Trust that you are on the right path and know that it is right,
simply because you are on it.
Do What You Love!
Showing posts with label Van Gogh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Van Gogh. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Encouraging Words Monday
Trust that you are on the right path and know that it is right,
Do What You Love!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
8 Things Thursday
8 People I'd Invite to Dinner
1 Albert Einstein. I'd ask him to bring his violin
2 Marilyn Monroe. I'd give her a hug. I think she needed one
3 Napoleon. I'd ask him for business tips. He was big on getting French craftspeople economically stable
4 Winston Churchill. I'd even let him light up a cigar
5 Gustave Eiffel. I'd ask him about the construction of the interior of the Statue of Liberty. Yeah, yeah and about The Tower
6 Katherine Hepburn. A sturdy New Englander with lots of great stories
7 Vincent Van Gogh. Another one who needs a hug
8 Forest Gump. Yes, I know he's fictional, but this is my dinner party!
Do What You Love!
Do What You Love!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
8 Things Thursday
My eight favorite artists
1 Jack Vettriano
This print hangs in my bedroom
2 Van Gogh
3 Jody Bergsma
4 Maxfield Parrish
5 Georgia O’Keefe
6 Michael Parkes
7 Kliban
8 Edward Hopper
Do What You Love!
PS--For those of you wondering what the heck that was in yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday, it was my first piece of watercolor art, done in class last night!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Saturday Book Review-Eiffel’s Tower
For anyone who loves the Eiffel Tower, art history or Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count will be a delight. The Eiffel Tower was built as the crowning achievement of the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. It’s such an iconic landmark that we take for granted but this book tells the story of the building, politics and public opinion we rarely contemplate.
Besides the building of the Tower, Jill Jonnes, the history loving author, recounts the adventures of Buffalo Bill on the continent, the first time Europeans encounter the American Wild West. Of course, Annie Oakley is along for that wild ride. Thomas Edison is feted and adored, while trying to market his new phonograph. Gauguin and Van Gogh quarrel, as James McNeil Whistler aggravates everyone. Newspaper millionaires and Shah’s visit the Exposition and Paris is aghast at Asian dancers and half naked American Indians.
I loved reading this book for a lot of reasons. Putting all these historical figures in perspective and seeing how their stories tie together was fascinating. The descriptions of the actual building of the Tower had me seeing in my minds eye furnaces glowing in the fog shrouded early mornings and hearing the ringing of giant hammers against oversized bolts. And once the Fair is under way, Jonnes conveys the excitement and chaos of hundreds of thousands of people converging on a small section of Paris with entertainment and refreshments on their minds.
If you want more information on Jill Jonnes and her historical books (I also enjoyed her Conquering Gotham, Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels), here’s her website. You’ll find author’s notes for each book, detailing her research. Her enthusiasm for history and the satisfaction of finding long lost facts is endearing and definitely adds to the fun of reading her books.
When you go to her website, be sure to roll your cursor over the Eiffel Tower book cover. It’s really cool~I love the simple things…
Do What You Love!
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