Ringing in the New Year !!!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

                       Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
                           The year is going, let him go;
                       Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Happy New Year to one & all!

Remembering Helen Frankenthaler

"Mountains and Sea" (1952)

I learned the sad news of the death of abstract expressionist painter, Helen Frankenthaler, yesterday on Liza's blog, Postcards from Colorado. I saw it there, even before I had seen it in the New York Times. I have spent the day today reading about this remarkable artist, whose work has influenced so many others. She died at the age of 83 Tuesday morning, but  was a mere 23 years old, when she painted her breakthrough painting 

" Mountains and Sea". She continued to work prolifically until her death, recently completing one of her largest paintings to date, inspired by a visit she had made to Nova Scotia. Frankenthaler created her own unique style, of pouring thinned acrylic paint onto canvas, & is often credited as being the founder of the color field movement. 

Other beautiful tributes to Frankenthaler can be seen here & here,

or in her own words in the video below.

Merry Merry Merry

Heres hoping that your decorations are hung.....

.... your cards written & mailed....

..... packages wrapped ....

 .... & your cookies baked !

Wishing you 

a very happy

Holiday 

from 

my family

 to yours!!

'tis the Season

Yes, December is a busy month, with holiday festivities & shopping, shopping, shopping. I am tying to do most of mine on line to avoid the crowds. But it seemed an appropriate time to post some photos, taken last summer, of some shops in France. 

Happy shopping everyone!

Monday

An uneventful Monday ....

the day I water 

  the plants.

I hope you had a nice Monday

whether it was eventful or not.

I just saw this video on Lenore-Nevermore, who just happens to be in Paris at the moment, 

& I thought it was lovely.

Une nuit Parisienne (Paris by night) from manemos on Vimeo.

Hope you enjoy it too

Happy December first !

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am visiting my mother for the holidays, & I am appreciating the small treasures that make up home.
























I hope that each of you will find joy in celebrating family, memory & small treasures.


Happy Thanksgiving!

2012 Calendars

There is another QOOP Photo Contest for 2012 calendars this year. It started the week of October 14, & will continue until December 30. It is a weekly contest, so there is a winner & 2 honorable mentions every week. I made two last year, which made nice holiday gifts, & I even won an honorable mention. 

Everyone seemed to like them, so I decided to try again this year. You can see the two that I created here.....

.... & here.

The rules & instructions can be found here. It is a fun project to play around with, & you are not required to buy the calendar, once you have created it, unless you want to. So why not take a stab at it. Who knows, you may be a winner! 

Photos of my Day

A Good Day for a Bike Ride!

Today is a little bit windy, but the sun is out & it looks to be a beautiful fall day. A perfect day to take a bike ride! If you happen to live in the Boston area & you do not have a bike of your own, you can take advantage of the Hubway Bike-Share Program. Taking inspiration from Paris's lead in 2007, as well as, the more recent Montreal’s Bixi Bike program, Boston has implemented its own bike friendly effort. With more than 140 kiosks & some 1500 bikes, it is easy to find a location, that is right for you. I happened to see the ones in the photo above, in the North End, last weekend. Boston has a number of wonderful bike paths & trails, so why not get started on a biking adventure. Many other cities, in both Europe & North America, have started similar programs. Check out the possibility of renting one of these bikes in your area.

No matter what you decide to do this weekend, I hope it is a wonderful one.

Bo Bartlett

Looking through the November issue of ARTnews, I came across a full page add for 

Bo Bartlett at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maime. Bo grew up in Columbus, Georgia, just as I did. I don't remember him then, he was younger than me. I was, in fact, the same age as his older sister, Sandy, whom I did know. Because of this hometown connection, I have loyally followed his career. His hauntingly beautiful realist paintings are at once both familiar & mysterious.

Not only is he an accomplished painter of note, but he has also distinguished himself as a filmmaker. In 1986 he made a documentary film about the life & work of one of his mentors, Andrew Wyeth, called Snow Hill.

In the short film below, illustrated with his beautiful art work & family photos, Bartlett, shares, in his own words, his life experience as an artist. I really believe whether one is familiar with his work or not, you will appreciate the beauty of this film. It is worth watching!