Ukulele at the North Pole

Richard Konter with his famous 1K Martin ukulele.

During the 1920's the Martin Company actually produced twice as many ukuleles as guitars. The Hawaiian uke craze was in full swing at the time. Here's an interesting tidbit - in 1926, a seaman named Dick Konter was a volunteer for Robert Byrd's first exposition to the North Pole. He smuggled his Martin uke onto the plane hoping to play it for some eskimos. However, there were no eskimos at the North Pole when he got there. But, the uke did become the first musical instrument to travel to the North Pole. Link

If all goes well, I should be unveiling my first hand-painted "fine art" uke (Tickler Brand) soon. It's a Martin copy that was lovingly hand-crafted by Lou Reimuller (Teenar's creator) from a Stew Mac kit. The second uke is already in production. It will be made from scratch by Reimuller and designed by me. I am painting them with original motifs from my "Monkey Love" and "Little Pierrot" series.
The Art of Amy Crehore

Magical Films of Joseph Cornell

Construction: “Tilly Losch,” circa 1935, by Joseph Cornell, artist, 10 x 9¤ x 2⁄ inches

Film: Jack's Dream, late 1930's
Film: Rose Hobart 1936
Film: Nymphlight 1957

Did you know that artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) who made beautiful constructions also made surrealistic, short films? Here are some stills from a few of his creations.

The Voyager Foundation is a place where you can order the collection of films on DVD/video: Joseph Cornell Films

Cornell lived in in a wooden frame house on Utopia Parkway in a working-class area of Queens, NY for most of his life with his mother and his brother, Robert, who was disabled by cerebral palsy. One of the best biographies of an artist that I have ever read is about Joseph Cornell. It is called "Utopia Parkway" by Deborah Solomon. You will be very moved by this book. Unforgettable and poignant.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Giotto is My Man

Giotto's Bell Tower in Florence, Italy (Piazza del Duomo)


I have derived a lot of inspiration from Giotto (1267-1337) over the years. My trip to Florence in the late 80's was a high point of my life as an artist. The gothic-style of the Piazza del Duomo with Giotto's beautifully constructed Bell Tower is my ideal as far as architectural design goes. And Giotto as a painter is unequaled in my estimation. His narrative frescos in Assisi (above) show his architectural leanings, his unlimited creative imagination, a gift for depicting emotion in his figures, a strong sense of color and design. He created some very surreal masterworks. A true innovator. I will never tire of looking at Giotto's art.

'"He converted the art of painting from Greek to Latin and brought in the modern era" - this is Cennino Cennini's synthesis fifty years after Giotto's death, underscoring the revolutionary character of Giotto's painting'- see more images and read more here:

Giotto

The Art of Amy Crehore

Naked Witchcraft and Severed Heads

Here are three more wacky images from the amazing Cornell University Library that I blogged about earlier. These are from: Roland Brévannes' "L’Orgie Satanique à Travers les Siècles", Paris 1904, Publisher- Offenstadt.

Boingboing and Wired blogs picked up on my "Demons" post which has brought many people over to Little Hokum Rag. Apparently, people are fascinated by these old engravings and woodcuts of demons, witches, angels, freaks, monsters, the grotesque, the marvelous, etc.

I know that I am.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Pan Yuliang's Controversial Nudes

Pan Yuliang's life (1895-1977) was an interesting story that was made into a movie in 1994 starring Gong Li. The movie is called "A Soul Haunted by Painting"(or "Hua Hun"). I will have to rent it soon! Apparently her parents died when she was young and she was sold to a brothel at 14. But, at age 21, a customs official rescued her and sent her to art school in Shanghai. From there, she went to France to study and also studied in Rome. She returned to China from 1929-1937, but after that lived in France for the rest of her life. She won countless awards, lived a full life and loved to paint nude women. Her paintings were considered "depraved" in China by conservatives from 1930-40.

Read about Pan Yuliang's life and see more paintings.

Thanks to Internet Weekly for turning me on to this remarkable woman painter.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Free Shipping-Amy Crehore's Limited Signed Prints

"Backstage"copyright Amy Crehore, Little Pierrot Series Prints
"The Nibbler" copyright Amy Crehore, Monkey Love Series Prints

I am offering free shipping on all of my limited edition, signed, museum quality giclee prints. I will reimburse the shipping fee through paypal after ordering.
The Art of Amy Crehore

How Thomas Nast influenced Vincent Van Gogh

Thomas Nast Cartoon 1876

"Sorrow" by Vincent Van Gogh 1882

"Thomas Nast (1840-1902) perhaps the most important American political cartoonist of all time, is best known for his invention and development of popular symbols like the Republican Elephant, Democratic Donkey, a fat, jolly Santa Claus and a lean, goatee-wearing Uncle Sam. Nast’s most important forum was Harper’s Weekly, the leading illustrated American periodical of the last half of the nineteenth century. HarpWeek has identified the 2200-plus cartoons that Nast drew for Harper’s Weekly—the first in 1859, the last in 1896, and the rest mainly between 1862 and 1886." quote from John Adler, publisher HarpWeek.

Apparently, Van Gogh collected newspaper illustrations and hoped to become an illustrator himself. 21 cartoons by Thomas Nast were in Van Gogh's collection. Albert I. Boime, Professor of Art History at UCLA, wrote an interesting essay on the possible connection between Nast's illustrations and Van Gogh's art.

Read Boime's essay here:

Thomas Nast

presented by HarpWeek

The Art of Amy Crehore