Between the Worlds

Hello Everyone!

Last Call for The Red, White and Blue Art Drawing and Giveaway!

The drawing will be Saturday, the 4th of July at midnight and I will post within 24 hours who the lucky one was this time around.

Talk about the lucky one. Do you see this? See what's inside? A clutch of four nuthatch eggs, in a box, on my porch within easy reach of the Girls (who could care less), the Boys (who have not noticed), the occasional snake or fox, other birds... so yes, here they hang between two worlds -- the cradle of nature and the ground floor of "civilization".

And here is Sal, our newest deer matriarch. A big, beautiful redhead, she already has an attentive beau to graze with, walk with, snuggle up to in their bed (just off our driveway). He is very gentlemanly... not like those fellows that came through last year. Then again, he's pretty young.

I've felt a bit between worlds myself. This is the first day I have been up and at 'em in several. It's my old frenemy, bronchitis, which sometimes I believe can be beaten the good old-fashioned way -- after taking what the doc says to take, doing what the doc says to do, have a strong tea and a hot shower and then let Sol go to work on you.

So just think of this as my weekly self portrait (thanks T, for the secret candid camera shot, you rascal). While a day early for some, it might not be a minute too soon for others!

How I yearn to get back to my books and my art. All I do is sleep. Like now, in about 10 minutes, again. KittyBoy is good company though, as you all know. He's with me every second -- like he can tell I am not 100%. (Then again, some people may think that after seeing the self portrait. lol.)

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Wherein We Meet Our Characters -- Ladies First

Hello Everyone!

Here's hoping now, that with summer being "official", the season will indeed be good for all, and that you get a little bit of a kick from the first glimpse of Cast and Characters Below -- one of the works in progress for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". We have Helena to start with, and many more throughout the next few posts. (whew, I thought I would never get this baby off the ground.)

Amazing what the changing of the light does to one's artwork. Or any work for that matter. Again, that light and shadow play.

Although I did indeed go over the yellow in the background a bit more so it would "pop".

Then, never one to leave well enough alone, I added a bit of bling for effect.

And I might give her a totally different background by the time it's over --

Rounding up the usual suspects of papers, coloured pencils, glue, markers and crayons, I hope to have a complete paper doll brigade -- larger than the usual size -- placed like a movie still or poster that one sees when it's finished.

Then again, I might paint it all out in my journal for a keeper...!

It was 100F starting Thursday of last week and finishing up at 102F on actual Midsummer.

If that was Solstice, I dread the Dog Days of August.

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Candace

Setting The Stage

Hello Everyone.
Why do I love these mirrors? What draws me to glass, light and silver? In the day as well as the dark of night --

To me, they whisper magic, faerieland, secret landscapes both internal and external, where anything can happen -- and does!

Sidebar: I'm having a real problem uploading my posts. So please bear with me while I try to figure this out. None of my art of the last week will load. I get errors and after spending an hour on what is to be a fun missive, it is a bit aggravating to have errors pop up in even more aggravatingly garish colours, telling you that this just won't DO!

So this is why Midsummer Night's Dream artwork is not here. However I have some other lovely photos so why don't we just treat ourselves like we really are putting on the play? What a great idea. Let's cross our fingers while we set the stage, shall we?

More tomorrow --

Candace

Self Portrait and Paper Ladies (Breaking News)

Hello Everyone!

Breaking News: Another truly sad and frightening day for Athens and just before Athfest, too.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2009/06/19/athens_fire_georgia_theatre.html?cxntlid=brkng_nws_bnr

This building was just wonderful with a rich musical and cultural history (the South's FIRST YMCA) and I am sure the entire community will pitch in but the damage is done...

Soon the Self Portraits will cease and desist but for now... here I am thrilled beyond measure to have finally arrived in Atlanta, kicking off my shoes, kicking up my heels and jumping onto the hotel's luxurious bed for a quick nap before yet another round of pressing flesh and private parties. Sigh... where's the champagne? Where's the chocolate?




Remember the Art Shenanigans Art Drawing and Giveaway is July 4th. Whoever comments on this here blog during the whole month of June gets a chance at the prize drawing on July 4th. Sarah's little June Treat is in the mail as of this week and Jeanne's is circling an airport somewhere... sigh... what the??? This is the second time the P.O. should be spelled P.U. -- mmm. Maybe there is an oddball art fan at the postoffal.


Yet another appearance by The Paper Ladies, their sartorial splendour highly influenced by my recent reading materials. "The Sheltering Sky", "The Cairo Trilogy", "The Alexandria Quartet". Why are they so fuzzy? Mmmm... maybe following a quicker picker upper they will reappear in a better setting another time.

When I was a kid, I truly thought nothing would be grander than to ride in a caravan -- or to walk alongside the camels, coaxing them to move on with nothing more than a stick, visiting the open market, eating food roasted on a spit while I sat beside an open fire and under the open sky ...

What a romantic little bookworm I was!

Still I get my doses of this lifestyle and intrigue through novels and, today, the Ladies.

See you Sunday with a Special Summer Solstice Treat! It's going to be a wink and a nod to the Shakester Himself. Sarah Wallis’s “Titania” started my wheels turning a few months ago, so you Brits can tune in for The Yank’s Version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And actual Yanks can check out The Southern Belle's Edition of A Midsummer Night's Scream!

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Candace

Self Portraits Wednesday -- Really

Hello Everyone!

A self portrait experiment which will unfold over the next few -- days? No can do. Weeks? Mmm... don't want to inflict the same old same old on anyone, not even for Art Shenanigans.



Well, heck, why not now?

No art tour today, Kids. And Jeanne, that package is on its way. Cross my heart...

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Candace

Self Portrait and The Powers of An Old Man

Can you see me? I'm down there, honest! That's me, front and center. Really, those are not paperweights. They're mirrored domes at Table 1280 and this is Self Portrait Wednesday... sort of.

Ever have one of those days? Yeah, who hasn't? Well, Wednesday was very much like that – only in the 90s in the Classic City. And then, a computer crash on top of that -- so this Self Portrait Wednesday is up a full day later than hoped for (by me, anyway).

Fortunately, fun times were ahead just like when I was a kid on the precipice of Summertime, where the living was easy… And still is! BTW -- all the photos looked fine when taken but it's obvious the light was too light. The sun wasn't even out... but we had one of those silvery overcast skies Thursday, and the immediate surroundings were white or more silver. Or glass. Or mirrors.

The gleesome threesome -- T, Jim and Phil. These are the friends who were with us when the tree fell on the house. Phil makes the BEST potato salad. Yes, in the world!

Where we all went -- Atlanta High Museum of Art

What we saw -- The Monet Exhibit, which you can read/see more about here .

Side bar: Monet painted big. I mean really BIG ... one of his triptychs took up wall space of over 33 feet in length. T was astonished by this. Both of us had been unprepared for how small Van Gogh's work was -- his self portraits were tiny -- so T was thinking Monet's work of flowers and gardens would be small. Au contraire, mon frere.

Why, it's the FINKS! "Bill & Marcia Finks are in the Gift Shop, for God's sake!"

"We have 'em in Athens, too. At Frontier."

"What the... ??? Are you sure?"

"Yup!"

Some of what we ate at Table 1280, a fantastic restaurant at the High. (Alas, again, a couple of the photos just did not turn out but it was all -- as Phil said -- 'scrumptious'!)

My dinner was actually a "starter" (read: appetizer) and wow, was it delicious. Manchego (cheese) on serrano ham, with red peppers piquillo atop arugula and pinenuts (okay, 1 pinenut). Seriously delicious, esp with those breadsticks as backup.

T's dessert -- white peach sorbet with these delicious cookies. And the starter? Grits. What the...? Not like Jim's yummy rock shrimp grits... just plain. old. grits. Go figure.

The whole day was a work of art (whereas T is a piece of work). We had needed time off, and that, along with the exhibit, the good food and the company of our two good friends, we got that and more.

Speaking of that and more, Monet worried constantly how capturing the light and the colours were "beyond the powers of an old man" to convey on canvas... admitting that it was an "obsession" and that he had to "persevere" at what he perceived. T sidled up to me at one point and said, "Monet said his life was a failure," and showed me the very quote.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just turned back to the triptych. It said plenty, if you ask me.

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Candace

And The June Giveaway Goes To --

Why, look whose name the rabbit pulled out of the hat this time around!

My first real time, hands across the waters meeting with a blog friend was with Sarah in London, England. I was visiting a coworker (also named Jeanne, imagine that) in London last year for Thanksgiving. Knowing a bit about Sarah from Suzi Blu's site, I thought, “Mmm. Why not?” If you don’t know Sarah or her blog, check it out. Along with a handful of others, Sarah has encouraged by sheer example of her art and her philosophy. And I have to say that I do think the way I perceive the “commonplace” continues to evolve, thanks to her.

(And Anairam, of course you were entered! I am on EST and I never say never -- usually -- until that time is well established here in The Classic City. You were fine.)

Another addition to the Paper Lady Brigade will see us off today.

Say, check back for the Declaration of Independence Art Drawing on June 30th! Whoever comments on this here blog all month long will be in the running for this giveaway on – ta da! -- July 4th. (Like I'm going to leave anyone out, esp. this time around ... I completely know what the concept of independence plus freedom means to me, let alone all of you out there in Blogovia, no matter what land you call "home".)

Even T is threatening to get into the act this time, so you know there's some fun times up ahead on New Haven Drive.

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Candace