Do you remember what it was like to walk through the woods, to have conversations with the trees, to envision gateways, portals to other worlds, filled with all manner of creatures? Do you remember what it was like to transcend the boredom of an ordinary day through the use of the one thing that every child possesses–the imagination? I do. Some days I feel the many years that have come and gone since I was a boy doing just that; on other days a mere scent in the air or a passing glimpse at a grove of trees can take me to within a hairsbreadth of that time. Watching the film version of Katherine Paterson’s award-winning novelBridge to Terabithia was akin to stepping back in time and as such was the very best of bittersweet experiences.
I had to take a break from the classics to share the fantastic creative work of photographer/artist Thomas Allen. Valentines Day, with its lurid reds and pinks, has always been a bit burlesque to me as an adult so it seemed fitting for the Friday Favorite of Valentine’s week to involve the melodramatic, sensationistic art of pulp fiction books.
Went to bed last night with the snow falling down and awoke this morning to see the neighborhood blanketed with the white stuff. Hard to believe that they are predicting weather near 60 just one week from today. Today I have a kinship with my yard, we’re both under the weather. Actually this started Sunday evening and is continuing today. Today I’ll stay home and heavily medicate myself, hoping for a quick recovery.
There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.
~Federico Fellini
I have always associated the classical artists with romance. Whether the subject matter, the style of painting, or simply the fact that they existed long ago, their work speaks to me of elegance and style and love.
Sir Frank Dicksee is one such painter. Though he lived in a time long after the early romantic artists (1853-1928), I associate his work with the other artists of that same period whose work is considered part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. (If you click on some of these pictures, including the one above, it will open up a window with a much larger version. Your cursor will indicate with ones can be clicked on)
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
~e.e. cummings
It is Thursday, it has already been a long and tiring week, and I need a smile. A little laughter. Go ahead and have a little for yourself. Go on, its okay. You need it.
