Katherine Mansfield by Anne Estelle Rice, 1918

Katherine Mansfield by Anne Estelle Rice, 1918
Katherine Mansfield by Anne Estelle Rice, 1918

Katherine Mansfield by Anne Estelle Rice, 1918
I’m stuck in bed today, tired from coughing. Croaky-voiced. Re-reading Ansel Adams’ autobiography and dreaming of great snow-capped mountains. I catch a glimpse, through the dirty window, of a white-blanketed roof and try to make do. Persuade me that there is no difference on the scale of majesty, and I’ll be impressed.

The Sick Girl by Michael Ancher, 1882
Words to the wise: On gloomy days, imagination is the best tool of all.
“Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I: But when the trees bow down their head, The wind is passing by.”-Christina Rossetti (born on 12/5/1830)

Claude Monet (died on 12/5/1926): Three Trees in Grey Weather, 1891
Dans la Bibliothèque by Auguste Toulmouche, 1872

Dans la Bibliothèque by Auguste Toulmouche, 1872

Émile Zola by Édouard Manet, 1868

Émile Zola, 1902
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”-Émile Zola
Georgia O’Keeffe was born on 15 November 1887.

Georgia O’Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz, 1918
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.” *

Georgia O’Keeffe, taken July 19, 1915
“To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” Continue reading
Dreams by Vittorio Matteo Corcos, 1896

Dreams by Vittorio Matteo Corcos, 1896
“Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don’t mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.”-T.S. Eliot (born on 9/26/1888)

Edgar Degas (died on 9/27/1917): The Millinery Shop, 1879/86. Art Institute of Chicago.
My step-dad’s funeral was two days ago. We have to empty out the contents of his apartment by the end of the month, so there is not a lot of time to spare for work or play. Much like life, we have to grab it whilst we can. Yesterday, my mom and I took a much-needed mental health break at the Columbus Museum of Art. The short walk there and back provided us with a liberal dose of sunshine, which was a partial cure in and of itself to the stress of the last two weeks.

A sculpture and its shadow in front of the museum.
I was super excited to see the George Bellows exhibit, and it did not disappoint. Four large rooms are given over to the show, which runs until January 4, 2014. To read more about it, go here. Although his work encompassed so much more than the famous boxing images, standing in front of a few of those legendary canvases was extraordinary. I was also delighted to see a few copies of The Masses, for which Bellows supplied artwork, on display underneath a glass case. What an unexpected highlight!
Then, there was this:

Bathsheba, by Artemisia Gentileschi. Circa 1636.
Absolutely awe-inspiring in person!
An afternoon at the museum was a great reminder that art is good for the soul, and a further indication that life is slowly returning to normal.
“Try everything that can be done…Learn your own possibilities.”-George Bellows