Category Archives: Art

Reclining Nudes…

02 Thursday Jun 2011

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© Khrystynana Kazakova

…the artist is he who can take a piece of flint and wring out of it drops of attar of roses.  – Walter Sickert

In celebration of the beautiful feminine form, here are my favorite reclining nude paintings – most of them by the Impressionists:

1.  Reclining Nude by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
2.  Reclining Nude by Richard Edward Miller
3.  Reclining Nude by Richard Edward Miller
4.  Reclining Nude by Isaac Israels
5.  Autumn by Frederick Carl Frieseke
6.  Large Reclining Nude (The Pink Nude) by Henri Matisse
7.  Reclining Nude by Jean Frédéric Bazille
8.  Olympia by Edouard Manet
9.  After the Bath or Reclining Nude by Edgar Degas
10. Reclining Nude by Edward Hopper
11. Reclining Nude by Douglas Hofmann
12. The Reclining Shepherdess by Berthe Morisot
13. Reclining Nude by Giovanni Boldini
14. Reclining Nude with Mirror by Delphin Enjolras
15. Reclining Nude by István Szőnyi
16. Reclining Woman Magenta Green and Orange by Beverly Brown
17. Reclining Nude by Amedeo Modigliani
18. Nude with Hands behind Head by Amedeo Modigliani
19. Nude by Salvador Dali
20. Mornington Crescent Nude by Walter Sickert

Women Reading Books…

31 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in Art, Fashion, Photography, Reflections

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© Ukushu Khrystyna

Pierre-Auguste Renoir loved to paint women and girls engaged in everyday activities, especially reading. Below are beautiful paintings of women and girls reading:

1.  Woman Reading by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
2.  Reading Woman by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
3.  Two Young Girls Reading by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
4.  Young Woman Reading By A Window by Delphin Enjolras
5.  A Favorite Book by Delphin Enjolras
6.  A Woman Reading by Claude Monet
7. The Novel Reader by Vincent van Gogh
8.  Reading Lesson by Auguste Toulmouche
9.  Girl Reading or in the Orangery by Charles Perugini
10.  Girl reading by Franz Eybi
11. American Girl Reading by George Cochran Lambdin
12. A Young Woman Reading by Jean-Honore Fragonard
13. Woman Reading in a Landscape by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot
14. Woman Reading by David Park
15. The Window Seat by Sir William Orpen
16. Grace Reading at Howth Bay by Sir William Orpen
17. The Treasured Volume by Harry Brooker
18. Compagnie by Escha Van den bogerd
19. Reading (The Artist’s Sister) by Berthe Morisot
20. Simplon Pass: Reading by Singer Sargent
21. The Little Convalescent by Eastman Johnson
22. Fire Opal by Laura Coombs Hills
23. Reading on the Rocks by John George Brown

Model: Ukushu Khrystyna

Lady in Red…

29 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in America's Next Top Model, Art, Fashion, Photography, Reflections

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© Khrystyana Kazakova

I want to reach that condensation of sensations that constitutes a picture.
Henri Matisse

I was surprised how few of my favorite artists painted portraits of women wearing red dresses. Here are some beautiful ones I found:

1.  Lady in Red by Murat Kaboulov
2.  La Femme en Rouge by Giovanni Boldini
3.  The Lady in Red by Giovanni Boldini
4.  Madame Juillard in Red by Giovanni Boldini
5.  Mrs. Charles E. Inches (nee Louise Pomeroy) by John Singer Sargent
6.  Portrait of a Lady in Red by Sandro Botticelli
7.  Woman in Red by Jacqui Faye
8.  Portrait of a Woman in Red Dress by Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowicz
9.  Portrait of a Lady in Red by Jacopo Pontormo
10. Study of a Woman in Red by Jean-Jacques Henner
11. The Small Cowper Madonna by Raphael Sanzio
12. Helnwein Child by Raphael Sanzio
13. Portrait of a Woman in a Red Dress – Pierre Auguste Renoir

Model: Khrystyana Kazakova

Ten Beautiful Children’s Story Books…

25 Wednesday May 2011

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© Joan Currie

To read more
get better in math
make more friends
 more good manners
clean up my room more
get better at sports…
This printed list of resolutions fell out of my daughter’s ballet book (#5 below).

There was a teary moment when I discovered this grade one list today, however, my daughter did accomplish all the items on it – including becoming an architect, bibliophile (especially of Jane Austen books), cross-country runner, and having many, many wonderful friends.

Here are ten of our well-loved, beautiful children’s books:

1.  The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman
2.  Corgiville Fair by Tasha Tudor
3.  Amy’s Goose by Efner Tudor Holmes, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
4.  Masquerade by Kit Williams
5.  Of Swans, Sugarplums, and Satin Slippers by Violette Verday, illustrated by Marcia Brown
6.  Little Grey Rabbit’s Storybook by Alison Uttley, illustrated by Margaret Tempest
7.  Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
8.  Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
9.  The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base
10. Who Goes To The Park by Warabé Aska

Needlepoint Books…

22 Sunday May 2011

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© Joan Currie

Fassett has successfully challenged the idea that knitting and needlepointing are dull, restrained, and limited to certain subjects or patterns. – Catherine Reurs

I have a penchant for Elizabeth Bradley’s exquisite needlepoint designs and two of her books top my list of favorite pattern books:

1.  Needlework Antique Flowers by Elizabeth Bradley
2.  Decorative Victorian Needlework by Elizabeth Bradley
3.  Kaffe Fassett’s Glorious Needlepoint
4.  Flowers, Birds, and Unicorns: Medieval Needlepoint by Candace Bahouth
5.  In Splendid Detail – Needlepoint Art by Catherine Reurs
6.  Donna Kooler’s Glorious Needlepoint
7.  Glorafilia The Ultimate Needlepoint Collection by Carole Lazarus and Jennifer Berman
8.  Erica Wilson’s Needlepoint (The Metropolitan Museum of Art adaptations)
9.  Jill Gordon’s Needlepoint – Glorious Tapestry Designs
10. American Country Needlepoint by Jim Williams
11. Designer Needlepoint edited by Hugh Ehrman
12. Floral Needlepoint by Melinda Coss
13. Nantucket Inspirations by Claire Murray
14. Victorian Needlepoint by Beth Russell

Ten Beautiful Children’s Picture Books…

15 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in America's Next Top Model, Art, Photography, Reflections, Writing

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© Khrystyana Kazakova

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.  – Emile Buchwald

I love the illustrations in children’s books. Tasha Tudor fans may be interested to know that the Medici Society in London published some of the most beautiful paperback picture books that I have ever seen. They may still be found in used books stores, particularly in Britain and Canada. Many of the authors’ work is still for sale in the form of posters, postcards, and prints.

Here are the books my children liked the best from the series:

1.  An ABC For You And Me by Margaret Tempest.
2.  An Alphabet by Molly Brett
3.  Katy Laura and The Dream Boat by Elizabeth Foster
4.  Poems illustrated by Sandy Nightingale
5.  The Margaret Tempest Picture Book
6.  Tom and the Enchanted Flute by Jean Gilder
7.  The Adventures of Plush and Tatty by Molly Brett
8.  Let’s Meet Some Baby Birds by Ella Bruce
9.  The Racey Helps Picture Book with verses by Celia Barlow
10. Freddy the Teddy by Audrey Tarrant

Model – Khrystyana Kazakova

Pulgas Water Temple…

13 Friday May 2011

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© Joan Currie = Woodside, California at the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct's terminus.

I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people . – Temple inscription from Isaiah 43:20

Architect William Merchant designed this Beaux Arts temple in the 1930s with a classical circle of corinthian columns and an ornate masonry ring. It is located in Woodside, California at the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct’s terminus. A reflecting pool lies beyond the temple.

The setting is reminiscent of those depicted in high romance novels  – the  hero and heroine’s secret meeting place.

Ten Beautiful Things My Mother Taught Me…

08 Sunday May 2011

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statuepamse

I never look back – life is too short. – My Mother

1.  The basic ballroom dance steps at a very young age so that I would always feel at home on the dance floor.
2.  Lyrics to practically every big band and show tune.
3.  How to throw a large party and be a great hostess.
4.  A glass half-full attitude that included not dwelling on the past and appreciating the here and now.
5.  How to sketch, draw, and compose photographs.
6.  The correct way to apply lipstick, eyeliner, and false eyelashes.
7.  How to bake, especially pies, bundt cakes, and butter tarts.
8.  A love of the written word – how to type, write copy, read a literary novel, and recite poetry.
9.  How to finesse a trick in bridge and win at gin rummy.
10. How to pack for a trip, including – take your own brand of teabags wherever you go to ensure that you will always have a good cup of tea.

Thanks, Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!

Veneration…

23 Saturday Apr 2011

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© Joan Currie

Veneration of the Cross is a ceremony, usually on Good Friday, where congregants pay respect to the cross on which Christ was crucified.

The red of the tulips and berries in this floral arrangement was the same color as the fabric draped on the cross at the Veneration ceremony today.

Act of Creation…

30 Wednesday Mar 2011

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© Joan Currie

Creation is about pleasure – even though there is lots of darkness. You need to go inside yourself to bring out what is new for your soul and for your emotion.
Humberto Campana

Unleash your creative powers – you may be surprised at the talent that lies within you!

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