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Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

the sargent hands

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2013| 5 Comments »

Based on yesterday’s post, I was asked by a few folks if I went up one more flight of stairs to view the hands of the Sargent murals.  Oh, yes indeed I did.  I did not begin with the Madonna of Sorrows with her silver crown.  With my limited time, I focused first on the prophets.

At the end of my stay, as I focused more on the Madonna of Sorrows, I had to stand close to a young security guard.  Finally I turned to her and asked, “Do you ever get bored?” She smiled and suddenly looked about twelve years old.  She said, “No, ma’am.  Every day I see something new.”

See all of the Sargent murals, in context, via this link.  This is an excellent site as well: http://www.sargentmurals.bpl.org/

 

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a series of hands

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2013| 3 Comments »

Hands, hands, hands.  I was surprised in preparing this post to discover that I have written about hands quite a bit over the years. Two posts that moved me most were from four years ago, Hands I and Hands II.   Hands stood out again during a recent visit to the Boston Public Library, visiting yet again the room with the Abbey Murals. I’ve photographed the murals often but this time I tried to focus on the hands.

For those new to the murals, in the 1890s Edwin Austin Abbey began a series of 15 wall paintings depicting The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail (based on a version of the legend by Henry James).  They were installed in 1895.

On the BPL website, you can read a description of the 15 panels and the story they depict.  Given how many shy maidens must have their hands kissed by Sir Galahad …

… and how many babes, swords and various vessels must be borne aloft and so on …

… well, it’s clear why Abbey paid so much attention to the hands of his legendary figures.

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to shine with a bright light

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2013| 3 Comments »

That is this lay person’s interpretation of this image of The Transfiguration of Jesus, a stained glass window in Trinity Church in Copley Square.  It is by Henry Holiday of London.  I hope to share more about the whole window and its maker in the coming month, but meanwhile I can share that I’ve been lucky enough to photograph this center part of the window. It will be available as a postcard in the church’s Book Shop in early October.  Have a good day, folks.

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a walk around the block

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2013| 5 Comments »

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watermelon at friday’s market

Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 22, 2013| 7 Comments »

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vintage glass stirrers

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 19, 2013| 12 Comments »

A gift given to Steve by a friend.  Glass cocktail stirrers picked up at an antique shop. I’m sure he’ll use them at the appropriate time, but for now I have squirreled them away into a tall glass and placed them amidst my plants so that they too can catch the light.

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harbor grass

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , on September 17, 2013| 7 Comments »

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plums on cowbird

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2013| 4 Comments »

I can be a bit slow.  It took me well over a year to visit and then participate in Cowbird.  A friend had suggested I check out the site as a new creative outlet.   I’m glad she did.  It is a community of storytellers.  I’ve posted a few stories — really a collection of simple words, rather stream of conscious, like diamonds in the rough or perhaps just gravel, but words I do not wish to lose.  I am honored to have had one such collection featured today:  plums.  If you haven’t already, please check out the site.  A source of lovely words and images.

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andrea’s bouquet

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , on September 15, 2013| 2 Comments »

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ethereal

Posted in Inspiration, Music, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2013| 7 Comments »

Why “ethereal” as a title?  Well, I recently chanced upon a very short video of ballerina Janie Taylor dancing in designer Chloé’s “dance-inspired spring/summer 2011 collection.”  The dance was set to Philip Glass’s “String Quartet No. 3, ‘Mishima’: IV. 1962: Body Building.”  I enjoy much of what Philip Glass composes.  I have not been able to get the dance or the music out of my head.  On this windy day, I went for a walk in hopes that the movement and music would inspire me to photograph something sweeping, cascading, flowing, etc. In the end …

… nothing.  Not a single “sweeping” thing caught my attention.  I put away the camera and headed home, pausing just long enough at a market to purchase a few pieces of fruit.  At home, I placed the items on a side table figuring I’d put them away later.  Back at the computer, I hit play and repeat on that darn video, and began to outline a writing project.  But the wind kept rustling the plastic bag the fruit sat upon.  Frustrated, I got up and went to the table. With Philip Glass blaring in the background, I looked down and thought, “That’s it! That’s the shot.”  Anyway, that’s my story of this image and I’m sticking to it.  If you’re curious, click here for link to the video.

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