Summer Fun: Art-a-thon

Pulling some doodle docs off Pinterest, including so-called Zen doodles and Zentangles, we had an art afternoon.  An art-athon, Sis called it.  Here are some if our pieces.

By Sis

By Bud

By me

By me

By me

By Sis

By Bud

By Sis

Arty Afternoon

I've loved having sunflowers this summer, watching them sprout from seeds into some plants that tower over me.  I've never paid much attention to sunflowers, never grown any, but I am entranced.  And I've noticed the different kinds; we have two, a tall massive plant and thinner delicate plants, and the gas station down the road has a third, tall massive but orangier plant.  I have studied where the seeds are and watched the buds in various phases of growth and decay.  Sure, I've seen Van Gogh's Sunflowers, but I've never really paid that much real attention.  I'll credit "Doctor Who" for encouraging me to think twice about that painting and its commentary on the cycle of life.

So today, we went out into the garden and did some watercolors of our own sunflowers.The first one is Bud's; then it is Sis's, her own design . . .but it still has a sunflower!  The last three are mine (and, as these are actually watercolor notecards, I sent the first one to Miss M, who is quarantined in the hospital for stem cell treatment.)

Art History in Action

Check out Dr. Carrie Rebora Barratt, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, explaining to Stephen Colbert why you can't lick paintings and that those red fobs aren't George Washington's testicles!  It's art history in action, folks.  And I studied with and later worked for her for a bit  . . . . So glad the Leutze painting is back on view.  I've wanted to take the kids to see it for ages.