Masterpiece Wall...2016 Edition

Check out our latest masterpiece wall!  We had this year's portfolio days at school last week, which meant that it was time to make some selections to include in our display. I love discussing and planning with the boys. They are so proud of their work, and we all love showing some of it off for everyone to see. 

This is what it looked like our first year, following the kitchen renovation. (It's hard to believe that was four years ago!)  And here is what we've had on display since last June. I keep all the older pictures in the frames, so it's very fun to put the new pictures in and look at them. 

I love this year's selections. We had to cover up the Sunflowers, but we still have Van Gogh represented with Starry Night.  I love the gorgeous blue flower in the middle, and the eclectic and interesting patterns, and those beautiful orange leaves. Mostly, I love that my boys are learning to appreciate art and that they make beautiful pieces to showcase at home.

Masterpiece Wall...

I know - I should've taken the picture on a sunny day, but I'm impatient!

When we renovated our kitchen, we put in a little eating area, and the wall above the table is reserved for handmade art. As we reach the end of the school year, we've had the opportunity to bring home all the boys' work and art. One of my favorite things to do is go through their portfolios and pick out a few favorites to display on our art wall.  This year's collection is so fabulous.

Here's what it looked like the first year. I love looking back at it. I had forgotten about the Arc de Triomphe - one of my all-time favorites and a beautiful memento from a visit to Paris. One entitled "Yellow". And that pirate ship! Classic. This year's display includes a wonderful sunflower drawing by Nathan, a desert scene by Aaron, and other gorgeous pieces. They love the end product almost as much as I do.  

Three Crafts...

1.  Captain America shield.  This one is my favorite, especially because it happened spontaneously.  Nathan asked if he could have a Captain America shield.  I happened to have a round piece of cardboard sitting in the recycling bin, so I drew the circle outlines and let him color them in with red, white and blue.  I cut out a star for him, and he glued it on.  And finally, we used a strip of cardboard to form a handle on the back.  Voila!  Captain America!  (Aaron of course then wanted one, so I cut a circle out of another box we had to make a second one.  Easy peasy.)

2.  Snowflake ornaments.  I love craft sticks.  You can do so many easy things with them.  This one did require a few separate steps.  First, the boys painted the sticks white.  Once the paint dried, they glued them together - you just form two Xs, and then glue those together to form the snowflake.  Once the glue dried, they spread glue on each stick and sprinkled them with their choice of colored glitter.  We glued a circle of ribbon to the back for a hanger.  They are a fun and sparkly addition to the tree!

3.  Colorful 3D Glue Art.  The results of this activity are shown in the three pieces on the top left above.  (As you can see, we did a lot of art last weekend.)  To create, use a piece of card stock (regular paper is too thin).  Let the kids make a swirly design with glue.  Sprinkle salt over the wet glue and tap off the excess.  Then, using droppers, let the kids put drops of colored water on the glue.  The colors will travel down the glue paths, and when colors meet, they will blend.  Easy to reinforce the primary vs. secondary colors.  You do have to be careful not to let the colored water get too messy, because blue + red + yellow makes brown!  It would be best to have a separate dropper for each color.  In the absence of that, just be careful and rinse it out every now and then.   Very fun!

Cassis and Pinterest

Paul Signac - Cassis, Cap Canaille, 1889

I ran across this painting on Pinterest, and I thought it looked familiar.  I pulled up our honeymoon pictures and found the one below.  This was the view from our hotel in Cassis, France.  

Good memories.  I remember really good, crisp white wine.  Cute little boats jammed into the harbor.  Seafood at every meal.  One particularly memorable dinner where Kevin ran out of patience trying to speak French.  The woman at the restaurant just laughed at him.  She brought us good food and more wine and chatted with us a bit. 

Fun thoughts provoked by a picture found on Pinterest.  Yes, it can be a time suck, but it can also be fun and thought-provoking and even useful.  

Rat Girl - by Kristin Hersh

I first heard Throwing Muses in college.  It was my freshman year, and "Counting Backwards" came on the radio.  (Oh how I love college radio.)  I remember being drawn in immediately, because their sound was so unique.  I walked to the record store that day and bought "The Real Ramona".  I've been a fan ever since.  

The mixture of the band's sound, Kristin Hersh's voice, and her lyrics, is compelling and beautiful.  I confess I don't understand a lot of her lyrics at all, and yet I still love the songs.  (Funny...as I type that, I seem to recall my mother saying the same thing about Joni Mitchell.)  Similar to an abstract painting, you may not know what the artist was feeling or thinking as s/he created it, but you can still evaluate it based on its beauty and the way it makes you feel.  

Kristin has written several books, one of which is entitled "Rat Girl".  This book describes one year of her life, during which she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, recorded Throwing Muses' first album, and had her first son at the age of 19.  It is fascinating, touching, inspiring, and surprisingly really funny.  I feel like I'm now able to listen to that first album through an entirely different lens.  I also loved getting a little glimpse into the beautiful bond that exists between the band members.  Even if you have never heard of Throwing Muses or don't like their music, I'd still highly recommend this book.  

Here's a link to the New York Times book review.

Update:  If you do like the Muses, also check out this playlist Kristin created to accompany the reading of the book.  I love hearing the stories behind some of her lyrics.  

The first four minutes include a reading from the book.  Skip to 4:10 if you want to hear a song.

Collecting Beauty...

painting by Kim Gordon

I want my home to be filled with beautiful things.  Books, art, music, pictures...  I want these things to be beautiful, but I also want them to be meaningful.  I was talking to a friend of mine the other day; and she said she'd rather stare at a blank wall for years, waiting for a picture or painting that felt right, rather than buy something purely as a placeholder.  I completely agree.  The blank walls in my house are proof.  

Slowly, but surely, we will continue to collect items to fill our home.   This little painting is an example of something that I know we will have on display forever.  I have a little stack of prints and pictures that I know I'd like to put up somewhere once we get the renovation done.  I also have been trying to be more thoughtful about the books I buy versus those I borrow.  

For Christmas, I received Kim Gordon's book of watercolors, entitled Performing/Guzzling.  I love it.  I have long been a fan of Kim Gordon the musician, and it's interesting to see her work as an artist.  I like spending time with books of art and poetry, and it's something I haven't done in a long time.  I am going to let this book serve as a reminder to do this more often.

A Little Art...

My husband and I typically don't exchange Christmas presents, but for some reason we felt compelled to this year.  Perhaps because we both knew something that the other wanted.  I knew he wanted an iPad, and I was happy to oblige.  It'll be great for the family to have.  But I also wanted to get him something he wouldn't be expecting.

Paul Ferney is an artist currently based in Paris, although his home is San Francisco.  You may know him as the husband of Jordan Ferney (Oh Happy Day) or the brother-in-law of Gabrielle Blair (Design Mom).  I like his style, and I was intrigued when I saw that he was starting to do commission paintings.  I originally thought that a painting would be a nice anniversary present - we'll be celebrating 10 years in September - but Paul plans the commission project around the holidays.  And no way could I hold on to it for nine months!  So Kevin got an extra present under the tree, and really it's a present for me too.

It was so hard to choose a picture, but I love this one of the boys.  I love the water, I love both of them walking forward together, and I love that it reminds me of a happy trip to Maine.  It now sits on our mantle, at least until we decide to move it elsewhere.

Isn't it sweet?  Looking at it makes me smile.

Wasteland

Finally watched Wasteland.  It's extraordinary.  Beautiful, and touching.  The people in this film lead lives that most of us can't even imagine, and yet they carry themselves with such dignity. 

Have you seen it?  If you have, what did you think?  If you haven't, you really should. 

The Spark

How do you light a spark? How do you make something true? How does art happen?

The Spark is a monthly radio show hosted by Tift Merritt.  I am a huge fan of Tift's music, which is how I discovered her radio show.  She hosts radio chats with fellow artists, and she talks with them about what inspires them, how they live, and how they create their art.  If you want to feel uplifted and inspired, give these sessions a listen.  I started with the musicians, but I've also listened to her conversations with authors and poets and artists.  After each one (which is the perfect length to fill my commute, by the way), the result has been pure joy and inspiration.  Listening to people who live their lives with purpose and creativity is wonderful.  I may never have the talent to create art like these amazing people, but I can certainly appreciate them in addition to their art, and I can learn from them by understanding the way they approach life.  I am so grateful to everyone who creates art and fills our world with beauty and understanding.

Thank you, Tift!

Here's the link to her podcasts in iTunes, or you can view the archives on the Spark website.

photo credit:  Tony Nelson

Wedding Painting

In yesterday's post about my sister's wedding, I mentioned how she set up a large painting canvas at her reception, and everyone filled in a space.  Well, she shared the almost-finished product with me - the final two spaces are for K, who knows what he wants to draw but just couldn't seem to find the right moment to focus on it.  I wonder how long it will be before he finishes it?

I loved this idea and think the final product will serve as a fun reminder of a beautiful day.

Colin Ruffell

I am loving the paintings of artist Colin Ruffell.  The blue in the one above makes me happy.  The orange in the one below makes me feel calm.   One of these days, we are going to purchase some real art for our home.

City Prints

*Image from Artsharkdesign's Etsy Shop

I love these city prints.  I keep finding all these fun prints, and of course I won't buy most of them.  Maybe not even any of them.  But it doesn't mean I can't enjoy looking.  I do love Boston - it is home to me and my boys.  If I ever moved away from Boston, I would certainly have to take a piece of it with me.  But I don't see myself going anywhere.  This is home.  I love the little pop of red in this print, and I could see it going really nicely in a white kitchen. 

Blue Skies Smiling at Me

Finally!

This print found at colorbee's etsy shop.