Life...The Vivere

POLAND, MARRIAGE and NATURE 
May 7, 2012 

Since Michael and I have an anniversary coming up toward the end of this month, TAKE A WORD's prompt to do an art piece about weddings was very timely...a trip down memory lane so very long ago... YES, we're jumping on a trampoline!!! 

Hello, dear family and friends...happy that you've checked in! Some fun art challenges this week...and some good learning experience. I must, for the zillionth time, pay homage to Google and the Internet in general...as a research tool (as well as a way to keep in touch with loved ones all over the globe!)   

In my year-long challenge blog, the Art and Sole POSTCARD CHALLENGE, our virtual journey was to POLAND. Interesting place... especially in the city of Sopot where there's a rather unusual house... 

and Szymbark, where there's a whole community of upside-down houses like this one...  different colors and different styles, but all upside down.

Then, there's the KRASNOLUDKI or little people. The town of Wroclaw is where most of them live... kids believe in them and love them; adults are amused when they see them. But, as the story goes, beware of them and above all, don't get them angry!!! 

Poland is a poor country and wages are low. They have the highest unemployment rate and they marry very young. Interestingly, the most beloved "Hollywood Movie Star" for Polish teenagers is Johnny Depp...I'm with THEM!!  Finally, Polish weddings are fun occasions (as are all weddings...) They have a tradition of pinning money on the bride's dress to "buy" a dance as well as throwing money instead of rice at the newlyweds as they depart.
Poland's city of Auschwitz (called Oswiecim today,) houses the most infamous and deadly Nazi concentration camp from the time of World War II. Because I believe that this was a time that shamed humanity, a time we need to remember and never repeat, that's the subject of my  postcard this week... 

A couple more of those blog challenges I love- the COLLAGE OBSESSION challenge was to create a piece of art with a SPIRALS theme......I looked underwater for my inspiration.

Finally, the CRAZY AMIGO blog liked the TREE theme. I recalled a time, in Tanzania, Africa, when I crawled into the shelter of a century-old BAOBAB tree. They're amazing trees- often called upside- down trees.  Some have been said to be over 2,000 years old. Memorialized in Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book, Le Petite Prince, they're found dead and alive in a variety of unique shapes and sizes. The Baobab is also known as the tree of life, with good reason. It can provide shelter, clothing (its bark is very fibrous,) food (its leaves are used as condiments and medicines and its fruit is edible and full of Vitamin C,) and water, (stored by the trunk,) for the animal and human inhabitants of the African Savannah regions.  For much of the year, the tree is leafless and looks like its roots are sticking up in the air!  Can you see me in the tree?

Lots to digest in this week's posting...hope you were able to plough through it...and I look forward to seeing you for the next...

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
abbyj