NASHVILLE and MORE...

May 31, 2013

 

What  great fun we had visiting Music City... Nashville, Tennessee... with our friends, Gene and Joanne! It's not only a place where you hear all kinds of music spilling out of every honky tonk... day and night... but it's also a place for great deals on cowboy boots!! We went into a place that had a "buy one pair...get TWO PAIR  free" deal!! These were all high quality boots... don't know how they can do it- must be based on  pure volume sales!! Needless to say, the place was PACKED!!!

Here are some shots I took here and there during our Nashville visit...

 

 

 

Opryland Hotel Resort...gorgeous

 

Nashville skyline

As for this week's art challenges...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART was in the mood to "party." I'm always up for a party... 

TAKE A WORD had us blowing "bubbles..."

 

THINK MONDAY- THINK ATC  participants were  feeling the art in their "hearts..."

 

the Flicker group, DIGITALMANIA, had artists examine the style of a Lisbon-based illustrator and designer, Christiana Couceiro. These are pieces I did in her clean collage style...in honor of the World War II pilots who painted their planes with a variety of nose art...and in honor of childhood days!

And finally, at the CRAZY AMIGOS challenge blog, we were wrapped up in "cars..."

 

 

Enjoy your week...thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you for my next posting!

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj

ARTFUL READERS CLUB: MAY

May 30, 2013

 

 

 

Greetings to all those who love to read! It's the last Friday of the month, time for all participants in the ARTFUL READERS CLUB to post their May book reviews and art. I don't know what led me to choose this book...perhaps my interest in religion, culture and medieval times. In any case, I'm thrilled I chose it... SACRED HEARTS by Sarah Durant.

 

Today, a woman can be single, have a career and a joy-filled life. But in the 16th century, many aristocratic Italian families, able to afford only one hefty dowry, would lead one daughter into an arranged marriage and force the other young woman to take the veil.

It's 1570 in the Italian city of Ferrara and the Convent of Santa Caterina is filled with women who are married to Christ out of choice or because they weren't marriage material for one reason or another. Enter 16 year-old Serafina (with the singing voice of an angel, by the way!) The convent's newest novice, (incarcerated by her family for her illicit love affair with her voice instructor,) is introduced to the reader as she's howling with rage and hormones, determined to escape. But Serafina's rebellion is not like that of the other girls: heart wrenching, relentless and ultimately explosive, the disruption she creates sets off a series of events that grow to involve the "apothecary mistress" with her healing potions and herbs, the worldly, political Mother Superior and the ambitious, fiercely devout "novice mistress" who watches over her flock of young recruits like a soldier of the Lord. Each  aspires to influence Serafina's path. But as they struggle to subdue the passion in the wayward girl's rebellious soul, each finds she must come to terms with the sorrows, lost hopes and decisions of her own past as well as the unstoppable changes bearing down on the Convent from outside the great cloistered walls- the religious dictates of the Counter Reformation that was beginning to purge the Catholic Church and impose terrible oppression on the nunneries.

SACRED HEARTS is an extraordinary journey into a world we rarely see, a place where women sacrificed their personal desires and dreams because they were "called" to do so or it was imposed upon them. It's rich in historical detail and full of interesting characters, treachery, lies, medicinal herbs, love and heartfelt decisions. Who knew that the life of a nun could be so exciting? If you love the Renaissance period of history and medieval times...or just a tale of human drama...I highly recommend SACRED HEARTS by Sarah Durant!

 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope this book interests you... Please check back for my regular posting of LIFE: THE VIVERE in a few days.

 

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj



POTPOURRI

May 19, 2013

 

 

Sweet boy deserves a hopeful future...
(For Digitalmania, Inspired by Loui Jover)

This has been a fun few days of arting for me... down with a sinus infection...stuck in the house! I'd like to share my art with you!

The piece for the 6-word memoir (above) is based on a little Namibian boy...a member of a bushman community in southern Africa. It's done in the style of  the  Turkish surreal artist, Gurbuz Dogan Eksioglu, (I dare you to try to pronounce his entire name.) It's for the Flicker's  DIGITALMANIA online art group.
The next artist whose work Digitalmania artists are examining (and whose art I much prefer)  is from the area of  Queensland,  Australia ...talented enough to produce all forms of art... written as well as painting, sculpture, illustration, mixed media... he's art personified! His name... Loui Jover. I really enjoy looking at the work of this artist... he's new to me! Here are a few pieces I did in his style...

 

For the CREAVIL'S CHALLENGE-BLOG  and THE THREE MUSES, both calling for patterns, I offer the piece below...grab your blinders!!!

Finally, TAKE A WORD challenge blog requested art with a "sewing" theme. I love the vintagey feel of this lady on her old Singer machine...

Wishing you and yours a good, peaceful (but fun) week ahead. Please check back soon for a new posting...thanks for checking into THIS one!

 

Hugs,

abbyj



THIRD WEEK IN MAY

May 15, 2013

 

 

Beautiful green of spring lifts spirits!



We spent a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with our daughter and grandkids. Our grandson played in an awesome concert...a player in the coronet section...so proud of him. He's a young musician like his Dad... the youngest player in the group!! 



We also had tickets  for the blockbuster Broadway hit, THE BOOK OF MORMON .  By the same people who wrote the TV series SOUTH PARK (that we never watched,) this show was hilarious and the music was memorable. Its message for me was that having faith...believing in something larger than yourself...gives you hope! Most enjoyable...

On to the art...

COLLAGE OBSESSION's challenge blog asked us to include steps or a staircase in our art... I played with a photo taken at an ancient temple in Cambodia's Siem Reap.

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART  was interested in seeing chevron shapes... I used one of many photos of a zebra ...loved playing with this one!

 TAKE A WORD is honoring MOTHERS for another week...I honor mine!

Finally, THE THREE MUSES let their weekly challenge  participants run wild...the only thing required was the use of any quote we'd like. I used one from Mark Twain who said "The Creator made Italy from designs by Michaelangelo."  (Truer words were never said!!!) I played with a photo taken in Cortona, Italy. I love the ancient stairs and portions of an equally ancient fresco on the wall.

 

 Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you for the next posting. Have a great week...

 

Big Hugs,

abbyj



...and then there were four

May 7,2013

 

 

Hello again, dear viewers! I wanted to add four more art challenge pieces to the blogpot of The Vivere. Thanks for checking back so soon...

 

For THINK MONDAY-THINK ATC, some art with a "numbers" theme;

"sunrise/sunset" for INSPIRATION AVENUE, using a photo I took along a river in Namibia...aren't they sweet?



COLLAGE OBSESSION asked to see some "bears," so I used a photo I took years ago in northern Canada's polar bear country, Churchill. The aurora borealis is behind  them...that's what the sky looked like at night! Amazing, eh?

 

"Mothers" is the appropriate theme for TAKE A WORD...once more, a photo I took in Rwanda while gorilla trekking...

These were especially fun to do because I was able to use some of my own photos...a trip down memory lane for me...lovely!

 

Hugs 'til the next...and thanks,

abbyj

 

In the Merry Month of May...

May 6, 2013

Grateful  for Nana...early Mother's Day



It's such a pleasure to see sunshine and such a profusion of color that  IS spring! Nana used to take me outside to play no matter what the weather, but it was in the spring that she taught me to navigate my new tricycle. Wonderful memories of my maternal grandmother who was my best friend until she passed away at the age of 97. I'm honoring her with  an early recognition of  what will soon be  Mother's Day. Love and miss you, Nana!

I have some fun art pieces to share with you from my usual art challenge blogs...

TAKE A WORD asked to see some "stone angels..."

THREE MUSES challenged participants to include "music" in their art...

In Flicker's DIGITALMANIA, we wre inspired by two artists...

The first, Lisa Kettell, is a mixed-media artist whose style I'm not crazy about so it was hard to be inspired by her art. Here's an example of Lisa's ...

here's mine...

Hal Shukovsky, a digital collage artist, is more to my liking. Here's his work...

and here's mine...

Finally, something I did for a personal longtime friend. I met her when she was 6 years old and was in our fair city to have an open heart surgical procedure...life-saving surgery that couldn't be done in her homeland, Siberia (Russia.) Our local Rotary Clubs brought Svetlana and her Mom here for 6 weeks for surgery and recovery. During that time I got to know them both well and spent a great deal of time with them as I was putting together a documentary for television about the GIFT of LIFE program... the program that brought her here. We've been in touch since then... more lately, now that Facebook has made it so easy to stay in touch more regularly! We met again when she was 11 and we were visiting Russia...she and her Mom came down to St. Petersburg (from their home in Siberia) to spend time with us. We were supposed to reunite last spring when we were again in Russia, but she and her husband were experiencing the birth of their first child during our visit. Instead, as Lada's American Grandma, I've been receiving photos of this beautiful, healthy baby. Here's a picture of my friend and her husband (she's now a social worker in her mid-20's...)

and here's my playful creation featuring Lada, their almost-one-year-old girl... my Russian "granddaughter..."

I must say I really enjoy playing in Photoshop. I have to thank my mentor who, long ago, was a photography student at Syracuse University. She worked with me for a couple of years...patiently, teaching me the basics. (Now she has a successful career of her own...last I heard, in New York City!)  Thanks Michelle...wherever you are!!

Hugs to you all and thanks for stopping by!

'Til the next,

abbyj

PEACE and BEAUTY

May 1, 2013  



MAYDAY...a call for worldwide awareness
(original graffiti by Shepard Fairey in New York City

A different way to look at May Day, May 1st! Shepard Fairey is a graphic artist and illustrator who started his career in social commentary with street art. You may know his work but not his name. This is by Shepard Fairey...

I wanted to use his MAYDAY piece (the introductory art in this posting,) because in today's troubled world, we need his call for heightened awareness. This piece of graffiti is a call for action against injustice and the many difficulties that exist in all  the political, environmental, economic and cultural arenas of our worldwide neighborhoods. It's  a distress signal...a sounding of the alarm! Fairey believes that if we stay silent, there's no hope...but if we make noise by putting our ideas out there in whatever way possible, then maybe we can make a change. Here's hoping...

Some fun art this week...I hope you and yours are well and my art will help to further lift your spirits :)

INSPIRATION AVENUE dressed up its artists in "high heels..."

TAKE A WORD asked to see something "beautiful..."

This piece combines the requests of three challenge blogs... COLLAGE OBSESSION requested art with "butterflies," the CRAZY AMIGOS wanted "crowns" and THREE MUSES asked for "hats, crowns, wings and things." I hope this satisfies all calls...

THINK MONDAY-THINK ATC challenged artists with a "crazy girls" theme. I flashed back to the introduction of THE BEATLES to the world... I was ONE of those crazy girls!!!!

Finally, Flicker's online art group, DIGITALMANIA asked artists to emulate the style of one Anastasiya Markovich. She's a Ukranian surrealist painter. This is one of hers...

This is mine...

Enjoy your weekend and early week...

Big Hugs...'til the next,

abbyj