Art Digest #6 (Days 76-90 of 365 Days of Art) Bridges, Conversate, and Monopoly

Today’s post is an art digest to cover days 76 to 90 of the 365 Days of Art.  I am thinking about an idea for an e-book or something else, but I really prefer the digests and so here is one to peruse:

Day 76: Cheering Colors

I almost bought this print because the colors brought cheer this month (when traveling for the funeral). But I put it back…. I really do NOT want to bring home one more item – even if beautiful…. so I took a Photo to soak it up this way….

Day 77:  Artsy Bridge 

Sometimes I forget how beautiful bridges can be – and looking up at this bridge (on the way to Niagara Falls) I was reminded of how wonderful it feels traveling across some artsy bridges – design that surrounds us everyday.

Day 78: Joseph Stella, Bridge, 1936

The Brooklyn Bridge became a recurring theme in Joseph Stella’s work because it deeply MOVED him inside.  This bridge has inspired many artists over the years…. and the Italian immigrant, Stella, made many small studies of the bridge and then gave us five major oil paintings. Go here to see another Stella version of the bridge and to explore a watch and listen guide….

Day 79: Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies

In 1899, Monet painted different views of a smaller bridge – his wooden footbridge at Giverny. He ended up with 12 paintings and this one here is noted for the vertical placement-   the flatness of the bridge anchors the setting in a way that invites us in and allows us to possibly get moved (or pulled in) by those lily pads and bit of reflection…..

Day 80: Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

The 26 mile long Jiaozhou Bay bridge in China is currently the longest bridge over water (here)

credit: Google images, Jiaozhou Bay bridge

Day 81: Rex Brandt 

Earlier this month I showed you some brief tutorials from the talented watercolor painter Rex Brandt (1914-2000).  For this digest I had to share one of my favorite Brandt’s called Evening Rendezvous.  I love when watercolor painters add their name and title to the piece (see lower right of painting).

Art Collector’s Mark and Janet Hilbert donated Rex Brandt’s “Evening Rendezvous” to Laguna College of Art and Design –here.

And here is another Evening Rendezvous from a different artist.

Day 82:  Sandy Texture

To keep on a bit with Brandt’s sea theme, here is some sandy texture from a very small picture frame my cousin had on her shelf.  The beach theme is everywhere…. and on a snowy day in Buffalo –  I found a taste of the sea. 🙂

Day 83: Throwback from 1981

I saw this hanging at a place in Buffalo and it looks like watercolor, but it is actually acrylic on canvas. I really wondered about this piece – and especially wondered the actual location.

Day 84: Art of Conversating…

This next image is special to me because isn’t a good conversation a true gift in life? Oh indeed it is!  And when you share a good convo with someone it can stay with you for a long time.

I first heard the word “conversate” a few years ago when we used to watch Judge Judy. We heard the word and looked it up…. we discovered the word “conversate” has been around since at least 1829 (here), but it has become popular in use because of certain songs and everyday usage.

Back to the photo.

In 1886, Paul Nadar captured photos of his dad, Felix, interviewing scientist Chevreul.  I think Paul really captured the essence of their conversation, don’t you?  ((And I smile right now to think of conversations with my nephew – times of chatting that will stay with me forever. And I also think of the mini convos I have with some of my other relatives – friends in everyday life – and the blog and email friends – ahhhh – life is enriched by our conversating…))

Also – check out my book about Conversation:

Tips for talking with teens

Day 85:  Artsy Cotton Dress from 1891-1892 

The art that is found in clothing is often overlooked – and this dress from the late 1800’s reminds me of a look that was popular during the 1970’s….. maybe without the extra skinny waist. Do you agree? And thanks to Miss G for her post about exploring the year 1892 that led me to that old artsy dress image. I also thought this dress would coordinate nicely with the count’s ruby-red vest…. ha!

Miss G’s art bunny…. so fun

Day 86:  Three Featured Bloggers

#1: 90 Days of Art with artist John Beck McConnico – John has done three art projects for charity (here). I chose Soma, 5:26 p.m. to share because it reminded me of the Throwback post above (Day 83: Terry, 1981). Also, John’s watercolor skills remind me a little of Brandt’s skilled style.

#2: Norah Colvin of Readilearn is an Educator who also features some art in her posts. One of her recent posts, Of Puddles and Rainbows (here), provides a great example and below is a collage:

#3: Shari Blaukopf  of The Sketchbook (here) was mentioned by Helen C. and I just had to feature this artist blogger.

Shari posts everyday watercolor is her preferred medium and she has a book (info here):

The last section of Digest #6 – let’s switch gears and peek at some Monopoly Art

Day 87: Monopoly Art Fundraiser (ART on the walls)

Last year, my son’s school did a Monopoly themed fund-raiser. Here is a photo that reminded me of one of those “Where is Waldo?” pages:

Day 88: ALEC Monopoly Art

Not sure if you ever heard of the street artist Alec Monopoly. He makes Monopoly themed street art in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London. I wanted to feature some of his colorful images in this digest.  Alec layers social angles into his work and he uses anything from spray paint to epoxy to newspaper. More info about Alec Monopoly is here and here.

Day 89: Monopoly 1935 Blueprint Reproduction 

Have you ever wondered what an original blueprint for the Monopoly game looked like? Here is a framed reproduction of a blueprint from 1935.

Day 90: Artsy Banks

Last year, we bought our boys some Monopoly Bookshelf art.  They have lots of different options – and here is an example (we did not buy this – but the bank idea is fun).

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