As we end this year, 2011, I thought I’d take a minute and show a few of the Saturday Evening Post covers from the first half of the 20th century that celebrate the new year, all created by the great illustrator J.C Leyendecker. Leyendecker is credited with popularizing the notion of the New Year being embodied as a [...]
Archive for December, 2011
Leyendecker’s New Year’s Covers
Posted in Influences, Neat Stuff, tagged Arrow Collar Man, J.C Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, Saturday Evening Post on December 31, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Sleigh Ride
Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged 500 Days of Summer, M. Ward, She and Him, Zooey Deschanel on December 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Okay, I promise this will be the last Christmassy thing you will hear from me for a long time but I came across this video of the old holiday chestnut, Sleigh Ride, with a dog sled team hurtling through a winter wonderland. The song is performed by She and Him, the indy-folk duo comprised of [...]
Omega Rise
Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged New Paintings, Painting on December 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I finished this piece yesterday and it may well be the last painting I finish this year and if that’s the case, I am happy with this piece having that designation. I always hope that paintings that end or start my years have something in them that makes them mark their time in a memorable fashion, that they [...]
Early Snow
Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, tagged daguerrotype, Luminous Lint on December 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »
We’re winding down the last few days of December and we have yet to have any real snow in this part of New York where I live and work. I’ve rhapsodized here before about my particular affection for snow so it should come as no surprise that I am bit depressed by the lack of the [...]
Strength of Character
Posted in Favorite Things, Painting, Quote, tagged Gandhi on December 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. —Mahatma Gandhi *********************** This is a painting from a few years back titled Strength of Character, a 26″ by 30″ image on paper. It’s one of those rare paintings that has always garnered a lot of attention when shown but has never [...]
Uncle Mame
Posted in At the Movies, Neat Stuff, tagged Auntie Mame, Eric Myers, Mame, Patrick Dennis, Ray Kroc, Robert Osborne, Rosalind Russell on December 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The other night, I saw the end of the 1958 movie Auntie Mame, starring Rosalind Russell as the iconic title character. The film was on TCM and at its end, host Robert Osborne came on and, as he normally does, wraps up the film with an interesting bit of trivia about its stars or the folks who [...]
Christmas Past
Posted in Favorite Things, tagged Archaeology, Charles Dickens on December 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home. —Charles Dickens Wishing a very Merry Christmas to everyone everywhere. May the season find us all at peace. [...]
The Architect’s Brother
Posted in Influences, Neat Stuff, Video, tagged George Melies, Robert and Shana Parkeharrison, The Architect's Brother on December 23, 2011 | 6 Comments »
I wrote a week or two ago, after seeing the film Hugo, about the work of George Melies and how wildly inventive it was at the advent of modern cinema. He used built sets and illusion to create images that were like scenes torn from a dream. The same might be said for the work of [...]
Archaeology: The Story Told
Posted in Favorite Things, Painting, Personal Mythology, tagged Archaeology, Painting on December 22, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I’ve been reviewing past work over the last few weeks for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I am looking for an idea or motif that has not been in use for some time. A new lead to re-examine and follow anew. Sometimes, it’s pure nostalgia, looking at the work as group with a small bit of pride, like a [...]
The Countdown Begins!
Posted in Neat Stuff, tagged Doomsday 2012, Mayan Calendar on December 21, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Okay, I don’t mean to put a damper on anybody’s holidays or anything like that but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the world is scheduled to end one year from today, according to my Mayan sources and a whole bunch of cable channels. In case you’ve been living in a cave [...]
