Last weeks challenge for DailyPaintWorks was to paint something copper.
My challenge last week was to survive a predicted one to three inch snowfall that turned to twelve inches. Today we are suppose to get another eighteen inches by Tuesday night.
I painted a copper teapot with the swirling snowflakes out my kitchen window. The only thing missing was the chocolate frosted donut. Dunkin Donuts does not deliver......
Painted in oil on a 8x10 inch canvas. Sides are 1/2 inch, painted brown/grey.
Hey, Caitlin here. I’m back for ‘sidetrack saturday’ and today I’d like to discuss old family photographs. I consider myself lucky that my family has so many old photos to look through. While albums of me and my siblings are fun and nostalgic, what I find really intriguing are the older family photos. Old photographs of people I never got to meet, who were living their lives in decades that are now long gone, are inspirational to me.
If you let yourself be creative enough, you can start writing stories in your mind about the people, and completely transport yourself back to the time that photo was taken. What was on her mind? What was his personality like? Why are they all wearing those hats?! This is one of my favorite games and it’s essentially cheap time travel. Last week, my mom and I were going through old photographs and I was enjoying my old photo game.
Many of them caught my eye, and I loved plotting out little stories about the people in the photos and what their daily lives entailed. My mom and I spent a lot of time discussing what we knew about the people, but most often, we just had a name, and an idea of how we are related. That’s it. Sometimes we don’t even have a name, and nothing else to go on but what we can see in the photograph.
Mary
One of the photos that really interested us was this portrait of a female relative. It was probably taken in the early 1900s. We found her name, Mary, written next to the photograph. The first thing that caught our attention was her striking and intense gaze. I found myself envying her hair most of all, though. (It’s so perfectly controlled, how did she contain her curly hair? Did people use products on hair back then? I’d like to know what she used, I could use advice). Also, her posture is so perfect it almost hurts my back to look at her rigid pose. She looks beautiful and graceful, but also very alert. Honestly, she should probably put the caffeine down, and this is coming from someone who drank five cups of tea yesterday. With her observant and amazed expression, she seems almost bird-like. My uneducated guess is that she was just amazed of the photography taking place, and this wasn’t her natural expression or pose, ha. It’s such a gift to have this photograph, though.
My mom decided to do a painting inspired by the photograph, which you can see at the top of this blog entry. It’s an oil painting, and it’s 9 by 12 inches. Mom opted for loose, thick paint strokes and a more relaxed and natural expression for Mary. I love the color scheme she picked to represent her. It’s tricky with black and white photos, so you have to be creative. The cold blues and teal in the background look great next to her porcelain skin, and strawberry blonde hair. The touches of purple in the background accentuate her violet eyes and magenta lips. Although she altered Mary’s expression, it still feels like the same woman to me. Mary looks beautiful, observant (but no longer amazed and bird-like), and has retained her elegant posture. And I still want her hair. Seriously, I need help with my hair.
'Nevermore' auction item to benefit the rehabilitation center
Happy Saturday! When the days are getting shorter, darker, and colder, It's a good time to be grateful for people in our community who help those in need. Whether they're helping to feed and care for other people, or animals, their essential role in our community is often taken for granted.
This Sidetrack Saturday, I’d like to blog about something that is very important to both me and my mom. ‘Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center’ is our favorite local non-profit organization. Located in Harrisville, Pennsylvania, they are constantly rehabilitating injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife and birds. We follow them on facebook, and love reading updates on their important work.
Their main webpage can be found here. Please feel free to click on to their website and read more about the skilled and dedicated care they provide to local wildlife in need. Their work is vital and often overlooked. They save the lives of hundreds of animals a year. I’m personally very glad that people so dedicated and caring are looking out for the wildlife and birds in our area. It takes a special loving spirit to run such a devoted organization, and I applaud their hard work.
Right now, they are holding an online auction to benefit the sanctuary, which can be found on their facebook page. My mom contributed a painting to the auction, and there are some great items available from other talented craftsmen and artists. The items are very easy to bid on, simply with just a facebook comment. If you win an auction, items can be purchased easily through paypal. Their current online auction ends on November 30th.
However, if you’d like to help in another way, here is a wishlist of items that they currently need. I can’t even imagine the amount of supplies their operation requires on a day to day basis, and I’m sure the costs add up quickly. Another great option is to pledge your support through a paypal donation. They need all of the help they can get, as they are not state or federally funded, and always have a full house of needy animals.
I’d also like to suggest you consider simply following them on facebook. Their posts are always interesting, educational, and they often provide images with information about the animals currently in their care.
I have included a picture of the painting my mom contributed to the auction to benefit Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. You might recognize the Raven vase we found over a month ago in the village of Valont PA. I mentioned it in a previous post. I love this painting, with the rich oranges and pink and purple flowers, and I’m glad to see it go to a great cause.
Gratitude can be a powerful life changer. Even when it doesn't change your situation, it can completely alter your perspective. Take a moment to think about who you're grateful for, and you might be surprised by where that feeling takes you. Have a great evening everyone.
This is one of my favorite muses. Old barns. They have character, color and a history to tell. I painted this from a photograph of a recent barn hunting trip off Old South Hill Road in Erie County, PA.
Happy Halloween! It’s Throwback Thursday and we're going way back to the 1800s! Tonight I decided to write about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine in 1807. He quickly showed a passion for writing in his youth, even though his father wanted him to go into law. After college, Longfellow spent three years traveling throughout Europe. While he was traveling he was not idle, but mastered seven different languages and absorbed as much as he could about literature in the countries he visited.
Throughout his life he traveled often. Longfellow eventually settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and taught Modern Languages at Harvard University. He became wildly successful and famous during his life, which is a rarity for poets. He was well loved, not only for his poetry, his passion for travel and linguistics, but also for his romantic personality. He died at 75 years old in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Being from New England, you can bet Longfellow wrote some good Autumn poems. Who else loves Halloween? No, no... I mean seriously loves Halloween. I do! It’s my favorite holiday. Because I am so excited for Halloween, I decided that I also wanted to write about this encaustic painting my mom did a while back. I think it’s a perfect painting to share so close to October 31st.
I love the barren tree sitting in front of a bright full moon, just obscuring your view. The dark background with streaks of purple, silver, green, and blue, looks as if it’s dripping off of the board she painted it on. The texture of the encaustic wax certainly adds to the painting. Touching the wax, you can almost feel the chill of a misty night. Ooo, I think she should do more creepy paintings like this one!
A great poem to share with this painting would be “Haunted Houses” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Enjoy, and have a happy Halloween tomorrow! I’ll be back on Saturday.
BOO! ;)
Caitlin
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Haunted Houses
All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide, With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the doorway, on the stair, Along the passages they come and go, Impalpable impressions on the air, A sense of something moving to and fro.
There are more guests at table, than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear.
We have no title-deeds to house or lands; Owners and occupants of earlier dates From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands, And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere Wafts through these earthly mists and vapors dense A vital breath of more ethereal air.
Our little lives are kept in equipoise By opposite attractions and desires; The struggle of the instinct that enjoys, And the more noble instinct that aspires.
These perturbations, this perpetual jar Of earthly wants and aspirations high, Come from the influence of an unseen star, An undiscovered planet in our sky.
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light, Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd Into the realm of mystery and night,--
So from the world of spirits there descends A bridge of light, connecting it with this, O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1858
It’s modern Monday! We had a great time on vacation, but now it’s time to get blogging again!
The internet has altered the way we share art in many astounding ways. Not just through digital images of artwork, files of music, and eBooks of novels, but also through videos of poetry. Yes, videos of poetry.
Today’s modern Monday inspiration comes from the spoken word poet Sarah Kay. I adore spoken word poetry, and Sarah Kay is particularly amazing. However, I also love the work of Omar Holmon, Jeanann Verlee, Amy Miner, Lauren Zuniga, Kait Rokowski, Haley Mosley, Taylor Mali and Sierra DeMulder. I have spent a lot of time, particularly when battling bouts of insomnia, consuming the work of these wonderful spoken word poets.
They are all unique and impressive poets, and I highly recommend them. If you’re interested in finding some great spoken word poetry, youtube is a great place to go. In fact, I challenge you to pick a random name from my list and type it into youtube, just to see what you get. Just watch one. It won't hurt. :)
Today I am sharing with you a short video taken from Sarah Kay’s TED talk in 2011. If the video doesn't appear for you, you can click here. In this short video, she recites her poem, Hiroshima. It is a beautiful poem. If you’d like to view her entire 18 minute TED Talk, which is fantastic, please click here.
Spoken word poetry is fascinating because it takes the intimate and solitary nature of reading and writing poems and transforms it into a social event where the poets exchange perspectives and viewpoints with others. Let’s face it, poets are not typically social people. There are many reasons for this, ranging from a tendency towards simple introversion, to the common fear of judgment on the contents of their poetry. It takes brave people to stand up on a stage and speak their poetry, their life, their words. It takes courage to display all of the contents of their mind and soul and open it up to commentary. I applaud them for it, particularly when they do it as beautifully as Sarah Kay does.
Also, another hard fact to swallow: There are many people who would never think to pick up a book of poetry. Unfortunately, poems sometimes are left stuck on the page, inside a closed book. They are often left unread, or in the least, merely skimmed. (Why do I feel like I'm writing for a tear-jerker donation commercial right now? Donate now to help these poor poems be read as they were meant to be read! Anyway, the point is...). To hear a poem spoken dramatically out loud, by the poet in his/her own individual voice, is a fantastic experience.
In spoken word, you will always get a unique perspective, on a unique subject matter, by a unique poet, in his or her unique voice. To me, it doesn’t get much better than that.
It’s Modern Monday! Today we’re going to talk a bit about the artistic and intelligent set design on one of our favorite TV shows. The creators of BBC’s Sherlock took the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1886-1927 and seamlessly set them into our modern world. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a total of 56 short stories and 4 novels about the enigmatic detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal friend Dr. Watson. The show creatively modernized the stories of Sherlock Holmes in a unique and clever manner. While certain aspects have been altered, such as adding new characters, and changing plot lines slightly, the general themes are intact. Sherlock Holmes is still a brilliant and strange detective with very little social grace and Doctor John Watson still acts as his dedicated and brave best friend. The show has had 3 seasons so far, each consisting of 3 ninety minute episodes. Filming on a special 90 minute episode will begin in January of 2015, and then they will begin filming a new season of 3 more 90 minute episodes in early 2016. Meanwhile, fans of Sherlock will have to 221B Patient again. I have a feeling it will be well worth the wait. My favorite aspect of the show is how detailed and nuanced it is. The set design for Sherlock’s apartment at 221B Baker
Street is a prime example of their attention to detail. The entire
apartment is full of symbolism. While
watching, I am often easily distracted by the unique items they have
decided to show us. Nothing you see on the show is accidental, and many
items carry extra meaning.
To point out just one instance, let’s look
at the two chairs in the living room. I’ll describe John’s chair first, and
then compare it with Sherlock’s chair. They have been carefully chosen
for artistic and symbolic reasons.
John's chair, seen with teapot
John’s chair is comfortable and inviting, with a traditional design. It’s a warm red color and is often shown with a union flag pillow and/or a plaid blanket. If you were to pick a chair for a patriotic, kind, well mannered man who is almost always wearing warm comfortable sweaters, this would be the chair.
Sherlock's chair
On the other hand, Sherlock's chair has a sleek design of black leather and cold metal. It is modern and stylish, but certainly not inviting or warm. It looks uncomfortable and cold, or at the very least, like an acquired taste. It has never been shown with an added pillow or blanket for comfort. This fits perfectly with his character. Sherlock is almost always seen wearing modern, uncomfortable clothing (particularly black suits), and he has a cold and calculated demeanor. His mind is sharp, and his attitude is as well. Artistically and symbolically, this chair makes sense for his character. One of the many unique items seen in the apartment on Baker Street is a white teapot adorned with a map of the United Kingdom and Ireland. I did a bit of research and found it is handcrafted and was designed by the British artist Ali Miller. It can be purchased directly from her website here. It’s gorgeous, and fits the show perfectly. In fact, it can be seen situated next to John’s chair in the image above. This teapot has become an iconic symbol for fans of the show. My mother created an oil painting today inspired by this unique teapot. I love the moody dark purples and blues that she chose for the painting, and the thick, modern brush strokes. She painted it on an 8 by 12 inch flat panel canvas. Well done, Mum. It’s definitely a good way to spend your 221B patient time. :)
