ART AHEAD 

JULY 28, 2016 

Because I looked ahead to some of the art challenge blog themes for next week, I'm little ahead of myself. They sounded like fun challenges, so I spent some time creating...

THIS for DIGITAL WHISPER, whose theme is Masquerade... 

for TAKE A WORD, a Games theme... I depicted both a board game...

and a sports game featuring my hometown basketball team, the Syracuse Orangemen;

and THIS, for Flicker's DIGITALMANIA who introduced participating artists to Alfredo Palmero, a Spanish painter who lived from 1901-1991.

This is my creation...here's one of Alfredo Palmero's pieces...

Thanks for stopping by. See you next posting...
Big Hugs,
abbyj

HAPPINESS IS... 

July 25, 2016 

 

Hi Folks,

Hope you survived this very hot week if you're living here in Central New York as well as soooo many places across our great USA. This week, things are heating up again...politically. It's time for the Democratic National Convention to declare Hillary Clinton the official Democratic Presidential nominee (among other things.) Last week, the Republican Party had the floor and declared Donald Trump the official Republican Presidential nominee. YIKES on both fronts!!!

When it's hot...very hot, both in temperature and in politics, my "go to place" of happiness is always a snow scene. So, when art challenge blog TAKE A WORD declared their theme to be HAPPINESS IS... I jumped on it! Happiness is...SNOW!!

My piece of art for DEZINAWORLD15's CHEEKY CHALLENGE this week centers on FOOD. I took this photo in Hangzhou, China at a family restaurant. I thought it was interesting the way the people held their rice bowls so close to their mouths... wonderful food throughout our repeat trip to China...different areas than we'd been previously. 

DIGITAL WHISPER requested a black and white creation...a wee bit political...sorry!

Finally, SUNDAY POSTCARD ART asked that participants remember the Wild West with COWBOYS and COWGIRLS...

That's it for now...thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy your week. Hope to see you next posting...

Big Hugs,

abbyj 

WE WANT PEACE 

JULY 17, 2016 

With the world in such tremendous turmoil and an unsatisfactory election looming ahead, we all need to pray for peace and respect for one another. With all our traveling, I must admit that this is the first time I've ever been concerned about safety. I didn't even really think about it after 9/11! When challenge blog, THE THREE MUSES, declared its subject for the week to be "the printed word," my thoughts  immediately turned to the unrest in my heart. Here's what emerged...

I wish you safe passage as you navigate through the week...in your heart and as you move from place to place. If you're having a hard time, I wish you relief...if you're unwell, I wish you better health. Most of all, I wish you love.

Thanks for checking in.

Big Hugs...until my next posting,

abbyj 

ART SOOTHES MY SOUL 

July 17, 2016 

Hello there, dear readers!

The sun is shining; we just saw our grandson marching and playing in his BURLINGTON TEEN TOURING BAND in LeRoy, New York; the sheetrock is going up to make the walls inside our new home...life is good. I hope things are going well for you, where you are, as well.

I so enjoyed putting together the following pieces of challenge art this week...

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART was in the summer mode declaring its theme to be PICNIC...

DIGITALMANIA asked challenge participants to create art in the style of one Maria Pace Wynters , a mixed media artist.

Here is one of hers...

and here's my creation using her technique...

That's it for this moment in time...short and sweet. I'm working on another that I'll post when completed. Meanwhile, enjoy your evening and weekend.

Thanks for stopping in.

Sending hugs and love to you all,

abbyj

 

FINALLY...SOME ART  

JULY 13, 2016 

Hi Dear Readers,
Hope you've been enjoying your days and weeks... we're in the middle of an exceptionally hot, rainless summer and a great deal of our green has turned brown. I wonder how it is where YOU are?????

Have been missing making art so I got back to it a bit this week...a little break from going through our rooms and throwing out or packing, getting ready for our new house.

DEZINAWORLD15, a fun art "cheeky challenge" blog, has asked for a piece of art depicting a MAGIC theme... to me, reading a book is a magical experience because it transports you to another place.

DIGITAL WHISPER declared its theme to be TOPTOE... a unique call...

 Finally, SUNDAY POSTCARD ART called for a typical summer beach scene with seashells...

I've been missing doing art on a daily basis...must try to get back to it. It's my relaxation and brain challenge...both, good for the soul!!

Enjoy your days...and thanks for stopping by.

Big Hugs,
abbyj

BOOK REVIEW TIME 

"CITADEL" by Kate Mosse 

June 29, 2016 

1942.

Nazi-occupied France.

A group of women Resistance fighters are trying to help people escape the Nazis in France's Languedoc region. This story is interwoven with a tale of a monk during the Dark Ages (342AD,) seeking to protect and hide a mysterious, sacred scroll (called the Codex,) so it can be rediscovered in a time that would be more receptive to its message.

It takes about 700 pages for CITADEL's author, Kate Mosse, to tell us both stories and relate them to one another. Bringing together elements of history, ancient secrets, suspense, romance, death and a twist of the supernatural...a trademark of Mosse's in the previous two books of this trilogy... LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE... I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Her use of parallel narratives set in two different time periods helped keep the action going.

We meet Sandrine, code name "Sophie" and her Resistance network, known by its code name "Citadel."  Led by 18 year old Sandrine Vidal, her sister and their friends, this powerful band of women show courage and daring, never knowing who's watching them or who may betray them to the authorities. They're determined to outwit both the Germans and their evil French collaborators. As a reader,  I could imagine what the ordinary citizens of these villages and towns must have felt as the Nazi occupation deepened. Packed with some terrifying action scenes as well as some gentle moments and day to day struggles, Kate Mosse captured a wide array of feelings making CITADEL an emotionally satisfying book to read. I highly recommend it, but be prepared for the 700 page undertaking!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Big Hugs and Happy 4th of July to all my American readers...

abbyj

 

GINGHAM and SHAPES 

JUNE 12, 2016 

I love finding time for art. It makes my heart smile and challenges my creativity. It's a good opportunity to think of something other than the new house...that's coming along well, by the way! There are some good challenges this week...here are two in which I participated:

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART asked for art with GINGHAM... how's this?

And, DEZINAWORLD15 declared their "Cheeky Challenge" to be SHAPES. This may work...

That's it for now...short and sweet. I hope you're all well and that the coming days are easy for you.

Big Hugs until my next...I hope you'll join me then.

abbyj  

BACK TO ART 

June 6, 2016 

  

It feels like it's been FOREVER since I've posted to this blog. The last few months have been more than hectic...we're building a new house from the ground up!! (I guess that's the only way you CAN build a new house...lol!) 

We love our neighborhood, so we'll be staying in the same area... just around the corner and down the street! With our new house, we'll live on the walk-in level and our guest area and workrooms (my craft/art room and Michael's tool room, where he does his magic... fixing and creating,) will be on the lower level. Minimal stairs and very low maintenance...all good things for folks like us who are becoming more elderly by the minute!!  :) We're just about finished selecting everything from door knobs to lights to appliances to flooring...and so much more that we don't normally even think of. The fact that Michael has a background in construction has been a real blessing. 

This is the first time in quite a while that I've had the time and energy to do some challenge art for the online groups that I so enjoy. I'd like to share them with you...
For DEZINAWORLD15 (week 22) the call is for some GRUNGY art...this sad commentary should work!

MIX-IT MONTHLY's theme is FISHES...

and finally, SUNDAY POSTCARD ART, feeling the love for feline creatures of this world, has the theme of CATS. I combined our sweet little house pets with the big cats of Africa.

That's it for this posting. I hope you'll return for my next... 
Thanks for stopping by once again. I've missed posting and I'VE MISSED YOU!

Big Hugs,
abbyj  

 

ARTFUL READERS CLUB 

THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova 

April 28, 2016 

Dracula, has been the focus of innumerable books and movies, capturing the interest, imagination, fear and horror of generations. THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova, though about Dracula, is not a horror novel. It reads more like a travel diary and a love story, with the horror of Dracula's legend and a race to save loved ones as the binding elements of the story.

Kostova weaves her story alternating time, place and narrative voice... Amsterdam, France, Eastern Bloc countries, the Soviet Empire... all part of the journey to find a dear friend and the grave of Vlad Tepes...Vlad, the Impaler...Dracula. In addition, there are vast stores of knowledge on 15th century monasteries, the cultural divide between the Romanians and the Transylvanians, medieval church politics, Central European folk songs, pagan traditions, research methodology, the overlapping of history Central Europe with its rulers of Ottomans, the Orthodox Church and the Soviet Union... all eras that the "undead Dracula" would have lived through... from an HISTORIANs perspective. And, there's always the underlying question... "does he still walk this earth today?"

If you're prepared to begin an eerie, haunted, hypnotic adventure saturated in ancient history and exotic, old European churches, monasteries and libraries brimming with ancient parchment and long forgotten maps and books, Kostova's tracking of the real Vlad Drakuyla is flawless ... and she's able to describe with a chilling, atmospheric eye for detail, the variety of climates in which the story unfolds. A historical/academic thriller with gothic images, cultural folklore, ancient crypts and creaking stairs... all make for a wonderfully different take on an age old tale. It's definitely NOT a quick read, but worth the effort! 

A TALE OF TWO CULTURES  II

The Kingdom of Morocco 

April 17, 2016 

Switching gears completely, we finished our journey with a visit to the Kingdom of Morocco on the northwest coast of Africa...in the lap of luxury. (No red ants, sweat bees or impossible humidity with which to contend!!)  The third most populous Arab country, Morocco has ports in the North Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea. 

Unexpectedly glamorous and intriguing, this is a country that boasts centuries of civilizations steeped in art, religion and hospitality. Our accommodations were in RIADS... traditional Moroccan  palaces or mansions that have been re-purposed as still traditional yet modern guest houses, each with an interior garden or courtyard. Located in the heart of the oldest part of the cities (called medinas,) we were always at the center of the sights, sounds and smells that make Morocco crackle with high energy!! Marrakech and Fez were  bustling and alive with ancestral customs and creativity. Marrakech is a tourist center and Fez, although also a tourist mecca, is  the religious core of Morocco. A labyrinth of spices, argan oil, slippers, painted ceramics, lamps, beautiful handmade leather bags and jewelry (among other things,) we wound our way through the hundreds of SOUKS (open-air shops) dodging motorbikes, donkeys carrying goods, and masses of people. There was extraordinary eye candy at every turn... exhilarating! My photos say more than my words can express...

Marrakech...

12th century Katoubia Mosque...Marrakech's defining landmark can be seen from almost anywhere in the city

You can see the most incredible ancient doors throughout Morocco

All kinds of spices for sale...

The frenetic Djemaa el Fnaa square...the greatest square in all of Africa. Once the destination for traders from around the world, today it provides ever-changing entertainment. It's alive with storytellers, healers, snake charmers, acrobats and an untold number of food stalls. Its a UNESCO world heritage cultural space (one of only a handful in the world)

Traditional spice display

 

Anything you can imagine can be found in the souks...even doors!

I don't think the cat is for sale...but you never know!

Morocco is known the world over for its tiles and ceramics

Le Jardin Majorelle, rescued and restored in the 1960's by designer Yves Saint Laurent

Traditional water bearers offering their services

Artisan fashioning a wooden honey dipper with his foot

The many food vendors in the medina as seen from the rooftop of our riad...dinnertime

It wasn't surprising to find vibrantly colored street art throughout the medinas, further demonstrating the Moroccan love for color and texture

Berber handmade carpets are made by the Berber people who are indigenous to North Africa and make up at least 40% of Morocco's population

Fez...was a step back six centuries, into a medieval world...cobbled streets filled with ancient mosques, narrow doorways and alleyways, brilliantly colored mosaic tiles and artisans crafting objects as did their forefathers centuries ago.

 

Raw materials for weaving...wool, cotton...

Jewish synagogue

As we journeyed back to Casablanca, we made a few stops. The first was to the extensive Roman ruins at a place called VOLUBILIS, the capital of the ancient Roman province of Mauritania. Given the age old mosaics and house ruins at the large site, it wasn't difficult to picture life so many centuries ago.

This was the model for Paris's Arch de Triomphe...see the resemblance?

We also stopped in the lovely hill town of Moulay Idriss, the holiest Muslim site in Morocco. At its center lies the tomb of the man who brought Islam to Morocco 12 centuries ago... his name was...Moulay Idriss!!  

Entrance to tomb of Moulay Idriss

 Our final stop, before arriving in Casablanca, was in the busy hill town of Meknes, the agricultural center of Morocco and it's capital city in the 1600-1700's.

Underground graineries and imperial stables that once held 12,000 horses

The end of our journey, we arrived in Casablanca during rush hour! Our final visit was to the world renown Hassan II mosque. This was definitely a WOW moment. Situated at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it's huge and sprawling, holding 25,000 people inside and 80,000 in its precincts.

 

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at sunset from Hassan II

And a final farewell...  for this visit ...overlooking Casablanca, Morocco...

Hope you enjoyed traveling with me through the beautiful, vibrant, exciting Kingdom of Morocco. I look forward to my next visit...

Big Hugs,

abbyj