Friday, April 30, 2010

Postcard Friendship Friday



Here's a postcard to send to friends who would love to see the film "Babies" which is premiering the weekend of Mother's Day. I've seen clips here and I promise you, they are the cutest and sweetest!


Monday, April 26, 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010

Postcard Friendship Friday



Kramer Wetzel of Astrofish.net kindly sent me the postcard below. He mailed it from Texas.

This animal is called a Jackalope so it says on the back of the card. I thought "Well I've never been to Texas maybe they grow em' odd in that state." Also it's a nocturnal animal so very few people actually get to see this mammal. So the rumors grow and grow with no way to prove that the animal is TOO ODD to exist.

Except for WIKIPEDIA! Thank goodness for the Internet's book of truth! Here's what it says:

The jackalope is an imaginary animal of North American folklore (a so-called "fearsome critter") described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns or deer antlers and sometimes a pheasant's tail (and often hind legs). The word jackalope is a portmanteau of "jackrabbit" and "antalope", an archaic spelling of antelope.

It is possible that the tales of jackalopes were inspired by sightings of rabbits infected with the Shope papilloma virus, which causes the growth of horn- and antler-like tumors in various places on the rabbit's head and body. However, the concept of an animal hybrid occurs in many cultures, for example as the griffin and the chimera. Indeed, the term 'chimera' has become the categorical term for such composites within the English language.

The truth of the jackalope has bred the rise of many outlandish (and largely tongue-in-cheek) claims as to the creature's habits. For example, it is said to be a hybrid of the pygmy-deer and a species of "killer rabbit". Reportedly, jackalopes are extremely shy unless approached. Legend also has it that female jackalopes can be milked as they sleep belly up and that the milk can be used for a variety of medicinal purposes. It has also been said that the jackalope can convincingly imitate any sound, including the human voice. It uses this ability to elude pursuers, chiefly by using phrases such as "There he goes! That way!" It is said that a jackalope may be caught by putting a flask of whiskey out at night. The jackalope will drink its fill of whiskey and its intoxication will make it easier to hunt. In some parts of the United States it is said that jackalope meat has a taste similar to lobster. However, legend has it that they are dangerous if approached. It has also been said that jackalopes will only breed during electrical storms including hail, explaining its rarity.



It is my pleasure to post Kramer's card today for Postcard Friendly Friday.

Monday, April 19, 2010

My World Tuesday




Ornamental pear

Very popular in Whitestone, Queens, NY

Sunday, April 18, 2010

SOOC Sunday



Jan of Murrieta 365 is the host of SOOC Sunday

Photobucket

The simple little pansy.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weekend Reflections #30



James of Newtown Area Photo is the host of Weekend Reflections

Photobucket
A Torah
Kupferberg Holocaust Center
Queensborough Community College, Bayside, Queens, NY

Friday, April 16, 2010

Postcard Friendship Friday




Photobucket
1.4 x 1.75 each

Two of the Ten Abstract Expressionist stamps: Adolph Gottlieb* and Barnett Newman*

U.S. Postal Service Honors Abstract Expressionists

Ten Revolutionary Works of Art Make Debut as Postage Stamps

BUFFALO, NY — The U.S. Postal Service today (Mar 12, 2010) honored the artistic innovations and achievements of a group of artists who moved the United States to the forefront of the international art scene with the release of the Abstract Expressionists commemorative postage stamps. The vibrant stamps feature works by Hans Hoffmann, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Adolph Gottlieb, Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Joan Mitchell.

“These bold artists used art to express complicated ideas and primitive emotions in simplified, abstract form,” said Linda Kingsley, USPS senior vice president, Strategy and Transition. “Although these stamps can’t compare in size to their real-life canvases, they bring the passion and spirit of abstract expressionism to an envelope near you. The Postal Service is proud to pay tribute to the legacy and unique perspectives of these revolutionary artists.”

Abstract expressionists believed that art no longer depicted experience but became the experience itself. They emphasized spontaneous, free expression and allowed personal intuition and the unconscious to guide their choice of imagery. Other shared traits include the use of large canvases and an emphasis on paint texture and distinctive brushstrokes.

"The abstract expressionists began one of the most important art movements in the last century, placing New York and American art at the very center of the art world for the first time,” noted Louis Grachos, director of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY, home of four of the works featured on the stamps. “The Albright-Knox Art Gallery was one of the first museums to begin collecting abstract expressionist paintings, and we are very proud that work from our collection was chosen by the Postal Service as some of the finest examples of the period.”

*Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) created a uniquely American blend of inspiration from late medieval and early Italian Renaissance masters, European cubism, and the freely expressive line of surrealism in his innovative “Pictographs” of the 1940s. Romanesque Façade (1949) brings together his aspiration to be intuitively understandable to everyone and to convey a universal emotional reality.

*Barnett Newman (1905-1970) created deceptively simple works often characterized by large, even expanses of a single color punctuated by one or more vertical lines, which he called “zips.” One of several works based on ancient Greek mythology, Achilles (1952) does not feature a zip but rather a swath of red paint that moves down the canvas to end in a ragged edge.


In the next couple of weeks I'll post the next 8 two at a time.

Monday, April 12, 2010

My World Tuesday



Photobucket
Almost blooming
Glendale, N.Y.


Thanks to
My World Team:

Klaus
Sandy Wren Fishing Guy Louise Sylvia

Sunday, April 11, 2010

SOOC Sunday

Jan of Murrieta 365 is the host of SOOC Sunday. 

Visit Jan and see what she has for you today.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Weekend Reflections #29




James of Newtown Area Photo is the host of Weekend Reflections

Roslyn, Long Island

Round Robin Photo Challenge


For Round Robin Photo Challenge this week we're asked to post "an almost photo."

My "almost photo" of my husband, Vinny.

Linking List (As of 5:11 AM PDT, Saturday, 04/10/10)

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Mary - Posted!
Mary Tomaselli's Photos
http://marytomaselli.blogspot.com

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Freda - Posted!
Day One
http://fredamans.blogspot.com

Sandy
From the Heart of Texas
http://sandyfromtheheartoftexas.com

Monica - Posted!
Shutterly Happy
http://monica-frameofmind.blogspot.com

Sherrie
Sherrie's Stuff
http://sherrie-plummer.blogspot.com

Gattina - Posted!
Keyhole Pictures
http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com

Ruth - Posted!
ScrabbleQueen
http://scrabblequeen.wordpress.com/



Friday, April 9, 2010

Postcard Friendship Friday



Beth of the Best Hearts Are Crunchy hosts Postcard Friendship Friday


Title:
Woman with Vase of Red Carnations
Divided Back unused

Description:
M. Munk Series 917 Art by M. Munk Wien

Details
Artist: M. Munk
Type: Divided Back

Monday, April 5, 2010

My World Tuesday


A chubby cherub playing a little guitar. One of 4 statues perched in front of a house in Whitestone, NY

Some people get carried away decorating their houses...

Thanks to
My World Team:

Klaus
Sandy Wren Fishing Guy Louise Sylvia

Saturday, April 3, 2010

SOOC Sunday

Hey Jan, Happy Easter to you and everyone who participates in SOOC Sunday.



Friday, April 2, 2010

Weekend Reflections #28


James hosts Weekend Reflections from his blog, Newtown Area Photo.

Photobucket
I thought this photo might be a little creative (as James tells us to be). I shot directly into the mirror over my fireplace and caught everything reflected there: my French doors, the porch, a painting of St. Patrick's Cathedral.



Labels