As we roar into March, the rumored Fantasy/Fairy Tale Challenge is mere weeks away from being unveiled. In the spirit of said challenge, my Friday Favorites will begin to swing towards art that falls into those categories. It is a broad challenge, and the art I will showcase for you will reflect both new and classic works that fall into the realm of the fantastic. I promise you a wide variety. Today I bring you the art of Raymond Swanland.
Viewing the above image, Mimic (one I believe I’ve posted before if it looks familiar), with its gorgeous butterflies, reminds me of spring. The oranges are the fires of autumn and yet I view the image and I think of the genesis of growth, and life, and creation…the foundations of spring. Please join me in inaugurating March with the work of Raymond Swanland.
John Scalzi is on a mission. That mission, I believe, is to make sure that I personally do not have time to read anything but his books. Despite his obvious ploy to dominate my literary life by releasing book after book after book, you will not find me complaining. I am in ecstasy.
All kidding aside, John Scalzi has rekindled my passion for science fiction with the universe he has created in his novels Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades, as well as The Android’s Dream (not related to the previous books, but a damn good read nonetheless). Clicking on the previously mentioned titles will take you to my reviews of those books, so no need to recreate the wheel.
Well folks, it has come and gone again. The annual event where we all gather around the television set to see what the celebs are wearing. What? You thought it was about the awards? The last time my attraction to the Oscars was about something other than women in glamorous dresses was when Return of the King was nominated for, and won, eleven academy awards. But then again I’m a geek, so what else would you expect.
This year was only slightly different than most years. No, I hadn’t seen any of the films up for Best Picture, and, yes, I was mostly watching to catch the fashions of the various actresses attending…but there was one film that I was particularly rooting for: Pan’s Labyrinth. And so, without further ado, the Stainless Steel Droppings Oscar Recap:
Some say that the age of chivalry is past, that the spirit of romance is dead. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth.
~Charles Kingsley
Chivalry. The word conjures up images of knights castles, honor and winning the heart of a fair maiden. Today’s Friday Favorite will focus on the works of Edmund Blair Leighton and John William Waterhouse, two amazing pre-raphaelite painters whose work is among the best classical art in existence.
The first image, The Accolade, is easily my very favorite image of the pre-raphaelite period. For me it embodies the spirit of the romanticism that we associate with medieval times. My brother and his family have a print of this hanging in their living room and, as I always do when I am visiting them, I spent a great deal of time looking at and thinking about this wonderful image.
Last weekend I had the privilege of traveling to Columbia, Missouri to see my 15 year old niece, Haley, in her high school’s performance of Thorton Wilder’s play, The Matchmaker. Coming right on the heels of Valentine’s Day, the plays’ timing could not have been more perfect. I really enjoy the theatre, whether the performances are local on up to Broadway. There is something extremely enjoyable about seeing live performance. This was no exception.
