recycle

If you are not into recycling you think the items in these photos are just junk. If you do recycle you will say, "Hey!, possibilities can be endless with imagination!"

This photo is at a fun store that has all types of things that can be used again... from the obvious such as fabric pieces and ribbons and beads and photo mat board and frames and wallpaper sample books and wood scraps...to the not so obvious kinds of things that usually get directly sent to the trash- but if you use some imagination they can become art ingredients.

My son has been in a recycling club for 2 years at school. His main job each week is to empty the big bins of paper from his assigned classrooms into the outside paper recycle hopper to be made into more new paper. They also have art days too, where they make things from recycled items. There are both girls and boys in the club so they have made many types of arts creations with unexpected items. Everything from making their own homemade paper to creating beads from junk mail to thinking up new practical creative ways to use things as is beyond their original intended purpose.

My oldest daughter is involved in making art at an art gallery. Some of their sculpture-like art pieces are created with recycled items. The gallery, which is open to the public and sells art made only by young adults with disabilities, is in a beautiful historical building.  I am crazy for old buildings with worn down not so level wooden floors and high tin ceilings and exposed brick walls and vintage window glass that is wavy and has tiny bubbles in it. During our first tour, I walked around with a constant smile on my face. The attributes of the old building structure, wonderful set up of the gallery displays and of course the art itself was inriguing. My daughter also could not stop smiling.The studio sells items, both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional (priced from just a few dollars all the way up to $800) to business owners for their offices, private owners for their homes, and it is a perfect place to shop for gift giving. I knew this was the place for my daughter to blossom, and so took the long, red-tape paperwork steps to have her apply to be one of their artists, since they had an opening for a new artist to be added. (I'm certain if you have a special needs child/young adult then you know what this all means at every step of their life! Paperwork, waiting, denial, approval, more paperwork...) My daughter has had many of her drawings, paintings, and photography matted and framed to be offered for sale in the gallery. I see the pride she has, and I am proud of her every day.

All of my children are artists. I am an artist. We each have our own interests and specialties.
Art is everywhere you go every day. Clothing, signs, menus, book jackets, movie posters, home furnishings, landscaping, architecture, and on and on in so many directions. So many forms of art. Even nature is art.

Back to the story attached to this photo-- The idea of the creative "trash curtain" is an interesting concept, and I would do it with some variations. For example, I think it would be fun to customize it with a monochromatic color approach and do all bottle lids (caps), or all the same shapes (of whatever) on a string. Hang several as outdoor art to catch the wind near at patio or backyard playhouse. It is colorful and waterproof and I even thought it could include some jingly things to be kind of a wind chime when blown in the breezes.

featured photos

Cemetery art is very unappreciated. I love to drive through the cemeteries and look for the art that may be seen by others but quickly dismissed and viewed as gloomy.

It's in my blood, shall I say, since my great grandfather was a sexton (grave digger) in a Catholic cemetery in the dawn of the 20th century. Remember that those were the days of a shovel and sweat and blisters- before heavy equipment like a backhoe or Bobcat!!

You can read his amazing story here

My son, N., is named for him.

Also, a cemetery employee had the advantage of job security and they were usually very appreciated, as most people were glad to have them do a very essential job that they themselves knew they were not born for.

Iron workers (blacksmiths) and stone carvers were essential employees of the old cemeteries as well- all done with sweat and blisters- no modern technology and machines.

The Visit

(Living creatures explore an ancient headstone. There were many different symbolic images carved into cemetery markers. This one meant "heaven bound".)

" They're coming to get you Barbara"

( Now for any of you who have seen the movie this may strike a shiver in your soul.

"They're coming to get you Barbara." But this photo would be fun to use as a background for an altered art project about ghosts...

they could be friendly ghosts, right!!?As I stood in this spot I was reminded of the beginning of the movie ...and that quote, although being in a cemetery does not scare me.

I actually do not think that cemeteries are that spooky. I know that's weird. I have two cousins that have worked in one for lots of years. I have a very distant relative that owned some funeral homes until they sold to someone else. My late father in law used to drive an ambulance for a funeral home when he was a young man. My favorite link to the whole cemetery scene is my great grandfather.)

Weeping

(Wonderful craftsmanship and countless hours of work withstanding the test of time and hundreds of years of moss and such clinging to the stone. This statue is fascinating and surreal and thought provoking. It must have cost a lot all those ages ago. It stands out because the other monuments are more plain and traditional. Someone must have been loved very much and missed an awful lot! Many of the markers are so old that you can no longer read the info (even if you do a rubbing with paper and crayon over top of the engravings). Many of the ones you can slightly read are in German. Some are whole families and a great number are infants. Imagine the harsh Michigan winters and other seasonal elements weathering these markers for a hundred years and more! It is high on a hill and the wind whistles through the trees and across the old weathered tombstones. In between the wind's sounds there is nothing but "dead silence", sorry couldn't resist.)

The Iron Gate
( A proud man crafted this ornate gate and fence.)
Gobbled Up
( Time and nature do not stand still. The tree needed room to flourish and grow. This is one of our absolute favorites- the tree has been slowly eating up the tombstone while life goes on as usual outside the gates of the cemetery, year after year after year.)

Life Goes On

(A busy modern day farm is a neighbor of a graveyard now home to many past centuries' farmers- a profound silent reminder of the circle of life.)


All photos are found here .

x-ray vision and magic scissors

This is the last installment in my "share the museum trip" posts...

Don't you think it would be fascinating to x-ray the old oil paintings and see what they painted out? Painters used to- and still do- recycle their canvases for economy or for correcting boo-boos or for just plain not liking the first attempt at a creative urge with the brush.
The painting above was painted over and, as it says below, they suspect it was the childrens' mother sitting in the chair that was painted out and the dog put in her place because she died before the painting was finished.


My thought was... wouldn't you want to keep her in the painting even more in that case? For the young children to remember her... since in those days there were no Polaroids or digital shots of her? What do you think?

I am sure you all know this story...Sampson and Delilah.

See the scissors in her hand?

more art...

...from the walls of the DIA. So many wonders to gaze upon. I was enjoying every minute of the visit. Hope you enjoy the tour I bring to you!

This one with the jester and monkey is a little creepy- but I do like the bright colors. My kids agreed it was a little creepy but they laughed at the monkey's clothes. I enjoyed the fact that the clothing and carved marble seemed so real.

I love religious paintings.

This of course is a classic and we are lucky to have it in the museum to visit in person.
You can click on any painting to make it bigger. Enjoy!! Such treasure there, for sure!

Tell me which one speaks to you, I'd love to hear.

paintings

Some paintings in the DIA.

I forgot to finish showing you sights from my trip we took a while back. I have more to show too.

I really want to go back again soon-by myself- so I can take my time at each favorite thing to read and visually study at my own pace.

Tell me which painting is your favorite!! I'd love to hear.

I think you can click on the paintings to make them bigger.

You can see more (past) museum posts by clicking here.

simple pleasures are best for makin' memories

It is the simple things and free things that mean the most to me and those that make the best lasting memories.

Like having your dad kiss and hug you upon arrival and then immediately wash the bugs off the windshield of your trusty 14 year old "mom-mobile" and then wash the inside of the windshield too!! The kids had washed it for me before we left for the trip. Thanks Dad, no streaks!! Oh and by the way, can you picture all 5 of us traveling for about 28 hours in this small vehicle??

Simple things...
Like chasing and catching the little lizards that are everywhere like toads are in northern-most Ohio.

Simple things....
Like E. and N. fishing in front of Dad's for 5 days, every chance they could.

Simple things.....
Like quietly thinking while the big orange ball of a sun sinks below the horizon after seeing a wonderful sunset on our last night for this trip in Florida.

We were safe and healthy and that is most important, isn't it?

A trip to the museum- Chapter 6, a building inside a building and under appreciated craftsmen

So, here we are, back at the museum for another peek. This time, to see what was at the bottom of the spiral staircase ( shown in the previous post) with smooth wrought iron railing and spindles, worn stone steps, bottle glass windows and the promise of something wonderful to discover when coming out of the bottom archway.
So here it is....

It is a building inside a building. We are standing in a courtyard, of sorts, surrounded by this. You can hardly believe your eyes that it is so massive and tall and detailed...and the more you spin yourself around the more your eyes find to study. This area is in the middle of the museum and is used as a courtyard cafe. 20 or so round tables are scattered for your enjoyment, at which to sit and relax or have a coffee, tea or dessert. Yummy soups and muffins were also available.

I adore architecture so this was so much eye candy I was bordering on being abandoned by my VERY embarrassed children as I stood there looking a fool, and uttering silly rambling comments as I spun on my heels to take it all in between gasps.

Yes, I had been there before, years ago. Yes, I knew this was at the bottom of the spiraling stairs. It was just that it was just so much.....well...MORE than I had remembered. I know you must think I am ready for a padded room and a fashionable jacket which ties tightly in back. I can't help my enthusiasm for old architecture. These photos don't begin to show the immenseness and detail in the stone trim and windows... and everything. I can appreciate in other countries there are many structures that are considered "new"at 300 years old or more, but here in the USA we do not have so much opportunity to experience wonder in old buildings. I am so hungry for architectural beauty that, in my travels, I have even photographed old warehouse buildings that have the most incredible gargoyles and brackets and window trim detail. That's how they used to build warehouses. Warehouses! Sometimes it seems that throughout the decades the move has been to get rid of "old".

Instead, boring, white bread architecture seems to rule. To top it off it, the newer buildings are so often put up so quickly they are not built to last nor are they meant to last, because surely some newer way will come along and we will tear down that "old" and make something even "newer" in it's place. And so it goes.

BEWARE: SLIGHTLY OFF THE MAIN SUBJECT RANT AHEAD!

Case in point, our school system is tearing down all the buildings that are 85 years old or more to build new ones. There was nothing wrong with them. They all are beautiful, large and sturdy (for gosh sakes they all had fallout shelter signs on them still displayed from the cold war era. "Duck and cover!"). The problem, they say, is the heating is antiquated and the retrofitting for the 21st century technology is too difficult.

Some new schools that have been built already in the past 5 years are experiencing leaky roofs and holes in plaster walls, plumbing issues, worn out flooring, etc, etc. But that's ok, "cuz we'll just tear those down and build something in 3 months (or less) time, nondescript in detail and sub quality.

Why not just spend the money to make the old schools work for today's heating and computers? I mean these old schools have lovely details outside and inside. Heavy REAL wooden doors and detailed REAL wood framework around chalk boards, windows, doors etc (oh yeah, remember chalk boards? --Soon to be a thing of the past. Even white wipe off dry erase boards are becoming passe.)I will probably get bad comments on my opinions about all this.

Ok, back to the museum!!

Before this gets too long- and remember I promised these museum chapters wouldn't be as long as a Harry Potter book- I should tell you about one more thing.

I think teaching opportunities present themselves each and every day if you pay attention. I discussed with the kids the fact that the wonderful art paintings all have frames. Frames that were built with talent, great care, attention to detail and a lot hard work and long hours. Think of it, back in the days when power tools were not yet imagined. First you had to have a place with enough space to build a frame- though rarely simple in craftsmanship, some of them were simply massive in size, and take up a whole wall in the museum. Then you had to be able to get it out of the building after it was built. Oh yeah, and you had to transport the frame. It is, unfortunately, easy to look at an art painting and under appreciate the frame and the person that made the frame. Even if these frames are not your personal style, it is still worth the effort to stop and think about it...."The big picture", to use a (very bad) pun.

For the next chapter, we will look at some of the paintings held within the frames that were made by someone that was no doubt under appreciated for their skill... and underpaid, I am sure.

I will try to be a good blogging girl and stay on subject and not head off on a rant. Cross your fingers on that one!

A trip to the museum- Chapter 5, sculpture and spiral stairway

Magical, mysterious spiralling stairways and breathtaking sculpture ...Yet another chapter of our trip to the Detroit Institutes of Art (DIA). I have broken the story down into chapter chunks to feature things and not make it all seem so long and overwhelming...and something you would look at and say, "That's wayyyy too much to read today, I'll just skip it." I want you to really see things. That's the way a museum should be seen. I think so, anyway.

There are many sculptures of every shape, size and type throughout the massive museum in Detroit.

We (my 3 kids, E.'s friend and me) even had conversation about how so many old and ancient statues and sculptures loose their heads and hands. We were tempted to keep a tally of how many heads were missing and which hand was most frequently absent, left or right. But back to this sculpture, which I think is my favorite of them all.

Please, PLEASE! click on the pictures to see more detail.

I was memorized by this one, such exquisite attention to details to the point that you wished you could touch it to see if it really felt like the texture your brain was conveying to you.

(Don't touch though, this is a museum, remember!)

How could something so hard, and so hard to carve really make you "think" tendrils of hair, creases of skin, folds of draped fabric, supple fur and wood of a chair? I stood (probably much too long) pondering this beautiful art . Do you ever see a piece of art and it just speaks to you yet you can't put into words why?

I am blessed that my kids think it is FUN going to museums. I began taking them as new babies so it was just always a part of their lives. At our own museum, closer to home, I have been taking my kids throughout their whole lives to see their favorite painting/art item that "speaks" to them. They are respectful of giving each other time to simply stand and ponder the wonder of their own favorite piece. Each of my 3 kids has their own absolute favorites.

I think I may have to find this sculpture again when ever we return to Detroit.

So now on to another area. This is the top of a spiral stairway. I like the iron work of the railing worn by many years of hands gliding along the surface. (You may remember another post from one of our many frequent trips to Ann Arbor, and the photos of another majestic railing stairway which holds fascination for me.)

Spiral stairways just "do it" for me in general. It is something about the mystery of what lies beyond the visual scope. The anticipation. See the bottle glass window barely discernible at the right of this photo (below)? There were several on the way twirling downward. Look at the one in the next photo after this one....

The bottle glass window is like magic with the warm light glowing through it. The one above the archway doesn't hope to have the same effect on your senses. Am I right?

Now you will have to wait 'till the next chapter and I will show you what is beyond the archway at the bottom of this spiral stairway!

Magnificent.

A trip to the museum- Chapter 4, Ancient Egypt

Egyptian items are always fascinating, so we were anxious to enter this area at the Detroit Institutes of Art ( http://www.dia.org/ ) on our recent trip. We enjoyed viewing many wonderful things in these Egyptian themed displays and here are some highlights.


I can't begin to imagine how long it took to weave and produce all these long strips of cloth to wrap the mummies in such a geometrically artistic fashion.....and to think of how many years it has been that way!!!! To stand there and stare in wonder, it becomes mind boggling and mesmerizing.

Modern technology helps us see inside the wrappings without disturbing them. How cool. It does not escape me that mummies like this one, on display all around the world in different museums and such, are actually someone's family member that was grave robbed. Beyond that guilt, it is so magical to witness the craftsmanship of the whole tradition of mummies.

The painting on these sarcophagus' are so insanely detailed, it must have taken weeks or even months to complete. We have a 6 feet long floor puzzle with about 200 big pieces that depicts a sarcophagus on one side and then you can flip all the puzzle pieces and build a new one- the other side is the wrapped mummy. It is a favorite to build over and over again.

Canopic jars are another Egyptian tradition, with each jar meant to hold a different internal organ from the mummy. If you think hard about it you will probably say, "Eeewww gross... but interesting to see them sitting in the display case as long as you promise not to open one and show me!"

Shawabti (little figurines) are funeral workers for the dead and were included in the tomb to help care for the person in the next life. I wonder if they help you to finish all the things you meant to finish in this lifetime?, 'cuz even if I live to be 100 years old I will never get to finish all my sewing and craft and scrapbook projects!!! So, if they do help you finish unfinished projects I will need to have lots of them in my Egyptian tomb!!!