National Poetry Month - Emily Dickinson

Pagan Sphinx Photo

WILL there really be a morning? Is there such a thing as day? Could I see it from the mountains If I were as tall as they?    Has it feet like water-lilies?         5 Has it feathers like a bird? Is it brought from famous countries Of which I have never heard?    Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor! Oh, some wise man from the skies!         10 Please to tell a little pilgrim Where the place called morning lies!

-Emily Dickinson

Music for Insomniacs - Ramones - Street Fighting Man

"Think the time is right for a palace revolution
'Cause where I live
the game to play
is compromise solution"
-The Rolling Stones

 I saw the quote above on my daughter-in-law's facebook page and was reminded of this cover by Ramones. One of my favorite Stones songs:  Street Fighting Man.

Blogging 'Round the Globe

I'm touting a few blogs here, including a couple of my own "underground" blogs. ;-)  But no pushy-pushy expectations here or anything! ;-)

First stop: Give us This Day (our daily painting) is a blog, my blog, where I post a wide range of oil paintings and occasional watercolors by well and lesser-known painters, from ancient art to ultra-contemporary. A particular emphasis is placed on women painters. The posts are organized simply with the painter's name, dates and if known, the title of the work; as well as the genre or school or movement. I'm sure I'm not as correct as a real art historian in regard to the latter, but my three readers are welcome to correct me. I hope that if you like an image you see on This Day, you will do a little research on the artist and enjoy an art history moment on your own.

Give Us This Day is brought to you from Western Massachusetts, which makes it likely you will see photographs I've taken myself at favorite local museums. When photography is allowed, that is. I want to thank Linda of Vulture Peak Muse and Jerry of Grown Up Backwards for leaving their comments there on a regular basis. And a thanks to Jeff of Open Museum and toliwaga for following the blog and setting me straight on a recent error.

The other new blog I've been keeping sort of hidden is Chiseled. It is much newer than This Day, though similar in format. The differences are that, as its name implies, it is about sculpture. I also often post two or three images of a particular work or different works by a given artist, as I don't post there daily. I think I'm devoting about one post a week to it.

Second stop is at Forever Under Construction, authored by my Iranian blog and email pal,Homeyra. There is a lot to sink your teeth into there about peace, freedom, art and humanity.

I recently received this link from Homeyra, for a post on the work of Mona Shomali, an Iranian artist working in the U.S. I love her style - reminds me of Kirshner and Matisse all at once, but with an obvious female touch.

Mona Shomali

To Ben Heine in Belgium, I send a heartfelt congratulations on his engagement. Visit the Ben Heine site for lots of wonderful graphic art, painting, cartoons and photographs.

There is gentleman who comments here by the name of imac who blogs fantastic original photographs from his home in Lincolnshire, UK and from his travels with his lovely wife. And as he puts it "occasional insanity thrown in". Mac is a fun, happy person and a talented photographer.

Please trot on over and say hello! The world is smaller than you think!

Sky Watch Friday

Unfortunately, I did not have the good fortune to go to New Zealand and take these photographs myself. Lovely Step-daughter #1 vacationed there recently and shared her photos with us. And what gorgeous skies she captured!

I'm sorry to say I don't have information on exactly where these were taken. At least one of these is in Queensland.

And here is the traveler. Thanks, "Mar"!

For more photographs of skies international, visit the SkyWatch site.