maine kidney ascension

 Issac's tail feathers are still whacking us, the swirls are going overhead about every 20 minutes or so and it's dark as evening all the time. In between the swirls, it's still as can be, equally scary.  'Tropical Storm', feh!  I would love to get out to a movie today just to break up the day but hate to leave the doggies in their nervousness over what's happening out there!  If it lets up a bit later I'll make a break for a bit of time without the fur-gang sitting on top of me.  Trouble is there isn't much in the theaters I want to see.

In large measure, becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, 

which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, 

which makes your work distinctive.     David Bayles / Ted Orland

(Thanks Linda, for this quote, a winner!)

We'll start out with some art, K?  The pencil nunchucks were carefully crafted by Dalton M. Ghetti, an artist who has many works carved from pencils. Why make a writing utensil resembling something that can inflict damage? To inspire people to use their words as weapons

Yup, the lead of the pencil has been carved into the chain.  When you go to the website, you'll recognize some of his other work I've stuck up here.  Amazing stuff.

Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko devised the exhibit at the National Art Museum of Ukraine, which sees women lie asleep for three days, while potential suitors are able to kiss them. If the sleeping beauties open their eyes, both man and woman are contractually obliged to tie the knot.  Weird beyond weird, but then I always have issues with performance art.

Korean artist Lee Kyu-Hak creates beautiful mixed-media paintings (mosaics?) by wrapping small wooden wedges with colored newsprint that mimic the brushstrokes of famous artists. Lee’s artworks appear mostly to be reinterpretations of pieces by Vincent van Gogh, but I think I see a few original compositions as well. See much more over at Yesong gallery.

The *thing* that bothers me most about this is the work is so good, I wish he was doing his own thing rather than working from Van Gogh!

 London-based sculptor and illustrator Arran Gregory recently opened a solo show entitled ‘WOLF’ at Print House Gallery in London. The exhibition which runs through September 6th, includes both illustrations and a pair of gorgeous faux-taxidermy animals including a wolf and rhinoceros head sculpted from mirrors.

Thousands of CDs stitched together to form an undulating walk-through installation-  

And in a gallery of mirrored animals, what would work better than this illuminated radiator?

(Sorry, I have misplaced the attributions for both of these, will keep checking and update!)

SO, as a Sunday morning treat I have collected some headgear from the vast internets for you to see.  And we will start out with this chain mail thing that I suppose is for those days when you can't do a thing with your hair, or its greasy, or the wind blew it all over while riding in your 1949 Willys Jeep.(wishful thinking here- see yesterday's post!)  And yes, all the prices are correct.

Chainmail Headpiece -

$4,550.00, MAISON MICHEL  Opening Ceremony

Lace headgear    Price:  $728     Availability:  In Stock

(via Colette)

 $450     Availability:  Sold Out

(via Opening Ceremony)

And you just KNOW this has to be from Japan with it's little ears!

There is an interesting article about artist/mothers over on the Art Pulse Magazine site, called Tales of Motherhood, not that there is any conclusion drawn.  But since my readers are practically all women and many are mothers, I thought you might like to bite this one off.  Things have changed so much since I was in college and grad school-  back then you had to make a choice on which path to take and combining was only done for necessity. In fact I reluctantly picked the mother-route and switched to fiber at that time because it was something I could do around kids.  Little did I know.  We had as our role models people like Louise Nevelson and Alice Neel, neither of whom were good in the mother department and recognized it early on.  Go read this article and see what you think-  would love to have a discussion about it (of course I would, now that the kids are out and I don't have to choose any longer!)

And because I don't have any squirrels today, I found this little gem:

Cat-in-a-Hat, Mama Knows Best

And to give equal time to the puppy world, take THIS!

   OMG!

Dog-Walking time, the rains have swung around so I must race the critters out to pee before they swing back!