Orchid

Botanical Gardens,

Montreal

(taken by me

Dear friends,

I will be taking a few days off from blogging to straighten out some issues here at home. A kid issue, a relationship issue and my concerns about my job. Nothing earth-shattering but all areas where my emotional energy, focus and time are needed. It's always good to be proactive and deal with things before they get out of hand. So. That's what I'm needing to do.

Thank you for coming by and leaving your kind comments. I always look forward to hearing from you. See you soon!

Warmest regards,

Pagan

More Favorites From The Clark Art Institute

Offering the Panate to the Bullfighter
Mary Cassatt
American Impressionist, 1873



The Women of Amphissa
Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1887


Young Christian Girl
Paul Gaugin 1894








The Snake Charmer
Jean-Leon Gerome, 1942

In a recent post I featured some works by William Bouguereau, the French painter of the
Academic Classicism school. One of those paintings, Nymphs and Satyr, adorns the title bar of my blog and is in the permanent collection at The Clarke Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. This is our Western Massachusetts art treasure and my personal favorite of all the local museums. For its pastoral setting, its fine, eclectic permanent collection and the many fine exhibitions held there, particularly in the summer - a glorious time to visit and enjoy a picnic on the beautiful grounds.

I've found these images of four other of my favorite paintings in the collection at The Clarke. I hope you enjoy them. If you're in the area and choose to visit, you will not be dissapointed by this lovely museum.

Post Links That Command Attention

Godless Liberal Homo has an important post up titled Ten Reasons to Boycott Beijing Olympics

Homeyra at Forever Under Construction posted about American author, Naomi Wolf who says ” that there is a blueprint that would-be dictators always do the same ten things, whether they’re on the left or the right […]“. This list eerily reflects the actions of our current government.

Feministing posts about a high school principal in the south who outs a student gay couple because she "doesn't like homosexuals". Hate crimes against GLBT people are up and must be stopped. Outing gays against their will isn't just a violation of their privacy, it can result in harm and death. The tragic death of 15 year-old Lawrence King in California recently, sadly illustrates this point.

I was heartened by this article about the activism of the mothers of gay children, of which I am one.