Visual art and lots of reading

Click on my website link: claudelylesartworks if you are interested.

If you click on the photos below, after they pop-up you can pinch them open to get a better view.

New Art:

Dropped off two paintings that were accepted into the juried show at the Bonita Arts Center, will find out Friday night if I won anything. Also submitted two pieces online for the All Florida show at Alliance For The Arts; will find out on the 15th if either or both are accepted. It's pretty competitive with artist from all of Florida. We'll see. 

Finished a piece that has been driving me crazy for weeks, it is from a photo of the Thompson River behind the Wynbrier Wildlife Gallery in Estes Park. They have graciously been letting me show work, I sold one of the two I sent to them in late November. Will forward two more when the paint dries.

8 x 10 oil on wrapped canvas

Attended a demonstration for a workshop (that I am not attending) by Douglas David, an artist from Indianapolis. The class was for beginning oil painting (two women said they have never lifted a brush) but I always pick up from the demo's. This one was no exception.

Old Art:

I am going through my old work and either sanding down and covering over the ones that don't work, or touching up to see if what I have learned since can improve them and attract a buyer.

Mile Marker 360 plein air workshop

10-mile canal, southern look before a storm, oil on canvas board 8 x 10

Clayton NM, oil on board 5 x 7

Windmills in Zandaam, NL 10 x 8 Oil on canvas

Reading:

The Life And Works Of Gustav Klimt
Thomas Eakins - His Life And Art

Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice
Landscape Painting Inside and Out
Plein Air Painting in Watercolor and Oil
The Art of Painting Landscapes, Seascapes, and Skyscapes in Oil & Acrylic
Trying to get ready for my 5-day Plein Air workshop in Naples the first week in February with Morgan Samuel Price. Look up her work, I love it.

Started reading The 12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality for my Spiritual Aging 12-week class. The Author and DVD presence, Richard Johnson, Ph.D. is a resident of Wildwood and Executive Director of the Association for Lifelong Adult Ministry headquartered in Saint Louis. Discussion brought up one of the most important books in my life: Be The Person You Were Meant To Be by Jerry Greenwald. Out of print but worth it if you pick up a used copy on Amazon. Link: Johnson Institute/Lifelong Adult Faith Formation

AND...
 "Mom says 'What's that noise?'
 Mom's just jealous
 'We're The Beastie Boys!"
Yes, I read the Beastie Boys Book. Did not know a lot about them, not a rap fan except for Eminem/Rihana's Love The Way You Lie and Run DMC/Arrowsmith's Walk This Way (which was featured multiple times in the book. They were conveniently gross and exhibited all the bad behavior you can think of when they were making money, apologetic to women and homosexuals after they made it. Nevertheless, three kids goofing around in high school following, falling into a music dream/experience that took them all over the world, made tens of millions of $, met all kinds of famous people...we see it all the time, artists that have 'IT" and have the drive to get somewhere. Always with assistance, but it is almost always their drive, vision, and persistence that make it happen. For better or worse. Persistence I have seen is a key to success in many fields.

She's crafty,      she's got it right.
She's crafty,      she's just my type.

Watching:

Online, there are many, many uTube videos for art, both general and instructive. One that I receive monthly is an artist that paints, primarily, Plein air landscapes in New Zealand. Andrew Tischler. Look him up. His commentary will walk you through his creative process. Good visual podcasts, also. Link: Andrew Tischler

Grabbed some videos at the library:
Exhibition On Screen: Vincent van Gogh's New Way Of Seeing...good remembrance from our trip last fall to Amsterdam.
Henri Matisse - Not a fan of his cut-outs and posters but more and more I like his treatment of space and color. I'd like to see the white mural in a chapel that is afflicted by color light cast through the opposite wall's stain glass pastel colored window.
Lady Gaga: The Media Collection. I thought it was going to be a DVD of her performance(s) but it was only a collection of about ten interviews conducted over her career. See above on drive, vision, persistence. In her case she explained more then once that every thing she does, records, performs, says, wears is focused on a successful image. Very controlling. The opposite of the BB's who just got up in the morning and went with whatever. Only regret is doing coke for a couple of years.  But, in my opinion, someone who does a filmed (or any) interview in her bra and (I think) Spanx "just because I don't want to wear clothes today" is off center, regardless of the drive, vision, and persistence. But might just be me.

The Impressionist Masters Rebellious Pioneers - which was funny because they covered approximately 30 artists, really the whole gamut of pre, Impressionists, post, in 30 minutes. It was like "Cezanne used a dash line, very important guy; Surat used dots, part of the Pointillists; next...

Fun art links: Rijks Museum and The Van Gogh Museum they have a language button to convert to. English.

Listening: 

The Beastie Boys (so what I was reading made sense - in a musical way)
Bella Fleck & The Flecktones - combine Bluegrass and Jazz, a little Dave Matthews-like sound
Belinda Carlisle
Ben Harper & Charles Musselwhite - jazz
Benny Carter - jazz
Yes, I was working through the B's in my iTunes portfolio.

Eating:

Linda made a wonderful Red Bell Pepper Fettuccini in butter with shrimp tonight. The lemons were provided by my friend Bill Weber (Go Dragons) from his back-yard tree; one of the benefits of living in FLA. Some of you know how I lucked out when I met her. Last week she baked a Millionaire cake for the office.

It Seems To Me:

I was reading several articles and short pieces and weirdly, they all had a common theme. Tough times in which we live, isn't it? Lots of division in this country, in the world.  Unhappiness in our life, lacking purpose. What's It All About, and all that. One commentary I read pointed out that...

"Discussing the homogenizing and stultifying effects of television upon culture, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 depicts an America that had degenerated into a state of utter inanity, where reading is a lost art and people spend more quality time with strangers on video screens (today it is their 'smart' phone) than with their own family and neighbors.  The same mark is found in Aldous Huxley’s classic Brave New World, which depicts a world where sex has been disassociated from family and procreation, religion has been reduced to a form of social therapy, and science is meticulously censored so as to preserve a political orthodoxy". 

So what are we to do? Are we really so different from earlier generations when we consider the fundamental problem and a universal solution? Our creator never left us alone, initiating salvation though the Jewish people. But what about the rest of us? Another commentary pointed out that "From the beginning of the Christian story, then, the world has been ugly, hostile to God come to earth in Jesus and those who follow and worship him. So too for us today, for the world is not yet redeemed, and human progress often sets itself up as a temptation to love this world alone and as a servant of that false secular messianism the Catechism identifies and decries (§§ 675–677). But our horizon of hope is the end of time in God, our rest forever. Reflection on that—through meditative and contemplative prayer, through praise, through sacramental participation, through liturgical worship—will give us the peace, joy, and hope we need in these trying times. And so we ought to escape the city of man and dwell even now in the City of God...not Gnostic escape, but a realization that Heaven is greater than whatever is keeping us up at night (Romans 8.)

This seems to tie into the class I am taking on Aging and the Spiritual Life. How we respond to love or fear is all important to how and how long we live, in general, realizing that health and genes have a role to play. Take on the new man. Don't forget that there are two worlds, the human and the spiritual. They're both real.

I apologize for the inconsistent type I tried to cut and paste and cannot figure out how to fix the inconsistent type in this program. 

In Closing, I need to relate the satirical headline I saw today in the Babylon Bee online:
Link to Babylon Bee

"Report: More Unborn Babies In New York Identifying As Convicted Criminals So They Can't Legally Be Executed" . Since capital punishment in the state has been banned but abortion is legal pretty much whenever and however you want, unborn babies quickly formulated the survival strategy of identifying as murderers, rapists, and genocidal maniacs. 

Usually their satirical articles are funny, this one is sad, but necessary. It finishes up with an imagined comment - State leaders were blindsided by the strategy and aren't sure whether they should restrict abortion or rescind the ban on capital punishment "We're definitely in a bit of a pickle," Governor Andrew Coumo said. "We must respect these babies' chosen identities as serial killers, and we obviously can't perform a lethal injection on a serial killer." "That would just be inhumane, " he added, shaking his head.

I'll try to stick to art, music and travel in subsequent posts. 

Fine Art and Spring Training, and stuff from Fort Myers

My website: claudelylesartworks

You can click on the photos to enlarge, then pinch them open for an even better view.

U Pickem farm is open, picked up my first bag of tomatoes this week, right off the vine. Remember, the growing season is different down here; by the end of April, no more fresh tomatoes.

Update: My sister's MB convertible sold. Thanks to all who inquired.

New Art: 

12 x 12 acrylic on board

5 x 7 acrylic on board

Old Art:  

Today I was notified that two of my paintings were accepted to the 30th annual Bonita Center for Visual Arts Members show. Hopefully I'll get a ribbon or, even better, sell them. It is the Amsterdam Canal in the lower left, below, and the Key West street scene in the lower right. The show runs the first three weeks in February if you are in the area. If you have an interest in owning original art (mine) contact me to work out a price and shipping and handling arrangements.

We re-arranged my art wall

Art Purchased:  We made our annual visit to the Marie Selby Gallery and Gardens to purchase two Costa Rican masks. I think this will be it for a while.

Travel:    

On the 12th we joined the Edison Ford Estate Directors Tour to Miami. Specifically the Wynwood area which is a reclaimed warehouse district as it fills with art galleries, studios, restaurants and now the inevitable condos. Still rough, but you can see investors are pumping in millions of $ and it is a vibrant area.  Link to The Wynwood Walls Our guide was from Miami Culinary Tours so we stopped for 5 small plates. The final stop was Walt Grace (see John Mayer) Vintage Cars and Guitars. Link to their site In addition to the collection, it is an active guitar shop which brings in a good number of visiting musicians. I have to admit, for a few minutes I wish I had not sold all of my equipment when we moved here. I felt I had to decide between art or music and I think it was the correct decision. The value here is 1 I did not have to drive in or into Miami, 2 I would have never tried to visit this area on my own, and 3 Now I know where to go or advise you when you come to visit.

Interesting pseudo Vegan place

Street scenes in Wynwood

One stop had a Warhol shrine

This gallery featured an artist from whom we purchased a climber several years ago

Next up in February will be a day trip to Lakeland: Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright at Florida Southern College (not U of South Florida which I confused many years ago) and historic Lakeland tour.

Reading:     

Landscape Painting Essentials, Monet and the Mediterranean, Realistic Oil Painting Techniques, Painting In Nature, and a rare (for me) piece of fiction - Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens who co-authored my earlier read Secrets of the Savanna about their time in what is now Zambia.

Freedom of the Press, in my mind is not absolute. There is a responsibility involved as noted by Thomas Jefferson: "During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been levelled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety." —Thomas Jefferson (1805)

"If by the liberty of the press were understood merely the liberty of discussing the propriety of public measures and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please: But if it means the liberty of affronting, calumniating and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my share of it, whenever our legislators shall please so to alter the law and shall chearfully consent to exchange my liberty of abusing others for the privilege of not being abused myself." —Benjamin Franklin (1789)

I guess it goes back to the idea of freedom itself - not the right to do anything you want, but freedom to do what is right, or good. Of course you need to think deeply and honestly of what is right or good. I heard they have whole classes on this alone.

Listening To: 

Jane Arden, Jane's Addiction, Jason Aldean (see a pattern here)? Gloria Estefan Greatest Hits.

Chris Isaak's You Owe Me Some Kind of Love - the first time I heard it I was on my way to work and I actually pulled over to hear the whole song. It was magic, first time I heard of CI, great lead guitar. uTube video link. When you go t the link it will have a brief ad. When the site pops up, click on the photo of Chris. See, I am getting better at the link skills.

I find copy-write law interesting. And, how much money you make from royalties as a songwriter (not the performer, by the way) as they play your song over and over and over, over all the years. So, if I have it right, song titles are not copy-write protected. For example, I found at least 9 different songs titled Stop The Car. A couple of them, and I mean two, were pretty good. This is how I learn about new groups, sounds. When I research a song or a group, one thing leads to another and pretty soon I am listening to their library on iTunes, then I can see if the real library has anything which lets me dive deeper. Enough.

Watching:       

Mary Poppins original to prep for the new MP

A Quiet Place (disappointing, should have been longer, came off like a first try, which it was for JK).

Baseball:     

Spring Training is coming. I renewed my two season tickets which are located between home and first, last row which places them under the overhang keeping the sun and afternoon thunderstorms off. And, easy in and out. I share them with my high school friend Bill. Might have to sell a couple of games as I will be going to Lakeland to see the Cardinals vs Detroit, and Clearwater to see the Cards vs Phillies. This is the first year since we arrived, almost six years ago (hard to believe) that the Cards are not visiting FtM Twins and Red Sox. One of these years I need to scoot over to Jupiter to see the Cards at home.

Visual Art from Fort Myers Florida...and more

www.claudelylesartworks.com   for my website

Reminder that you can select the photos featured below, they should pop open and then pinch open to enlarge, as would be helpful to read about our visit to the Florida Rep to see the wonderful August Wilson's Fences. More about that below.

INSTAGRAM: I am on Instagram, my only social network. If you know how I can add that button to my website or the blog, I would appreciate knowing how. Both are pre-programmed to add Facebook and Twitter, but that is all. And, has anyone tried to get this RSS feed? Not sure if it works. 

New Art:  

I really am working on new pieces.

Flowers in acrylic and Thompson River on right in oil.

Furthermore, this Saturday will travel with The Edison Ford Museum on motor coach to Miami for the Wynwood Culinary and Art Tour; Wynwood is the largest outdoor museum in the world while we will be savoring cuisine by some of most talented chefs in Miami. I'll be sure to take pictures.

Old Art:  

Waiting on word from Bonita Springs Art Center to see if my two pieces submitted will be accepted for the next show. Should know by Jan 19th.

Workshops, classes:  

Bonita Arts Festival Jan 13 in Riverside Park. Next Demonstration is by David Douglas on the 23rd, Oil Painting Technique.

Reading: 

From the Smithsonian Magazine: Jan/Feb 2019 issue p.58 Where We Fight.

I have generally been of the thought that we should fight evil "there" rather than here; that we should defend the defenseless, etc. On the other hand, I have thought that the Middle East, ultimately, will have to solve their own problems. On the (third) other hand, some (clearly) bad players needed to go. And there are countries, regimes that we absolutely want to deprive or delay the establishment of nuclear weapons. When President Trump announced his wish to leave Syria, I, like many, was caught off-guard. About the same time, this article showed up and I was stunned to see in how many countries we have troops, fighting, support, training, etc (see the table at the top). There are not many white or blank countries where we have no presence. No wonder our forces are stretched. We have to fund all of this, the troop and equipment transportation, obtain the land rights. There is the exposure risk where we might be attacked and then what? The communication needs. On and on. Now I am not so sure we need to do this on such a broad scope. I realize that presence in a country gives us highly valuable intelligence info and contacts, quick strike capability, and provides some assurance to friendly regimes. In this particular situation, the Kurds need to be protected in the final decision; however, so what would it look like if we don't leave Syria - in 10 years? Will anything change so that we won't be there in 20 years? 30? 

Meanwhile, Russia and China are watching us spend all of this money, taking on the political headaches (internal and external) while they, China in particular use their funds to build infrastructure in countries and who then become beholden to support China's escapades or propaganda. With just a few location cutbacks we could easily take some of the saved money to fund a wall along our southern boarder, staff immigration needs, provide true asylum assistance on a timely basis and still provide for our troops. 

Difficult questions. 

Humor:  

Grant Wood's American Gothic

Do you see a resemblance?, NOT a SNL skit by the way.

Upper painting brother and sister, lower photo, two sad, sad, excuses for "leaders". In my opinion.

Shows: 

If you can, open up the photos and read about the play and playwright. This all-Black cast was excellent. Being a child of the 50's and 60's, much of this rang true, including the baseball references. I thought of my grandfather who was born dirt poor, 8 children on a "farm" in central Alabama and his stories, how he made his way to Saint Louis and overcame the depression, raised three boys, bought a house, etc. I appreciate that The Rep retained Wilson's script, not cleaning it up for today's sensibilities. Blacks talked they way they did in the 40's and 50's just as did whites. They referred to Color Folk just as did we. They had their words for Caucasion and we had ours for them, sometimes in malice, but not always, it was just a way to reference. I lived it for a summer in 1972 as the only White as a playground coach in northwest Saint Louis near Kingshighway, Union, and I-70. And, the play accurately captured the "family" issue when couples stray. And how someone, usually male can end up in the Pen going down a misguided path trying to provide, repenting, and seeing his son do the same darn thing. And, how do we forgive very real hurts as we try to overcome barriers thrown up in front of us as we live. Needless to say, I liked it. I usually shy away from plays about dysfunctional families, but this one worked. 

 Before the show we ate dinner at the Fort Myers Marina... which photo is better?

Sunset started off gentle, pastel

And left with all its blazing glory

Baseball:  

Spring training is approaching. The Cardinals are not coming to FtM, they usually play the Red Sox and the Twins every March but not this year. So, I will attend the Cards - Phillies in Clearwater and Cards - Tigers in Lakeland.  Hope to see Marty those days and maybe visit the Dali Museum. And, I again have 2 Twins season tickets in a great location (yea, the stadium ) so that should be fun.

Tennis:    

For several reasons, mostly circumstance, I have not played as much as I would like. Nevertheless, I have gone out multiple times by myself to practice my weakest, weakest, weakest ability - Serving. So, today, for example, I hit 74 balls softly from just beyond the service box to work on technique, developing muscle memory. Then, I hit 74 more from the baseline...some did not make it over but most did. I'm feeling better about my serve, but I can't play match until I get it down, can I? It is lonely for the athlete to do it alone, but necessary, however, to keep pushing through. You play little mind games while going forward, sing a song or two, and I only said two bad words the whole time today, "gosh darn" and ... let's leave it at that. I will say it was not as bad as words used by some of the new liberal reps in congress.

Pick 'em up and do it again, right?

Remembrance:  

On the 17th my youngest sibling Tommy would celebrate his 55th birthday. Hard to believe. Died suddenly at the age of 37. Never saw 9/11. Example #1 of why they should not legalize recreational mariuanna. My favorite picture of him, so full of happiness, hope, all that he might become. Hope he is all right. 

2019 and new Art

New year, new art, bunch of classes and workshops, great Florida weather...I can't stand it!
My website which hosts most of my current works and a few from school days. Just click on this link and away you go.

New Art:

From my first life (live model) drawing in 40 years. it gave me a chance to revisit using pastel and conte' crayon for the 1 - 3 minute poses.

2 - 25 minute pastel drawings on butcher paper

larger, 20 x 16 acrylic on canvas board; KW street scene

Acrylic 7 x 5 on canvas board, from Key West trip

I entered the street scene above and, if you remember, the Amsterdam canal oil into the Bonita Springs Art Center Members Show. It is juried so I won't know if I make the cut until the evening of January 18.  I have been accepted in the past so I am hopeful.

Bonita Art Center garden kinetic sculpture, it twirls in the breeze.

Also, just mailed in my membership to The Estero Art League; I thought I would try a new group. And, it is closer than both Bonita to the south and Punta Gorda to the north. 

Demo: Instead of spending hundreds of dollars for 3 - 5 day workshops, Bonita Art Center lets you attend the opening day Demo of 2 hours, which is a preview, for $20. I just attended my third of 11 I purchased: Lisa Daria Kennedy Daily Painting, embrace the practice.  Every day for coming up on 10 years she has gotten up at 5 AM and painted for an hour or two, unless traveling, then she makes it up before she goes to sleep. This is in addition to her "normal" work, which is large canvas abstracts. You can see her work at lisa@thebigcvisualjournal.com and her blog at lisadaria.blogspot.com .

Visitors:

I was reviewing my blog and website analytics and found that:

77% of viewers came from the US - no surprise there

But then, 5% from France, a little less but still 5% from Ukraine and another 5% from RUSSIA. Interesting. Lately there has been an uptick from China, replacing France and Russia.

Listening To:

Peter Gabriel - Secret World live, when you see it on stage it seems bigger than just a recording. He's my age so I can relate to his early life experiences. I wish he and Genesis or, at least Phil would get together for one more work.

Firefall - I LOVE Mexico, listening to greatest hits; and The Fixx live album plus the single Beautiful Friction; Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music - he captured cool.

Billy Idol's White Wedding (Pt 1) is a superbly engineered recording.

Lots and lots of Christmas music.

Experiences: Dominic and Lisa visited, as did Gregory. Linda's gifts to the family were interactive. So, one afternoon we went fishing in the Florida backwater with Capt Billy Norris. Everyone caught at least one fish. Kept two Sheapshead which will end up being appetizers after he prepped for us.

The next night we went to an escape room, my first. We beat the clock by 8 minutes and did not use the three allowed clues. In addition to us five, there were two young woman who had experience and they were a  big help. 

Then, on Sunday after Mass we went to the Everglades and Captain Mitch's Airboat rides. It was interesting to see a part of the country no-one gets to see unless they go this route. We saw 'gators, all kinds of birds. Afterwards we drove to Isle of Capri and the Island Gypsy Cafe for drinks and dinner on the waterfront. It is located just before you cross on to Marco Island. 

The "kids" spent Monday kayaking off Pine Island and Matlacha (pr the last a as long a) 

Reading:

1. Blogging for Dummies.

2. Finished Secrets of the Savana...what a story about a couple Mark and Delia Owens, my age or a year older who moved to Zambia (aka Rhodesia) with a primary goal to save elephants from extinction. Poachers were had reduced them from tens of thousands to hundreds in this region. Along the way they learned about and catalogued many other species. The biggest benefit, however, was creating a stunning extension of organizations, capturing countries, political movements, and corporations to expand and make sure their efforts lived on. They were there 23 years from the early 70's until the early 1990's when corrupt officials told them to leave or they would die. The best way to make this work was by creating a team who would work with the locals, especially the poachers, to create other income sources so they did not need to feed their families by selling tusks and meat. They were able to help them realize that more elephants would lead to tourism, and controlled harvesting. Being part of the ban on tusk sales was what put them in their greatest danger. In the appendix where you will read the extensive world-wide effect - well, it is stunning what two people can accomplish. Just amazing. Then, on the last page (194), third last paragraph they said that it was also important to stem the world population growth...talk about shock and disappointment. How could they arrive at that non-sequitur (they never discussed it in the preceding chapters). I sent an email to the Owens Foundation to express my shock and paraphrasing reminded them that their philosophy would deprive the world of the next Mark and Delia. And of course, all of the friends and supporters they acknowledged in the epilogue, they would not be born either. And I mentioned that for all of the good things mammals such as elephants, lions, etc. bring to this world, they can not love. Only humans, with free-will can love, and make this world a better place. After 193 wonderful pages, it was quite a comedown. 

3. Problogger.

Humor: 

clever

Not Humor: 

I include the following article from the Wall Street Journal because I want to be clear to some of my readers that I am not a "climate denier" just because I question where we get our information and what does it really mean, or can we even make a determination. This sums it up as best as any...

And maybe where we are IS the norm, not where we were. Maybe we shouldn't build mansions on beaches, but set back a half mile, or not build in forests that can catch fire from lightening or human accidents. Just sayin'. You can click on photo to enlarge.

Finally, pulled out 8 Harley models I had in my closet, here is a photo of two. Kind of fun.