Category Archives: art

August 12, 2022 · 7:17 pm

Ten Things I’m Thankful

Dr. Don Arnold & Ernie Fleming of Oakley Hall A & A. will find new homes for .. . .
  1. Today I learned that the manager of Goodwill in South Hill VA area is very fond of Jane Austen. I feel so much better for donating my treasured set of 8 or 9 Stephanie Barron well-written books featuring Jane Austen as a sleuth.
  2. Plus I am content with so many of my other Jane Austen books have gone to the right place to be bought by others. I enjoyed/loved them, now others will.
  3. So grateful for my physical strength and good health to complete packing up my house for the big migration to Poplar Forest II in Farmville VA. It has been a daunting task and nearly complete.
  4. My moving date has been moved up by 1 day to the 18th. Zowie! This time next week I will be in my new home…..unpacking.
  5. Thanks to the person who developed duct tape. Man or woman.
  6. Huge thanks to my dearest friends nearby who have nurtured me.
  7. Thank you to Don and Ernie at Oakley Hall Antiques & Art who will finding loving homes for some of my art work.
  8. Thanks to my NJ friends who filled in the empty spaces of information on some of the artists of that artwork. It’s nice to have some back story to a piece of art.
  9. Big time Thanks for all the love in my life.

10. One of the purposes in my life that I am thankful for, is the making of memories that can be relived again and again.

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August 6, 2022 · 9:02 am

Reverse Painting of Cat Lizzie

This is not the painting….just a picture of Lizzie. The painting may be found at Oakley Hall Antiques & Art in Warrenton (NC)

Emily Eve Weinstein     https://emilyeveweinstein.com/home

Back when my new, used and rare book shop was in full swing in Bordentown (NJ) many authors and artists came to introduce their books and work. Emily Eve Weinstein, on her way from Durham (NC) where she taught, to visit her parents in NYC would stop and spend the night at Exit 7 on the NJ Turnpike.  She ventured into town and drew many fans from the area excited to see her newest book. Emily always gave some kind of art presentation. The year of the Cat Book, she showed how to do a ‘reverse painting’ by painting on glass then placing art paper on the wet painting and voila`. An original painting resulted. This painting that she did of my cat Lizzie (named for Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice) was the result of her visit that year. She captured Lizzie’s expression perfectly! I purchased prints of each picture in the book for resale, but she gifted the one of Lizzie and I kept it these 20+ years for my own pleasure.

​​​​C​at Book started out simply enough. Emily Weinstein set out to create a series of monoprints of cats she knew personally. As she explored her subjects, she saw that each cat had a story. So she wrote the stories down, and began hearing of fascinating cats farther afield. The trail led from North Carolina up the East Coast to New York City, where she was able to paint the much-heralded Brooklyn heroine cat, Scarlett, who rescued her five kittens from a ravaging fire. Other cats depicted include Snappy, who has sailed around the world; Wild Boy, feral in the High Sierras; the talking feline Regis, and Max, who has learned to box. It’s all great fun….and wonderful art!

From her website: Emily Eve Weinstein is a muralist, portraitist, and teaching artist, While creating murals in various towns over the years, Emily realized that many of the youth were drifting about and getting into trouble. In response to this, Emily would hand them a brush and send them up the scaffolding to help. Recognizing their value to the community, Emily taught the youth important skills which enhanced their self-esteem.  As a result of encompassing the youth into her work, Emily’s murals soon began to foster a new and intrinsic community value.

Her murals may be seen in Durham and Carrboro (NC) and Long Island (NY)

Arlene S. Bice

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July 10, 2018 · 8:34 am

YELLOW LANDSCAPE~JOHN MATLACK

Last year in an IWWG conference poetry workshop of Marj Hahn’s

we wrote from postcards of original paintings:

YELLOW LANDSCAPE/artist/JOHN MATLACK

arlene sandra bice

brilliant yellow in a living urban landscape

where color shows up to reveal

special pocket spaces indicating

poets

artists

musicians

are bringing life to a city setting

the creatives gather, cluster, whisper

vibrant partnerships form, friendships, really

latching on as extensions of self

easy to spot, these oases of art, poetry, music

colors abound, signage, posters, murals

in the unlikeliest places, just emerge

unplanned, fed, watered, nurtured

suffering? yes, those who try too hard

seeking perfection; art is life

with scars showing character

your choice, enjoy or no

absorb the blues

taste the reds

seek the yellows

notes fly out as the doors open

flooding the golden light

onto the sidewalks

where it leaks over the curb

into the street bleeding away

spreading love

leaving spots of life on a blue-

blackened night

 

 

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December 3, 2015 · 10:07 pm

GREETING CARDS SAVED IN POETRY

blog 006.JPG It’s time for greeting cards to be sent out. It matters not which holiday you celebrate; Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Chanukah, Happy New Year, and maybe others that I am unfamiliar. I save most of the cards I receive (all with the hand-painted envelopes) and enjoy them again later. . . maybe even years later. Here is my take on it all.

Greeting cards from long ago
written by a familiar hand
declaring feelings of
someone now gone

Cards with a personal note
wonderful to read years later
encouraging, reassuring
remembering dear friendships

Note cards with thank you
sent for some little thing
or maybe some thing big
a long-forgotten thoughtfulness

Hand-made cards sent
designed with loving care
expressly with me in mind
treasures to keep forever

Cards spark memories
always dear, loving, caring
before good times turn to bad
or in times of sorrow, so sad

I remove cards from the box
sketch the graphics
into my daily journal
re-living a happy moment

And then there is Celeste
who paints the envelope
to match the card inside
giving the carrier some cheer
and me over and over again

It isn’t whether the cards are large
fancy, or expensive
it’s always, it’s the words
written from the heart
communicating sentiment

 

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November 1, 2013 · 2:56 pm

Writers & Poets Anthology

Writers need writers. Though we ply our craft alone, in between writing sessions, we need other writers. Today, when we cannot gather on sidewalk cafes or in coffee houses, we can come together via the internet. No need to go totally alone in the still-new century.
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One recent gathering of writers & poets has pooled talents to present, Sitting with a Drunken Sorceress, Poems & Prose to invite you, excite you, & delight you. This anthology is a collection of poetry & prose from writers across the country; a simmering pot of races, ethnic heritage, age, gender, and seasoning.

You’ll see a smattering of ART, feel the emotions of LIFE, the PASSION roiling around inside us, why we do the WRITING, and the dreams & nightmares of THE UNDER 30 CROWD.

COMING SOON ….VERY SOON, FOR YOUR PLEASURE. SITTING WITH A DRUNKEN SORCERESS $14.95 PLUS $2.00 SHIPPING FOR EACH BOOK ORDERED.

PS: The photo is NOT the Sorceress, it’s my psychic, sleepy cat Lizzie who loves it when I read poetry to her.

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August 28, 2013 · 8:23 am

The Eyes of Writers & Artists

Finding a subject to write about comes from the many different things that we look at. It is the seeing what we look at and putting it into words that that makes us writers; like an artist sees objects differently than those who are not artists. They see the greens, yellows, pinks, and blues in a tree trunk where the average person may see only a brown tree trunk.

During a recent writing group session Maggie Chalifoux brought in a couple of her abstract paintings and we all wrote very different responses to them. Our various responses came from seeing the same painting but bringing our own experiences and inner thoughts to the writing piece. This is the poem I wrote to explain what I saw.

Life Magic Through My Eyes
(inspired by a Maggie Chalifoux abstract painting)

As the mist rises up
droplets float down
the world responds
with motion and life
as seasons change

one feeding the other
waters lap the shore
birthing trees and greenery
creating movement
of days into night

wrapping the earth like
Mother Nature’s loving arms.
Arlene S. Bice ©2013

*** I recently received notice of the new website listed here of a long-time friend, Jyoti Wind, who is an experienced astrologer, shaman, published writing leader and homeopathic consultant. Please check out her website if any of these subjects appeals to you. http://www.jyotiwindastrology.com

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February 27, 2013 · 9:10 am

I Came Upon This Door

Our recent program “A Gathering of Artists & Poets” was a huge success with 59 people in attendance. This is one of my paintings with poem to compliment it. Please enjoy.

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I Came Upon This Door

When roaming a medieval town
I came upon this door,
by accident, I thought
tucked into
a hidden lane
a short distance away,
it summoned me
come closer, enter after knocking

I remembered it, but how? I have never been here before

The lamp bid me as welcome
as a candle in a window
it felt familiar
as I paused
letting my senses
respond,
to warn or
to comfort I did not know.

But I felt I had been here before, a long, long time ago.

The knocker beckoned
my hand to grasp
let it fall,
send echoes
down the hall
of stone
cold
secretive, empty

with stories to tell of other times amidst this forgotten pall

As memories came to mind
visions of men, women
revealed to me,
I wondered
what string or crumbs
brought me here
to revive
those stories of long ago

of those folks, kindred who must not be left, thoughtlessly, behind

Arlene S. Bice, © 2013

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January 17, 2013 · 5:33 am

The Art of Klimpt & More

 

ImageAnything that mentions Gustav Klimpt catches my attention. From there I follow the thread from one thing to another, then find a movie and go there to  learn more. This time the movie was about Alma Mahler Gropius Werfel (nee Schindler) who I believe was related to Klimpt. Her story enraptured me.

The Bride of the Wind is that movie and I have enjoyed viewing it several times over the years. Each time I watch it, I see something I haven’t noticed before. To me, that’s a sign of a really good movie.

It’s a true story set in Victorian Vienna, the city that inspired many great artists of music, architecture, fine art, and literature. It also inspired Alma as she later in life became the famous composer she dreamed of when she was young, but not allowed to be,

Jonathan Pryce plays the role of her first husband, the famous Viennese composer Gustav Mahler. His compositions are still recorded and played today. The ruggedly handsome Vincent Perez plays the role of Oskar Kokaschka, painter of the real Bride of the Wind with his usual intense presence. Oskar’s painting is full of passion, in all blues, very different from the one shown here on the cover of the DVD, which is presented in the style of Klimpt. Seeing Perez in this movie led me to buy another of his films, Swept from the Sea. The thread goes on.

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December 20, 2012 · 3:12 pm

The Kiss of Gustav Klimpt

Image

The painting draws my attention

like a casual stroller at the lower left hand

corner of the local garden.

The softly draped yellows and flecks of color

falling from their shoulders,

while kneeling, down to their feet

where hers are bound by ropes of gold,

making her flight impossible.

My eyes gaze upward to the fold of their robes

blending in, one with the other,

then I notice her face turned away

from his kiss placed so tenderly

on her cheek.

Boredom is her expression;

being

the adored one,

lonely,

no passion there.

His hands cup her face,

gently,

his neck bends

to kiss

his beloved.

Her arm circles

his shoulder,

hanging on

while the other

pushes him away.

Stars are in her hair

adornment,

reflecting

the absence of

stars in her eyes.    © Arlene S. Bice, 2008

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