Springtime on Malvey

The tulips I bought on sale for $1.50 per 6 pack in December last year came up beautifully.

The Lens of Impressionism

Today I had a "Lone Katie Adventure" and really enjoyed it. I took the train to the DMA and saw "The Lens of Impressionism." For some reason it felt so more adventurous taking the train than if I just drove there. And it was so easy I was able to spend that hour reading, people watching and seeing the handful of lovely views there are between Fort Worth and Dallas.

As for the exhibit, I really enjoyed the photographs and the demonstrations of the different photo processes in the 19th century. It seemed like the exhibit spent most of it's space proving how similar the composition of the photos and the paintings of the time were. I found this to be a bit unremarkable given that the exhibit pointed out that many early photographers were failed painters who looked up to the painters at the time. Their sensibilities were the same, it makes sense that, in a resort beach town, both painters and photographers would choose to capture tourists and the remarkable landscapes of the area.

What I had hoped to see more of was evidence that the effects of the limitations of early photography directly influenced the impressionist painters. The exhibit did touch on this some, and I found it amazing. Due to slow shutter speeds, everything that was moving in the early photographs were blurry, giving the photographs the illusion of impressionist paintings. Monet was so influenced by a photograph with waving flags, and how they almost disappeared from the photo, that he simulated the effect in one of his paintings, actually leaving visible, primed canvas between unblended brush strokes.

I haven't yet researched if the impressionist movement was already underway when photography began to be experimented with, but as someone who LOVES both photography and impressionism, I would love to find that there is a definite link between the evolution of the two.

P.S. - We weren't allowed to take photos of the exhibit, and my dull mind doesn't remember the name of the photographers, so I don't have any examples. I snuck this photo.

Work is fun...

Collaborated with the Foundation and coworkers to make these "Best of ..." awards for the Taste of Parker County.

Wine bottles filled with oats, rice, and colorful beans and re-corked. Wine bottles donated by area winery and found new corks at Michael's. Coworker designed labels and affixed with spray adhesive.

Landscaping

We are going to get our front yard landscaped! I am so excited to see what this translates to in 3-D and full color.

The Forest Lover

The DMA has a show I just heard about called "The Lens of Impressionism" that I am really excited about going to see. According to the web site it is, "is an exploration of impressionist painting’s response to early photography within the context of a single geographic locale that was intensely explored by painters and photographers in the second half of the 19th century—the coast of Normandy."

A couple of months a go I read a book called, "The Forest Lover" by Susan Vreeland. Many of her books take you on journeys that stem around paintings or styles of paintings that I love. In "The Forest Lover" she follows Emily Carr, a Canadian Painter at the turn of the 19th to 20th century, who specialized in impressionistic paintings of the totem poles of Northwest American Indians. In her quest to learn how to express her impressions of the totem poles Emily went to Normandy to learn to paint with impressionists there.

All that to say, the book is fictional, but having read it makes me feel like I am taking some interesting background knowledge with me to the exhibit. Emily and her accomplishments are/were real and there is even an Art University named after her in Canada.

Swimming in Australia

Found this photo on The Satorialist blog yesterday, and now I just HAVE to make it to Australia some day and swim in this pool.

sees things pretty

I am so weird. I love this photo I took of the clipping tray from a GBC binder.