Tuesday 4 - Art

Hi Friends and welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we are given 4 questions each week to ponder and answer.  It also gives you a chance to see how other Bloggers feel about things and an opportunity to make new friends.

This week we are talking about art.  

1. Are you artistic in any way and if so, how so? Knitting, crochet, drawing, painting, writing lovely word art, home décor, lovely meals?  There are many ways to be artistic.

I've never considered myself an artist as in painting or drawing.  I do however use my hands in other ways that I enjoy such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, a bit of home decor. Oh and don't let me forget photography. I also like to cook but only from time to time.  I took up many of these activities out of necessity or boredom rather than having a great affinity for them.

2. Does any art hang on your walls or grace your tables or shelves at home? How about your front door or windows. What about your yard?

I have a number of art works on my wall, some of which are unique: African women carrying baskets on their heads (done in cloth and framed), a detailed black and white print of a drawing of a Navajo couple in a wagon. It was done by an American artist who had lived amongst the Navajo peoples for many years.  I have another framed print of a North American Indian on horseback set in the old west days, a carved West Coast painting in wood (a gift) and a very special piece called "birch bark" biting done by a woman who is now passed.  Birch bark bitings usually depict insects or designs in nature and are made by folding the birch bark and biting into it until you have a design. This kind of work is extremely rare and I feel blessed to have such a piece.  I'm finding the natural light is already much reduced since the heat of the summer has ended and I've taken these photos very late at night so my apologies for the quality of them.  

African women with baskets

Birch bark biting with floral design

Print of a detailed pencil drawing

I also have a small, quilted star blanket that hangs on the wall behind my bed but I didn't make it (you can see a bit of it in the photo above).  I don't have any of the items I've made on display in my home as I usually give these away.  But I do use and make knitted dishcloths which are very useful.  I try to bring a little artistic bent to my patio garden but in 2023 I was not able to plant the garden. Perhaps I can do it in 2024.

3. Do you have a favorite artist or artists and do you have a favorite piece of art?

I have favourite artists who are well known and long gone such as Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.  I also like Gustav Klimpt for the use of gold leaf in some of his works (The Kiss,  Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer). I love the works of these famous artists and others but in my own home my favourite piece is the Birch Bark Biting I have.

Woman with a Parasol, Monet

The Kiss, Gustav Klimpt

Cafe Terrace at Night, Van Gogh

4.  Home décor can be art. When you  bought things for your home did you plan out the décor or did it all just fall together. Was there a theme?

I mostly just buy what I like but since I've never been heavily into decorating and didn't have the funds or time to spend on decor, I never really had a cohesive look.  Over the past 2 years or more I've been in a downsizing and decluttering mode and am using this time to figure out how to have a more cohesive decor look without spending a lot of money. What I've settled on is a boho look or a ethnic boho look so that I can use a lot of things I already have or have picked up on my travels to Kenya.

Public Sculpture

It was another beautiful day today after several days of heavy rain. I didn't get to the waterfront as I'm feeling quite tired but I enjoy seeing the sun through my windows. 

I also enjoy seeing these photos of the waterfront and reminiscing about my time there.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday today.

Thank you for stopping by!

First Few Days in November

Hi friends,

( If you are looking for my post for Our World Tuesday you can find it here)

The first few days of November have been wet and raining. I was feeling under the weather the last while but feel somewhat better today. I need to try and pace myself as I've got a busy time ahead.  For me, being busy often means not getting enough good sleep and fighting infections; especially during the wet and rainy season.

I mentioned in my last post that I had taken 5 movies out of the library. The movies I picked up include:  War Horse (Jeremy Irvine) , Paris When it Sizzles (Audrey Hepburn & William Holden), The Trip to Italy (Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon), The Hundred Food Journey (Helen Mirren) & Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Gary Oldman). Four of these are movies I missed when they were in theater so I'm very happy to get them now.

I didn't realize when I took the movies out that the loan period is only one week long.  So it is a good thing that I've already viewed three of them.  The one I enjoyed most was The Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren. I expected it to be good but it was excellent! The Trip to Italy is funny. I didn't see Steve Coogan & Rob Bryden in the similar movie called The Trip to England. What I enjoyed most about these two was all their impersonations. I've always loved a good impersonation. Also the locations in Italy are spectacular. I've never been to Italy and I'm not sure if I'll ever have the chance to go. Fortunately there are a lot of wonderful movies around that let me enjoy the sights of Italy vicariously.  The third movie I viewed was Paris When it Sizzles. While the vintage decor is divine and the two lead actors, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden were wonderful, the script left a lot to be desired. I guess that is why the movie flopped in its original release and was dubbed Paris When it Fizzles.  I'm still glad I saw it because I really like the two lead actors.  When I checked my library account, I found out that there are already 6 people waiting for The Hundred Foot Journey and there is 1 person waiting for The Trip to Italy . I will try to return them on Wednesday but hope to see the others first.
Mid-week, a friend and I are going to a book launch of local author, Carol Cram  The book is called Woman of Note (Lake Union Publishing) about a woman composer in 19th century Vienna. This event includes readings, a piano performance, and the world premier of a commissioned Trio for Piano, Cello, and Clarinet by Canadian composer Paul Cram inspired by the novel.  I'm really looking forward to the reading by the author and also the musical performance.

I'll  end my week with a visit to see a contemporary dance performance by the BC Ballet. I've never seen a work by this company and it very looks exciting. I love the choral singing that goes with the program in this trailer.

In other news, I'm trying to get my Compass Card. It is a card that will replace paper cards for public transit and not unlike those used in Seattle or San Fransico.   But because my card is a discounted one I've discovered it isn't as easy as going to purchase it from a vending machine at a train station.  I have to hunt down the locations where they sell them. Even though I asked for help from the organization that runs transit before shopping for the card, they gave me the wrong information.

I still have to run to 2 different places: one to get the card and one to load the card. The card can also be loaded on line, but you must order a card on line or pick it up in person. I was led to believe that the card could be purchased and loaded at any number of retailers as well as all train stations which is incorrect.  Ya gotta love bureaucracy where the left hand often doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

The price of the card ended up being double what one vendor said was the price.  Now I have to go and make inquiries somewhere else to see if I was charged the right price or not. I detest inefficiencies and have put off the transition to the electronic card for this very reason.  The transition to the new system has been in the works for 3 years. You would think they would get everything properly sorted out by now.  For seniors and the disabled, these new "efficient" system of doing business is actually much more difficult especially if they do not use a computer for their daily business. I hope they can offer more places to buy a card in future and also make it possible for the elderly and the disabled to buy their cards and load them anytime at any vendor location.  That would make the cards truly accessible.

As sun was setting tonight, I saw the lights from afar glinting off the highrises. I wasn't quick enough to grab my camera and catch the twinkling lights.  I did manage to catch the pink sunset and the mountain shrouded in mist.   I think it looks quite lovely though in person it wasn't quite as dark outside as it looks.

I hope your November is off to a great start.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting.

African Arts and Crafts

Thank you and welcome to P-ter for the recent follow ;-)

It's been awhile since I've posted about my travels to Kenya. I do have several more posts before I conclude the series. I thought rather than show you more travels today, I would instead focus on some of my purchases. It was the first time I'd purchased so much at once and I love all my purchases.

Candlesticks made of ebony wood. I think they are beautiful but I found it difficult to find candles to fit the base. In the end I purchased votive candles and cut down the bottoms to fit.

A pair of elephants carved from ebony wood.

Soapstone carvings. I love the globe sitting on the base.

A game to play. I think it is called "Solitaire" and is like playing checkers except you play yourself.

A close up of the game board.

Soapstone plate and zebra mask. 

Same zebra mask and a different soapstone plate. 

Some calabashes. First time I saw them tinted dark. I purchased these on the highway on the journey from Marigat.

A drum. I was told this drum is not actually a Kenyan drum but comes from Tanzania.

This drum is a Kenyan drum.

Soapstone carving.  Map of Mount Longonot and other areas.  Click photo to get a better view.

Maasai wedding necklace.

I hope you enjoy the art. Please check out my travel posts on Kenya. You can find some links here.

The Role of the Artist

"It seems to me that the world is in little need of another message of confusion or chaos....The role of the artist in society, among all the "sound and fury" of life, is to stand patiently aside with quiet confidence, waiting, knowing that when all the noise and activities subside, someone will need a moment to pause, to reflect, to remember, to be filled with wonder or touched with emotion."

Scott Stearman, Christian artist

When I returned to my empty condo yesterday, I passed by some public art in a busy intersection and back alleys that fit this description for me of the role of an artist.



I don't know who painted these large murals on the outside walls of very old buildings in the neighbourhood. But they bring beauty in a decrepit part of the street and add colour, life and love.

I took these photos from a very busy and main thoroughfare but the noise seemed to "still" and calm came to me as I took a few moments to take these photos.

I hope you enjoy these wall murals as much as I do.