this way. After what I think was a couple months had gone by she received a direct message from her friend. He was telling her that the kind of page that she had created was inappropriate and not something that was smiled upon. Also he reminded her that the pages were not private and that everyone could see what she was displaying. He then left her a link to this page. She clicked on it and what she found horrified her. Someone had set up an account with her picture as the avatar and her full name. However instead of selling her books they were acting as if she were selling herself for sex. She called it "trolling for sex". I guess in some of the personal pictures of her they had taken her head and photo shopped it onto a half naked womans body. She said she felt like her whole world had been flipped upside down. She said her friends were treating her different and her books were not selling much anymore. She was devastated. She said she felt like she understood how these children felt when they were cyber bullied. She was constantly worried if people were reading it and what they were thinking. She complained but it took facebook a very long time to get it off. She did in the end find out who was behind it and it happened to be KIDS.

Of course I cut that story very short but can you imagine!? So make sure you google your name every once in a while to see what all is out there!

I also listened to a story about this woman who was raised by a civil war widow. Maybe you can read a little about it here.If the Creek Don't RiseBut I really do want to read it now. I think it might have some wisdom I can afford. :)



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Lightening! So pretty.

Some pictures I took with my cell phone last night of the storm.

These are the clouds that ripped through Joplin three nights ago. :( We watched them get bigger and bigger as they moved. We all new they would be big trouble.

I hung out for hours. This helped me pass the time while the stormed passed. I usually do not sleep when we have Tornado warnings like we did last night. I need to stay awake just incase.

Not too bad for a cell phone photo. I have a couple more too. One I have is so good that I want to send it in. Uho.. I think I just heard thunder outside. We are supposed to have yet another one tonight. I will be there with my camera.. In the window. I do not go outside.. no no no.. TOO SCARY.

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Polaroid CIA-1237RC 12MP CCD Digital Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD Display (Red)Sandisk 4GB Secure Digital SD HC Memory Card (SDSDB-4096, BULK, No Reader)Casio Exilim EX-Z35 12 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD (Purple)
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You Call That Art P2

Brancusi's Bird In Space: I recently read this story about this bronze sculpture and I wanted to share it.

There was a trial held in NY City back in 1927. Edward Steichen, an American photographer,bought this sculpture from the artist herself while she was living in France. He imported the piece to the US where normally the law does not require customs duty on original works of art as long as they are declared. But when the customs official saw this piece he denied it. He said it was not art! No matter how much Steichen protested, the piece was admitted into the US under the catagory of "Kitchen Utensils and Hospital Supplies". So because it was not declared as art, Steichen was now charged $600 in order to import the sculpture.

After time and with the help of an American sculpture and patron of the arts, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Steichen appealed the ruling. The trial brought a lot of publicity and had a lot of people questioning if the piece was in fact a bird or just metal.

Finally the court decided in Steichen's favor and the bird was declared a work of art after all.

Did you miss Part one? You can still read it here..


The Daily Book of Art: 365 readings that teach, inspire & entertain
Art: Over 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary
200 Projects to Strengthen Your Art Skills: For Aspiring Art Students (Aspire Series)
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Have you ever wanted to be "immortalized"? I was reading this article about how its natural for people to wish to leave some form of a legacy after their death or something of value by which to be remembered. One way is to be a hero. Another is to murder a million people! Those are just two. But the one of course that I want to talk about is Art. Art is a pretty good way to leave a legacy right? An artist's work lengthens the artists whole existence! Vincent Van Gogh and Rembrandt painted many portraits of themselves through out their lives. And those portraits are still with us today. Other artists painted themselves in crowds. Just for an example:

Do you see the man standing in the right hand corner looking at us? That is Botticelli. He put his own self in this iconic scene. Guess its good to be an artist! You get to go and be where ever you want no matter when it happened. But even if an artist does not paint themselves, it seems like all they have to do is make sure they sign their name in the corner and hope that painting and the others live long enough for someone to either write about it or take a couple pictures of it and spread it around. I guess that is why so many artists want to be "shocking". Kinda like the guy who puts paint up his rear and then releases it onto the canvas! That is a sure way to get people to talk about it!

But what if you are not a painter etc? You could hire an artist to paint you? Right? Or maybe you can have a baby! A lot of people consider their children their best works of art. I know I do! My kids are my masterpieces by far. Nothing will ever compare to them. And of course I will live in them with my teachings. Wow. That is some weight though. Hahaha... Such a responsibility. This is kinda off the subject but it made me think of something I read. It made me laugh - Dante asks how is it that Giotto's children are so homely but his paintings are so beautiful -

In reply Giotto said that he paints his painting in the daylight but reproduces in the dark. I thought that was actually kinda funny. It makes sense! So I guess with that I will go. I happened to be thinking about this and wanted to share it. Sorry if my writing is choppy and kinda skipping around. I hope you all have a great weekend and be safe and happy! TTYS!
XOXOXO
-Frankie
Here are some art books you might be interested in.






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I love my little artists.

This is the last week for my art classes. I really did not think it would bother me too much. Yesterday I ended one and when all the children were telling me their stories about their silly animals - I honestly did not hear much of them. I just watched the kids as they talked. I looked at their faces and their happy eyes. I then became very sad. I am going to miss them! And with all this crazy weather I will worry for them also. I almost started to cry when I thought of all of this. I had to hide it from them. When the last child was in their car with their parent waving goodbye to me as if they would see me again soon - the tears just came out. I could not stop them! I also prayed for their safe return and for the Angels to look over them. This is my second school year with them but this time it really hit me. I am not like the normal teachers. I do not rotate them out after the year is over. I usually have the same children all year long and then into the next. Well that is how it has worked out so far. They have all stolen my heart. I have one more to go this week. It's going to be hard for me also. But I will not let them see me sad. But I know I will cry on my way home again. I could cry right now just typing this out. 

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"My name is Jesus, and I'm serious,"

I was just reading about Alan John Miller and his wife. I watched a couple of his videos and listened to what he had to say. Have you ever heard of him?? What do you think??? I actually have no words to explain what I am thinking. Maybe in time I will but I do not believe I am knowledgeable enough to really talk much about it. What about you? 

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You call that art part 1

Artist: Rebecca O'Flaherty, The Monet of Maggots!
When creating her paintings, she lets maggots do the work for her and then calls it her own. She places the maggots in nontoxic paint (does it matter? Maggots eat everything and are fine) and lets them move around on a piece of white copy paper. Here they make little color trails. 
Her artists statement: "The activity usually begins with some measure of skepticism or disdain, but the maggots are quick to win over the critics." 
What do you think?? 

( pictures home: http://www.ucdavis.edu/spotlight/0207/maggot_art.html)