Martin Johnson Heade 1819-1904

"Magnolia on Red Velvet"
"Cattleya Orchid and Three Brazilian Hummingbirds"
"Thunderstorm on Narragansett Bay"
I have a special place in my heart for American artist Martin Johnson Heade: his dark seascapes with approaching storms, tropical landscapes with hummingbirds and orchids, magnolia blossums on red velvet, and beautiful sprawling marshlands. He was a painter with an amazingly accurate technique who rendered nature's changing weather patterns unlike anyone else. He discovered a way to capture the translucency of exotic orchids and the metallic feathers of Brazilian hummingbirds and set it all off against atmospheric, lush, surreal mountain backdrops. He had an impeccable design sense, too. The quality of his work is astounding.
He was born in rural Bucks County, PA (a place I know well) and learned to paint from his neighbor, folk artist Edward Hicks. In 1858, he moved to the new Tenth Street Studio Building in New York City -- home to leading Hudson River School artists such as Frederic Edwin Church. Read more about his fascinating life:
Martin Johnson Heade and here
The Art of Amy Crehore

It Doesn't Have to Be Explained

Painting by Balthus

Great painting doesn't have to be explained. It doesn't need a political tagline to make you understand the meaning of it. You won't squint at it and scratch your head, you'll just soak it in, because you can't take your eyes off it. It will make you feel something. And no one has to tell you what to feel. It's a personal experience. And you will come back and look again. It will resonate. Balthus doesn't need to explain his hard work. You don't have to ask why?... or what is it? He didn't just slap it together and try to fool somebody into thinking it was something more than it is. He spent months and years on his paintings. Slowly layering and building them up. Each one is provocative and powerful. Each stands on it's own. Each has an organized design of angles, color and form. It's not just about the idea or a superficial style. It's like a great book. Or a great film. He didn't talk about it. He just did it. And gave it to the world. No matter how long it took to paint it and get it right. This painting called "Therese Revant" (1938) is a masterpiece. And I'm sure he struggled with it until he was satisfied.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Dingulators

Photo by Maya Lama of Charlie Nothing


Photo by Joan Martin

What are they? Guitar sculptures made out of American Cars called Dingulators™ by artist Charlie Nothing. He is featured in the current issue of "Fretboard Journal" (#6).

Check out his wonderful website:
Charles Martin Simon

The Art of Amy Crehore

Marie, Chloe and ChouChou

"Kittens looking out the door"

How on earth did they get these little creatures to do this? Beautiful!

Link: Belladia.typepad.com
The Art of Amy Crehore

Faces of Women in Art

Women in Art by eggman913

at YouTube has been viewed over 4 million times.

It's a video of beautifully painted faces of women morphing into each other with a classical music soundtrack. 500 years of art history. Very nice.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Penny Arcade Cards

Ebay's got some penny arcade cards from the 1940's up for bidding. Who are these women? Is there such a thing as an ideal love mate? Young boys and girls who partied in the arcades could dream about their future. To get one of the pretty girl cards in the machine instead of a homely one was a boy's lucky day.

I used to love to roam the penny arcades at Asbury Park and Wildwood, N.J.

The Art of Amy Crehore

B & W Movie Stills

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" 1958 Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor
"A Place in the Sun" 1951 Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor
" The Blue Angel" 1930 Marlene Dietrich

"Sadie Thompson"1928, Gloria Swanson
"The Lady From Shanghai" 1948 Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth

There is a great site called "The Palace" put together by Michael Mills with articles and images, links and audio clips about the history of Hollywood films. I picked out a few beautiful stills from a few great films that I like. Who doesn't like Tennessee Williams stories or Orson Welles films? Who isn't inspired by great old films with wonderful narratives? Somehow black and white is way better than color - it's a lot more dramatic. Check out the eyes on Elizabeth Taylor and Gloria Swanson. I know how they feel.
The Art of Amy Crehore