Stairway to...

Stairway to the Sky

This image reminds me of the song "Stairway to Heaven" which has been written up as one of the most famous and popular songs in music history. There's all kinds of trivia on the internet about the song since it is so famous. My favorite trivia is when the lyrics for the song appeared in a book titled, "'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy: And Other Misheard Lyrics by Gavin Edwards and Chris Kalb." They claim we've always heard the lyrics as "...and there's a wino down the road. I should have stole more oreos." when in fact what Led Zepplin is really singing is, "and as we wind on down the road, our shadow longer than our souls." Much deeper, right? 
I wasn't thinking of this song at all when I created the image, though. I wasn't feeling very spiritual or melancholy, either. I was simply frustrated with my students for not getting a perspective assignment correct. I created this as an example of how a stairway in the sky would look in perspective. Linear and atmospheric perspective are both used here to form the illusion of something trailing off into deep space.
In linear perspective all horizontal angles converge at a vanishing point which rests on the horizon. (that's really a traditional textbook definition) The horizon line (where the earth meets the sky) can be below the viewer's eye, even with the viewer's eye or above the viewer's eye like this image portrays.
Atmospheric or aerial perspective occurs when we stare out at the horizon and the detail of all the objects becomes blurry as if the atmosphere is absorbing the earth. (Which it is. We are viewing the curvature of the earth so we see the bottom layer of clouds obliterating the landscape)
Both of these devices, when used correctly, can give the viewer a deep sense of space.
This is important for 2-D artists because as illustrators of a concept, we must create the illusion of the third dimension. Our greatest challenge is that flat, picture plane and white canvas.
This image is available on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261545482568?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The Perils of a Stone

The Perils of a Stone

This rock may not look like much. It's a little dull even though there's an oil coated on the surface which makes the dark areas shine. I purchased this on ebay for about $4 from a very nice seller and I couldn't wait to work on this piece. I just joined a lapidary shop that allows me to use their equipment to cut, grind and polish stones. It's a lot of work but so rewarding when you know you've controlled your own jewelry down to the very stone that was set.

I first had to place the whole rock in a huge vat with a giant circular saw that cuts the rock into slabs. (Sorry I can't show you their equipment without permission.) With the help of a shop assistant, I was able to get three nice slabs out of the rock pictured above. Here is one of the slabs:

From there we had to decide the best stone cuts that could be formed from each slab without wasting too much of the rock. I chose free form. Even though an irregular shape is harder to set in a bezel, it makes a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that cannot be copied. After deciding how to cut and shape the pieces, I have to take each piece through a series of sanding wheels that grind and sand it down to a bezel shape:

Whether the stone is a perfect geometric shape or free form like these, it must be domed so a bezel wire can wrap around the piece and set the stone in place.

One thin strip of wire is soldered to a flat piece of metal in a circular shape that fits the shape of the stone. The stone is placed snugly in the center and then the thin bezel wire is carefully pushed over the stone to keep it in place.

This is how a traditional cabochon setting is made. Cheap imitation jewelry today glues the stone in place to save time and money. Don't buy that crap! It's mass-produced by get-rich-quick schemers who care nothing for the fine art of metalsmithing and lapidary work.

This whole stone setting process is an ancient art form that is still practiced today. When you examine a  piece of jewelry with a cabochon setting, touch the stone in the center. If it moves a little, that is okay. If it doesn't move at all and there is no metal covering the stone, it was probably cheaply glued in place.

The cabochon setting was the standard way of setting stones from antiquity through the middle ages.

Faceted stones, (your basic diamond cuts) were not created until the 17th century. 

Here's the whole process this Tiger Eye stone went through to wind up on someone's finger:

 

Amazing process, isn't it?

Hieronymus Bosch

 

Hieronymus Bosch

Born during the late Gothic era, Hieronymus Bosch is best known for a triptych nicknamed "Garden of Earthly Delights." This huge 3-panel painting was a private commission so the original title and meaning have been lost. Bosch did not keep a journal and most of what we know about him is from very dry city records. We can conclude that he chose to create in his own style and didn't follow the trends of the time. 

What's most amazing is how influential he was to other artists. His work was mimicked so much that there is a lot of debate as to how many paintings he created and which ones are authentically his. Even to this day, there are art students looking at this image and picking out details for their own inspiration. 

The painting takes on a surreal landscape with human-like machines and strange beasts. Long before the term surrealism was ever created, Bosch began this unique dream-like subject matter that viewers have been interpreting for centuries.

This is probably the most genuine way an artist becomes immortal. His past and personality remain a mystery. The information in this painting and choice of items is so strange and intriguing, we haven't left it alone for since the day it was created.

The Eiffel Tower

 

(airbrush painting by dianne curtis)

The Eiffel Tower

I made this poster about 10 years ago when I was doing research for a graduate art history class. This was a great choice of icons for a paper because there is so much history and analysis behind this structure. First of all, this airbrush painting was created to mimic the original poster for the world's fair that was held in Paris in 1889, the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. The Eiffel tower marked the entrance to the fair and was designed to symbolize French Industrial Strength.

Gustave Eiffel was an architectural engineer who designed bridges and he didn't want to put a skin or cover over this structure so he could show off his engineering skill with the beautiful and elaborate trusses. It is designed in an art nouveau style even though it represents the machine age. This is an important point since the world had been experiencing the industrial revolution for over a century by the time the world's fair made its way to Paris. Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill were the star attractions at the fair along with many African artifacts on display from explorations in this region that sparked the French's curiosity.

Ironically enough, this eiffel tower project almost didn't happen. At the end of the industrial revolution, many civilians and artists were disgusted with the mass production that was going on in the factories. They saw the damage cheap goods were doing to their environment and the economy and another famous artist, William Morris, was making an impact on society by teaching the general public about the quality in a hand-made product. Art Noveau (new art) reflected this distaste with bulky geometric shapes that factories were producing and a turn toward organically, naturally shaped objects prompted the public to seek out art in this new style. The entire poster above reflects an organic feel with smooth curvy lines. The tower itself is both organic and geometric in its shape.

Gustave Eiffel was under heavy deadline pressure to get this work of art created by the opening of the fair. It must have stressed him quite a bit when he heard about a group of art nouveau artists protesting its creation. Many artists called it an abomination and pointed out that it would dwarf every structure in Paris. (It still dominates the skyline even today.) There were other artists that actually defended its creation and protested against the protestors. With all this fighting, the city of Paris abandoned the project and left it in the hands of this poor, tired architect. Gustave had to generate funds on his own to create the tower without the help of the city. (Eventually he was reimbursed.)

Since this structure has such an amazing history it is now the pride of Paris. Even though some Parisians will tell you they still believe it's an abomination, they do recognize it to be an important icon for the history of Paris. The Eiffel tower has proven its importance since it was first built. It's not only a beautiful icon, it's also a functional work of art. It has been used as a radio tower since the 1920s and a TV transmission tower since the 1950s.

...and this is how an artist becomes immortal!!!

Ancient Ruins

this image is available on ebay

Red Ruins

 One of the most common ways to build a structure is called the post and lintel system. Just like when you were a baby and you placed one block on top of two vertical blocks, so did our earliest ancestors and this system has been around since the beginning of prehistoric architecture.
Most art historians differentiate between shelters and architecture. Architecture is more public/civic minded. Architecture has a functional AND aesthetic purpose. Basically, architecture is designed to 'dress up' the community.
Stonehenge was designed with the post and lintel system. They also created pegs in the posts and holes in the lintels to make sure this structure lasted a long, long time. This is called mortise and tenon and it's another device that holds things together without any hammer or nails.
Prehistoric structures are both beautiful and fascinating because we do not know the real purpose for these creations. Since they were created before any writing system, we will always wonder what the real functional purpose was.
I love a good mystery which is why a lot of my work involves ancient temples. These structures become icons for me representing the ancient, the mysterious and the religious in art.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/251591807702?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

A Box

   

This item is available on ebay 

A  Box

We all know the story of Pandora and the box that was given to her and her husband by Zeus with a warning to never open it. What kind of a sick present was this? Surely Zeus would know that humans have curiousity and would want to open it, yet this makes a great parable for how our curiousity gets the best of us. Perhaps it reflects on the human need to snoop into things that are not our business. When the box is opened, we suffer the horrible fate for having our natural curiosity to explore by seeing all the problems in the world unleashed. We no longer can live a life of luxury and ease. We must work and deal with problems that occur everyday in our stressful lives. Doesn't this story sound very much like the Garden of Eden. How long could you walk by a tree that bore fruit you couldn't touch with a serpent saying "Hey You, come here"? This type of temptation seems torturous for the average human because it is our destiny to explore and solve all the mysteries of life. This is why we love mysteries in the first place. We want to solve the puzzle! We need to solve the puzzle!

The image above is a photo of a hinged stained glass box I created. I am selling this on ebay. The top has a beautiful carved jade stone soldered to a sheet of copper. It is large enough to keep jewelry, crystals or other precious treasures inside and makes a great table or desk ornament. You can see how it opens below:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121389549564?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Alien Worlds

Alien Worlds

this image is available on ebay:

As we get closer and closer to discovering life on other planets, one has to wonder what that life will be like. I've always been fascinated with this subject and I've had many dreams of aliens. Will these beings be friendly or hostile? Why haven't they made contact or have they and it's just a secret to the general public? What use is it to spend so much money on space exploration when we have so many people here suffering? Are we just feeding our science fiction fantasies with all the space exploration? Why do we have so many curiosities about the universe.

Here we have a strange alien landscape with giant pods and little green creatures climbing over the terrain. One peaks out from behind a tree while another sits quietly contemplating the origins of life. Perhaps he's wondering about life on other planets as well. Everything in this image is intended to appear organic. Even the ground seems to grown new life forms from the multicolor terrain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251591897393?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The Lindisfarne Gospels

(This public domain image is a page from one of the oldest illuminated manuscript books in the world. It dates back to 700 c.e.)

 

 

 

   

The Lindisfarne Gospels

I had a dream about Matthew last night so this manuscript page was the first thing I thought about this morning when I arose. In the dream I was sitting at a desk re-writing a manuscript and Matthew walked up and commented on this age-old practice of recording manuscripts.

We owe a lot to these early monasteries because this was the only means for recording the early classics and religious texts. After the fall of western Rome, droves and droves of people enrolled in the monasteries seeking an education. Life must have been rough at this time and many people willingly accepted celibacy and joined the monasteries in hopes of gaining a less stressful life. Knowledge was sacred, even more so at this time because most ancient writings had been destroyed in fires or horded off by vandals as each Roman city fell to outsiders. Each manuscript page was created by hand by a scribes (the writers) and illuminators (the artists) using the finest inks, dyes and vellum in all the land. Vellum is the highest grade of parchment. Parchment is made from cow's hide and vellum is made from calf's hide. They take the calf's skin and stretch it around a frame to scrape off all the excess fur and blood. As the skin dries it contracts into a nice surface that holds the paint very well. The paints are all hand made by grinding down pigments and mixing this with an egg binder and water. The cobalt blue you are seeing in this manuscript was one of the most expensive paints in the world. It's made from grinding down a stone called Lapis Lazuli which comes from the Middle East so this color was imported. The illuminator would also apply gold leaf to the pages. This gave the painting a shimmer when the light hit the page. The actual page shining back at the viewer is where we get the term 'illuminated manuscript' because the page looked as if it was lit up when the light hitting the metal. (It's also a great metaphor for knowledge 'illuminating the mind.') These books were so expensive the cost to produce one was equivalent to the same price for a farm or a vineyard so only the very rich (royalty) or the very holy (monasteries) could afford to own a manuscript.

I could spend more time talking about the process of manuscripts but I think it is more important to talk about the image on this particular page of the Lindisfarne Gospels. I recall a class that I was teaching last year that really enjoyed this image. I had explained to them that I love medieval manuscripts because of the primitive way the images were painted. These poor medieval monks and nuns did not have the training and art skills that the people in ancient Rome had nor did they have the skills the early Byzantine artist had. There were no great art schools in this region. The monasteries and early medieval castles were the only art departments in the territory. Western monasteries had to learn by copying older manuscripts from early roman Christianity so these images are a little crude. In fact, this manuscript is 'simpler' than the earliest Roman manuscript that was created at the end of the Roman empire.

Notice the 'floating' guy with no feet behind the curtain. We really have no idea who this guy is. The original concept has been lost in time. Most people believe its Moses or God inspiring Matthew to write the manuscript page. Notice how the book is pointed towards us so we can see the page? This was the standard formula at this time. Later in history, we do not see the actual page Matthew is composing in the gospel portrayals. Each of the four authors, (and it is still debated if they really wrote these books) is portrayed by a different symbol. Matthew is the only one shown as a man and the old beard he is wearing represents the mortal Christ.

Hopefully, I've emphasized how important these early manuscript pages are to us now. I could write a lot more about these first books in history but I think I'll save that for another time and another dream. Thanks for the inspiration, Matthew!

Mondrian

(this image was designed in the Mondrian style - its not a true Mondrian - all those are copyrighted!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Piet Mondrian 

...was one of the first modern artist names I learned in college. I worked on the school newspaper my second year and decided I wanted to become a publication designer. After all, I'm from the "magazine generation" and I grew up with beautifully enriching magazines like OMNI and LIFE to name a few. I began studying the few books our library had on publication design and was introduced to the "Mondrian layout." I began applying the principles immediately.
It wasn't till many years later that I began familiarizing myself with his unique contribution to the de stijl movement. Although he did not invent the movement and there were many others who were equally as famous for this movement, Mondrian made a special, lasting impression on the style that still resonates with designers today. Our newspapers would not understand asymmetrical balance as well today without his contributions. In every form of publications we understand about line, color and scale weights and the odd way they can balance each other in an informal design.
Although he had a lasting impact on publications, we see his influence in other areas of the arts. Remember the Partridge family bus? - Mondrian inspired! Remember the old MTV ads? - Mondrian inspired!
Even though there were many de stijl artists, Mondrian became one with the conceptual design behind the movement. He even studied Taoism with the Tibetan monks and broke everything down into a line or a square. I remember reading somewhere that a friend once sent him a painting in the de stijl style with a diagonal in it and he broke off the friendship saying, "Obviously, we have nothing in common."
Mondrian became one with his art and turned it into his own religion. At the end of my art career, I would love to be that lucky! (or blessed)

Theodora

Empress Theodora

...was one of the strongest women in the 6th century Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium. She was married to Justinian I, one of the last great emperors in ancient Rome but that's not how the story starts.
Theodora had a very humble beginning as a peasant dancer (and some say prostitute) in the Byzantine empire when the not so strong willed Justinian fell in love with her. They married and reigned over Constantinople equally. Like many Romans, they were sports fans and the athletes competing in the chariot races had a strong influence over all of the city. Justinian supported the blue team which had connections to a recent crime in the city. During one of the most famous races in the hippodrome in Constantinople, Justinian sided with his blue team on a call and the green team became upset. They turned on the emperor and riots broke out in the stadium. (This is known in history as the Nika riots)
At this time, Justinian was not the confident emperor we know from history today. He chose to order the guards to prepare a ship in the harbor. He planned on escaping before things got out of hand and the rioters tried to murder him. The ship was prepared and Justinian and Theodora were escorted out of the stadium and secretly guided to the well-stocked ship.
Right before they board the ship, Theodora stops and refuses to go any farther. Although her husband is urging her to hurry, Theodora refuses to get on and quotes her famous line, "Purple makes a great death shroud," meaning I'd rather die as an empress than run as a coward. Justinian probably said something like "yes, dear," and they went back to the stadium where they ordered all the exits blocked off by guards and the soldiers slaughtered everyone in the stadium to teach the people not to riot against the emperor.
This one incident reinstated Justinian's control over eastern Europe and they had a successful empire for a long time. In fact, Constantinople did not fall until 1453. Western Rome was completely gone by the 5th century so that gives us sound proof on the success of the eastern empire.
Theodora became so powerful that we have court records of officials complaining that they could not talk to the emperor without consulting her first. Theodora died 10 years before Justinian and it is said that he was never the same after he lost his beloved wife.
Many children were named after Theodora in the centuries following this famous couple and we have more than one famous Theodora in history. This wife of  Justinian made such an impact on history one has to wonder what would have happened if she had obeyed her husbands orders that day. This woman actually changed the role of the empire by making a stand, literally on the docks of Constantinople that one fateful day.
The image above is a section from a mosaic in the Hagia Sophia a huge church built by Justinian shortly after the Nika riots. The Byzantine artists were known all over the world for their beautiful hieratic and hierarchical style. The long necks and figures are part of that hieratic style that reinforces the majesty of the ruling class. In both Theodora's and Justinian's portraits, they are placed in the center of the mosaic creating a strong focal point while the government officials and clergy are at the ends. (hierarchical style)
Mosaic tiles are carefully fired twice in a kiln for each color. they would slip real gold leaf under clear glaze to give more sparkle. They would also tilt the tiles in different directions so one could see a shimmer as they walked by which adds to the iridescent appearance. We owe the monasteries of the Byzantine empire for keeping the Roman culture alive while the rest of the western empire was crumbling. This is where all the Greek literature and education was preserved.

Tree Spirits

Old Tree Spirit

Who can forget Tolkein's description of "Old Man Willow?" The image is still alive in my mind ever since the first time I read the Lord of the Rings in high school. The idea of trees being alive goes way back in history and repeats in numerous cultures all over the world. Tolkein  made the most of the concept by creating the lively image of a character called "Old Man Willow."
In sculpture, carving wood is considered working with a 'live' medium in the sense that the wood an artist is using was once part of a live tree. Again, it has been accepted that a tree is alive, just like you and me which is why we tend to personify trees and other plants. We have various legends of The Green Man, Jack in the Green, wood nymphs and the list goes on and on. Whether trees have their own separate life or if they are part of a huge living entity called earth is debatable, nonetheless, thousands of walking sticks, tree stumps and old sticks have been carved up to look like the spirit of the tree. I believe the earth is alive so the trees that spring from it are alive as well. Most people 'feel' that the earth is alive and paleontologists can produce a sound argument that fits the definition of a living entity. We've even given a gender to the earth labeled Mother Earth. The association with the feminine has to do with all the 'births' the earth gives to us on a daily basis.
What's really interesting is how we have kept these ideas similar throughout time and various cultures. We know that nature heals us and makes us feel better opposed to all the concrete we surround ourselves with at work therefore nature is associated with play and concrete is associated with work. Whenever I hear the term tree house, I think of fun and that is what I wanted this painting to project more than a tree spirit or an old man. This painting is about fun, nature and play.

This painting is available on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261524785887?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649




This image is available on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261524785887?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Hokusai

Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai wasn't alive to see the incredible inspiration he brought to the western world.He died in 1849 just before the end of the Edo period in Japan when almost every port was shut off to outsiders. Shogunate  Tokugawa was in charge and did not trust anyone outside Japan.
Because of this isolationism, Hokusai and other Japanese artists, had very little influence from the outside world. Since these Japanese artists could only converse with each other through their art, they became some of the most original artists in  the world. In fact, the rest of the world of printing had moved on to color lithography while Hokusai, Utamaro and Hiroshige (to name a few) were still creating woodcuts. 
At this time, only the Dutch and the Chinese were allowed to trade at the Edo port, the only international port in Japan. Strict rules forbid any outsiders from stepping on Japanese soil. They were to trade their goods from the ship and then depart under the watchful eyes of the Japanese military.
Japan was involved in a terrible civil war when the United States was "invited" to this country by southern Japan in July 1853, only four years after Hokusai's death. The shoguns were overthrown. An emperor was reinstated and Japan's borders were forced open. 
When the western world saw Hokusai's prints from the series of Mt. Fuji for the first time they went crazy...literally! A new word was created called "Japonisme" or the Japan craze. All things japonese were in fashion, especially the master works of the ukiyo-e school.
I wonder what Hokusai would have thought if he had known he was going to be so famous. He was already well known in Japan. It has been said that even though he had a long life, he didn't believe he really achieved the artist status he thrived to obtain. 
The Great Wave, shown above is his most famous work, taken out of a series, "36 Views of Mount Fuji," is a brilliant composition of scale manipulation. Objects on the edge of a painting have more weight than objects in the center which gives the abstracted, claw like wave a strong focal point. We hardly even notice the kayakers in the water that are obviously in trouble. As soon as we compare the size of the boat to the wave, we know they are probably meeting their own fateful death. Mt. Fuji maintains a second focal point in the lower center of the image. Since this is one of the tallest mountains in the world, we really get a measurable scale comparison of this threatening wave. How cleaver was this artist to utilize one of Japan's most iconic symbols in such a subtle way? No wonder this is one of the most recognizable works of art in the eastern world even to this day. It has been written that Hokusai and other ukiyo-e artists inspired the French impressionist movement in the western world. Such originality was brought out of the seclusion these artists were forced to endure in their own country.
This rich part of Japanese history reminds me of the famous science fiction story "Unaccompanied Sonata" by Orson Scott Card, where a musician is deliberately isolated from the rest of the world to see just how original his work could be without any outside influences. Through isolationism Japan unintentionally created some of the most original artists in the world.

Cave Art

Cave Art

I find cave art fascinating because it is one of the only clues left from our earliest ancestors. We now know that the earliest humans were not these grunting, primitive apes but were intellectual and had a sense of aesthetics which was made apparent in the art left behind. They understood scale and proportions and that things farther away were smaller than things up close. They even created incredible air brush techniques by spitting chewed charcoal through a bamboo shoots like the images we see in the caves at Pech Merle.
It is hard for us to imagine how and why the need to create beautiful art was so important when mere survival was close to impossible but art is what they did whenever they had the chance. We have only a small fraction of the discovered cave paintings left in the world. Many have deteriorated naturally due to the organic material they used to create the images. The paintings that do survive are precious and usually sealed off from the general public due to the naturally occurring bacteria in our breath. These paintings are extremely fragile and yet they are as important to us today as they were to our early ancestors. The ability to create images must have seemed like magic to the clan or tribe that first set eyes on these finished works. Even though we may never know for certain why these images were created, sympathetic magic is one of the ruling theories with today's anthropologists especially since many of the animals portrayed in these images were not part of their diet.
Whatever the reason these images were created, they remain to this day a testimony for the need of art and how essential it is to the human psyche.
As long as there are humans, the arts will never die.

This image was made with copper leaf and glue. It is available on ebay. You can read the description here:

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/251582108930?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The Sunflower

This image is available on ebay

The Sunflower

I cannot think of a bolder, brighter flower than the sunflower. In the summer months we get to experience this huge flower's growth from a hearty seed to the giant of all flowers. I've managed to grow a few but this flower demands lots of sun and soil. Many times I've grown one only to watch the birds or a squirrel knock it down and take off with the seeds. I can't blame them because there's a feast to be had in the center of one of these flowers. When I look at the inside of a sunflower, I'm amazed at nature's intricate spiraling of seeds packed in a perfect mathematically uniform pattern. There's an entire world inside a sunflower. Each seed fits so perfectly into the next without a bit of space left to spare.
Sometimes I feel so overcrowded in the congested city where I live. With all the road rage and grouchy service people, (...and sometimes I'm that grouchy service person so I certainly understand the feeling.) if we only looked to the sunflower for perfect harmony we might feel a little better about all the crowds we see everyday.
I had a chance to move to the country recently and turned it down. I couldn't stand to be without the city culture and busy marketplace. There are true benefits to living in the city. We've got museums and parks galore. We've got some of the best shopping in the USA. We've got groups and meets and churches and temples and the list goes on and on.
Yes, I had my chance to move to the country but like the sunflower, I'm still trying to find my harmony in the city amongst the crowds and buildings.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251579784807?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Bluebonnets

 

(this image is available for sale on ebay / copyright dianne curtis / all rights reserved)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251578931998?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Bluebonnet Forest

I had the best time shooting pictures of bluebonnets this spring. the Bluebonnect is the state flower of Texas and it is customary for the state highway department to celebrate the coming of Spring by planting bluebonnets. Photographing the bluebonnets is a cliche thing to do but I've never done it and when one of my favorite groups "The Houston Photowalkers" scheduled a day trip I jumped on it. This photo is the inspiration behind the watercolor I painted and posted above:

One of my most favorite painting styles is to obliterate the ground and have my objects 'floating' in space. It gives the paintings a mystical, surreal mood.

All over the hill country you can see bluebonnet fields during the spring months. They only last for a couple of months so this is a seasonal outing. Everywhere we went there were people placing their children and loved ones in the patches of bluebonnets and taking pictures. Some towns really take advantage of this touristy thing to do and schedule all kinds of events around the bluebonnets.

The papers warn people to check for snakes in the bluebonnet fields because this is a favorite hiding place for them. There have been several accounts of people getting bitten by snakes while having their picture taken in the fields.
According to the local farmers, it's not good to plant bluebonnets in their farming fields because they deplete the soil so most of the bluebonnets are in front of the farms and entrances to parks. Even though this state flower doesn't have a functional purpose, it is a great symbol for spring in Texas and all that blue is gorgeous!

The Skyscraper

(photos by dianne curtis / all rights reserved)

The Skyscraper

...was America's contribution to architecture. Did you know that in order to invent the first skyscrapers, we had to invent the elevator first? That makes sense...right? The Romans could have invented skyscrapers but buildings that were taller than 5 stories were not logical for everyday business practices.
You're looking at one of Houston's most famous and distinguishable buildings now called Heritage Plaza. It was finished in 1987 when Houston was suffering from the oil crunch, unemployment and premature over-expansion so it stood as one of the last, tallest buildings to be built in Houston for over a decade. The main architect behind the design, (M. Nasr) was inspired by the Mayan step-pyramids he visited in the Yucatan.

Another building with a bit of a "Dutch-Gothic" revival located in Houston is the Bank of America Center designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee.
Like many of the modern skyscrapers in Houston, these buildings are so distinctive, the skyline in this city has become famous and easily identifiable all over the world...
but Houston has been criticized for not paying attention to the ground level of these beautiful towering entities that dwarf anyone walking under them. We don't really have the elaborate gargoyles or Baroque arabesques that other cities do along the east coast but it can be argued that Houston is a more modern city simply because it developed at a much later time period in history.
When the first skyscrapers were designed the idea of using nothing but reinforced concrete, steel and glass seemed disastrous. It wasn't until the perfection of steel manufacturing. stronger glass and reinforced concreted that allowed architects to solve all the weight distribution problems that are included with a huge skyscraper. This is why older cities like New York and Chicago have masonry work on the first few stories, this was the only solution for handling the weight and gravitational problems with building so high. As we perfected these challenges, our buildings became prettier. One architect who taught everyone how to really "dress up" up a building was Mies van der Rohe...but we'll talk about him on another day.