Thursday, March 26, 2009
Found this fun... Black Sienna by Painter Mark Rothko
In healthy people, creativity is a wonderful way to keep stress at bay and to promote relaxation. By adding different creative elements it will definitely improve an individual’s quality of life. Colour therapy is another trend from ancient times which is being revisited. Watch television or read a magazine and you will hear from interior decorators, fashion stylists or makeup artists talk about the psychological effect that colour has on an individual. For instance yellow is said to work well on patients with Seasonal Effective Disorder (SAD), red is called the color of love and the famous expression someone is green with envy is commonly used. Listed below are both the positive and negative traits of each colour. Give them a try and see what works for you.
Colour
Red-Positive:passion, strength, courageNegative:anger, violence, agitation
Blue-Positive:peace, creativity, relaxationNegative:depression, lethargy
Yellow - Positive :happiness, optimismNegative:stubbornness
Green - Positive:harmony, growth, renewalNegative:jealousy, insecurity
Orange - Positive:stimulation, happinessNegative:agitation
Purple - Positive:spirituality, idealism, commitmentNegative:domination
Brown - Positive:stability, nurturing, groundingNegative:depression, dullness
Black - Positive:power, self-knowledge, discernmentNegative:tyranny
White - Positive:simplicity, purity, innocenceNegative:rigidity
Start by wearing a certain colour or add accents to your home in order to create the atmosphere you desire.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Double Bash today.... one more LOOOONG run until race day!
The Benefits of Friendship
"Friends can be our best weapon in times of adversity, as they strengthen our resolve. One study asked people to rate the gradient of a hill, and anticipate how difficult they would find it to climb. People who rated the hill in the presence of a friend saw the slope as less steep - and the closer they felt to the friend they were with, the easier the climb appeared."
Friday, March 20, 2009
Won't you be my neighbor?
"One kind word has a wonderful way of turning into many.” Fred Rogers born March 20th 1929- February 27th 2003
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began airing in 1968; the last set of new episodes were taped in December 2000, and began airing in August 2001. The show has the distinction of being the longest running program on PBS; it ran for 998 episodes.
Each episode begins the same way, with Mister Rogers walking until he is coming home and singing his theme song, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and changing into sneakers and a zippered cardigan sweater.
In an episode, Rogers might have an earnest conversation with his television audience, interact with live guests, take a field trip to a nearby place such as a bakery or music store, or watch a short film.
Typical video subject matter includes demonstrations of how inanimate objects, such as bulldozers and crayons, work or are manufactured.
Each episode includes a trip to Rogers' "Neighborhood of Make-Believe", which features a trolley that has its own chiming theme song, a castle, and the kingdom's citizens, including King Friday XIII. The subjects discussed in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe often allow further development of thematic elements discussed in Mister Rogers' "real" neighborhood.
Mister Rogers often fed his fish during episodes. They were originally named Fennel and Frieda.
Typically, each week's episodes explore a major theme, such as going to school for the first time. Originally, most episodes ended with a song entitled "Tomorrow", while Friday episodes looked forward to the week ahead with an adapted version of "It's Such a Good Feeling." In later seasons, all episodes ended with "Feeling."
Visually, the presentation of the show was very simple; it did not feature the animation or fast pace of other children's shows. Rogers composed all the music for his series. He was concerned with teaching children to love themselves and others. He also tried to address common childhood fears with comforting songs and skits. For example, one of his famous songs explains how you can't be pulled down the bathtub drain—because you won't fit. He even once took a trip to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to show children that a hospital is not a place to fear. During the Gulf War in 1990-91, he assured his audience that all children in the neighborhood would be well cared for, and asked parents to promise to take care of their own children. The message was aired again by PBS during the media storm that preceded the military action against Iraq in 2003.
In February 1990, Rogers' car was stolen while he was taking care of his grandson. The thief apparently realized who the car belonged to after seeing papers and props Rogers had left in the car. The car was returned to Rogers, who found it sitting in front of his home about a day later. The only thing missing from the car was Rogers' director's chair. Rogers' car at the time was an Oldsmobile sedan.
Mister Rogers and PBS funding
In 1969, Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about six minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his Neighborhood helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture. He even recited the lyrics to one of his songs.
The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, was not previously familiar with Rogers' work, and was sometimes described as gruff and impatient. However, he reported that the testimony had given him goosebumps, and declared, "I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million." The subsequent congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.
"I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."
- Mr.Rogers a hero! (He was red-green colorblind.)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Quote of the day...
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
More ART
“ The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think. All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves. ”
— Willem de Kooning
Willem and Elaine de Kooning 1953.
"To establish once and for al that I did not pose for these ferocious women. I was taken aback to discover in Hans' photograph that I and the painted lady seemed like…mother and daughter. We're even smiling the same way." - Elaine de Kooning
Jean Shin
Click the link above to go the artist's web site...cool installation work!
Stepping Stones
(Pots and Pans), 2007
In collaboration with architect Brian Ripel
310 used metal pots, pans and lids
2 ft h x 17 ft w x 14 ft d
Installation at Fields Sculpture Park,
Art Omi International Arts Center,
Ghent, NY, 2008
Installation at Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack, NY, 2007
In Stepping Stones, hundreds of inverted pots and pans create a unique topography of used cookware that spreads across the landscape. Filled with cement and literally anchored into the ground with metal spikes, these common materials of both domestic life and commercial kitchens are transformed by being inserted into a new setting. When placed outdoors, these incredibly durable objects are no longer subjected to the extreme heat of a stove. Rather, through their physical interaction with nature and passersby, these metal vessels become active, acoustic surfaces.
Hair Wall, 2002
Artist’s hair and existing holes in the gallery wall
Dimensions variable
Installation at Artist Space, New York
In this installation, tufts of the artist’s own hair have been tucked into holes in the gallery wall left behind from the previous exhibition. Hair Wall literally incorporates a part of Shin’s body into the creative act while linking her to the art that preceded her. In addition, the organic quality of the material contrasts with the structured layout and the clean, white environment of the gallery.
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