Diane's Passeggiata

7 AMAZING ARTISTS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR

 

Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, The First Thanksgiving, 1914

Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts

'Tis the season to be grateful. Emails and blog plosts are flying throughout the internet, touching down in our inbox, and reminding us all to be grateful as Thanksgiving, a favorite American holiday, fast approaches.

Yes, I am grateful. Slices of a savory turkey topped with a homemade tangy cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potatoes dripping with butter, a fat slice of spicy pumpkin pie (did I make you hungry?) and last, and most importantly, my long awaited daughter’s visit from afar. But this year, in the spirit of the holiday, it also occurred to me how grateful I am for a particular set of artists. Master artists, always ready and willing to teach and inspire, have been giving me guidance and lessons throughout my art journey. These talented and skilled artists are long gone, and yet their presence can still be felt centuries later, in museums, in books, and in my studio.

These artists are too many to name, but there are some that stand out above the others. I would love to share with you some of my lessons received from these greatest of the greats:

1. Michelangelo

I can remember it like yesterday. It was the first time I saw my mother cry from the beauty of a piece of artwork. We were at the World’s Fair in NYC, viewing Michelangelo’s powerful Pieta’. I doubt if I understood the lesson at that young age, but the fact that the memory is seared into my mind tells me how much this masterpiece has impacted my art life.

Michelangelo, Pieta', c. 1498-1500, marble

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Lesson: Art has the powerful ability to communicate such incredible humanity and emotion, that it can strike a nerve deep in our hearts.

2. Rembrandt

The first time I saw an original Rembrandt self portrait was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I stood in front of it in awe, stunned by the sense of touch that I felt. I could literally feel his skin, his bulbous nose, and the wrinkles in his forehead. I had never before been aware of this "fourth dimension" of art.

Rembrandt, Self Portrait, 1660

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Lesson:

What I call the “fourth dimension” of representational art is often referred to as “tactile values”. The drawing or painting that has tactile values, not only looks like the subject, but feels like it as well.

3. Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer has always been a favorite of mine. I am insanely crazy about all his watercolors, from the detailed pencil and watercolor drawings of a seaside-fishing village to the vibrant broad brushed paintings of the Bahamas. Winslow Homer said of his outdoor painting jaunts: “ I prefer every time a picture composed and painted outdoors.”

Winslow Homer, Flower Garden and Bungalow, Bermuda, 1899

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

 Lesson:

An outdoor watercolor painting, whether tightly rendered or loosely expressed, can be every bit as powerful as a heavily worked studio oil painting.

4. Rosa Bonheur

Rosa Bonheaur adored her animals and devoted her artistic life to capturing them with dignity in her sketches and paintings. She filled her sketchbooks with drawings of animals from life, and what life she injected into her paintings of them!!

Rosa Bonheur, Royalty at Home, 1885

Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis

Lesson:

In our hi tech digital world where amazing photos are at our fingertips, we must remember that the greatest art can come from sketching from life.

5. Carl Larsson

Carl Larson was a Swedish painter, trained in the academic tradition, and began his art career as an illustrator. One very rainy summer, he could not go outdoors to paint. So he began to paint his lively children and beautiful home, which was decorated by his artist wife. This became his life’s mission, and his paintings soon became a national treasure throughout Sweden.

Carl Larrson, Nameday at the Storage House, 1898

Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden

Lesson:

We don’t have to travel to exotic locations to find inspiration—it may be right in front of us—in our homes, our neighborhood, our city.

6.Raphael

In my early training I fell in love with Raphael’s “La Donna Velata” (Veiled Woman). So much so, that day after day, I would just look at it and absorb it’s elegance and beauty. I didn’t know much about art at the time, but now I understand that Raphael harnessed all of his Renaissance skills to create one of the most gorgeous paintings of all time.

Raphael, "La Donna Velata", 1514

Palazzo Pitti, Florence

Lesson:

Training and skills do not hinder, but rather enhance our ability to express beauty in art.

7. Vermeer

Vermeer’s painting “The Girl With a Pearl Earring” is so loved by people that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City based a whole exhibit on it. Her captivating expression draws us in, and the colors sparkle iike jewels. I was lucky enough to see this fabulous exhibit, and I promise you that this particular painting deserves every acclaim it receives.

Vermeer, "Girl with a Pearl Earring", 1665

Mauritshuis, Hague, Netherlands

Lesson:

Perfectly balanced notes of color, that are subtly blended can create a magnificent sense of form and character.

Do you have artists that you admire and have they had an influence in your life? We would love if you would share in the comments below.

 

The Magic Potion of Artists

drawing by Diane Cardaci

Illustration from "Realistic Textures", published by Walter Foster

I often wish there was a way I could put it a bottle, get a fancy label and let some clever marketer sell it to the world. I think if I could, I would be richer than the famous Bezos himself. Whenever I drink from this potion, any momentary discomforts or anxieties magically dissipate. I quickly forget about the almost 100% humidity drowning me out, or about the raging person that dangerously cut me off while driving on the interstate. Better than that, the visual world takes on a quality of virtual reality. The sky is a deeper tint of cobalt blue, the magenta rose shines like a jewel, and the palm tree fronds soon begin to dance to the rhythm of their graceful beauty. Even my “cutest dogs in the world” become impossibly cuter!

Yuki and Kana--Aren't they cute?

Alas, reality tells me that the millions of dollars will never arrive in my bank account. But sometimes I feel it has, when I see that one of my students has unwittingly drank from the potion. When that happens, I know that a wonderful door has been opened and life will never be the same for him or her. 

So how does one concoct this magical drink? The ingredients couldn’t be simpler—a sketchbook, a pencil or pen, and maybe even a dash of color. Blended well for a few minutes with the essential active ingredient—the willingness to SEE.

Landscape, Cattle on an Island, a Castle Beyond

The Hon. Charles Stewart, Viscount Harding 1822–1894

Chalk and gauche on paper, Tate Collection

Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported).

 In my drawing classes, I am constantly reminding my students to work on this recipe. “Just 5 minutes” I beg them. “Take your sketchbooks and venture into the world outside the studio”. Happily, one of my students did just that. The student, an extremely busy man with a job that fills him with numbers and stress 24/7, showed me a series of sketches he had done. He described his outing with a sense of awe in his voice—he had gotten so caught up in sketching that he was oblivious to the fact that a large crowd of tourists had gathered around him, totally mesmerized by his sketching activity. When he described the incident, I knew that he had experienced the power of SEEING, an altered realty where he was so focused and “in the moment”, that he was insulated from the disturbances around him.  

 

above drawings by Patrick Williams

Have you ever found yourself so loving what you are doing that all else melts away? And have you ever experienced the joy of seeing, with or without a sketchbook?  Maybe watching a sunrise or the smile of a young child? 

We would love if you would share with us in the comments below. 

 

THE ANGLE OF ART

In previous posts, I have discussed some of the pillars in the foundation of an artist’s training: form, proportion and values.  Today, I would like to add a fourth pillar: angles.

I am constantly preaching to my students that once we learn to see, we can magically draw. But, this is a lot easier said than done. The logical brain, so helpful when we learn how to read or do math, becomes a bit of a hindrance when we learn to draw. Because when we look, we do so through the filter of our left-brained eyesight. And nowhere does this become more apparent than when an artist-in-training is learning to really “see angles”, instead of “thinking” angles. 

The following photos will explain what I mean. It would be great if you would actually follow along with pencil and paper and have a little fun with this. You may have no intention of ever learning to draw, but I guarantee it will increase your appreciation of both the visual world around you and the art that you have in your life. 

Image #1

Image #2

If I were to ask you to draw the lines in the above images #1 and #2, you probably wouldn’t think of it as too much of a challenge and could copy the lines with ease. (Go ahead, try it!)

Image #3

Now let’s move on to doing a simple line drawing of the bench in the above photo #3. Again, probably not too difficult, although you may find it more of an effort than the simple lines in photos 1 and 2.  Your biggest challenge is to get the proportions right, by comparing the height to the width of the bench (see post on Proportions).

Image #4 

 

On the other hand, drawing the above photo #4 adds an interesting element. The view of the bench is from an angle, and suddenly we find ourselves struggling with a simple line drawing of the bench. Why?

 

It all comes down to seeing angles as they really are. We have no trouble seeing the slant of a line as in image #2 and replicating it. That was how we learned how to write in our early years of schooling. But when we see a bench, it is a different story. Our brain, while looking at the bench, is always thinking, thinking, thinking. Maybe we have the thought “that’s a pretty bench”. Or maybe the thought comes “I’m tired, I’d like to sit on this bench”. Or maybe, the bench brings back a memory. Whatever thoughts are triggered by our unassuming bench, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that our brains have shifted into thinking mode and we are no longer seeing the bench for what it is. 

 

And this brings us to the challenge of the artist. Seeing the bench as it is. The following photos illustrate how an artist would see this bench. The artist will look at the bench and immediately begin to study the angles, ignoring all those thoughts that are running around in the brain. The artist becomes much like the monk sitting in meditation, putting aside the monkey chatter of his brain. 

 

To help you see this concept, I’ve added black lines to the photos below to show the angles of the two benches. The lines are exactly the same as the lines I asked you to draw in the first exercise. Once you see them, it becomes so much easier to draw the bench of photo #4. First you draw the line of the angle, and that will help you place the remaining lines of the bench. 

Bench seen straight on--the black line is horizontal 

Bench seen from an angle--the black line is slanted 

In my next post, I will show you how artists use a really simple, but powerful tool to help him/her see these all important angles. In the meantime, take notice of the angles that you see around your daily life—the angle of the car parked, the angle of the tiles in your kitchen, the angle of the window flower box. Once you become aware of them, you will find yourself noticing them everywhere, and you will know that you are taking a lot more notice of the visual world!

 

Have you noticed these angles before? Did you try the exercise? We would love for you to share any thoughts/comments in the comments below.

 

 

LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT: HOW TO TO BE AN ART PATRON TO YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT

 

LORENZO DE' MEDICI

By Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Agnolo Bronzino; the workshop. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Lorenzo the Magnificent.  Not a bad nickname for Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Renaissance statesman who ruled Florence during it’s golden years. Macchiavelli called him “the greatest patron of literature and art that any prince has ever been”. Whether Machiavelli is correct may be the subject of debate among scholars, but there can be no doubt that Renaissance Florence would not be the same without this “benevolent despot.”

Lorenzo de Medici was a member of the Medici dynasty, a wealthy banking family that ruled Florence. When visiting the sites of Florence, one is reminded constantly of the importance of this family, with names such as: the Medici tombs, the Medici chapel, and the Medici Palace. But it was Lorenzo who was given the honored name “Il Magnifico” (the Magnificent) due to his patronage of the arts and the peace he brought to the city. 

Dusk and Dawn, by Michelangelo

Medici Chapel, Florence, Italy

All creative people would love to have a Lorenzo as their patron, but unfortunately patrons of his caliber are hard to come by in this day and age. But all is not lost—by studying this great man, we can learn some lessons and become a patron to our own creative spirit: 

1. Invite the artist in.

Lorenzo, upon recognizing the talent of the young Michelangelo, invited him to live in the Medici palace as a “son”. The first step in nurturing a creative spirit is to recognize it and invite it in. For many of us, this step is not an easy one, but it is essential. If we don’t even recognize the ability for creation within ourselves, how can we possibly nurture it?  And once we do make room for creativity in the palace of our lives, we need to tend to it as lovingly as we would “a son” or “daughter”.

David, by Michelangelo

Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence

 

2. Appreciate the value of your art.

Lorenzo de’ Medici appreciated, like no other, the value of the arts and literature. In fact, he himself also was a poet and a great collector of books. In his mind there was no doubt that the arts and literature were so important that he spent much of his family’s wealth on them. What if we appreciated with equal value our own art, having no doubt how important our chosen creative expression is in our lives? No negative talk in our minds, no self doubt, just 100% appreciation of the value that our own creativity gives, not only to us, but also the world.

3. Be Generous.

Like Lorenzo, the greatest art patrons are generous with their money. But, as they say, time is money. So, while we may not have much money to give ourselves, we can be generous to our creative spirit and give it time. Precious time that we protect, carved out of our busy lives, where we can nurture and grow the art that is within us.

View of Florence, Italy 

By Paolo Villa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

4. Keep your spirit peaceful.

Lorenzo put himself in great danger to maintain peace in Florence.  After a battle for power with the Pope’s allies, he travelled to Naples and put himself at the mercy of the King of Naples in the name of peace for Florence. What if we make it a priority that we keep our own spirit in a peaceful state? That we put our daily battles aside through meditation, writing, listening to music, or whatever tool you like to use. Michelangelo was able to create a lot more because of the peace within the walls of his city, and we will be able to create a lot more of our own masterpieces if we keep peace within the borders of our soul.  

 

 

What do you do to support your creative spirit? We would love if you would share in the comments below.

 

5 STEPS TO SEEING VALUES

 

Jean-Honoré Fragonard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Roman Park with Fountain, 1774  Albertina, Vienna

In the last post, I discussed how Rembrandt used value, (the lightness or darkness of an object) to create both a sense of form and drama. Some of you may be wondering “so just how does an artist begin to learn to use values in their drawings?” In this post I’d like to share with you the foundation of drawing with values: the 5 step value scale. Even if you are not planning to be an artist, you may find it fun to “play along” with the exercise below and create a value scale.

Learning to see values the way an artist sees them will help you appreciate better both the visual world that surrounds you and the many beautiful paintings that you find in galleries and museums.

Our eye is a very sensitive instrument, and we are capable of seeing many, many values. But for the artist’s purpose, breaking values down into 5 categories (steps) is very helpful. The amount of steps can vary—some artists like to use 5 step scales, some use 10 steps. The amount of steps is not very important--what is important is that the artist begins to think in terms of recognizing values and simplifying them so that they can be replicated in a drawing or painting.

Honoré Daumier [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Third Class Carriage,1864 Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

To do the following exercise, you will need a ruler, heavyweight drawing paper, and 3 artist drawing pencils: HB, 3B and 6B. (These numbers indicate the softness or hardness of the graphite lead. The higher the number, the softer the lead, and the darker the line created by the pencil.) If you don’t have access to artist grade pencils, you can experiment with a #2 pencil. In this case, you will have to concentrate on using heavy or light pressure on the pencil to create the darker and lighter pencil strokes.

1. Along the edge of the longer side of a heavyweight paper, use your ruler to create 5 squares that are 1.5” (or 3.8cm) each with your pencil, and number them 1 thru 5. The picture above shows how your boxes should look. Be sure to draw the boxes right at the edge of the long side of the paper. Also, keep your pencil lines very light. (In my example, I used heavy black lines just for illustration purposes.)
2. In square 1, use a black marker to fill up the square. We use a marker because the darkest shade that you can get with a pencil is a dark gray; you cannot get a true black with a pencil. Leave the #5 square white.
3. Now we are going to use the pencil. Use your 3B pencil to begin shading in box #3. Color in the box until you consider that the shade is halfway between white and black. It is not important if you are exact—you are just training your eye to start noticing how dark or how light something is.
4. Color in square # 2 with a 6B until the shade appears to you halfway between the black and midtone gray of square #3.
5. Color in square # 4 lightly with an HB pencil. When you are finished, your scale should look something like this:

Again, you are not trying to get perfection, you just want to observe and compare to help you see values better. After doing this exercise, you will find yourself noticing more the darks and lights around you. For example, look at the two drawings at the beginning of this post again--do you now notice more how the artist used value to create these beautiful drawings?  Practice “seeing” darks and lights as you go about your day. A little trick that artist’s often use is to squint while looking at an object. When you squint, the color of the object is diminished and it is easier to determine whether something is a light, mid, or dark value.

In future posts I will discuss more ways to use value and shading in a drawing. In the meantime, we would love if you would share any comments and let us know if this exercise helps you see a little more of the interplay of values in your visual world.

REMBRANDT: A MASTER OF VALUE

I remember clearly the first time I saw a Rembrandt self-portrait at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. I was awe-struck by the artist’s ability to make me feel that I could almost touch his subject, which in this case happened to be the master himself. (Rembrandt painted over 40 self portraits in his lifetime!)

 

Self-Portrait, by Rembrandt van Rijn. 1660 

Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

www.metmuseum.org

 

Rembrandt was not only a fabulous painter, but also a master at values. Values can be best described as the darkness or lightness of a color—if you look at a black and white photograph, you are looking at its values. Rembrandt understood that in order to create a strong sense of volume, he needed to use light and shade, both with his drawing tools and his paints. 

 

An Elephant

1637

Vienna, Albertina

 

In the Rembrandt drawing (1637) above, we have a great example of what shading can do for a sense of form. In the background, we see some figures drawn with only a few lines. Yes, they are just simple outline sketches, but take notice how they have no sense of weight to them. They are as flat as the two-dimensional surface that they were drawn on. But shifting our focus to the elephant, we see an animal that is as real and “weighty” as any elephant we may come across at the zoo. 

 

In art, one of our greatest concerns with values are to use them to represent how light strikes a form. Certain kinds of lighting will express the form better than others. One of the best kinds of lighting to express solid form is when the light is coming from above and slightly to the side, as shown in the picture of the cube below:

Cube in bright sunlight coming from above and from the left.

By Diane Cardaci

 

On the other hand, without light, we cannot see form. For example, when a person's head is silhouetted by light coming from behind, you cannot see the forms of the features of the face. Also, if there is light coming from all directions, and there are no shadows on the form, the 3-dimensional sense of the form is weakened or even lost. 

I took the pictures below at different times of day. In the first picture , it was afternoon, and the lighting was from above and from the left side. In this picture, the form of the both the pot and the tree are quite evident. In the second picture, it was much later in the day, and the sun had gone behind the buildings, so the pot has no direct light on it and it looks very flat.

 

 

Comparison of Copper Pots, by Diane Cardaci

 

Rembrandt was not only a master at using value in the service of form. He also used value for another purpose, that of creating mood. Using theatrical lighting with strong contrasts of dark and light, the artist has become famous for the emotion and drama that is expressed in so many of his paintings.

Christ in the Storm of the Lake of Galilee, 1633

 

Rembrandt’s skill at depicting light patterns has earned him a distinction among both portrait painters and photographers. When choosing lighting for the face, many artists and photographer’s follow Rembrandt’s example and use a lighting pattern that is now called “Rembrandt lighting”. This pattern combines the best of Rembrandt—a strong sense of form along with dramatic lighting.  To create this pattern, the light comes from above and about 45 degrees to the side. The side of the face that is away from the light is in shadow, except for the triangle of light that falls on the cheek, which can be seen in another of his self-portraits below. 

Self-Portrait with Two Circles (about 1665)

Kenwood House, London

 

When you are out, take notice how lighting affects both the form and mood of what you are seeing. On a sunny day, shadows are crisp and have strong contrasts, which accentuates the forms of the objects you come across. On a cloudy day, shadows become soft and diffuse, and with less contrast, and the sense of form is not as strong.  These two lighting conditions create entirely different moods. How does this affect you? We would love if you would share your thoughts in the comments below.  

 

DR.SEUSS: 5 LESSONS FROM AN ARTISTIC CREATIVE GENIUS

 

It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.

--from The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss

 

Shopping at the Mall. Some of us absolutely love it, some are entertained by it, some of us grit our teeth and bear it, and some of us just absolutely hate it. Which explains the variety of expressions I always see when walking through our local mall. But today, it was a different story. Smiles everywhere. And who wouldn’t smile upon being greeted by this friendly chap, the Cat in the Hat?

 

 

The Cat in the Hat was born out of the incredible imagination of America’s most beloved “doctor”, Dr. Seuss (not a real doctor). For several weeks at the Gardens Mall (Palm Beach Gardens, Fl), the Ann Jackson Gallery (Atlanta, Georgia) has been exhibiting their wonderful collection of Dr. Seuss art, reminding us just how amazing the “good doctor’s” imagination was.  Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) is best known for the whimsical creatures that he illustrated for his children’s books, which were designed to teach children to read. But by looking at the life of this imaginative man, we can also learn some great lessons about artistic creativity.

 

THE ART OF DR. SEUSS

PRESENTED BY THE ANN JACKSON GALLERY

 

1.Creativity and art grow in an atmosphere of love and support.

As a child, Dr. Seuss’s earliest fans were his parents. His mother encouraged him to draw his early animal cartoons (even on the walls!) and one of his parents would accompany him to the zoo with his sketchpad. His father also helped him, by providing him with animal parts such as antlers and horns from the zoo. Both his parents were always supportive of both his creativity and who he was as a person.

 

2. Art is a powerful tool for communication.

Valerie Jackson, one of the sisters that run the Ann Jackson Gallery, told me that when people see the art of Dr. Seuss, they “smile, are brought to tears, or even give me a hug”.  Great art stirs the emotions, whether it is in the form of a cartoon, an illustration or a Renaissance masterpiece.

 

3. Creative Geniuses follow their passions.

Most people can guess that Dr. Seuss was passionate about both drawing and animals throughout his life. But what most people don’t know is that he also had a passion for hats, which were kept in a closet. These hats provided inspiration for his illustrations and books, the best example being his book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins .

ITALIAN MILITARY HAT, PART OF THE HAT COLLECTION OF DR. SEUSS

 

 THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS, BY DR. SEUSS

4. Artistic Geniuses work diligently at their craft.

Dr. Seuss was drawing in his sketchbook since childhood, and was always perfecting his craft. His many famous illustrations were totally created by him from initial concept to the final work. But his art was not limited to children’s books. Dr. Seuss also created a large body of paintings, now known as his “Secret Art” paintings. He also created a number of imaginative sculptures based on the antlers and other parts that he received from the zoo. 

 

 

"TWO HORNED DROUBERHANNIS" 

RESIN SCUPTURE FROM THE "COLLECTION OF UNORTHODOX TAXIDERMY", BY DR. SEUSS

5. Creative Geniuses do not give up.

An important hallmark of successful creatives is that they don’t give up. Being so impressed with their successes, we often forget that they too have many rejections and false starts. Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times by editors before it was finally accepted!

 

 

 

 

Valerie and Margaret Jackson,owners of the Ann Jackson Gallery clearly enjoying their Dr. Seuss show at the Gardens Mall.

http://annjacksongallery.com/mutdj72d7c3zffgkkk0soy1k1c43sr

 

Did you read Dr. Seuss when you were a child? Do you still love his artwork? We would love it if you would share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

 

A DREAM COMES TRUE

Lyrics from song “Happy Talk”  from the musical “South Pacific”

Photo credit:http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/sjaythomps-29433

 

Dreams. We all have them. It’s what makes us human. Some of us dream, but then forget that there ever was a dream. Some of us dream and think it too impossible to pursue. Some do begin to follow it, but when difficulties arise, as they always do, they give up. And then there are those who are determined to follow their dream, seeing it so clearly that they can almost touch it. Their virtual reality is in full color 3D, and there is not a speck of doubt that one day they will be actually living it. These are the masters of the art of dreaming. 

Kelley, my daughter’s best friend, is one such master dreamer. When I first met Kelley, she was about 8 years old, and already had been sketching out a fairy-tale vision in her mind. One day she was going to get married. Her prince charming would marry her under the Banyan tree close to her father’s place of work. She would describe to us with vivid detail the day of her future wedding --from the dress she would wear to the food the guests would eat. She and her groom would go on to have 4 children. And her job? That also was settled--she was going to be a wedding planner. 

 

When Kelley was in high school and applying to colleges, she explained to me why being a wedding planner was the perfect career for her. And I had to agree--the job would be the ideal fit. She could combine the best of her talents—amazing creativity, a fantastic ability at communications, a magnetic personality and a developing skill at business. It was at this point that I realized that Kelley hadn’t been just charming us with her incredible imagination all those years. She was thoughtfully and carefully visioning and designing her life as she wanted to live it. 

A few weeks ago I had the fun of attending Kelley’s wedding and it was every bit as magical as she had described to us 20 years ago. Each detail of the celebration  (including the Banyan tree!) was exquisitely planned out and flawlessly executed. As of course it would be. You see, Kelley, although still a young woman, has also become one of the top wedding planners in her city, and on this special day we all enjoyed taking part of Kelley’s enchanted “wedding plan”.

 

No matter what our dreams are, we can be inspired by others who follow their dreams. It has been shown over and over again that visioning and creative dreaming are the essential first steps in creating a life that is not only successful and fulfilling but also passionate and fun. And by following through with action, we can make the dreams dearest to our hearts a spectacular reality in our lives. 

 

Do you have people in your life that inspire you to live your dreams? We’d love if you would share your thoughts in the comments below. 

 

 

MOSAIC ART: HOW ARTISTS BEGAN TO PAINT WITH TILES

Ravenna, Italy is a gem of a town. It is located just 2 ½ hours south of Venice, and is only 6 miles (10 Km) from the Adriatic Coast. It’s pedestrian friendly town center is perfect for strolling, cycling and shopping, and the bonus is that there are no exhausting hills to climb. But where Ravenna really sparkles is in its collection of exquisite Mosaic Art. In fact, UNESCO has placed Ravenna’s 8 historic monuments on the Unesco World Heritage list because of their mosaics.

Artisans first started using mosaics around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia, decorating structures with cone shaped painted clay. As the art developed over the following millennia, small pieces of shells, pebbles, ivory and stone were used to create intricate designs.

Cone mosaic courtyard from Uruk in Mesopotamia 3000 BC

"Pergamonmuseum Inanna 01". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pergamonmuseum_Inanna_01.jpg#/media/File:Pergamonmuseum_Inanna_01.jpg

 

The ancient Greeks brought the craft to a new level by manufacturing “tesserae”, small rectangular pieces of marble or limestone, which allowed for greater precision in their designs. The marble and stone gave a greater range of color as well and by the 1^st century BC tesserae made of glass were also being used. Complex figurative mosaic “paintings” became a common feature in this ancient Greek and Roman decorative art. The mosaics were usually used on the floor, so the glass tesserae, being softer, were not used as frequently.

Dionysos Mosaic (Greek), via Wikimedia Commons

 

Pompeii, Villa del Cicerone, Street Musicians (detail)

By WolfgangRieger [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

As Christianity spread in the first four centuries AD, it began to influence art. The realistic imagery used by the Greeks and Romans was associated with paganism, and so art became less about illusion and more about spirituality. Mosaics became a perfect vehicle for the emerging Christian style. In a new development, glass tesserae were backed with silver or gold, and also were cut at different angles, catching light and reflecting it. These mosaics were used on walls as “paintings” and created a sense of inner light, which glittered and sparkled. The Byzantines (Eastern Roman Empire) took this technique to new heights, creating the most gorgeous mosaics that this world has ever known, many of which are located in Ravenna.

In the fifth century AD, Ravenna was the capitol of the Western Roman Empire. After it’s collapse, Ravenna was conquered by the Byzantines and it then became the capital of Byzantine Italy, under control of Emperor Justinian. It was during this time that the 8 UNESCO World Heritage monuments were built.

The Good Shepherd, mosaic in Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, 1st half of 5th century via Wikimedia Commons

Emperor Justinian , San Vitale, Ravenna

By Michleb (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Emperor Justinian (detail), San Vitale, Ravenna, via Wikimedia Commons

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy

By Angela Rosaria (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

We are so fortunate today that the art of Mosaic painting has not been lost and there are artists carrying on this amazing tradition. One such artist is Chris Heisinger. You can find samples of her beautiful mosaic paintings at:

http://www.heisingerdesign.com/HeisingerDesign/Home.html

Contemporary Mosaic by Chris Heisinger

We would love if you would share your thoughts on mosaic art in the comments below.

 

For fun:

 

Daydreaming through Ravenna:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7N6IOtMNUs

Article on the excavation of the ancient city of Zeugma:

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/2200-year-old-mosaics-discovered-in-ancient-greek-city/

10 PRE-RENAISSANCE AND EARLY RENAISSANCE PAINTINGS TO ENJOY THIS CHRISTMAS

As Christmas comes upon us, it is a great time to appreciate how the artists of pre-Renaissance and early Renaissance Italy illustrated the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The artistic language of the time was most often based on religious themes, and can make it difficult at times for us to relate to the beauty of their paintings. I invite you to explore these nativity scenes in the spirit of Christmas, giving yourself the gift of time to enjoy their imagination, as expressed through their personal use of line, color, and composition. 

 

Pietro Cavallini

Nativity of Christ, 1296-1300

Mosaics in Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome

 

Giotto di Bondone

Nativity: Birth of Christ (detail),1304-06

Fresco at Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

 

Duccio di Buoninsegna

Nativity (detail), 1308-11

Tempera on wood, National Gallery of Art, Washington

 

Zanobi Strozzi, workshop of Fra Angelico 

The Nativity, ca. 1435–40

Tempera on panel, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

 

Francesco di Giorgio Martini

The Nativity, 1475

Tempera on wood, Pinoteca Nazionale, Siena

 

Fra Filippo Lippi

Madonna in the Forest, c. 1460

Oil on panel, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

 

Domenico di Ghirlandaio

Adoration of the Shepherds, 1483-85

Panel, Santa Trinità, Florence

 

Sandro Botticelli

The Mystical Nativity, 1500-1501

Oil on Canvas, National Gallery, London

 

Fra Bartolomeo

The Nativity, 1504

Oil on Panel, Art Institute of Chicago

 

Antonio da Coreggio

Nativity (Holy Night), 1528-30

Oil on canvas, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

 

For fun:

If you’d like a little more information on The Mystical Nativity at the online National Gallery:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sandro-botticelli-mystic-nativity

While you are there, you can stop in and do a virtual tour of it’s 18 rooms!

 

As always, if you have any thoughts or feelings about any of these painting, we’d love if you would share in the comments below.