NEW YORK CITY,

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

and MICHELLE at CARNEGIE HALL 

April 15, 2015 

To set the mood, I downloaded the link to Frank Sinatra's song about the Brooklyn Bridge...click on the upcoming link to hear it as you view the photos on the blog... https://youtu.be/L2-Mb-RYmqE. Enjoy!!

Our reason for being in the Big Apple was to hear Michelle and her Toronto choir, TEMPUS, in concert at Carnegie Hall...by invitation. Quite an honor and very exciting!! Carnegie Hall has just had a facelift, so she was looking her best...and the choir sounded positively ethereal!!

We walked or rode the subways to get wherever we wished to go...lots of up and down, but enjoyed the rides, watching the other travelers, and the time we had together. 

Our walks over, under and around the Brooklyn Bridge were inspirational...imagine that it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was completed in 1883. 

Walking on the bridge seems to be an iconic pastime for native New Yorkers and visitors alike ...the crowds were massive at some bridge locales.

Good food and a marvelous show... BEAUTIFUL, the story and music of Carole King's life... rounded out a memorable several days in the big city. It's an amazing place to visit...no matter how many times we go there, there's always something new and fun to do or see. Truly, it IS a city that NEVER sleeps!!

Thanks for stopping by... hope you enjoyed the music and the photos. Please come again...

Big Hugs,

abbyj

   

ONE MORE... 

April 7, 2015 

Hi Readers,

There's one more art challenge that I forgot to include...it's from THE THREE MUSES, who asked for an artistic presentation of a stone angel...one of my favorite things to photograph. When we visit a new place, where most tourists would head for the famous sights, I make a beeline for the local cemetery... weird, I know!! Here's my STONE ANGEL...

May the stone angels stay far away from you and yours!! :)

Thanks for checking back...

xox,

abbyj  

A FEW ART CHALLENGES 

April 6, 2015 

 

Hi Family and Friends,

I've finally had the opportunity to get back to playing with my photos and creating new pieces of art...I miss that when I'm away! I'd like to show you what I've been doing...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART  challenged participants to create a piece of art with eggs in it...I wasn't thinking Easter because I thought that would be too obvious. So... 

TAKE A WORD requested  art with numbers in the mix...

Finally, COLLAGE OBSESSION was interested in illustrating the word "abundance" with our art... I like the thought of an abundance of friends and family...

Thanks so much for stopping by...please leave a comment to let me know you were here.

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj

CALENDAR CHALLENGE, etc.

April 1, 2015 

New challenge from Darcy's Art and Sole blog...her Calendar Challenge, where we take our monthly piece of calendar art and alter it according to Darcy's specifications. This months piece is by Theodore M. Wendel, an American artist who lived from 1859-1932. It's a painting of a bridge in Ipswich, Massachusetts...

Specifications for our alteration this month were to include part of the original piece, add some drips and splatters and some repeating shapes and/or words. Here's my altered piece...

Back to answering some fun art challenges from a variety of online groups...
SUNDAY POSTCARD ART requested art with a full moon eclipse...

DIGITALMANIA, a Flicker art group, introduces us to new artists...Christine Peloquin is a mixed media artist and this piece is done in her style...

TAKE A WORD wanted to see some art in primarily blue and white- I added a bit of tan...

Finally, THE THREE MUSES asked to see a piece of art inspired by music...

Enjoy your week ahead...I hope it finds you happy and content.

Please stop by again...thanks for this visit!

Hugs,

abbyj

ARTFUL READERS CLUB 

 THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT

by Amy Tan
March 27, 2015 

An epic mother/daughter, cross-cultural saga that spans 50 years, THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT is my March ARC book. (Check out the Artful Readers Club on Facebook.) From the turn of the 20th century in Shanghai to isolated Mood Pond Village in China, to San Francisco, Amy Tan tells the story of three generations of women. She brings the world of the courtesans (NEVER call them prostitutes, but if it walks like a duck....) to vivid, very interesting, but unemotional light. We see tragedy upon tragedy blended with China's history and myth. Tan revisits themes she does so well... mothers and daughters, the lost child, the plight of women and the hand of fate. In THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT, young Violet is fated to repeat her mother's mistakes. Longing for lives of adventure, recognition and comfort, both mother and daughter fall prey to men's treachery and their own self-delusions. Tan clearly portrays the profession of courtesans as one that many young women  were victimized and forced into, whether due to human trafficking or the basic human need for survival.

At more than 600 pages, all the loss and pain became numbing and the ending felt rushed. There was too much dialogue of furnishings and clothes. I think it could have been edited by at least 100 pages to be a better, more succinct story. Added to the fact that I found none of the characters particularly likeable, this book was LESS THAN AMAZING!!! Sorry Amy! 

Here are some photos of Chinese courtesans that I found online...note how young they are.

And here's my art representing the book...THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT by Amy Tan.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Perhaps this is a book you'd enjoy...for me, it was a 3 star (out of 5) read!

Hugs,
abbyj 

VIEWING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

IN THE SUBARCTIC AT HUDSON BAY

MARCH 15, 2015 

 aurora aura
dances in the northern sky...
rainbows of the night

It started with a wisp of green paint above the stark trees, on a star filled canvas of blue-black... somewhat faint... then the sky burst forth with one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world, the Aurora Borealis. It was  a breathtaking display of green and purple curtains of light performing dances against a star-studded sky... dances that amazed, energized and astounded us. No two displays were ever the same and they varied in intensity. The beauty of solar particles crashing into the earth's magnetic field was positively mesmerizing! 

Michael and I were wowed by the Lights in Manitoba, Canada... Churchill, to be specific. 

Churchill airport

The main street in Churchill, a town of 800 residents

It's a desolately beautiful place with a landscape of  either tundra or arboreal forest.

We were in Churchill more than 10 years ago to see the polar bears and experienced a bit of the Aurora then. We spent about a week in temperatures hovering around minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, but we were dressed for it and it was oh, so worth it!! We experienced the Northern Lights, went for dog sled rides, built an igloo, ate great food and had a marvelous time.

The best way to explain it all is through my photos...

Night of a full moon

These sled dogs are bred as athletes and they're at the top of their game. They LOVE to run...this guy is one of several just yelping to get going!

 

This was our normal attire, not just for sled rides. The only part of us that got cold were our fingers while taking photos...tough to change and adjust camera settings manually!

The First Nation people who experience the Lights believe that they're dancing human spirits of those who have passed or the spirits of the animals they've hunted...deer, seals, salmon and beluga whales. Of course, there are numerous legends and myths created out of fear, awe and just plain admiration. I believe that the Lights are like a missive from the Sun and a bridge between us and the ancient peoples who have been mystified by the them for thousands of years.

 curtains of light

shimmer in the wintery cold...

flights of fancy 

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by...please stop by again.

Stay well...

Big Hugs,

abbyj