At the Museum

 

My granddaughter, Gracie & I spent an enjoyable day at the MFA this week. In honor of  Presidents Day, Grace  took an extra  serious look at the giant portrait of George Washington by Thomas Sully in the new Americas Wing.

I can't help but be reminded of how fortunate we are here in Boston to have such a wonderful museum. However, if you are unable to get out to a local museum or are just interested in seeing what the museums of the world have to offer,  you might want to check out the 

The Art Project powered by Google.

Here you can  explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces.

  If  you were not one of the lucky ones to view the Monet Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris this year, you can still see the works on the official site. For a fun, interactive view, click "Journey" & let the creativity begin. This would be fun to do with an interested child or just feel like a child yourself & enjoy. Either way it is indeed a captivating journey.

Another site with an amazing interactive work of art is About War and Bananas, which has added movement & music to Picasso's Guernica.  

Thanks to Art Ravels for these links. They should keep me busy & engaged through this rainy weekend. 

I hope each of you have a happy & engaging weekend.

In Pots

We have had a reprieve from winter weather. The last two days were down right balmy, with temperatures in the 60's. Really! We can see the  sidewalks again & the river is flowing again. It was heavenly. But apparently it was only a tease. Frigid temps are back today & projected for the week.

In light of this, I thought I would add a few more of my 

" in pots" series, in hopes of taking a bit of the chill out of the air.

And to serve as a reminder, that spring really is just around the corner.

 This house had so many lovely pots with an amazing assortment of plants & flowers.

  But, what could be more chic than this simple pot of  ivy elegantly placed before this medieval door with a modern twist.

The colors in this photo are almost garish in comparison.

I especially love the use of this ancient stone trough as a planter. In earlier times it was most probably used to water live stock.

These succulents  are lovely in this stone urn. 

And, here's one I could not resist. This sleepy cat roused himself, just long enough, to look me over, before going back to his nap in his flowerpot.

Last but not least, a bit of nostalgia, chez moi, with the blue pot to go with the shutters.

A Little Street Art

One day last summer, I came upon the ambitious work of a budding artist on a quiet street in the French  village of Saint Antonin. 

I imagined the little artist, much like myself at a young age, happily lost in the fantasy of her creation.

What was most clear, is that the symbols of childhood art, hearts, flowers & shining suns, are the same in any language.

 Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Small Paintings

I have been working on a large painting for some time now. It is going very slowly. In between though, I have being doing some smaller pieces. 

Here are three of the small ( only 10'x10' )  paintings that I have most recently finished.

Fun in the Snow

My Grandchildren, Emily & Jack, spent the afternoon with me yesterday. We had fun in the snow.  I did not have sleds for them to use but cardboard worked just fine.

My neighbor started out with one snow monster but has now moved on to four with a fifth in production.

He has also built a great sledding run with a jump at the end. So the front yard of the Baker Chocolate Factory Artist Lofts has become a virtual kids winter paradise.

Here is the last count on the amount of snow on my roof deck. Another storm is expected tonight but this time it may be rain instead of snow.

Happy weekend everyone! If you have snow... then  .... have fun playing in it!

Thinking of Summer

Although I am trying to stay present & enjoy the wintery weather, I can't help but think about warmer sunnier days. I have been going through some of my photos from my summer in France & I realize that I have so many pictures that I never posted. 

So I thought I might take this time to share with you some of my memories of last summer.

I seem to have taken a number of photos of all manor of  flowers & plants in pots & containers.

So I have sorted them accordingly, & here is the first selection of my summer "flower pot" series.

 In the French countryside you find potted plants everywhere, like the ones you see here along this little alleyway.

I especially love the old stone pots like this one

... & how this morning glory just spills out of it's pot.

Every summer, the bridge, leading into the town of Saint Antonin, is covered with beautifully planted pots, suspended over the edge.

How could one not love this simple yet elegant container of geraniums hung over a restaurant menu. 

There was just something so appealing about  this plain  facade with it's neatly placed plants.

.... inside looking out.

I hope this little glimpse of summer has added a little warmth to an otherwise chilly winter day.

Snow Update

Another day of snow has left us with an additional 6-8 inches today. Tomorrow a second & even larger storm is predicted.  It is unclear just what the city of Boston will do with all the piles of snow as it continues to accumulate. Schools will be closed agin tomorrow, using up the last of the days allotted as snow days for the entire winter. What a winter this has been & it has only really just begun.