Treasures in Rural China

I discovered the most amazing finds while wondering the shops on Etsy. Tucked in a shop called, My Cool Finds, were the most wonderful wooden panels. The panels depict traditional Chinese scenes; some panels are painted, others are plain wood with varnish.  They sparked my imagination, so I bought one.

I wanted to know the backstory so I reached out to Ashley the owner of My Cool Finds. While traveling in China with her father, they were visiting a family who did furniture restoration and Ashley spied these panels in a heap in a barn. She collected them, cleaned them and fell in love.

As she told me,"Well, we were only there for a couple of days and I had already purchased more amazing items so we had to start looking into other means of shipping. Oops, back up, I forgot to mention that I was an antique dealer at the time so I was planning on discovering a few unique things but just not this many." "I collect, scavenge, create and horde! Collecting is great fun but it's even more fun when you get to share it with someone else!!"

For the next two weeks, Ashley is offering readers of my blog a 20% discount on any panel in her shop using coupon code, A2545. So I urge you to be inspired by these fantastic panels at My Cool Finds.

 

Glowing, Gorgeous Glass: Dale Chihuly

We went to see the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the MFA this weekend. Very exciting, and lively. It was the perfect taste of life in our early spring season.  For some reason the museum chose to sequester the exhibit below ground which seems like an incongruous place for such a bright and shiny installation.

In any event, we loved it and commend it to those in the area between now and August 7. Take yourself there for a treat.

MFA Chihuly

David Sharir - Late to the Party on this Wonderful Artist

I recently had the pleasure of discovering David Sharir's works. I happened upon an old promotional packet created by his Boston gallery, Pucker Safrai. The packet was promoting his spring 1978 exhibit. Well, the works featured were delightful. I found the pieces to be lively and engaging. Perfect mood enhancers as we enter the spring season

And as the world is very small, and I turned to the internet to research Mr. Sharir, I discovered he had another Boston show this winter! Too funny. I'm sorry to have missed it. I've included in this post seriagraphs from the 1978 show.

As he says of his work, "I want to paint life as a feast; and people birds, trees and houses as endlessly celebrating."  Well said.

See the Elephant Tree

Anna Nicole - The Opera - A different kind of diva

I wish I were in London right now to hear  performance of the new opera, Anna Nicole, by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. Talk about how to breath new life into an art form that has trouble attracting a young audience.  (The Met's average subscriber is in their mid 60s).  But Anna Nicole is a truly operatic story line, tawdry, dramatic, births, death, babies, old men, billions$, etc etc.

Royal Opera Crowds Go Wild for Anna Nicole

You have until March 5 to catch this production at the Royal Opera in London.  I hope it comes to this side of the pond soon.!

Mosaics On My Mind

Yesterday I headed to Mudflat Studios here in town.  I had signed up for my first art class in a long time.  Inspired by my children, I took the plunge into tile, glass, shards and adhesive to make a small (12 inch by 12 inch) mosaic plaque. 

I go back in a couple of weeks to apply the grout.  The several hours of comraderie with my assembled classmates was enjoyable and the outcome is very satisfying. 

A change in winter routine is a good thing.  I show you the view at my neighborhood bus stop.  Although we have had some melt in the last few days, it is still a winter wonderland here.

Look. Look Again - Picasso and Degas

There is a fabulous new exhibit at the Clark Insitute in the Berkshire Hills. Run, don't walk, to take this in. It demonstrates the influence of Degas on the work of Picasso.

 If you think about it, the two artists overlapped in Paris in the early twentieth century - at a time when each was at a very different state of his career. But in that overlap of time and place, the cross-pollination process was powerful and long lasting.

This exhibit offered me some insights in how even the work of genius is informed by those around them. The topic is rich in complexity and fascinating to boot.

For more on the the topic, I found this photo essay by Art Historian Christopher Benfey to be particularly illuminating.

The curators, Richard Kendell and Elizabeth Cowling should take a bow for bringing us a new angle to appreciate these two old Masters. The exhibit will be open through the summer - make haste to get yourself there.

A Different World

I was in Hong Kong last week and came back with some photos that captured the differences between Boston and Hong Kong.  I love both - and I appreciate the differences.  (Can anyone help me with the Chinese characters?)

Striking. Children's Art

I haven't thought much about this.  But what is the magical quality that emanates from children's art.  A few days ago the kids spent an hour in my home office, using my copier/scanner.  They created a number of wonderful pieces.  My 9 year really wants to sell them on the internet (guess mom's hobby has rubbed off).  Here is one of his works that I'm still haunted by.  What do you think?

Morocan Genius: Lalla Essaydi: Les Femmes du Maroc

The Decordova

This weekend is taking a morocan theme. We're heading out to the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln Mass on Black Friday.  No, we we're not looking for oriental rugs. We have a mystical, murmuring exhibit on the mind.

The images in Les Femmes du Maroc present Moroccan women in staged narratives.Tthe women appear to be defined by text, written directly on their bodies, by the artist.

Les Femmes du Maroc offer a voice on the lives of Arab women.  You will face the collision of old and new. Emancipated and enslaved.  I look forward to the confrontation.

Jeanne-Claude, creator of The Gates and Other Glorious Public Art Projects will be Remembered

Farewell Jeanne-Claude.  I'll remember the saphron gates in Central Park, the umbrellas covering the California landscape, the shrouded Brandenburg Gates, Pont Neuf.  So much creativity and drive. You'll be missed.

Remembering

I Like This . . I Really Like This

Here's a big wheel courtesy of a very creative person I met in etsy's halls.  I bought this the minute I saw it.  Its called the Big Swing, created by: 1001WordsPhotography.

Delightful.