Jerub-Baal Blog

2008-12-05T13:18:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Apologies for the lateness, the morning was given over to putting up a new kitchen ceiling at an apartment (obviously, no internet... )

Oh England, My Lion Heart - Tour of Life 1979

I remember reading somewhere than Lionheart was the artist's personal favorite...

2008-11-28T09:08:00.004-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Eat the Music

From "the Line, the Cross, and the Curve" (album, the Red Shoes), so the first bit is a little surreal, but then again, it's Kate, so that's redundant...

The day after Thanksgiving, what could be better than people dancing in fruit?

2008-11-26T11:30:00.007-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!"

vintage Gurley holiday candles

more at my Flickr photo stream (and feel free to browse around)

Thought I should post this today, as everyone will probably be too full of turkey to surf the web tomorrow.

Oh, and Beer! (see previous post for explanation)

2008-11-23T13:56:00.005-05:00

Manliness!

I followed this link from The Glenn to find that this blog is supposedly gender neutral and has a 50% chance of being written by a woman.

"We guess http://jerub-baal-studio.blogspot.com/ is written by a woman (50%), however it's quite gender neutral."

OK, well here goes...

Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. ever break this streak and win a NASCAR race?

Let's drunkblog the swearing in of POTUS #44! (OK, let's not)

Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer!... and Bitters.

Speed Week! Superbowl! World Series! Poker! Hotrods! Boxing! Guns! (go out and buy ammo now, before the rules change with the above mentioned POTUS 44) Hunting and shooting small furry animals with big brown eyes that look like Bambi!

TESTOSTERONE!

Sheeesch! With all the Kate Bush posts (labeled under "obsessions") you'd think somebody would get a clue...

UPDATE: Heh! One post, and now "We guess http://jerub-baal-studio.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (54%)". I guess I just have to say "Beer" and "Testosterone" more often.

UPDATE 2: Yep, that's the ticket, that one update pushed it up another point to 55%

2008-11-21T11:09:00.001-05:00

Friday Free Ad For Kate

King of the Mountain

2008-11-15T14:24:00.010-05:00

To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape

Through March 1, 2009 at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Massachusetts

Aurora Borealis, 1865, Frederic Edwin Church, 56 x 83½ inches, oil on canvas

Capturing the high drama and stark beauty of historic polar expeditions, To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape presents more than 50 works by prominent artist-explorers, from monumental romantic canvases to early modernist works in pastel — all rarely shown in a single exhibition. The exhibition offers a range of artistic responses to the unique landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic — from the documentary to the sublime and existential, by renowned painters such as Frederic Edwin Church, Rockwell Kent and Lawren Harris.

(from the PEM website)

My Wife and I had the opportunity to go to the opening of the new exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, entitled “To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape. I’ve posted on things related to exhibits at PEM before, and it is always a joy to go there. This new exhibit is no exception. I believe this is the largest exhibit ever to focus on Polar landscapes in art. The works, covering a century of exploration and styles in painting are really remarkable. For those (like me) who collect exhibition books or catalogues, the companion book is not only complete with all of the exhibited paintings, but is excellently done and inexpensive. (Though those, again like myself, who have an eye for a more permanent personal library, may wish for a hardback version).

The larger works follow the grand scenic painting styles of the nineteenth century. As such, if you are not familiar with early modernist painting, the transition to the twentieth century works can be anticlimactic. I would strongly suggest perusing the numerous books on the topic that the PEM has at the bookstore, and will probably have strewn around the seating areas throughout the exhibit (not there for the opening, but usually feature at past exhibits). Especially look to materials on Rockwell Kent. There was a special film shown on Kent at the opening, which is not listed on the website, but if it is available I highly recommend it. These materials will help the viewer understand the stylistic transitions, and to see the change in the early twentieth century where artists began to represent these regions in their inherent drama and beauty, and not as a backdrop for human adventure. With the big dramatic canvases, it would also be easy to overlook the various notebook sketches and smaller works. Take the time to dwell over these, as they are absolutely marvelous. I was especially drawn to the pastels of David Abbey Paige (1901-1979) in which he recorded many different atmospheric phenomena.

The PEM posts a PDF file for printout with information on the works, a list of references, and brief biographies of the artists and explorers, which would make a handy pre-visit read.

If you are in Eastern Massachusetts between now and 1 March 2009, To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape would make for an excellent excursion.

For additional information, see the Press release.

(links good at time of post) UPDATE: bad link coding fixed (my bad)

2008-11-14T08:02:00.002-05:00

The Glorious Return of -- Friday Free Ad for Kate

Sensual World

2008-11-12T08:46:00.004-05:00

Privacy Concerns With Google

(say it isn't so! ed.)

Via Instapundit, the folks at Volokh have this, Google To Track Flu Searches and Report Them to Feds?:

Yeh yeh, so Google is hanging up its "Big Brother is Watching You" posters again, and everyone is worried. There's just one minor thing that Vololk and potentially the Glenn have overlooked.

Human Perversity.

As soon as I finished reading the article, I immediately opened a tab with Google, and typed in the following searches, "flu", "flu flu", "flu flu flu", "nasty avian bird flu", and finally "nasty avian bird flu with birds dropping out of the sky" (which produced about 36,000 results, and the second one actually seemed to fully fit the search terms.)

2008-11-12T08:43:00.002-05:00

"Ding Dong... !" or "Elvis Has Left The Building"

Yes, I went away, but now I'm back. Long story, involving lawyers and nasty people (in this case, exclusive terms). Our side prevailed, and now I have my time and sanity back...

2008-08-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

This Is Why You Should Curb Your Dog

2008-08-02T08:24:00.003-05:00

Hiatus

Friday Free Ads for Kate will be off for a bit. I hope to return to it soon. The trouble is, there is a limited amount of video out there (at least that's good). Alternatives are in the works... Stay tuned!

Other blogging to start up as well. Things have been interrupted by my studio move. The small room on the porch was just not working, so hopefully everything will be set up by the end of Sunday.

2008-07-28T07:31:00.005-05:00

Memorial

Charles John Andres 1913 - 2008
Student of Harvey Dunn, (himself student of Howard Pyle), artist, illustrator, teacher, and not least to those who loved him most, husband and father.

The converted side barn at the Oakes House, Berwick Academy, where Charles Andres taught his classes.

I had the privilege to attend the memorial service of Charles Andres, my high school art teacher, yesterday afternoon. (See this previous.)

I don't feel that I have been sufficiently close to him to elaborate further, except to say that the impact he had on his family and friends was obvious from the service, and that their love and respect for him was even more so.

His youngest son Mark read the following poem by Rudyard Kipling, and I can do no better than to reprint it here.

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.
And those that were good shall be happy; they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets' hair.
They shall find real saints to draw from -- Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!

And only The Master shall praise us, and only The Master shall blame;
And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They are!

May those who loved and knew him find solace and encouragement in his memory. An era in the world of illustration has passed now from us.

2008-07-24T07:21:00.001-05:00

Heh!

More at Day by Day

2008-07-21T09:52:00.003-05:00

The Media Lies, Your Ability to Make Informed Voting Decisions Dies

Being in the tank for a candidate is bad, actively spreading false propaganda is another thing entirely.

The Main Stream Media has completely lost sight its professional standards, and has possibly lost its soul.

2008-07-19T16:58:00.001-05:00

The Beast in the Oregano

This gorgeous wasp, almost two inches long, was in the oregano late this afternoon. If it had amber wings, instead of blue, it would have almost looked like a Tarantula Hawk.

The bumblebees were sipping nectar right beside it, blissfully unaware that this thing could rip their heads off and eat them with impunity, had it wanted.

2008-07-18T12:29:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Wuthering Heights, classic very early Kate.

Warning, the big eyes and mascara may take a bit of getting used too.

2008-07-18T11:56:00.007-05:00

The Humanities

The Summer 2008 issue of The Wilson Quarterly has an excellent article by Wilfred M. McClay, "the Burden of the Humanities"

Mr. McClay brings some excellent and piercing perspective on the Humanities as they are currently being taught in our universities, and how they are perceived by the general public, and why.

Strange, that an era so pleased with its superficially freewheeling and antinomian qualities is actually so distrustful of the literary imagination, so intent upon making its productions conform to predetermined criteria. Meanwhile, the genuine, unfeigned love of literature is most faithfully represented not in the universities but among the intelligent readers and devoted secondary-school teachers scattered across the land.

Mr. McClay points out how identity politics has eviscerated the meaning of the Arts and Humanities and he goes on to show why we should care about this at all. He shows that the Humanities can and should remind us "that the ancients knew things about humankind that modernity has failed to repeal," a reminder more important today, as some aim to move us into a post-human world.

Go have a good read.

(image "Landscape" 1994, by Mark Tansey, used as the title illustration in the original article)

2008-07-11T14:27:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Kate covering Rocketman

2008-07-08T08:55:00.002-05:00

OK, I need this guy

Saint Expeditus, AKA Saint Elpidius, patron saint against procrastination...

... OK, OK! I'm off to the studio now. Time to work.

H/T Neat-O-Rama

2008-07-04T08:24:00.005-05:00

Happy Fourth of July!

Day By Day

UPDATE: Maggie's Farm has posted a large quote from The Declaration of Independence with links to the full text and the other charters of our country.

2008-07-04T08:12:00.001-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Them Heavy People from a 1979 Christmas Special

2008-07-03T07:25:00.003-05:00

Tease

A detail of the project on my paint frame...

2008-07-03T07:08:00.000-05:00

oh, and yes, I went away... but now I'm back

2008-07-03T06:36:00.003-05:00

The Right Brush

Painting in acrylic is murder on brushes. An average brush lasts me maybe one year, sometimes two. As a result of this, I had been loath to try more expensive brushes, like Kolinsky Sables, even though I wanted the level of control that such a good brush brings.

Never the less, I broke down and bought a set of Performen Kolinsky brushes by Creative Mark from Jerry's Artarama when they were on sale...

... last summer.

Even though these are not very expensive (especially for Kolinsky Sable, which can retail for between $400.00 and $700.00 per brush for the larger sizes), I was still uptight on using such a brush and automatically condemning it to an early death.

Well, I bit the bullet yesterday, and started using them.

It was amazing! They hold more paint, so that I can do longer strokes and cover more in less time. They have excellent control, allowing me to pull long lines and to accurately pull an edge. And they rinse and wash out better and easier than any brush I've ever owned.

Just goes to show that there is no substitute for quality.

2008-06-20T18:32:00.001-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate (a little late in the day)

Hounds of Love from the album of the same name.

2008-06-20T17:52:00.005-05:00

Compare and Contrast

Art in America's June/July '08 issue focuses on Art & Politics. You can guess some of the political leanings going on...

I found the contrast of two articles particularly curious;

In Activist Esthetics, Tom McDonough makes the (in my opinion, highly contestable) claim,

The social history of art, as it fitfully developed over the course of the 20th century, has always been bound up with the troubled history of the workers' movement, and more particularly with its state-socialist variant. There seemed few ways to think through the relation between art and the social outside the parameters provided by the canonic Marxist ontology.

At least he is up front with his agenda. It's such a sweeping statement, it makes me wonder about all the art training I've gotten and all the artist's relationships I have that are distinctly non-Marxist. We must be some sort of aberration.

Later, there is a very interesting interview with Ai Weiwei, described as "China's most outspoken artist..."

Mr. Weiwei's first response to the interviewer is as thus,

I grew up in a Communist society and amid ideological struggles. The system devolved into extreme totalitarianism with no personal rights, no freedom of speech or expression. Justice was replaced by class struggle, which is really just an excuse for the government to maintain its power. From a very early age, I found it almost impossible, in those conditions, for individuals to develop self-consciousness or any real awareness of esthetic values. Instead, there was a severe conflict between individual and state power. These struggles pervaded the environment in which I grew up. And still, after 30 years of so-called "opening and reform," we have a reduced version of the same state. Today, we are still under a one-party system with very limited space for freedom of expression. (emphasis mine)

It's interesting, that a westerner who (I'm assuming) has never grown up under Communism places Marx on a pedestal of heroic proportions, saying in effect that all 20th century art owes it's social impact to Marxism. On the other hand, the first thing said by an artist, who has actually grown up under the thumb of Marx, is how Communism makes the conscious expression of art and esthetics nearly impossible.

It is a wonder, the ignorance shown by those who simply will not learn from history.

2008-06-13T07:26:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

OK, it's been an extra slow week on the blog. I've been trying to get stuff done in the studio. More on that later... now here's Lily from the Red Shoes

And if you want more in the way of bloggy goodness, take a look at all the links in David Thompson's regular Friday Ephemera, including a link from The Thin Man for some Kraftwerk

2008-06-06T09:06:00.004-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Love & Anger

UPDATE

David Thompson links to this incredible piece, LA to NY compressed into 4 minutes!

2008-05-30T20:49:00.012-05:00

Art, or the Colosseum?

UPDATE, thanks to Assistant Village Idiot and Eugene Volokh for the links. If you are here for the first time, please also check out my Art Studio website, Jerub-Baal Studio

Neatoramma posts about German artist Gregor Schneider, who plans to display a person's death as a piece of performance art. A doctor has agreed to help find a volunteer.

Actually, to be fair, Neatorama’s description is not really accurate. The piece would be considered installation art. If I have followed the article trail properly through Google, this interview in the Art Newspaper is where it all started, with a response by the artist to the comments thread here and a further defense by the artist published in the Guardian Further interesting reading on the subject, from a legal angle (US only) can be found at the Volokh Conspiracy (who I might ad, posted an interesting essay on the Aliza Shvarts art-thesis-cum-hoax at Yale, and the legal and ethical issues surrounding Yale’s ending of her project. Read through the comments…. )

I think all of these are good reads before coming to a conclusion about the project.

First or all, Mr. Schneider is taken aback at some of the insults and threats that he has received in response to the publishing of his idea. I can’t say that I blame him. The examples he gives, if they are true (and given the often vituperative nature of on-line commentary, I believe him. He could probably have gone on for several pages… ) Such things are not arguments or discussion, and they do nothing but take away from any rational criticism that could be given to the artist. I sincerely hope for his safety and peace of mind.

That said there are a number of things in the artist’s arguments that appear to me to be flawed. Foremost is his comparison of his art concept with several modern social realities and some art history, as a way of justifying the morality and compassion of his concept.

One of these arguments is that modern entertainment, especially television, regularly portrays death in a degrading way. Well, he will get no argument from me that television is often debasing of its subject matter. However, using this as an argument to validate his motivations or methods as moral and compassionate is highly suspect. This is moral relativism. The unethical, immoral, or distasteful actions of others does not make my actions moral (or immoral, as matter of fact), anymore than Mr. Schneider’s being German makes me an American.

Mr. Schneider’s argument from art history is that, “Michelangelo used to cut up dead people to study their anatomy. Is that not much more shocking than what I am proposing to do?” * Well, obviously, Michelangelo’s subjects were already dead, and were not subject to public scrutiny while he made his studies (that being due more to his fear of the Catholic Church’s authorities than of any moral rectitude on his part). But even in later years, where such dissections were done as a matter of public viewing, it still remains that the subject’s actual passing was not the part on display. The artist's argument would have made more sense had he compared it to public hangings, seen as entertainment by the masses in days gone by. However, I don’t think that comparison would have the effect he hopes.

Mr. Schneider states that, “…I am not proposing that I would bring about someone’s death, or stage it.” ** Or that he would encourage suicide. I believe him. This does leave a scheduling problem. If the point of the exhibit is to show death as a positive experience, then the natural death would have to occur during the operating hours of the museum or gallery, hardly something you could plan out. Would this then mean that the exhibition was a failure, or that the patrons and visitors should get their ticket money back? My understanding of most municipal health code regulations is that leaving a freshly dead and untreated human body lying about in your home or place of business is out of the question. (Heck, I’m not even allowed to bury my cat in the backyard.) This would seem to be a major operational flaw.

Another argument for the moral standing of Md. Schneider’s proposal is that many people die in bleak environments, separated from loved ones and any support. “These days, many die in hospitals, locked away from the public,” and, “Shouldn’t this last journey be the most intimate and personal journey in a person’s life?” *** He is arguing two opposing points here. In one, the public is not allowed to see death (suggesting that the artist believes it should be so allowed), in the other, death should be personal. His proposed art installation would certainly be public. The very act of displaying someone’s death in a gallery environment would remove any vestige of the intimate or personal for the subject. He also complains of the regulations and rules surrounding burial, saying, “In my view, the dying should be able to define the rituals and sites of their funeral themselves.” † But where would this lead? Is the artist then suggesting the possible return of Suttee?

A further justification provided is the support Mr. Schneider has received from a priest. Unfortunately, history shows that the approval of a religious leader is no guarantee of moral strength or purity. (Meaning no disrespect to the gentleman mentioned, who I do not know.)

Finally, I will quote Mr. Schneider one last time. “My feeling is that the church used to provide us with rituals and ceremonies appropriate for death, but in a secular age, don’t we need to create our own?” In a way, this is the whole of the resistance that Mr. Schneider has found himself facing. The lack of a moral framework leaves no standard for decency or any idea of what actually constitutes respect.

This art concept (as a public display) and the arguments underlying it, exemplifies the muddy, self-justifying and often self-centered thinking behind much of the Arts today. In my opinion, such is the result of the amoral atmosphere that exists in the modern Humanities.

Notes

* ”There is nothing perverse about a dying person in an art gallery” Gregor Schneider, The Guardian, Saturday April 26, 2008

** ibid,

*** ibid,

† ibid,

(Editing note, corrected paragraph eight, where I mistyped "we" for "he." The pronoun has been corrected)

2008-05-30T07:45:00.005-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Kate and David Gilmour, live, 18 January 2002, Royal Festival Hall, London -- Comfortably Numb. I didn't know she had ever done anything with Gilmour... quality isn't so hot, but... just wow, what a concept.

With extra bonus, "God Bless the Child" from Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Two great British artists, and a band named from a famous Churchill speech. (ok, that's a stretch to relate the two, ed.)

2008-05-29T14:04:00.008-05:00

Roman Funerary Art at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston

FUNERARY PORTRAIT RELIEFS

During the late Republican and Augustan periods (about 70 B.C.-A.D. 14), funerary reliefs with portraits of the deceased and members of their families were popular. Almost without exception the portraits are of freed slaves (liberti) and their offspring. The portraits are frequently accompanied by inscriptions that indicate the professions and family relationships of the people in the relief. Occasionally, a slave's former owner was also shown. The reliefs were inserted into the tombs that lined the roads leading out of Rome. This use of funerary portrait reliefs saw a resurgence in the second century A.D.
(from the display card for Funerary Relief of the Publius Gessius Family)

The MFA has many wonderful Roman antiquities. Here are some of the Funerary Portraits, Cinerary Urns, and Sarcophagi that they display.

long post, with complete transcribed display information, just keep scrolling

Funerary Relief of a Mother and Son
Roman, Imperial period, about A.D. 110-120
Marble

This panel came from a tomb that, as the inscription records, Petronia Hedone made for herself and her son as well as her fredd slaves and their descendants. The resemblance of Petronia's hair to that of Martiana (died A.D. 112), Emperor Trajan's sister, suggests the relief's date, though the use of drilled holes for the pupils of the eyes rarely occurs before the reign of Hadrian (A.D. 117-138).

Henry Lillie Pierce Fund, 1899 99.348

Inscription
Petronia Hedone fecit sibi/et L(ucio) Petronio Philemoni filio/et libertis libertabusquae/posterisquae eorum

Petronia Hedone made [this] for herself and for Lucius Petronius Philemon, her son, and for [her] freedmen and freedwomen and their descendants

Sarcophagus with Triumph of Dionysus
Marble (from the island of Proconnesus, Turkey)

Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the god of wine and drama. He is one of the most frequently depicted gods in ancient art and is often shown in the company of mythological beings like satyrs, silens, and maenads as well as such animals as lions, panthers, and snakes. The inclusion of an elephant-drawn chariot and a giraffe in the procession identify the scene as the god's triumphal return from spreading his cult to India. Dionysiac imagery frequently occurs in Roman funerary art, and may reflect the beliefs of the deceased.

William Francis Warden Fund, 1972 1972.650

Funerary Relief of the Publius Gessius Family
Roman, late Republican period, about 50-20 B.C.
Marble (probably from Carrara, Italy)

The Latin inscription at the base identifies the central figure as Publius Gessius, a Roman citizen in military costume. He is flanked by Fausta Gessia, a slave whom he had freed, and by their son, R. Gessius Primus, also a freed slave. The inscriptions on the sides indicate that Fausta built the tomb that held this relief with money provided in Primus's will, a common practice in antiquity.

Archibald Cary Coolidge Fund, 1937 37.100

Inscriptions
Lower Edge:
Gessia P(ubli) l(iberta) Fausta/P(ublius) Gessius P(ubli) f(ilius) (tribu) Rom(ilia)/P(ublius) Gessius P(ubli) l(ibertus) Primus

Gessia Fausta, freedwoman of Publius/Publius Gessius, son of Publius, of the Romilian tribe/Publius gessius Primus, freedman of Publius

Left:
ex testam[ento]/P(ubli) Gessi P(ubli) l(iberti)/Primi

From the testament of Publius Gessius Primus, freedman of Publius

Right:
Arbi(tratu)/Gessia[e P(ubli) l(ibertae)]/Fausta[e]

Under the direction of Gessia Fausta, freedwoman of Publius

Cinerary Urn with Offering Scene
Roman, Imperial period, about A.D. 150
Marble (from the island of Proconnesus, Turkey)

In this scene of piety, a man pours an offering of wine over an altar while a woman raises her hands in prayer. A flute player provides music, a frequent component of ancient sacrifices. The side panels show the eagle of Jupiter and the peacock of Juno, each holding a victory wreath. Cinerary urns and sacrophagi were usually produced in workshops near quarries and shipped to urban centers of sale. The faces of this couple were prepared for portraits that were never carved, perhaps due to a sudden death and the need to use the urn immediately.

Museum purchase with funds donated in memory of Emily Townsend Vermeule, 2002 2002.25
(from the display card)

Cinerary Urn of L. Cassius Colonus Colonianus
Roman, late imperial period, about A.D. 200
Marble (from the Greek island of Thasos)

This urn held the ashes of Lucius Cassius Colonus Colonianus, a member of the social class known as the equites (roughly "knights"). The urn is densely covered with figures representing the death of Pentheus, king of Thebes, a story known from Euripides's play 'The Bacchae'. Pentheus opposed the presence of Dionysus in his city and spied upon the women celebrating the god's rites. This scene shows the play's climax, when the women of Thebes, driven into the ecstatic state associated with the worship of Dionysus, tear Pentheus apart. Dionysus, standing on the left, witnesses this scene, accompanied by his thiasos (entourage) of satyrs, silens, and maenads.

Benjamin and Lucy Rowland Fund, 1972 1972.356

Inscription
D(is) M(anibus) L(uci) Cassi Coloni Coloniani eq(uitis) R(omani)/vixit ann(is) XXXV
To the spirits of the dead of Lucius Cassius Colonus Colonianus, a Roman eques; he lived thirty-five years.

2008-05-29T09:01:00.004-05:00

Website News!

I am happy to note that my studio art website, Jerub-Baal Studio is finally getting a long needed updating, thanks to the tender ministrations of Chris Costello.

Go take a look! More will be coming soon.

2008-05-29T08:36:00.002-05:00

That Potter Kid and the Time Waster of Cosmic Hilarity

I've been meaning to post about Sluggy Freelance and the very funny series of lampoons upon the Harry Potter series that Pete Abrams has done. Well worth your time, if you have time to waste, or need a laugh. CLICK HERE and scroll to the bottom for links to the first three parodies (or check out any of the other plot threads on the page). If you wish to continue after that, the most recent parody begins here. You can also click on the Main Page and scroll down for a news blurb and explanation of the series (but as that is a dated news posting, without a direct link, it will eventually go away).

Go have fun!

2008-05-25T12:28:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend

my Dad and two others, Army of Occupation, Europe

my Uncle and another Med Tech, possibly at West Point

a neighbor to my maternal Great Grandfather, Carl "Lieut" Nelson

my maternal Grandfather (on the left) with two other Merchant Marines

my Great Uncle in his Merchant Marine uniform

On Saturday, the boys and I went with their Boy Scout troop to place flags at the graves of veterans at the local cemetery. On Monday, the Scouts will march in the city Memorial Day Parade.

I get to be an artist, enjoy the religion of my choice and convictions, and have the hope of a safe future for my children because of all those who have served, are serving now, and who will serve in the future to protect our country.

May God bless them and protect those in the field.

2008-05-23T14:34:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

King of the Mountain from her latest album Aerial

Aerial is a good album, not her top (which would be the Sensual World in my opinion) but well worth getting, if you like Kate.

2008-05-22T07:51:00.002-05:00

Comparative Myths

Assistant Village Idiot has an excellent and pithy post on the different myths our society argues about, and their comparative impact.

A good quick morning read, go and enjoy.

2008-05-21T11:23:00.006-05:00

Noah

Noah acrylic on canvas, 48 X 72 inches ©2008 MJAndrade all rights reserved

I had previously posted a teaser detail of this project, and now it is finished.

Here is a close-up of the lantern itself, where (hopefully) you can see the figure of 'Noah' and above him, the silhouette of the raven.

2008-05-21T06:18:00.003-05:00

Another New Sketch

the Burden of the Prophets, Modern Theology Series
Watercolor on Paper, 8x10 inches © 2008 MJAndrade

Modern Theology, its critique and its results are turning out to be a fertile ground for painting concepts.

More on this as it comes...

2008-05-20T08:02:00.002-05:00

Ow!

Or possibly Oi...

... and she includes Ross Perot. I don't think I would have been that blunt, but then again, the time for bluntness has come upon us.

2008-05-16T11:11:00.003-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

Aerial as performed by Cirque du Soleil

2008-05-11T22:04:00.003-05:00

End of Day Mother's-Day Post

My Mom and my youngest daughter!

Happy Mother's Day, and I hope you got to spend time with your family and to enjoy it well.

Friday Free Ad for Kate will return next week. My apologies, this Friday came and went before I could search out and post something...

2008-05-08T08:29:00.006-05:00

El Greco to Velázquez Art During the Reign of Philip III

at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through July 27, 2008

For any of you who are in striking distance of Boston, I highly recommend this exhibit. It is absolutely wonderful, has several paintings that I am familiar with from years of reading art history, but also many pieces I had never seen in print or otherwise. Much of the work by the two 'headliners,' El Greco and Velázquez, were real revelations in person. Even with modern high-quality reproduction, there is nothing like seeing the original, up close.

For this post, however, I'd like to focus on some of the still life paintings. These didn't seem to get the same attention from the viewers as the bigger and showier religious paintings. Yet these pieces are exquisite, and well worth the time and ticket to see just in themselves.

A few examples:

Felipe Ramírez Still Life with Cardoon, Francolin, Grapes and Irises, 1628
Oil on canvas, 28 X 36 3/16 in. (71 X 92 cm)
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Juan Sáchez Cotán Still Life with Fruit and Vegetables, about 1602
Oil on canvas 27 3/8 X 38 in. (69.5 X 96.5 cm)
Varez Fisa Collection, Spain

Juan Sáchez Cotán Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber, about 1600
Oil on canvas 27 1/4 X 33 1/2 in. (69.2 X 85.1 cm)
San Diego Museum of Art

Juan Sáchez Cotán Still Life with Game Fowl, about 1600
Oil on canvas 26 11/16 X 34 15/16 in. (67.8 X 88.7 cm)
The Art Institute of Chicago

These pieces and about a dozen other still lifes and domestic paintings by other artists including Alejandro De Loarte, Juan Van Der Hamen Y León, and Velázquez could have held my attention for hours.

Add to that the many portraits, the religions works and mythological works, the previously mention opportunity to see all of these up close, and the exhibit provides an incredible view of art in Spain at the end of the 16th Century on into the 17th.

The show also includes several amazing wooden polychrome sculptures of Saints on loan from Spanish churches, and has a reconstruction of a "treasure room" of glassware, pottery, silver and objects of curiosity (sort of a "Cabinet of Curiosities" of the craftwork of men) originally set up by the Spanish Royalty to impress their visitors.

Again, I can not say enough how highly I recommend seeing this exhibition.

Images from El Greco to Velázquez, Art During the Reign of Philip III by Sarah Schroth and Ronni Baer, with essays by Ronni Baer, Laura R. Bass, Antonio Feros, Rosemarie Mulcahy, and Sarah Schroth MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Published in association with the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. © 2008 ISBN 978-0-87846-726-6 (hardcover) $65.00 (Museum Members get a discount).

I also highly recommend the book, which contains much useful information, and a catalogue of the show, for a total of 162 high quality color illustrations

2008-05-07T19:59:00.003-05:00

Milestone!

Yesterday, my one-year-old baby girl held a paintbrush for the first time.

She was totally fascinated with it.

I not sure if that bodes well or not....

2008-05-02T14:02:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

The Big Sky

Looking back at all this, from the 80s, it's interesting to see how much video there is from Kate that has a "Steampunk" feel to it. Cloudbusting would be another obvious one.

2008-05-02T11:07:00.002-05:00

The Library of the Mind

The repository that is the human mind is an amazing thing.

”Invention, strictly speaking, is little more than a new combination of those images, that have been previously gathered and deposited in the memory: nothing can come of nothing: he who has laid up no materials can produce no combinations” Reynolds, Discourse II

Our house is full of books. My studio is full of knickknacks. Both overflow so much that many of these things have been packed up into boxes in the attic, for lack of shelf space. Currently I am re-reading The Divine Comedy (Great Books series, Britannica), and reading for the first time Philosophy and Civilization of the Middle Ages (Maurice DeWulf, Dover Publishing) and Against the Idols of the Age (David Stove, Transaction Publishers, Edited by Roger Kimball). Among the books that I continually reference, just for the joy of the images, are The Prisons (Le Carceri) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (out of print), Great Medieval Churches and Cathedrals of Europe (Jules Gailhabaud), Medieval Ornament (Karl Alexander von Heideloff) Sturgis’ Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture and Building (Sturgis et al. in three volumes, all these previously by Dover Publications), The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration (J.G. Heck, Park Lane publishing, out of print) and various atlases, current, historical or antique.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:45

Please don’t get me wrong, I am neither a gifted scholar, nor even a particularly swift reader. Just given a choice between reading a book, and just about anything else, you will find me reading the book. In only the last couple of years I have read about church history, Winston Churchill, the expansion of European maritime empires, the Black Plague, the history of superstition, hieroglyphs, numerous artists, Africa, colonial era tools, the history of church vestments, the symbolic origins of the maze, theories on the inequalities in technology and material wealth between continents, the Black Plague, the condition of the environment, the Lord of the Rings and the life of its author, illuminated manuscripts, the Black Plague, pirates, oh… and did I mention the Black Plaque?

On top of all this, I spend inordinate amounts of time searching the Internet for images and information as references for my art, or simply for the joy of reading about one more thing.

”I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.” Confucius

Every artist I have ever known has their own fascinating history of exploration, reading, scholarship, apprenticeship, collaborations, in short, their own personal library of experience that they can then draw on as they create. Of course, the same principle holds true for any profession. The CPA and the plumber, the mechanic and business manager all must train and thoroughly understand their work. As an artist I have a freedom of exploration that I didn’t have when I worked in the corporate world, as I am unfettered by the necessities of keeping up with a single area of expertise. However, I have to say that I can’t hold a candle to the more brilliant people of my acquaintance, attorneys, psychologists, teachers, salesmen and others, in the scope and breadth of their intellectual seeking. Add to that the experience and wisdom of years (which I can’t yet lay claim to, if I will ever be so able) and the collected memories of an individual become a one-of-a-kind museum, never to be duplicated.

”From the age of six I could draw forms and objects. By 50 I had turned out an infinite number of drawings. But I am not happy about anything I did before 70. Only at 73 did I begin to understand the true form and nature of birds, fish and plants. By 80 I had made a lot of progress. At 90 I will begin to get to the root of it all. By 100 I will have reached a Superior State in art, undefinable, and by 110, every dot and line will be living.” Hokusai, (the 19th century originator of Japanese landscape painting, at age 83)

And so, we have here the joy of knowledge, the adventure of seeking, the amazement of the arcane an unusual, and it all becomes wrapped up and stored inside our own heads. Go to the museum, and dwell upon that painting. Sit back and close your eyes as you escape into that symphony. Seek out and dwell in the stories of your ancestors. Open a book and sit at the feet of the wisest who have walked the world. Build up the Cabinet of Curiosities that is within you.

"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." Winston Churchill

2008-04-25T15:49:00.003-05:00

Sketch of new piece in the "Modern Theology Series". I'm still thinking about a primary title...

watercolor, prismacolor and polychromos pencils, pencil and ink on paper. 8 X 14 inches. Copyright 2008 MJAndrade

created by request from the gallery...

2008-04-25T15:29:00.004-05:00

Civil Liberties

Kim du Toit notes that the Justice Department wants to build a DNA data base of anyone "arrested, facing charges, or convicted" who gets their fingerprints taken.

Like Kim, I can see compelling convicted felons to give up DNA samples, but to compel it for every person arrested?

So if you get pulled over for speeding, and refuse to give a breathalyzer sample, that's reason to put you permanently in the DNA database. Or how 'bout this, you get arrested because an officer thinks you are someone else. I worried about this once, a buddy of mine and I got pulled over and surrounded by three squad cars, because he was driving a "black SUV" and I matched the description of one of a pair of guys in a "black SUV" that had been doing break-ins that morning. (After the officers looked at our ID, they gave it back and apologized, saying that we were way to old to be the perps.) And of course, your local DA would never issue an arrest warrant for somebody based on flimsy evidence (sudden cough that sounds like "Nifong!").

This is a bad bad idea.

Here is the contact info, where you should let them know, politely that this is unconscionable.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 19, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to
David J. Karp, Senior Counsel,
Office of Legal Policy, Room 4509, Main Justice Building,
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20530.

To ensure proper handling, please reference OAG Docket No. 119 on your correspondence.
You may submit comments electronically or view an electronic version of this proposed rule at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David J. Karp, Senior Counsel, Office of Legal Policy. Telephone: (202) 514-3273.

Thanks Kim!

But remember, the worst threat to our civil liberties is the evile Bush Administration tapping the cell phones of terrorists...

UPDATE:Bioephemera notes that GINA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act passed the Senate unanimously. More at Scientific American. So write to your Senators and Congresspersons, they may actually be in the mood to deal with stuff like this appropriately.

2008-04-25T08:08:00.004-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

For all those with a sense of entitlement....

"Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap.
Some say that knowledge is ho-ho-ho-ho.

I want to be a lawyer.
I want to be a scholar.
But I really can't be bothered.
Ooh, just gimme it quick, gimme it, gimme gimme gimme gimme!

Some say that knowledge is ho ho ho.
Some say that knowledge is ho ho ho.
Some say that heaven is hell.
Some say that hell is heaven.

I must admit, just when I think I'm king,
(I just begin.)
Just when I think I'm king, I must admit,
(I just begin.)
Just when I think everything's going great,
(I just begin,)
Hey, I get the break,
Hey, I'm gonna take it all--
(I just begin.)
When I'm king--
(-- just begin.)

In my dome of ivory,
A home of activity,
I want the answers quickly,
But I don't have no energy. "

(UPDATE: original video was removed from the web, it's been replaced by one from YouTube.)

2008-04-21T18:28:00.008-05:00

'NETFEED/ART: Artistic Suicide Challenge
(visual: Bigger X at Toronto arraignment)
VO: A guerrilla artist known only as No-1 has challenged the better-known forced involvement artist Bigger X to a suicide competition. No-1’s broadside against Bigger X, which calls him a “poseur” because “he only works with other people’s deaths,” suggests a suicide competition between the two artists, to be broadcast live by “artOWNartWONartNOW.” The one with the most artistically interesting suicide would be judged the winner, even though he or she would not be around to collect the prize. Bigger X, who is wanted by the police for questioning in a Philadelphia bombing, has not been available for comment, but ZZZCrax of “artOWNartWONartNOW” called it “an intriguing story.” '

[Fictional news blurb from the beginning of chapter 21 of “Mountain of Black Glass” copyright 1999, by Tad Williams (Volume Three of “Otherland”, a four volume SciFi novel).]

There has been a lot of commentary about the Aliza Shvarts/Yale Shock Art Thesis incident. Roger Kimball has an essay well worth reading, Yale, Abortion, and the Limits of Art. There is another piece at The American Digest. The Volokh Conspiracy has an excellent post on Yale's attempt to close the barn door after the horse left.

One thing in the comments section on that last really struck me. "Dre", responding to an earlier commenter, posted the following;

"I think this Yale thing is terrific. The artist's work has provoked wild-ass reactions all over the place, just as much of our art must do. "

It is only a short distance to this:

Karlheinz Stockhausen on the 9/11 attacks: “What happened there is—they all have to rearrange their brains now—is the greatest work of art ever. . . That characters can bring about in one act what we in music cannot dream of, that people practice madly for 10 years, completely, fanatically, for a concert and then died. That is the greatest work of art for the whole cosmos. . . I could not do that. Against that, we composers are nothing.”
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~jast/Number14/Minor.htm "

The passage at the top of this post is from a science fiction book written in 1999, but is a follow-up on a passage in an earlier volume of the series (I think volume one, [I'm not sure, I lent it out] City of Golden Shadow released in hardback in 1996) where Bigger X causes a car wreck with fatalities as a type of "forced involvement" performance art. This fiction predates the Stockhausen quote by at least five years.

The nihilistic direction of modern performance art (and the avant guard in general) has been easy to predict for a long time. That knowledge has in fact been a part of the popular culture.

Too bad that the artists haven't noticed it. It tends to put the lie to their "groundbreaking" and "transgressiveness" if everyone can see it coming.

2008-04-18T08:25:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

the Man With the Child In His Eyes from The Kick Inside

2008-04-17T21:21:00.003-05:00

Fossils in Shadowboxes

One Trilobite, 360 Kilobytes

2008-04-16T19:57:00.001-05:00

A Conceit

the Artist as a Steampunk

2008-04-10T23:00:00.004-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

this is one of two videos for "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel, with Kate. The other version shows just the two of them in an embrace, singing (although that version on the web comes with a larger viewer).

Hmmmm... it seems that Blogger hasn't adjusted to the change from Daylight Savings Time. It says I posted this at 11:00 PM, when I started the post at Midnight....

2008-04-10T07:45:00.002-05:00

Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says “There is no self.” So, maybe we're off the hook.

The sayings of a Jewish Buddhist at Maggie's Farm

Heh!

2008-04-07T18:28:00.009-05:00

Bombing of London, by Charles Andres

Sad News

I heard today from an old friend, who told me the the illustrator, Charles Andres, who had been my first art teacher in high school, passed away on Friday.

Some of his work can be found here. The interface is a little clunky, but it's worth a look. Choose a 'room' at the top of the image, then you can view the images in that area.

I remember the painting above, Bombing of London from his classroom/studio at Berwick Academy. He used it as an example of how to make contrast and composition work, since it had no color to distract the eye.

He was a man of humor and patience, an excellent teacher whom I did not listen to nearly enough, and from whom I learned more than from any other artist.

image copyright held by the estate of Charles Andres

2008-04-04T13:49:00.005-05:00

Go Now and Read!

Jessica Palmer at Bioephemera has a wonderful post on Medieval Astrolabs

Quadrant, January 3 1775, "M. H.", Danvers, Massachusetts, inked paper over wood

I've had the opportunity to see and photograph some of the Octants, Quadrants, Astrolabes and Sextants at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA. (click here for Flickr photo set then scroll about halfway down the page) These are truly marvelous and elegant bits of history.

Go and read Ms. Palmer's post. For one thing, her images are clearer than mine.

Planespheric Astrolabe, mid 17th century, attributed to Maquim Muhammed (active 1644), possibly Lahore, Pajistan, brass

2008-04-04T06:43:00.003-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

What may be the most disturbing song Kate Bush song...

Breathing

2008-04-03T21:43:00.002-05:00

Bobby Does Not Read

I had previously blogged about the work of Len Cowgill. He is a wonderful artist, and a very generous man.

I am very grateful to be able to say that his work is far more amazing in person than in photos.

Hmmmm.... I guess this makes me a collector as well as an artist.

2008-03-31T15:24:00.005-05:00

Tease!

A finished detail of my current painting project.

More later...

2008-03-28T07:28:00.002-05:00

Friday Free Ad for Kate

One of my favorite Kate Bush songs (caveat, there aren't many not favorite Kate songs, ed.)

2008-03-27T17:39:00.004-05:00

The Royal Academy of Arts

Thanks to this post at Mapping the Marvellous I found an article on C.R. Cockerell, R.A. Of course, his rendering of church domes and spires attracted me, as I expect anyone who knows my work would have seen coming...

The article on Cockerell was the May "Artist of the Day" on the website of the Royal Academy. I am no where near finished exploring the site. It is expansive and wonderful, with alphabetized links to the artists represented in the Academy's collection, lectures to which you can listen, and an HTML version of their quarterly magazine which you can literally leaf through on line, stopping and exploring the articles you want, in a layout that looks to be just like the real thing.

This is going to be a great resource. I'll be spending a lot of time there in the near future.

2008-03-22T14:10:00.003-05:00

Keep the Christ in Christmas...
...but take Him out of Easter

Apparently the story of Easter is too brutal to teach in Sunday School.

Well, for those of you who actually want to believe in something,

Happy Easter

And may you have the time to quietly contemplate the true meaning of sacrifice.

2008-03-21T08:56:00.004-05:00

Friday Free Advertisement for Kate

of course, on Good Friday, the question of swapping places with God has an entirely different meaning...

( "Free Advertisement (of the day for a musical artist)" is originally the idea of these galloots and as a concept has been completely ripped off by me... but hey, I'm not show-casing Bob, they already do a great job of that!

2008-03-19T19:49:00.004-05:00

Conversation With a Poor Unprepared Freshman

I got a call this evening from Northeastern University, my old Alma Mater.

This is somewhat paraphrased, as I'm not a steno...

N.U.(Brian) "Hi, my name is Brian, I'm from Northeastern University. We wanted to call and make sure our information is up to date and find out what alumni have been doing. Are you still at (... my address ...)?"

Me "Yep, haven't moved yet, but we're trying."

Brian "I see you studied Theatre, are you still working in that field."

Me "Actually, I'm a fine artist now."

Brian "Cool. Well, I'm glad that's working for you. Now, part of what I'm doing is trying to raise money for Northeastern. Gifting has always been a big part of what keeps the University going..."

Me (trying to interrupt in a polite way) " ... uh, Brian, that's 'Artist', as in 'Starving Artist'."

Brian (pause) "Oh, well, anything at all would help, even twenty dollars..."

Me "Sorry man, but we're strapped, thanks for calling though, and good luck tonight!"

Brian "Well,... thaannnks.... Good night."

Well, I did get a degree in the Arts and Humanities from the place, what did they expect?

At least I don't have a day-job where I have to ask, "Would you like fries with that?"

2008-03-19T15:59:00.004-05:00

Finally Took the Plunge

On Saturday, we hit the Apple Store, and picked up a family pack of Leopard, otherwise known as OS 10.5.

Spent Monday afternoon and evening backing up everything I could think of on my iBook G4, and on Tuesday installed the upgrade (I had been running 10.4.2). I figured that my laptop could be the 'sacrificial lamb', as it is the one that has had the most abuse, and I have the old eMac G4 as a fallback, where as my wife only has her iBook.

Things actually went very smoothly. I lost my wallpaper (bummer, it was a customized version of a Michael Whelan illustration that's no longer available on the net... thankfully I have the original version somewhere, so I'll have to play with it in Photoshop) and my printer drivers, which were easy to get back once I figured out what to do. Considering that I am the polar opposite of a techno-geek, this was pretty simple. To give you an idea, I still have yet to figure out how to get one of my outbound email accounts to work, after four years I still can only receive mail through that one account. So that fact that this worked so well, with so little problems is a neat thing to say about Apple and the new OS.

Now to upgrade my wife's laptop. Cross you fingers....

2008-03-16T15:00:00.003-05:00

While I alert the authorities, be distracted by the Funkadelic Goblet of Flameyness!

The books are great. The movies, mostly good... but there are parts worth making fun of....

2008-03-15T08:23:00.006-05:00

"... Do not therefore grudge me this little earth that covers my body"*

In the big-media news, what attention given to the government of Iran focuses on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's posturing or on concerns of war. Much of the news seems colored by the media's distaste for our current President.

Many of the really news-worthy things happening inside Iran are barely acknowledged, if not completely ignored. There is the popular hatred of the Modesty Police (or the fact at all, that women are treated this way in Iran... ed.), or the student uprising against an Ahmadinejad appointed chancellor at Shiraz University.

Though I have heard of the following from a neighbor, who moved to the US from Iran many years ago (and is a naturalized citizen), how much have you heard in the news about the Mullah's war on non-muslim Iranian history?.

The Iranian government has tried to bulldoze Persepolis, a World Heritage Site. They were stopped only because brave Iranian citizens stopped the equipment by literally standing in the way. The proposed Sivand Dam would flood 130 known archaeological sites, and could flood both Persepolis and Pasargadae, an ancient capital of the Persian Empire, and site of the tomb of Cyrus the Great. The destruction of the tomb of a great historic figure would not bother the Iranian government in the least. In Kashan, the tomb of Firuzan (Abu-lolo) has been destroyed. Abu-lolo lived in the 7th century. The original date of the tomb is not known, but it is known that it was restored in the 14th century.

The Medo-Persian empires are arguably as important to Western Civilization as the Greeks. Without the Edict of Restoration by Cyrus, there would have been no return of the Hebrews to Jerusalem to build the Second Temple. Cyrus was one of the first rulers to create and enforce policies of religious tolerance. The survival of Jewish culture into Roman times assured the survival of the Mosaic Code, which is one of the cornerstones of the ideals Western law and justice.

Iranian scholars have filed complaints in the International Criminal Court charging the Iranian government with "crimes against humanity" for its treatment of these World Heritage Sites.

Much grist for the news-mills was made over the looting at the National Museum of Iraq, which, though very tragic, was greatly exaggerated by the press (one wonders if this was because it made the military and the Bush Administration look bad, ed.). Authorities, including the FBI, are still investigating, and those responsible will be held to account. It is believed that roughly a third of the objects (around 5000) taken from the Museum have been recovered.

The loss of 15,000 cultural objects (and subsequent return of 5000) is a matter of great importance to the civilized world. How much more so the systematic destruction of history on a scale that amounts to Cultural Genocide?

* the title is a translation of part of the epitaph of Cyrus the Great, as recorded by Plutarch and Strabo

2008-03-14T10:38:00.003-05:00

Saddam Supported At Least Two Al-Qaeda Groups: Pentagon Report

When the mainstream media reported earlier that "Report Shows No Link Between Saddam and Al Qaeda" were they reading the same Pentagon report as everyone else?

How can you tell when a Network News reporter is lying? Their lips are moving.

2008-03-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

Apparently Watermelons are a vegetable.

... and onions seem to be pretty popular.

2008-03-14T08:01:00.004-05:00

Happy π Day

3/14 is π (Pi) Day

OK, it's not really a video, but Kate's song is great!

2008-03-12T10:38:00.003-05:00

Another of the Infinite Number of Reasons Why We Home-School

Student Suspended For Buying Skittles In School

Lets think about this... we'll ruin the school record of a kid, who looks to be pretty bright (honor student, class vice president), negatively impact his chances of getting into top colleges (maybe even impact his chances of getting scholarships), thus potentially lessening his potential career options and/or earning potential...

...all for a bag of skittles.

You know, I don't like Tort lawyers, they're pretty much all vultures and ambulance chasers in my book. But if somebody puts together a class action suit against all these draconian, zero-tolerance, all-kids-must-be-punished bureaucrats, I will stand up and cheer!

"If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." - Winston Churchill

2008-03-11T20:14:00.009-05:00

The Internet as One Vast Cabinet of Wonders

Crickets

I had a very privileged childhood. By that, I don’t mean that my parents were affluent, had influence or power, or were in any social sense important. On the other hand, I had an undoubtedly rich time growing up. My parents insulated me from a lot of the news and confusion of the ‘60s. (Unlike others my age that I have known, I have no idea where I was when JFK, or even RFK were shot, but I can remember Studebakers as new cars.)

The real richness was my parents’ love of all things printed and bound.

The old farmhouse that I grew up in was filled with books. These increased in number every year, covering history, biography, the classics, fiction, art, myth, and literature (as well as some of the more obscure areas of spiritualism, my Mom’s contribution). My kids now get to read from the “First Book” series that I had as a kid, which are copyrighted in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. As a kid, I got to read stuff that had been written and printed in the middle of the 19th Century. With the collections of different stuff, the craft projects, tools, and other fascinating sundries, the house I grew up in was something of a wall to wall Cabinet of Curiosities.

Now my wife and I share the same bibliophilic passions as my parents. We have been given (or given stewardship over) a good number of the 6000 plus books that were in the farmhouse. I had been accumulating art books and magazines for some time before our marriage, and my wife has been doing her level best to catch up. We have well over 1200 books easy to hand, and at least 1500 more in storage.

And now there’s that Internet thingie. I love books, there are usually three or four going at the same time. There are a few art and history books that get taken out and referred to at least once a month. But when I need info, especially visual info, where better to go than to the web, the greatest Wunderkammer of all time. You can search for images in overwhelming numbers. Are you doing research on Chartres Cathedral? A simple Google image search finds 41,000 images. Search under just the one word, “cathedral” and Google comes back with approximately 5,600,000 images!

Or, if like me, you like to collect things from the natural world, a search for “Coyote Skull” brings back about 91,300 images. Searching for a skull to put into your very own cabinet of curiosity? Searching “Coyote Skull Retail” brings back over 66,000 sites, but you may want to further qualify your search terms. As of my typing this, there are nearly twenty different human x-ray images for sale on eBay (over a dozen of them in eBay Stores). In fact, on eBay, you can find things like crocodile teeth, meteorites, or the disarticulated skeleton of various small mammals. Building your own Wunderkammer is just a PayPal account away....

Then there are the photo sharing sites. My two favorite are Pbase and Flickr. You can search for something and get caught up forever chasing link after link, as one photographer or artist may have another fascinating person making a comment, or as part of the first one’s contact list. I’ve already blogged about Len Cowgill. There is another artist who deals with assemblage (amongst other things), GODLOVESDEATH. Then there are people like Steffe in Sweden, who photo-documented an old Oxel tree in a field at Välsta for a year and he still periodically posts new photos of this lonely hardwood. And speaking of finding everything on the web, I found a former professor of mine on Flickr, with whom I had lost touch for over twenty years, Karen Marlene Larson, with her absolutely gorgeous photos, interesting essays, and all her faithful commenters.

Marionette by Karen Marlene Larsen

Searching amongst the public Flickr photo pools for “Cabinet of Curiosities” yields five different groups (actually, the search pulls up eight, but the last three really aren’t on topic… ed.) with up to 7000 images between them (depending on how many images are in more than one of the groups.) My favorite by far is Wunderkammer, which I am a part of.

Extinct Birds

Curiosity Cabinet- Handmade Specimens is also amazing, especially the artifice and imagination involved.

There are also many pools for images from museums around the world, two of which are At the museum and The Global Museum with tens of thousands of images between them.

Sexual Dimorphism in Insects

In fact, even The Library of Congress and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have a presence on Flickr, though the latter’s photostream is rather thin. A list of museum photo groups on Flickr (probably not exhaustive) can be found here.

Flickr is just one small part of the internet. I haven’t even had a chance to touch upon the many talented people who aggregate the unusual, the beautiful and the rare, like David Thompson’s Ephemera posts, Bioephemera, Shorpy Vintage Photos, BibliOdessey, Lines and Colors, or the Art Renewal Center.

So, go and play inside the largest Wunderkammer ever!

…Not that I have to tell you.

2008-02-14T11:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Postmarked Feb 14 1912
Printed in Germany

Postmarked Feb 9 1909
Printed in Bavaria

...and may all your desires for heart carrying swifts and anthropomorphic cats be fulfilled.

2008-02-13T10:58:00.012-05:00

Assemblage Cabinets, Joseph Cornell and Len Cowgill

Over the summer, I went to an amazing exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Massachusetts. It was a beautifully set up and presented retrospective of the life and work of artist Joseph Cornell.

Untitled (Penny Arcade Portrait of Lauren Bacall) 1945-46

Assemblage art can look deceptive simple to a non-artist. It is amazingly easy to do poorly. Anyone can (and often have) thrown a bunch of found junk together and labeled it art.

To produce something truly evocative by assemblage is quite difficult. To be able to create a whole body of work, of quality and of lasting interest and impact is frankly a terrifying and daunting task. I have always loved and been fascinated by assemblage. It is a technique and concept central to many styles of Theatre Design, which is the discipline in which I originally trained. Assemblage is not an area I would try to build a body of work out of, for frankly, I don't have what it takes for that.

Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972) is the dean of assemblage artists. His amazing work draws you in, and makes you yearn to touch, to explore, to be a part of the tiny universes he created.

Untitled (Soap Bubble Set) 1936

Untitled (Medici Prince) 1952

Untitled (Aviary With Watch Faces) 1949

My favorite pieces of Cornell's work are from the "Soap Bubble Set" and the "Medici Slot Machines", though all of his work is fascinating. Boxes and cabinets filled with small drawers or bottles. The contents of the clear bottles are there to see, and mark you itch to remove them and investigate them at leisure. The drawers, which were often closed in the exhibit, are opaque and mysterious, making you wonder what is inside.

If you ever have a chance to see his work, I would highly recommend it. As an alternative there is the excellent book Shadowplay Eterniday with essays and commentary by Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Richard Vine, Robert Lehrman, and Walter Hopps. Though the writing is rather wordy, it is enjoyable and is beautifully put together, with many gorgeous full color plates, and a DVD Rom giving insight into Cornell's work and life.

A current artist who is keeping the art of assemblage not only alive, but vibrant, is Len Cowgill. He has an excellent Flickr site showcasing his work. His work shows all the best and great potential that assemblage has. Small closed objects that demand opening.

THAT DAMNED VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD

Works large and small that present their own contained universes worthy of lengthy examination, with enough substance to reward long contemplation.

Myths of Childhood (open)

I strongly urge you to go poke around in his site, his work is wonderful!

top illustration, "Joseph Cornell" by Len Cowgill, from his work in progress.

UPDATE: I was remiss in not noting that Len Cowgill's artwork is available through the Tamarack Gallery

THAT DAMNED VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD, Myths of Childhood, and portrait of Joseph Cornell are all copyright by Len Cowgill, all rights reserved to the artist, and used here by permission.

2008-01-17T09:42:00.001-05:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

While taking a brief and well deserved rest, Walking The Berkshires reminds us of the upcoming Cabinet of Curiosities carnival.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is probably the largest "cabinet of curiosities" that I have been to. Entrance is free on Sunday mornings, and if you are in the Boston area, it is well worth your time, especially if you have children.

Previous posts on the HMNH here and here

2008-01-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

After the Storm

We had a bit of a nor'easter on Monday.

when the wind is from the north, the trees get a coating

snow on neighborhood trees

the neighbor's birch tree

grey skies, sun on the next hill

Winter is beautiful.

Shoveling is not....

2008-01-11T18:31:00.000-05:00

If It Hasn't Got A Tail It's Not A Monkey*

Two interesting essays on the conundrum that is Evolutionary Theory.

First, from Lee Harris at TCS Daily, Why We Are Still Arguing About Darwin

And from New Wineskins, The Myth of Time + Chance = Mankind

Both pose interesting observations about the Theory of Evolution. Excellent quotes, "Thou shalt not act like a monkey—this is the essence of all the higher religions, and the summation of all ethical systems." from the first essay.

And What’s glossed over in that budding scientific understanding of complex and self-organizing systems, fractals, chaos theory and the like is whether all types of ordered complexity can be created this way. from the second.

Personally, the issue is a non-starter for me. If you really believe in a Sovereign God, then that God is sovereign over all things, and questioning his methods is an exercise in hubris. You weren't there, so claiming one method over another as correct is silly. I am not smart enough to tell God what to do, especially in retrospect.

Besides, if you really are tied to a literal reading of the first two chapters of Genesis, then the "lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night,... [that] serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years..." were made on the fourth day. If the Sun was not made till the fourth day, then a literal reading of Genesis precludes the creation happening in seven 24 hour periods, because there was no 24 hour day before the "fourth day".

To stake all faith on the ability to precisely understand one small passage is counter-productive. If you perfectly understood everything, you wouldn't need faith.

* with apologies to VeggieTales (click the middle title, "Monkey")

2008-01-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

Snow in Bagdad, First Time in Living Memory

The Far Left gets stuck in an infinite loop as they can't choose between blaming the administration's Iraq War policy or Anthropomorphic Global Warming.

Al Gore was found stationary in a corridor, staring blankly ahead muttering, "global bushing... george warming... global bushing...."

2008-01-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

New Books for a New Year

Recent acquisitions, some for reading, some just a artistic reference;

From Dover Books

Philosophy and Civilization in the Middle Ages by Maurice DeWulf

Form and Design in Classic Architecture by Arthur Stratton

A Manual of Historic Ornament by Richard Glazier

Masterpieces of Medieval Open Timber Roofs by Raphael Brandon & J. Arthur Brandon

Great Bridges: From Ancient Times to the Twentieth Century by Wilbur J. Watson

Book of Old-Time Trades and Tools Anonymous

And the following condensed from the writings of Leonardo da Vinci

A Treatise on Painting

Leonardo on Art and the Artist

Leonardo on the Human Body

and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

For those of you interested in da Vinci, Dover has a wide selection of books and CD Rom image collections that include his work.

This probably means that I will re-read Kenneth Clark's excellent biography Leonardo da Vinci, which was one of last year's books.

There are a number of books that were purchased or given to me last year that I need to read or finish;

Edward Hopper (Exhibition Catalogue) which includes excellent biographical information and several essays.

The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius. I have been reading through this, and it was fairly easy going, up until the section on acoustics....

Joseph Cornell: Shadowplay . . . Eterniday from the show last summer at The Peabody Essex Museum

I'm planning to post some thoughts on the Hopper and Cornell books later on.

2008-01-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

and the New Year's greetings from those I daily read...

The Glenn and check out his FORECAST FOR 2008: A 100% chance of alarmism.

Charles Johnson, Party in Bagdad

New Year's Day links from the folks at Maggie's Farm

Ann Althouse

The Moxargon Group's Year in Review

And I'm sure there are many more out there, but as my resolution for this year is to have a more disciplined mind, I'm going to shut down the computer and stop looking at political garbage.

(Hmmm, that may mean turning off the internet for the whole year... ed.)

2007-12-19T16:54:00.001-05:00

Amazing Progression of a Painting

TheARTDEPARTMENT provides an amazing series of images of the progression of a painting by David Bowers. I haven't checked TheARTDEPARTMENT in a while, my bad. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a blog run by Irene Gallo, the art director for Tor, Forge, and Starscape Books. I'm glad I didn't miss this.

The progression actually goes clockwise, so don't be confused by the order. Click on the images for larger versions.

This is great stuff, and I love to see how artists build up their work from beginning to end. I post progressions at my Flickr site. The figurative work of David Bowers is truly wonderful. It's great to get an insight into his process.

This image was featured on the cover of Spectrum 12: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, an annual of fantastic art and illustration.

Oh, I need to browse through my art-blog bookmarks more....

2007-12-19T16:54:00.000-05:00

Amazing Progression of a Painting

TheARTDEPARTMENT provides an amazing series of images of the progression of a painting by David Bowers. I haven't checked TheARTDEPARTMENT in a while, my bad. I'm glad I didn't miss this.

(The progression actually goes clockwise, so don't be confused by the order. Click on the images for larger versions.)

This is great stuff, and I love to see how artists build up their work from beginning to end. I post progressions of my own at my Flickr site. The figurative work of David Bowers is truly wonderful. It's a treat to get some insight into his process.

This image from David Bower's website was featured on the cover of Spectrum 12: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, an annual of fantastic art and illustration.

Oh, I need to browse through my art-blog bookmarks more....

2007-12-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

Charles Johnson put up a quote of Euripides last night, Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.

That quote put me in mind of two verses from the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 26:4-5

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

This is as close as the Bible comes to saying that, in dealing with the folly of men, there are indeed "No-Win" situations.

I am tempted to make snarky remarks about politics, but I will refrain.... (No you didn't! ed.)

2007-12-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

Best Public Service Announcement You'll See Today

Kim du Toit posts today's must read.

And there is nothing I can add to that, except maybe, say "Thank you."

2007-12-09T22:15:00.000-05:00

Can the Press Actually Think and Do Their Jobs?

Watching the 10:00 News, and they are covering Oprah's backing of Mr. Obama.

Some reporter goes out on the street and asks a woman (only person interviewed, gee, no stereotyping or sexist thinking here) if Oprah can "tell her" how to vote.

Oprah is endorsing a candidate. She's not commanding anyone how to vote! There are candidates I like. If I share that with people, does the press think I'm telling them how to vote? Does the press think that Oprah has some strange magical compulsion over the people who watch her show? What kind of idiot asks such a gotcha question thinking that they are going to reveal some sort of truth by it?

I don't agree with Oprah, but after watching the news, I feel I have to defend her.

Well, that's one upside to the corruption and ineptitude of the press. It creates bipartisanship!

2007-12-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

Current Show!

I've been remiss. The new show at the Glass Garage Gallery went up on the 6th. (Click on the invitation for a larger version)

If you are in the Greater LA area, take a gander. They carry a number of incredible artists, as well as myself.

Below are the two pieces I sent out for the show.

"Charon"

acrylic on canvas 16 X 20 inches, copyright 2007 MJAndrade All rights reserved

"Crossing the Jordan"

acrylic on canvas 16 X 20 inches, copyright 2007 MJAndrade All rights reserved

2007-12-08T11:03:00.001-05:00

I've blogged on this before

...but as Walking the Berkshires has a new carnival, called "Cabinet of Curiosities" I thought it time to post this again. Besides, my Cabinet has changed a bit since moving my studio.

One part of it is contained in a miss-matched set of barrister book shelves, with a drop front desk halfway up. My parents had bought these at a junk shop before I was born. (Of course, now they are antiques.)

On the upper shelf, you can see on the left a glass jar with the finger-bones of a coyote, which I found along with its skull and much of it's skeleton in the woods. The skull is to the right (on top of the remains of a pull toy that had belonged to my mom, and may be from the 20's or before). On the second shelf, on the right, is a small jar of knucklebones from the same unfortunate beast, and one of its thigh bones is on top of a cast metal level that has passed down through the family from my great uncle. The books on the second shelf are all antiques from the library of the house I grew up in.

There are even two Halloween skull candles from when I was a little kid (some forty and more years ago).

This is the type of stuff I try to surround myself with in my office/studio.

For more notes, and related pictures, go here.

UPDATE: My wife pointed out an omission on my part. On the top shelf, right hand corner, in back, is a small Bell jar containing my ponytail from a couple of years ago.

I have long hair, it's in a jar in my office!

2007-12-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

Hmmm....

Some guy with mental problems walks into a Hillary campaign office and makes a bomb threat. Hillary bugs the authorities on the phone till the situation wraps up, then makes a press conference.

This makes her look "Presidential."

Some guy speeding in a tanker truck flips over at 1:30 or so in the morning, igniting a neighborhood in Everett Massachusetts. Three multi-family homes are lost, dozens of cars go up in flames, a home for the elderly is evacuated. A lot of people got out with just their pajamas. The next day, as they are preparing to tear down two of the buildings, which the fire made structurally unsound, and one of the residents tells one of the emergency workers that he had ten grand in his freezer. Said emergency worker walks into the unsafe building, finds the mans cash, and gives it to him.

His name isn't even mentioned by the reporter.

What's wrong with this picture?

2007-11-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: image added

UPDATE: scroll to bottom of post.

The State of Massachusetts Cares For You, So Get Insurance, Or Else!

Just got a postcard from my wonderful state, the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts.

"ACT NOW TO AVOID TAX PENALTIES!

"The Health Care Reform Law requires most Massachusetts residents age 18 or older to have health insurance. To avoid a penalty of $219 per individual when you file your 2007 Massachusetts income tax return, you must have health coverage by the end of the year. You should enroll in a health plan by November 15th to make sure you do not miss this important deadline. (emphasis in the original ed.)

"The penalty for being uninsured will increase significantly in 2008, accumulating each month you do not have health coverage....

"...The time to act is now!

"If you already have health coverage, please disregard this notice."

Thank you RomneyCare! Remember, there are poor people without health insurance. We need to take care of them by threatening to take their money if they don't do as the wise and benificent state decrees.

It's for the children!

Women and minorities hardest hit!

Insert inane bureaucratic trope here!

I hope Thompson or Giuliani gets the nod, ‘cause I ain’t voting for Romney. He’s Hillary with better hair.

UPDATE: OK, I admit, that last isn't fair. Mr. Romney is (IMHO) vastly more honest, and much more personable that Hillary. He is very politically opportunistic, and he is certainly not what I would consider conservative. He did saddle us with "universal health care". What bothers me the most is the mindset that criminalizes non-compliance.

2007-10-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

What Goes Around Comes Around

OK This was also linked by The Glenn but this needs as much linkage as possible.

It turns out, a group of guys in the Iraqi Army wanted to do something for the California fire victims, because they felt that the US had done so much for Iraq. So they raised $1000 US, and gave it to the local US Army commander to pass on.

$1000 US wouldn't get a family of four through half a month. In physical terms, it's absolutely nothing. In terms of sacrifice and a heart of compassion, it's everything.

"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others.'" Luke 21:1-3

May God grant these people security and peace.

2007-10-27T13:37:00.001-05:00

Amazing!

PK, over at BibliOdyssey, is having a book published based on the excellent, and very eclectic art history blog he has run for the last two years.

(gotta get me a copy....)

2007-10-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Following up on a post at New Wineskins I took a web-based 'Spiritual Type Test'.

I came out as a Mystic.

No surprises there, I suppose.

2007-10-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

Ennui

Well, an overwhelming feeling of ennui over all things political and social, as well as a busy creative schedule, have kept me away from blogging. I couldn't resist linking to the above. (Although, if you are like 99% of web users, and read The Glenn, you've already seen this.)

The best quote...."And the reference to Cruise in the last paragraph is for the movie War of the Worlds, in which we see two hours of Cruise running away from aliens while the American military fights them despite desperate odds. I'm beginning to see that as an analogy for Hollywood in general."

2007-08-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

You Are a Tuna Fish Sandwich

Some people just don't have a taste for you. You are highly unusual.
And admit it, you've developed some pretty weird habits over the years.
You may seem a bit unsavory from a distance, but anyone who gives you a chance is hooked!

Your best friend: The Club Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Turkey Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

H/T, Dr. Sanity, with whom I apparently get along with rather well.

2007-08-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

I've been focused on getting paintings out to the gallery

(well, that and the last Harry Potter book) so posting has been light. The show is now up at the Glass Garage Gallery. "Ionas" is also on the LA City Beats page (scroll down to the "seven days" section and click the link).

Cool....

2007-07-18T07:56:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter and the Incredible Unrealistic Expectations of the Audience

I can't help but wonder how much JK Rowling's ideas for the ending of "the Deathly Hallows" were constrained by the percieved expectations of the fan-base. Especially the reality that there are two more movies to release, which maybe nobody will want to go to if they don't like the way the end of the last book turns out.

A book, the ultimate movie spoiler....

2007-07-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

The first thing I look for when considering a new home is the existence of home owners associations and historic districts.

This is why.

My wife and I want to get out of the People's Republic of Kennedy-Kerry-Catsup.
Badly.
Communities that prevent me from doing reasonable improvements to a house WILL NOT GET MY TAX DOLLARS OR INVESTMENT.

Sorry to shout....

I grew up in a 250 year old post and beam New England farmhouse. In order to heat it (in the middle of the woods with no winter road access for at least a half a mile) my dad used coal and wood. I love old houses, and if I get to buy one, my hope is to return it to its original glory in as practical a manner as possible. 17th or 18th century drafts and entrances for mice and other vermin, as well as smoke and soot belching heating systems are right out.

I'm sorry. If you want to legislate moral behavior, you gotta choose between saving the world from pollution and anthropogenic global warming or keeping your neighborhood a perfect example of 18th century building techniques. You're not going to get both.

Many zoning regulations end up being anti-home owner. You add "historic preservation" and homeowners associations on top of that, and you have (a not very) soft totalitarianism.

No, I don't want a strip mall or a strip joint right next to my house. I don't blame anyone for fighting those in an established residential only neighborhood.

However, I don't want drafty windows and the constant smell of burning oil or sulfur either.

Somebody go out and slap these people, please!

2007-07-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

Aaaauuuuugggggghhhhhh!

The external hard drive that was my primary repository for all my photos, my family's historic photos, iTunes and suddenly stopped recognizing its directory (or even that it had information written to it). Most stuff is backed up, but not all.

It's now in the hands of a data recovery shop in Boston. A friend recommended the place to me. I will post a review when all is said and done.

(quiet weeping...)

2007-07-04T08:36:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th

Go read the links, have a hotdog or burger, watch some fireworks....

If you're reading this in the USA, be thankful for your freedom.

2007-06-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

What More Can I Say?