
a mural on Somerville Avenue
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged abstract, arts, colors, eyes, Inspiration, mural, painting, Photography, Somerville, Somerville Avenue, street art on October 24, 2013| 3 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Boston, colors, faith, Inspiration, John La Farge, murals, painting, Photography, religious art, Trinity Church, Trinity Church in Copley Square on October 9, 2013| 2 Comments »

As a child in Virginia I never imagined that I’d spend so much time as an adult in a place like Trinity Church watching sunlight stream through stained glass windows and play upon walls designed and painted by the likes of artist John La Farge. This is a photograph of one of those murals. I’m pleased at how it turned out as a postcard. Soon to be available in the church Book Shop. There is a wealth of information available in books and online about John La Farge. I found particularly interesting this article about the rivalry between La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Below are a few additional images of the murals. Just a tease really because no picture can compare to the real thing. 😉



Learn more about the artist John LaFarge, architect Henry Hobson Richardson and much more on the church website.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, arts, Boston Public Library, colors, Copley Square, hands, illustration, Inspiration, john singer sargent, madonna of sorrows, murals, painting, Photography, religion 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/
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Boston Public Library, illustration, Inspiration, john singer sargent, murals, painting, Photography, religion on May 30, 2013| 2 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Boston Public Library, colors, Edwin Austin Abbey, faith, holy grail, illustration, Inspiration, murals, painting, Photography, storytelling on May 30, 2013| 6 Comments »

The Abbey Room is located on the second floor of the McKim Building in the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. Its high walls are covered by a series of mural paintings depicting The Quest for the Holy Grail. A lovely place to hang out on a rainy day in Boston.








Painted by Edwin Austin Abbey.
Posted in Branches, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, colors, creativity, imagination, Inspiration, landscape, nature, painting, Photography, pixels, trees on May 13, 2013| 3 Comments »
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I just enhanced the brightness and contrast of a recent picture of Japanese maple branches in foreground and oak tree branches in the background. The original picture was badly out of focus and I almost hit delete but I decided to pause and just play with the pixels a bit.
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, arts, beauty, creativity, culture, Donald Langosy, fine art, illustration, imagination, Inspiration, interviews, Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, John Milton, literature, Midsummer Night's Dream, painting, Titania, William Shakespeare on April 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Walking into the studio of artist Donald Langosy is like venturing into a secret garden soaked in light and shadow. At first, all that one can do is gaze at the surrounding forest of color-filled canvases in all sizes. Then the individual scenes emerge, often mysterious, sometimes dark and yet filled with light and motion at the same time. By his subject matter, it is clear his passions for family, friends and for the artists across the disciplines who continue to inspire and influence his work. The drama, the intensity and indeed the mischievous humor, come through each piece. Last year I asked him how music influenced his work (view here). This year I asked if he’d share an update on recent works. Thankfully, he shared these images and the following words about what’s new, his creative process and where he finds goodness and beauty in this world.
***
“Here are recent paintings as requested. The Titania Paintings are from my Shakespeare series: Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is an ongoing series of 50″x42″ canvases that were actually painted end of last year.“

Titania Sleeping
“I thought [the above painting of artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres serenading his young wife] would lead into a series showing artists with their model/muses and so I began …
“... but my intentions veered with …”

John Milton Composing Paradise Lost
“… and now I find myself beginning two large canvases that will deal with thoughts that have emerged out of the garden of eden…”
And as for Mr. Langosy’s muse, his wife, Elizabeth…
“Celebrating Elizabeth Turns Fifty is a painting that has been buried in my stacks for over a decade…it now shines over my shoulder as I work… reminding me that while evil and ugliness might have its moment it is rejected and fades… but goodness and beauty, an eternal delight, endures….”

Celebrating Elizabeth Turns Fifty by Donald Langosy
Learn more about this artist at his Facebook page, The Art of Donald Langosy.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, colors, fun, Inspiration, musings, nature, nature photography, painting, random thoughts, watercolor on February 3, 2013| 4 Comments »

Stormy Weather by Cynthia Staples
I’ve always enjoyed putting brush to paper, but I’ve never been especially disciplined about learning the right ways to do so. But the older I grow the more I realize it is more important to just put the brush to the paper and stop worrying about the right way. Van Gogh I will never be, but I don’t need to be Van Gogh to have fun with paint or to produce an image that might make someone’s day a bit brighter. Random thoughts on a quiet Sunday. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, tagged art, beauty, collaboration, colors, friendship, image essay, Inspiration, musings, painting, poetry, Talking Writing, travel, writers on December 12, 2012| 1 Comment »
Are the holidays especially hectic for you too? If so, I highly recommend you steal away to a quiet corner and read this image essay by poet and artist Donald Langosy. A treat for the eyes and soul, I’d say. 😉 http://talkingwriting.com/image-essay-donald-langosy/
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, colors, creativity, digital photography, Inspiration, nature, outdoors, painting, Photography, watercolor, weather on October 30, 2012| 1 Comment »

an orange balloon floating down the center of the street

the canoe behind the house, perched against an old tree everyone feared would fall. the tree remained standing but its few remaining leaves fell in the wind.