My challenge of the week (s) … years?
In the absence of this week’s Photo Challenge I will post my own test for the week. My quest is to be a wood engraver it not as easy as I thought. These little works of art are no cupcakes they demanding and exactly; but I will not be beaten.
So I will continue the theme best known to me and create a teacup! On a tiny piece of boxwood barely 2 inches square. Oh yes and the saucer!
Saturday Memory from Brazil …. and a wish
Today I begin to count down the days before I return to Brazil for my annual visit and remind myself of the joys of previous holidays …. 19 days!
During the final week of our stay in Rio, we visited the National Museum of Folklore and Popular Culture. Of course I was at a loss without the language but I was able to look and imagine for a while and consider research more fully later.
Meanwhile I will share this visual delight; dating back to the end of the 19th century the museum presents 1400 objects organised in five themes;- life, crafts, religion, feasts and arts. The exhibition tells the history of the Brazilian Man in a warm, colourful and dynamic way;it is pure entertainment!
No one could not fail to be excited by the costumes of the carnival and the puppets; but I was drawn by something else; a little more discreet but for me no less exciting.
A display of works by the engraver and cordelista José Francisco Borges (1935-) better known as J. Borges. As…
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Prompt? Really?
I share these sentiments as i wait for the Photo Challenge Prompt. I am seldom lost for words and blog most days without a prompt. But today the words fail me so I reblog this and add another heart felt wish … for those women who have ‘lost’ children and can grieve until they find their bodies. Or those women who carry the child of the rapist … May their heart wishes or prayers be honoured now xxx
I wake at six and for two hours, I check and check and check.
Now 8:03 and still no prompt. I wonder, what the heck?
Can they not post the prompt so I can get on with my day?
These lazy daily prompters must be laid out in the hay
when they should be here prompting for we still have things to do!
We can’t just sit here all day long to wait and wait for you.
Just slap some words down on your site and we’ll begin to write.
For we’ve been waiting morning hours and others through the night.
In the hours we’ve waited, we have stretched and paced and stomped
and realized the truth: Your prompt is anything but prompt!!!
Finally, at 11:13, today’s prompt was posted, but I had written my blog entry between the hours of six and eight and then watched for…
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Silent Sunday
Saturday and a lesson with Pythagoras
I have been having art lessons for a little under a year and do not pretend I will ever be a master. So while I have clever ideas it is still more difficult than I thought to put the them on paper. It is more than being able to paint it is also a mathematical equation.
This week for instance my teacher introduced me to Abstract drawing and the methods of Peter Stanyer and Terry Rosenberg. I found a book since called Composition by Cyril Pearce published in 1927 for his students of Fine art here at Reading University. After reading the chapter several times and get my head round the language and mathematical equations it would seem that ; ‘… the intersection of two diagonals of a pentagon gives the ratio geometrically, and some have supposed that the five pointed star which the disciples of Pythagoras wore was a symbol of their knowledge in such matters. Quite apart from speculation, such a division the ratio of 1 to 1.618 approximately, is to be found as one of the great proportions in almost every picture.’
So with that is mind I, with a ruler and a compass; not the three legged kind devised to secure the ‘golden’ measure between the two points (as discovered by Kepler). I attempted to divide my paper as described by my teacher and with a hastened pray to Pythagoras. Here are the results.
not yet complete and unseen by my teacher yet …. or Pythagoras for sure … but a nice experience
A snapshot from the library on Friday
Today I noticed a book destined for our ‘special collections’ nothing new in that, books do ‘become’ special in time and removed from the open shelves and to be cared for tenderly. This one called Borka; the adventures of a goose with no feathers written and illustrated by John Burningham looked new and fresh. It also looked vaguely familiar and after looking closely I realised it was a book that my ‘baby’ brother had borrowed from the library around 50 years ago.
Looking at the pictures and rereading the story it seemed only yesterday!!
You will agree I am sure the images and text are timeless. This 20th century classic will share the shelves at Special Collections with classics from the 18th and 19th century.
Alphabe Thursday G is for Goosey Goosey Gander
Goosey, Goosey gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady’s chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers.
I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs.
This nursery rhyme always puzzles me; so I wasn’t surprised to read that the first four lines don’t actually belong with the other four. How does that happen?
The last four are rather like a another poem which school children address to the crane -fly better known as a daddy-long-legs. While pulling off its legs they repeat.
Old father Long-Legs
Can’t say his prayers:
Take him by the left leg,
And throw him down the stairs.
I really hoped to discover that was a legitimate reason why children should sing such a horrible song but sadly I didn’t
I just hope that we encourage our children to care for daddy-long-legs and old men even if they don’t or can’t say their prayers; and say Thanks but no thanks to this unlovely song.
Wednesday’s Choice
For Amy and Martine … my choice for Wednesday too have a good day
Wednesday’s wood engraver …
We have a collection of Wizard of Oz books here in Special Collections. I am not overly impressed with the books and their illustrations; so I tend not to look to closely while there are other collections with wonderful images to share.
However, today I was fetching a few items and came across this rather nice edition of L. Frank Baum famous work.
Which is illustrated by Michael McCurdy (born 1942) who is an American illustrator, writer and publisher. He illustrated over 200 books, many written by himself. Most were illustrated with wood engravings and some with colour images. Those we see here may not be wood engravings but scraperboard; nonetheless lovely and a welcome change from the cinematic images and stilted cartoon characters that seem to be the prefered medium for this children’s novel.
Weekly Photo Challenge … Contrast
I have a beautiful tiny walled garden; more a north facing back yard. It is very leafy and green; it gets some sun throughout the day; but not enough for the sun loving flowers to survive. The ones that do best of course are the flowers that flourish in the shade. These plants are not so colourful; but since we have had a healthy mix of sun and rain lately, the bushes and greenery have ‘blossomed’ the flowers are struggling to compete nonetheless they do make a striking contrast at the moment ( in a delicate sort of way!)
Coat Hanger Doll's House 