The Passion of the Van Gogh Letters

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has made it possible for us to view the actual letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo, in Vincent's own handwriting, complete with sketches.

This is endlessly fascinating stuff to me as I have already read Van Gogh's letters over and over again for inspiration ("Dear Theo", a book edited by Irving Stone). It's amazing to see the preliminary sketches (leading up to well-known paintings) that he included in these letters from 1874-1890. There are also letters to Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard (see the top image with notations about colors). There are a handful of letters from Gauguin himself that include important sketches as well!

Vincent Van Gogh, The Letters with Sketches

For another blog post on this topic: BibliOdyssey

The Art of Amy Crehore

Pierrot on a Bicycle

Halloween 2009 #33
Originally uploaded by stevechasmar

This vintage photo is from Steve Chasmar's
flickr Halloween Countdown 2009 #33

Hammer Museum Presents R. Crumb's Book of Genesis

The Hammer Museum will be exhibiting R. Crumb’s adaptation of the Book of Genesis from October 24th-Feb 7, 2010. Crumb has spent the last five years working on intricate drawings for this book. "Crumb’s version of the Book of Genesis puts an entirely new twist on the Bible". SPECIAL EVENT: On October 29th, R. Crumb will be joined by art editor for The New Yorker, Françoise Mouly, for a candid discussion about his life and this new project at UCLA. For more information, click here. I would go to this if I lived in Los Angeles.

October 24 - February 7, 2010

HAMMER MUSEUM

The Art of Amy Crehore

Baby Gumm Sings "Blue Butterfly" in 1929

A rare recording of Frances Baby Gumm singing 'Blue Butterfly' from the short 'A Holiday in Storyland,' from 1929. Baby was only 7 years old when she sang this. She grew up to be Judy Garland.(thanks, nimbusmiranda )

Bemelmans Bar and Woody Allen

Darn it. Last year, when I had my art show in Brooklyn, NY, I stayed up near central park at my brother's place. A friend of mine flew in from California to see my show and stayed at The Carlyle hotel. For a few days, I crossed the park to visit her at this elegant hotel. Unfortunately, no one told me that the hotel bar was the home of Ludwig Bemelmans' murals.

The creator of Madeline children's books, Bemelmans exchanged his work for a year and a half of accommodations at The Carlyle for his family. Wow, that's cool. "Madeline" books were my childhood favorite. It looks like his artwork is even on the lampshades.

Oh well, I miss all the good stuff. Maybe next time. Woody Allen is playing there on Monday nights at 8:45 pm through Dec 7, 2009 with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band. Luckily, I already saw Woody play clarinet. It was decades ago at Michael's Pub. I even got his autograph. If anyone is in NYC and loves Madeline and Woody together, head over to the art deco bar at The Carlyle for a fun evening.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Crehore Artwork (Sold)

Crehore Uke (sold)
Tuxedo Uke (sold)

Nighttime Ditty (sold)
The Teaser (sold)

The Wasp Uke (sold)

Slither Uke (sold)

Tickler Uke #2 (sold)

Peekaboo Uke (sold)

The Caged Wonder (sold)
Smoking Pussycat Dream (sold)

Hoop Dream (sold)

Dragonfly Vanity Waltz (sold)

Monkey Love Song (sold)

I am pleased to say that all of the fine art oil paintings and painted objects shown here have found their way to wonderful homes in the last six months (or so) of 2009. In addition, I have shipped many fine art drawings, signed prints and t-shirts to people around the world this year. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has believed in me and supported my art. Your support helps me to continue expanding my creative vision and making new works. Thank you! I will be blogging about more new art soon. Stay tuned.

The Art of Amy Crehore
amy@amycrehore.com

More Vintage Halloween Goodies

Steve Chasmar has added some more photos to this year's Halloween set on flickr! There are many photos featuring pumpkins such as the two above. Have a look: Halloween Countdown 2009 and while you are there, you must check out last year's set which has no equal : Halloween in the Time of Cholera . I don't know about you, but where I live we have no trick or treaters. The candy bowl just sits there all night long. Steve Chasmar's photos bring all of those fond memories flooding back to me. Of course, some of the pictures are so old, you can't believe it. Waaay before my time!

The Art of Amy Crehore

National Guitars Have Perfectly Shaped Dust Bunnies

Steve Olson, who repairs guitars for Elderly Instruments , has collected dust bunnies from guitar and mandolin bodies for years and has even catalogued them. The one pictured on the top left was found in the cone of an old National guitar. Apparently, National guitars create perfectly round and dense "tone balls" (dust bunnies) over time. Interesting! I happen to know someone in Oregon who once worked at Elderly repairing guitars and I also know a National guitar collector/repairman who would absolutely love this article which appeared in the Summer 2006 issue of The FretBoard Journal (Number 2). Thanks, Mark! BOINGBOING

Vintage Theatre Photos

Wedding tableau, Sydney, ca. 1930 / Sam Hood

The State Library of New South Wales

has some beautiful vintage photos of theatre in Sydney dating from the latter half of the nineteenth century. How fun!

The Art of Amy Crehore

Girl Portrait Has Leonardo's Fingerprint

Times Online has reported: "A fingerprint in the top left corner of this portrait appears to have confirmed it. The 13 x 9in picture, in chalk, pen and ink, was catalogued as 'German school, early 19th century'. It sold for $19,000 in 1998. Now some leading art experts agree that it is almost certainly by Leonardo da Vinci and worth about 158 million." Read the rest of the story here:

TIMES ONLINE

Looks like a Leonardo to me!

The Art of Amy Crehore

Vintage Cigarette Rolling Papers

Here are a couple of examples of cover art for Italian rolling papers (1890-1910).

Follow this link for a wonderful catalogue of images from different countries:

CIG PAPERS

Thanks, Internet Weekly

Bizarre Early Picture of "The Boss"

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO

Here's a photo I found at home. What are they wearing? Floppy hat, raggy mop-top hair, jeans with patches. What are they playing? A P-90 equipped gold Les Paul guitar and a transparent Dan Armstrong Ampeg bass. What are they whispering to each other? "Vinnie, you just got busted for wearing those silly love beads!" This is an early picture of 3 members of the band Steel Mill with none other than Bruce Springsteen himself. It was taken in 1970 at the Hullabaloo Club in Richmond, VA. (Photo previously unpublished, copyright Lou Reimuller, part of a set of photos taken one afternoon, March 1970).

The Art of Amy Crehore

Amazing Online Gallery of Pre-Raphaelite Images

Pencil drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Ink Sketch by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Pen and ink drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti


Pen and ink drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
This is exciting: a large collection of 2257 drawings, studies, prints and paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites. Where?
The Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource.
Shown here are just a handful of gems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He made these drawings around 1849-1850. Aren't they incredibly lovely? 1."Ecce Ancilla Domini - Female Nude - Study for The Virgin", 2. Sketch of a Young Woman, 3."To caper nimbly in a Lady's Chamber to the lascivious pleasing of a Lute" and 4."Love's Mirror or a Parable of Love".
I can't wait to go back and look again. I'm inspired!

The Art of Amy Crehore

Beauty, Virtue and Vice

Click to Enlarge
Here are some beautiful prints from the 1830's-1850's. The print in the middle is of a woman named Ellen Jewett, "a young and beautiful New York City prostitute who was found murdered in her bed" in 1836. These prints are part of an online exhibit called "Beauty, Virtue and Vice: Images of Women in Nineteenth-Century American Prints". Follow this link to view more:

American Antiquarian

The Art of Amy Crehore

Learn a Bit of Trivia That Will Make You Blush

Mameshiba ! Thanks CurioTV and Meg Hunt at drawn

Evil Orchid Garden Bookplate Contest

detail from cover of the very first issue of Der Orchideengarten, 1919, Germany

I just got wind of this: one of my favorite blogs is having a "create a bookplate" contest. The prize is a copy of the beautiful book Alfred Kubin: Drawings 1897 - 1909. Submission deadline: 10/14/09. That's only about a week from now.

More information here:

A JOURNEY ROUND MY SKULL

The Art of Amy Crehore

Steve Wolfe on Paper

Cover of the new book: "Steve Wolfe on Paper" (Whitney Museum of American Art)

Someone that I used to know in my younger days has a new drawing show at The Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. How exciting! His name is Steve Wolfe and it sounds like he has been working very hard:

"For over two decades, Steve Wolfe has created objects and drawings of astounding craft and visual presence that investigate the intersections among material culture, intellectual history, and personal and collective memory. Working in the tradition of trompe l’oeil, his pieces often quite literally fool the eye on first inspection: tattered books, worn album covers, and vinyl records appear pristine but these are objects made from modeling paste, screenprints, drawings, and many other media, and they reproduce not just the thing but the individuality an object takes on as it is consumed by one or more individuals."

Whitney Museum Website

This show runs from September 30-November 29, 2009 in NYC. It will also be on view at The Menil Collection, Houston, TX, April 1, 2010- October 31, 2010.

I'll have to buy a copy of the book which is available on amazon or at Whitney gift shop.

(Congratulations to Steve! And thanks to Janet, for letting me know.)

The Art of Amy Crehore

Hot Jazz Movie 1930 with Sidney Bechet

I used to want to play soprano sax like Sidney Bechet. I even bought a vintage one and took lessons. I didn't get very far, but Sidney was my hero for a time. Here's an amazing clip from a 1930 film with Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch. Enjoy SIDNEY BECHET AND HIS NEW YORKERS in Berlin 1930. Be warned: there are some crazy monkeys and wild dancers in this YouTube video. This clip is a bit long, but interesting.

Winner of My Contest

Okay, I have made a decision. It was extremely difficult to choose just one title because there were so many great titles submitted. Some of them made me laugh out loud and some of them made me smile, but in the end, the most intellectual title won the prize. It's a title that I would never have thought up myself in a million years and it's not even a musical title. I'll admit that I had to look up both words. However, since the painting itself has a classical/literary feel to it, I thought that this title was appropriate. The winner of my little painted sketch is dscroggy who came up with the title "Persephone's Phenology". The runner-up is Jim Bradbury who named it "Puss n' Toots". Please write me at amy@amycrehore.com . I will send the runner-up a consolation prize.
Thanks to everyone who participated! Luv ya all. Amy
The Art of Amy Crehore

P.S. Please follow Steve Chasmar's Halloween Countdown 2009 on flickr. He is posting from a hospital bed in Thailand. I know it would make him happy to be able to share his wonderful collection of antique images with you.

Halloween Countdown 2009! Yeh!

Steve Chasmar's "Halloween in the Time of Cholera" countdown last year was such a treat for all of us. This year he is doing it again! He'll be posting one or more Halloween-themed images every few days to his flickr account:

Halloween Countdown 2009.

DON'T MISS! Steve Chasmar's collections are some of the very best things on flickr! If you haven't seen them, you are truly missing out. He also has a great website called Opium Museum.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Big Hair with Stuff in It

" Big Hair with Stuff in It" is not just a contemporary art movement. It's been around forever.

Enjoy this illustrative art from the late 1700's making fun of women's hair fashions - there is so much more to see on:

BibliOdyssey

P.S. Don't forget about my little contest -to win an oil sketch by me- you have until Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 at noon (pacific time) to come up with a title for my picture: Here's the LINK

I'll be announcing a winner around 6pm Sunday on my blog.

The Art of Amy Crehore

As Tears Go By...

Marianne Faithfull 1965. Watch the giant tear go by on this video

towards the end of the song.

Give this artwork a title and I'll give it away!

Click on Image to Enlarge
A few weeks ago, I painted this oil sketch as an experiment on handmade paper. My idea was about "trumpets" and there are 3 kinds of trumpets in this image. I will give this little 7 5/8" x 8 5/8" painting away to the person who gives me the perfect title for it. Rules: Use the comments section of this blog to enter this contest. Leave only ONE comment per person, but you may submit up to 3 possible titles in your comment area. Be creative, be poetic and be funny. I will announce the winner on Sunday October 4, 2009 on my blog at 6pm pacific time and ask that person to get in touch with me by email. Thanks in advance for participating in my little contest!
Important: You'll have until 12 noon (pacific time) Oct. 4 to leave your submission on my blog.
The Art of Amy Crehore

Time for the Blues

Here's Lonnie Johnson in 1963 still going strong- "Another Night to Cry"

The audience shot at the end is quite surreal looking.

link: kindofbluedaniel

Kiki Says...

Woman with Snake 2003 Kiki Smith
Ginzer 200 by Kiki Smith

"Just do your work. And if the world needs your work it will come and get you. And if it doesn't, do your work anyway.....I'm always taken care of by my work. You let go of your own idea and let the work go where it needs to go. And that's sometimes very uncomfortable. One learns to linger in discontent and not be judgmental, but to have faith."

from article Kiki Smith on Creative Struggle

KIKI SMITH

The Art of Amy Crehore

Schoolgirl Hats 1890

These are my great, great aunt Jesse Louise Forde's friends. It looks like she had many friends. I have her old autograph book, plus lots of little photos. It must have been a standard procedure in 1890 for the girls to have their portraits taken with hats and coats on. I like the girl in the top photo. She seems like more of a tomboy and I love her hat. CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE. (Photos from Crehore family archive.)

The Art of Amy Crehore