Tag Archives: Art

Fuel for My Jetpack, Mead for My Dragon

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Modern Mechanix & Inventions

I love looking back at our old future.

Maybe it’s just nostalgia talking, but I liked seeing the Things to Come back before they came. I mean, we’re basically living in the future as we speak.  We’ve got it all – space ships, space stations, robots on Mars, handheld communicators that can put us in contact with anyone in the world, instant food, everything.  We even have flying cars, especially if you drive them off of someplace really high.

The problem with our current future is that it’s so unimpressive looking.  Ever notice how the iPhone looks like a bar of soap that’s got two more showers left in it?  Sure, its practical, fits in your pocket, and doesn’t require nuclear energy to play music or make a call – but man does it look dull!

I long for the days of our fun future, the inaccurate and impractical version with big, silvery pipes and unnecessary buttons and single levers that control everything.

And so it was with great pleasure that I came across a little gem from history called Modern Mechanix & Inventions.

Modern Mechanix & Inventions began life in 1928, seeking to make its name amidst the science and technology publications biz at the time.  Chock full of DIY projects and the car reviews of Tom McCahill, the magazine held its own until 2001, changing its title a couple of times during its run.

There are a number of places on the ’net to find archives with pictures of the covers, most being mixed in with other classic publications.  I wouldn’t be writing about it now if a friend hadn’t made mention about it on facebook (props to MarcosBnPinto!).  The visions presented in some of the mag’s more fantastic covers are the stuff that fueled the rockets of the imagination in the days before we exorcised the Man in the Moon.

I genuinely enjoy seeing stuff like this. It’s great food for fantasy, storytelling, or getting ideas for running a role playing game.  I’m always on the lookout for more retro-future artwork, so if you can suggest any, I’d be glad to take a look at it.  Drop us a line!

For a look at a number of these beautiful covers, visit Marcos’s tumblr here.

A Year in Books/Day 114: Camille Pissarro Letters to His Son Lucien

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  • Title: Camille Pissarro Letters to His Son Lucien
  • Edited by: John Rewald
  • Year Published: 1943/This Edition: 2002 (MFA Publications)
  • Year Purchased: 2006
  • Source: Half Price Books
  • About: Camille Pissarro, the “father of Impressionism”, was the heart and soul of that loose collective of friends and acquaintances. Every week for twenty years, he wrote his son Lucien a letter. Read together, they are better than any art history class on Impressionism could ever be. His intelligence, dedication, humour and wisdom burst from every page. He was a quiet rebel who deliberately chose to live outside the bounds of acceptable society, knew everyone within the art community that there was to know, was never complacent in his search for artistic growth- all while remaining a rock for his (slightly) younger artist friends. The landscape of art history (ha!) would be entirely different without his very serious contributions.
  • Motivation: Starting when I was a girl-very young, just a few years-I would spend hours flipping through my Mom’s books. My favourite was a handsome folio of Impressionist paintings. It was then that I formed a connection to the work of Camille Pissarro that has never waned. He remains the only Impressionist painter whose work I truly love. Bonus: We share a birthday.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 132: “I had a long conversation with Renoir. He admitted to me that everybody, Durand and his former collectors attacked him, deploring his attempts to go beyond his romantic period. He seems to be very sensitive to what we think of his show; I told him that for us the search for unity was the end towards which every intelligent artist must bend his efforts, and even with great faults it was more intelligent and more artistic to do this than to remain enclosed in romanticism. Well, now he doesn’t get any more portraits to do.”
  • Happiness Scale: 10
    Landscape at Pontoise, 1874

    Landscape at Pontoise, 1874 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     

Some Book Recommendations for When You are Stuck in a Car for Way Too Long

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The lovely Elisa of Fun & Fabulousness-she of the impeccable eye-asked if I could recommend some books appropriate to read on a looong car ride. Specifically, five. Five books, so she can choose one for her trip.

Painting by Carl von Steuben

(Painting by Carl von Steuben)

I’m honored; naturally, I said yes! I promptly got to work. It was all downhill from there. What happened? Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: Edgar Allan Poe Edition

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The Raven, a thriller starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, arrives in theatres later this month. In anticipation, I’ve collected the best and weirdest Poe-themed goodies from Etsy. Enjoy!

Edgar Allan Poe-Handpainted Wooden Kokeshi Doll by Licoricewits

Edgar Allan Poe-Handpainted Wooden Kokeshi Doll by Licoricewits. $17.00.

I have no idea what I would do with him but he is adorable!

Edgar Allan Poe Painting-1-inch Scale Dollhouse Miniature by Particularly Unusual

Edgar Allan Poe Painting-1-inch Scale Dollhouse Miniature by Particularly Unusual. $7.00.

I do not own a dollhouse but I want this anyway. Is that creepy?

Scrabble Tile Pendant-The Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Missing Pieces Studio

Scrabble Tile Pendant-The Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Missing Pieces Studio. $6.95.

What a quirky, bookish piece of jewelry!

Edgar Allan Poe Pillow by Old Village Hall

Edgar Allan Poe Pillow by Old Village Hall. $60.00.

Your guests will think twice before settling on your couch.

Zombie Edgar Allan Poe Poster Print by Erika Jane

Zombie Edgar Allan Poe Poster Print by Erika Jane. $10.00.

What an inspired combination!

Tales of Mystery and Imagination Book Purse by Novel Creations

Tales of Mystery and Imagination Book Purse by Novel Creations. $47.00.

A new way to carry your favourite book with you.

Edgar Allan Poe-Pop Art Spray Paint Canvas by Mr Slappy

Edgar Allan Poe-Pop Art Spray Paint Canvas by Mr Slappy. $30.00.

You can call me morbid, but I really want this for my studio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversions-15 April 2012

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  • The Fictional Characters Birthday Calendar on Flavorwire  is the best thing I have seen all year! Unfortunately, I share a birthday with a character from Type-Moon. Oh, well, it is still a fun bit of fluff.
    • When I saw the amazing band Alabama Shakes in concert back in December, I knew they were standing on the edge of big-time success. Their free show at a local dive bar brought out a few hundred of us die-hards. My friend and I were lucky enough to spend about 40 minutes chatting with the entire band; we even shared pet pics with Brittany (she has a bunny!). Now their first album has dropped and the Alabama Shakes are everywhere. Including on Letterman. Check out this brief profile of the band on Bust Magazine‘s blog, which includes footage of their recent Late Show performance.
    • I’ve been doing yoga and pilates for years. When I recently saw my first pair of Blake Brody In-Studio Footwear  ballerina flats, I squealed. Meant to be worn while working out, they combine comfort and eco-consciousness with serious style. They’re slightly pricey (for me, anyway) but I’m eager to invest in a pair, as I know I will get more than my money’s worth. By the time I decide between the Amanda and the Daryl, I should have enough dosh to make the purchase!
      The Daryl in Leopard by Blake Brody

      The Daryl in Leopard by Blake Brody. Image courtesy of blakebrody.com.

      • The closer I get to going home, the more homesick I become! I’m really looking forward to my (brief) visit in early May. Until then, I’m stalking Etsy for reminders of Columbus. I love this photo by illumiquest.

        Columbus Ohio Downtown Photograph by illumisquest

        Columbus Ohio Downtown Photograph by illumisquest. Photo courtesy of illumiquest on Etsy.

[Resources] Starlight Echoes

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 Starlight Echoes-A music, writing & art group* is an open, highly interactive community on Facebook. Whether you are a new or untried artist looking for a safe, supportive and encouraging community or a professional interested in expanding your network or widening your platform, you will find a warm reception. Artists, writers and musicians from around the world post their work. Taken as a whole the offerings are impressive; viewed individually, they are stunningly varied. It’s heartening to see strangers, united only by a common passion for creativity, be so open and eager to welcome the art of others. It is never easy to put yourself out there; it requires an emotional nudity and brazen nerve that never entirely resolves itself. If you are in need of a critique of your work, then you will have to look elsewhere. There are plenty of forums for that. Starlight Echoes is a place where positivity reigns; it is inclusive and inspiring. Who can’t use a little of that in their lives?

*FYI-This is NOT my Facebook group. It was started and is administered by a lovely, spirited woman named Angela Muchmore.

A Year in Books/Day 95: John Sloan Painter and Rebel

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  • Title: John Sloan Painter and Rebel
  • Author: John Loughery
  • Year Published: 1995 (Henry Holt and Company, Inc.)
  • Year Purchased: 2001-2003
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: Even though I’ve worked in galleries on and off for years, I had never heard of John Sloan before I bought this book; he’s now one of my favourite twentieth century painters AND iconoclasts. Although he is considered a founder and leading light of the “Ash Can” school of painting, it is a term and categorization that he disliked. Loughery’s biography is almost a twin study-that of its avowed subject and the New York City that he called home for decades. This now-vanished world was peopled by an inspiring cast of real-life eccentrics (Robert Henri, John Butler Yeats, Sloan’s wife Dolly). The result? It almost reads like a novel.
  • Motivation: I’m such a sucker for a good biography, even (especially?) someone I have never heard of or know little about.
  • Times Read: 2
  • Random Excerpt/Page 273: “He wanted no budding academic painters in his class, but neither was he sparing of those students who didn’t worry about technique because of some natural facility. Facility struck him as dangerous. Anything that mattered should come hard, should require thought and labor. To one student whose drawings seemed effortless, Sloan suggested that he use his left hand or, failing that, his feet. Resist anything that comes too easily, he warned. Resist an empty show.”
  • Happiness Scale: 9
    Yeats at Petitpas (1910) by John French Sloan ...

    Yeats at Petitpas (1910) by John French Sloan oil on canvas, Corcoran Gallery of Art (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     

Diversions-7 April 2012

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Here are some recent discoveries from around the ‘net. They are not all literary based but they are still compelling.

  • Few things in life beat the sensory joy-fest of clutching a book in your palms. But my love for the written word is too large to be contained by inky pages alone; I’m greedy, I want to read all of the words in the world! This voraciousness has forced me to accept technology in all of its modern mediums, from a Nook to downloadable PDF books. I still buy way too many physical volumes, as curling up with a glowing and buzzing machine is a huge atmospheric mood killer. However, since so many classics are free, it’s painless to give them a test-run before buying a real-life copy. I don’t do that as much as I should because I am a really compulsive book shopper; wandering through aisles between stacked books makes me absurdly happy. But there are times when I appreciate the chance to read something for free without hoofing it to the library. Finding a free downloadable PDF of Alan Watts’ ‘On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are’ is definitely one of those times. I’ve never gotten around to reading this volume-until now. You can find it here.
  • Sal at Already Pretty has a thoughtful, well-mannered piece about defying cultural expectations about dressing as we ladies get older. I’m an extremist and fierce individualist with authority issues, so I am not about to turn into a pearl-wringing, neutral-wearing forty-something when the time comes. Although she doesn’t take the discussion as far as I think it needs to go, it’s nice to see it discussed at all.
  • The lovely Gala Darling gives detailed pointers about how to have an at-home retreat. Yes, please.
  • Vintage hand-painted suitcase by bluebernice

    Vintage hand-painted suitcase by bluebernice

    Would it be a bit odd for me to pack a suitcase for that at-home retreat? If I had this one, I definitely would!

  • Marc Wavra is a fantastic Cincinnati-based photographer-artist. I’ve been crushing on his colourful images for a few months now.

    Mt. Adams Steps by Marc Wavra

    Mt. Adams Steps by Marc Wavra

  • I came across this scrumptious Grilled Portobello and Peach Burgers recipe by Green Kitchen Stories on Design Sponge just in time for grilling season. I want it in my belly now! The photographs are guaranteed to make your jaw drop and mouth water.

Shopping for the Bookworm: Lit Goodies

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There’s something about the changing of the seasons that makes me want to bring new, positive, quirky and beautiful things into my life, be it  a book, bottle of wine, tube of lipstick or art print.  Anything that speaks to me or makes me smile is always welcome. I’m really loving these writer and word-based goodies for Spring! Here are some links if you want to make a purchase.

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