Jigsaw puzzles. We don't do many of them in our home because our cats always want to participate more than is practical. But, we always had a puzzle going when I was growing up. I recently remembered a specific jigsaw puzzle from my childhood. The phrase "Seven Deadly Sins" jumped into my head as I was listening to the latest inexplicable political grandstanding. Then I remembered a beautiful puzzle we had as children on the topic. It was a Springbok puzzle with a circular design for each of the 7 sins... and easy to find on the web. Turns out it was illustrated by Christopher Hobbs. I looked him up and didn't find any illustrations similar to those in the luscious puzzle. So, I thought I'd share my trip down memory lane. I added a few of the "sins" below. Check out those great designs!! Apologize for their quality... best I could find.
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| "Gluttony" |
I grew up in a big Victorian house with two living rooms arranged end-to-end. We always had a sturdy card table set up between the two rooms and a jigsaw puzzle in process. The puzzles were always beautifully designed and challenging. Sometimes my mom would pick them up at yard sales in small, unmarked cardboard boxes. Often, those puzzles had wooden pieces that did not interlock, no picture to indicate what the puzzle depicted, and no guarantee that pieces weren't missing. We attacked them enthusiastically none the less. We developed an unspoken family protocol for working on a jigsaw puzzle that was cooperative and effective. If someone was working on the sky or the boat, or the parrot, or "fill in the blank", then others would put those pieces on front of them and usually wouldn't work on that area at the same time.
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| "Envy" |
I used to challenge myself, after all the pieces were turned over and the edge was constructed, not to touch a piece unless I knew where it went. It was a visual exercise in understanding the shape I was looking for as well as the subtleties of the color arrangement. In my head I would describe the pieces to myself "looking for two sticky-out things, one rust-colored and one larger innie thing on the opposite side, with blue then mostly greeny grass stuff". I would look at the pieces until I found one fitting that description. Interesting to remember now. It was probably great for my SAT scores, or whatever standardized test shows shapes and patterns and expects you to extrapolate that pattern to the next series of shapes.
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| "Lust" |
I love when one thought triggers a deep memory, and I love the internet because it helps me flesh out those memories with more complete images of what I have tucked away in the corners of my brain. Thanks for reminiscing with me.
There is an outdoor cafe on the Northeastern campus where I sat for an hour the other day. It was fascinating to watch the Green Line, buses, and pedestrians coming and going. Some waited by the corner to meet a date, some smiled joyfully as they bumped into a friend, others walked purposefully to a variety of destinations. I have always been intrigued by the layering of traffic patterns; cars, trolleys, and multitudes of pedestrians. How are the traffic lights arranged to keep everyone safe and moving? All I know is that it works.
It was a beautiful evening, and interesting to decide how to arrange the layers of people front to farther back. I began with the arrangement of the lamp posts and traffic lights and then added people as they came and went, with the goal of conveying the hubbub of the afternoon.
As always, thank you for looking.
My daughter and I embarked on a week-long road trip the day I finished school, just over a week ago. I packed my classroom, finished my grades and left school for the summer. Next day, we headed off to make a loop, the bottom of which was Columbia, SC where my niece is living and attending college. We had a wonderful time, reunited with old friends, delivered a few baby gifts in person, occasionally struggled to find radio stations we could both agree on, ate great food, but especially, lingered over many meals with people I love! We stopped in Burlington, NJ, Petersburg, VA; Columbia, SC; Greensboro, NC, Washington DC; Briar Cliff, NY then home; 2009 miles!! I discovered a few things, especially that my daughter is a very good driver!!! We haven't spent a lot of time on the highway together, and if so, I usually drive. I learned that grits are a vehicle for whatever you want to put in/on them. I learned that Mount Vernon now has a monument commemorating all the slaves who are buried there and that they are conducting archeological digs of these grave areas, which I look forward to revisiting when the work is visible to the public. I learned that, despite my concerns about the current political climate in DC, the city doesn't carry that pall. It is even more vibrant, multi-cultural, exciting, and beautiful than it was when I lived there decades ago. We were blessed with two days of uncharacteristic dry, clear weather in the mid 80s, lovely for sitting outside, walking among the monuments in the evening. I carried a sketchbook with me, and used it a few times during the trip. My daughter was in charge of of the Airbnb portion of the trip and she did a tremendous job!!! More to follow as I convert a few more ideas to the sketchbook.
Our local art association held its 41st annual art festival this past weekend; music, art in the streets, artisans, great food, all in a lovely New England neighborhood. It's a magical weekend, rain or shine. I paint in the streets both days, and enjoy chatting with people as they stop by. I especially love the children who pause. I usually engage them with some questions about what I'm doing and ask their opinion about choices I'm considering. They love looking at the tubes of paint, and the "secret compartment" in my pochade box where I keep them. When I'm lucky, a child or two will visit multiple times to check in, as happened this weekend with an interesting 9-year old named Zach.
The Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for this past month is "refresh". "Coming and Going" is my take on "refresh". I have painted for years at
the art festival, almost always painting the main building, the G.A.R. Hall. This year, I turned away from the main building to paint the new food trucks and the lovely brick-ender on the street. It was refreshing to change my annual view.
The Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for last month was "imagination". I found myself returning to a living situation I imagine for myself whenever I'm in Boston, which is frequently these days. I invented an imaginary living room with view of the lovely vintage rooftops I enjoy seeing carved against the sky. I posted the painting on the GJWP site as a work in progress, not completely resolved. Here is the completed painting with a few adjustments.
I've had a thing for casement windows, maybe since I first saw Greer Garson in "Mrs Miniver" looking out her English village casement windows at her pilot son in the R.A.F. who would tip his wing to her as he flew over the house. I added a version of casement windows to my imaginary Boston abode. I pushed the light and dark in the composition, and added some more interest in the apartment.
You can see all the imagination challenge paintings Here. As always, thanks for looking.
The Girls Just Wanna Paint group challenge this month was "imagination". Interesting idea. First I thought of Gene Wilder in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" singing "There is no world I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there you'll be free if you truly wish to be." Then I imagined living in Boston. I am entranced by the antique rooftops against the sky of Boston, so here is my imaginary living room with comfy reading chair and big view of the rooftops I love.
I tried to keep everything in the painting darker and warmer than outside. I will get back into the painting when it is dryer to push the values some more from the inside to the outside. I like the design and it does pique my imagination. Thanks for looking. You can see all our images here.
As always, thank you for looking. I love your comments.
Revisiting my sketchbook recently and came across this little sliver of summer. We are again making plans for our trip to Monhegan Island. March often seems like the longest month in the school year. This year it has been cold and gray and raw, and heck with March coming in like a lion and heading out like a lamb. It is snowing tonight here in Massachusetts. When spring arrives, it will explode on the scene, getting us even closer to some summer time on our beloved island. When I look at this drawing, I can smell and feel the air. Yum.
Jigsaw puzzles. We don't do many of them in our home because our cats always want to participate more than is practical. But, we always had a puzzle going when I was growing up. I recently remembered a specific jigsaw puzzle from my childhood. The phrase "Seven Deadly Sins" jumped into my head as I was listening to the latest inexplicable political grandstanding. Then I remembered a beautiful puzzle we had as children on the topic. It was a Springbok puzzle with a circular design for each of the 7 sins... and easy to find on the web. Turns out it was illustrated by Christopher Hobbs. I looked him up and didn't find any illustrations similar to those in the luscious puzzle. So, I thought I'd share my trip down memory lane. I added a few of the "sins" below. Check out those great designs!! Apologize for their quality... best I could find.
