Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Frameworthy Challenge


This week's Frameworthy Challenge was really interesting - the artist is Romare Beardon. I was inspired by a collage/ painting called `Maundell Sleet's Magic Garden' which really embodies the kind of Art I love to make. This link should take you there so have a look around :) http://www.beardenfoundation.org/artlife/beardensart/collage/artwork/maudell_sleet_i.shtml
Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, to (Richard) Howard and Bessye Bearden in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists.
Romare Bearden began college at Lincoln University, transferred to Boston University and completed his studies at New York University (NYU), graduating with a degree in education. While at NYU, Bearden took extensive courses in art and was a lead cartoonist and then art editor for the monthly journal The Medley. He had also been art director of Beanpot, the student humor magazine of Boston University. Bearden published many journal covers during his university years and the first of numerous texts he would write on social and artistic issues. He also attended the Art Students League in New York and later, the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1935, Bearden became a weekly editorial cartoonist for the Baltimore Afro-American, which he continued doing until 1937.
After joining the Harlem Artists Guild, Bearden embarked on his lifelong study of art, gathering inspiration from Western masters ranging from Duccio, Giotto and de Hooch to Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse, as well as from African art (particularly sculpture, masks and textiles), Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints and Chinese landscape paintings.
From the mid-1930s through 1960s, Bearden was a social worker with the New York City Department of Social Services, working on his art at night and on weekends. His success as an artist was recognized with his first solo exhibition in Harlem in 1940 and his first solo show in Washington, DC, in 1944. Bearden was a prolific artist whose works were exhibited during his lifetime throughout the United States and Europe. His collages, watercolors, oils, photomontages and prints are imbued with visual metaphors from his past in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Harlem and from a variety of historical, literary and musical sources.
Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, to (Richard) Howard and Bessye Bearden in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists.
Romare Bearden began college at Lincoln University, transferred to Boston University and completed his studies at New York University (NYU), graduating with a degree in education. While at NYU, Bearden took extensive courses in art and was a lead cartoonist and then art editor for the monthly journal The Medley. He had also been art director of Beanpot, the student humor magazine of Boston University. Bearden published many journal covers during his university years and the first of numerous texts he would write on social and artistic issues. He also attended the Art Students League in New York and later, the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1935, Bearden became a weekly editorial cartoonist for the Baltimore Afro-American, which he continued doing until 1937.
After joining the Harlem Artists Guild, Bearden embarked on his lifelong study of art, gathering inspiration from Western masters ranging from Duccio, Giotto and de Hooch to Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse, as well as from African art (particularly sculpture, masks and textiles), Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints and Chinese landscape paintings.
From the mid-1930s through 1960s, Bearden was a social worker with the New York City Department of Social Services, working on his art at night and on weekends. His success as an artist was recognized with his first solo exhibition in Harlem in 1940 and his first solo show in Washington, DC, in 1944. Bearden was a prolific artist whose works were exhibited during his lifetime throughout the United States and Europe. His collages, watercolors, oils, photomontages and prints are imbued with visual metaphors from his past in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Harlem and from a variety of historical, literary and musical sources.


Saturday, February 02, 2008

Photobucket

Here is my Blinkie from Digital Art Quirks - I love being a Kindred Quirk :)

2 Years of Blogging - Happy Birthday Blog


My first Blog Post was on February 2 2006 - I can't believe its been 2 years. I remember being quite excited about the idea of Blogging and the possibilities, and I emailed friends and family with the link. I don't think anyone really grasped the concept but I decided to continue on - whether anyone read it or not. Since then I have made lots of friends in the Blogosphere and I still enjoy Blogging and reading other Blogs. Looking back over some of my older posts today has been interesting too. I think what I love most about Blogging is that it is a wonderful way of communicating with people all over the world and expressing yourself. I have especially enjoyed sharing my Art. The image here was done for a naming ceremony at Digital Art Quirks - a website which is home to a number of wonderful quirky digital artists. Every few months we have a naming ceremony where each person chooses one part of their name, and someone else chooses the other. The result is then made into a collage. I chose `joyous' for the first part and then Kate Iredale chose `heart' for Part 2. It certainly is an accurate description of where I am right now :)

Friday, February 01, 2008

Anniversary


Anne has mentioned on her Blog that this week would have been our parents 59th Wedding Anniversary. They were married on January 29 1949 in Sheffield England on a very dark, cold winter's day. Due to post wartime rationing the wedding was very simple and there was no official photographer. The only wedding photo they had was this one which was taken by a relative with a box brownie. The photo was very small - less than 3 inches square and was very dark and grainy. I scanned it and did the best I could to clean it up but it is still a bad photo :(

Nevertheless you can see how much in love and happy they were on the day, and not long after Dad left for Australia on his ship HMAS Sydney. Mum followed a few months later, also by ship.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

RDA Queensland Volunteer Encouragement Award


I am always really proud of all of Alan's achievements and I remember posting on this Blog last year that he had been awarded the Gympie RDA 2007 Volunteer Encouragement Award. Now he has been awarded the Queensland RDA 2007 Volunteer Encouragement Award and I have included here the citation that appeared in the Queensland RDA Newsletter. I took this photo of Alan chatting to Darren, one our Drivers. I think it shows that one of Alan's main strengths is communication skills and his ability to get on so well with everyone :)

From the Queensland RDA Newsletter:
`Alan came to Gympie RDA in March 2004 to assist with the Wednesday riding program.
Since then Alan has worked as a Leader, Side walker, CommitteeMember, Level 0 Carriage Driving Whip and has assisted with the care and maintenance of equipment, grounds and horses as well as assisting with transport of horses for the state championships and fundraising events. The experience Alan brought from his Light Horse troop has been greatly appreciated by all members of Gympie RDA. Alan has demonstrated his willingness to become involved in all functions of Gympie RDA and whenever there are jobs to be done, Gympie know that Alan will be present. Alan has provided assistance to other groups in Queensland’s South East by taking Gympie RDA carriage to open days, Disability Week displays and other community events to show the benefits of a carriage driving program. Alan’s enthusiasm for the carriage driving program helped it become a reality. He has leased his driving/riding horse, Bobby, to Gympie RDA and has also located the whereabouts of a second carriage so that the program
can expand. Riders and drivers appreciate Alan’s quiet confidence and gentle understanding and the smiling faces indicate Alan is well liked by both volunteers
and riders.'

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Inspired by Joan Miro


This week's `Frameworthy Challenge' is another venture into Abstract Surrealism and I am really loving it. `A sandbox for the sub conscious mind, a re creation of the childlike'. Joan Miro was a Spanish Artist, born in Barcelona in 1893. I love his work and his free thinking independence. This is my take on the challenge :)


Sunday, January 27, 2008

Flying Turtles


" The mind which plunges into surrealism, relives with burning excitement the best part of childhood" - Andre Breton


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