After a very mild December,
we finally have our first snow!
I love snow, but hate cold. Go figure!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Studio Cat
 |
| "KittenNugget" |
My son's cat, Nugget, used to snooze on my studio workbench as I painted. He was the most lovable cat in the world, and I still miss him after all these years.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Moth at Rest
Those who dwell
among the beauties
and mysteries of the earth
are never alone
or weary of life.
~Rachel Carson~
Monday, January 9, 2012
Winter Woods
 |
| "Winter Woods" oil on canvas (SOLD) |
Deep within the winter forest among the snowdrifts wide
You can find a magic place where all the fairies hide....
~Author Unknown~
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Loon Lake
 |
| "Loon Lake" oil on canvas |
Once, in another lifetime, I took a road trip across the
Upper Peninsula. Somewhere there in northwestern
Michigan, I was exploring a little road-side lake
when I came upon a mother loon and her baby
swimming just like this. Of course, I didn't
have my camera in my hand, so it's just
a memory burnt into the "nature corner"
of my mind. Many years later, I
made this painting of
the loons.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Down with the Trees!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Gallery Hop
Thursday, January 5, 2012
December Book Reviews - Part 2
KID'S BOOK REVIEWS
In order to reach my goal of 200 books read in 2011, I had to read some short books. These came from the children's library:
LIVES OF THE ARTISTS - Kathleen Krull (93)
©1995 Subtitle: MASTERPIECES, MESSES (and What the Neighbors Thought)
I really liked this book of art history for young people. Nineteen popular artists from Da Vinci to Warhol are introduced, with colorful and charming stylistic portraits (big heads on small bodies) of each by Kathryn Hewitt.
I took art history in college and have done a lot of reading about famous artists and their work, but I learned a lot from this book which is full of amusing anecdotes. I especially liked the story of Diego and Frida.
THE BOYHOOD DIARY OF CHARLES LINDBERGH - Megan O’Hara, editor (31)
©2001 I like the Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs series for young people, which introduces real children from the past through their journals and diaries.
Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly an airplane non-stop, solo, across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in 1927, kept a diary from age 11 to 14. As a boy growing up on a Minnesota farm, young Charles was keenly interested in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and camping. He kept a journal of a boating expedition he and his father made of the far northern end of the Mississippi River when he was 13.
He also detailed the trips he and his mother made by train to Washington DC to be with his father who was a Representative from Minnesota. He learned to drive the family’s Model T when he was 11, and when he was 14, he drove his father all over Minnesota as the elder Lindbergh campaigned for the Senate, which Charles also recorded in his diary.
The writings of the boy Lindbergh were interesting in themselves, and the sidebars were educational. One told about what it was like to travel on a passenger train as he and his mother did, and another described what the first automobiles were like. One gave a simple explanation of the U.S. Congress, and still another described Itasca State Park at the headwaters of the Mississippi River. There was a page on how to track wildlife, another outdoor activity that the boy enjoyed, as well as a page urging young readers to start a diary of their own. There’s a lot of interesting information packed into these 31 pages.
THE HEDGEHOG - H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (77)
©1936; reissued 1988 by the author’s daughter.
The book jacket description says, ”A story to delight the most discerning child, THE HEDGEHOG will charm and impress adult readers.” I don’t know any “discerning” children, myself, and this book failed to delight, charm, or impress me.
It’s a rather simple story about a young Anglo-American girl, growing up in Switzerland after losing her father in WW1, who wants a hedgehog because there are snakes in her garden. The convoluted and repetitious writing, which included conversations peppered with French and German phrases and references to Greek mythology, irritated me. But basically, I was just plain bored to distraction.
WORDS WEST: Voices of Young Pioneers - Ginger Wadsworth (175)
©2003 Over 40,000 children accompanied their families on the wagon trains heading West during the 1800s. Life on the Oregon Trail, or any one of the others that led into the new frontier, is described in detail through the letters these boys and girls sent to their folks back home, as well as journals some of them kept during their journey.
The book is packed with old photos and illustrations of the pioneers and their nomadic way of life. This book is a great resource for children studying the Westward Expansion period of American history.
EYE ON THE WILD - Julie Dunlap (62)
©1995 The boy Ansel Adams (1902-1984) received his first camera when he was 14, and grew up to be a very famous nature photographer and environmentalist. This is his story, with captivating illustrations by Kerry Maguire. He had a very interesting childhood and became known for his stunning black and white photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park. This little book left me wanting to know more about the man and his work.
SACAGAWEA: Westward with Lewis and Clark - Alana J. White (114)
©1997 This was a short but comprehensive biography of the young Shoshone woman who was such a help to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition of discovery across western America to the Pacific coast and back in 1804-1806. Accompanied by her husband, a French fur trader, and her infant son, she served as a guide and interpreter during this epic adventure. There was also a lot of information about the expedition itself, which made it a great introduction to the early exploration of the West.
THROUGH MY EYES - Ruby Bridges (61)
©1999 This is the story of the little 6-year-old black girl who was at the center of the struggle for integration of schools in Louisiana back in 1960, as told by the adult Ruby looking back. There are lots of news photos and excerpts of newspaper articles about the event, as little Ruby entered formerly all-white William Frantz Public School as its only student that fall. Eventually white parents started letting their children return, but Ruby was still taught separately by a compassionate white teacher from Boston. You can’t help feel the hatred and shamefulness of those who protested so passionately and venomously against black and white children attending the same schools.
Last year I read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, a biography for younger readers. I didn’t realize at the time that he had been the child psychiatrist who had helped Ruby through her stressful ordeal. Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, even after so many decades.
STRANDED AT PLIMOUTH PLANTATION - Gary Bowen (81)
©1994 This is the journal of a 13-year-old orphan boy whose ship, bound for Jamestown, Virginia in 1626, is shipwrecked off the New England coast. Christopher Sears must remain at Plimouth Plantation until another ship arrives which can take him and the 25 other castaways on to Jamestown. While he’s there, Christopher learns to make woodcuts, with which he illustrates his journal. I assume this is historical fiction, as the author also made the gorgeous hand-colored woodcuts that add so much interest to a book rich with early colonial customs, superstitions and way of life.
THE SEARCH AFTER HAPINESS - Charlotte Bronte (48)
©1969 (but written in 1829) This short novella was written by 13-year-old Charlotte Bronte who grew up to be a famous English novelist and poet, most renowned for her book Jane Eyre. It’s a simple tale about a man who leaves those he loves behind to search for happiness.
Despite the misspelling (as seen in the title and elsewhere throughout the book), improper punctuation , and run-on sentences, the writing was surprisingly mature and poetic. This might be because the Bronte children didn’t have children’s books to read when they were growing up, but read extensively from their father’s library.
In order to reach my goal of 200 books read in 2011, I had to read some short books. These came from the children's library:
LIVES OF THE ARTISTS - Kathleen Krull (93)
©1995 Subtitle: MASTERPIECES, MESSES (and What the Neighbors Thought)
I really liked this book of art history for young people. Nineteen popular artists from Da Vinci to Warhol are introduced, with colorful and charming stylistic portraits (big heads on small bodies) of each by Kathryn Hewitt.
I took art history in college and have done a lot of reading about famous artists and their work, but I learned a lot from this book which is full of amusing anecdotes. I especially liked the story of Diego and Frida.
THE BOYHOOD DIARY OF CHARLES LINDBERGH - Megan O’Hara, editor (31)
©2001 I like the Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs series for young people, which introduces real children from the past through their journals and diaries.
Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly an airplane non-stop, solo, across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in 1927, kept a diary from age 11 to 14. As a boy growing up on a Minnesota farm, young Charles was keenly interested in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and camping. He kept a journal of a boating expedition he and his father made of the far northern end of the Mississippi River when he was 13.
He also detailed the trips he and his mother made by train to Washington DC to be with his father who was a Representative from Minnesota. He learned to drive the family’s Model T when he was 11, and when he was 14, he drove his father all over Minnesota as the elder Lindbergh campaigned for the Senate, which Charles also recorded in his diary.
The writings of the boy Lindbergh were interesting in themselves, and the sidebars were educational. One told about what it was like to travel on a passenger train as he and his mother did, and another described what the first automobiles were like. One gave a simple explanation of the U.S. Congress, and still another described Itasca State Park at the headwaters of the Mississippi River. There was a page on how to track wildlife, another outdoor activity that the boy enjoyed, as well as a page urging young readers to start a diary of their own. There’s a lot of interesting information packed into these 31 pages.
THE HEDGEHOG - H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (77)
©1936; reissued 1988 by the author’s daughter.
The book jacket description says, ”A story to delight the most discerning child, THE HEDGEHOG will charm and impress adult readers.” I don’t know any “discerning” children, myself, and this book failed to delight, charm, or impress me.
It’s a rather simple story about a young Anglo-American girl, growing up in Switzerland after losing her father in WW1, who wants a hedgehog because there are snakes in her garden. The convoluted and repetitious writing, which included conversations peppered with French and German phrases and references to Greek mythology, irritated me. But basically, I was just plain bored to distraction.
WORDS WEST: Voices of Young Pioneers - Ginger Wadsworth (175)
©2003 Over 40,000 children accompanied their families on the wagon trains heading West during the 1800s. Life on the Oregon Trail, or any one of the others that led into the new frontier, is described in detail through the letters these boys and girls sent to their folks back home, as well as journals some of them kept during their journey.
The book is packed with old photos and illustrations of the pioneers and their nomadic way of life. This book is a great resource for children studying the Westward Expansion period of American history.
EYE ON THE WILD - Julie Dunlap (62)
©1995 The boy Ansel Adams (1902-1984) received his first camera when he was 14, and grew up to be a very famous nature photographer and environmentalist. This is his story, with captivating illustrations by Kerry Maguire. He had a very interesting childhood and became known for his stunning black and white photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park. This little book left me wanting to know more about the man and his work.
SACAGAWEA: Westward with Lewis and Clark - Alana J. White (114)
©1997 This was a short but comprehensive biography of the young Shoshone woman who was such a help to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition of discovery across western America to the Pacific coast and back in 1804-1806. Accompanied by her husband, a French fur trader, and her infant son, she served as a guide and interpreter during this epic adventure. There was also a lot of information about the expedition itself, which made it a great introduction to the early exploration of the West.
THROUGH MY EYES - Ruby Bridges (61)
©1999 This is the story of the little 6-year-old black girl who was at the center of the struggle for integration of schools in Louisiana back in 1960, as told by the adult Ruby looking back. There are lots of news photos and excerpts of newspaper articles about the event, as little Ruby entered formerly all-white William Frantz Public School as its only student that fall. Eventually white parents started letting their children return, but Ruby was still taught separately by a compassionate white teacher from Boston. You can’t help feel the hatred and shamefulness of those who protested so passionately and venomously against black and white children attending the same schools.
Last year I read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, a biography for younger readers. I didn’t realize at the time that he had been the child psychiatrist who had helped Ruby through her stressful ordeal. Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, even after so many decades.
STRANDED AT PLIMOUTH PLANTATION - Gary Bowen (81)
©1994 This is the journal of a 13-year-old orphan boy whose ship, bound for Jamestown, Virginia in 1626, is shipwrecked off the New England coast. Christopher Sears must remain at Plimouth Plantation until another ship arrives which can take him and the 25 other castaways on to Jamestown. While he’s there, Christopher learns to make woodcuts, with which he illustrates his journal. I assume this is historical fiction, as the author also made the gorgeous hand-colored woodcuts that add so much interest to a book rich with early colonial customs, superstitions and way of life.
THE SEARCH AFTER HAPINESS - Charlotte Bronte (48)
©1969 (but written in 1829) This short novella was written by 13-year-old Charlotte Bronte who grew up to be a famous English novelist and poet, most renowned for her book Jane Eyre. It’s a simple tale about a man who leaves those he loves behind to search for happiness.
Despite the misspelling (as seen in the title and elsewhere throughout the book), improper punctuation , and run-on sentences, the writing was surprisingly mature and poetic. This might be because the Bronte children didn’t have children’s books to read when they were growing up, but read extensively from their father’s library.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Barn at Candlewood
It's a bit different for me. I usually paint from my own photos in the studio, where I can take my time and tweek it all I want to get details right, etc. Plein air forces you to paint fast and loose, on location. I plan to do more of it in the spring.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Last Salad of 2011
Monday, January 2, 2012
December Book Reviews - Part 1
This was the last book I read in 2011. In total, I read 200 books this past year. I read so many in December, I'll post half of my reviews now and half later in the month.
THE ILLUSTRATORS OF MONTMARTRE -Frank L. Emanuel (86)
©1904 I picked this book up for a couple of bucks in an antique shop in Iowa five years ago. It’s a first edition, but worthless due to its shabby condition. Eleven artists are featured, but only one that I’m familiar with: Toulouse Lautrec.
I enjoyed reading a book that was a contemporary art critique over a century ago. This was part of the Langham Series of Art Monographs, which also contained titles about color prints of Japan, London as an Art City, Venice as an Art City, August Rodin, and Bartolozzi.
Of poster artist A. Steinlen’s work, the author writes: First, then, he shows us the gallery of some dark, putrid Assembly Hall; the air is thick with garlic, and oaths, and gas, whose garish light illuminates a disreputable mob of frenzied anarchists, who are applauding with delirious gusto the sentiments of “Down with everything,” “Death to everyone.” …
Just a sample of the snappy writing. Since it was about mostly obscure artists, I never expected to like this book as much as I did. It was a great look at the turn-of-the-20th-century art scene in Paris.
THE HOUSE OF PAPER - Carlos Maria Dominguez (103)
©2004 Originally written in Spanish, this book is a beautiful translation of a novella about bibliophiles.
Shortly after Bluma Lennon, a professor of Latin American literature at Cambridge, was hit by a car and killed while walking down the street reading a just-purchased, used volume of Emily Dickenson’s poetry, a package from Uruguay containing a book by Joseph Conrad, bearing a mysterious inscription in Bluma’s handwriting, arrives in her office. It read “For Carlos, this novel that has accompanied me from airport to airport, in memory of those crazy days in Monterey. Sorry for being a bit of a witch and as I told you right from the start: you’ll never do anything that will surprise me. 8 June 1996.”
Bluma’s colleague (the narrator), who knew that she had attended a seminar in Mexico that year, did some investigating and came up with the name of a man named Carlos from Uruguay who had been at the same seminar.
When he decides to visit his elderly mother in his native Buenos Aires, he makes a side-trip to Uruguay to return the book to this Carlos and break the news of Bluma’s accidental death.
Carlos, it turns out, has disappeared. The narrator visits a friend of his and learns that Carlos was a life-long bibliophile, with a huge library containing many rare books, some worth up to $20,000 each. In fact, his house was so packed with his beloved books, it was if he was living in a house of paper. He had developed an elaborate index system so he could find whatever book he was looking for easily among the thousands in his collection.
One day a small house fire destroyed the file-cabinet which contained his index. The loss was so devastating to him, even though no books were damaged, that he packed up his books and other belongings and left Montevideo to go live as a hermit on a remote beach. The narrator goes in search of him to return the book he’d sent to Bluma.
This is a random book I plucked from my public library’s shelf because it was short. I didn’t even read the book jacket notes, and I’m glad I didn’t, because it contained a spoiler. I was ever so surprised as the mystery of Carlos and the book was unraveled. This is a delightful quick read for anyone who loves books, is a book collector, or a book hoarder, like me.
HER CHRISTMAS AT THE HERMITAGE - Helen Topping Miller (89)
©1955 This is a short historical novel (set in the early 19th century) about Andrew and Rachel Jackson. They’re celebrating Christmas in their newly built Hermitage mansion near Nashville, and Rachel is looking forward to having her husband around more, now that he’s no longer on military campaigns and has resigned the governorship of Florida. Little does she know that the turmoil of public life will soon heat up as her husband is nominated for the Presidency.
For a more complete look at the life of Andrew and Rachel Jackson, there’s a very good biographical novel by Irving Stone called The President’s Lady.
HOW READING CHANGED MY LIFE - Anna Quindlen (82)
©1998 In this short book, the author tells about how reading has affected her life, both as a child bookworm, and later as a journalist and writer. She gives many examples and descriptions of her favorite books through the years. She also touches on such subjects as book banning and the future of “real” books as e-readers take over the market. Easily read in one setting, I found her reflections very interesting.
THE WRITING LIFE - Annie Dillard (111)
© 1989 This author’s writing is lyrical, metaphoric, and visually descriptive prose that describes the what, where, how and why of writing. At times she compares it to a painter and his or her art. I enjoyed her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek last year, so I felt right at home with this little book of memoir-essays.
1491 - Charles C. Mann (337)
©2005 Who would believe that pre-Columbian history of the Western Hemisphere would be so fascinating? Thirty years of recent research in the fields of anthropology and archeology have come to the startling conclusion that not only did humans exist in the western hemisphere a lot earlier than first believed, but also that the population was much larger than previously thought. Recommended for those interested in the history of the “New World” before the Europeans arrived.
TRAIL OF THREAD - Linda K. Hubalek (101)
©1995 I think this book would be considered historical fiction. It’s based on the author’s family history, and tells the story of her great-great-great-grandmother, who moved with her family in a covered wagon from Kentucky to Kansas in 1854. The story is told in a series of letters to loved ones back home in Kentucky and vividly describes what was involved in preparing for such a move and the hardships they endured on the trail.
THE BOSS DOG - MFK Fisher (118)
©1991 The worst dog book I ever read. There’s not much of a story here. Two little American girls and their mother are spending a year in Aix-en-Provence, France. Their chief pastime, it seems, is sitting around in sidewalk cafes people-watching. A recurring character is this weird, aloof little dog that’s a regular visitor to the cafes. The writing was too “elegant”, or should I say downright boring. Good descriptions of place and French food though.
ROOM - Emma Donoghue (321)
© 2010 When I googled to find out more about the book, I learned that the novel was inspired by the Fritzl case in Austria, but it reminded me a lot of the Jaycee Dugard story.
This story of a young woman who was abducted and held captive by a pervert in his backyard shed for seven years is told through the “voice” of her 5-year-old son who was born in the shed during the second year of her captivity. At first I was put-off by the child’s narration which seemed contrived, but once I got into the story, it no longer bothered me that much. I usually don’t read fiction about abuse, because the real thing is bad enough. The book was both disturbing and inspirational.
HOWLING MAD - Peter David (201)
©1989 What happens when a wolf is bitten by a werewolf? Chaos ensues. This is the story of a Canadian wolf, bitten by a werewolf, who ends up in a rundown New York City zoo, where he escapes and is rescued by a young animal-rights worker. This is a horror story told with humor, the tale of a wereman and the woman who loves him. Action-packed, and a quick read, with a little vampiracy thrown in for good measure.
JIM THE BOY - Tony Early (227)
©2000 This story covers one year in the life of a 10-year-old North Carolina boy growing up during the Great Depression. Young Jim was born one week after his daddy, Jim Sr., died of a heart attack at age 23. Jim’s mother vows never to remarry, believing that she must remain faithful to her husband in death until they meet again in the great by-and-by.
Jim is raised by his widowed mother and her three bachelor brothers, the Uncles. The wise uncles teach Jim to be honest, hard-working, and compassionate towards others. This is a sweet little story about family and friendship ties.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Dance of Pisces
 |
| "Dance of Pisces," wax sculpture |
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