Art on the sidewalk

Once again, it was time to Chalk The Walk at the Riverton Library.  It turned out to be a lovely evening, despite the wind and rain earlier in the afternoon.  Artists of all ages participated and contributed their artistic talents, creating lovely artwork.  Live music was being played from the lawn area, and many folks came out to enjoy the evening.

The gal in the foreground, Rachel, took 3rd place with her drawing of an eagle.

Here' another; this artist finished his drawing in record time...the first to complete his work that evening.

Art in the park...

At Riverfest in Lander, I picked up a print of a painting I liked (for a gift) by a local artist.  I have a couple of her other prints framed and hanging on my wall.  This one is in an 8X10 mat.  It's titled "Horse with an Attitude," and the artist is Colleen Drury.  (It has plastic wrap on it, which makes for a photo that's not ideal.)

Later, at Global Arts, I saw a poster with a great saying on it...

The EARTH without

ART

is just "EH."

Chalk the Walk

I understand that "chalking the walk" or putting one's artwork in chalk on a sidewalk is an activity offered in many cities...and well, we're just catching on.  Last night's event in front of the public library, was a first, and it was well attended by art and music lovers.  I sat in a lawn chair, sipped water, ate popcorn (thank you, Cheryl), and visited with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed watching people, viewing the art as it progressed, listening to blue grass music provided by the Low Water String Band, and (of course) knitting in the shade.  Another perfect summer evening!

Low Water String Band...and a little girl in pink, dancing to the driving beat.

Here are some pictures of my favorite finished squares of art.

I love art history...

I received the following in an email some time ago, but was reminded of it with the recent art thefts reported in the news...

Edgar Degas (Wikipedia)

A Thief in Paris

A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.  After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings and made it safely to his van.  However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.

When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied, "Monsieur, that is the reason I stole the paintings.  I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gogh."

Quilt Show, continued...

Several quilt designs caught my eye...so many beautiful pieces!  I'm including two more pictures of quilts that were unusual and gave me pause to appreciate the talent, precision, attention to detail, and design that inspired the creators/artists who worked on these. Wonderful eye-candy! 

 

Over the river and through the woods...To grandmother's house we go!

Quilt Show

I attended a Quilt Show in Dubois.  Although I am not a quilter, I certainly admire and appreciate the work that goes into these beautiful creations!  I've included pictures of a couple of my favorites of one type of quilting, a colorful landscape.  Several gals used the same pattern, but chose a different color scheme, and it's amazing how that changes the whole look and/or appeal of the piece. 

These actually give me some ideas for doing some needle-felting landscapes...so we'll see where that leads.

Surprising Finds

A second shocking ” find” was discovering the actual size of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. If you haven’t seen it, I’m wondering how large you imagine it to be.  Care to share a guess?

I thought that because it was such a famous painting, it must be similar to the size of large portraits of European royalty you’d see hanging in a hall.  It must be large and impressive!  When I got the chance to see it on display at the Louvre, it was not behind thick glass in a modern temperature/light regulated vault (like it is now).  In fact, it was on an easel in a roped off area, so we tourists could get pretty close to it and soak in the view.  Yes, the guards did tell us to move it along if we lingered (gawked) too long.  But what an unforgettable opportunity it was.  

No, the painting is not large; its dimensions are 30”X21”.  And the paint is rather dark and shows many, many cracks.  It truly looks like it’s been around a long time.  Experts think it may have been finished in the year 1505.   I guess it is the artistry, the faint and mysterious smile of that lady, the composition, and the atmosphere of the background that has drawn observers and admirers for centuries.  To be sure, the painting’s gold ornate frame is large; it’s quite impressive!