Fine Art Uke

This will be unveiled next week.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Eight Useless Facts

Here are the rules:1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. 2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

Eight facts about me:

1. I used to suck my thumb and it gave me crooked teeth

2. I ate at the same Korean Restaurant once a week for the past 7 years or something.

3. I have a scar on my lip from being hit in the face with a jack-in-the-box when I was six.

4. I post things on forums or this blog sometimes when I am tired and upset and not thinking. Then I regret it later and I have those things removed. And then I try to have the posts removed from search engines.

5. I played the song "Gloria" on the back of Ken Kesey's float in a parade. He was dressed in a bear suit. He almost hit his head on a tree branch.

6. I am painting a couple of paintings right now of "Lolitas"

7. I am sitting in a big mess and it's 100 degrees.

8. I hike up a small mountain once a day if possible.

Okay...this is a dare from mardecortesbaja.com and I'm supposed to post links to eight other blogs and dare them to do it, too. Louise Brooks- maybe she will come back from the dead and speak to us!

John Brownlee at http://www.ectomo.com/

Marshall Sponder at http://www.artnewyorkcity.com/

Johnny at http://www.drawn.ca/

Mark Fraunfelder at http://www.boingboing.net/

Chris Keeley at Daily Dreamtime

Erling Wold at http://www.erlingwold.com/

Steve Lodefink at http://www.finkbuilt.com/blog/

Louise Brooks at http://louisebrooks.livejournal.com/

The Art of Amy Crehore

Uke Angel

Ukulele Angel oil painting by Artist Chet Saur, Darien CT.

Image from Ukuleles.Us

I think there are a lot of Ukulele Angels out there. It's time to get in the mood. I should be unveiling my fine art uke by the end of the week. Stay tuned.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Piero Di Cosimo 1462-1521

The Death of Procris 1510

Venus and Mars 1498

There is something strange and unusual about these two paintings by Florentine painter Piero Di Cosimo. The dog in the top painting and the rabbit below both seem to have empathy for the human characters. I especially like the "Death of Procris". It's got a lot of feeling, glowing colors and nice composition.

Piero Di Cosimo

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The Art of Amy Crehore

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